12.13 Midway Class Shuttlecarrier

MIDWAY CLASS SHUTTLECARRIER SERVICE ENTRY DATE (OLD CALENDAR): 2289

Midway is based on the unbuilt Napoleon class fleet carrier of the 2260s. It represents a marked departure from the various Class I based shuttlecarrier designs and the Ariel/Fredrikstad fleet shuttlecarriers. Midway was intended to be a combination of the two, offering the operational versatility of a Class I heavy cruiser yet at the same time capable of operating multiple combat shuttlecraft squadrons in the same manner as an Ariel or Fredrikstad. It also sports the same C3 suite as the Ariel, permitting it to operate as fleet flagships in the event a dreadnought, space control ship, or Ariel-type fleet shuttlecarrier is unavailable.

Midway’s armament is almost identical in both arrangement and power to that of an Enterprise or Tikopai class heavy cruiser. This represents a major departure from the deployment of multiple point-defense phasers per Ariel and Fredrikstad. The “wall of fire” concept behind this armament scheme has not performed in practice as well as in theory, with enemy combat shuttles simply retreating beyond range. This allowed the heavy weapons of their carrier or fleet support ships to do their dirty work for them before they swooped in to deliver the final coup de grace. The addition of self-contained heavy weapons capability, in the form of dual photon torpedo tubes, also makes Midway the operational equivalent (or superior) of its Klingon and Romulan contemporaries, thus allowing it to go toe-to-toe with any foe while their fighters battle among themselves. The design’s main drawback is its shuttle bay arrangement, with split launch and retrieval flight decks. Many critics of the Midway, such as former Starfleet Commissioner Lars-Erik Valdemar, point out that the lack of a proper through-deck design sets Midway up for the same kind of combat catastrophe that befell the Santee and Sangamon during the Four Years war.

Midway’s unique LN-80 warp engines are a variant of the LN-70 developed for Yamato. Four of them are mounted in stacked pairs of two. The configuration was inspired by the Cheetah prototype fast cruiser. These make Midway almost as fast as Excelsior without having to resort to the use of costly FTWA-1 warp engines and provides superior warp performance and maneuverability to the layout employed on Yamato. These also give Midway both the speed and range to play a vital part in current and future fleet battle group operations.

Ten Midway class shuttlecarriers were initially authorized for construction in 2286. Midway (NCC-2220) and Akagi (NCC2221) were the first to enter service in 2289 and 2291 respectively. As launched they were deployed with two fighter squadrons of F-type 15, one attack squadron of A-type 20, and a group of four E-type 3 combat shuttlecraft. Ark Royal (NCC2222), which entered service in 2293, was the first Starfleet shuttlecarrier to deploy with the new F-type 22 “Peregrine” fighter shuttle, which is quickly becoming the favorite of the fighter shuttle pilot corps. Illustrious (NCC-2224) is named after Starfleet’s very first shuttlecarrier (post Romulan War era) and is scheduled to enter service next year. Completion of Nchtari (NCC-2223) is on hold pending program review under the Starfleet Reorganization Order of 2295.

VISUALS:

SPECIFICATIONS:

Length: …………………………………….. 626 m Beam: ……………………………………… 253.8 m Draft: …………………….………………… 91.3 m Mass: …………………………….…1,053,600 DWT Crew ……………… approximately 700 (plus 70 pilots) Range: ………………………. 20 light-years at L.Y.V. Cruising speed: ………………….………….. warp 8 Maximum speed: ………………….………… warp 16 Armament: …….……... 26 phasers (13 banks of 2 each) 2 photon torpedo tubes (both forward) 52 combat shuttlecraft (24 fighter, 24 attack, 4 ELINT)

MIDWAY DESIGN FROM STARFLEET COMMAND II: EMPIRES AT WAR BY ACTIVISION GAMES VISUALS BY DEMON RENEGADE STUDIOS AND STARFORCE PRODUCTIONS

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