8.3 Byrne Class Hospital Ship
The Byrne class mobile hospital ship was a conversion of the Infinity class starliner that replaced the slow, aging Hopkins class and could handle up to 500 patients at once.
Service Entry Date (Old Calendar): 2173
The Byrne class was designed to replace the slow and aging Hopkins class in the mobile hospital role. They were a rather straightforward conversion of the Infinity class starliner (a competitor of the Tetsujin). The eleven-deck command module was gutted and retooled according to the strict specifications of Star Fleet Command. The rest of the ship, aft of the command boom all the way to its aft observation section, was replaced by a custom-designed medical section designed to handle up to 500 patients at once. The large observation deck ring was retained because of its spacious shuttle bays, which were perfect for housing a number of space ambulances, medical shuttles, and other specialty small craft. The first two were Infinity conversions, with the other five assembled in dock. Their specialty maintenance requirements (for their civilian-derived power plants) eventually led Star Fleet to convert some of its own designs for the hospital ship role beginning with the Baton Rouge generation of starships.
Specifications
- Length: 290 m
- Diameter: 137.3 m
- Mass: 100,520 DWT
- Crew: 420 (+ up to 500 patients maximum)
- Armament: 4 laser banks
- Cruising speed: warp 2.0
- Maximum speed: warp 3.1