Ranger Class V-VI Light Scout

from FASA Star Trek^© Starship Tactical Combat Simulator – Federation Ship Recognition Manual (2^nd Edition)

 
NOTES:
The Ranger class marks Starfleet’s return to a small fast-scout ship concept, which had largely been abandoned during the Four Years War. Although small scouts had suffered terrible losses during the war, it was acknowledged that for some missions they had been the ideal platform. As the previous generation of small scouts had been built around laser weapons, it was clear that a new design was needed to make maximum use of the new phaser and photon torpedo technology.

Accordingly, Starfleet announced an open design contest- one of few times such a contest has been run for a major ship design. The criteria required of the design were stated as: speed, maneuverability, affordability, survivability, ease of construction and maintenance and finally combat capability. The SCX contest commenced in 2263 (2/09) and was keenly contested by design teams from across the Federation. The winning design was that submitted jointly by Morena Shipyards and Starfleet’s Sol IV facility.

The winning design, dubbed ‘Ranger’, entered SERVICE in 2266. The Mk I Ranger had a number of novel features to meet the design requirements. The primary hull was a simple saucer that was strong, but easy to maintain. The twin warp drives were attached to a mount that was designed so it could be swapped out as a single unit for maintenance, or detached in an emergency. The design was notable in mounting two photon torpedoes, with launchers covering fore and aft arcs- the aft firing capability being one of the features of the class which became much appreciated by assigned crews.

Against the advice of the designers, Starfleet initially specified a mounting of just two single mounted FH-2 phasers covering three arcs each. In service this mounting proved adequate in normal operations, but the lack of redundancy that a banked mount would have given was suspected as the cause of the loss of a number of vessels in skirmishes. The Mk II was designed to address this failing by mounting two banks of FH-6 phasers, as well as upgraded torpedoes, shields and impulse drive. A small number of Mk IIs were completed to Mk IIs specifications with FP-2 photon torpedoes as an interim measure due to a shortage of the new FP-7 torpedo systems. As sufficient FP-7s became available, the Mk IIa ships were refitted to the definitive Mk III’s standard. The Mk III entered service in 2275 and further upgraded the phasers.

In service the Mk II and Mk III soon established an enviable reputation, serving mainly in Starfleet’s Military Operations Command. A pair of Rangers would normally be deployed with all dreadnoughts to act as the eyes and ears of the flagship. Used in areas requiring small, lightly armed vessels, the Ranger is also popular as a convoy escort in hazardous areas, with the class usually working in groups of two or three ships for mutual protection.

Various proposals have been made to ‘impro11e’ the class by making it heavier (Class VI), but it has been determined that the penalty this would have on maneuverability and power efficiency are too much of a price to pay. The class has always had extremely cramped crew quarters for a Federation vessel, but space is at a premium aboard the Ranger. The close-quarters only help to grow the camaraderie aboard these small ships.

The Ranger is seen as a stepping stone to the command of larger vessels, as the class offers inexperienced commanders the chance to learn the skills needed to command far larger ships. However, a small core of captains has spent their whole command career in Rangers, as the Ranger community has a distinct spirit, much like that of the perimeter action ships, and offers more freedom than the majority of the fleet.

The Ranger Mk IV was a direct result of the “Genesis Incident” in 2285 (2/22) and the subsequent capture of the Klingon K-22 Bird of Prey. The possibilities of mounting larger photon torpedoes had been discussed in the past, but rejected as impractical. Advances in torpedo technology (and analis of the compact KP-5 photon system on the K-22) now meant the FP-5 could be mounted aboard the class with no penalty In performance, the only price being that the phasers were down graded slightly with the fitment of FH-4s Instead of FH-7s. The Mk IV’s combat capabilities astonished many in the fleet: in tests a single Ranger outfought a Larson class destroyer, and even a Mk I Baker class.

The result of this capability was the creation of a new sub type, the Mk IV -Rapier”. Identical in statistics to the standard Mk IV, the only difference between the two siblings is that both of the Rapier’s torpedoes fire forward. Operationally Rapiers and Rangers are often deployed in mixed groups, meaning that opponents can never be sure which 11ersion they are facing.

s, meaning that opponents can never be sure which 11ersion they are facing. The most notable combat victory achieved by the class was the destruction of a Romulan S-11 Bird of Prey which had been engaged in an espionage mission involving the theft of research on artificial quantum singularities. Combat between scout ships is rare, but the ships in question, the Ranger Mk IV, USS Raven, and the Mk III, USS Rainbird, used their advanced sensors to locate the cloaked vessel and then their torpedoes set to proximity detonation to destroy the vessel. It is still not known why the Romulans stole this material, as no military application can be seen for this research.

Of the 281 Rangers built, 6 Mk Is, 29 Mk IIs, 71 Mk IIIs and 128 Mk Vs remain in active service, with 8 Mk Is and 4 Mk IIs in reserve fleets. Two Mk IIs, 2 Mk IIIs and 2 Mk Vs are used by Starfleet Training Command; 26 Mk Is, 11 Mk IIs, 3 Mk IIIs and 1 Mk V have been destroyed; 2 Mk Is and 1 Mk II are listed as missing; 1 Mk I, 12 Mk IIs and 4 Mk IIIs have been scrapped; and 8 Mk Is and 1 Mk II have been sold to civilian commercial concerns.

The Ranger was produced at the Sol IV and Morena facilities at a combined rate of 8 per year. The contractor was Rakala Industries, Inc.