USS Rio Grande The USS " Rio Grande " ( NCC - 72452 ) was a 24th century Federation runabout operated by Starfleet . This ship was assigned to Deep Space 9 . The " Rio Grande " was one of the three runabouts offloaded at DS9 by the along with two other runabout starship s . The " Rio Grande " was the first vessel to discover the Bajoran wormhole in 2369 , and was the only Starfleet runabout to remain operational at Deep Space 9 for the following years . Service history . 2369 . The " Rio Grande " gained fame as the vessel piloted by Commander Benjamin Sisko and Lieutenant Jadzia Dax on the mission that discovered the Bajoran wormhole in 2369 . ( ) Major Kira Nerys and Doctor Julian Bashir piloted the " Rio Grande " back to Deep Space 9 when they received a priority one distress signal from the Kobliad transport ship " Reyab " . Later the " Rio Grande " was used to transport Doctor Bashir , under the control of the criminal Rao Vantika and hired Bajaron mercenaries , to steal a shipment of duridium from the freighter " Norkova " . ( ) Several months later , Sisko and Dax took the " Rio Grande " to Rakhar . ( ) After the crash land ed on a moon in the Gamma Quadrant , the " Rio Grande " was deployed to rescue Sisko , Bashir , Kai Opaka , and Major Kira , who were on board the " Yangtzee Kiang " . ( ) 2370 . The " Rio Grande " was used to pursue the hijacked containing Quark , Lieutenant Dax , and Ensign Melora Pazlar . For this mission , the " Rio Grande " was equipped with a roll bar module . The roll bar was removed for all future missions . ( ) On stardate 47573 . 1 , Commander Sisko and Chief Miles O ' Brien explored systems near the Bajor sector aboard the " Rio Grande " in search of planets suitable for colonization . Upon discovering a class M planet in the Orellius system , they transported down to the planet ' s surface . The " Rio Grande " remained in orbit until it was hijacked by Alixus , who attempted to destroy the runabout by setting its course into the system ' s sun , Orellius Minor . Her attempt failed , and the ship was deflected across Sector 401 , unpiloted , until it was reported to Starfleet by the Romulan ship " Gasko " . Major Kira and Lieutenant Dax pursued the " Rio Grande " aboard the " Orinoco " . When the " Orinoco " caught up with the " Rio Grande " , Dax , inspired by an old Hopi rope trick , used the " Orinoco " s tractor beam to force the " Rio Grande " out of warp . They then transported over to the " Rio Grande " to determine the origin of the runabout ' s course , later taking the " Orinoco " in tow as they returned to Orellius . ( ) Along with the and the " Orinoco " , the " Rio Grande " was used to stop the Maquis from attacking Bryma , a Cardassian colony in the Demilitarized Zone . ( ) Doctor Bashir and Major Kira used the " Rio Grande " to travel to the New Bajor colony in the Gamma Quadrant so they could help set up the colony ' s hospital . While en route back to Deep Space 9 , the " Rio Grande " had the honor of being only the second Federation vessel to enter the mirror universe , the first being the , and the only one known to Starfleet . ( ) Later that year , Sisko took his son Jake , along with Quark and Nog into the Gamma Quadrant aboard the " Rio Grande . " It was the first time Jake and Nog had been there . However , the trip took a fateful turn as Sisko and Quark were captured by the Jem ' Hadar , the soldiers of the Dominion . ( ) 2371 . In 2371 , Constable Odo used the " Rio Grande " in an attempt to follow a ship piloted by a Flaxian suspected of attempting to kill Elim Garak . The Flaxian ship exploded before it could leave Deep Space 9 , cutting the " Rio Grande " s mission short . ( ) 2372 . In 2372 , Major Kira and Legate Dukat used the " Rio Grande " to search for the Cardassian transport ship " Ravinok " . ( ) Later that year , Lieutenant Commander ' s Worf and Dax , along with Klingon Dahar master Kor , took the " Rio Grande " into the Gamma Quadrant to find the long - lost Sword of Kahless . ( ) 2373 . In early 2373 , the " Rio Grande " was attacked by Klingons while Sisko , Dax , and O ' Brien were returning to Deep Space 9 from Starfleet Command . ( ) At some point after that , Odo used the " Rio Grande " to transport Quark to a Federation grand jury on Inferna Prime as part of a ruse to determine which criminal organization Quark had ties to , which later proved to be the Orion Syndicate . The Syndicate planted a bomb on the " Rio Grande " , intending to destroy it en route . Odo was able to mitigate the damage from the bomb by beaming it out and channeling the explosion through the transporter buffer , though the runabout still took heavy damage and was forced to crash land on an unnamed class L planet . Odo and Quark were later rescued by the , and the " Rio Grande " was salvaged . ( ) Later that year , the " Rio Grande " was used in the defense of the station against a newly arrived Dominion fleet . ( ) 2374 . Captain Sisko and Jake took the " Rio Grande " back to Earth in late - 2374 shortly after the death of Jadzia Dax . ( ) 2375 . In 2375 , Benjamin , Jake , and Joseph Sisko , along with Ezri Dax , used the " Rio Grande " to travel to so Benjamin could locate the Orb of the Emissary . ( ) Later that year , Odo took the " Rio Grande " into Cardassian space to meet with an ex - informant whom he believed to be dead . He had been duped by the " defective " clone Weyoun 6 , and took him back to Federation space . When Legate Damar and the successive clone Weyoun 7 learned of their whereabouts they sent a fleet of Jem ' Hadar attack ship s to stop them . Odo diverted the " Rio Grande " into an ice field to avoid the attacking ships . ( ) Shortly after the Dominion War , Captain Sisko took the " Rio Grande " to Bajor for his final confrontation with Dukat and the Pah - wraith s . ( )