USS Drake

USS Drake – Excelsior Class
USS Drake unlike the USS London has a full standing crew commanded by Commander Elizabeth Churchill.
Deck Layout 
1 Bridge, conference lounge, docking port 16 Sensors, engineering labs, tractor beam emitter 
2 Science systems 17 Shuttle subsystems, photon torpedo magazine 
3 Science systems, senior officers' quarters 18 Main shuttlebay, power transfer conduits, Main Engineering, battle bridge, photon torpedo magazine 
4 Junior officers' quarters, crew lounges 19 Shuttle storage and maintenance, photon torpedo launchers, freight and cargo 
5 Junior officers' quarters, crew lounges 20 Cargo bays, science labs, docking ports 
6 Junior officers' quarters, officers' quarters, environmental systems 21 Cargo bays, science labs, photon torpedo magazine 
7 Junior officers' quarters, officers' quarters, science labs, transporter rooms, sickbay, docking ports 22 Cargo bays, deflector control, aft photon torpedo launchers 
8 Officers' quarters, computer core, impulse engine systems, medlabs 23 Cargo bays, deflector control 
9 Saucer cargo bays, computer systems, EPS systems 24 Cargo bays, tractor beam emitter 
10 Impulse engines, saucer landing legs 25 Cargo bays, shuttlecraft storage 
11 Saucer module separation subsystems, docking latches 26 Shuttlebay Two, shuttlecraft storage and maintenance, cargo loading ports 
12 Deuterium storage, sensor arrays 27 Shuttlebay Two, shuttlecraft storage, cargo loading ports, antimatter storage, antimatter injector 
13 Engineering systems, warp core monitoring, deuterium storage 28 Shuttlebay Two, antimatter storage 
14 Engineering systems, deuterium storage, stardrive impulse engine 29 Antimatter storage, tractor beam emitter 
15 Science labs, sensors, warp core systems, deflector subsystems, stardrive impulse engine  
Type: Explorer 
Commissioned: 2375-PRES 
Production: 15 per year Design and Production Facility: Cochrane Yards, Alpha Centauri Mass: 1,970,000 tons Crew: 650, Max Evac of 2200 Propulsion: One cochrane warp core feeding two warp nacelles; one subatomic unified energy impulse engine Armament: phasers:  12 type-XII phaser arrays torpedoes: launchers: 5 ( 1 turret forward, 2 forward, and 2 aft ) photon: 250 quantum: 200 Defense Systems: Shield system Standard Duranium double hull Standard level Structural Integrity Field Warp Capabilities: cruising speed: Warp 7maximum speed: Warp 9.8emergency speed: Warp 9.91 ( For 18 hours ) Hull Life: 60 years Refit Cycle: resupply: 3 yearsminor refit: 10 yearsmajor refit: 20 Dimensions: height: 100 meterswidth: 200 meterslength: 500 meters Shuttle Compliment: shuttle bays: 3shuttles: 2 Type-9 Personal Shuttles, 2 Type-10 Shuttles, 4 Type-11 Personal Shuttles, runabouts: 1 Danube Class Runabout,  1 Delta Flyer Runabout Class 
History: The Excelsior-B Class was developed to replace the aging Excelsior Class starships as Starfleet's primary exploration vessel and mid-sized heavy cruiser. 
The Excelsior Class starships were performed well beyond expectations for more years than most in the Federation expected. When the Excelsior Class was launched, it was Starfleet's heaviest battle cruiser and front line exploration vessels. Over the year the Excelsior Class slowly began to lose ground to the more advanced ships that were being designed. Although the Excelsior Class continued to receive numerous upgrades, after nearly a century in service the refits could no longer keep the design up to date. The Excelsior Class performed well during the Dominion War but losses were heavy, proving that the Excelsior Class was simply being out classed and that the Federation had a serious whole in it's battle tactics that couldn't be filled by any other class in service . A brief attempt to upgrade the Excelsior Class, the USS Lakota proved that the effort to upgrade the Excelsior far out weighted the benefits. In the time it took to upgrade the USS Lakota, two equally powerful Defiant Class starships could be built.The failed attempt to upgrade the Excelsior Class caused Starfleet to being to look into a replacement for the aging Excelsior Class. At first Starfleet looked at designs already in service at the time to determine if any other design could replace the Excelsior Class. Both the Galaxy and Nebula Classes were looked at, and both full filled the combat and exploration requirements, but the cost and maintains of those classes made it impractical to produce them in the numbers need to replace the Excelsior Class. The Akira Class was also looked at, it full filled the combat requirements but in the exploration category is fell woefully short. In the end it was decided that a new class of starship would be needed. A design similar in size and shape that current shipyards could easily convert to building, a design that full filled both the heavy cruiser requirements and deep space exploration requirements, a design the would be easily constructed and maintained. In the end, the Excelsior-B Class was born.The Excelsior-B Class incorporated several design aspects of the Excelsior Class, that had be tried and tested to be sound. Along with the fact both classes perform the same mission, it's not surprising to see the two class designs to appear similar. But make no mistake the Excelsior-B Class is a whole different ship. The ship was equipped with state of the art equipment. The improved warp nacelle design granted a vast improvement in sustainable warp speed. The weapon systems were equally impressive boosting twelve type-twelve phaser arrays, giving the Excelsior-B Class quite a punch it needed to full fill the heavy cruiser role. Her smaller size ( compared to a Galaxy and Sovereign Classes ) makes her a very maneuverable ship, which is useful both in combat and in scientific endeavors.  
(Written by AW)