BC-310

< Tau'ri fleet

"*An Upgrade to the 304, she is Earth's newest vessel and a force in it's own right.*"
—Brigadier General Samantha Carter
The **310**, also known as the ***Columbia*-class warship**, is a class of **deep space carrier** built by the Tau'ri, and the most advanced series of vessels in the Tau'ri fleet capable of rivalling even the most powerful alien spaceships using its Asgard technology. As of 2034, two *Columbia*-class warships have been built. These 304s are the *Columbia* and *Thunder Child*, with the Moskva and the U.S.S. Lionel Pendergast under construction.

## **Overview**

With the 310 the design was started from scratch completely incorporating the most advanced Asgard technology and the most recent and greatest achievements of Tau’ri engineering as well as Ancient technology gotten from research in Atlantis and from Ancient warship designs and technology.
The Columbia class became the first of the Tau’ri-Asgard-Ancient Hybrid vessels. The Columbia was installed with a Human built control chair based off designs from the Atlantis mainframe.

## **History**

With the success of the Daedalus class and the technology provided by the Asgard including their repository of knowledge the ESC deemed it necessary to create a new class of ship to encompass the new found technology and all the information received from unlocking more of Atlantis after its return to Earth. Therefore, a new spaceship, intended to be built from the ground up with these findings and new technologies, was designed.
It immediately became one of the ESC’s most important projects and a specialised committee was drawn up with funding coming from some of the World’s most major Countries and a specialised council created within the United Nations. Currently, seven major Countries provide funding for the Columbia and Stargate Programmes with The United States, Great Britain and Russia providing the Majority of the money.
The first of the Columbia Class ships was launched in 2024 named Columbia after the US Space Shuttle it was equipped with a brand new class of Intergalactic Hyperdrive, Cloaking Technology, a Control Chair and Ancient Drones.
In 2031, the second Columbia-class ship, *Thunder Child* is launched. The *Thunder Child*’s crew consists of members of the Royal Navy and is tasked with defence of Earth.

## **Locations**

#### **Bridge**

310s feature several upgrades over the *304*, but the bridge layout is relatively similar. The forward view port is wider to allow a greater visual field. This is particularly useful during battle situations, allowing several officers to make suggestions about how to proceed without obstructing the captain's chair. Also built into the forward view port is a heads-up display based on Ancient technology. A weapons officer sits to the right of the captain; a helmsman to the left.
The bridge is located in the superstructure at the rear of the ship's neck. The map display table in the back of the bridge is lit in a different colour for each ship. The Bridge now also contains a specialised Asgard Terminal for Access to the Human made Asgard core.

#### **Crew Quarters**

310s contain a number of relative spacious crew quarters. With the location of  them spread out throughout the ship, including several that are positioned along the hull of the ship, allowing for a view into space via window.

#### **Engineering**

The engineering deck has several control panels specifically designed from Asgard technology. A view port overlooking the hyperdrive can be found at the aft end of the chamber. The engine room can accommodate a dozen personnel at any given time. Tasks from systems diagnostics to the deployment of weapons can be carried out here.

#### **Briefing Room**

310s are designed with a briefing room, in which the captain can meet with senior officers for briefing before difficult/complex or strategic operations. The 310s' briefing room is a spacious room with a high ceiling, panelled in grey tones and equipped with large florescent lighting fixtures on the ceiling. It is dominated with a large black meeting table, and lined with several chairs along the sides. Behind the captain's chair is a large flat screen monitor built into the wall. As a screensaver, it displays the seal of the ship with the ship name at the top and the registry number of the ship along the bottom.

#### **Infirmary**

The Infirmary of 310s are smaller more compact versions of those found on Ancient Warships. They contain several rooms with hospital beds and likely storage rooms, stocked with all manner of medications for the crew members, as well as equipment to support the crew during injuries that would be likely to be sustained on board ship. A surgical suite is also part of the infirmary.  The room is also equipped with Ancient medical scanning technology for fast diagnoses.

#### **Hangar Bay**

The 310s hanger bays were redesigned and made more spacious to allow the carrying of the new F-309 Fighters. Each 310 is able to carry 10 Fighters in each Hanger.

#### '*Mess'* **Hall**

Because the 310s are designed for extensive deep-space voyages, a mess hall is available to off-duty personnel. It is located on the starboard side of the ship and offers a view port into space. Hot coffee and perhaps other drinks are available in the mess, no matter the time of day.

#### **Bomb Bay**

All of the 310’s, feature a large bomb bay built into the underside of the ship, capable of deploying the Horizon Mk II weapons platform. A control room just aft of the bay includes a set of observation windows, arranged much like the ship's engine room.

#### **Asgard knowledge room**

The Asgard knowledge room is a room on board the 310’s. The room contains a curved holographic display which is linked into the Asgard computer core. It can display the information stored in it to the user on a larger display than the one on the core itself and so can be used to search the database and study its contents in more detail and with greater ease.

#### **Brig**

The brig on a 310 is a small, unadorned room not dissimilar to the ship's storage compartments; it contains a surveillance camera through which the prisoners can be observed.

#### **Armoury**

There are several armouries on a 310. They are small and packed with various weapons and munitions. They are known to contain Tau'ri, Goa'uld and Wraith weapons.

#### **Airlocks**

Several airlocks line the slender mid-section of the ship. Airlocks may be vented through initiating a venting sequence controlled through the computer consoles, or performing a manual override to open the door via a control keypad.

#### **Locker Rooms**

As well as smaller Armouries the 310’s contain two large Locker Rooms for use by off-world teams while on missions to store their equipment and belongings while away from Stargate Command or Atlantis.

## **Technology**

The 310s boast a large amount of incredibly advanced technology, most of which came from the Asgard, which helps make 310s a formidable craft, capable of rivalling the spaceships of most races. In contrast to its predecessor, the 304, the new Columbia-class ships have several significant advantages in that the more advanced alien technologies were integrated into the original design rather than added on after the fact in the same way the 304 was an upgrade to the 303.

#### **Sensors**

The 310s feature a long-range transmitter, located with a series of other communications-related equipment, including Asgard sensors, at the top-rear port section of the ship. There are also sensors located on the nose section of the ship. These sensors are highly advanced as they can scan and pinpoint life signs from far away, and are also what allows the beaming technology to lock on to an object accurately.

#### **Shields**

Energy shields are the primary defence technology used by 310s. The upgraded technology was shared by the Asgard before their eventual mass suicide, and so the Earth-designed Columbia-class warships are protected by Asgard shields, giving them a great advantage over the space-faring races of both the Milky Way and Pegasus galaxies.
Asgard shields create an elliptical "bubble" around a spaceship that absorbs and diffuses the energy from weapons fire. The shields will gradually weaken under sustained fire, rather quickly if the attack is of sufficient force, allowing energy from attacks to bleed through and cause damage to the ship. Although additional energy can be allocated to the shield bubble to reinforce it, the only way for a ship to ultimately survive a continual attack is to withdraw and give the shields time to recharge.

#### **Asgard transporters**

The Asgard first allowed the Tau'ri access to a very basic form of their beaming technology, which they included on the Prometheus during a refit around 2003. However in 2005 the technology was upgraded and then again in 2007 when the Asgard bestowed all their knowledge on the 304 vessel *Odyssey*. However by the time the Columbia-Class was built the Technology has been more refined with the addition of research from Ancient transporter technology. Dr Rodney McKay was instrumental in creating the Transporter technology employed on all Columbia-Class ships.

#### **Asgard computer core**

The Asgard computer core is a database of all the knowledge of the Asgard. The computer core includes a knowledge base of the entire Asgard history, interactive holograms of every Asgard, time-dilation technology, and an independent power source.

#### **Cloak**

The Columbia-class ships are built with a very effective cloaking device of Ancient design based from Atlantis and the Designs used by Daniel Jackson on Odyssey.

#### **Transportation rings**

In addition to the Asgard transporters the 310s also possess transportation rings as a mean for transportation. Ring transporters are used to transport people or objects over short distances, as from a spaceship to, or even under, a planet below. Transportation rings were originally designed by the Ancients, but has since been used by a wide variety of races. The BC-303, the Prometheus, was the first Tau'ri ship to use transportation rings, but the technology has since been passed on to the Daedalus-class and finally Columbia-class ships. Like the Goa'uld, the ship's computer has no control over the rings, likely because they are often considered a security risk when enemies wish to board the ship as the crew have no way to shut the rings off.

#### **Heads up display**

A Heads up display can be pulled up on the centre window of a 310's bridge. The transparent display overlays icons on real-world objects that can be seen through the window, such as various enemy ships and other points of interest. Much like the HUD of a Puddle Jumper, the view from the bridge remains unobstructed, meaning pilots and crew can still see the battlefield, and even weapons fire dissipating on the shield before them.

#### **Subspace Capacitor**

The Subspace capacitor was a power generating system created by a parallel version of the Atlantis expedition however the technology was replicated in our time. It could reach a "near-ZPM" level of energy, though it is unknown what the term 'near' exactly was. Like a ZPM, it draws energy from Subspace. Since it does not draw from a limited, contained area of subspace, but instead draws energy from our subspace time a Subspace capacitor is a renewable energy source. However, there is a limit on how much power can be stored and made available at one time.  It has so far only been built on Columbia due to the fact it has not been entirely successful.

## **Engines**

The 310s feature multiple means of manoeuvrability, notably 3 engines: manoeuvring thrusters, the sub light drive and the Asgard hyperdrive.

#### **Manoeuvring thrusters**

Manoeuvring thrusters are one of three methods of propulsion on 310s. While manoeuvring thrusters are by far the slowest form of propulsion, they are able to make slight adjustments to a ship's trajectory and to help gain momentum. Reverse thrust is also possible, which is in place to help a ship slowdown in the frictionless environment of space.

#### **Sub light engines**

The 310s have rocket boosters at the rear of the ship, which are their sub light engines. These engines provide the greatest thrust, capable of moving the ship at speeds around half the speed of light.

#### **Hyperdrive**

The Columbia-class has been designed with a brand new hyper drive system, an amalgamation of Asgard and Ancient intergalactic hyperdrive technologies, it is more efficient and less power consuming than the drives used on the 304s. this means it has cut down travel time from Earth to Atlantis so instead of taking three weeks like a Daedalus class the Columbia class can make the trip in two.

#### **Deceleration Thrusters**

Deceleration thrusters are used to slow a 310 down. They are situated on the front side of the large rectangular hyperdrive engine sections and are mostly used to land.

## **Armaments**

The 310 has a vast array of weapons, ranging from projectile to energy based.

#### **Railguns**

The 310 has 42 railguns, which have become standard on all vessels for ship-to-ship combat. Just a few shots are able to take out a Wraith dart relatively quickly and deal damage to Hive Ships, though they were proven ineffective against Ori shields.

#### **Battle complement**

Being a deep space carrier, the *Columbia*-class carries a complement of 20 F-309 fighter-interceptors . It can carry two squadrons of ten F-309s, a total of twenty fighter interceptors. The F-309’s are mostly used in dogfights against other alien fighters. However, they have also proved effective in disabling the hyperdrive engines of enemy Ships. The F-309s can be fitted with nuclear missiles if necessary.

#### **Missiles**

The 310s have 24 missile bays, containg naquadah enhanced nuclear warheads, and the Horizon Mk II weapon system. Among the warheads 310s are known to carry are Mark III, Mark VIII, and Mark IX.

#### **Asgard beam weapons**

Asgard plasma beam weapons have become standard on all Earth Vessels with the Columbia-class receiving a newly upgraded version that utilizes more efficient power distribution system. Each Columbia-class ship is Equipped with 8 Beam weapon emitters and has a full 360 degree firing arc. The beam weapons can penetrate the shields of the Ori, Asuran, and Lucian Alliance Warships.

#### **Horizon Mk II Weapons system**

The system consists of a large, bullet-shaped delivery module containing 14 missiles, 10 with Mark XIII tactical warheads and four decoys. The device can be carried in the bomb bay of a 310. Deployed from orbit, the module's three rocket engines propel it into the atmosphere; these rockets shut down and the missiles themselves are released about twelve seconds prior to impact, finding individual targets and detonating simultaneously. The total time from launch to detonation is about one minute.

## **Known 310s**

* U.S.S. Columbia –Earth Fleet - Colonel Walter Anderson
* H.M.S. Thunder Child –Earth Fleet - Commander Christopher Miller
* *Moskva -***Under Construction**
* U.S.S. Lionel Pendergast – Under Construction