USS Dauntless

*Mark II*:

* 14 type-X phasers
* 3 launch tubes

*"Bravery is: the audacity to be unhindered by failures, and to walk with freedom, strength, and hope, in the face of things unknown."* - Morgan Harper Nichols
The **USS *Dauntless* (NCC-71879)** was a *Galaxy*-class scale 6 cruiser in Starfleet service in the mid 24th century. It was the third Starfleet vessel to bear the name and the seventh *Galaxy*-class starship put into service.

## Service history

### Construction and launch

When the *Galaxy*-class was ordered, only six vessels of the contracted twelve were completed by 2363. Starfleet Command had decided to wait and ensure that the new class could actually fulfill its intended roles before expending the immense resources needed to finish the additional six space frames. First contact with the aggressive Ferengi Alliance in mid 2364 prompted Starfleet Command to order the completion of an additional *Galaxy* frame.

The hull of what would become USS *Dauntless* was transported to the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards, arriving in November 2364. The reemergence of the Romulan Star Empire from its isolation a month later accelerated the completion of the cruiser, but assembly still took another six months. *Dauntless*, under the command of Captain Leland Bell, was commissioned on stardate 42585.9, just over a week before the loss of USS *Yamato*.

### Early missions

The maiden voyage of *Dauntless* involved ferrying several members of the Federation Science Council to observe a naturally occurring geodesic fold near the Betreka Nebula.

Attached to the Seventh Fleet, *Dauntless* was stationed in the Alpha Quadrant and its early missions were fairly routine. This changed in early 2366 when the cruiser discovered a flight of Romulan warbirds encroaching on systems far from Star Empire territory that were claimed by the Federation. *Dauntless* intercepted the warbirds and defended the area until reinforcements from the Seventh Fleet could arrive. This action earned the starship its first unit citation.

For the next three years, *Dauntless* was often assigned scouting and reconnaissance missions, eventually earning the nickname “The Seeing Eye.”

### Gamma Quadrant exploration

After the discovery of the Bajoran wormhole in May 2369, Starfleet Command began sending starships through to explore the opposite side. Due to the versatility of the *Galaxy*-class design and the reputation of *Dauntless*, the cruiser was given a five-year mission in the Gamma Quadrant.

Before *Dauntless* departed, numerous exobiologists and planetologists from the Starfleet Scientific Corps were transferred to the ship and a team from the Federation Diplomatic Corps was stationed aboard.

The first eight months of “The Seeing Eye”’s mission provided much in the way of scientific information, but the sectors the starship explored proved to be devoid of any sentient life or notable phenomena. When USS *Odyssey* was destroyed by Dominion forces in late 2370, Starfleet Command issued a return order for all starships participating in operations in the Gamma Quadrant. *Dauntless* cut its five-year journey short and returned through the wormhole in mid 2371, escorting several other Starfleet vessels, such as USS *Starling*, in the area for scientific studies. It was briefly assigned to training exercises and patrol duties along the Demilitarized Zone between the Federation and the Cardassian Union.

In January 2372, the vessel put in at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards where it was retrofitted to Mark II specifications. The primary changes being the addition of phaser strips atop the nacelles, a new VAR-1/C bridge module, and engine upgrades to negate the Serova effect from warp propulsion systems.

Captain Bell also decided to retire at this time and Robert Wright was made commanding officer.

### Klingon War

*Dauntless* completed its retrofit shortly after the Klingon Empire withdrew from their alliance with the Federation. Starfleet Command tasked the cruiser with searching for and assisting Cardassian refugees, displaced by the Klingon assault on the Cardassian Union, along the Demilitarized Zone. In December, *Dauntless* led the Starfleet task force that pushed the Klingons from the Ganalda system just days before a ceasefire was established.

### Dominion War

As tensions rose between the United Federation of Planets and the Dominion, Starfleet Command decided to mine the Bajoran wormhole to prevent the arrival of additional Dominion forces into the Alpha Quadrant. This action led to a joint Dominion-Cardassian attack on Deep Space 9 in late 2373 and the beginning of the Dominion War. Though the station was captured, the distraction allowed a fleet of Starfleet and Klingon Defense Force vessels, including the *Dauntless*, to attack and destroy the Dominion shipyards over Torros III.

The *Dauntless* was dispatched with much of the Seventh Fleet to the Tyra system in early 2374 to prevent the Dominion from encroaching into Federation territory. During the battle, the *Dauntless* coordinated with the USS *Lionheart* in defending two crippled *Akira*-class cruisers from several Cardassian warships. Both the *Dauntless* and *Lionheart* earned unit citations for their actions. However, the overall engagement was a disastrous loss for Starfleet, with only fourteen vessels, including the *Dauntless* and *Lionheart*, surviving the engagement. The *Galaxy* cruiser then put into McKinley Station for three weeks for repairs.

In the aftermath of the Battle of Tyra and other severe losses, Starfleet Command determined that new strategies were needed to combat Dominion forces. The handful of *Galaxy*-class vessels in operation were placed at the center of fleet wing subunits, nicknamed "Galaxy Wings." The hope was that these coordinated units could effectively operate against Dominion and Cardassian tactics, which would prove true throughout the rest of the war. The *Dauntless* had a dedicated flag bridge installed on Deck 4 and was assigned to serve as flagship of Galaxy Wing 94 within Starfleet's Seventh Fleet. It led the unit during pivotal battles of the war, such as Operation Return, the Battle of Goralis, and the Battle of Cardassia.

During that final engagement, the *Dauntless* earned its third unit citation by defending the Federation flagship from four separate kamikaze attacks, while suffering heavy damage itself.

When the Treaty of Bajor was signed, ending the war, the *Dauntless*, as well as many other Starfleet vessels, were in drastic need of repairs. The starship once again put into McKinley Station for an overhaul and would remain there for four months undergoing various repairs and upgrades, including the addition of an Emergency Medical Hologram, with holoprojectors installed in the sickbays and on the main bridge.

### Maelstrom Conflict

Starfleet once again turned towards exploration upon the resolution of the Dominion War. The USS *Hawking*, which had remained relatively unscathed during the conflict, was dispatched to survey the Maelstrom, a volatile region of space that had remained relatively unexplored due to its proximity to Cardassian territory. Reports from the *Hawking* caused a buzz in the scientific community and the Federation Science Council requested Starfleet greatly expand its efforts in the region. Before the *Dauntless* had completed its repairs, the starship was assigned to explore the Maelstrom and was immediately underway once it was cleared for service.

## Internal design

### Command facilities

#### Main bridge

The original bridge module installed on the *Dauntless* was the VAR-1/A. A VAR-1/C module was installed after the starship returned from the Gamma Quadrant in 2371. The primary difference from the original bridge was the addition of six stations, with three each on the starboard and port bulkheads.

## Crew

Over the course of its service, the *Dauntless's* crew complement came from a variety of species, including some from worlds that were not part of the Federation. While Starfleet personnel staffed the vital positions aboard the starship, positions in the science and medical departments, the lounges and recreation rooms, and the ship's school included many civilian staff.

### Senior staff

The following served as senior staff aboard the *Dauntless.*

## Appendices

### Connections

**Leadership:** Commander-in-chief • Joint Chiefs • Chief of Starfleet External Affairs • Chief of Starfleet Operations • Chief of Starfleet Research and Exploration • Chief of Starfleet Tactical

**Agencies:** Operations (Engineering • Judicial • Materiel Supply • Mission Operations • Personnel Management • Records Service • Shipyards Operations • Starbase Operations) • Research & Exploration (Science • Medical) • External Affairs • Tactical (Intelligence • Security • MACO)

**Notable units:** Ktarn Fleet • Task Force 77

**Facilities:** Deep Space K-7 • Deep Space K-13 • Deep Space 9 • Masamichi Array • Starbase 45-Keepsake • Starbase 82-Maat • Starbase 234-Beskerm • Starbase 247-Vershina

**Agencies:** Starfleet • Diplomatic Corps • Department of Temporal Investigations • Federation Security Agency

**Facilities:** 40 Eridani A Starfleet Construction Yards • Antares Ship Yards • Beta Antares Ship Yards • Copernicus Ship Yards • Laikan Starfleet Shipyards • McKinley Station • Memory Project • New Aberdeen Shipyards • Proxima Maintenance Yards • Salazaar Shipyards • San Francisco Fleet Yards • TL-9139 Starfleet Maintenance Yards • Tranquility Base • Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards

### Sources consulted

* USS Dauntless (NCC-71879) article at *Memory Beta*.