USS Seraphim


USS Seraphim
Seraphimpegasus.png
Technical Details
Class: Constitution-class
Registry: NCC-1812
Role: Heavy Cruiser
Status: Decommissioned
Date of Decommission: 2278
Crew Information
Commanding Officer: Captain Eden Stoyer
Executive Officer: Commander Maximilian Anto
Dedication Plaque
Seraphimdedicationplaque.png
[ Source ]


The USS Seraphim (NCC-1812) was a Constitution-class starship commissioned in 2247, initially under the command of Captain Elspeth McIndoe. The ship was one of the original twelve Constitution-class assigned to deep space assignments by the Federation Starfleet, commissioned two years after the maiden voyage of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701).

History

Construction and Launch

The Constitution-class lineage was launched some time prior to 2245, and served as Starfleet's front-line vessels for the rest of the century. The Constitution-class also served as a mighty deterrent to both the Klingon Empire and the Romulan Star Empire, several times taking part in combat actions which determined the fate of the entire Federation if not the Alpha Quadrant itself. (Star Trek Encyclopedia)

In 2267, there were around twelve Constitution-class starships in the fleet. These included the USS Constitution-NCC-1700, the USS Constellation-NCC-1017, the USS Defiant-NCC-1764, the USS Enterprise-NCC-1701, the USS Excalibur-NCC-1664, the USS Exeter-NCC-1672, the USS Hood-NCC-1703, the USS Intrepid-NCC-1631, USS Lexington-NCC-1709, and the USS Potemkin-NCC-1657.

The Seraphim was launched under the command of Captain Elspeth McIndoe in 2247, two years after the launch of Enterprise. Its original mission was deep space exploration which it began undertaking in 2255 after years as an internal protection vessel.

Assignment Patch

Seraphim Assignment Patch

As was traditional in the early years of Starfleet Deep Space Missions, each mission was assigned a unique assignment patch for the duration of the mission. While the Assignment Patch of the USS Enterprise went on to become a ubiquitous symbol of Starfleet, the assignment patch of the USS Seraphim was a more Cubist affair with a more irregular design than the well-known arrowhead.

In Service

Seraphim construction elevations with Assignment Patch displayed

With the completition of the shakedown cruise and bridge system improvements, the USS Seraphim was assigned as a Diplomatic flagship for the Federation, having identified the need to allow long-range starships to service their missions rather than be pulled back to the Galactic core to escort diplomats.

It was not until 2255 that the Seraphim began to be handed proper deep space voyages and Captain McIndoe threw herself into the task with gusto and by the completion of their tour of duty in 2258 had begun petitioning the Federation to allow them to undertake a five year exploration cruise beyond the limits of Federation space.

The Seraphim was dispatched on the first of her five year missions in 2259 with Captain McIndoe in the centre chair. It was the Seraphim which first discovered the planet which is now the home of the 11th, Pegasus Fleet in 2260.

By the time of her second five year mission in 2266, the Seraphim was placed under the command of Captain Eden Stoyer and, after a refit and overhaul was sent back to Galactic South to continue seeking out new lifeforms and new civilisations. This mission was notable as it was the first time that the Federation had contact with the Myaz Sovereignty and The Spartan Nations.

When the Seraphim returned in 2271, the decision was being taken on the future of the Consitution Class with a full refit of the Enterprise well underway. It was decided that a small number of Constitution-class vessels would receive a complete refit and reconstruction but that half of the original complement would either be mothballed or pressed into service in other areas of Starfleet.

As such, the Seraphim became an academy training ship, refitted with new consoles but maintaining the same super-structure and internal systems, cadets would try their hands at boldly going where no-one had gone before in the safe confines of a stalwart of the fleet. She was eventually put out to pasture in 2275 before being completely broken up in 2278.

Refit

The Seraphim was one of the first Constitution Class vessels to be refitted by Starfleet when it returned to Earth in 2264. It involved replacing the bridge module, a newer, smaller deflector dish, and refinements to her warp nacelles. The ship's interior was also upgraded. The new bridge module included consoles with triangular and circular resin buttons as well as white-coloured rocker flip switches.

Upon the completition of her second five year mission in 2271, a new bridge module added a second turbolift, and the design moved toward a completely smooth circular configuration, both standard features on future starships. At the same time the translucent overhead dome was obscured, not to return until the Galaxy-class bridge.

Loss

The Seraphim lies stricken on barren Bellatrix II

This information is valid only in Starbase 332 Canon.

In 2261, the Seraphim was making its way to the newly established colony on Cestus III, having enjoyed some R&R in the Delphi Ardu system. On their way through the Lembatta Cluster when they were set upon by a Klingon attack cruiser which destroyed their engines and set them adrift. Heavily damaged and unable to bring main power back online, the Seraphim drifted into a temporal distortion and was lost to history.

Later research, carried out by the team which discovered the stricken Seraphim on Bellatrix II (on the outer rim of the Delta triangle), ascertained that the radiation given out by the damage to the engines had shielded the Constitution Class cruiser from a timeline corruption. Somehow the ship was destroyed but their place in history was not.

By activating the 'black box' flight recorder on the ship, the away team from Starbase 332 was thrown back in time to the Seraphim before it encountered the Klingons. In order to ensure that the timeline didn't deteriorate, the away team decided to clandestinely assist the Seraphim in avoiding or disabling the Klingons before they were set adrift.

Significant Contacts