USS Valley Forge

"Character is forged not on the mountaintop but in the valley."

    —Mike Matheny

"Homo faber est suae fortunate.
Each person is the smith of their own fortune."

    —Appius Claudius Caecus (c. 340 – 273 BC) - Senator of Ancient Rome

USS Valley Forge NCC-43305 is an Excelsior II-class Federation starship currently assigned to Fourth Fleet's Task Force 72. She is currently under the command of Captain Samantha Hyland.

USS Valley Forge was the third to last Excelsior-class spaceframe to undergo the refit and modernization process to upgrade this dependable Starfleet workhorse to be able to support the diplomatic mission of Task Force 72 into the 25th Century and beyond. Nominally deployed to patrol and support duties along the former Cardassian Demilitarized Zone, the operations that the Valley Forge engages in may not be the most glamourous, but her missions are amongst the most vital in supporting the United Federation of Planets during the years that are proving to be some of the most challenging in its entire history.

Named after the famous winter encampment of General George Washington and the Continental Army, during the American War of Independence in 1777 AD; like its namesake the USS Valley Forge has come to typify the values of endurance and perseverance that were focal to the birth of a Nation.

Design & Layout

Bridge - Deck 1

Image courtesy of Preator @ The TrekBBS

Situated on Deck 1, the bridge of the Valley Forge conforms to the functional aesthetic of the 25th-century school of Starfleet design. Clean lines, dynamic lighting and efficient layout focus attention to holodisplays and more traditional LCARS. The CO is seated in the Command Chair on a raised dais, with the Engineering MSD behind and stations for Helm and Tactical immediately fore. To port are the Science stations and to Starboard the various Ops, Engineering and Comms stations. There is a holodisplay mounted in the plinth directly in front of the CO and 4 x additional holodisplays mounted in the bridge rails serve the crew as configurable standing workstations. Access to the captain's ready room and the ship's dedication plaque is fore & starboard and the ships conference rooms to fore & port. Access to the turbolifts is aft of the bridge on either beam.

Master Systems Display

The Master Systems Display, or MSD, is located on the bridge, in the rear section of control consoles, directly behind the captain's command chair. This dedicated station allows any officer to get an abstract picture of the ship and any problems that may arise. Its attached console allows certain situations to be dealt with right in front of the MSD without further intervention. This console is usually where a duty engineering officer is stationed, adjacent to the bridge engineering console, during Alert. The MSD generates a constant visual "Damage Report" and is technically part of the bridge engineering console. The MSD generally displays a "cutaway" view of the side of the spacecraft and shows locations of primary and secondary systems.

Tactical Systems

Compared to the original Excelsior - class starship, from which she was upgraded - the USS Valley Forge represented a significant 'up gunning' from its 23rd Century progenitor. In addition to Type-XII phaser arrays - deployed along two large dorsal and two ventral arrays on the saucer section, two dorsal and two arrays on the engineering section, and a further two aft phaser arrays, the Excelsior II Heavy Cruiser complements this loadout with six burst-fire torpedo launchers, four forward and two aft. This ordinance is more than a match for the type of opponents envisioned by Starfleet, that the Valley Forge is likely to encounter during her patrol & peacekeeping duties. The addition of Regenerative - Shielding and sections of ablative armor protecting additional vital areas of her spaceframe - all combine to field a vessel that is more than capable of independent action or to support a Flag Officer as the flagship at the centre of a medium - sized fleet deployment.

Hazard Team "Anvil"

During her time as XO aboard the USS Albion, Captain Hyland came to appreciate the flexibility and utility that ensuring that select members of a ship's crew were trained in Hazardous Situation Response Team operations. Drawn from the USS Valley Forge's standard personnel, these crewmembers take on additional duties of elite training and hazardous missions to deploy to counter extraordinary situations & incidents when they are needed. Despite this combat training and mission profile, Hazard Teams bring a wide range of technical, medical, and scientific skills to any operation, providing more versatility than a simple security team. Led by a relatively Junior Officer, the Hazard Team also have the advantage of training under the supervision of the Starfleet Tactical Training Hologram (TTH).

Notable Crew

Commanding Officers

• 2401 - Present : Captain Samantha Hyland