USS San Clemente
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"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled" - Plutarch
The USS San Clemente (NCC-75581) is a California-class starship, assigned to Fourth Fleet's Task Force 17, under the command of Lt Cdr. Jorik Traven.
An Engineering variant of the class, the USS San Clemente is equipped as a fully stocked engineering facility. Often tasked with the maintenance of other vessels when they cannot easily make it to a facility themselves or the maintenance of non-moveable facilities such as subspace relays and some smaller starbases.
History
In the distant reaches of the 25th century, the USS San Clemente (NCC-75581) quietly carries out its mission as part of Starfleet’s Fourth Fleet, Task Force 17, a specialised unit dedicated to deep space exploration beyond the bounds of Federation infrastructure.
The USS San Clemente was built at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards and commissioned in 2375, stardate: 52556.16.
Commanded by Lt Cdr. Jorik Traven, the USS San Clemente (Mente) is a California-class utility cruiser named after a city in California, like all ships of her class. While more advanced and sometimes famous vessels chart bold new paths through the Delta and Gamma Quadrants, the Mente operates within Task Group 9, supporting Starfleet’s expansion into the unknown with missions that, though less glamorous, are no less essential to the Federation’s continued presence in deep space. Operating from the far-flung staging post of Deep Space 17, a Canopus-class station in the Typhon Frontier, Task Force 17 is at the cutting edge of discovery.
Design and Layout
Though often overshadowed by shiny new starship classes and Explorers, the California-class represent the backbone of Starfleet’s reach across the stars. Designed for routine yet indispensable duties such as scientific surveying, engineering support, and medical transport, the Mente exemplifies the quiet competence required of a utility cruiser. While its missions may not make headlines, its contributions ensure that the Federation’s larger ambitions remain feasible in practice. The Mente embodies the resilience and adaptability demanded by Task Force 17’s lonely and far-flung assignments. In a galaxy filled with uncertainties, it is ships like the USS San Clemente, steadfast, unsung, and unrelenting, that keep the Federation’s ideals alive at the fringes of known space.
Configuration
Main Article: California Class
Taking design cues from the Galaxy-class and Miranda-class, the California-class was designed relatively quickly, going from order to design to prototyping between 2363 and 2367. The California herself was commissioned in early 2368, the year following the Battle of Wolf 359. The California-class became one of the most widely-produced vessels in Starfleet, with several dozen being produced each year from 2367 through the mid-2380s.
Bridge
The main bridge retained the look of the standard California-class layout with the captain's chair at the centre, flanked by chairs on the left and right. Stations for the operations and helm officers are in front of the captain's chair, while directly behind it is the tactical officers' panel.
Defences
The ship’s primary defences are a set of self-repairing shields, though she is also equipped with three Type-X phaser arrays, two 270° arrays on the dorsal and ventral surface of the saucer, and a third aft array on the dorsal saucer, which provides adequate phaser coverage over most arcs. This class also has two photon torpedo launchers, located in protrusions above the saucer section which also contain the torpedo magazines.
Engineering Variant
As an Engineering variant of the class, the USS San Clemente, is often tasked with the maintenance of immovable Starfleet and Federation/Allied facilities. As an Engineering Variant the vessel is often tasked with a wide range of complex and intricate issues. As such the Chief Engineer and Head of Engineering/Engineering Specialist positions have been split to ensure the continued efficient operation of the vessel while on mission.
Usual facilities on board other California Class vessels have been stripped back to allow the extra storage for equipment and industrial replicator facilities to produce the requirement's for each mission. In addition an unusual number of Engineering specialists are assigned to the vessel including an above average number of enlisted personnel for this size of vessel.
Auxiliary Vessels
Small craft support is provided by three shuttle bays: two on the aft corners of the primary hull, and a third in the secondary hull. These bays each house five to six shuttles, and provide for extensive small craft operations. This is especially useful for large-scale engineering projects which may require constant arrivals and departures that would be difficult to accommodate with a single bay. California-class ships are equipped with a captain’s yacht, docked in a dedicated bay under the saucer.
The USS San Clemente's captain's yacht was renamed the T'Kara, in homage to the vessel (USS T'Kara) lost in 2367 on the Federation-Cardassian border. Much of the crew of the T'Kara retained their commissions following the incident became members of the USS San Clemente's crew in 2401/2402.
Namesake & Lineage
