USS Thomas Paine
USS Thomas Paine is a New Orleans-class frigate operated by Starfleet's Fourth Fleet. It is assigned to Olympia Station as a patrol vessel.
History
Following her launch in 2360, Thomas Paine has served the Federation with distinction across her forty-plus years of duty both as an explorer and defensive asset. After only six months of shakedown time, she was sent to reinforce Starfleet’s lines in the Cardassian War, which was followed too soon by the Klingon Civil War, the Federation-Klingon War, the Dominion War, and the other conflicts that marked the latter half of the 24th century. Spared from decommissioning no fewer than four times, Thomas Paine has been repaired so often that her crews have often jokingly called her the “Theseus Paine” as they wonder how many of her components are truly original to the ship. In her fifth decade, Thomas Paine still serves on the edge of Federation space as one of the two support vessels for Olympia Station.
Notable Events
- 2350s: Construction on Thomas Paine begins at Utopia Planitia Shipyards in 2358.
- 2360s: This decade predominantly sees the Thomas Paine in the Cardassian War.
- 2360: Thomas Paine is launched under the command of Captain Rixx. After a six-month shakedown cruise in the heart of the Federation, she is deployed to the Cardassian border where she participates in numerous skirmishes with Cardassian forces.’
- 2364: Rendezvouing with Enterprise, Thomas Paine is critical in stopping a conspiracy to take over Starfleet by unknown alien parasites.
- 2367: Thomas Paine is sent on a diplomatic mission to Epsilon Ashanti III.
- 2368: Once again working with Enterprise, Thomas Paine serves as part of a 23-ship fleet deploying a tachyon detection grid to blockade the Klingon-Romulan border.
- 2369: Thanks to the success of her previous mission to the world, Thomas Paine returns to Epsilon Ashanti III and negotiates that worlds full accession into the Federation.[1]
- 2370s: Thomas Paine continues to see wartime service, followed by rebuilding work in the Cardassian Union.
- 2370 - 2372: Following the founding of the Maquis, Thomas Paine returns to the Cardassian border, now the Demilitarized Zone, to conduct interdiction patrols and attempt to stabilize the region.
- 2372: Thomas Paine defends Starbase 375 during the brief Klingon-Federation War, requiring a near total rebuild after extensive damage from a concerted skirmish.
- 2373 - 2375: Thomas Paine operates as part of the new Fourth Fleet during the Dominion War, again being repaired numerous times.
- 2375 - 2380: As part of humanitarian efforts, Thomas Paine conducts patrol, logistics, and scientific missions within and near Cardassian space.
- 2380s: After twenty years under his command, Thomas Paine sees nearly a dozen commanding officers during the 2380s following Captain Rixx's retirement. She participates in the Romulan evacuation mission, and then returns to border patrol duties at the end of the decade.
- 2390s: Thomas Paine continues to serve in border patrol roles at the beginning of the decade, though she is increasingly used for diplomatic and scientific missions as more modern frigates come into service to supplant the New Orleans class. By 2397, she is deployed most often to support starbases as part of the First Fleet.
- 2400s: Now assigned to the Fourth Fleet, Thomas Paine continues in primarily a defensive role, first with Task Force 86 and then directly under Fourth Fleet Operations following an extensive refit.
- 2400: Thomas Paine operates as part of Task Force 86 under the command of Captain Leland Maddox. She engages a Klingon raiding group in the Triangle early that year and is heavily damaged.[2] Starfleet considers decommissioning her, but she is sent to Avalon Fleet Yards for a full restoration.
- 2401: Relaunched with a comprehensive modernization, Thomas Paine is assigned as a support vessel to Olympia Station, on the edge of Federation space, under the command of Captain Christopher Forrest.
Configuration
Over the years, Thomas Paine has been extensively rebuilt and refit multiple times, most recently in an eighteen-month period between 2400 and 2401 at Avalon Fleet Yards. Her interior reflects the major overhaul she received following the Dominion War, with the subdued hues of brown and grey in most compartments similar to the aesthetic introduced by the Sovereign-class exploratory cruiser, though all control surfaces have been upgraded to include both holographic and traditional LCARS interface options.
Currently, Thomas Paine is equipped with two sensor pods on its dorsal hardpoints and a science pod on the ventral hardpoint to allow her to perform patrol and low-intensity scientific missions near her homeport. Olympia Station has three hospital pods and three ambulance pods in storage to equip the Thomas Paine for medical duties within twenty-four hours.
Namesake
Thomas Paine is named after a English-American writer, philosopher, and revolutionary, Thomas Paine, whose pamphlets Common Sense, Rights of Man, and other writings are regarded as heavily influencing both the American and French revolutions in the 18th century on Earth. The only other vessel to bear this name was an armed American cargo vessel, the Thomas Paine, which was in service during the Second World War.[3]
Notable Crew
Commanding Officers
- 2360 - 2380: Captain Rixx
- 2400: Captain Leland Maddox
- 2401 - Present: Captain Christopher Forrest