USS Ranger
The USS Ranger (NCC-74658) is an Intrepid-class light explorer assigned to the Fourth Fleet. As part of Sirius Squadron, she is primarily based out of Gateway Station in the Midgard Sector, and is the designated survey vessel of the formation. The Federation’s knowledge of space formerly part of the Neutral Zone or Romulan Star Empire is limited, and operations out of Gateway are charged with exploring, charting, and studying regions, including some very close to the border that Starfleet has only recently been legally able to access.
With the modern and sophisticated USS Liberty in the squadron, the Ranger is rarely sent to the highest-priority exploration missions. She is posted to survey missions closer to Gateway, rounding out Starfleet’s knowledge of the immediate reaches of the sector, or to follow up Liberty's explorations, either investing time where the larger ship cannot or where a higher priority situation has drawn her away. As such, the Ranger’s operations vary from routine study of local space to long-term surveys of locations of intrigue to secondary exploratory operations.