USS Britannia
- "Dare to be honest and fear no labor."
- —Robert Burns.
USS Britannia NCC-81544 is a Sovereign-class Federation starship currently assigned to Fourth Fleet's Task Force 47. She is currently under the command of Captain Anyanka Harrison.
Currently deployed to the uncharted region between the Klingon Empire and the Gorn Hegemony, Britannia acts as the vanguard of the Fourth Fleet's pathfinding efforts, undertaking extended deployments beyond the frontier.
Service History
Britannia is one of the second wave of Sovereign-class vessels laid down by Starfleet in the early 2380s. Originally scheduled for launch in 2385, the events of the Attack on Mars necessitated the ship's transfer to the Antares Fleet Yards in Bajor sector for final fitting and launch later in the year. Despite being mostly fitted by the time of the incident, the vessel was crewed mainly by yard engineers who were unable to take advantage of the ship's combat capabilities and she remained relatively undamaged as a result. Finally, in December of 2385, Britannia left the fleet yards under the command of Captain Thomas Juricks to begin its service with Starfleet's Fourth Fleet.
For the first few years of her service, Britannia spent long periods of time serving in the largely unexplored southern region of Federation Territory, her myriad of capabilities allowing her to spend long periods away from base patrolling the Tholian and Talarian borders lest the powers take advantage of a weakened Federation. During this time, she provided deep space provisioning and mission operations oversight functions for a number of older vessels that had been quickly scrambled back into service from mothballs.
2396 saw a change in command following the retirement of Juricks and a change in mission profile with the instillation of Captain Anyanka Harrison, an experienced pirate hunter and criminal investigator. With a rise of civilian outposts and expeditions in the Thomar Expanse, Britannia was redeployed to the zone to undertake security and detached policing operations in the region in support of the new colonies and expeditions. When Task Force 47 was formed in 2399, Britannia was a natural addition to its operational assets due to its familiarity and experience with the region. In 2402, with the recomissioning of K-74 Britannia now finds itself deployed to the opposite side of Federation space, where it continues to provide a reliable and capable base of operations for new exploration initiatives beyond the Klingon/Gorn border.
Configuration
The Radio Room- Strategic Operations
Based in the centre of deck 15, in close proximity to engineering, the secondary computer core and shuttle bay 2, is Britannia's strategic operations centre. Originally fitted in 2385 to provide command and control facilities, communications support and flag offices as part of the ship's extended deployment to the distant border, the Radio Room has found renewed usage following Britannia's assignment to the frontiers of Task Force 47. Featuring a number of offices, labs and intelligence suites, the strategic operations centre makes use of the ship's normally redundant secondary computer core to facilitate division management and dedicated intelligence gathering and processing as part of Britannia's ongoing operations.
Regents Park
Featuring stunning views into space through the massive panoramic skylights on decks 10 & 11, Britannia's arboretum is a popular location for many of the ship's crew to spend their off duty hours. With a circuitous winding, tree lined path around the picturesque ornamental lake, Regent's Park is a welcome open space to a crew that rarely gets the chance to take shoreleave. The park is named in honour of the prestigious royal park in London, Earth and the airy and relaxing space features flora from across the Federation, with space for new plant life discovered on the ship's explorations. A popular feature amongst the crew and visitors are Liz and Phil, the pair of live swans that gently glide around the park's small lake, having become unofficial mascots for the ship's company.
In addition to its leisure purposes, Regents Park also serves a practical function for the ship's Science department who utilise the space to undertake a variety of studies in the Biological Sciences departments. The Medical team also make use of the space to cultivate several species of medicinal plants and herbs for use in holisitic treatments. Attached to the park are a number of meeting and conference spaces to allow onboard diplomatic events to utilise the park as either a backdrop or venue as needed.