Star Trek - Danube Class Starship

Wallpaper Description:

The Danube class is a fictional class of starship in the science fiction franchise Star Trek (most notably Star Trek: Deep Space Nine). The Danube class resembles a large shuttlecraft and are informally called runabouts. They are multirole vessels used for intermediate-range interstellar movement of personnel and supplies. Assigned to large starships and deep space outposts, including starbases like Deep Space Nine, runabouts allow for the operation of local exploratory and diplomatic missions around their assigned region without the need for calling in or diverting a larger starship. Observed Danube class runabouts are named after rivers on Earth.

Runabouts were shown extensively throughout the first two seasons of Deep Space Nine. After the introduction of the USS Defiant in the third season, runabouts were relegated to a more minor status as the Defiant took over many of the runabouts' former functions.

The Danube class runabout features a modular design. According to the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual, the assembly of the spine, pylons, nacelles, and command module is permanent while the four aft modules are interchangeable to suit mission parameters. Modules include various research laboratories, sensor stations, power generators, living quarters, storage and hazardous storage, and other supplemental modules. The living quarters of a runabout have only been seen once, in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Timescape". During standard operations, Danube class runabouts are very lightly armed, normally outfitted with six Type VI phaser arrays and a magazine of 24 microtorpedoes, but can be fitted with an additional exterior rollbar and pod (similar to the Miranda class starship) with extra weaponry.

Unlike shuttlecraft, runabouts featured small sleeping quarters and replicators, making them much more efficient and comfortable for longer trips.

Known Danube class runabouts

* USS Danube (NCC-72003, ex-NX-72003)
Named for the Danube, Danube was constructed in 2368 at Utopia Planitia shipyards and was the lead ship of her class. Fate unknown.

* USS Gander (Registry unknown)
Named for the Gander River, Gander was destroyed by the Jem'Hadar over Goralis in 2375. Gander was originally to be named Ganges, however due to an earlier runabout possessing that name, this was changed to Gander and was dubbed over in lines featuring the name.

* USS Ganges (NCC-72454)
Named for the Ganges River, Ganges was assigned to Deep Space Nine. Ganges was destroyed in 2370 by a T'Lani vessel.

* USS Mekong (NCC-72617)
Named for the Mekong River. Mekong was destroyed in 2371 during the joint Cardassian/Romulan assault on the Founder's Homeworld in the Omarion Nebula. She had been assigned to DS9 to replace the Ganges.

* USS Orinoco (NCC-72905)
Named for the Orinoco River, Orinoco was destroyed in 2372 by a Cardassian separatist group named "The True Way." She had been assigned to DS9 to replace Yangtzee Kiang.

* USS Rio Grande (NCC-72452)
Named for the Rio Grande, Rio Grande was assigned to Deep Space Nine circa Stardate 46379.1 in 2369. She is the only runabout known to have survived all seven years of Captain Benjamin Sisko's command aboard Deep Space Nine. She is also the runabout used when the Bajoran Wormhole was discovered by Captain Sisko and Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax.

* USS Rubicon (NCC-72936)
Named for the Rubicon, Rubicon was used to investigate a rare subspace compression anomaly circa Stardate 51474.2. Rubicon was presumably the runabout taken by Worf and Garak when they were captured by the Dominion. Rubicon is presumed still in active service at DS9 as of 2376.

* USS Shenandoah (NCC-73024)
Named for the Shenandoah River, Shenandoah was used on Stardate 51825 (2374) by Ensign Nog and Jake Sisko to deliver an official diplomatic message to Grand Nagus Zek. Shenandoah was destroyed by Jem'Hadar attack ships but Nog and Sisko were rescued by the Valiant.

* USS Volga (NCC-73196)
Named for the Volga, Volga was used in a 2372 botanical survey of the planet Torad V.

* USS Yangtzee Kiang (NCC-72453)
Named for the Yangtze River, she was destroyed in a crash on a penal colony moon in the Gamma Quadrant, thus gaining the dubious honour of being the first DS9 runabout destroyed during the series.

* USS Yukon (NCC-74602)
Named for the Yukon River, Yukon was destroyed by Defiant when a Dominion agent stole the runabout to destroy the Bajor system's sun.

* (Name unknown) (NCC-7391
This unnamed runabout was used to obtain a Breen energy dampening weapon. She was abandoned and self-destructed during the mission to prevent her capture by Dominion forces.

* (Name and registry unknown)
Destroyed by a Jem'Hadar vessel while in orbit of Torga IV in 2373 with the loss of all 3 crewmembers on board.

* (Name and registry unknown)
Destroyed on the surface of Ajilon Prime in 2373 by Klingon bombardment from orbit

* (Name and registry unknown)
Destroyed by a Cardassian officer at Empok Nor in 2375. Was equipped with an additional navigational array module.

* (Name and registry unknown)
This runabout transported Capt. Picard, Lt. Cmdrs. Data and La Forge, and Counselor Troi from a convention to the USS Enterprise in 2369 circa Stardate 46944.2. The vessel was briefly frozen in a temporal distortion. She was destroyed in an attempt to save Enterprise and a Romulan Warbird from the time distortion.

* The non-canonical Deep Space Nine relaunch novels introduced new runabouts, including Brahmaputra and Yolja. Yolja was named by Kira Nerys following Bajor's admittance to the United Federation of Planets and is an exception to the naming system: the Yolja is a river on Bajor, rather than Earth.

torinogt73 Uploaded by torinogt73 on Jun 21, 2010. Star Trek - Danube Class Starship - Desktop Nexus Entertainment Download free wallpapers and background images: Star Trek - Danube Class Starship. Desktop Nexus Entertainment background ID 389598. The Danube class is a fictional class of starship in the science fiction franchise Star Trek (most notably Star Trek: Deep Space Nine). The Danube class resembles a large shuttlecraft and are informally called runabouts. They are multirole vessels used for intermediate-range interstellar movement of personnel and supplies. Assigned to large starships and deep space outposts, including starbases like Deep Space Nine, runabouts allow for the operation of local exploratory and diplomatic missions around their assigned region without the need for calling in or diverting a larger starship. Observed Danube class runabouts are named after rivers on Earth.

Runabouts were shown extensively throughout the first two seasons of Deep Space Nine. After the introduction of the USS Defiant in the third season, runabouts were relegated to a more minor status as the Defiant took over many of the runabouts' former functions.

The Danube class runabout features a modular design. According to the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual, the assembly of the spine, pylons, nacelles, and command module is permanent while the four aft modules are interchangeable to suit mission parameters. Modules include various research laboratories, sensor stations, power generators, living quarters, storage and hazardous storage, and other supplemental modules. The living quarters of a runabout have only been seen once, in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Timescape". During standard operations, Danube class runabouts are very lightly armed, normally outfitted with six Type VI phaser arrays and a magazine of 24 microtorpedoes, but can be fitted with an additional exterior rollbar and pod (similar to the Miranda class starship) with extra weaponry.

Unlike shuttlecraft, runabouts featured small sleeping quarters and replicators, making them much more efficient and comfortable for longer trips.

Known Danube class runabouts

* USS Danube (NCC-72003, ex-NX-72003)
Named for the Danube, Danube was constructed in 2368 at Utopia Planitia shipyards and was the lead ship of her class. Fate unknown.

* USS Gander (Registry unknown)
Named for the Gander River, Gander was destroyed by the Jem'Hadar over Goralis in 2375. Gander was originally to be named Ganges, however due to an earlier runabout possessing that name, this was changed to Gander and was dubbed over in lines featuring the name.

* USS Ganges (NCC-72454)
Named for the Ganges River, Ganges was assigned to Deep Space Nine. Ganges was destroyed in 2370 by a T'Lani vessel.

* USS Mekong (NCC-72617)
Named for the Mekong River. Mekong was destroyed in 2371 during the joint Cardassian/Romulan assault on the Founder's Homeworld in the Omarion Nebula. She had been assigned to DS9 to replace the Ganges.

* USS Orinoco (NCC-72905)
Named for the Orinoco River, Orinoco was destroyed in 2372 by a Cardassian separatist group named "The True Way." She had been assigned to DS9 to replace Yangtzee Kiang.

* USS Rio Grande (NCC-72452)
Named for the Rio Grande, Rio Grande was assigned to Deep Space Nine circa Stardate 46379.1 in 2369. She is the only runabout known to have survived all seven years of Captain Benjamin Sisko's command aboard Deep Space Nine. She is also the runabout used when the Bajoran Wormhole was discovered by Captain Sisko and Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax.

* USS Rubicon (NCC-72936)
Named for the Rubicon, Rubicon was used to investigate a rare subspace compression anomaly circa Stardate 51474.2. Rubicon was presumably the runabout taken by Worf and Garak when they were captured by the Dominion. Rubicon is presumed still in active service at DS9 as of 2376.

* USS Shenandoah (NCC-73024)
Named for the Shenandoah River, Shenandoah was used on Stardate 51825 (2374) by Ensign Nog and Jake Sisko to deliver an official diplomatic message to Grand Nagus Zek. Shenandoah was destroyed by Jem'Hadar attack ships but Nog and Sisko were rescued by the Valiant.

* USS Volga (NCC-73196)
Named for the Volga, Volga was used in a 2372 botanical survey of the planet Torad V.

* USS Yangtzee Kiang (NCC-72453)
Named for the Yangtze River, she was destroyed in a crash on a penal colony moon in the Gamma Quadrant, thus gaining the dubious honour of being the first DS9 runabout destroyed during the series.

* USS Yukon (NCC-74602)
Named for the Yukon River, Yukon was destroyed by Defiant when a Dominion agent stole the runabout to destroy the Bajor system's sun.

* (Name unknown) (NCC-7391
This unnamed runabout was used to obtain a Breen energy dampening weapon. She was abandoned and self-destructed during the mission to prevent her capture by Dominion forces.

* (Name and registry unknown)
Destroyed by a Jem'Hadar vessel while in orbit of Torga IV in 2373 with the loss of all 3 crewmembers on board.

* (Name and registry unknown)
Destroyed on the surface of Ajilon Prime in 2373 by Klingon bombardment from orbit

* (Name and registry unknown)
Destroyed by a Cardassian officer at Empok Nor in 2375. Was equipped with an additional navigational array module.

* (Name and registry unknown)
This runabout transported Capt. Picard, Lt. Cmdrs. Data and La Forge, and Counselor Troi from a convention to the USS Enterprise in 2369 circa Stardate 46944.2. The vessel was briefly frozen in a temporal distortion. She was destroyed in an attempt to save Enterprise and a Romulan Warbird from the time distortion.

* The non-canonical Deep Space Nine relaunch novels introduced new runabouts, including Brahmaputra and Yolja. Yolja was named by Kira Nerys following Bajor's admittance to the United Federation of Planets and is an exception to the naming system: the Yolja is a river on Bajor, rather than Earth.
Rating: 4.1