Gliese Class Surveyor
Images and original design by Paul C. Cargile

Diagram of the SS Belmont, a Gliese Class Surveyor
Diagram of the S.S. Belmont, a Gliese Class Surveyor

The Gliese Class Surveyor is a mostly civilian science vessel built to replace those Oberth class ships used in the private and civilian scientific sectors. It is similar in size and function to the Oberth, taking advantage of many of the advances that have been made in the century since the older science vessel was comissioned. Some of these advances have just recently been brought into production, such as the Quadcore Matter/Antimatter reactor and Type M warp drive developed for the Defiant Class Escort. Of course, the power systems of the Gliese are nowhere near the output of the Defiant. But, the small side profile of the reactor allows the Gliese to carry more scientific equipment than it would have.

Gliese Class Compared to the Oberth Class
Gliese Class compared with the Oberth Class

Even though the Gliese class was devloped mostly for civilian use, Starfleet decided to use the new spaceframe to build a pair of subclasses, the Blackbird and the Relief. The Blackbird was named after an old Terran spy plane used in the 1960's and 1970's designated the SR-71 "Blackbird." The starship is used for similar missions to its namesake, espionage and recon. It is equipped with a dorsal pod containing extra sensors and weaponry along with better shielding and armor. The Relief sub-class is used as a cutter or evacuation vessel. As such, the research facilities normally in place on a Gliese class surveyor are replaced on the Relief by extra transporters and medical facilities.

Side views of the Blackbird and Relief sub-types of the Gliese class
Side views of the Blackbrid and Relief sub-types of the Gliese class.

Specifications:

Dimensions:
Length: 217.5 meters
Width: 60 meters
Height: 30 Meters
Propulsion:
Warp:
Warpcore: Quadcore Matter/Antimatter Reactor
Nacelles: 2 Type M Mk 2 nacelles
Max Warp: 9.0
Cruise: 7.6
Impulse: Fusion driven Impulse drive thrusters
Embarked Craft:
Shuttlecraft Bays: 1 Small Bay
Shuttles: 2 Type 8 Shuttlecraft, 2 Type 18 Shuttlepods
Crew:
Officers: 5 (Captain, XO/Helmsman, OPS/Engineer, Science, Medical)
Crew: 15
Mission Specialists: 15
Weaponry
2 Type 9 Phaser Strips (For port/for starboard)
1 Forward Torpedo Tube

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