Lost ships could be found by using a differential magnetometer to detect fluctuations in the hysteresis curve. The hull of a Danube-class ship was made up of metallic composites that could interact with magnetic fields. ( DS9: " The Ship")Ī runabout did not possess the ability to generate a subspace isolation field of the magnitude required to lock on and surround the warp core of a Galaxy-class in order to beam it into space. ( DS9: " Paradise") However, they did not possess the strength necessary to haul a Jem'Hadar fighter buried under ninety meters of rock and into orbit. Jean-Luc Picard once commented, in 2369, that he suspected " that the sight of warship being towed back by a Starfleet runabout took the heart out of their fight." ( DS9: " Emissary") They were also capable of being rigged to tow at warp velocities. This emitter could be used to tow starships at least as large as a Galor-class. The Danube-class runabouts were also equipped with an aft tractor beam emitter. Dukat assured Sisko that he would not " steal little technical secrets." It was later revealed that despite Starfleet's best efforts, the Cardassian Central Command already possessed knowledge on the operations of this class vessel, as Dukat later stated that he " knew all about these controls before I ever came on board" and pointed out to Sisko the correct location of the photon launcher control. ( TNG: " Timescape" DS9: " Playing God") When asked by his father, Commander Sisko, if he could do any science project he wanted to in late 2370, Jake Sisko immediately chose, " pilot a runabout", but was shot down as that was " not exactly a science project." ( DS9: " The Jem'Hadar")Īlthough typically customary for both seats to be enabled so that a second individual could pilot the craft in the event of an emergency, Commander Sisko intentionally did not illuminate the ship's controls at the other pilot's station where Gul Dukat was seated during a joint mission to the Volan colonies in the Demilitarized Zone in 2370. ( DS9: " Dax")Īccording to the script for " Emissary", as the Rio Grande tows the Prakesh from the wormhole, it was revealed "to see an incredible sight… the tiny Runabout towing out the huge Cardassian warship, at the end of a tractor beam, fifty times larger than the Starfleet vessel… " Operations Īccording to Jadzia Dax, runabouts " practically fly themselves", in fact, they were capable of operating with automatic helm control, yet were easy for anyone to pilot, especially someone who had third level flight experience. ( DS9: " Playing God") Runabouts were designed to have a maximum speed of warp 5. ( DS9: " Paradise") Their overall width was 14 meters. ( DS9: " Tacking Into the Wind")ĭanube-class runabouts were about a quarter the size of an Erewon-class personnel transport. ( DS9: " Change of Heart")Ĭolonel Kira Nerys used a runabout to covertly travel to Cardassia Prime to aid Damar's resistance movement. ( DS9: " By Inferno's Light") The later were used in exercises with the Ninth Fleet in 2374. ( DS9: " In Purgatory's Shadow") They were also used to help defend DS9 against a Dominion fleet. Just before the beginning of the Dominion War, Elim Garak and Worf used a runabout to stealthily rescue crew members at Internment Camp 371. ( VOY: " Non Sequitur")Įven after DS9 took delivery of the USS Defiant in 2371, the runabouts were still widely used, and for a time, the station was equipped with at least four of these runabouts. In 2371 of an alternate timeline, the Yellowstone-class, which offered an alternate form of drive than the Danube -class, was introduced. In mid- 2370, DS9 sent its runabouts into the Gamma Quadrant to make contact with the fleet of Skrreean refugee ships that were on the other side of the wormhole. ( DS9: " Emissary", " Battle Lines", " Vortex", " The Alternate", " Shadowplay", " The Jem'Hadar") In the first two years of the space station's use by Starfleet, the runabout remained the primary method of transport and defense support, as they were instrumental in discovering many new worlds and civilizations within the Gamma Quadrant, as well as the Bajoran wormhole itself. They were transported to the station aboard the USS Enterprise and were housed within the landing bays situated around the habitat ring.
The following year, the space station Deep Space 9 took on three runabouts for use in their daily operations: the USS Ganges, the USS Yangtzee Kiang, and the USS Rio Grande.
The Danube-class was first commissioned by Starfleet in 2368 as a small, short-range interstellar craft.
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