Olympic class

The Olympic class was a type of Federation starship in service in the 24th century and the 25th century. They entered service in 2361 and arose out of a need for Starfleet to replace the fleet of aging hospital ships that were at their disposal. (TNG: "All Good Things"; DS9: "Sacrifice of Angels"; Ship Recognition Manual, Volume 1: The Ships of Starfleet)

Appearance and facilities

Unlike most other Federation starships, the Olympic class did not possess a saucer section for its command hull, but a spheroid-shaped command hull akin to the design of the Daedalus-class starships that were in service in the late 22nd and early 23rd centuries. The added space granted by a spheroid command hull allowed most of the ship's laboratories and wards to be included.

While the engineering hull of the Olympic class was like any other design in use by Starfleet, extra sections were added to the sides of the engineering hull, which contained additional laboratories and wards. These proved invaluable, as they could be used to treat highly contagious patients and had the separation from the main sections of the ship. All of the facilities aboard these ships were equipped with the latest medical equipment and staffed by some of the best medical personnel that served in Starfleet.

Another feature included in the Olympic class was its modularity, which meant that Starfleet could easily equip the vessels with different facilities that depended on the type of mission it would be sent on. Laboratories and wards could easily be replaced with other modules customized for medical research, disaster relief, combat surgery, epidemic research, evacuation, triage, or general humanitarian aid. (Ship Recognition Manual, Volume 1: The Ships of Starfleet)

Later on, as the ship design proved its worth as a serviceable starship, later models were no longer dedicated hospital ships. Instead, several were constructed or converted into long-range science vessels, some operating under Starfleet control, such as the USS Aldrin (HF: "Grave Matters") and the civilian science ship SS Athene Donald. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: relaunch novels The Missing)

Background information

• Specifications from Ship Recognition Manual, Volume 1: The Ships of Starfleet.

External links

• Olympic class article at Memory Alpha, the canon Star Trek wiki.
• Olympic class article at Memory Beta, the non-canon Star Trek wiki.