USS Tai Shan (NCC-2524)

USS Tai Shan (NCC-2524) was an Ascension-class dreadnought active in the late 23rd and early 24th centuries. (Federation Reference Series, Starship Design)

History

2280s

Tai Shan was commissioned in August, 2282.

The ship's first commanding officer was Fleet Captain C. O'Hara. It was under the flag of Fleet Admiral K. Josephs, and was initially homeported at Starbase 3. (Starship Design)

After a reconditioning, it was recommissioned in February, 2288, and deployed as part of the 7th Fleet from Starbase 32 under Captain Ronald Blackman's command, with Commander Glen Hoffmann serving initially as both executive officer and chief engineer. (Star Trek: Avenger: "As Others See Us")

Following USS Avenger's attacks on merchant vessels in the Sigma Belladonna system in July of that year, Tai Shan rendezvoused with the convoy and finished escorting them to their destination. (Star Trek: Avenger: "As Free As Mountain Winds") Following this success, the ship began a patrol of a region of the infamous Triangle Sector of space, where the Klingon, Romulan, and Federation borders meet. The mission details remain classified, but reportedly involved the monitoring and suppression of various smuggling operations.

At some point in the mission, Tai Shan was heavily damaged, resulting in the ship's returning to Starbase 32 for repairs/refit and the eventual reassignment of several senior officers, including the CO and XO. Then Chief of Operations on Tai Shan, Commander Matthew Ross, was promoted to Captain, with Chief Engineer Lt. Commander Jonathan Pajion receiving a promotion to Commander (as well as having additional responsibilities as the new XO).

After this brief period of refit in late 2289, Tai Shan was originally scheduled for assignment to the Romulan Neutral Zone to work alone and in concert with Tikopai-subclass exploration cruisers. (Dockyard Review) Ultimately, it was decided that while the expansion of science capabilities was beneficial, the ship would best serve the fleet as a front-line military vessel; thus, she returned to military operations in and around the Triangle Sector once again, presumably to continue anti-piracy and smuggling interdiction missions.

2290s

Tai Shan spent most of its time in front-line service as a part of Task Force 31. In 2291, the task force consisted of Tai Shan, USS Challenger, USS Intrepid II and USS Thagard. (Star Trek: Challenger Chronicles, Star Trek: Shadowstar Station) On more than several occasions, she was also assigned to special operations, TacFleet, Starfleet Intelligence, and diplomatic/escort missions alone and with the USS Justice, in addition to the 7th Fleet flagship -- USS Avenger -- and the USS Konkordium.

Tai Shan's other commanding officers included Commander Kenneth Newman, who served as acting Captain for her refit/shakedown, and Captain Gordon Goldberg, who assumed command for the ship's final, albeit brief, tour. The ship was taken out of active duty after her last tour due to the stress experienced on the frame and hull after numerous combat missions and the ensuing damage. She was initially designated to be mothballed in a state of ready-reserve, but was ultimately assigned to the Starfleet Corps of Engineers to assess the numerous "field modifications" that were made to the ship as well as further the study of warp dynamics in tri-nacelle ships.

Both Tai Shan and the USS Leander (NCC-2521) were scrapped at Procyon some years after the ratification of the Khitomer Accords. (Hobbyist's Guide to the UFP Starfleet, Part 1b)

Marine Strike Group

The 9th Marine Strike Group (under the command of Major J. "Storm" Maurantonio) was embarked aboard Tai Shan in the early 2290s, and served with distinction through her final tour.

Nomenclature

"Tai Shan" means "great mountain" in Mandarin Chinese.

The USS Register (APD-92) had been a U.S. Navy transport in service during Earth's World War II. Years later, from c. 1966 to 1996, she served in the Navy of the Republic of China as ROCS Tai Shan (PF-38).

Ascension-class starships
USS Ascension - USS Leander - USS Minsk - USS Nashua - USS Sussex - USS Tai Shan

Fan organizations

USS Tai Shan was a chapter of Starfleet International, based in New York City, that existed from 1988 to 1993. (Starfleet International: Scott A. Akers, et al., Master Genealogy: Starfleet Region 7, Communiqué 54)

A shuttle (i.e., chapter-in-training) Tai Shan, based in New Boston, Texas, was briefly in existence around 1995, but it never achieved full chapter status. (Communiqué 69, 70, 72) This Tai Shan's "mothership" (sponsoring chapter) was the USS Lancelot, which had been based in Arlington, Texas.

References

• STARFLEET Communiqué 54 (December 1992/January 1993)
• STARFLEET Communiqué 69 (June/July 1995)
• STARFLEET Communiqué 70 (August/September 1995)
• STARFLEET Communiqué 72 (December 1995/January 1996)