USS Tai Shan (NCC-2524)

USS Tai Shan (NCC-2524) was an Ascension-class dreadnought active in the 23rd century. (Federation Reference Series, Starship Design)

Tai Shan was commissioned in August, 2282. After a reconditioning, it was recommissioned in February, 2288, and deployed as part of the 7th Fleet from Starbase 32 under Ronald Blackman's command, with Glen Hoffmann serving initially as both the XO 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, the Tai Shan was heavily damaged, which resulted in the ship returning to Starbase 32 for repairs/refit and the eventual reassignment of several senior officers, including the CO and XO. Former Chief of Operations on the Tai Shan, Commander Matthew Nelson Ross, was promoted to Captain, with Chief Engineer Lt. Commander Jonathan Michael Pajion receiving a promotion to Commander/XO.

After a brief period of refit in late 2289, Tai Shan was 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.

Tai Shan spent most of its time in service as a part of Task Force 31. In 2291, the task force consisted of USS Tai Shan, USS Challenger, USS Intrepid II and USS Thagard. (Star Trek: Challenger Chronicles, Star Trek: Shadowstar Station) On several occasions, she was assigned to special operations missions with the USS Justice (NCC-556)].

Tai Shan's other commanding officers included Fleet Captain C. O'Hara (Starship Design) (one of Blackman's predecessors) and Commander Kenneth Newman, who served as acting Captain for her refit/shakedown.

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. In the early 2300s, while on an automated experimental run, the ship was lost in a subspace anomaly and has not been located as of this writing.

The 9th Marine Strike Group was embarked aboard Tai Shan in the early 2290s, and served with distinction through her final tour.

Background

• "Tai Shan" means "great mountain" in Mandarin Chinese.
• The USS Tai Shan chapter of Starfleet International, based in New York City, existed from 1988 to 1993. (Starfleet International: Scott A. Akers, et al., Master Genealogy: Starfleet Region 7)

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

External link

• The USS Avenger Fiction Logs.
• Rosenzweig, Alex. "As Others See Us." The USS Avenger Fiction Logs.