Wolf 359
Wolf 359 is the primary star of the Wolf system, located approximately eight light years from Sol.
Battle of Wolf 359
The Wolf system was the site of the first large-scale engagement between Star Fleet and the Borg. In 2366, a fleet of at least forty ships, under the command of Admiral J.P. Hanson, moved to intercept a Borg cube, en route to Earth, at Wolf 359. The Federation fleet made their stand there and engaged the cube controlled by Locutus of Borg in the Battle of Wolf 359. Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-D had been assimilated by the Borg, and as Locutus, unwillingly provided them with a decisive advantage through his knowledge of Starfleet technology and tactics. This led to the Federation fleet, tasked with preventing the advance of the Borg to Earth, being quickly overwhelmed and utterly destroyed. Thirty-nine Federation starships were massacred, resulting in approximately eleven thousand deaths or assimilations.
The Enterprise-D arrived late to the battlefield only to find the wreckage and debris of the starships destroyed by the Borg. Among the ships lost at Wolf 359 were the USS Melbourne, command of which had been offered to Commander William T. Riker. Also lost was the USS Saratoga, on which then Lt. Commander Benjamin Sisko was serving. Sisko lost his wife Jennifer in the destruction of the Saratoga, and Sisko long blamed and disliked Picard for his role in her death.
This information taken from Memory Alpha
Memorial
In the weeks following the battle, Star Fleet conducted a massive search and rescue operation, recovering first as many survivors as could be found, but quickly turning to recovery operations. Such a massive loss of life had not occurred to Star Fleet since the Klingon-Federation War of the 2250s.
President Amitra of Pandrii, the serving Federation President at the time, put forward a motion to establish a “memorial, to be protected in perpetuity to the memory of all those who gave their lives and freedom to protect our own.” Passed unanimously by the Federation Council, it empowered the Federation Parks Service to establish a protected area around the battlefield, and required Star Fleet to post an honor guard to watch over the area as well.
Plans were made while Star Fleet completed recovery operations, and were enacted in January 2370. Rather than salvaging the destroyed ships, their locations were stabilized and matched with the sensor recordings of the Enterprise-D. The space between was cleared, with the drifting debris removed and recycled.
A small starport was established by the Corps of Engineers on the fringes of the battlefield, housing a museum and facilities for visitors as well as the Federation Parks staff and caretakers. The museum contained bits of the debris from each ship, pieces of art memorializing the dead, and a Wall of Honor listing the names of the dead. A shuttlebay was also attached, hosting small shuttles that conduct tours of the battlefield, mostly hosting school groups and other tourists, teaching them about the battle and the ships that were lost that day.
The Star Fleet portion was at first composed of a detachment of Star Fleet Security volunteers, conducting an End of Watch vigil for the dead who could not be recovered, either due to assimilation or simply because their remains could not be found. Plans for a more intensive presence were placed on the back burner due to the onset of the Dominion War, but once the war was over a starship was permanently assigned to the facility. The Excelsior-class USS Valley Forge was recommissioned as the USS Wolf 359, NCC-11374, in honor of both the battle’s location and the number of Federation dead.
The initial captain of the Wolf 359 was Captain Neman James, who had served aboard the USS Kyushu during the original battle, and most of the crew were made up of survivors from the battle. As the years passed, however, and more battles and wars were fought, that proportion fell, though the ship still maintains its vigil, remaining the sole ship of its class still in active service.
In the modern age (circa 2420), service aboard USS Wolf 359 is voluntary and a two year tour of duty, wherein the officer or enlisted in question not only serves aboard the ship itself, but helps to maintain the battlefield. The ships on the field are stable, but do require maintenance from time to time as drift does happen, albeit slowly, as well as ensuring the integrity of the wreckage. Most volatiles and any salvageable systems were removed during the initial cleanup, but there was much that could not be done, and so the Wolf 359 maintains a detachment from the Corps of Engineers to assist.
Serving on the Wolf 359 is seen as a mark of honor. Part of service includes learning about the ships and their crews lost at Wolf 359, and it is not uncommon for them to learn the names and ranks of all of those lost on one or two of the ships lost. Junior officers and crewmen will host tours in conjunction with the Parks Service, while the security detachment continues their End of Watch vigil, with officers on duty constantly since the first response ships came to the battlefield in the days following the original incident.
At the end of their service, each volunteer rotates out, and is awarded a badge denoting their service which may be worn with their other medals on a Class A uniform.
