Changes

The ''Rhode Island class'' is a [[{{Sidebar\starship| ship name = Nova Class Survey Vessel| allegiance = United Federation]] [[Starship]] of the [[Scout]] typePlanets| image = RhodeIsland.jpg| image3 = | image4 = RIMSD.jpg| class = Nova Class| specifications = }}

==History=Overview===

The Rhode Island Nova-class was initially designed in the early 2380s as a science and scout vessel, intended for short-term planetary research and analysis as a replacement for the underwhelming Novaaged Oberth-class Scout. Designed to be small and easy to operate and maintain, which in turn had been intended to replace the aging Oberth class survey vessels. Plans to update initial design was a rejected proposal for the class were scrapped during thirty years of near-constant warfare[[Defiant Class]] Escort, until 2418 when the Fleet Modernisation Program uncovered the design tactical systems stripped out and utilised modern construction techniques replaced by advanced sensor suites and technologies to ensure the class met the needs of deep space exploration in the early 25th centurytried-and-tested internal systems.

[[Image:RIOrthoInitially the Nova-class was designed with an LF-47 Advanced Linear Warp Drive with undersized warp coils, limiting its cruising velocity to a sedate Warp 6 and its maximum speed to Warp 8. A larger unit was not available for installation until, after the Synth Attack on Mars, a comprehensive refit program for all Starfleet vessels was ordered to make up for the loss of shipbuilding capability associated with Utopia Planitia's destruction.jpg|right|thumb|Rhode Island The new core and larger warp coils were installed across the Nova fleet, and increased the class Orthographic Views]][[Image:RhodeIsland' emergency velocity to 9.92 for a period of 12 hours, though this would drain the ship's deuterium supply and put immense strain on its structural integrity field.jpg|thumb|Rhode Island class Scout]]

{| Designed for short missions of only a few months, the initial run of Nova-classvessels lacked dedicated crew recreation facilities. As Nova-class starships were pressed into longer-duration missions, however, internal configurations were revisited, usually deleting Crew Quarters to acommodate a dedicated Holodeck or Arboterum; the increasingly-cramped living environment was deemed justifiable for both the morale of the crew, but also to engage in studies around the emotional and social health of crews on long voyages. Despite the longer-duration missions, most Nova-class ships operate without a Counsellor, though the new-generation EMH based on the EXEO program is more than capable of acting in this capacity. The immense amount of lab space available to the Nova-class has made it a more-than-capable medical or crisis-response vessel, able to respond to an emergency quicker than a dedicated hospital ship and act as a triage or crisis response center. It has also been rumoured that the class' diminutive size and nonthreatening nature have attracted the eye of Starfleet Intelligence as an Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) vessel, though these claims remain unsubstantiated. ===Mission Profiles==="wikitable"{{#lst:Ship Specifications List|{{PAGENAME}} }}|}Pathfinder and Reconnaissance Operations, Scientific and Survey Operations, Crisis and Emergency Response.

===Vesselsof Note===

!Name !! Registry !! Launched !! Status|-|USS ''Rhode Island'' || FSV-66000 || 21912.31 || Prototype - Systems Testbed

|[[USS ''Philadelphia'' || , FSV-66053 || 2420 || Fitting Out|-|USS ''ShiKahrPhiladelphia'' ]] || FSV-66002 || 2420 || Fitting Out|-|USS ''Laikan'' || FSV-66003 || 2420 || Fitting Out|-|USS ''Paris'' || FSV-66004 || 2420 || Under Construction|-|USS ''Pennysylvania'' || FSV-66005 || 2420 66053 || Under ConstructionActive

[[Category: Starship]] [[Category: Engineering]]