technical Specifications

•    Crew compliment 780 under normal conditions.   However up to 1,500 personnel can be supported depending on mission configuration.  This number includes one battalion of Fleet Marines (720 personnel).

•      Main Sections - Saucer, Battle (engineering), Various Pod Configurations

•      42 Decks including Pod (35 Decks in main section and 7 decks in the Advanced Tactical Pod), 452 Meters Long, 470 Meters Wide, 128 Meters Beam, Weight 4,500,000 tons
  
  

•        Warp Specifications - Type 15 warp core, identical to the type used in Sovereign Class Vessels.  Capable of Warp Factor 8 for standard cruising, Warp Factor  9.9 maximum sustained cruising speed,  and Warp Factor 9.99 for up to 36 hours.  Warp coil efficiency 89% at warp 9.  Two nacelles provide optimum configuration of the warp field.

•     Transwarp Drive (Experimental) - The Starfleet Research & Development group dusted off the plans from the original failed Transwarp experiments performed on the USS Excelsior and modified the plans using information gathered from Borg Vessels to create a functional Transwarp system.  The USS Merrimac was the vessel chosen for this experiment.   Currently all ships of the Fifth Special Operations Fleet are equipped with Transwarp Drive.
  
  

•       Impulse Drive - Utilizes 12 standard fusion reactors.  Able to achieve 0.97 light speed using all 4 impulse engines ( 2 on Primary hull.  1 on Secondary hull, 1 on Weapons Pod.)
  
  

•       10 personnel transporters (6 in Saucer, 3 in Engineering, 1 in Pod.)  7 cargo transporters (4 in Saucer, 2 in Engineering, 1 in pod.)  This number includes 4 long-range  subspace transporters (experimental) consisting of 50 pads each.  These transports are primarily used for rapid deployment of the Fleet Marines.  They may also be utilized in rescue operations.
  
  

•      4 Shuttle Bays - Main Bay in Engineer Section Aft,  Bays 2, 3, & 4 in Saucer Section.  10 standard shuttles, 10 cargo shuttles, 2 armored runabouts, 2 long-range survey runabouts, 5 specialty shuttles.

•     A Captain's Gig, the Ironclad, is located on the ventral aspect of the saucer section. This vehicle is warp capable and has the same basic shielding and armament as a standard shuttle, but has more luxurious accommodations as it is used primarily in diplomatic missions.  

•         4 tractor beam emitters, 2 are located on the dorsal aspects of the primary and secondary hulls, 2 are located on ventral aspect of the primary and secondary hulls.
  
  

•       Life Support -- Special areas of the ship have atmospheric and gravity controls allowing for support of a wide variety of life forms.  Life support systems draw their power from the main fusion reactors but can utilize the power grid of the ship to draw power from any available power source.  Replicators provide most food, but some fresh foods are stored in stasis as well as grown in the hydroponics gardens.  Kitchen facilities exist for those who prefer to cook their own food.

•       Holodecks -- 1 very large tactical training holodeck is located forward of the main shuttle bay and is  used primarily for Fleet Marine and Security Training.  6 Large recreational holodecks are located in the  saucer section for crew use.  20 small holodecks are located throughout the ship.  These are designed for instructional use but may be used for recreational programs that don't require large space for movement.

• Many Pods are available for Nebula Class Vessels and more are being developed on a constant basis.  Pod swap out requires the services of a Starbase or Mobile Ship Yard.  Some Available Pod configurations for Nebula Class Vessels are:

Sensor Pod: The majority of the first Nebula-class ships were outfitted with this pod, which greatly extended the ship’s sensor range. With this pod the Nebula-class ship is virtually unmatched in regards to sensor capability. Ships with this pod module were routinely assigned to deep-space exploration, hostile border patrols or long-range reconnaissance.

Heavy Weapons Pod: With the recent Borg invasions and Dominion War, Starfleet quickly mobilized to deploy the weapons pod, which contains 8 forward-facing torpedo launchers, and 3 Type X point-defense phaser emitters. The launchers are fed by an additional 200 photon torpedoes stored in the pod itself.  The weapons pod is also equipped with two shield generators (one main, one backup), since it was realized that the pod would be an easy target. The shield generators are the same type used through-out the rest of the ship, and draw power directly from the auxiliary energy reserves during Red Alert situations.

Advanced Tactical Pod: This is a recent addition to the Nebula-class fleet, and is quickly becoming the default module for all Nebula Class Cruisers. The design combines the scanning capabilities of the sensor pod and the offensive capabilities of the weapons pod into one module.  This Pod is  larger than a heavy weapons pod and includes  two 360 degree rotating rapid fire torpedo turrets, 400 torpedoes , 4 type XIII Ion Pulse Phaser Cannons, 2 dedicated shield generators, a small warp reactor to power the phasers and shields, a full set of Scientific and Tactical sensor arrays, a dedicated computer core, an Aid Station, and an emergency transporter.  Starfleet Command can equip 10 Nebula Class cruisers with this pod for the price of one Sovereign Class Starship.  This provides a 200% increase in fire power per ship, with a faster fielding time and at a lower cost.  Given that the Nebula Class Cruiser is the workhorse of Starfleet, it is understandable that Starfleet has given this project top priority.

Hospital Pod: This specialty pod includes the same medical facilities found in large Starbases and is equipped to handle several hundred casualties at once.  This pod includes full Operating Rooms, Emergency Medical Systems, 500 Intensive Care beds, Pharmacy, Medical Laboratories, Stasis chambers, 

Personnel Transportation Pod: This pod contains a large number of residential quarters, Mess Halls, Community Leadership and Entertainment areas, and Medical Facilities.  It can be configured for various missions such as populating a colony (up to 6,000 people can be ferried); or as a troop transport, enabling the ship to carry several thousand troops; or it can also be used as a Diplomatic  Center with negotiating rooms, a small entertainment center, work offices, and Diplomatic Quarters.

Troop Transportation Pod:  During the offensive on Cardassia Prime at the end of the Dominion War, several habitation pods were modified to transport Marines to the front lines. This module also contains a dozen dedicated transporters, allowing the roughly 5,000 troops to be beamed out within a relatively short amount of time.  An Entire Regiment of Fleet Marines can be transported with this pod.

Hangar pod: This experimental pod includes a large shuttle hangar with the space to hold over two dozen armored runabouts and two wings of fighters. The design is of a "fly through" nature with hanger bays at the front and back of the pod.  Full maintenance facilities for the fighters and runabouts are included in the pod.

Towing Pod: This pod can be used to tow a smaller ship at high warp for extended distances. The pod consists of two elongated pylons, which are then connected to another ship with reinforced bolts, usually to the nacelles. By not using tractor beams, the Nebula-class ship is able to divert more power to the structural integrity field, and thus travel at a higher velocity for a longer period of time. This Pod can also be used to tow standard Starfleet Cargo pods allowing the Nebula Class vessels to augment the aging Tug class vessels.

Miniature Warp Nacelle Pod: This type of pod is still considered experimental, and most likely will not be approved for fleet-wide use. The design features two nacelles, each approximately one-third scale, positioned directly above the main nacelles. While not giving the ship a higher warp speed, it does allow the ship to maintain high warp for a longer period of time. Given the amount of work that must be put into properly connecting the mini-nacelles, they are likely to remain in the experimental phase for some time. 

Science Pod:  This pod contains the highest rated sensors ever developed, additional scientific labs available in a wide variety of configurations depending on the mission.  Stellar Cartography, Physics, Life Sciences, Planetary Sciences, etc....  Up to 100 additional science labs can be configured for this pod.  This pod contains a dedicated computer core, additional quarters for the scientists, and a holodeck.

Transporter Pod  This Pod is used in conjunction with other Starships. During a rescue operation, the most common cause of death while awaiting rescue is failure to transport fast enough from the Hazard Area. With this Pod the Merrimac can beam over 30,000 persons an hour to other ships.  This Pod has an independent fusion power supply and is heavily shielded to protect it from the effects of weapons and ionizing radiations.  

Deck Layout

 

To View Blueprints of the Merrimac, click on the blueprint icon below.

To View Stand Nebula Class Specifications Follow this Link