Editing Battle of Wolf 359 (section)

==The Battle==

In 2367, around stardate 44002.3, the cube entered the [[Wolf 359]] system. Locutus hailed the assembled fleet, ordering them to disarm and escort the cube to the Sol system. Immediately thereafter, the fleet engaged the Borg.

The [[Excelsior Class]] USS Melbourne was among the first ships destroyed, with its saucer section partially vaporized while approaching. The [[Miranda Class]] USS Saratoga was quickly neutralized thereafter. When the [[Ambassador Class]] USS Yamaguchi and the [[Nebula Class]] USS Bellerophon rushed to rescue their trapped sister ships, they, too, were destroyed, along with numerous other [[starship]]s entering the combat zone. (DS9: "Emissary")

After bare minutes of combat, the fleet was faced with utter defeat. Admiral Hanson attempted to rally the remaining ships to launch a last-ditch assault, but his ship was destroyed shortly thereafter. His final words were to Captain Riker of the Enterprise, whom he contacted briefly during the course of the battle. Communications were cut off in the midst of this transmission, and no further transmissions were received. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II")

Ultimately, 39 starships were lost with a total loss of nearly 11,000 lives. Many people were assimilated. Only one starship managed to escape the disaster. (TNG: "The Drumhead")

:<strong>In the scenes seen of the battle, Starfleet used a "wave" assault tactic while engaging the cube. This in turn allowed the Borg cube to simply pick off the Starfleet ships one at a time (as it did with the USS Melbourne, USS Saratoga then presumably the USS Yamaguchi and USS Bellerophon next). In Star Trek: First Contact, when engaging a second cube, the Federation fleet used a "swarm" tactic in the scenes seen of the battle. As reported by Data after the arrival of the Enterprise, that cube had sustained heavy damage - something not even closely achieved at the battle of Wolf 359. </strong>