Editing Federation Starships (section)

==[[image:obercl.jpg |150px|right|]]  [[Oberth Class:]]==

The Oberth class has had a distinguished Starfleet career dating back for over a century. They were a capable platform from which to conduct scientific research and exploration. Oberth's had some crucial advantages, they were easy to construct, maintain, and run. The design was highly modular, the whole vessel was made up of sections of 50, 150, or 300 tons which were simply bolted together, gamma welded, and sealed. 

This allowed construction to take place in the smallest of facilities, even those intended to handle craft such as shuttles. The warp drive system, one of the most difficult parts of any starship to fabricate, sacrificed a large degree of speed and acceleration in return for simplicity and reliability. These factors enabled no less than eight Oberth class vessels to be built for the same resources as a single Constitution class starship. 

In service the Oberth's were just as easy to run as they were to build. The engineering plant was almost wholly automated, with the engineering section normally going unmanned. The entire engineering crew consisted of two officers, one warrant officer, and four enlisted personnel, less than a tenth of the number for a Constitution. 

The exploratory nature of the Oberth class mission meant that they would frequently discover new alien species, but their small size and limited crew numbers meant that they had a very limited diplomatic capability. Although they did occasionally engage in first contact procedures, it was more usual that an Oberth would make an initial assessment without revealing itself before reporting back to Starfleet and allowing larger vessels to make the actual contact. 

Over the decades of their service the Oberth's have been produced in and upgraded to over twenty different variations. Early changes are limited to the sensor and laboratory resources, but the later models introduced improved crew facilities such as larger quarters and replicator systems, made possible by reducing crew numbers due to further automation. 

In the 2340's all units received new Phaser banks and shielding systems. The Oberth class is now expected to remain in service at least until the beginning of this century.