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About the USS Ark Royal

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Logo for the Ark Royal

The USS Ark Royal is an Akira Class starship that serves as a pre-emptive effort in the Federation's crusade to spread peace amongst the stars. The most powerful vessel in their task force, they must face the challenge of bringing species together in a region recovering from years of turmoil ... and harboring some of the darkest secrets never known ...

Eighth starship to bear the name, the USS Ark Royal NCC-85781 is the latest to hold on to a prestigious history.

The latest Ark Royal was originally launched as the USS Indomitable in the first wave of Akira Class contracts built in response to the Borg Threat. With her sister ships, Indomitable quickly distinguished herself in the fleet, escorting battleships against Borg encroachment and serving as a platform for numerous tactical operations along the Federation border.

Indomitable was the lead ship in the task group that defended Wakenda-IV against Breen bombardment in 2367 and was nearly destroyed holding the line against a rogue Romulan warbird in 2369.

Of the five commanding officers she’s had, two have gone on to get flags of their own and join the Admiralty.In a remarkable coincidence, the Indomitable actually served with the Ambassador Class Ark Royal at the Battle of the Togan Drift against the Dominion and they were two of only fourteen Starfleet vessels out of two hundred and twelve that survived the battle but did serious damage to the Dominion war effort.

After the Dominion War, Indomitable began to show the limitations of her aging systems and was relegated to more internal patrol duties and eventually relegated to the Earth Defense Fleet.

Eventually a decision had to be made on what to do with her. She was nearly 20 years old – still within her estimated service life, but severely restricted by lack of the advances in technology that had been discovered and implemented since she had come online. Deciding against mothballing her or reassigning her to a low priority sector, Logistics Command decided instead to put her into Dry-dock at Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards to undergo Extended Readiness refitting.

In 2383, Indomitable’s warp core was taken offline and within two months, she was stripped down to her spaceframe.

Over the next year, Indomitable was outfitted with brand new computer systems, upgrades to her warp core and propulsion systems to help with speed and efficiency, new weapons systems, command and control equipment and various other essential parts and services to bring her back to the top of the line.

In the fourth quarter of 2384, Indomitable’s hull was closed up and she was taken out for testing and shakedown under the command of Captain Fazal’qan and put through her paces in preparation for return to active duty.

In the same month, the Ark Royal was escorting a high-value delegation of Federation Diplomats that included the Vice President when it came under attack from The Remnant, a renegade sect of ex-Maquis that had secured a Cardassian Dreadnaught-type weapon of mass destruction. Ark Royal’s captain sacrificed his ship and crew to take out the weapon early and spare the delegation.

When Starfleet hinted at plans to retire the Ark Royal name in recognition of her history and final act, public outcry changed their minds and it was decided to give the name to a new ship. An adjutant in Command, familiar with the Ark Royal’s terrestrial history, hinted at the symmetry of renaming Indomitable in her honor as had been before.

Nearly four hundred years to the day, Indomitable was rechristened USS Ark Royal by the same Vice President her namesake had saved.

The new Ark Royal was once again a top of the line forward action vessel fit to be sent on faraway missions to the deepest and most dangerous areas of space. A new Ark Royal Air Wing was assembled out of units that had served on her before, as well as new ones, and she was to become the lynch pin holding together a new Operational Wing tasked with bringing peace and security to the borderlands.

Last Updated ( Saturday, 12 January 2008 )