Ever since the first starship design with two distinct hulls, a feature that has been in place was the ability for that starship to separate into two. By igniting explosive bolts in the connecting dorsal, the primary hull could detach from the secondary hull and be used as a lifeboat in the case of an emergency such as a catastrophic warp engine failure. But such features were only for use in extreme situations, and if they were to be reversed it would have to be with the aid of a drydock facility and some extensive repairs.
The Starfleet Corps of Engineers set themselves a challenge: design a single ship that would also be capable of separating into two, each one independently operational, which could then be reconnected simply by docking together at which point the whole ship would return to being operated as a single vessel.
The Starfleet Corps of Engineers set themselves a challenge: design a single ship that would also be capable of separating into two, each one independently operational, which could then be reconnected simply by docking together at which point the whole ship would return to being operated as a single vessel.
The result was the U.S.S. Gemini. On the surface it doesn't seem too revolutionary. The majority of the hull was constructed from stock parts, and it shows it with the ship looking very much like a frigate slapped on top of the bottom half of a heavy cruiser.
In actual fact it is a very ambitious design, only much of the new engineering is internal. Complex docking systems were created that would allow the systems of what are essentially two separate ships to sync together, and operate as if they were one. The connection points also had to be quite well reinforced to withstand stresses of the ship as a whole accelerating and decelerating at both sublight and warp speeds.
When it comes to warp travel, that presented a special challenge. The nacelles had to be arranged in such a way that, when acting as a quartet, they provided a balanced field for the vessel as a whole. Yet when separated, each half of the ship still needed a balanced warp field provided by its pair of nacelles. The Corps of Engineers, typically themselves thought of as the utmost experts on such things, needed to call in the services of the legendary Captain Montgomery Scott to assist them in their efforts at producing perfectly balanced warp geometry for this design.
In actual fact it is a very ambitious design, only much of the new engineering is internal. Complex docking systems were created that would allow the systems of what are essentially two separate ships to sync together, and operate as if they were one. The connection points also had to be quite well reinforced to withstand stresses of the ship as a whole accelerating and decelerating at both sublight and warp speeds.
When it comes to warp travel, that presented a special challenge. The nacelles had to be arranged in such a way that, when acting as a quartet, they provided a balanced field for the vessel as a whole. Yet when separated, each half of the ship still needed a balanced warp field provided by its pair of nacelles. The Corps of Engineers, typically themselves thought of as the utmost experts on such things, needed to call in the services of the legendary Captain Montgomery Scott to assist them in their efforts at producing perfectly balanced warp geometry for this design.
When separated, the forward section (primary hull) effectively becomes a heavily armed frigate class vessel, while the aft section (secondary hull) effectively becomes a light cruiser capable of acting in a supportive role.
Simulations have shown some advantage to this in combat situations, as the forward section can take the offensive while the aft section holds back to offer sensor and tactical support, and to provide service two squadrons of Killer Bees.
The portions of shuttle bays 1 and 2 that remain behind on the secondary hull needed to be open on both ends to allow them to function in combined mode. This had the unintended advantage that when separated they essentially become two small through-deck bays. When this was realized, these shuttle bay portions were specifically equipped as to allow them to provide quick servicing and refueling of auxiliary craft.
On exploratory missions, which are of course the main mission of Starfleet, the advantages of this design were less then obvious. And even in combat situations, a very simple option presented itself over construction of this very complex ship design: deploy two ships. So in the end, Starfleet Command chose not to authorize construction of further Gemini Class vessels. Meanwhile, while she is kept within well charted Federation territory, the U.S.S. Gemini herself has been put into service. Despite her rather unorthodox design, she is proving to be a hearty vessel.
Even with the perceived failure on Starfleet Command's part to see the need for a tandem ship design, the Corps of Engineers has much to be proud of with the U.S.S. Gemini. For what they set out to do, they succeeded as well as they could have hoped. They plan to continue theoretical studies and simulations testing the feasibility of a separating primary hull design, hoping to explore options for how such a design can be implemented in a more useful way. Perhaps someday, an easily separating and reconnecting saucer on an in-production class of starship will be a reality.
Simulations have shown some advantage to this in combat situations, as the forward section can take the offensive while the aft section holds back to offer sensor and tactical support, and to provide service two squadrons of Killer Bees.
The portions of shuttle bays 1 and 2 that remain behind on the secondary hull needed to be open on both ends to allow them to function in combined mode. This had the unintended advantage that when separated they essentially become two small through-deck bays. When this was realized, these shuttle bay portions were specifically equipped as to allow them to provide quick servicing and refueling of auxiliary craft.
On exploratory missions, which are of course the main mission of Starfleet, the advantages of this design were less then obvious. And even in combat situations, a very simple option presented itself over construction of this very complex ship design: deploy two ships. So in the end, Starfleet Command chose not to authorize construction of further Gemini Class vessels. Meanwhile, while she is kept within well charted Federation territory, the U.S.S. Gemini herself has been put into service. Despite her rather unorthodox design, she is proving to be a hearty vessel.
Even with the perceived failure on Starfleet Command's part to see the need for a tandem ship design, the Corps of Engineers has much to be proud of with the U.S.S. Gemini. For what they set out to do, they succeeded as well as they could have hoped. They plan to continue theoretical studies and simulations testing the feasibility of a separating primary hull design, hoping to explore options for how such a design can be implemented in a more useful way. Perhaps someday, an easily separating and reconnecting saucer on an in-production class of starship will be a reality.
List of Ships:
NX-7420 U.S.S. Gemini