Bailey Mobile Repair Dock WIP image - Star Trek: Sacrifice of Angels mod for Homeworld

This is a WIP shot of the textures being applied
to our new Bailey Class Mobile Repair Dock model,
for the Federation Carrier position in SoA.

-------------------
Backstory
The idea of a mobile repair and supply station
had been in development by Federation starship
engineers ever since the cold war between the
Klingon Star Empire and the United Federation of
Planets in the mid 23rd century.

The strategic advantages of having a starship
capable of performing extensive deep space repairs
and refits were manifold. First, a mobile repair
dock could warp to stranded vessels and perform
extensive repairs on stranded Federation ships
relatively quickly. Secondly, a mobile repair dock
could act as a mobile command and control center,
allowing battle fleets to operate with extended
ranges and better coordination, and presenting the
enemy with a moving target. Third, A mobile dock
would be outfitted with enough personnel and
support craft to perform both routine and
emergency maintenance with a faster reaction time
than a normal starbase.

Several incarnations of the mobile repair dock
concept have entered service throughout the
history of the UFP, the first being the U.S.S. Bon
Homme Richard, which served during the 2260s and
was more starship than repair facility. While she
served with distinction, the Bon Homme
Richard's performance as a command and
support platform was hampered by her design, which
emphasized characteristics and capabilities of a
normal starship over the requirements of quality
support and construction facilities.

The next incarnation of the mobile repair dock
was the Pearl Class Mobile Repair Dock, first
entering service in the 2280s. This class tried to
compensate for the lack of support facilities in
the Bon Homme Richard design by focusing almost
soley on the construction facilities, adding warp
and impulse propulsion capabilities to the design
almost as an afterthought. The design left much to
be desired in terms of durability and
survivability in the field, and was retired
shortly after the Khitomer treaty was signed in
2293.

The whole concept went back to the drawing board
in the subsequent years, and remained on the
backburner at Starfleet's Advanced Starship
Design Bureau until the outbreak of the first
Cardassian War in 2347. When Starfleet tacticians
assessed the situation at the beginning of the
war, they realized that the closest starbase to
the engagement zone was over three dozen
light-years away, as the Cardassian border had
been somewhat neglected in favor of securing the
UFP against more real threats like the Klingon and
Romulan empires.

Plans were made to construct Starbase 375 as
close to the fighting as would be allowed, but
Starfleet Command realized that if more conflicts
erupted along unprotected borders, it would be
unfeasible and inefficient to simply build more
starbases near areas of conflict. It was decided
then to revitalize research regarding mobile
repair docks and try to create a viable design
which could yield fast response to repair and
refit needs during wartime.

Thus the Bailey Class Development project began
in 2349. Construction began on the spaceframe in
2352, before the plans had even been finalized. In
fact, it wasn’t until the mid 2360s that the
design had been finalized, yet construction
continued in hopes the ship would be done in time
to provide a decisive presence in the war. Of
course, many advancements in starship construction
technologies were completed during the Bailey’s
construction period, and in some instances,
significant sections of the ship had to be
stripped and redone to keep the design modern.

Construction slowed on the Bailey as the conflict
with the Cardassians began to diffuse in the early
2360s, but pace was renewed in 2364. Near the end
of that year, the U.S.S. Enterprise encountered a
Romulan D’Deridex Class Warbird, and tactical
scans revealed several extensive shuttle craft
facilities, inferring that the ship was able to
launch and coordinate a significant force of small
strike craft. The renewed threat of Romulan
hostilities and concern over the combat
capabilities of this new warbird led the Starfleet
brass to increase the priority of the Bailey
construction project, in hopes the Bailey could
also act as a carrier to counter the D’Deridex,
should the need arise.

While by 2264 the prototype was over halfway
complete, it Starfleet Command felt that it was
imperative to have a modern Starfleet carrier
enter service as soon as possible, and using
design elements developed for the Bailey, the
Akira Class Development Project was initiated.

The Akira Class entered into full scale
production relatively quickly (around 2368), but
the U.S.S. Bailey was not ready for her maiden
voyage until 2373, after the conflict with the
Dominion had escalated into a shooting war. She
was quickly pressed into service despite the
untested nature and scale of most of her systems.

The gamble paid off and the Bailey proved herself
indispensable to remote fleet operations,
especially when the Dominion push against
stationary Federation installations seriously
compromised Starfleet's support
infrastructure.

With the design of the Bailey, Starfleet
Engineers have finally struck the proper balance
between a mobile starship and capable service
facility. To run at peak efficiency, the Bailey
relies on a fleet of small dedicated support
craft, including work bees, shuttles, and
runabouts. Support craft from starships escorting
the Bailey in a carrier battle-group are often
utilized to speed up the repair process in the
field.

The Bailey's engine and power systems are
some of the most massive ever constructed for a
starship. Its three impulse engines are fed by a
network of 12 fusion reactors, and each of the
giant nacelles has its own Matter/Antimatter Warp
Core.

Weapons systems on the Bailey consist mainly of
point defense phasers and several type XII main
phaser arrays at optimum firing positions
throughout the hull, but the ship mainly relies on
its escorts for protection. Starfleet tacticians
are considering an upgrade which would attach a
photon torpedo turret along the ventral and dorsal
axes of the ship, but so far no final decision has
been made.

-------------------
Credits
Non Canon design by ThomastheCat and Howedar.
Model by Howedar, Redragon, and ThomastheCat.
Textures by ThomastheCat.