"The Eagle class Starship has served as a starliner, an
assault transport and as a freighter during its illustrious history. As a
starliner, it was the most luxurious of its time. Pressed into service in a
military role during the Four Years War, it transported thousands of
Starfleet Marines to critical battles during that conflict. It was also
converted into an efficient freighter which continued to serve in Starfleet
after the war."
At the outbreak of hostilities in 2251 (1/94) between the Federation and
the Klingon Empire, Starfleet found itself with an almost complete lack of
sufficient troop and materiel transports to effectively distribute its
ground forces to prepare for and defend against Klingon planetary assaults.
Almost simultaneously, representatives from Starfleet and Phoenix
Enterprises contacted each other with the proposition of pressing the Eagle
class into military service. This joint effort went off without a hitch and
still stands today as one of the best examples of Federation patriotism
during the Four Years War.
Hastily converted Eagle class starliners became the Mk IIa assault ship.
The once spacious cabins of the former starliners now held three to six
marines apiece. Dining areas and gymnasiums, theaters and arboretums became
staging areas for military equipment and supplies. The emergency
transporters aboard doubled as combat transporters, although during the
early stages of the war, the ships were not involved in actual assaults
since the Federation was wholly on the defensive. Many of the crews of the
former starliners insisted that they be field commissioned and allowed to
serve aboard their vessels- a request which Starfleet happily
approved.
After Starfleet’s number of Mk IIa assault ships grew as the existing
starliners were converted, production began on the new Mk IIb and Mk IIc
class. The Mk IIb Eagle served as a true, modern assault ship, with
provisions for 1600 marines and their equipment, plus enough cargo space for
light vehicle support. The Mk IIb’s and Mk IIc’s were fully outfitted
with combat transporters and expanded cargo transporters. The ships were
also outfitted with FWB-1 engines, which replaced the FWH-1 engines on the
earlier models. This allowed the vessel to attain higher warp speeds and
lessened the time needed to plan and engage in assaults.
The Mk IIc assault ship had an expanded cargo area and served as a heavy
equipment assault ship (although as a consequence, it carried fewer troops).
It could transport five medium tanks and 18 light-support vehicles along
with the marines required to operate and maintain the equipment. It could
also carry additional marines to supplement the heavy equipment. It also
doubled as a munitions carrier and emergency space-borne field hospital in
some instances.
Both the Mk IIb and IIc had a formidable array of FL-1 lasers. These
lasers provided orbital fire support for marines below. Six batteries of
lasers were at the command of the planetside marines, ready to support their
attacks. Indeed, many Eagles risked their own safety rather than leave their
embattled planetside troops to provide those troops with fire support.
The Mk III Eagle was similar to the Mk IIb and IIc models except for its
enlarged cargo area (again at the expense of troop capacity). It served as a
military transport and was found right at the front lines during the Four
Years War.
The Eagle class served Starfleet well during the war and quickly earned
the admiration of the average grunt which it transported to battle. With the
Eagle in service, fewer and fewer troops had to be transported in converted
freighters and transports. Instead, they rode into battle in a ship which
didn’t leave after it transported its troops. Rather, the Eagle stayed and
fought on with the marines it had landed. It was this type of tenacity which
earned the Eagle the respect of the Starfleet Marines.
|
