U.S.S. Hathaway NCC-2593:
Crew: 535 [Maximum: 600]
Officers: 45
N.C.O.'s: 490
Cruising Warp: 6.
Maximum warp: 8.
Height: 86m.
Width: 175m.
Length: 310m.
Phasers: 12 Turrets.
Torpedo Launchers: 3 [2 Foward, 1 Aft].
Torpedo Compliment: 100.
Warp Engines: MARA
Impulse Engines: Standard
Computer System: DCLD - Duotronic Computer Library Database [Author's Note: Later upgraded to LCARS]
Expected Duration: 100 Years
Time Between Resupply: 3 Years
Time Between Refits: 5 Years
Shuttlecraft: 5 [Various types]
Starship primary mission: Planetary and Deep-Space Exploration.
Designation: Heavy Cruiser
The Mission:
U.S.S. Hathaway was launched on Stardate 8300 and was commanded by Captain Jeffrey Pierce. The first assignment of Pierce was to take the Hathaway to investigate the loss of the U.S.S. Grissom and rendezvous with the IKS Na'Keth at Space Station Regula One to show the Klingons that the Genesis Project had been dismantled and all of the materials were destroyed. Historical records later showed that the Genesis material had been removed from the station before the arrival of the Hathaway, to give the impression that the material had been removed, whilst Doctor Carol Marcus and her project was safely stored elsewhere.
Captain Jeffrey Pierce and his crew of Commander Lara, Lt. Commander Michael Sinclair, Lt. Commander Susan Mirsky, Lieutenant R'Meera to name but a few soon all became legends in their own rights and helped to forge the good reputation of the Constellation class star cruisers. The Hathaway remained allocated to the Seventh Fleet for the first few years of service before transferring to the Sixth Fleet, where it is currently allocated.
The Sixth Fleet, sometimes referred to as the 'Southern Fleet' covers the region operating furthest rimward of the Federation. The fleet operates with a Lexington command cruisers for the Fleet Admiral: the U.S.S. Blue Ridge. Fleet headquarters are at Starbase 44 and amongst the tactical assets are the Ark Royal class Pegasus and the dreadnought Arkansas.
The Hathaway was operating in 2313 under sealed orders. Her crew was augmented by the presence of a scientist in her seventies that was accompanying them to the restricted Mutara Sector. Their orders were to examine the Genesis debris - all that remains of the Genesis planet that briefly existed in 2285, only to self-destruct at an accelerated rate. The effects of the protomatter that Doctor David Marcus had used to 'overcome certain issues' now created a headache for Starfleet. Destroyers were assigned to ensure no unauthorised starships got anywhere near either the planetary debris or Space Station Regula One. Oberth and T'Lani class science vessels are the usual assignments to this role, but Starfleet wanted both the resources and the protection of a robust Constellation class for this visit.
The visitor, whose face wore the lines of distant painful memories, along with the keen eye of a scientist, was never referred to by name. Had the crew known that Carol Marcus was returning to the site of those adventures with her ex, James T. Kirk and the villainous Khan who had killed most of her friends from Regula One. Starfleet wanted to keep her knowledge where they could keep an eye on it.
Author's Notes:
Hathaway had it's big starring role in the penultimate episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation season two penultimate episode "Peak Performance". The Constellation class shooting model had the battle damage of the Stargazer cleaned up and she was re-dressed as the Hathaway NCC-2593 with one digit changed from 2893.
The Enterprise-D battle bridge set was re-dressed as the Hathaway bridge. The ship was described as a hulk and was being used for a Starfleet Battle Simulation after the Borg encounter in "Q Who?" to test an interfior ship (Hathaway) against a superior one (Enterprise-D) to see how the Hathaway crew could improvise to win. In the event, Wesley Crusher sneaked some antimatter aboard to give them a warp-jump ability. This was handy since the Ferengi turned up, thinking the Hathaway was valuable. The Enterprise-D was able to fake the destruction of the Hathaway courtesy of the warp jump.
The Star Trek: Hathaway website deals with the Hathaway earlier in her career and she has a Wrath of Khan/Search For Spock Era bridge. Brad Hathaway, the producer of Star Trek: Hathaway shares the surname of Hathaway, hence the selection of the starship. The first episode, Genesis, has been in development for a while. No date has been given for filming.
After the Hathaway appeared in the battle simulation in "Peak Performance", she was towed back to the starbase by the Enterprise-D (re-used FX shot from TNG "The Battle". It was implied that the Hathaway would go back to the scrapyard. However, the appearance of the Costellation class model as Hathaway two seasons later changed that story. TNG season five opener "Redemption, part two" had an armada assembled by Captain Picard to build a tachyon net to stop the Romulans from interfering in the Klingon civil war. In the FX shot of the armada setting off, there is a Constellation class starship. The Blu-ray HD footage is clear enough to see this is NCC-2593 U.S.S. Hathaway. Neither the Hathaway, nor any Constellation class starship, is named on the Okudagram for the final tachyon net.
This second appearance would make the history work along this way: the Hathaway was returned back to the starbase as a decommissioned eighty year-old ship. In light of the events of Best of Both Worlds, part two, with the loss of forty starships, Starfleet needed to get the fleet back up to strength quickly in fear of a Borg follow-up. The Hathaway is short-listed for resurrection and is sent to Starbase 234 where she is slowly brought back up to serviceable condition.
Within a year a Klingon civil war requires starships to be used, "whether the yard superintendent considers them ready or not". Despite the best of intentions, the Hathaway is not ready and breaks down en route. Her history after this point is speculative. Rick Sternbach's history suggests a few end up in museums. I'm sure Hathaway will be one of those lucky ones.
