Background

Medium range explorers, Navajo-class ships are primarily used for evac, colonization, and research duties. This is not to say that the ships are less-capable than similarly sized vessels such as the Nebula and Paladin classes; Navajos are able to hold their own against threat forces just as well. Instantly recognized by the nacelles slung from the dorsal crossbar, Navajos are 608 meters long, 356 meters wide, and have an 87-meter draught. The port and starboard shuttlebay doors on the saucer allow for double the evac time in emergency situations, as the cavernous main shuttlebay can allow "fly-throughs."

Named after the water-bearing heroine of the Battle of Monmouth on Earth, USS Molly Pitcher was a child of war, commissioned in 2352 at Newport News Shipbuilding's Titan yards. She was immediately rushed into action in the Cardassian wars; it wasn't until 7 years later that she was able to fulfill her primary exploration duties. Called "Molly Girl" by her crew, she returned from a 3-year deep space exploration mission in the Beta Quadrant in mid-2373, only to be called up for war service again a few months after her return. Her first assignment in the war was the civilian evacuation of Coridan. With 6 other ships, she managed to successfully evac the entire 3.4 billion-person population in 34 hours, a record amount of time. As the task force was leaving the system, Cardassian forces began to swarm into it. As she was the last ship in line, Molly Pitcher was able to fire off a few phaser bursts to keep the invaders at bay and allow the task force to leave.

In early 2375, she took part in the stand at Bolarus IX, the battle that established the Bolian Front. Facing a primarily Cardassian force, Molly Pitcher led the charge to break through the ranks of the enemy line. As she maneuvered between the 2 rows of Cardassian vessels, taking hit after hit, she and the other 4 ships in the charge released hundreds of self-replicating mines of the type used to blockade the Bajoran wormhole through their cargo doors. The minefields immediately cloaked and the Cardassian forces surrendered upon notification of terms by the allied commander. For her gallantry in action, the entire ship's complement was awarded the Christopher Pike Medal of Honor.

For another image of the ship, click the link below:

• Back view.