I have been asked if I will show photos of the interior of the USS Enterprise-D Main Shuttlebay. While I do have a number of interior photos that I plan to share at a later date, I thought you might like to see a wide-shot view this evening. This is a recent photo taken from a shuttle as it entered the bay. Notice how expansive and open our bay is when conducting landing operations?
Our Main Shuttlebay is large enough to park four Danube-class runabouts, dozens of shuttlecraft (type-15 shuttlepods, type-6 shuttles, and type-7 cargo shuttles), Valkyrie-class fighters, and commships upon arrival.
In the background of this image, on the upper level of the central bay pillar, is the shuttle control room. Off to either side of the pillar (out of view in this image), are expansive shuttle parking areas, maintenance bays, and both vertical cargo elevators that distribute cargo throughout the saucer section. A large, separate maintenance and storage bay is located below the shuttlebay on deck 5, and can be accessed via flight elevators within the deck floor.
As a point of reference, our Main Shuttlebay takes up most of deck 4 in the saucer. On the outer rim of the deck are separate (enclosed) access corridors that lead to cargo storage rooms, offices, and support facilities. In addition, between these corridors and the shuttle deck, are two large cargo processing rooms that contain cargo transporters linked to various transporter pads throughout the ship.
Areas of our Main Shuttlebay can also be rededicated to medical triage if needed, with short-term emergency medical facilities located in the deck-level rooms of the central bay pillar.
As you can see in this image, Galaxy-class starships have the largest, most state-of-the-art primary shuttlebays in the fleet. It is no surprise, then, that Starfleet is building extra Galaxy-class saucers to serve as deployable starbases. A shuttlebay like this, is the perfect size for most border or frontier starbase needs.
-Lieutenant Sam Archer
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May 19, 2364 -- (Original Devron Timeline)