U.S.S. Lagrange NCC-3916-A
Macpherson Class Heavy Transport 
Illustrator: Patrick Lichty
Copyright: 1993
Summary:
MacPherson Class Starship Development Project
Newport News Shipyards - Louisiana - Earth
These blueprints depict Ship of the Line, U.S.S. LaGrange NCC-3916-A
Also includes Shuttlecarrier Pod & Cargo Carrier Sheet
Lagrange Heavy Class Transports
This was the first transport class to be built to "new technology" design standards. The fifth design in a 65-year-long service history of transports, these ships have proven to be one of the most versatile starships in Starfleet service, far surpassing the mission capabilities of their original class design.
Class: The lead ship of this class, Lagrange (TH 3916), was originally built as the last of the Dollond (TH 3900) class heavy transports. Lagrange was experimentally refitted by Starfleet's San Francisco facility as a testbed for the newly re-designed starliner and cargo transport pods which were scheduled to replace the aging containers already reaching 70 years of service. After a highly successful shakedown cruise and several multi-mission trials, 14 ships of this class were authorized for new-build construction in March 2286.
Classification: These ships were classified as heavy transports to emphasize their increased cargo capacity and defensive potential.
Design: These ships were designed to take advantage of the technological improvements made throughout the fleet yet neglected in the transport class for the last 20 years. Incorporating the latest warp technology, these ships are able to transport heavier loads at greater speeds than previously possible. Lagrange was refitted using Avenger (FH 1860) class components - a proven design refitted from the Surya class frigate, which closely resembles the Dollond class. The upgraded transport configuration provides this class with defensive capabilities equalling those of a heavy frigate, with the increased engine capacity necessary in rescuing crippled starships from combat situations or stranded lightyears from a starbase.
The navigation, computer, and weapons systems of these ships are among the most sophisticated in the fleet.
Engineering: These were the first ships to be fitted with the LN-64B series warp engines, an upgraded version of the original LN-64 and problematic LN-64A series. These engines have since been installed on the new Enterprise II class heavy cruisers. These ships are also fitted with dual auxiliary BUK-5D subatomic energy generators, which are capable of supplying enough power to energize transport containers or disabled starships through umbilical connections.
Weapons: Armed with seven banks of RIM-15A phasers in addition to two hull-mounted MK-75 Mod 2 photon torpedo tubes, this transport is front-line defense capable. Installation of the "Merlin" deflector system and cloaking subsystem maintains the state-of-the-art for this class.
Embarked craft: These transports can embark full squadrons of the new "Tomcat" two-man fighters (at least six are carried on most ships). The Wolf (TH 3921) carries four Marine "Scorpion" assault landing craft in addition to her support fighter craft.
While the replicator provides food and water on a Starship, some backup provisions can be transported as part of a contingency plan if a problem occurs. Individual plastic bottles of water may not be an efficient substitute for the number of people on a Starship, a small supply of plastic bottles of water could be kept on hand for emergency situations.
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