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Fleet History

The Dominion War

The Second Fleet was part of the Federation Alliance Fleet which was organized to defend the Alpha and Beta Quadrants during the Dominion War. In the Second Battle of Deep Space 9 in late 2373, the Second Fleet task force crossed the border into Cardassian space and destroyed the Dominion shipyards on Torros III. The fleet was later joined by the USS Defiant and IKS Rotarran following the evacuation of Deep Space 9. At that time, the Second Fleet's task force was a comprised of Galaxy-class, Defiant-class, Miranda-class, Excelsior-class, Saber-class, Akira-class and Steamrunner-class Federation starships, as well as Vor'cha-class, K'vort-class, and K't'inga-class Klingon starships. (DS9: "Call to Arms")

Second Fleet en route to attack Torros III

In early 2374, after three months of relentless battles and engaging and retreating from the Jem'Hadar, the Second Fleet was reduced to a third of its original size. Of the ships to survive, including the Defiant and Rotarran, were the USS Elkins, USS Fredrickson, USS Raging Queen and USS Curry. (DS9: "A Time to Stand")

Second Fleet in formation before the Second Battle of Deep Space 9

Later in 2374 Benjamin Sisko developed a counter attack against the Dominion. In hopes of recapturing Deep Space 9 he put together a large task force comprised of elements of the Second, Fifth, and Ninth Fleets.

The combined fleet encountered a Dominion Fleet in in a region of space between Deep Space 9 and Starbase 375. The new coalition fleet emerged successful. Among the ships in this combined fleet were the USS Artemis, USS Centaur, USS Cortéz, USS Galaxy, USS Hood, USS Magellan, USS Majestic, USS Sarek, USS Sitak, and USS Venture. (DS9: "Sacrifice of Angels")

The Second Fleet was responsible for striking against the occupying Dominion forces on Betazed three times in a period of a month. They continued to fortify their position, and brought in reinforcements to their positions on the surface. (DS9: "The Sound of Her Voice")

The Rebirth of The Second Fleet

See article: Rebirth of the Second Fleet

By the end of the 24th century, the United Federation of Planets had been in conflict with several major powers, including the Borg, the Dominion, the Breen, and the Romulan Empire. Recognizing that its citizens as well as other galactic powers were rapidly losing confidence in and respect for the Federation, many members of the Federation Council began to call for change. Amongst the most vocal were the people of Betazed, the first major Federation planet to fall to an enemy since the founding of the Federation. The Betazoid council representatives argued for major reforms at nearly every level of Federation structure. The most ardent voice for reform was Betazoid representative, Siona Jess, a young woman who had lost her brother and father during the Dominion invasion.

As a student of history, Jess had studied the pre-warp cultures of many different worlds, including Earth. The presidents of what was called the United States of America figured prominently in the history of that world. One particular president came to Jess’ mind as the Federation Council debated these reforms – a human named Theodore Roosevelt. At the turn of Earth’s 20th century, there was political unrest. Nation-states like the United States felt that their position in the global sociopolitical scheme was tenuous, that they had not yet gained or earned sufficient respect from the other powers, and that the threat against them could grow unless there was a show of force. As on many worlds, a show of force inevitably involves the military and demonstrations of strength. Theodore Roosevelt’s show of strength was the Great White Fleet. In the Earth year 1907, Roosevelt ordered the assembly of a large fleet of vessels to circumnavigate that world’s oceans. While military ships, they were painted white, emphasizing the fact that they sailed for the most part under a flag of peace as ambassadors, humanitarians, and explorers. The Great White Fleet was a showpiece, but also a catalyst. This fleet galvanized the people of the United States of America, renewing their sense of self worth. The Federation’s charter for Starfleet envisioned a fleet with much the same functions, but that was more than 250 years ago. Jess envisioned the formation of a grand Federation fleet – the best ships and the best crews, assembled under the auspices of a specific charter within Starfleet and given defining markings so that all who saw the vessels would know what they represented.

Jess enlisted the assistance of Admiral Sitak, a friend of her father’s from his time in the Betazoid embassy on Vulcan, to develop a proposal to the Federation Council. Because of their distinguished service during the Dominion War, Sitak recommended Second Fleet for this honor. After surprisingly little debate, the Federation Council ratified the proposal. In 2407, on the anniversary of the sailing of Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet, The Federation Council and Starfleet Command held a joint press conference to announce Second Fleet’s reorganization.

The finest captains and the finest ships, for the finest fleet – Second Fleet.