Termonology

Once a new ship has been completed her builder's trials and is accepted by Starfleet, she will be 'commissioned.' This is a specific status designating the ship as an official vessel of Starfleet and the Federation. The ship will retain this status throughout her active career.

When a ship has reached the end of its useful life, it will be 'decommissioned.' Technically, the ship ceases to be an official vessel, and is then considered 'equipment' (she could revert to being an official  ship if recommissioned at a future date). Usually, decommissioned ships are placed in Reserve, for anywhere from one to fifty years. From this status they can be recalled if required for an emergency or operational necessity.

Even when carefully preserved, eventually a ship is so old that it is not worth further preservation, as the cost to bring her up to date would be prohibitive. At this point the ship is 'Stricken' from the Starfleet register. She may still be retained for a while, cannibalized for parts for similar ships still in service, or used for experimental purposes. Usually,  though, this step leads to the finial Starfleet category of 'For Disposal'. Most ships 'For Disposal' are sold for 'Breaking Up,' in which the hull and remaining equipment is dismantled and sold for scrap. Occasionally, if the military capability of the ship is negligible, but the hull and basic systems are sound, the ship may be sold (or sometimes donated) for limited use by Federation member systems, or friendly non-Federation systems. Such use is typically for internal patrol against smuggling and pirate activity.

Preparation for Decommissioning

While there have been tremendous advances in ship design, construction, and technology over the last 200 years, the process of decommissioning and scrapping a starship has actually changed very little throughout this period. The biggest change has been at the very end, inhow bare bones of ship's hull are re-claimed. However, let's start a little earlier in the procedure.

The decision to remove starships from service is taken at the ploicy-making level by Starfleet and the Federation Council Defense Committee. In most cases, this is a result of new construction coming on line, and the older ships are retired as their replacements are commissioned. The Captain of a ship to be decommissioned is notified about three or four months before the fact, while the ship is still operational and conducting missions. At this point the captain will initiate the "Demobilization Preparation" process, commonly referred to as 'D-Prep.' Regular maintenance activities outside of the current mission profile are changed, and the crew instead begins preparing the ship for its impending deactivation. The first step is to inventory every compartment and item of equipment on the ship, from bow to stern and top to bottom. Most starships lead fairly long service lives, with extensive modifications and numerous turn-overs or crew. Understandably, what is listed on the ship's manifest and what comes to actually be on board the ship may differ over this time. The inventory process is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and usually continues up until the time the ship reaches her final destination.

As each compartment is inventoried, if it will no longer be needed for the current mission it is sealed and its contents logged in the ship's computer. Under the direction of the Executive Officer, department heads are responsible for the disposition of material in their areas. For example, the Chief of Security will inventory all hand phasers and phaser rifles and other security-related gear, which will be transferred off the ship before she is decommissions. Where practical, items to be removed are stored together to facilitate their transfer off-ship. All items to be   off-loaded are coded as 'D' type materials, per Starfleet cargo handling protocols.

Major items of equipment that will stay with the ship rather then be removed will be prepared for deactivation. For instance, the deuterium tanks and their pipelines require that low-level pressurization of deuterium-based gas be maintained in them while deactivated, to prevent deterioration of the silicon-copper-duranite insulation on their surfaces. Obviously, the tanks will not be drained until after the ship's current mission; but the equipment for flooding the system with the gas, and for monitoring it afterwards, is installed at this point in the D-Prep.

Final Port of Call

Once the ship's current mission is completed, it proceeds to its designated decommissioning location; usually this is a Starbase. Once docked here, the usual procedures are followed that the ship would take if proceeding into overhaul: photon torpedoes are transferred to the Starbase armory, the ship's computer downloads its detailed records of the preceding missions to the central LCARS terminal, etc. These activities usually take about a day.  

From this point, rather than proceeding to a yard for service, the crew begins the off-load procedure. All of the material inventoried for removal from the ship are now moved, using a combination of transporters, shuttle craft and physical docking connections. If the crew has prepared well, this process can take as little as one week for a large starship.  After the first few days, the largest portion of items have usually been removed, and the first crewmembers begin to leave to their reassignments elsewhere. About two-thirds of the crew still remain by the end of off-loading. In the final days, the shuttle craft depart for the last time and dock in the Starbase shuttlebay; they will be refurbished and either assigned to other starships or absorbed into the Starbases shuttle fleet. Once the off-load of removable items has been completed, the decommissioning date is set.

Decommissioning Day

Traditionally, the decommissioning ceremony on a large starship is preformed on the hangar deck, with the doors open and atmospheric field in place. As many of the remaining crew line up in divisions on the deck, the senior officers of the Starbase preside at the ceremony. The ship's career is recounted in speeches made by the Starbase Commanding Officer and the ship's Captain. The ship's traditional bell is brought from its normal location on the ship and rung in honor of every crewmember who died during the ships career. After a roll call of the names of those who lost their lives, a final peal of eight bells is rung and the hangar doors are slowly closed. When they shut, the exterior lights that illuminate the ship's name are extinguished, and the ship has been formally decommissioned. The crew, whose personal effects have already been transferred during the off-load, march out of the hangar deck in formation, and exit the ship via the gangway. The Captain will usually be the last to leave the hangar deck and the last off the ship.

Final Preparation

There are still things to be done, but they will be handled by a small cadre of the remaining crew, usually about thirty engineering personnel under the direction of the Chief Engineer, who will remain with the ship (now officially listed as equipment) for another few weeks. All of the other officers and crew will be re-assigned to other ships and billets. While still docked at the Starbase, the ship will undergo final preparation  for being placed in reserve; for example, the deuterium tanks will now be drained and the gas-pressurization system activated. The small engineering crew will handle the various details of securing each deck, including the final equipment shutdown.

Once a deck is fully de-activated, it will be secured and de-pressurized. Finally, after all compartments except for Main Engineering and passageways leading from it to the nearest docking port have been secured, all remaining Engineering personnel disembark and the Chief Engineer activates the ship's Automated Maintenance Controls. Once he exits the ship and secures the docking port hatch, the remaining spaces are de-pressurized inside the ship.

Author - Lt.Cmdr. Kevin Radthorne, Chief Archivist, Starships Characteristics Board
Date - March/April 1997

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