USS Black Hawk NCC-75004 - Recently Updated Pages

Tigersharks

captshiloh — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:21:42 CDT

By William Hof

Once a week I like to take a stroll through the entire ship, bow to stern and deck 1 to deck 29. As the Operations Officer I am always curious about how this marvel of Federation engineering know as the Sovereign-class works. When I started this ritual over a year ago many, especially in the maintenance and engineering areas, were surprised that the Chief of Operations would do this. Add in the fact that I am also a Star Fleet Marine and those reactions also become, in some small measure, astonishment.

I had just begun my rounds on deck 12, when I felt the concussion effect of weapons fire hitting the hull. Not surprising the ship was immediately at Red Alert. I had already begun to run to the nearest turbolift, when I heard an unexpected addition to the standard Red Alert call, “RED ALERT, Battle Stations. Hostile Fighters Attacking.” My first reaction was disbelief, what fighter unit would be stupid enough to attack the Black Hawk, one of the most powerful ships in Star Fleet? My second reaction was nearly as automatic, get to the shuttle bay.

I had managed to convince the Captain, Vice Admiral Jeffery Higdon, to station two Marine Corps F-9D “Tigershark” light fighters aboard for just these types of situations. While I was unable to convince him to assign full time pilots for these capable craft, there were enough capable pilots aboard and under my insistence they trained regularly. If any fighter unit attacked the ship these fighters would come in handy. Of all the possible pilots aboard, I was the second most qualified and experienced aboard; the first was Lieutenant Commander Tr’Cess, a Caitian, and unfortunately because of his position as Flight Boss he would never try to man one of the fighters in a combat situation.

While in the turbolift I made a call to the Bridge informing them that I was going to launch Talon Flight, as the F-9Ds were referred to. “Major Hof to Tactical.”

“Tactical here.” Apparently Lieutenant Commander James Craig, the Chief of Security, was already at his station.
“I am going to the Primary Shuttle Bay and launching Talon Flight as soon as I am able.”

“Affirmative, are you going with it?” By the tone of Lieutenant Commander Craig’s voice he already knew the answer but just wanted to put in the records.

“That’s affirm, arriving at the Shuttle Bay now.” At the fastest speed I could safely manage, I went to the Pilot’s Ready Room adjoining the main Shuttle Bay. I saw Lieutenant, Junior Grade Aleka Grenadofos, call sign Hoplite, already half way in her flight suit. “Where did you come from?”

“I’m the duty shuttle pilot this shift, where else would I be?” Lieutenant Grenadofos wasn’t the least offended by my comment, I knew she wouldn’t be. I was actually half expecting her to be here; of the seven officers checked out on the F-9D she was the only one that would chose to come here instead of her typical Battle Station when the call out the enemy fighters rang out.

“Please tell me that the Tr’Cess and his Deck Crew are getting the Tigersharks ready.”

“They pulled them out as soon as we heard.” That wasn’t surprising; Commander Tr’Cess was as fanatical about fighter cover as I was. We had both served in the Fighter Corps during the Dominion War and we both felt a little naked without at least a few fighters aboard. It was because of his help that I even able to convince Admiral Higdon to station the fighters aboard.

Lieutenant Grenadofos was double checking her flight suit when I finally finished putting mine on. When we were ready we grabbed our helmets and ran for the Shuttle Bay. Since the initial concussion, I had not felt any more weapons strikes, but with the ship’s shields up I didn’t expect to. So as Grenadofos and I entered and ran to the Flight Line, we found that the two F-9Ds with their almost, but not quite, regulation shark’s teeth paint job were being swarmed by Deck Department crewmen. Lieutenant Commander Tr’Cess was shouting orders to the crew as we ran up to the fighters; Tr’Cess then switched his attention to the arriving pilots. “Both fighters are fully fueled and being armed with four free launch Micro Torpedoes. You’ll be set to launch as soon as your pre-flights are complete.” After that brief statement, Commander Tr’Cess switched his attention again to the Deck Crew readying the Repulsion Beam Launch System, that would allow the two fighters be literally shot into space.

I threw myself into one of the fighters and was immediately pounced on by the fighter’s Crew Chief. He helped me get situated and strapped into the fighter, while my attention was focused on getting the ship powered up and ready for combat. The Senior Chief helped me on with my helmet then smacked it twice to wish me luck and solicit my readiness to launch. I gave him a thumbs up without taking my eyes of the instruments and displays as they warmed up and indicated the fighter’s flight and combat readiness.

From the outside the Tigershark Fighter is almost identical to a Star Fleet Type 9 Shuttle; but the inside is an entirely different beast. The Tigershark is incredibly more powerful and durable; with heavier armor, more powerful phasers and impulse engines, and pylons for a variety of electronics pods and missiles. Also, unlike the shuttles most officers are familiar with, the F-9D’s controls are not strictly consuls and interfaces; they’re a good number of dedicated displays, control sticks, and switches. This is not because the F-9D is less advanced, but because this ship is a dedicated fighter and not mission variable as many shuttles are. One of the most maneuverable fighters in Star Fleet, the Tigershark should be able to handle nearly any comparable fighter threat.

Both Hoplite and I, call sign Junior, were sealed into our fighters and Shuttle Director Crewmen were moving us to our launch positions by means of anti-gravity sleds specially designed for the task. As we were positioned in front of powerful Repulsion Beam Craft Launchers, Hoplite and I kept our eyes on the Launch Crewmen as they configured the system. The mass of each fighter had to be calculated in order to make sure that the Launch System would provide the proper amount of force to shot us out of the Shuttle Bay without destroying the fighters in the process. The Launch System Crewmen showed the mass they were using in their calculations by means of a super-oversized PADD, then Hoplite and I confirmed the mass with our onboard computers, and signaled agreement with a simple thumbs up gesture. While checking the fighter’s mass I glanced at the chronometer; it was only ten minutes since the initial call to Battle Stations.,

This entire time Hoplite and I were setting up for launch, we were in constant communications with Flight Control giving us information on the current tactical situation; which was interesting to say the least. There were five fighters currently attacking the USS Black Hawk, but they had not been successfully engaged by the ship’s phaser weapons because of their extremely close proximity to the hull. Even with extensive maneuvering and constant phaser barrages, Tactical was only able to land occasional glancing hits against the attackers. The attackers’ weapons, while heavier than normal, were still only able to drain the ship’s shields slowly. They seemed to be focusing on the dorsal area of the secondary hull. An intelligent move I thought; five fighters would never be able to take down a Sovereign-class Cruiser, but do enough damage to the Anti-Matter Storage pods and the same Cruiser would be dangerously underpowered.

“Ok, Hoplite when we launch stay on my wing until those bandits notice of us.”

“Copy, Junior.” From the moment Lieutenant, Junior Grade Aleka Grenadofos and I, Major William Hof, strapped into our fighters, we would refer to ourselves exclusively by call signs; a tradition dating to the earliest combat aviators on Earth. Communications with the USS Black Hawk would be by code identifiers: the Black Hawk would be Native, and the fighters would be Talon 1 and Talon 2.

By the time both fighters were ready for launch the Bridge gave its authorization for their employment. Shortly after the Admiral had transmitted his expected good luck and good hunting message, Hoplite and I were exchanging salutes with the Launch System Crewmen signaling our readiness to launch. We barely had time to replace our hands on our control sticks when the Repulsion Beams activated and shot the fighters into space within seconds of each other.

I never got used to the feeling of a high speed Beam launch; it felt too much like being shot out of a torpedo tube. However, I would always use it in a combat situation. I barely had time to recover from it when an enemy fighter flashed across my nose. Surprised, I called to Hoplite more excited then I meant to, “That was too close. Fall into combat trail and follow me after that sonabitch.” If we could take out one attacker before the rest even realized Hoplite and I were here, it would go a long way to evening the two to five odds.

“Our tail’s are clear, he’s all yours.” Hoplite had taken on her expected duty of guarding her leader so that he could safely attack an enemy fighter. She would stay there until told otherwise.

Unfortunately for the bandit that had flashed across my nose, he was heading aft from the bow of the Black Hawk meaning he was at a perfect range and angle for a phaser shot. The targeting computer quickly sent a tone to my helmet indicating that it had a solid lock on the bandit. I pulled the trigger twice and the enemy fighter was struck both times with perfect accuracy by my phasers. The first hit destroyed his shields and the second destroyed the rest of the fighter. I called out for the record, “Junior, bag one” to indicate who had eliminated the enemy fighter. Less than a minute after launch, the odds were now two to four.

I rolled to starboard and pitched up, relatively, to engage the remaining fighters attacking the dorsal side of the Black Hawk. Staying this close to the ship would take careful maneuvering, not only to make sure that I could not only engage the enemy but also to make sure that I didn’t collide with the Black Hawk. There is always this unspoken agreement between fighters and tactical officers in a situation like this; “You don’t run into me, I don’t shot you.” It works nearly all the time.

As I entered what would soon become a furball, a collection of combat maneuvering fighters, Hoplite was still on my tail where she was supposed to be. As I was moving to engage a fighter just finishing an attack run, Hoplite called out. “Bandit at 7-7, he’s moving in.” Our surprise had been lost. The enemy fighters had noticed our presence and where moving to eliminate their threat.

“Scramble 3, Go solo.” With four words I had indicated both how to evade the immediate threat and how to engage the remaining bandits. Hoplite would pitch down, roll, and move away from the Black Hawk; I would increase speed, yaw to starboard, and stay against the Black Hawk’s hull for a short time. The maneuver was sudden enough that the enemy fighter attempting to engage us simply overshot his targets and moved out of range. Even though I had indicated that Hoplite and I should engage targets separately after the split, we would still cover each other. If one needed help the other would cease their maneuvers and move to intercept the threatening enemy fighter.

I lost sight of Hoplite but maneuvered into a rolling scissors with another enemy fighter. This one saw me but wasn’t nearly skilled enough to evade. Because of the rapid maneuvers the enemy fighter and I were doing, my phasers were useless. Instead I armed a missile, as I referred to the micro-torpedoes I was carrying on the fighter’s pylons. The missile would have a greater chance of hitting the enemy fighter then my phasers would at the moment. One I got a wobbling tone indicating that the missile had acquired the target I depressed the firing button and the missile leaped from my fighter. I continued to maneuver against the target as the missile, with the traditional red ion trail, rapidly closed with and squarely hit him. The missile didn’t destroy the enemy fighter but did do enough damage to send him into a fast, uncontrolled spin away from the Black Hawk and effectively out of the fight. “Junior, scratch one,” was my resulting communications call.

At nearly the same time I heard, “Hoplite, bag one.” I managed a little smile at that; it was Hoplite’s fifth confirmed kill meaning he was now an official ace, and we needed to have a party in the near future. My musing was short lived though as a scratching tone came into my helmet. I quickly snapped my head to the rear and was stunned to see that a fighter had maneuvered onto my tail and into near perfect firing position. I rapidly decreased forward momentum and managed to roll and pitch out enough to remove myself from immediate danger. The enemy fighter was still able to get a shot off, but it was only a grazing one that took my shields down to 75%. This bandit was better than the last two I engaged and was able to stay on my tail through several intense maneuvers. He was never able to get a solid shot in, but I was unable to maneuver into even a missile shot on him.

I had lost track of Hoplite and was about to call for help but she beat me to it. “Junior, I got one on my tail and I cannot shake him.”

“Hoplite, keep maneuvering I’m coming to you.” This response was automatic and was out of my mouth before I had a plan to extradite ourselves from the situation we were in. I figured if I could clear Hoplite’s tail she could return the favor. It would require some fancy flying on my part, but was doable. I was in this situation once or twice against the Dominion and figured if I could do it against them I could do it against these guys.

After I located Hoplite, I maneuvered for a shot against her tailing bandit. It would have to be an oblique angle missile shot but at the very least it would get the bandit thinking more about his survival then attacking Hoplite. Because of the extensive maneuvering I needed to do to get into firing position, I managed to continually evade my pursuer. I had Hoplite maneuver to compliment me and the set up looked a little like a near head on collision. “On my mark, pitch down and roll. Make sure that that turn is as tight as you can make it; overload the inertial dampeners if you need to.”
The point was to get Hoplite to bring herself and her bandit into my missile’s engagement envelop, and then get herself out of it as quickly as possible. It was a risky maneuver but the rewards outweighed the risks at this point. “Right.” The terse reply was all Hoplite needed to say and she began her maneuver. I brought my fighter onto the necessary heading, bringing my bandit along for the ride.

“Ok Hoplite.” A short pause as my missile systems located its target. “Two, One, MARK!” Hoplite jerked her fighter into a maneuver that nearly ripped the nacelles off the fighter and at the same moment I touched off my second missile shot of the day. I didn’t even wait for the result, still trying to evade the bandit targeting me and knowing that Hoplite’s bandit was at worst maneuvering to evade the missile and not engaging her.

“That’s a hit. Bag one for Junior.” The excited call had come from Hoplite.

If I had time to be shocked at the current moment, I would have been. Instead I responded to Hoplite with equal excitement, “Stop marveling at your own survival and come rescue me, please.”

“Right, incoming.” I could almost hear the smile that Hoplite must have been wearing at the moment. Thirty seconds latter Hoplite was directing my maneuvers so that she could engage my attacker. In distinctively less dramatic fashion, Hoplite maneuvered herself into a phaser shot on the final enemy fighter. Three solid hits later, the final bandit was nothing but a short lived fireball in space.

As I began to breathe easier, then I had I what felt like half an hour; imagine my surprise when I looked at my chronometer and found it to be only seven minutes after our launch. I looked over as Hoplite fell into my port wingman’s position and was rewarded with her smiling at me while pumping a fist in the air. I gave her a smile and a thumbs up in return. “Talon 1 from Native.” I recognized Admiral Higdon’s voice, with the slight razors edge to it.

“Go for Talon 1.”

“Once you two have finished out there, we need to get back to patrolling the Neutral Zone.”

“Aye, sir. Talons 1 and 2 returning to the barn.”

“Aye, sir. Talons 1 and 2 returning to the barn.” The return trip was distinctly less exciting then the outbound one. Hoplite and I contacted the Black Hawk’s Flight Control Center and the controllers there were more than happy to give the two of us bearings for return and landing.

During normal shuttle landings, the returning craft would be assisted into the bay by a tractor beam. This is done to make sure that the shuttle does exactly what it’s supposed to do in order to safely land in the Bay. Because fighter pilots are the best small craft pilots in the Federation, there is no need for the power intensive tractor beam to be used in assisting the landing. The Flight Control Center did however communicate constantly with the inbound fighters to control their course and speed. Once the fighter was within 500 meters of the Shuttle Bay doors the Landing Signals Officer would take over from the Flight Control Center. This officer was exclusively charged with making sure all incoming craft landed safely and in certain situations quickly. This was done through voice communications and a Holographic Locator Display projected on the environmental force field maintaining the air tight integrity of the shuttle bay. This Holographic Locator Display, referred to as “The Ball”, gave the precise relative position of the incoming fighter in four dimensions: pitch, roll, yaw, and speed. When the incoming fighter is perfect in all four respects the ball is white, and any deviation in position or attitude of the fighter would be accompanied by a change in the position and color of “The Ball” and would usually be followed by a terse command by the Landing Signals Officer.

As I passed through the Shuttle Bay’s force field I was again passed off to another controller, this time from the Landing Signals Officer to a Shuttle Director Crewman. While I stayed suspended above the deck, using my anti-gravity engines, the Shuttle Director Crewman guided me off to the side of the Shuttle Bay and helped me set down my fighter in the same position and orientation as when I first climbed into it. Normally an incoming shuttle would simply set down on the deck but again this difference was because of the increased skill of the normal fighter pilot. When the Shuttle Director Crewman gave me the signal that the deck mounted magnetic locks had engaged and secured my fighter, I began to shut down my craft. Per regulations, I would remained sealed in the cockpit until the Shuttle Bay doors closed. This was done to prevent any possible accidents or tragedies from a force field failure that would explosively decompress the Bay. It was these same concerns that regulated that all Crewmen still in the Bay while the doors were open were to wear survival suits with magnetic boots, a smaller and less restrictive version of EVA suits.

When the Shuttle Bay doors had closed behind Hoplite’s fighter, I flipped the switch to open my canopy and began to remove my helmet. When the canopy came up I could hear men running towards the two Fighters. Most ran to Hoplite cheering and congratulating her on becoming an ace, only my fighter’s Crew Chief and two of his men came to great me. “Welcome back, sir. Good shooting.”

The Crew Chief slapped me on the back then took my helmet from me. “Glad to be back. I see you guys didn’t waste any time celebrating Lieutenant Grenadofos’s kills.”

“No way we’d miss it. The Master Chief already has his paints out.” The Crew Chief was definitely excited. He was old enough to have served during the Dominion War; but unlike those years when pilots would rack up three and four kills in a single engagement and every day was a race to get men and craft up into the fight, in peacetime celebrations like this could be on the spot and jollier then wartime.

“What’s He going to paint? These aren’t pilot specific fighters.” I not surprised that the Master Chief of the Deck Crew would want to paint emblems to signify the kills Aleka and I had got, but I couldn’t think of where he would paint these marks of victory.

“He’s going into the Pilot’s Ready Room and painting the equipment lockers.”

“Good Idea.” I had to smile; each pilot that could fly the F-9Ds had an individual locker for their equipment. I didn’t want to leave the celebration, as the Flight Leader I had a special duty at the moment, so the Crew Chief and one of his men were collecting my gear leaving me in my basic flight suit.

“By the way, sir; anything I need to know about my fighter?” The Crew Chief was serious all of a sudden. The part of him that was forged in the War came back out. He was concerned about the fighter that he was charged with maintaining.

“Actually yes. When I took a grazing hit from an enemy disruptor, all the electronics on the port side flashed off for half a second then came back on. It had me scared for another half a minute but nothing seemed to be affected by it.” That little fact had nearly put me out of commission.

“Ok, sir. I’ll get right on that.” The Chief shouted for two of his maintenance crew and started issuing instructions.
“You can fix it later, Chief. Have a little fun.” I didn’t think the problem was that important now; then it consumed my attention however.

“No, sir. I won’t be able to have any fun until I track down that problem and fix it. Not in my blood to send out a chancy fighter.”

“Very well Chief, just remember to have a drink later.” I admired the Chief’s dedication; but knew that he would never forget to have a celibately drink and it wouldn’t be until he had solved the problem. While the Chief started pulling inspection panels off the side of the fighter and his men moved maintenance carts over, I started into the circle of celebration surrounding the victorious Lieutenant, Junior Grade Aleka Grenadofos.

“I think you’re going to need this Junior.” I looked to find Lieutenant Commander Tr’Cess holding out to me what he was referring to; it was the badge of honor for any ace in the Star Fleet Fighter Corps. Normally the Name Badge on a flight suit is black with gold lettering; when a pilot manages to get five confirmed kills, not including disabled craft just to make it a little harder, the pilot in question is awarded a new name badge by their unit’s commander that has the colors reversed, a gold badge with black lettering. Since there was no official fighter unit aboard the USS Black Hawk, the responsibility for awarding this honor falls to the Flight Leader on the mission, me.

“Thanks Commander.”

Lieutenant Commander Tr’Cess pointed over to my fighter and the three crewmen working on it. “What’s up with that bird?”

“I noticed a problem with the port side electronics while I was out.” In admirable and expected fashion Lieutenant Commander Tr’Cess grabbed the nearest senior maintenance technician he saw and told him to get some men over to the fighter in question to lend a hand. I didn’t notice this exchange; instead I was working my way to the Lieutenant Grenadofos. When I was in the front row, so to speak, I waved the new name badge to get the attention of the Senior Chief who was directing the celebration. She immediately knew what to do; in a voice that only Senior Non-Commissioned Officers could manage she called all the crew on the deck to attention. With an improvised speech that included equal portions of sincerity, seriousness, and comedy I awarded Lieutenant, Junior Grade Aleka Grenadofos the badge of ace. After the Senior Chief directed all present through a hand salute in her honor, I shook Aleka’s hand and proceeded out of the center of attention.

When I had again gotten to the periphery, Commander Tr’Cess grabbed my arm and said, “By the way, the old man sent word down that you are to report to his Ready Room immediately after you get back.”

“Figured; he sound upset?”

“Couldn’t tell, got the word form Captain Moore.” Fleet Captain Thomas Moore was the ship’s Second Officer.
“Never a good thing when he sends the Whip after you.” The Whip is what some crews call the ship’s second officer because of their almost total control of the discipline of the crew, officer’s included.

“I’ll have a drink in honor of your unfortunate demise.” If Caitians could smile, Tr’Cess would have one that could break his face.

“Thanks for the encouragement.” I could only smile at the joke as I made my way out of the Shuttle Bay. What I wasn’t expecting to run into anybody on my ‘death march’ to the bridge, but run into someone I did. Staff Sergeant J’Tras was waiting for me as I exited the Bay. “What are you doing here Sergeant?”

Staff Sergeant J’Trass was a very serious Andorian who served as the Non-Commissioned Officer-in-Charge of the Marine’s Criminal Sciences Platoon. He almost never smiled, had a sadistic sense of humor, and put his job before anything else even personal comfort. “I heard there was probably going to be a dead body on the bridge in a few minutes and wanted to be around to clean it up.”

“Not funny Sergeant.” I said that even though I did indeed find it extremely hilarious. The Sergeant fell into step beside me as I continued to the nearest turbolift.

“Seriously though, I wanted to tell you about the Prisoner.” Business always came first for this Andorian.

“What Prisoner?” I was shocked again today. I hadn’t realized any of the enemy pilots survived their attack on the Black Hawk.

“We were able to save one of the crew from that ship you only disabled. He is in Sick Bay now. Doesn’t look to good at the moment, but the Doc says he’ll pull through in a week or so.”

Now that was a piece of good news. “Who’s guarding him, us or Ship’s Security?” If we could question the pirate, we could learn why they had attacked the ship. Besides, I didn’t like killing people any more than necessary; and a survivor was an ease to my conscience.

“Ship’s Security right now, but Sergeant Petronavich is already getting ready to question him.” That figured; Sergeant Petronavich was the Head Criminal Investigator in the Marine Strike Group. “Also, the Engineering boys were able to collect some salvage from the mess you left out there. Sergeant Selnive and here section are already in Cargo Bay 4 helping to going over it.” Staff Sergeant Tess Selnive headed the Strike Group’s Intelligence section and always liked to get her hands on raw data, and salvage was pretty raw.

By this time the turbolift doors had opened onto the Bridge and my conversation with the Sergeant J’Tras would have to end. “Good. Pass the word that I’ll be down to talk to her if I survive my encounter with the Captain.” I kept the volume of that remark down so only J’Tras would hear it. He nodded his head in understanding, and I made my way around the perimeter of the Bridge to the Captain’s Ready Room. I could feel the collective attention of the Bridge crew on me. They all knew what was coming, and I could tell that they felt a mixture of affection and apprehension for what was about to happen to me.

As I passed Lieutenant Commander James Craig, the Chief of Security, he spoke to me in a very soft voice that only I could hear. “Dead man walking.”

Maintaining my composure, I didn’t respond in words. Instead as I pressed the door chime I simply looked at him and stuck my tongue out. He was still looking at me and smiled as he turned his face away. As the door opened, I lapsed into my professional soldier attitude. I smartly walked up to the Captain’s desk and crisply saluted. “Major William Hof reporting as ordered, sir.”

I could tell that Admiral Higdon was torn between laughing at me and ripping my head off. He managed to put an edge into his voice to conceal his humor and say, “Sit down. Do I need to explain to you what the proper duty and stations for Senior Bridge Officers are during an emergency situation Major?”

I would maintain my crisp and proper attitude the entire time I was in the presence of the Admiral for this offence, because I knew it would drive him crazy. “No sir.”
“Then way did you feel it necessary to go to the Shuttle Bay and ready Talon Flight for launch on your own authority instead of coming directly to the Bridge?” The good soldier routine was only being moderately effective.

“Sir, I felt that as being the second most experienced fighter pilot on the ship I could be of greater use in the cockpit of a ‘Tigershark’ then on the bridge manning the Operations station.”

“Don’t you think I should have been the one to make that decision?” I felt there was no proper answer to that question so I kept silent. “You are one of my youngest senior officers and the youngest on the Bridge. You need to realize that, and not act like the young cavalier fighter pilot. You have a responsibility to this crew to do things the proper way in order to display respect for your fellow officers. I cannot abide an officer who doesn’t realize that he is a model for fellow and subordinate crewmates.” The Admiral paused during his very stirring speech, probably to collect his thoughts, but more likely because he was exasperated with his somewhat immature officer.

“I understand, sir. I offer no excuse other than the results of my actions while in the cockpit.” I meant that. I didn’t say it to try to be a smart ass, but because I understood the failure the Admiral was trying to get me to understand. I could tell by the way Admiral Higdon’s face relaxed that he forgave me in some small way.

“It only because of your exemplary actions that you’re not being officially disciplined.” He paused again, I figured he was collecting his thoughts again and trying not to be angry with me. “Not that it makes a difference, but I would have sent you out into action once we realized the problem targeting the attackers at such a close range.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’ll tell you just this once though, a repeat performance will land you on my bad side and you will find yourself permanently on my shit list. Understand?”

“Yes, sir.” I tried hard not to smile; somehow I figured that the Admiral didn’t have a shit list. If he did have one, I doubt that I could get on it for something so trivial in the grand scheme of things.

“Now get out of here before I decide to through you in the Brig.” With that I beat a hasty retreat. As I got to the door, the Admiral said one last thing. “Don’t go overboard with the celebration for Lieutenant Grenadofos, Major.” Now I knew that the Admiral had forgiven me.

“I’m a Marine, sir. I make no promises.” I flashed him my biggest Cheshire cat grin and left the room.

A Marine's Personal Log

HessianRaptor — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 15:16:25 CST

First Lieutenant William Hof
Stardate 61842.8

In my first day aboard the USS Black Hawk I have had more excitement than I did during the Dominion War. Not only am I serving aboard one of the few Sovereign-classes in commission, but the assignment I’ve been handed has been one of the few surprises of my life. I was assigned to the 263rd Marine Strike Group aboard, but what I didn’t realize going into it was the 263rd is mostly reservists. That means that they lack any definitive mission or organization as a Marine unit. To this point the 263rd has been used as a Diplomatic Support and VIP Protection Detail; and as a Line Officer I would have had no problem with that.
However, when I meet with the Captain, Admiral Jeffery Higdon, I learned that by being the senior active duty Marine officer aboard, he was entitled to make me the Deputy Officer in Charge. Needless to say I was shocked. So now I look forward to a load of paperwork that comes with my new position; and a mission will definitely lead me into unexpected country.

First Lieutenant William Hof
Personal Log, Stardate 62034.6

The 263rd’s Non-Commissioned Officer-in-Charge, First Sergeant Glenn Hicks, has finally returned from R&R. I have been looking forward to meeting this man since I first came aboard. We have been working daily to in order to come up with ideas for the purpose and organization of the newly activated Marine Strike Group. Despite my desire for a combat oriented unit, such as Special Operations or Aerospace, the Admiral has continued to maintain that the 263rd should remain low key and support oriented. First Sergeant Hicks offered a compromise that has appealed to both the Admiral and myself; Glenn contends that a Military Police company’s ability to function in both a combat environment and as a protection detail would fit perfectly on board the Black Hawk. Since the decision on Military Police, the First Sergeant and I have been having spirited discussions on both the personnel and equipment we will need to make our unit a reality. We have an opportunity before us to create a new unit to our own specifications, and I guarantee that neither one of us is taking that lightly.

Marine Captain William Hof
Personal Log, Stardate 62045.6

I still cannot believe that I’m a Captain now; it seems like barely a year ago that I was promoted the last time. According to Admiral Higdon and Commander Craig I have done everything they have ever expected of me; but I feel that I have done only what needed to be done in order to bring the 263rd up to fighting form. During the celebration I had a conversation with Master Gunny Hicks; he seems to think that the Admiral is going to be tapping me for the OIC job pretty soon. But then again Glenn had a few whiskeys in him, so I’ll take this bit of rumor with a grain of salt. It’s encouraging to know that I’m working for commanders that don’t take people for granted and give recognition out when it’s due. When I was appointed as the Deputy Officer-in-Charge I felt encouraged to do my best, but with this new promotion I feel like I need to make the 263rd the best in STARFLEET.

Hawk's Tallon's - 263rd MSG

HessianRaptor — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 01:10:00 CST

Unit Designator	263rd Marine Strike Group (Military Police)
Battalion	2nd Battalion (Illinois)
Brigade	12th Brigade (Mississippi Valley)
Division	Second Marine Division (Central United States)
Nickname (Call-sign)	The Hawk's Talons
Branch	Marine Support Command
Officer-in-Charge	Marine Captain William Hof, SFMC
Deputy Officer-in-Charge	Major James Craig, SFMC(reserve)
Non Commissioned Officer-in-Charge	Master Gunnery Sergeant Glenn Hicks, Jr., SFMC
Official Motto	"We are the Bold"
Unofficial Motto	"License, Registration, and Proof of Insurance Please."

History

The 263rd traces its lineage back to the 163rd Marine Strike Group assigned to the USS Shiloh, NCC-74683 out of Henderson, Tennessee. The 163rd was was short-lived, however, stationed aboard from only mid 1995 till late 1996. The 163rd was reactivated in December of 1999 as the 263rd aboard the USS Black Hawk, NCC-75004 out of Rockford, Illinois, the reassigned and recommissioned USS Shiloh. During a Recruiting Drive the Starship Captain, then Fleet Captain Jeffery Higdon, saw interest in reestablishing a STARFLEET Marine Corps unit aboard. After requesting assignment from the 12th Brigade's Officer-in-Charge, the 263rd was mustered up and stationed aboard the USS Black Hawk. Originally assigned as a Special Operations unit, it was redesignated as a Support unit in 2002.

Until mid 2008 the roster of the 263rd consisted almost exclusively of Marine Corps Reservists; Star Fleet officers holding a duel commission with the Corps. When more active duty Marines began to join the Ship, the Command Staff of the USS Black Hawk and the new leadership of the 263rd decided to increase the role of the Marines and began to flush out the details of organizing the MSG as a Military Police unit.

Unit Insignia

With the resergence of the Marines aboard the Black Hawk, it was decided to give the 263rd a distinctive insignia to make their own. However, when designing the insignia it was decided to pay the proper amount of respect to the officers and crew of the ship that supports and kept the idea of the 263rd alive. The bird was used as the primary symbol of the 263rd for two reasons. The first reason was to reuse the core feature of the USS Black Hawk's insignia; and the second was that the bird is a loose reproduction of the symbol of the Sux and Fox Nation of Oklahoma, the historical Chief Black Hawk's Native American Tribe. The combadge on the chest of the bird is the combadge symbol of the USS Shiloh, to represent the full history of the 263rd and its mother ship. If course it also bears the Unit Designation, Unit Motto, and the Insignia of the SFMC.

263rd MSG Roster

HessianRaptor — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 03:02:51 CST

Officer In Charge (OIC)
Captain William Hof, SFMC, Chief Operations Officer, USS Black Hawk

Deputy Officer In Charge (DOIC)
Major James Craig (r), Chief Security Officer, USS Black Hawk

Non-Commissioned Officer In Charge
Master Gunnery Sergeant Glenn Hicks, Jr., SFMC

Members

Lieutenant General Jeffery Higdon (r) Commanding Officer, USS Black Hawk

Brigadier General Karen Higdon (r), Executive Officer, USS Black Hawk

Colonel Christopher Higdon (r) Conn Officer, USS Black Hawk

Colonel Robert Baker (r), Captain of Engineering, USS Black Hawk

Lieutenant Colonel Emily Higdon (r) (On detached service to USMC)

Second Lieutenant Rick Craig, Chief Science Officer, USS Black Hawk

Second Lieutenant Eric Parker (r)

Chapter Roster

HessianRaptor — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 03:01:20 CST

Command Staff
Position	Name	Rank

Executive Committee
Commanding	Jeffery Higdon	Vice Admiral

First Officer	Karen Higdon	Commodore
2nd Officer	VACANT

Chief Purser	VACANT

Conn Officer (Honorary)	Christopher Higdon	Captain


Divisional Chiefs:
Engineering	Robert Baker	Captain

Medical	VACANT

Operations	William Hof	Marine Captain

Communications	VACANT

Computer Operations	VACANT

Science	Rick Craig	Second Lieutenanat

Security	James Craig	Lt. Commander

Chaplian	VACANT

Counselor	VACANT

Quartermaster	VACANT

263rd Marine Strike Group NCOIC	Glenn Hicks	Master Gunnery Sergeant

Crew:

Captain's Yeoman	Emily Higdon	Lieutenant Commander
	Len Dorman	Lieutenant Junior Grade
	Gail Thomas	Ensign
	Suchanya Porkha	Crewman

Fortune Favors the Bold...

captshiloh — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 17:08:31 CST

USS BLACK HAWK NCC-75004
Starbase ROCKFORD

SPECIAL PLEA: WE ARE IN NEED OF STARFLEET MEMBERS!
Local, area and correspondent members!
All unassigned members of STARFLEET are welcome!
GO TO A SPECIAL REQUEST

To Contact the Commanding Officer
CLICK HERE

To obtain paraphernalia with the Black Hawk & Shiloh Logos
Visit the USS Black Hawk Ship's Exchange (BHSX) at Cafepress

The Black Hawk Star Trek Fan Association is a Fan Club like no other. Its primary goal is to bring not only Trekkers and Trekkies into fellowship of fun and activities, but to all Science Fiction Genre, such as fans of Star Wars, Doctor Who, Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica and Battletech, to name a few. We're also into fantasy based games and stories, such as Dungeons & Dragons and Car Wars. With the creation of the 'home-port' for the USS Black Hawk, STARBASE Rockford, it truly makes the USS Black Hawk a worth wild STAR TREK Fan Club to JOIN!

We also get into the real life experiences of being a part of the human race. We have established charities, such as the 'Adopt A Monument' program at Shiloh National Military Park in Tennessee and the Ronald McDonald House Charities 'Pull Tab' Contribution program. We study space exploration, computer sciences and environmental concerns.

Some are into the military aspects of the STAR TREK universe, such as the Starfleet Marines and MACO. We also love to write. Some of our members have had stories published in various fanzines and on the Internet, thus leading to the creation of our Internet Fanzine site - USS Black Hawk Fan Fiction site (formerly known as STAR TREK: Shiloh). We also go to conventions, summits and gatherings where other TREKKERS are. And our regular meetings are designed to keep our members informed and to have fun.

The USS Black Hawk has been a chapter of STARFLEET: The International Star Trek Association, Inc. since 1995. The Black Hawk is also affiliated with the Cha'ouw Empire: A Star Trek Fan Association (in it's various forms since 1999). All members are automatically enrolled in the Cha'ouw Empire unless requested that you do not wish to be enrolled. Membership in the Cha'ouw Empire is FREE. Membership in STARFLEET is NOT.

Marine Captain William Hof

HessianRaptor — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 05:14:44 CST

Personnel File

Fictional Persona in the Star Trek Universe

Name: William J Hof
Rank: Marine Captain
Affiliation: Star Fleet Marine Corps
Branch of Service: Aerospace
Current Assignment: Deputy Officer in Charge, 263rd Marine Strike Group (Military Police)

Personal Data

Date of Birth: 28 July 2352
Age: 26
Height: 178cm (5’10”)
Weight: 86kg (190lbs)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
Home World: Chicago, North America, Earth
Father: Henry
Mother: Louise
Step Brother: George
Brother: Michael
Sister: Susanne

Personal and Service History

The eldest of three children, William was born into what could only be described as a common family on Earth in 2352. During his formative years, William led a quiet and uneventful life. Except for some minor run-ins with the law and the normal lawlessness that describes the human adolescent. His one standout was an acute understanding of history and interplanetary politics. Even during secondary school William carried himself as a mature individual with an equally mature understanding of the universe around him. Described as a loner by most, he is actually quite personable once he gets to know someone. Constantly reading on the subjects of history, sociology, and military tactics and strategy, he is well read and has well supported opinions on most any subject. He is at his best when in an intellectual discussion with another well informed person.

His family was never really involved in Star Fleet or even the explorer type. Only his fraternal Grandfather ever joined Star Fleet, and that was just as an enlisted yeoman for a two-year period. His father debated joining during the Cardassian Wars, but due the sporadic nature of those conflicts and the fact he had recently started a family with his first wife he never joined. However William and his siblings all somehow found their way into public service; William in Star Fleet, his brother Michael a Parrises Squares Coach at the University of Buenos Aries and his sister Susanne a primary school music teacher in London.

When William took the entrance exam for the Academy he barely passed and had to work hard during his tenure there in order to graduate; he succeeded, graduating in the 80th percentile as a Midshipman Lieutenant. He was command track in the academy and looked forward to being a helmsmen on a starship, preferably a Defiant or Saber-class where he could fly by the seat of his pants. Being on the cadet flight team, Nova Squadron, during his fourth year would have definitely helped getting such an assignment except for the start of the Dominion War.

When the war broke out a mere four months after his graduation, the Federation was surprised on how effective the Jem’Hadar Attack Ships were, and rushed to get the Peregrine fighter program up to the same standard. Always being a top notch shuttle pilot, William was pulled from his assignment aboard the Akira-class USS Great Spirit and sent immediately to an abbreviated fighter training program. Deployed shortly thereafter, he was assigned to an Excelsior-class ship, the USS Gorkan, which had been modified to carry 18 Peregrine Fighters. The Gorkan was unfortunately deployed with the Seventh Fleet before the attack on the Tyra System, and was destroyed in that battle; and of the 18 fighters it carried, only three returned. According to the logs from his fighter, William managed to destroy or cripple no less than three Jem’Hadar attack ships and according to reports, almost single handily covered the withdraw of the Nebula-class USS T’Kumbra. However his success was not without the cost of his confidence. Even with his skill at the helm of a fighter unaffected, he was still scared by this incident and found it hard to prosecute attacks fully. He would constantly break formation in order to come to the aid of others at the sacrifice of his mission. He was concerned that if was not worried about others, another massacre like the one in the Trya System would be repeated. If the fates had not intervened William would have probably been removed from fighter duty because of his mental condition.

Luckily after the battle, he was assigned to the Ambassador-class USS Gandhi, which lacking the agility to out maneuver smaller ships, lent its six fighter compliment well to the defense. Because he had lost many friends already in the War, he hesitated to forge new bonds for fear of losing more. His wing-man, however, refusing to accept a loner as a partner worked hard to "cure" William of his apprehension; even going as far as to locking William in the brig with the ship's counselor. Because of these efforts, when the Gandhi participated in Operation Return, William was back in fighting form and conducted himself well during the battle. Again proving his skills, he managed to destroy or cripple over five Jem’Hadar and Cardassian attack ships, and participate in the destruction of a Jem’Hadar Battle Cruiser and two Cardassian Galors. The Gandhi was not so lucky however, it suffered crippling damage and with her remaining fighter compliment was towed back to Earth for refit and repairs. It is noteworthy to mention that during the battle, General Martok’s ship was in the inevitable position of being in the sights of two Galors and a Keldon. Seeing this, however William didn’t know it was Martok captaining the vessel, he rallied his flight and a flight of Klingon fighters to rescue Martok from this critical situation. This rescue was accomplished by sheer force of will, especially when dealing with the Klingon fighters who were thinking only of personal glory.

After the battle Martok was grateful enough to share a song and chalice of bloodwine with the intimidated Ensign. However, he surprised the General and his crew by demonstrating his knowledge of Klingon culture and a fully restored personality that allowed him to participate fully in the victory feast. During the festivities, William endeared himself to the ship’s weapon’s officer so much so that the Klingon gave him his D’k tahg knife and offered to make him a member of his house. William accepted gratefully because he has always been fascinated by the Klingon culture and being made part of a Klingon house, no matter how minor, was a dream come true. And till the day he dies the Crest of the House No’gath, the bat’leth, and the D’k tahg will always hang in a place of honor.

When William returned to Earth he was given two things he greatly deserved, a promotion to Lieutenant Junior Grade and one week leave. However, the war seemed to follow him home. Not hours after reporting to San Francisco for assignment after his leave the Breen launched their infamous raid on Star Fleet Headquarters. Even though he had recovered from the mental wounds from the Battle of the Tyra System, those memories came flooding back while watching the attack. Not knowing the extent of the attack, he nevertheless commandeered an unattended Marine F-9D Fighter, what he thought was just a normal Type 9 shuttle, and rose to defend the planet. Adapting quickly to the controls, he managed to down two fighters and escort a civilian transport to safety before returning the fighter to Star Fleet Headquarters slightly worse for wear. Because he had stolen the fighter Star Fleet only gave William a commendation and not a full medal, but he did manage to impress a few Marine Generals with his skill and tenacity; a fact that would serve him well later.

In the lull that the war became, because of the Breen’s energy dissipation weaponry, William found himself on patrols while attached to the Galaxy-class USS Galaxy. Mainly serving to be an emergency force should the Klingons need forces to cover any withdraw. When the Federation was able to counter the Breen weapon, the Galaxy was assigned to the Ninth fleet for the drive on Caradassia. Serving well in the battles to come, William created an even greater name for himself with his skill and courage under fire. By the time the Treaty of Bajor was signed William had racked up over fourteen enemy fighters, destroyed or crippled, and participated in the destruction or crippling of six enemy capital ships; including one in which William got single-handily with a lucky torpedo spread that ruptured the anti-matter storage pods on a Cardassian Keldon seconds after its shields failed. William will always say that it was a “one in a Q-like number” that he got the kill, but he nevertheless takes pride in the fact that he is one of the incredibly few officers that can say he downed an enemy capital ship in a fighter.

After the war, William was looking forward to a continued career in the fighter program, but fate had other ideas. With the loss of so many ships during the war, Star Fleet had to scrap most of their fighter force in order to rebuild the fleet, leaving William to contemplate his life back as a command track officer. When he returned to Earth for the decommissioning of his squadron and reassignment, William stumbled upon the Marine Corps Aerospace Branch. He was informed that the Marine Corps was retaining their fighter force and even slightly expanding it to cover the gaps left by the retirement of so many Fleet fighter squadrons. Intrigued, William immediately petitioned for reassignment to the Marine Corps, even going as far as threatening to resign his commission in order to re-up with the Marines. It was then that those Marine Generals he had impressed during the attack on San Francisco stepped in. Giving a little pull on the red tape that is the Star Fleet bureaucracy, they managed to get William his reassignment.

However, their generosity came with a price; William would need to take all the schooling required to be a Marine officer as quickly as possible. William relished the chance to prove himself and justify the confidence those Generals had placed in him. In a year and a half he managed to complete the schooling necessary to be a Marine First Lieutenant in the Aerospace Branch. Shortly after that he was sent to the Aerospace’s Black Flag school in order to get the knowledge of fighter combat out of his brain and disseminate it throughout the Corps. Shortly after finishing his tour with Black Flag, William was sent to Command College in order to prep him for leadership in the Corps. After Command College, he was given the assignment as Deputy Officer in Charge of the 263rd Marine Strike Group (provisional). His job was to help form the core of the unit to serve on the Sovereign-class USS Black Hawk. Never embarking a true MSG before and having a wide range of missions that the ship wanted their Marine Detachment to accomplish would be a test of not only his leadership but whether or not he could function as a Marine.

When William arrived on board the USS Black Hawk, he found that the current Marine force structure was entirely reserve; or Star Fleet officers holding duel duty with the Corps. He set to work trying to forge an identity for the embarked Marine Strike Group, the 263rd, and give it a structure. Unfortunately for him, the Ship's Captain held that the 263rd would need to fulfill the duties of Honor Guard and VIP Protection, not missions typically assigned to Aerospace Units. However, being the good Marine, William took the idea and ran with it. Wanting to still be in a elite unit, which is what William considered fighter pilots to be, he had recommended that the unit become a Special Forces Group. He was overruled, but in the course of the debate the 263rd's NCOIC recommended becoming a Military Police unit. Appealing to everyone, the NCOIC's recommendation carried.

10. Chief Operations Officer

HessianRaptor — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:04:41 CST

Assigned Officer:

Marine Captain William Hof, SFMC

In the Star Trek Universe

The Chief of Operations, or operations manager, is a position which became common in the 24th century. The position is the hub for all the activities on board a ship or station, all its activities from power management to who uses the sensor pallets and when falls under his preview. The Operations Officer is typically manned by a member of the command staff of a starship, regardless of seniority. On the USS Enterprise-E, Lieutenant Commander Data was also the second officer, but on the USS Voyager, Ensign Harry Kim was the most junior bridge officer. Also the Operations Officer must act as the bridge science officer, because on many ships the Science Department, other than Medical, doesn’t usually have a seat on the command staff, the Operations Officer usually has to act as their voice during staff meetings. This lends itself well to that fact because Operations is the hub for all sensor and scientific data generated by the ships systems and personnel during emergency or battle situations.

On the USS Black Hawk a chapter of STARFLEET

Since the duties of the Operations Manager do not translate well outside the universe of Star Trek, or a military organization, the status of the position is greatly reduced; so much so that the officer holding the position does not have a seat on the senior staff. The primary duties of the position in the “real” world are historian and records officer. All records from meeting and the history of the chapter are his responsibility to maintain and keep up to date.

Command Staff positions and duties

HessianRaptor — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:58:24 CST

Description of the COMMAND STAFF

The Command Staff, consisting of the Executive Committee and the Divisional Chiefs, is the group of officers/members of the USS Black Hawk that oversees the running of the starship and each division which is part of this starship. The criteria for being a member of the Command Staff are that they be a member in good standing in STARFLEET: The International Star Trek Fan Association, Inc., at the time they are appointed, that they be willing to take the Officer Training School, in order to be an officer and willing to take OTS and some courses in their chosen field/division.

Description of the EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The Executive Committee is the group of officers that act as the leaders of the starship. They consist of two (2) elected officers, the Commanding Officer, and the Executive (First) Officer, and two appointed officers, the Second (2nd) Officer and the Chief Purser. The Executive Committee also acts as the Promotion Board.

Members of the executive Committee should live close enough to meet periodically and should not be correspondent members. The Commanding Officer is allowed to make exceptions.

Honorary positions, which are non voting, are Commanding Officer Emeritus, which is the senior former Command Officer, which only one former commanding officer can sit at, and the Conn Officer, who is a disabled person who has served on the Command Staff temporarily, who in are non-voting members of the Executive Committee.

The Conn Officer is a special position and will be eliminated when that officer leaves the starship.

The members of the Executive Committee are the officers who run the chapter in it's official business. It acts as an advisory board for the Commanding Officer when the Command Staff is unable to meet, and can enact changes to the By-Laws, which can be overturned by either the Commanding Officer or entire Command Staff. The Command Staff cannot make changes to the constitution.

Description of each position

COMMANDING OFFICER
The Commanding Officer is the President, Chairperson and Chief Operating Officer of the Starship/Chapter. The Commanding Officer is an Exo-Facto member of each division and any committees established but cannot chair committees. If there is no Chief for a particular division, he is the default chief until someone is appointed. The Commanding Officer is the designated 'Publisher' for the ComBadge. In accordance with STARFLEET regulations, the Commanding Officer may promote any member of the starship/chapter up to the rank of Commander. The Commanding Officer may also appoint crew members to any open position. The title 'Captain' is reserved only for the Commanding Officer, regardless of the actual rank of that person. The minimum rank for the CO, per STARFLEET regulations, is Captain or the Marine equivalent.

The Commanding Officer is an elected position and can only be filled by either election or succession of the Executive Officer or the ranking officer (2O, CEngO, etc) or senior ranking division based on rank, time as a member of the starship/chapter then then time in rank.

The current Commanding Officer is Vice Admiral Jeffery Higdon

EXECUTIVE OFFICER
The Executive (First) Officer is the Vice President, Vice Chair Person and Vice Chief Operating Officer of the Starship/Chapter. The Executive Officer is second in command behind the Commanding Officer and succeeds the Commanding Officer in case of death, resignation or impeachment. The Executive Officer oversees the Divisional Chiefs in their duties and acts as a go between between the crew and the Commanding Officer if necessary. The Executive Officer must have successfully completed the STARFLEET Academy OTS and OCC in order to serve in this position. The Executive Officer can hold the honorary title of 'Number One' if the Commanding Officer chooses. The minimum rank of the XO, per STARFLEET Regulations, is Commander or the Marine equivalent

The Executive Officer is an elected position however the Commanding Officer can and will appoint an officer of his or her choosing if the position is vacant.

The Current Executive Officer is Commodore Karen Higdon.

SECOND OFFICER
The Second Officer is the Secretary for the Starship and Chapter. The Second Officer is third in command behind the Executive Officer for the Starship. The Second Officer shall keep minutes of all meetings of the starship/chapter (other than on the Internet), meetings of the Command Staff and the Executive Committee meetings and shall be the official record holder of these meetings. Copies of the minutes are to be transmitted to the Chief Communications Officer for publication in the ComBadge and as well as the Chief Operations Officer for archiving. The Minimum Rank of the 2O is Lieutenant Commander of the Marine equivalent.

The Current Second Officer is VACANT.

COMMANDANT, USS BLACK HAWK SHIP'S ACADEMY CADET CORPS
The Commandant of the USS Black Hawk Cadet Corps, also known as the Ship's Academy, oversees the youth activities and training of our youth.

The Current Commandant is Commadore Karen Higdon.

CHIEF PURSER
The Chief Purser is the Treasurer of the starship/chapter and a member of the Executive Committee. The Purser shall keep track of all monies and is one of four (4) persons that is able to distribute monies on behalf of the starship/chapter. The Purser, with approval of the Commanding Officer, shall establish any bank accounts needed and shall be listed as one of the four officers on each account. If a checking account is established it is required that two of the four officers (Commanding Officer, Executive Officer, Second Officer and Chief Purser) be required to to sign any checks on behalf of the starship/chapter. The minimum rank of the Chief Purser is Lieutenant or the Marine Equivalent.

SENIOR CHAPLAIN
The Senior Chaplain (or just Chaplain) is head of the Starship's Chaplain Corps. The Chaplain begins each meeting with a prayer in accordance to his/her faith or coordinates and designates the prayer between designated Chaplains (the Senior Chaplain cannot word or chose how a prayer is offered). The Senior Chaplain has the minimum rank of Lieutenant, or the Marine equivalent. Other Chaplains aboard this starship holds the minimum rank of Lieutenant, j.g. or the Marine equivalent.

CAPTAIN of ENGINEERING
The Captain of Engineering (Chief Engineering Officer) oversees the transportation and engineering of the the starship. Minimum rank of the CEO is Lieutenant, j.g. or the Marine equivalent.

The current Captain of Engineering is Captain Robert Baker. Captain Baker is the Senior Division Chief due to both rank and time in chapter

CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER
The Chief Communications Officer oversees the communications for the starship. This includes the publication of the chapter newsletter, The ComBadge, and the chief moderator for the official mailing list. The minimum rank for the CCO is Lieutenant,j.g. or the Marine equivalent.

CHIEF COMPUTER OPERATIONS OFFICER
The Chief Computer Operations Officer oversees the computer and software needs of the starship. The minimum rank of the CCompOpO is Lieutenant, j.g. or the Marine equivalent.

CHIEF COUNSELOR
The Chief Counselor, or Counselor oversees the mental needs of the starship. Minimum rank for the Chief Counselor is Lieutenant,j.g. or the Marine equivalent.

CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER
The Chief Medical Officer oversee the first aide and medical training needs of the starship/chapter. The minimum rank of the Lieutenant or the Marine equivalent.

The current Chief Medical Officer is Commander John Moore.

CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER
The Chief Operations Officer is in charge of records and the history of the starship. The minimum rank of the COpsO is Lieutenant, j.g. or the Marine equivalent.

The current Chief Operations Officer is Marine Captain William Hof, SFMC

OFFICER-IN-CHARGE/NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICER-IN-CHARGE
The Officer/Non-Commissioned Officer -in-Charge represents the 263rd Marine Strike Group, the Hawk's Talons, on the Command Staff. It is at the discretion of the OIC who serves in this position unless the OIC is a member of the Executive Committee (except the Commanding Officer Emeritus), then the NCOIC serves. Minimum Rank of this position, if an officer, is First Lieutenant, or if a NCO, Staff Sergeant.

Our current OIC is Major James Craig; Our current NCOIC is Master Gunnery Sergeant Glenn Hicks, Jr.

CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER
The Chief Science Officer oversees the Science Division other than those for Medicine. Minimum rank for the CSciO is Lieutenant, j.g. or the Marine equivalent

Our current Chief Science Officer is Second Lieutenant Rick Craig.

CHIEF SECURITY OFFICER
The Chief Security Officer is in charge of security at meeting and events. The Chief Security Officer acts as the Sergeant-at-Arms during meetings. Minimum rank for the CSecO is Lieutenant, j.g. or the Marine equivalent.

The current Chief Security Officer is Lieutenant Commander James Craig

Other Division Chiefs may be created at the discretion of the Commanding Officer or by vote of the Executive Committee.

SISTERSHIPS of the USS BLACK HAWK

captshiloh — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:04:53 CDT

List and Links of Sister Chapters and Clubs who are friends of the USS Black Hawk

This list does not imply affiliation nor association with the USS Black Hawk or the Black Hawk Star Trek Space Science Association or any Parent Associations the USS Black Hawk is affiliated with.

USS Aurora, Seattle, Washington

USS BortaS, Urbana, Illinois

USS Chicago, Streator, Illinois

USS Cha'ouw, Mytle Beach, South Carolina (Cha'ouw Empire)

USS DragonStrike, Kansas

USS Hellfire & Brimstone, Oswego, Kansas

USS Hexum, Belleville, Illinois

USS Providence, Jackson, Tennessee

Troubadour Station, St. Louis, Missouri

Region Twelve, The 12th Fleet, STARFLEET

captshiloh — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:49:47 CDT

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

LINKS

captshiloh — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:17:23 CDT

The following are Internet Links to Websites for organizations associations and clubs.

The first set of links are for those associations the USS Black Hawk belongs to. The second are links to various starships/chapter within the Illinois Sector. The third is for other links important to the crew:

STARFLEET

The International Star Trek Fan Association, Inc.

STARFLEET Region Twelve

2. First (Executive) Officer

captshiloh — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:06:51 CDT

Commodore Karen Higdon

Commodore Higdon has served as First Officer on two separate occasions. Higdon was elected as the first XO of the USS Black Hawk on February 28, 1995 during the initial meeting of the chapter. In 2006 Higdon stepped down voluntarily citing health as a reason, and was reappointed in August 2007 when the previous (successor) XO failed to renew his STARFLEET Membership.

For a complete biography go to the Region 12 Wiki

1. Commanding Officer

captshiloh — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:05:49 CDT

Vice Admiral Jeffery Higdon

Vice Admiral Higdon has been the CO of the chapter now known as the USS Black Hawk since the inception in 1995. Elected as the first (and up to now, only) commanding officer of the Pre-shuttle Shiloh on February 28, 1995, the man has lead the chapter through it's various incarnation from pre-shuttle, through shuttle then on to Starship-of-the-Line or a full chapter of STARFLEET: The International Star Trek Fan Association, Inc.

The Black Hawk is not the first foray into Star Trek Fandom the Higdon has taken part in. In the summer of 1975 Higdon, along with some fellow classmates from a local high school, created The Ken Rock Star Trek Space Science Club. This was with the encouragement of the personnel, as well as the Director Don Schmid, at the Ken Rock Community Center in Rockford, Illinois, the town where he lived at the time. This was about 9 months after the original USS Enterprise Fan Club in Lufkin, Texas was formed. Higdon was elected it's president (as it was not formed in a 'Starship Command' hierarchy). In the fall of 1975 Higdon was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation from Ken Rock during their annual awards banquet, for his work with the KRSTSC.

Higdon's fascination in Star Trek started when he watched the original series on the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service television station while his family lived in Germany. Higdon's father, an USAF NCO was stationed at Bitburg Air Force Base from 1966-1969, the same years that the original series aired. However the series was not shown until a year after the airing of the episodes in the United States. He did not get to see the third season until many years later during their first run in syndication. At one time he owned over 300 novels, adaptations, manuals and textbook concerning Star Trek.

Higdon, the oldest of six, is proud to be called an Air Force Brat, which is a dependent of a member of the US Air Force. Besides living in Germany, he lived in Idaho, Texas, Massachusetts and North Carolina before his father's retirement in his birthplace in Illinois. He graduated from high school in 1977 but it was fifteen years (1992) before he received his degrees from Freed-Hardeman University, located in Henderson, Tennessee, a private four year institution that had expanded into graduate degrees just after his first year there. Higdon has two degrees from Freed-Hardeman - a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Communications and a Bachelor of Science in Bible. He also has graduate credit through the Graduate School at FHU.

Higdon's association with STARFLEET and the greater Trekdom came when he picked up an application form that wa behind at a Jackson, Tennesse, theater that had shown Star Trek Generations in the fall of 1995. Encouraged by his wife, Karen, Higdon sent in the application, rationalizing that he could use his vast knowledge of 'Star Trek information' at their STARFLEET Academy. After receiving the family's membership in December, he contact Fleet Captain Deb Leafy to attach his family to the USS Alacrity, NCC-1881. During that conversation, Captain (later Commodore) Leafy encouraged him to start a chapter in Henderson. However he first checked with the CO of the just established Shuttle Providence out of Jackson, which would become the USS Providence, who approved of a sister chapter in the nearby community. On February 28, 1996, the USS Shiloh/Black Hawk was founded.

During his time as the CO of the Shiloh/Black Hawk he has served the association and other organizations in several positions.

For a more complete biography for Admiral Higdon go to the Region 12 Wiki

3. Second Officer

captshiloh — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:57:42 CDT

VACANT

9. Chief Security Officer

mm2james — Sat, 31 May 2008 02:23:28 CDT

Lieutenant Commander James Craig

History of the USS Shiloh NCC-74683 (1996-1998)

captshiloh — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:53:10 CDT

History of the USS Shiloh NCC-74683

On 23 March 1996, the USS Shiloh, NCC-74683, was commissioned as a full fledged starship of STARFLEET at MidSouthCon 23, which was held in Memphis, Tennessee. Representing the Shiloh was Captain Jeffery Higdon and Lieutenant Commander Timothy Raines. The commissioning, done in concert with the commissioning of the USS Mark Twain, and the USS Shekmet, was done by Vice Chief of Operations, STARFLEET, Commodore Deborah Leafy, who also commanded the mothership USS Alacrity, NCC-1881.

On 13 April 1996 the Shiloh received a Certificate of Appreciation from the US National Park Service for their work in the Adopt a Monument program. This same day, a Model of the USS Shiloh was christened at Shiloh National Military Park.

The yearly Shiloh Ship's Awards was developed to give the crew some much need recognition on a local level. The winners are picked by the Executive Committee upon the recommendation of the Division Officers. The Cadet of the Year is picked by the Commandant, Ships Cadet Corps; Only NCOs, Junior Officers (Ensigns and Lieutenant, j.g.) on the day of selection, which is the 7th day of December of each year, who qualify for these awards. All members who qualify for the Officer of the Year. Correspondent Crewmember of the Year is picked from all members of the Shiloh who do not live in the greater Rock River Area. Both Crewmember and Correspondent Crewmember of the Year are picked from all members regardless of status. The basic criteria changed in 1997 awards when the Shiloh became Starfleet Central, which merged with Federated Alliance in 1998, and thus qualifying for rank in Federated Alliance and also was affected by the move of the chapter from Henderson to Rockford. The DSA is awarded by the Commanding Officer. The criteria for the DSA, which was determined by the Commanding Officer, is determined by participation and contribution to the chapter. The name was changed to the USS Black Hawk Ship's Awards in 1999. In 2000 the DSA has been renamed the USS Shiloh Distinguished Service Award, in honor of the former name of the chapter.

On November 13, 1996, the USS Providence, NCC-71796, Gemini Class Starship, out of Jackson, Tennessee, staged her commissioning ceremonies at the Community Center in Cedar Grove, Tennessee. Members of the USS Shiloh and the USS Sehkmet, out of Millington, Tennessee, participated in the event. Captain John McGill (Sehkmet) and Captain Jeffery Higdon (Shiloh) 'christen' the newly minted Captain - - Warren Price by pouring a glass of water over his head.

At the end of 1996, Region One awarded the USS Shiloh the Unit Distinguished Service Award. This was the second straight year the Shiloh crew was awarded a Region One DSA.

During the weekend of January 31-February 2, 1997, officers and crew of the USS Shiloh boarded the USS Mark Twain, the University of Memphis, in order to help stage TigerCon I. On February 1, 1997, during TigerCon I, it was announce that Five Starships: USS Alacrity, Commodore Deborah Leafey, Commanding; USS Mark Twain, Captain Karen Cushing, Commanding; USS Providence, Captain Warren Price, Commanding; USS Sehkmet, Captain John McGill, Commanding; USS Shiloh, Captain Jeffery Higdon, Commanding. Formed a new ensemble of starships to be called the MidSouth Squadron. The USS Sehkmet was later decommissioned by STARFLEET. The USS Alacrity changed it's name to the USS Aeon in 1998 The USS Shiloh withdrew from the Squadron in the summer of 1997 because of its move to Illinois. The Squadron was re-established by the members of the USS Aeon, USS Mark Twain, USS Providence and Nikola Tesla Station in 1999. The USS Black Hawk is considered an honorary member of the squadron.

On March 22, 1997, the USS Shiloh with the assistance of the Commander and the First Officer of the USS Mark Twain, celebrated its' Second Anniversary as a Fan Club and its First Anniversary as a Full Fledged Starship.

The day begins with a trip to Shiloh National Military Park. A brief prayer service to honor the dead of Shiloh is held at the Cemetery Commemoration Monument. Then the participants clean the monuments and gravestones surrounding the monument, including the gravestone of the Shiloh Drummer Boy.

After the cleaning a tour of the park via van was taken. Lieutenant Robert Baker, Engineering Officer, USS Shiloh joined the tour. The entourage returned to Henderson for rest and readiness for the party.

The party was attended by all above as well as others from the USS Providence.

The USS Shiloh was one of three chapters that were nominated for Best Shakedown Cruise for Region One. During the Region One Conference in Gatlinburg the USS Tycho was given the award. The other nominee was the USS Rutledge.

On Stardate 9708.14 the USS Shiloh officially left the confines of Region One to enter a new Region - Region 12, and a new Port - Rockford/Loves Park/Machesney Park, Illinois. This was done after Commanding Officer, Captain Jeffery Higdon and First Officer, Commander Karen Higdon announced to the crew that their family was moving in order for the captain to accept a job opportunity, and because no other crewmember was qualified, according to STARFLEET regulations, that the USS Shiloh would have to be disbanded. It was when STARFLEET Chief of Operations, Tom Monaghan, stepped in and suggested that his office would likely allow a move of the city of charter provided certain criteria was made. Thereafter a vote of the crew was taken with a unanimous vote in the affirmative to allow the move to take place. Both Region One Coordinator, Linda Smith, and Region Twelve Coordinator, Mike Malotte also approved the move, citing that neither coordinator wished to loose a valued chapter. It was then STARFLEET Operations approved the move from Henderson, Tennessee to the new City of Charter to Rockford, Illinois.

The USS Shiloh held it's first official meeting in the Rockford Area on 20 September 1997 at Tomorrow is Yesterday, a Science Fiction/Fantasy Ship located in Loves Park. The meeting was announced in the Rockford Register-Star under its new name, The Rock River Area Star Trek Space Science Association, which replaced the name STARFLEET of Henderson.

The USS Shiloh held its Third Annual Christmas Party at the new home of the Captain on 17 December 1997. It was announced at the party that newly-appointed Chief Communications Officer, LTjg Janie Wilson-Cook, would endeavor to obtain a domain name for future use for the USS Shiloh Website.

In December, 1997, Captain Higdon was elected Vice Chairman of the Star Trek: International Fandom Council and served in that position for one full year. The IFC was created to give a united voice to fandom in issues concerning Trekdom.
Because of political in fighting and inappropriate actions because of the change in administration in January, 1999, the Officers and Crew of the USS Shiloh voted to leave VACANT the Representative's position on the IFC Security Council until further notice. Later in the year, Captain Higdon resumed the duties of the Representative until the IFC Constitution was changed to eliminate that position. The Shiloh, and later the Black Hawk, no longer participates as a member of the IFC.

On Stardate 9802.28, the USS Shiloh celebrated its Third Anniversary Party at Tomorrow is Yesterday. Members from the USS Bradbury, out of St. Charles, Illinois, also attended.

After the party, the two crews visited Commander Karen Higdon, Executive Officer of the USS Shiloh, recovering from complication to surgery, at Rockford Memorial Hospital. Then both crews went out for dinner at the Illinois Machine Shed near the Tollway on East State Street.

Honorary Members

captshiloh — Wed, 14 May 2008 14:35:56 CDT

Honorary members are those who have demonstrated an importance to the USS Black Hawk and Star Trek. Honorary members are usually not members of STARFLEET (Joost Ueffing joined STARFLEET after his award) and hold no position aboard the Black Hawk. The Honorary Member(s) are picked each year by the Commanding Officer.

1995 USNPS Ranger Brian McCutchen
1996 Bjo Trimble, 1st Fan of Star Trek**
1997 Brad Douglas, New Anchor, WBBJ-TV, Jackson, TN
1998 Kim Kowlski, Owner-Tomorrow is Yesterday
Brian McVey, Co-Founder, Ken Rock Star Trek Space Science Club
1999 Joost Ueffing, Chairman, International Fandom Council (1999)*
2000 Charter Members of the USS Shiloh^*
2001 Paul Chiodini, 1st member from Rockford, IL area^
2002 James & Karen Cushing**, USS Mark Twian
2003 Helen Pawlowski*, Troubadour Station
2004 Janie Wilson-Cook***, EZone, Inc.
2005 Roger 'K'Cire' DeVack (aka Eric Miller)***, Federated Alliance
2006 Charles 'Kijo' Smith**, Cha'ouw Empire
2007 D. Allen Glenn*, USS BortaS
Jay Hurd*, USS Chicago
Michael McGowan*, USS BortaS

* - Currently a member of STARFLEET
** - Former member of STARFLEET
*** - Former member of STARFLEET & USS Black Hawk/Shiloh
^ - Former members of STARFLEET & former & current members of USS Black Hawk that belong to the Charter Membership of the USS Shiloh before 3/26/1996
^* - Former member of STARFLEET & Non-STARFLEET Member of the USS Black Hawk/Shiloh
***^ - Former member of STARFLEET, co-founder, Starfleet Central, Commander, Federated Alliance, member, Cha'ouw Empire & former member of the USS Black Hawk/Shiloh

Special Notes:

Brian McCutchen was the link between Shiloh National Military Park & the USS Shiloh.
Bjo Trimble hold rank of Fleet Captain Within STARFLEET and appointed USS Shiloh member Chris Higdon as a Special Assistant within STARFLEET Academy, which she served as Commandant during the McGinnis Administration.
Charter members include (current rank or rank when leaving USS Black Hawk/Shiloh): Vice Admiral Jeffery Higdon*, Fleet Captain Karen Higdon*, Captain Robert Baker*, Lieutenant, j.g. Matthew Shelton, Lieutenant, j.g. Levi Morgan, Lieutenant, j.g. Rachel Berger, Lieutenant Commander Timothy Raines, Lieutenant Peggy Ridgeway Simpson, Captain Christopher Higdon*, Lieutenant Commander Emily Higdon* (* designates those still members as of January 1, 2000).
Paul Chiodini holds the rank of Lieutenant, j.g. aboard the USS Shiloh. He served as Second Officer for the USS Shiloh for a brief time as well as Chief Medical Officer.
Janie Wilson-Cook holds the rank of Lt. Commander aboard the USS Black Hawk and served the dual rolls of Chief Computer Operations Officer & Second Officer. The USS Black Hawk used her server to host our website from 1998-2006.
Admiral Helen Pawlowski is a member of STARFLEET and encouraged the development of the Black Hawk/Shiloh and it's leadership. Admiral Pawlowski donated a banner with the STARFLEET Logo to the Shiloh during a trip by the Captain & his family in 1996. A picture of the banner can be seen in the Archive. She was awarded the Honorary Membership for her long service to STARFLEET Academy.

History of USS Black Hawk NCC-75004 (2001-Present)

captshiloh — Wed, 14 May 2008 14:28:03 CDT

With a year passing on the original name change a decision need to be made on the class. No work had been done on the rejected Black Hawk Starship Developmental Project in over a year. The Commanding Officer then decided it was time to move on to the next sage of the 2 step project. On January 4th, 2001, Fleet Captain Higdon asked for a showing on whether we should become a Sovereign Class Starship. After a majority of the ship's company responded in the affirmative, the Fleet Captain sent a message to Admiral Alex Rosenzweig, Director, Department of Technical Services, STARFLEET, to request a change in class and the assigning of a new NCC number.

On January 10th, 2001, Fleet Captain Higdon received this communiqué from Admiral Rosenzweig:

By order of Starfleet Command, Department of Technical Services, CA 74683 Black Hawk is directed to return to Spacedock at Starbase 12. At that time, the crew shall transfer to the following starship:

Name: U.S.S. Black Hawk

Vessel Class/Type: Sovereign-Class Heavy Cruiser

Registry: NCC-75005

Upon completion of transfer, you will confirm new assignment orders and proceed to deploy CH 75004 Black Hawk. In the interim, please take the time to familiarize yourself with all design specifications and operating parameters for U.S.S. Black Hawk, in order to assure a smooth deployment when the time comes. All best to you and your crew.

In Service to the Fleet
Admiral Alex Rosenzweig
Director, Department of Technical Services
Director, Office of Technical Information

Fleet Captain Higdon replied with the following:

Orders are confirmed. CA 74683 Black Hawk arrived Starbase 12 11:52 Hours Ship's Time, on Stardate 54001.10. Relieved of Command 11:55 Hours, Ship's Time, by order of Admiral Alex Rosenzweig. CH 74683 Black Hawk is decommissioned thereafter.

Transferred by transporter to CH 75004 Black Hawk with command crew and families. Arrival time 11:58 Ship's Time, Stardate 54001.10.

Transferred command codes to Fleet Captain Jeffery E. Higdon, Security Clearance Higdon-Alpha-One-Seven-Enable, 11:59:00 Ships' Time.

Ship formally commissioned on Stardate 54001.10 as USS Black Hawk, NCC-75004 by Admiral Rosenzweig.

Will depart Starbase 12 for Illinois Sector at earliest.

Honored to serve the Fleet,
Fleet Captain J.E. Higdon
Commanding, USS Black Hawk, NCC-75004

Along with the new starship class the Black Hawk Logo changed to reflect the new NCC Number.

On March, 2001, the Fleet Captain receive an urgent communiqué from Captain John Russell, Commanding the USS Bradbury out of St. Charles, Illinois. The Bradbury, threatened with decommissioning from STARFLEET, declared itself to be an Independent club and withdrew from STARFLEET. The Bradbury crew would still meet as a club but not under the auspices of STARFLEET.

After Fleet Captain Higdon contacted Captain Russell, it was decided to offer membership aboard the USS Black Hawk to those STARFLEET members still aboard the Bradbury. Five STARFLEET members transferred, including Captain Russell and his wife, Captain Princilla Russell, to the Black Hawk to form Away Team Bradbury.

On July 29, 2001, the Captain's Yacht (or personal automobile) left Rockford and arrived at the 2001 STARFLEET International Conference in Kansas City, Missouri. Accompanying the Fleet Captain were Captain Karen Higdon, Black Hawk Executive Officer, and their children, Captain Chris Higdon and Ensign Emily Higdon.

During their three day, two night stay, Emily was promoted to Lieutenant, j.g., by Fleet Admiral Les Rickard himself. The Black Hawk contingent met many people which they had corresponded with either through the Internet or snail mail. The Higdons also met several new friends including the family of Captain Erik Johnson, the commanding officer of the USS Windspirit out of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

During the General Session on Saturday morning it was announced that the Website that was hosted by the USS Black Hawk, and overseen by the Fleet Captain, won the 2001 STARFLEET Information Website of the Year Award. The Official STARFLEET History Website - http://www.interplanetary.net/blackhawk/SFIHistory/ (now inactive) won the award although the STARFLEET Historian's Website was announced as the winner. This was partially cleared up when the URL that was judge was revealed not the Historian's site but the History site. STARFLEET Historian Scott Akers, whom the Fleet Captain assisted in a forum on the research of the history, accepted on behalf of the Fleet Captain.

On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, the world was shocked when Terrorists seized four commercial aircraft enroute to California. Loaded down with aviation fuel, two of these aircraft slammed into the World Trade Center twin towers in New York City, which collapsed, killing over 3,000 souls (including on the aircraft). Another slammed into the side of the Pentagon, the headquarters for the United States Defense Department, across the river from Washington, DC, the seat of Government of the United States. This act claimed almost 200 people. The fourth aircraft, believed to be heading to Camp David, the US Presidential Retreat in Maryland, or to Washington with intended targets being either the US Capitol or the White House, when it crashed in a field in southwestern Pennsylvania. It is believed that some of the passengers challenged the terrorist and caused the aircraft to crash, preventing it from being used as a weapon of mass destruction as the other three planes were used as.

On Saturday, September 15, the Officers and Crew of the USS Black Hawk, with the shadow of this dreaded event looming only days past, held it's first Recruiting Day at Tomorrow Is Yesterday, 5600 N. 2nd Street in Loves Park. The plans for this day was made months in advance and many members of STARFLEET from across Region 12 were scheduled to attend to help the crew of the Black Hawk in this effort. Because of the events in New York City and Washington, consideration was given to canceling the event. The R12 Recruiting Team cancelled their participation because of this as did others who had committed to assist. Despite the lack of help from outside the Rockford area, the Executive Committee of the USS Black Hawk decided to go on with the event, citing US President George W. Bush's call to carry on as best we can. Second Officer Janie Wilson-Cook summed it up by saying that "if we don't hold the event, the b*****ds (meaning the terrorists) would win!" The other members of the Executive Committee agreed with this assessment wholeheartedly!

The Recruiting Day began at 10:00 AM with the Fleet Captain and his daughter, LTjg Emily Higdon, setting up the booth and handling questions as they came. They were later joined by Commander Frank Waxman, complete with a Klingon headpiece, and the newly appointed Security Officer, Nick Milano, who also brought newly recruited members from the city of Niles, a suburb of Chicago. Second Officer Janie Wilson-Cook, along with her son, Engineering Cadet Patrick Cook, joined the proceeding later, bring a TV-VCR and several of Star Trek Movies. All together there were three people who signed up for our e-mailing list.

Because of a stated interest by some potential members who visited the recruiting table, the Fleet Captain re-activated the 263rd Marine Strike Group aboard the Black Hawk. Designating it a 'reserve' unit of the STARFLEET Marine Corps, it's MOS is Special Operations. Brigadier Higdon serves as Officer-in-Charge and Colonel (r) Chris Higdon serves as the DOIC.

Also because of their participation in the recruiting day, all member of the USS Black Hawk who attended and participated were recommended for the Region 12 Commendation Awards. Although the Regional Coordinator at the time announced that the awards were approved, the awards were never received by those crew members.

An emergency communiqué was received by the commanding officer of the USS Andromeda, a Starfleet Command affiliate chapter, out of Madison, Wisconsin. The Andromeda heads the effort to hold a local convention, MadCon, formerly the Madison Sci-Fi Writers convention. A flu epidemic had hit the organizers and those who were to assist and they needed bodies. The Andromeda captain, Commander George Krivkovich, contacted each member individually by e-mail, explaining the extra ordinary situation, on which the Fleet Captain approved and asked not only members of the Black Hawk for help, but also other Sector Illinois members to help. However only the Fleet Captain (as Brigadier Higdon) traveled to Madison on Friday, October 26, 2001, to assist and to inquire on what the Black Hawk can do to assist, seeing that we are only 50 miles away from Madison. Because of this, Brigadier Higdon received serveral awards from the STARFLEET Marine Corps.

Word was received that the USS Black Hawk was among five chapters nominated for 2002 Ship of the Year for Region 12. The other four were the USS A.M. Valsalva, the USS BortaS, the USS Atlas and the USS Thunderbird. The award was announced during the 15th Annual Region 12 Summit held in Oklahoma City, May 16-18. The Black Hawk won the Ship of the Year Award and Gunnery Sergeant Glenn Hicks won Enlisted Person of the Year. The excitement aboard our humble chapter was heightened when a trophies awarded to the 2002 Region 12 Ship of the Year and the 2002 Enlisted Person of the Year arrived at the CO's home in early September. The trophies were photographed and the 2002 Enlisted Person's trophy was then sent off to the newly promoted First Sergeant Hicks.

Because of this honor bestowed by the region members to the chapter, the officers and crew of the USS Black Hawk decided to recommend to the STARFLEET Executive Committee, acting as the STARFLEET Promotion Board, that Commodore Higdon be promoted within the association honorary promotion guidelines. On October 26, 2003, Commodore Higdon was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral. With this his SFMC Reserve rank becomes Major General (and he is the "...very model of a modern Major General!"). The promotion was posted in the Dec-Jan 2003-2004 Edition of the STARFLEET Communiqué.

During the month of January, Admiral Higdon was contacted by Fleet Captain John Dubose, formerly commanding officer of the USS Bexar in Texas. After a conversation, Captain Dubose indicated that he had moved to Kansas and was in the process of establish a shuttle in the area. After more discussion Admiral Higdon agreed to allow the Black Hawk act as the sponsor (or mothership) for the shuttle to be located out of Oswego, Kansas. This shuttle, the DragonStrike, would be the first and only shuttle launched by the Black Hawk and would have the registry number of NCC-75004/01 until the chapter's commissioning as a ship-of-the-line. During the 2005 Regional Summit, the Shuttlecraft DragonStrike was formally commissioned as the USS DragonStrike, completing their tour as a chapter-in-training. This was a proud moment for both the newly commissioned crew of the DragonStrike and their mothership.

As plans for the Ninth Anniversary party are underway, the Command Staff of the USS Black Hawk received word from the Region 12 Vice Coordinator, Brigadier Christopher Rossman, that the chapter, under new guidelines established within 2003, was nominated as the 2003 Ship of the Year. However, Admiral Higdon, citing the tradition that the previous year's winner excuse themselves from the award, declined the nomination on behalf of the Officers and Crew of the Black Hawk.

Meanwhile two other members of the Black Hawk were nominated for three Regional Awards. Ensign Patrick Cook was nominated for Cadet of the Year (Captain Christopher Higdon had won the STARFLEET Cadet of the Year in 1996) and Admiral Higdon was nominated for both Officer of the Year and Member of the Year. Although others won the awards, both members were honored to just be nominated.

With the change of the chapter-in-training program from Shuttle Operations to Shakedown Operations, several chapters who were shuttles became ships-of-the-line with the NX suffix instead of NCC, which they would be granted upon the completion of their training. Also their COs would only hold the rank of Commander however would be allowed to be address as 'Captain'.

Vessels named 'Black Hawk'

captshiloh — Wed, 14 May 2008 14:21:49 CDT

The following is a listing of vessels, naval and space, name BLACK HAWK, named after the Saux-Fox War Chief, also known by his native name Makataimeshekiakiak. Not included is the Centauri Vessel Makataimeshekiakiak, which is named after a historical personality of Alpha Centari II. Any vessels before the EY2007 are factual and verifiable. After vessels named BLACK HAWK after EY2007, (or the history therein) are either taken from non-canon sources or are created to allow a timeline for the Black Hawk Fan Fiction project that writer may take information from.

USS Black Hawk, Tinclad Class Monitor

US Navy 1861-1865

Originally named the New Uncle Sam, was a part of the Union's Mississippi River Flotilla during US Civil War (circa 1861-1865), participated in the Vicksburg Campaign. She was the flagship under Admirals David Porter and S.P. Lee. Also participated in various activities until an accidental fire destroyed her on April 22, 1865 near Cairo, Illinois

USS Black Hawk, Passenger Carrier

US Army (1914-1921) 1917-1918

Formerly the Rhaetia, a Passenger cruise liner which flew the flag of Germany, it was seized during World War I in 1916 and renamed the USS Black Hawk. Renamed the Black Arrow in 1917 (prior to the commissioning of AD-9 Black Hawk) and transferred to the authority of US Shipping Board. Chartered by the American Line in 1918 and scrapped in 1927.

USS Black Hawk, AD-9, Destroyer Tender

US Navy, 1918-1946

Served 20 years in the Far East and in two world wars. Initially served as a floating base, serving as the flagship of the Mine Flotilla, then until the advent of World War II, as flagship of the Atlantic Fleet Destroyers-in-reserve. Was converted into a Destroyer Tender, initially as the Flagship of the Destroyer Flotilla of the Atlantic Fleet. Transferred to the Far East to tender destroyers. On Dec. 7, 1941was in Borneo at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack. Later serve in Australian and Alaskan waters. Earned one battle star during W.W.II.

USS Black Hawk, MCH-58, Mine Hunter Destroyer

US Navy 1995-2255

A US Navy Reserve Ship attached to the Aircraft Carrier USS John F. Kennedy Battle Group. In early stages it served as a training facility and a reservist ship. In the late-20th to mid-21st Century the it served during the War Against Terrorism, the Iraqi War, Eugenic Wars and later, World War.

USS Black Hawk, NCC-158, Dadleus Class Starship

UESPA Starfleet, UFP Starfleet 2132-2165

Was originally a vessel of the United Earth Starfleet. Initially designated 'SS Black Hawk'; took part in the initial phases of the Earth-Romulan War; Later transferred to UFP in 2261, designated a United Star Ship (USS). Retired from service with distinction. Now resides at the Inome Prime Fleet Museum.

USS Black Hawk, NCC-1058, Baton Rouge (II) Class

UFP Starfleet 2228-2275

The first starship to be built at the new orbital dry-dock A-01 of the San Francisco Fleet Yards, Earth and the last of her class, the Black Hawk was one of the first true exploratory starships equipped with one of the first multiple transporters and tricorders. Uprated in 2266 as an experimental platform to test design constructions to be used on the soon to be uprated Constitution II Class in 2269. Decommissioned ten years later now resides at the Inoma Prime Fleet Museum.

USS Black Hawk, NCC-1832, Miranda Class Starship

UFP Starfleet 2299

Ship destroyed on Stardate 11731.43 in defense of of the Chritation VI colony due to a mistake attributed to a Starfleet Admiral in charge of the area. Was not previously included since records of it's existence was classified due to a cover-up of the incident recently discovered. For this reason this starship was not included on the original list of vessels on the dedication plaque.

USS Black Hawk, NCC-50493, Cheyenne Class Starship

UFP Starfleet 2343-2373

The USS Black Hawk was instrumental in several diplomatic break through via the old style "Gunboat Diplomacy' used by various her COs. In 2357 the Black Hawk took part in rescue operations after the Battle of Resnia V, in which Cardassians had raided and attempted to destroy a colony of Federation citizens. Refitted several times, the last in 2370, the Black Hawk was destroyed near Omega Zeta V in an early engagement at the beginning of the Dominion War

USS Black Hawk, NCC-74683, Intrepid Class Starship

UFP Starfleet 2277-2279 2279-Present (USS Trier, NCC-74982)

Constructed at the Utopia Planetia Fleet Yards, Mars. Assigned as flagship to the Commanding Admiral of Starbase Rockford on the Cha'ouw-UFP boarder as part of the 3rd Federation Alliance Fleet. Saw action within the Cha'ouw Empire as part of support of Federation and Imperial interests. The registry number which had been assigned to the late USS Shiloh was mistakenly assigned to the Black Hawk and was only discovered after it's delivery to it's new crew, a majority who had served on the late Shiloh. It was decided to allow the Black Hawk to keep the registry to honor of that crew and the late Starship Shiloh. On Stardate 55582.97 Starfleet decided to reverse it's decision and the Black Hawk was recalled to earth for a major refit, with a name change to the USS Trier, NCC-74982.

USS Black Hawk, NCC-75004, Sovereign (II) Class Starship

UFP Starfleet 2279-Present

Constructed at the San Francisco Naval Yards, Henderson Space Platform and commissioned in early 2377 as the USS Britannica. Her shakedown cruise was under the command of Captain Gregory Westlake and she would later be commanded by Captain Phillip Philbee. On Stardate 55579.88, Starfleet Command decided that the need for a 'Ship of the Line' in the Illinois Sector, due to the close proximity of the Cha'ouw Empire, Klingon Empire, Romulan Empire, the Tolians, Cardassian Union and Bajor. Historically, major engagements and battles had happened in the area in which STARBASE Rockford was part of which both the Cha'ouw Empire and the Federation wanted to avoid by the placing of the starbase at this lovcation, exactly on the boarder of the Federation and Cha'ouw Empire. The Britannica was transferred to become the flagship of Starbase Rockford. In an unprecedented move by Starfleet Command, the name was changed to Black Hawk after the starbase commander's former command was recalled to Earth. Since the assignment of the Black Hawk she has been refitted four times in t the starbase construction facilities and has distinguished itself on more than one occasion. In 2282 the Black Hawk under went a major refit to add TransWarp Capabilities in order for it to transmit through TransWarp Conduits when needed. This was done by adding the newly developed Warp Sled attachment which was attached to the primary hull over the main shuttle bay behind the bridge. This gave the Primary Hull warp capability in the event of saucer separation.