A small Starfleet science vessel class with a disc-shaped hull and no secondary hull, serving from the 23rd century into the 24th.
The Oberth-class is a small Starfleet science vessel. It has a disc-shaped primary hull joined to its warp nacelles by a pylon, with a separate lower section hung beneath, and no conventional secondary hull. Ships of the class carry small crews and are used for survey, research and transport missions rather than combat.
The USS Grissom was an Oberth ship surveying the Genesis Planet in 2285 when it was destroyed by a Klingon Bird-of-Prey commanded by Kruge. In the 24th century, the USS Pegasus secretly tested an illegal phasing cloak, and other Oberth ships such as the Tsiolkovsky, whose crew died after contracting a strange infection, and the Vico appeared in The Next Generation. Oberth ships also appear in the background of many later fleet scenes.
The Oberth-class is a common sight across Star Trek, and its simple, distinctive shape made it easy to spot. Its long service from the films to the 24th century shows Starfleet's reliance on small science ships for exploration and research.