Canon Facts Backstage Info  Speculation

Notes : The Olympic class stems from a starfleet requirement issued in 2360 for a new class of medical vessel to replace the ageing Nightingale class. The new ship was to improve on the Nightingales in every respect; it would incorporate a complete Starbase level mobile hospital capable of catering for up to 1,000 patients, compared to the Nightingales 560. The warp and impulse drives, computer systems, etc. where also to be up to the latest standards.

Starfleet chose the Olympic from several proposals in 2363, and construction began on the first of the class in the same year. The ship was launched in November of 2365, and completed its shakedown successfully in 2366. Series production began at once, and sixteen ships have now joined the fleet. The Olympic has proved very successful in service, and is highly popular with its crews. Their early careers where relatively uneventful, although the USS Olympic herself rescued several hundred survivors from the immediate aftermath of the battle against the Borg at Wolf 359. With the Dominion war the Olympics have seen a great deal of active service, and have been responsible for saving many hundreds of lives.