Located on Deck 3, Main Engineering is the 'Heart' of the Sheffield. Main Engineering is responsible for the operation of all of the power generation and propulsion onboard the starship. If any room were to impress the visitor by it's sheer size, Main Engineering would be it. This room is truly the "Cathedral" of the ship, and the Chief Engineer certainly treats the Matter/Anti-Matter (MAM) Reactor with the same reverence. The MAM reactor is the 'Heart' of the ship, providing the power that allows the Sheffield to break the Warp barrier.

Warp Drive
This is the system that actually warps space, enabling the ship to travel faster than light. The primary fuel source of the warp drive is anti-matter. Matter and anti-matter are mixed in the M/AM reactor producing the necessary power for the system. Due to the transwarp experiments in the last decade, the warp drive system has been upgraded. The new warp engines are more energy efficient and more powerful than the previous designs. The normal cruising speed of Sheffield is warp 7. Maximum rated speed is warp 11. [Author's Note: Speeds given in 'old' warp scale - the 'new' one isn't introduced until 2312].

Refueling
Sheffield normally carries sufficient anti-matter and deuterium for about three years of operation. Refuelling is usually accomplished at a starbase by means of a special purpose tanker. Entire anti-matter containment pods can be loaded through the external cargo bay doors. In emergency a Quantum Charge reversal device may provide additional anti-matter, though this device is very energy inefficient.

Dilithium crystals can now be regenerated, solving the age-old problem of replacing old crystals. Dilithium crystals "tune" the harmonics of the anti-matter reaction, enabling the warp coils in the engines to generate the subspace field which makes warp speed possible.

Impulse Power
Sheffield's sublight propulsion system. Uses fusion reactors powered by deuterium slush. Maximum rated speed 0.25 C.