- For other meanings for Cousteau, see Cousteau.
| Type: | Support craft |
| Length: | 33.53 meters |
A cargo area inside the Cousteau
The Enterprise-E captain's yacht, the Cousteau, was a large auxiliary craft which normally docked on the ventral side of the saucer section, opposite the bridge, and immediately below the saucer torpedo launcher. When connected to the Enterprise, only the bottom side of the yacht was exposed to space; the top of the craft was concealed by the Enterprise and the warp nacelles were folded against the hull. Upon launch, the Cousteau nacelles folded downward and the entire ship dropped away from the Enterprise. At 33.53 meters in length, the Cousteau was much larger than a standard shuttlecraft.
The Cousteau contained a cockpit (with dedication plaque), a small transporter and cargo area, and a docking port which made a direct connection to the Enterprise-E. It was capable of atmospheric flight and landing on a planetary surface. It could also generate tachyon bursts. Only one pilot was needed to fly the craft.
- See also
In 2375, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his senior staff took the Cousteau to the Ba'ku planet as part of a plan to prevent the forced relocation of the Ba'ku by the Son'a. The yacht carried several weapons and transport inhibitors to the surface, which were deployed by the crew in order to keep the Son'a from removing the Ba'ku from the planet. Later, Data used the Cousteau to create a diversion by firing tachyon bursts into Ru'afo's ship's shields, forcing him to reset his shield harmonics and allowing Worf to transport the bridge crew to the Federation holoship. Ru'afo was able to seriously damage the Cousteau before he was transported from his ship. (Star Trek: Insurrection) Template:Enterprise-EShuttles
Background
The Cousteau was designed by John Eaves and named after esteemed 20th century oceanographer Jacques Cousteau. A type 15 shuttlepod from the USS Aries was also named Cousteau.
A deleted scene establishes that the Cousteau disintegrated in the atmosphere of the Ba'ku planet shortly after Data's attack. The yacht was not shown attached to the Enterprise-E at the end of the film, so it is possible the yacht was destroyed.