Drop Bay

A drop bay is a specialized area of a ship designed to provide Marines with a quick egress for their auxiliary craft, such as fighters and hoppers. They are found only on dedicated Marine transport/planetary assault ships, or larger Starfleet vessels---such as the Excalibur and Century class---that carry large contingents of Marines and can support their operations for an extended period of time. Typically, drop bays are located on the ventral side of a ship.

Drop bays, like typical Shuttlebays, have dedicated tractor beams to assist in recovery of launched craft. They can be readily adapted to act as large cargo holds, evacuation centers, or training facilities if the need should arise.

Drop bays on Romulan ships house a dozen or more Derrikan drop pods.