The main area of operations for a TSN ship is the bridge. Most bridges follow a common design specification. All bridges are fairly compact in their design, accommodating a small number of officers at any one time. All bridges have the five main consoles and a captain’s chair. Each console is manned by an officer. When an officer is resting, the console may be left empty, or may be covered by a specialist if required.
To the front of the bridge is a large viewscreen. The central part of the display is dedicated to the main viewscreen, which can be set to display different information about the ship, including external views, long range sensor (LRS) data, internal ship data and tactical displays. In the margins, above and below the central viewscreen are several smaller areas that display additional data such as external sensor readings, coordinates data, ship date and times etc.
Directly in front of the viewscreen is a lower deck area, where a console is located that stretches almost the full width of the bridge. This is the tactical and helm console. A central column extends from the console, dividing the console itself into two distinct work areas, with the tactical console being situated on the left side and the helm situated to the right as viewed from the captain’s chair (located behind the positions). The helm officer and tactical officer’s seats are slightly reclined to afford a comfortable view of the main viewscreen, as well as to provide an unobstructed view for the officers located behind them.
Directly behind the lower deck, is the main deck of the bridge. It is reached by two steps, located to the left and right of the helm and tactical seats. On the main deck, the captain’s chair is located slightly to the left of the centre line of the bridge, behind the tactical console. Next to the captain’s chair, to the right, is a second chair with a console that extends from the deck. This traditionally is the the science officer’s console, however is often occupied by the captain’s Executive officer. On the left and right walls of the bridge are consoles for the communications and engineering officers. The left is traditional communications console, whereas the right is traditionally the engineering console. The console includes monitors angled toward the bulkhead, but extending out on to a small console work area so that the officers occupying those positions are able to see the main viewscreen if required, and are able to communicate more easily with others on the bridge.