Oberth

The original Federation science ship, the Oberth is largely incapable of anything but science and relatively fragile. Its small size made it impossible to refit as well. These drawbacks contributed to low production and eventually the development of the Kepler to replace them. Despite this, their small size and lack of apparent threat means they are easily overlooked, making them surprisingly good at intelligence work. While superceded by the Kepler-class, it is unclear if the Oberths will actually be retired or handed over to Starfleet Intelligence to serve in the role of intelligence-gathering assets.