The USS Grissom was an Oberth Class Federation science vessel, commanded by Captain J.T. Esteban, and seen in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Registration number NCC-638 The USS Grissom (NCC-638), an Oberth class starship. ... Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (Paramount Pictures, 1984; see also 1984 in film) is the third feature film based on the popular Star Trek science fiction television series. ...

The Grissom was assigned, with Dr. David Marcus and Lt. Saavik, to investigate the Genesis Planet, initially limiting itself to orbital scans. However, upon noticing that a lifeform was present by the torpedo that Captain Spock had been buried in, Marcus and Saavik beamed down to the surface. Just after the two found the young version of Spock, a Klingon Bird of Prey, commanded by Captain Kruge, attacked the orbiting Starship. Kruge had ordered his gunner to disable the Grissom (Kruge (in Klingon): "Target engines only."), so as to capture and interrogate its crew. However, the gunner ignored Kruge's orders, and fired a shot which destroyed the ship outright. There were no survivors, other than Marcus and Saavik. The Klingon gunner was also executed by Kruge for disobeying orders. (Kruge (In Klingon): "I wanted prisoners!") Lieutenant Saavik is a fictional character in the Star Trek universe. ... This article or section should include material from Project Genesis, eliminating duplication and integrating references. ... The name Spock can refer to: Mr. ... Klingons (tlhIngan in the Klingon language) are a race of humanoids in the fictional Star Trek universe. ... In the feature fiim Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Kruge was a Klingon commander with a grudge against James T. Kirk. ...

A later, Excelsior class ship USS Grissom is featured in Peter David's New Frontier/Captain's Table book Once Burned. It was commanded by Capt. Norman Kenyon, with Mackenzie Calhoun as first officer.

Notes

• The ship was named after American Astronaut Gus Grissom.
• The Grissom's appearance marks the first appearance of the Oberth Class ship.
• While most Federation starships have some scientific capacity, the Grissom marks the first appearance of a pure science vessel.