When to use a definite article in the name of a ship
Solution 1:
Wikipedia's naming convention suggests that the definite article be omitted. The AP Stylebook manages to be internally inconsistent on this question! Moreover Wiki's list of Starfleet vessels ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Starfleet_starships_ordered_by_class ) also manages to achieve both internal inconsistence and, thus, intermittent compliance with Wiki's own naming convention. I suppose it is a question of style. My opinion, do whatever sounds best to you.