Originally commissioned in 2158 CE, construction of the Ypres was delayed for several years when a costly lawsuit drove Yangtzee Shipbuilding, which originally held the contract for the ship's contruction, into bankruptcy, thus forcing the Alliance Navy to find a new contractor. By the time construction was completed, several of the ship's internal components were outdated, and thus the Ypres was relegated primarily to exploration and search-and-rescue operations.