The USS Cortéz was a Federation starship in service during the Dominion War in the 2370s under the command of Captain Quinton Swafford, a friend of Benjamin Sisko.
The ship carried a crew of approximately 400 persons. The Cortéz was part of the assault force that fought to retake Deep Space 9 in Operation Return. (DS9: "Sacrifice of Angels")
Later that year, the Cortéz was reported missing and presumed destroyed by the Jem'Hadar. (DS9: "Far Beyond the Stars")
Background
The Star Fleet Technical Manual by Franz Joseph featured a listing of a Saladin-class Cortéz with the registry NCC-536 (It was of the Cochise-subclass). The ship was a MK-VIIIB destroyer authorized for appropriation on stardate 4699. While this manual was once considered canon by the producers, it is now mostly apocryphal, save for a few canonically mentioned bits. The FASA role playing game lists mention another Cortéz, a Larson-class VII destroyer, with the registry NCC-4383, but most data from the game conflicts with filmed sources and is disregarded.