Federation Starships

With the exception of the Indefatiguable, the Keltoi , the Meredith, the The Rosenanté and the Spectre class, most of the starship specifications linked to below were originally created for the online RPG Star Trek: A Call to Duty. To see the original version, as well as specifications for other starships, please visit their website here[1]

Akira Class

With six new vessels being turned out a year since 2355, the pride of the Fleet is the Akira Class Heavy Cruiser. New vessels off the line sport a forty attack craft in its through deck hangar as well as fifteen torpedo tubes, making the Akira Class the most lethal fighting vessel ever to serve in the Federation, more so than even the Prometheus Class Tactical Assault Cruiser and the new Defiant Class Escort vessels. Fast, maneuverable, and sturdy, sixteen of these ships alone were lost to the Dominion War. Presently, one hundred and five are serving throughout Federation Space, and no end is presently scheduled in the production life of the Akira Class.

Ambassador Class

The Ambassador Class series began construction in 2315, fifteen years before the Excelsior Class contract expired. They were originally intended to replace the Excelsior as the foremost Explorer Type vessel. Forty two vessels were built as Explorers, including the flagship USS Enterprise-C. However, when the First Cardassian War broke out in 2347, the Class was reclassified as a Heavy Cruiser, equipped with additional tactical systems, and structurally upgraded to counter the Cardassian Threat with eighteen ships built to the new specifications. At the end of the recent Dominion War, forty-nine Ambassador Class starships are still on operational status.

In 2344, the Enterprise responded to a distress call from the Klingon outpost on Narendra III, which was under attack by the Romulans. When the Enterprise arrived at the outpost, she was engaged by four Romulan Warbirds. Few details are known about the actual battle. What is known, however, is that the Enterprise was destroyed with the presumed loss of all hands.

In the aftermath of the battle, the Klingons were deeply impressed by the act of self-sacrifice by a Starfleet crew to protect a Klingon outpost, and the Enterprise-C's ultimate legacy was reinforcing the relations between the Klingon Empire and the United Federation of Planets, leading to a close alliance of peace.

It was later revealed by Sela (Tasha Yar's Daughter) that the Romulans took a number of the ship's crew prisoner. It was also learned, that during the battle, the Enterprise was transported to 2366, twenty-two years into the future, by a temporal rift. The disappearance of the Enterprise from the battle into the rift was said to have created an alternate timeline. In this alternate timeline, the outpost at Narendra III had been completely destroyed, and a state of war existed between the Klingon Empire and the Federation.

Sela's account of events, learned from Tasha and explained to Captain Picard were this; The Enterprise-C emerged from the rift in 2366, the Enterprise encountered the USS Enterprise-D. The Enterprise-C had depleted their weapons systems, suffered severe damage to her warp nacelles and external hull, with 125 crew members surviving, and the Enterprise-D assisted in repairs. Both ships soon came under attack from the Klingons, and Captain Garrett was subsequently killed. The last surviving senior officer of the Enterprise-C, Lt. Richard Castillo, assumed command of the ship and, under the cover of the Enterprise-D, took her, with one crew member from the Enterprise-D, Tasha Yar at tactical, back into the rift to return to 2344 and the battle of Narendra III to restore the timeline.

Sela also stated that, during this alternate time line, Lieutenant Natasha Yar had not died and was still the tactical officer for the USS Enterprise-D. As a result of a consultation with Guinan, she learned of her own death and requested a transfer to the Enterprise-C. She returned to the past and was subsequently captured by the Romulan forces. She later gave birth to a half Romulan daughter named Sela.

Natasha Yars temporal incursion resulted in an ontological paradox wherein Sela later captured Captain Picard on a mission to Romulus.

Constellation Class

The Constellation class was fielded during the 2280's as a modern counterpart to the Constitution class. Like the Constitution Class, the Constellation's requirements, issued in 2272, called for a vessel capable of long duration exploratory, scientific and diplomatic missions. The new ship was to be able to perform this role over the longer ranges called for now that the Federation had acquired new members beyond its previous borders. In addition, the Constellations combat capability was to put it ahead of any current or projected vessels in the Romulan and Klingon Empires.

The Constellation's configuration marked a substantial change in Starfleet design practice of the time. During the era, Starfleet had experienced significant problems generating and controlling the large scale structural integrity fields required for heavy cruiser class ships. The solution adopted was to build smaller vessels within one single hull unit, while larger vessels required two hull units fitted with independent SIF's

The Constitution class is a classic example of this philosophy. With the Constellation it was thought that SIF technology had advanced to the point where a Heavy Cruiser class could be fielded within a single hull. This would allow much duplication to be avoided, freeing up space for extra equipment and improving the efficiency of the design. In addition to their unusual hulls, the Constellations employed four warp nacelles instead of the usual two, the first Federation starship to try this variation. It was thought that this would give the Constellation class a significant increase in speed and maneuverability across the warp flight envelope and improve the fuel efficiency at medium cruise speeds by some 15%.

In retrospect, it can be seen that the Constellation designers attempted to accomplish too much in one step. Severe problems were encountered with the development of the new warp core and several vessels experienced a variety of failures with this system.

After a great deal of time and effort it was decided that the warp core of the Constellation class was simply not up to the job of producing the power required. It was learned that the more nacelles required more power, in spite of the speed and acceleration advantages. Starfleet was denied the resources required producing a new design and refitting the fleet, so instead a "stopgap" option was chosen, the power output of these ships was restricted by limiter software in the engineering systems.

Unfortunately while it solved the near constant emergencies, this measure also robbed the Constellation class of some of their most important advances. They were seriously under powered for their size, a factor which adversely affected almost every aspect of their operation. Despite this Starfleet was committed to the production of these ships on a large scale and despite the problems it went ahead as scheduled, and forty-six Constellation class ships were ordered, which was later boosted to an even fifty.

Over the years many attempts were made to rectify the problems with the Constellation class, and eventually some success was achieved. Between 2300 and 2310 six units received a new upgraded warp core which brought them close to their original designed power output. Other units of the fleet received new control software which allowed their power to be safely boosted by some 15% on average. However, by this time the class was some twenty years old and had fallen well behind the leading edge of technology. It was decided that an extensive refit of the Constellations would not be an efficient use of resources, so most of these ships were forced to soldier on with their various problems.

With the advent of newer designs in the 2330's some of these vessels were retired altogether, while others were assigned border patrol duties. In the 2370s, the eighteen remaining in service were finally upgraded, giving them the power they needed. While the class is nearing its 100 birthday, this upgrade has assured that the remaining ships will be active and useful for at least another decade.

The Constellations have had a generally undistinguished career, with some notable exceptions, one being the USS Stargazer. The first vessel commanded by Captain Jean Luc Picard, the Stargazer was the first vessel in Starfleet to perform the "Picard Maneuver" which it used to destroy an attacking craft now known to be a Ferengi Marauder. The Stargazer was heavily damaged in the engagement and was abandoned and believed destroyed. In 2364 the ship was recovered and now resides in the Fleet Museum.

A few Constellation class vessels remain in service today.

Constitution Class

In 2269, the USS Enterprise was selected to be the first ship to undergo such a refit and went into spacedock in Earth orbit for eighteen months of work. Never in Starfleet history (up until that time) had any vessel been so comprehensively updated, essentially a new vessel was built onto the bones of the old, replacing virtually every major system. The Enterprise was rushed out of Spacedock in 2271 to face the threat presented by the entity known as V'Ger, which was destroying everything in its path as it advanced towards Earth. She succeeded in averting the danger and then proceeded with her shakedown cruise.

Once the Enterprise was through with her shakedown cruise, the remaining Constitutions where refitted in quick succession and the Miranda and Akula class ships in service were readied for similar refits. The new ships proved to be more than capable of carrying out their normal exploratory and scientific roles, while in the combat arena they where judged an easy match for the refit Klingon K'T'Inga class.

The Constitutions continued in service, and once again the Enterprise set the standard for the rest of the ships to follow. After her shakedown the ship conducted another five year exploratory mission under Admiral Kirk before being transferred to training duties in 2277 under Captain Spock. She continued in this role for a further eight years, and many of Starfleet’s most successful officers went into space for the first time aboard this ship.

In 2285 the Enterprise suffered heavy battle damage while preventing Khan from stealing the Genesis Device, the ship was to be retired at this point, but Kirk and his officers stole her and took her to Genesis to retrieve Captain Spock's regenerated body from the planet. The Enterprise was attacked and crippled by a Klingon Bird of Prey while at Genesis, and was subsequently destroyed by Admiral Kirk shortly after the Klingon crew boarded to take control.

The USS Yorktown, NCC-1717, was subsequently renamed as the second Starship Enterprise, NCC-1701-A, and assigned to the Captain Kirk. The Yorktown had recently emerged from a major refit and repair following it's encounter with 'the whale probe', and the ship suffered many technical problems, nevertheless, she went on to serve the remainder of her service life with distinction.

In it’s most notable mission the Enterprise-A and the USS Excelsior participated in at the Khitomer conference, as the Enterprise escorted the Klingon Chancellor to the first meeting, assassins beamed over to the Klingon ship and killed the chancellor. Kirk and his chief medical officer where arrested and convicted of this crime, and sentenced to life imprisonment on the penal asteroid of Rura Pente; Kirk promptly escaped and took the Enterprise to the conference at Khitomer, preventing another assassination attempt and saving the peace process.

The Enterprise-A went into retirement shortly after this mission, and she's now a part of the Starfleet Museum. Most of the remaining Constitutions where decommissioned over the following twenty years, as the Excelsior class starships became available in larger numbers. The ten that remained in service received refits to their systems several times over the years to keep pace with current technology.

Two of the class were lost fighting the Borg, one at Wolf 359 and the other in Sector 001 a few years later. In 2335, four of the remaining eight Constitutions’ were mothballed while a second major refit of the class was designed. Of the other four, they were all active at the beginning of the Dominion war. Two are still in operation, including the class leader, the USS Constitution.

Defiant Class

The Defiant is a prototype vessel for the Defiant class warship, originally developed to counter the Borg threat. It is officially designated as an escort vessel to avoid the perception that Starfleet builds warships, as it is primarily a peacekeeping and exploration force. Following the Borg invasion, the United Federation of Planets approved a project committed to enhancing Starfleet's offensive and defensive military capabilities; the Defiant was the end result of that project. According to his statement in the episode "Defiant", Benjamin Sisko was in charge of the shipyard where the Defiant was built and helped design it during his assignment to the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards.

Although it was designed to be fast and highly maneuverable with powerful weaponry, the Defiant was overgunned and overpowered for a vessel of its size. The ship's structural integrity field needed extensive modifications to keep the Defiant from tearing itself apart. The ship was designed specifically for battle, featuring innovative pulse phaser and quantum torpedo armaments, in addition to photon torpedoes, standard phasers and a high-capacity deflector shield system. Another asset is its ablative armor, enabling the ship to sustain multiple hits from enemy weapons even with the shields inoperable with minimal damage.

The subsiding Borg threat and failed systems tests (particularly in regard to the ship's overpowered engines) led the development project to be stalled and the prototype to be mothballed. Following work done at Deep Space Nine, the class would later go into production with at least a half dozen other ships in service by 2374 and onward.

Inside, the Defiant is relatively spartan by Starfleet standards of the time: the ship is not designed to carry family members, has no science labs or holodecks, and has a limited infirmary. Crew quarters consist of two bunk beds and a general computer interface. Individual quarters have food replicators, but the mess hall is a popular place for the crew to eat on missions.

The Defiant is the first Starfleet ship to legally carry a cloaking device. Supplied by the Romulan Star Empire, the cloak is initially operated by a Romulan officer serving aboard the Defiant. An agreement between Starfleet and the Romulans limits the use of the cloak to intelligence-gathering missions in the Gamma Quadrant in exchange for all of Starfleet's intelligence on the Dominion.

The USS Defiant remained at Deep Space nine under the command of Captain Benjamin Sisko, and Worf, to help with the Dominion incursion. In 2373 the Defiant was on on the verge of destruction by the Borg before the USS Enterprise-E arrived and lead the remaining Starfleet vessels in destroying the invading Borg cube. During the battle, the Defiant is under the command of Commander Worf and suffered severe, but repairable, damage.

In 2375, the Breen destroy the USS Defiant during the invasion of the Chin'toka system. The battle marks the first time the Breen use their energy-dampening weapon. During the planning of the invasion of Cardassia Prime some months later, a new Defiant class starship, the USS São Paulo (NCC-75633), is assigned to Deep Space Nine. The Starfleet Chief of Operations granted special dispensation to rename the ship Defiant.

Excelsior Class

The USS Excelsior, NX-2000 (Later changed to NCC-2000, Under Captin Sulu), was the first starship of her class and commissioned as a testbed for new technologies by Starfleet Command, hence the name the "Great Experiment". One of these technologies, transwarp drive, was seen as a possible revolution in starship design, with the potential to open up the entire galaxy to exploratory missions due to vastly increased speed. Sulu (who eventually becomes her Captain), marvels at the ship, however Montgomery Scott dismisses it as a "bucket of bolts". The transwarp drive failed on Excelsior's first mission (the pursuit of the hijacked USS Enterprise, during the Genesis Planet Incident) due to sabotage by Montgomery Scott, who was very briefly appointed chief engineer of the vessel, to his chagrin. The Excelsior Class is one of the most successful in the Federation, serving from 2287 to the present.

The basic Excelsior-class design includes a circular primary hull with a bridge at the center of the dorsal side, a sensor dome at the bottom of the ventral, and impulse engines at the aft end. The saucer is attached to a backward-angled neck extending downward from the aft of the ventral side to the secondary hull, which is roughly tubular with a flat platform on the dorsal side; the hull has a navigational deflector at the bow and a shuttlebay aft. Two warp nacelles are above the secondary hull, slightly above the primary hull, supported by pylons that attach to a bulge on the top of the secondary hull, run to the sides, and go upward from an angle (slightly more than 90°) to the nacelles. A semi-circular cargo bay lies at the bottom of the secondary hull.

The USS Enterprise-B, was an Excelsior-class refit vessel, a variant of the Excelsior model. This variant included two additional impulse engines running aft from the saucer section on both sides of the original impulse system, different warp nacelles, and an enlarged engineering hull along both sides of the deflector dish. The Excelsior class USS Lakota was also of this design.

Freedom Class

Classified as a destroyer the Freedom class starship was only moderately successful in her deployment. The vessel was one of the few federation designs that employed only a single Warp Nacelle. The vessel was used primarily for patrolling shipping lanes within the confines of the United Federation of Planets. During the Borg attack against the invasion at least one Freedom Class starship was involved at the battle of Wolf 359.

The older types of this vessel were the Class I Destroyers, and Class I Scouts; based on the original Constitution Class, with the single warp nacelle in place of a Secondary hull.

Galaxy Class

One of the finest Starships ever designed the Galaxy class was to replace the Ambassador and Oberth-Class starships as the primary instrument of Federation exploration. The Galaxy-Class starship was the first to feature a saucer section which could separate at will and reattach itself without a starbase layover. The Galaxy-Class project was conducted at Utopia Planitia Shipyards, orbiting Mars.

Major component construction of Galaxy-class ships was carried out both in orbit and at ground based facilities.

The Galaxy-class contrasts with previous starships (specifically the Constitution class starship), however, in that the saucer section is considerably wider than it is long (instead of perfectly round); the nacelles pylons are roughly half the height of the ship's neck (instead of the same height); and the entire ship is designed with an emphasis on forward-leaning arcs (instead of a basic geometry of straight and parallel lines). This new design is to coincide with warp-field geometry, to make transition into warp drive not only faster, but more energy efficient, and to read higher speeds than any other starship in the fleet.

The design included two hull sections: a saucer-shaped primary hull, and a detachable secondary hull which housed the ship's primary engines. They could be reversibly separated, and were both equipped with independent flight and combat capabilities. Generally, civilians and non-essential personnel would evacuate to the saucer module, while the senior staff confronted a threat in the battle section, which contained the majority of weapons systems.

The hull of the Galaxy-class was left somewhat customizable; areas such as Deck 8 were designated as unfinished and multi-purpose, in the event that extra space was needed for a specific mission.

The warp core spans twelve decks in the engineering hull. The deuterium tanks are above the core, while antimatter storage pods surrounded the base of the core on Deck 42.

Upgrades to the propulsion systems were tested in 2370 aboard the Enterprise-D; the ship received a new warp core manufactured with interphase technology. A major overhaul of the nacelles was also conducted that year. By the mid 2370s, most Galaxy-class ships began operating with all three impulse engines activated.

The Galaxy-class was equipped with ten phaser banks, distributed in phaser arrays at various points along both hulls. One array was located on the dorsal of the battle section and could only be used following a separation. There were also fore and aft torpedo launchers on the engineering section. Each launch tube was capable of firing at least five photon torpedoes simultaneously, each torpedo capable of being independently targeted. In the 2360s, Galaxy-class ships typically carried about 250 photon torpedoes. The torpedo launchers were also capable of launching probes. The Galaxy-class also supported a high-capacity deflector shield grid. The Enterprise-D received weapons systems upgrades in 2370, including a loadout of higher-yield photon torpedoes and enhanced targeting sensors programmed by Lieutenant Worf. Certain Galaxy-class ships, such as the USS Venture, were refitted with additional phaser strips on the dorsal surfaces of their nacelles by 2372.

Galaxy Class Refit

In the year 2369, Starfleet charged Utopia Planitia Shipyards and Avalon Shipyards to design and/or modify a vessel with both strong exploratory and defensive powers while the Sovereign project was still under development. Avalon began design and construction of what would later be called the Keltoi class of vessels, whereas Utopia Planitia built off of the existing Galaxy class Star frame.

The aging Galaxy class ships were due to be retired as a ship of the line, but the Enterprise-D with its long service history was refitted with modern weaponry, defenses, and engines, at the behest of Admiral Riker. The Galaxy refit classes most prominent feature is the third nacelle on the secondary hull, this along with the improved engine designs allow the ship to reach speeds in excess of warp 13, or warp 9.993 on the mid 24th century scale. The Galaxy Refit class also features a heavy beam cannon on the underside of the saucer section, this cannon is capable of piercing enemy shields and hulls with one blast. Along with the main cannon, sixteen new phaser arrays have been installed on the ship. The class may also have other upgraded system though no information exists on them.

The result was the Galaxy Class "Dreadnaught," a refit version with an upgraded power source, one more warp nacelle for warp stability and serious upgrades to her weapons array. She has the same sensor capability as the standard Galaxy Class, but her weapons and defenses have nearly doubled in power and striking ability.

Prometheus Class

The Prometheus Class ship is a Tri-vector Assault vehicle, it separates into three fully-capable sections while in Vector-Assault mode. All three sections maintain power, supplies and crew for operations of up to 1 year in the event that the other sections are destroyed in combat, and all contain the necessary command functions (bridge, engineering, etc) to retain full autonomy. However, the Saucer Section does not possess Warp capability.

Intrepid Class

The Intrepid Class Starship is designed primarily as a science/scout ship. This class is designed with variable geometry warp nacelles, to eliminate damage to subspace while at warp. Beginning with the Voyager, the Intrepid line was the first to incorporate bio-neural technology into the computer systems. Intrepid-Class ships were also among to first to have and emergency medical holographic programs.

Keltoi Class

The Keltoi class is renowned for its reliability in combat; she is a departure for Starfleet in her design and layout. The USS Keltoi, the prototype of the class, spent several months on the Cardassian border. In a mission to defend a Federation subspace relay, the Captain of the Keltoi, held for several days against several waves of Cardassian ships. Severely damaged in her efforts, the Keltoi was decommissioned, and shortly after, the Keltoi development project was approved.

Niagara Class

The Niagara Class starship is classified as a Cruiser. The vessel is more powerful than some other similarly classed starships, because of her unique 3- nacelle configuration. There do not seem to be many ships of this class in production, although it is known that they have served faithfully both at the battle of Wolf 359 and during the Dominion war. The ship is the only active starfleet design to boast a successful triple nacelle design without sugffering from the usual design difficulties associated with past three nacelle applications.

NX Class

Classified as an Explorer the NX Class was the first Earth Starfleet vessel to possess a Warp Five Engine. It is unknown how many ships of this class were built, but what is clear is that this vessel proved to be a reliable and efficient testbed for new technologies, including transporters, phased energy cannons and warp drive. The NX Class was the first class of starship used by the newly formed United Federation of Planets and was the class of vessel commanded by the First President of the UFP, Johnathan Archer.

Meredith Class

The Meredith Class Starship was conceived to operate as a mobile command centre for Starfleet's top brass, able to lead assaults and act as a Fleet Carrier. This starship class has a formidable defensive capacity as well as firepower and fighter capabilities.

Miranda Class

In the year 2273 a new class of ship entered service in Starfleet. Designed to be a smaller but capable counterpart to the Constitution class, the USS Miranda entered service at the same time its larger cousin was undoing major refit. There was a very high degree of commonality between the two classes, with the nacelles and most of the primary hull being almost identical. The smaller size of these ships was largely accounted for by a lower level of habitability for the crew and a reduction in the number of science labs from fourteen to ten. Moving all of its torpedo tubes to the 'roll bar' above the ship helped keep these reductions to a minimum. Even so the Miranda's were full Explorer type ships, fully capable of conducting long duration research missions. Their considerable armament also made them an important addition to the defense of the Federation.

They continued to act as Explorer class units for the next century, forming the backbone of Starfleet throughout this period. In time however, their relatively low cruising speed combined with the gradually increasing distances they had to cover, caused by the expansion of the Federation, began to wear on the ships. Their relative lack of recreational facilities and the cramped quarters began to lead to a marked drop-off in crew performance, and Starfleet considered retiring the class.

Instead, it was decided to use the Miranda design as the basis for a general purpose vessel for use within the body of the Federation. In some ships, the science labs were removed and replaced with expanded cargo bays and an upgraded weapons system. Some ships had their 'roll bar' removed and were used more for research purposes. The Miranda class was used extensively to patrol the Klingon and Romulan borders, as well as cargo carriers and particularly as colony transport craft. In fleet actions they acted in support of the larger ships, acting as outer pickets to the fleet. Some vessels were refitted as ammunition ships, using their extra cargo space to carry photon torpedo reloads and Phaser components. Others were converted to tankers, carrying supplies of Deuterium and Antimatter. A group of sixty ships was fitted with modern extra sensor pods and used in the electronic intelligence role. Their ability to look after themselves during a battle made them an excellent choice for these roles.

Today the Miranda's operate in a similar capacity, and although they are not front-line combat units in themselves they are still to be seen operating in major fleet actions in support of the modern vessels. Recently several Miranda class vessels have begun to show signs of serious stress fractures in their hulls, investigations are underway with all ships in the class, and although the results are yet to be announced it is thought that the problem is likely due to the age of the hulls. If so, the Miranda class is likely to be forced into retirement sometime over the next few years.

Note: The Miranda class look very similar to the Class I Tug/Tow, with the exception of not having the container latching system at the bottom of the dorsal that connects to a secondary hull. The container becomes the "secondary hull" when attached to the dorsal from the primary hull.

Nebula Class

The Nebula Class was designed with an emphasis on flexibility. This is made possible by the raised equipment pod, which can be easily modified to carry scientific or tactical equipment pallets, or a combination of both configurations. Fifty three vessels were in service as of 2376, and an open ended construction contract is still on the table at the Utopia Yards. Though categorized as an Explorer, the Nebula Class can excel at virtually any task Operations can think of, from limited survey missions to deep strike missions into the Dominion Alliance.

New Orleans Class

The New Orleans class has been the premier Starfleet frigate for nearly four decades. Sporting three outboard equipment modules, this vessel can be quickly and easily adapted to any scientific or military mission the Sector Command deems necessary. This class has the ability to incorporate a total of six torpedo tubes, which can be installed, one forward and one aft in each module.

A wide variety of sensor equipment can also, of course, be installed. One hundred fifty New Orleans class ships have been constructed over a thirty year period, and nearly a hundred of those are still in service. A number of these ships have played pivotal roles in Starfleet history, namely the Rutledge at Setlik III during the Second Cardassian War and also at the Battle of Archanis in 2373. The Kyushu was at Wolf 359 and the Peacekeeper during the Dominion War in 2375.

Norway Class

By the 2350s the Miranda Class was beginning to show its age. In 2357, the Norway Class Development Project was tasked by Operations to produce a vessel with the endurance and flexibility the Miranda's had demonstrated. The Norway Class is now in full production at Spacedock 1's vast orbital construction yard, putting out 15 new vessels per year. As of 2376, there are 105 ships of this class, filling the multi-rolled niche retiring Miranda Class vessels are leaving behind.

Nova Class

This diminutive starship is part of a new family of Starfleet vessels. Aggressively designed, the small ship is known for its durability. The Nova Class is also slowly gaining a reputation for their usefulness in completing extremely successful missions to new areas of space, bringing back detailed data on individual systems or space anomalies to Starfleet. The Nova has a minimal weapons array for its size but its scientific capabilities make it a first rate explorer and science vessel.

Oberth Class

The Oberth class has had a distinguished Starfleet career dating back for over a century. They were a capable platform from which to conduct scientific research and exploration. Oberth's had some crucial advantages, they were easy to construct, maintain, and run. The design was highly modular, the whole vessel was made up of sections of 50, 150, or 300 tons which were simply bolted together, gamma welded, and sealed.

This allowed construction to take place in the smallest of facilities, even those intended to handle craft such as shuttles. The warp drive system, one of the most difficult parts of any starship to fabricate, sacrificed a large degree of speed and acceleration in return for simplicity and reliability. These factors enabled no less than eight Oberth class vessels to be built for the same resources as a single Constitution class starship.

In service the Oberth's were just as easy to run as they were to build. The engineering plant was almost wholly automated, with the engineering section normally going unmanned. The entire engineering crew consisted of two officers, one warrant officer, and four enlisted personnel, less than a tenth of the number for a Constitution.

The exploratory nature of the Oberth class mission meant that they would frequently discover new alien species, but their small size and limited crew numbers meant that they had a very limited diplomatic capability. Although they did occasionally engage in first contact procedures, it was more usual that an Oberth would make an initial assessment without revealing itself before reporting back to Starfleet and allowing larger vessels to make the actual contact.

Over the decades of their service the Oberth's have been produced in and upgraded to over twenty different variations. Early changes are limited to the sensor and laboratory resources, but the later models introduced improved crew facilities such as larger quarters and replicator systems, made possible by reducing crew numbers due to further automation.

In the 2340's all units received new Phaser banks and shielding systems. The Oberth class is now expected to remain in service at least until the beginning of this century.

Olympic Class

The Olympic class stems from a Starfleet requirement issued in 2360 for a new class of medical vessel to replace the aging McCoy class. The new ship was to be an improvement on the McCoy in every respect; it would incorporate a complete Starbase level mobile hospital capable of catering for up to 1,250 patients, compared to the McCoy’s 500. The warp and impulse drives, computer systems, etc. were also to be up to the latest standards.

Starfleet chose the Olympic from several proposals in 2361, and construction began on the first of the class in the same year. The ship was launched in March of 2367, and completed its shakedown successfully in 2368. Series production began at once, and eighteen ships have joined the fleet. The Olympic has proven very successful in service, and is highly popular with its crews.

The early careers of the Olympic Class were relatively uneventful, although the USS Olympic herself rescued several hundred survivors from the immediate aftermath of the battle against the Borg at Wolf 359.

Prometheus Class

This Starship is an experimental long range tactical starship which served as the testbed for the new Multi-Vectored Attack design. In MVA mode, the Prometheus separates into 3 warp-capable sections, each fully armed and attacks their target from multiple vectors. The MVA sequence is fully automated and computer controlled. The Prometheus also was the launch pad of the new EMH Mark II, an upgraded version of the EMH used on earlier starships and had holoemitters on each deck.

Rosenanté Class

The Rosenanté class of Starships entered service in late 2407. Her original design however, was not one of exploration. It was one of espionage. The Long Civil War that raged between the Doenitz Loyalists and the 52nd fleet was beginning to take its toll. Doenitz, frustrated over the lack of reliable intelligence on the Enemy fleet ordered the creation of a new class of vessel. The Chimera Directive outlined the requirements for such a class of ship and the Rosenanté was the culmination of that initiative. Initial production of the Rosenanté class starship began at the Advanced Starship Design Bureau Integration Facility at Utopia Planitia, Mars.

Fate however had another surprise in store for the Rosenanté. Before her construction could be completed, the 52nd fleet launched a daring attack against Sector 001 and defeated the forces of Admiral Doenitz. The Rosenanté was captured before she ever left space dock.

The new ship was reclassified as a Explorer. Her offensive capabilities were sufficient for the tactical roles normally assigned to Heavy Cruisers, and her equipment and support capabilities also sufficient for long-term independent operations in unexplored regions of space.

There were several new and experimental systems installed in this new class of vessel. Among them was a revolutionary new Stealth system, improved sensor arrays, Dual Warp cores, an experimental Spiral Warp drive and several modifications to the computer systems and security systems implemented on the vessel.

Because of her unique modifications to her saucer and engineering hulls , which represents a significant departure from established Starfleet designs, the Rosenanté class starship is easily recognizable. This vessel’s unique hull geometry allows atmospheric re-entry and she is capable of landing on the surface of most planets without danger of structural collapse.

Saber Class

The Saber Class is small, fast, nimble and heavily armed. Some in Starfleet have objected to its class designation, arguing the Saber Class is closer to an Escort Type vessel than a Light Cruiser. In 2347 the Starfleet was reorganized, and the old Destroyer Type vessels were renamed "Escort Type", to satisfy a then-growing trend of pacifism in the Fleet Command structure.

The Saber Class, indeed, fills the role of a Destroyer, or, an Escort. Escort Type vessels in Starfleet are not intended to be multi-role, but have only one true purpose: Defense. However, due to the Saber's design flexibility and status as a multi-role starship, the designation Light Cruiser still remains.

Sovereign Class

The Sovereign-class was introduced during the early 2370s, and was, at the time, the most advanced starship design in the fleet. The Sovereign-class USS Enterprise-E was built at the San Francisco Fleet Yards and was launched from that facility on stardate 49827.5.

Classified as an explorer, the Sovereign-Class is also equipped with some of the most powerful weapons in Starfleet. These ships are rumored to feature the saucer/engineering hull design like the Galaxy-Class which can separate and reconnect the sections. The Sovereign-Class starship also has integrated technology from the Intrepid-Class project, such as bio-neural circuitry and emergency holo systems.

The Sovereign-class starship had several weaponry enhancements over previous starship classes, including quantum torpedoes as well as photon torpedoes, and numerous phaser banks and arrays.

The Sovereign-class employed sixteen phaser arrays at key locations throughout the ship's hull. Seven dorsal phaser arrays were located on the primary hull, one extending around the saucer section, giving it an oval appearance. Six smaller arrays covered the aft dorsal firing arcs and were located along the aft portion of the saucer section, above the main shuttlebay.

Four ventral phaser arrays were located on the primary hull, extending around in nearly a half circle on both the starboard and port ventral sides of the saucer section. A single phaser array was located along the ventral section of the engineering hull, running perpendicular to the hull. During the refit, four were added to the trailing edges of the warp nacelle pylons (one dorsal and one ventral for each pylon).

In her original configuration, the Sovereign-class mounted five torpedo launchers. The "main" launcher was located on the ventral portion of the saucer on a turret and was supplemented by one twin-tube launcher, forward and aft at the bottom of the secondary hull. The refit saw the addition of five more tubes: three on the dorsal saucer section (a single tube facing forward on Deck 3 and a twin-tube launcher facing aft [located above the aft saucer airlock]) as well as two on the secondary hull, both facing aft – one above and one below the secondary hull shuttlebay.

In terms of deck layout, the upper sections of the Sovereign-class starship formed the command section and living areas, while the lower decks housed main engineering and fuel supplies.

As is traditional, deck numbering ascended from top to bottom. At the top of the saucer section was Deck 1, which housed the main bridge. This deck also held the more recent modifications of an observation lounge, a ready room for the ship's captain, and an airlock with attached cabin.

Deck 2 encompassed the first of the many levels of crew quarters, with rooms for the highest-ranking command staff and an officer's mess hall. Decks 3 through 9 featured more officers' quarters, the forward and aft viewing lounges, science labs, the main shuttlebay, conduits for the optical data network, and the vessel's main computer core.

Decks 10 through 14 completed the primary hull of the Sovereign-class starship, and also encompassed forward and aft cargo bays on Decks 10 and 11, and phaser systems on Deck 11. Sensors and the secondary navigational deflector were found on Deck 12.

Deck 13, which was taken up almost entirely by deuterium fuel tanks, marked the real split between the habitable areas and the engineering and ship's storage sections. Main engineering and its related systems – such as the EPS power tabs, the central matter/antimatter reaction chamber, support labs, and the engineering computer core – were spread over Decks 14 through 18.

Deck 14 was largely dedicated to engineering systems, and also featured the lower sensor platform. Decks 15 through 18 comprised the main navigational deflector array and an auxiliary bridge, which was also known as the battle bridge.

Deck 16 also featured the launch and retrieval mechanism for the captain's yacht. The yacht was lowered by a set of gantries until its engines extended to operational position and then it would be free to maneuver.

The computer system on board the Sovereign-class were bio-neural gel pack based. Computer systems were concentrated in two computer cores. The primary core was located directly below the main bridge on Decks 6 through 8. The secondary core was located in the engineering section, adjacent to environmental control, on Decks 15 through 17.

Sovereign-class starships achieved warp flight through two warp nacelles, which housed multiple pairs of warp coils; its maximum speed was warp factor 9.9.

Main engineering contained the controls for the warp and impulse drive systems. Entrance to the primary engineering spaces was provided by two large blast doors, a pair each deck on Decks 15 and 16, that could be closed for internal or external security reasons, as well as in case of emergencies. It was much larger than on previous starship classes and was split into three levels to accommodate the warp core, which spanned several decks.

The majority of controls were situated on the main deck (Deck 16) and an upper level gantry. Arranged around the warp core stack were a number of control consoles that could be reconfigured to emulate all the command controls on the bridge.

The largest work station was the master systems display, which was used to monitor the status of all key systems and could comfortably accommodate four personnel. There were also various wall displays, including a schematic that showed the 'health' of the warp propulsion system.

The deuterium tanks were above the core, while antimatter storage pods surrounded the base of the core. Two large cylindrical tanks were positioned next to the warp core and contained highly dangerous plasma coolant. Two rectangular power transfer conduits fed off from the warp reaction chamber and angle out of main engineering to the port and starboard warp nacelles.

Spectre Class

The Spectre Class starship is primarily designed for exploration, however alternative configurations are available.

Constructed at Earth Station McKinley, using phase cloaking technology originally developed for the ill fated USS Pegasus under the now infamous Captain Erik Pressman, who was imprisoned for betraying the Treaty of Algeron which forbade the Federation from building phase cloaking technology at that time.

Steamrunner Class

The Steamrunner Class began production at the same time the Akira Class did. And, like the Akira Class was to be the next Fleet wide Heavy Cruiser, so was the Steamrunner to be the next Frigate. Its four rapid-fire torpedo tubes replace the need for multiple weapons pods the New Orleans has depended on.

Big, powerful, and down-right ugly, the Steamrunner Class has been in the midst of every major military action in the past three decades. Twenty alone were lost to the Dominion over the course of the War. To date, 162 Steamrunner Class frigates are deployed across the Federation, and ten additional hulls are laid out each year, six at Utopia Planitia, and four at Groomridge.

Soyuz Class

In 2271 the first of the original Miranda Class ships began a complete refit, similar to its larger cousin the Constitution had earlier in the decade. Of the 350 in service, 60 were refit. One, the USS Miranda, was decommissioned and added to the Starfleet Museum and the others were mothballed. The refit was so extensive that Starfleet decided to re-designate the refitted vessels as a new class.

The Soyuz Class continued to act as Explorer class units for the next century, forming the backbone of Starfleet throughout this period. In time however, their relatively low cruising speed combined with the gradually increasing distances they had to cover, caused by the expansion of the Federation, began to wear on the ships. Their relative lack of recreational facilities and the cramped quarters began to lead to a marked drop-off in crew performance, and Starfleet considered retiring the class.

Instead, it was decided to use the Soyuz/Miranda design as the basis for a general purpose vessel for use within the body of the Federation. In some ships, the science labs were removed and replaced with expanded cargo bays and an upgraded weapons array. Some ships had their 'roll bar' removed and were used more for research purposes. The Miranda class was used extensively to patrol the Klingon and Romulan borders, as well as cargo carriers and particularly as colony transport craft.

In fleet actions they acted in support of the larger ships, acting as outer pickets to the fleet. Some vessels were refitted as ammunition ships, using their extra cargo space to carry photon torpedo reloads and Phaser components. Others were converted to tankers, carrying supplies of Deuterium and Antimatter. A group of sixty ships was fitted with modern extra sensor pods and used in the electronic intelligence role. Their ability to look after themselves during a battle made them an excellent choice for these roles.

Today the Soyuz/Miranda's operate in a similar capacity, and although they are not front-line combat units in themselves they are still to be seen operating in major fleet actions in support of the modern vessels. Recently several Soyuz/Miranda class vessels have begun to show signs of serious stress fractures in their hulls, investigations are underway with all ships in the class, and although the results are yet to be announced it is thought that the problem is likely due to the age of the hulls.

If so, the Soyuz/Miranda class is likely to be forced into retirement sometime over the next few years.

Luna Class

The Luna-class starship was designed by Dr. Xin Ra-Havreii, of Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards on Mars, and initially conceived for scientific exploration of the Gamma Quadrant following the discovery of the Bajoran Wormhole. The project was sidelined by the impending threat from the Dominion, then restarted following the end of the Dominion War.

The Luna-class starships arethe top of the line in Starfleet's scientific and exploratory pursuits on behalf of the United Federation of Planets. Each had an average crew of the 350 individuals and was approximately 450 meters long. Their shuttlebays were reminiscent of the old Constitution-class shuttlebays, having a more rounded opening door. They also featured a longer "runway" for shuttles as they entered and exited the ship.

The first production run of Luna-class starships were all named after moons, with first batch named after moons in the Sol system. Although subsequent runs also featured a large number of ships named for moons other names also began to be used as well.

The Luna-class ship features a sensor pod just above the back of the saucer section that can be accessed via turbo lift. It is comprised of at least two decks that has more advanced sensor nets and data collection grids that were better than even the most advanced space telescope employed by the Federation for its time. The sensor pod itself could be manned by up to 8 crewman at a time, and even included a special TOV suit that allowed a person to control and manipulate probes, giving them a "front row seat" to the action as it were.

One of the features of the Luna-class was the highly adaptable life support systems in place throughout the ship, including unprecedented customisation of crew quarters. This allowed the crew roster to include a far greater diversity than most Starfleet vessels, whose life support systems usually mean ships were crewed dominantly by one race only.

Wells Class

The Wells Class was a timeship used by Starfleet in the 29th century to protect the timeline against temporal incursions.It was equipped with temporal transporters, an advancement on transporter technology allowing transport through space and time. The ships also possessed an antiproton beam in addition to phaser arrays.