Matt Jeffries Intentions / Federation Vessel Hull Numbers

[CuttingEdge100]

Captain Robert April,

I thought most fan sources list the Bonhomme Richard Classes as being higher up in number than the rest of the Constitution Class line?

1712 and up...

 

[Captain Robert April]

I don't count those sources as definitive of anything. I just like the name.

A little John Paul Jones goes a long way.

 

[Praetor]

See, if we just had NCLs and NCDs and such, this wouldn't be as much of an issue.

 

[Captain Robert April]

Well, who says there aren't some Starfleet registries that start off like that? Just because we ain't seen 'em don't mean they ain't there somewhere.

 

[CuttingEdge100]

I don't know why an NCL designation is needed. The Miranda for example is generally referred to as a light-cruiser and still has NCC as a designation.

NCD could be useful

 

[Crazy Eddie]

Well, the letters don't necessarily have to be acronyms (SSN doesn't literally stand for "submersible ship, nuclear" does it?). If you assume the registry numbers denote operator as well as class, "NCC" could be a code prefix for "Federation Starship." The same ship, sold to a civilian contractor or the Vulcan Science Academy, for example, might have its prefix changed to "NCR" or "NGR" or what have you. You might take a clue from this from DS9, "The Siege of AR-558". Apparently this is supposed to be the name of the planet, but one might speculate that "AR" is a Federation prefix for a communications unit where "NAR" would be a communications vessel--a courier ship or similar type--and that "558" was simply a code indication for this particular junction.

Basically, the only registries we see are "NCC" because all the ships that have visible registries are all Starfleet vessels under Federal jurisdiction. I would bet that local starfleets--Andorian and Vulcan ships, for example--probably have different prefixes, standardized under some Federation regulation.

 

[Forbin]

Well, the letters don't necessarily have to be acronyms (SSN doesn't literally stand for "submersible ship, nuclear" does it?).

Far as I know, yes, it does. And SSBN is "Submersible Ship (Ballistic missile) Nuclear."

 

[Chaos Descending]

Well, the letters don't necessarily have to be acronyms (SSN doesn't literally stand for "submersible ship, nuclear" does it?).

Yes it does, literally, but that's merely coincidnce. They could have used any designators they wanted to.

For example, aircraft carriers are designated as "CVN" in which "C" means "aircraft carrier". The "V" part is confusing. Some say that "V" means "multi-role" and some say that "V" means "fixed wing aircraft" as opposed to helicopter carriers like "LPH" type ships. "N" obviously still stands for "Nuclear propulsion".

 

[CuttingEdge100]

Chaos Descending,

I thought CVN stood for
Cruiser (C)
Fixed-Wing Aircraft (V)
Nuclear (N).

 

[Crazy Eddie]

^ You're both wrong. "CG" is a cruiser while "CV" is a carrier, "DD" is a destroyer and FF is a frigate.

Again, these don't seem to be acronyms, the navy just consistently uses two-letter designators for a ship type. The letters don't seem to actually MEAN anything, they're simply designation code. Sort of like SSGN is a "cruise missile submarine" despite the fact that the letter "G" has no real association with cruise missiles other than navy parlance.

 

[Chaos Descending]

Chaos Descending,

I thought CVN stood for
Cruiser (C)
Fixed-Wing Aircraft (V)
Nuclear (N).

No. "C" doesn't stand for "Cruiser" in CVN, since carriers aren't cruisers.

^ You're both wrong.

No, not I.

"CG" is a cruiser

Guided Missile cruiser, not just "cruiser".

while "CV" is a carrier

Specifically a "fixed wing carrier" or "multi-role carrier", depending on which tech pub you read. Possibly both as "CVV" would be too redundant.

"DD" is a destroyer and FF is a frigate.

Yes. And FF specifically means "Fast Frigate".

Again, these don't seem to be acronyms, the navy just consistently uses two-letter designators for a ship type. The letters don't seem to actually MEAN anything, they're simply designation code. Sort of like SSGN is a "cruise missile submarine" despite the fact that the letter "G" has no real association with cruise missiles other than navy parlance.

Other than the fact that, "G" means "Guided Missile", not "Cruise Missile".

 

[Forbin]

The "V" in CV has always meant "heavier than air" AFAIK. It was to differentiate an airplane squadron from a derigible unit in the 1930s, and carried over.

 

[Crazy Eddie]

No, not I.

I think so. The "V" part doesn't indicate multirole at all, it only refers to fixed-wing carrier. CVN, CVA, CVE, CVL are all varieties of aircraft carriers

"DD" is a destroyer and FF is a frigate.

Yes. And FF specifically means "Fast Frigate".[/quote]
No, just "frigate" since "fast frigate" would be redundant (rather like "high velocity speedboat").

Other than the fact that, "G" means "Guided Missile", not "Cruise Missile".

Modern SSGNs are not equipped wit antiship or anti-air missiles and some designs are still defined SSGNs despite the fact that they carry a mix of cruise and ballistic missiles.

Just sayin: they're classification codes, not exactly acronyms. The letters are meant to be easily associated with what they represent, but that's about it.

 

[Chaos Descending]

No, not I.

I think so. The "V" part doesn't indicate multirole at all, it only refers to fixed-wing carrier. CVN, CVA, CVE, CVL are all varieties of aircraft carriers

As I said, it depends on what tech pub you read as to whether the "V" means "fixed wing" or "multi-role".

I wonder how many of the design documents and engineering manuals for the USS Nimitz that you ever had to study to earn your qualifications aboard ship.

I'm just saying, I'm not making up B.S. and talking out of my ass. I didn't forget everything I learned splitting atoms and making steam on an aircraft carrier.

"DD" is a destroyer and FF is a frigate.

Yes. And FF specifically means "Fast Frigate".

No, just "frigate" since "fast frigate" would be redundant (rather like "high velocity speedboat").

I don't know where you're getting your information from, but if you don't know what "Fast Frigate" means, you're probably not getting it from the right source. "Fast Frigate" redundant though it be, is an accepted Naval term.

Other than the fact that, "G" means "Guided Missile", not "Cruise Missile".

Modern SSGNs are not equipped wit antiship or anti-air missiles and some designs are still defined SSGNs despite the fact that they carry a mix of cruise and ballistic missiles.

What does this have to do with the true and provable fact that the "G" designation in SSGN, CG, DDG, and FFG means "GUIDED missles"?

Just sayin: they're classification codes, not exactly acronyms. The letters are meant to be easily associated with what they represent, but that's about it.

That's mostly true, but the ones that ARE acronyms actually are, in fact, acronyms.

 

[CuttingEdge100]

Chaos Descending,

You worked in the Reactor Department?

 

[Chaos Descending]

Chaos Descending,

You worked in the Reactor Department?

I did indeed. RE Division (Reactor Electrical).

 

[Vance]

Sounds like Alpha is referring to Star Fleet Battles, which isn't entirely accurate for all these types.

 

[Crazy Eddie]

I'm just saying, I'm not making up B.S. and talking out of my ass. I didn't forget everything I learned splitting atoms and making steam on an aircraft carrier.

Not sayin that either, just that you obviously forgot what the "V" means in "CVN." I'm suggesting that, as far as I know, it doesn't literally mean anything, it's just identification code to indicate "fixed wing carrier"

I don't know where you're getting your information from, but if you don't know what "Fast Frigate" means, you're probably not getting it from the right source. "Fast Frigate" redundant though it be, is an accepted Naval term.

To be sure, it's an OLD Naval term, one that hasn't been in use since the 70s and even wasn't in widespread use.

What does this have to do with the true and provable fact that the "G" designation in SSGN, CG, DDG, and FFG means "GUIDED missles"?

Because for some reason it doesn't apply to ballistic missiles, not even short range theatre ballistic missiles. It didn't used to apply to the Russian Oscars either when the specs of its missile systems weren't well known. If we split hairs between guidance systems and flight profiles, the difference isn't particularly large, but that should be obvious considering how easily SSBNs can be converted to an SSGN configurations.

Now, if in twenty years someone develops a working acoustic weapon, you'd need a new designation for that; SSN might still be applicable, but if the Navy wants to designate a ship specifically designed to attack targets using ultrasound weapons it might use something like SSUN or SSAN, picking a letter that people might associate with "ultrasound" or "acoustic" weaponry. If all letters are taken, it might just as well pick something like SSEN or something.

 

[Crazy Eddie]

Sounds like Alpha is referring to Star Fleet Battles, which isn't entirely accurate for all these types.

Never played it, actually.

 

[Captain Robert April]

The C stands for "cruiser", but you never see it by itself; you also have to describe what type of cruiser, so there's always a second designator.

In the case of aircraft carriers, the V is for "aViation", probably since "A" was already taken for "attack" or "assault" or something else that starts with A. Nobody was specifying "fixed wing" anything, since the first aircraft carrier dates back to only a few years after the Wright Brothers had their triumph at Kitty Hawk (and nobody to my knowledge was launching balloons from ships).

As a mater of fact, the Enterprise's original designation was CVAN-65, probably to differentiate her from an escort carrier. I guess at some point, somebody figured that the A was superfluous and they shortened it to just CVN-65.