how many ship class does Starfleet need?
- Thread starter Wingcommanderdarkwolf01
- Start date
There are several dedicated scout vessels in non-canon sources, with what might be considered variants of the Oberth since that class name wasn't established until TNG. FASA had the USS Grissom as a Gagarin class vessel and the USS Tsiolkovsky as an uprated Sagan class variant. Since there is practically no physical change in appearance, only improved internal systems, I personally have no issue counting such subclasses/variants in my own head canon. Same with treating Miranda as a TNG-specific variant name and using names from older sources (like Avenger class) as part of a chronology.
YMMV of course.
That's generally how I feel about the Constitution-class and the Sombra-class in SNW. On the outside, the designs are identical, but their capabilities and/or mission profiles may be different.
I also think one additional benefit is Starfleet (and other powers) gaining a degree of flexibility in their designs with variants sharing similar outward appearances, with a potential enemy finding it difficult to tell which model they're actually dealing with. FASA had the Reliant class being a cruiser and a refit of the older Anton class vessels, while Ships of the Starfleet had the Avenger and its variants being evolutions of the TOS Surya and Coventry classes (which lack the rollbar but are otherwise similar to the standard Reliant build in many ways).
I could see Starfleet adopting both avenues and using vessels in both roles, and I think the "deceptive" aspect could be beneficial since many of the frigates in those series (along with Jackill's) are more geared for tactical options as well as exploration, and I like to think of them as being a cross between cruisers and destroyers. A frigate, especially if it's with another ship, could be a potentially dangerous enemy if you're flying a destroyer or a smaller vessel.
I could see Starfleet adopting both avenues and using vessels in both roles, and I think the "deceptive" aspect could be beneficial since many of the frigates in those series (along with Jackill's) are more geared for tactical options as well as exploration, and I like to think of them as being a cross between cruisers and destroyers. A frigate, especially if it's with another ship, could be a potentially dangerous enemy if you're flying a destroyer or a smaller vessel.
As I understand it, the purpose of a frigate is actually that: to be light, fast, and support another vessel.
I think the part that makes the poster's question hard to answer is that the word "class" has two meanings.
1. There is what I will call "class-as-name," where an exact design and similar vessels are used. A good example would be the "Galaxy Class," where all the ships look very similar and all look like the 1701D, with only a little variation.
2. There is what I could call "class-as-purpose," that is, the word class refers to what the vessel does, like "cargo carrier" or "surveyor."
I think that Starfleet really does only need the 6 "classes" (meaning class-as-purpose) that Sternbach identified, but that various "classes" (meaning class-as-name) filled those roles over time.
1. Explorer (really a peactime name for battleship), new class for TNG-era
2. Cruiser
3. Cargo Carrier
4. Tanker (possibly could be the same "class-as-name" as the cargo carriers)
5. Surveyor-takes a closer look at explored territory
6. Scout-maps unseen areas but does not necessarily land there often.
If we go by series creator & showrunner Mike McMahan, it's a support ship. California-class vessels with red stripes carry out diplomatic & coordination support missions; blue-striped ones do medical & scientific support stuff; and yellow-striped ones like the Cerritos primarily do engineering & follow-up support operations.
@C.E. Evans: I therefore suspect that division-colour practice is extended to front-line ships - or was - during Pike's tenure as Enterprise captain, going by the depiction of the Peregrine.
If we go with the idea that the Peregrine was a support vessel rather than a frontline one like the Enterprise, yes. Maybe it is indeed the mission type that really distinguishes the Sombra-class from the Constitution-class.
I would like to think the Peregrine was a experimental Kit-Bash that never went any further than that due to "Spare Parts" lying around.
I more or less agree.
A common idea, though IMO given that Explorers are primarily intended to act as a solo patroller -- even during wartime -- it's more closely equivalent of the battlecruiser (During the 22nd and 23rd Centuries, Starfleet "Starships" (the predecessor of the Explorer)) were explicitly equivalent of Klingon battlecruisers. Historically speaking equivalent of the late 19th Century to early 20th Century "armoured cruisers".
Most likely disambiguated from the Explorer by decreased versality and on-the-fly multi-rolling. In modern day, roughly equivalent of the missile cruiser/destroyer type and the late 19th to early 20th Century "protected cruiser" that were often used for various patrol missions in the colonies by Western colonial powers during the period.
I'd say these are probably broadly the same category, certainly likely to have similar manning levels, equipment and deployments.
Again, roughly similar in role. I'd also add in other small primarily single-role specialist vessels like convoy escorts in at that level.
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That makes sense, but I don't see Starfleet accurate using the term "battlecruiser," no matter how accurate. That being said, the Enterprise was called a cruiser or "star cruiser" a few times during TOS, and called a "battlecruiser" by the Kilingons in ST:III. I think the Klingons were just using their own terminology (translated by the movie, lol); I do not think that ST:III was meaning to imply that the refit Enterprise was in fact called a "battlecruiser" by the Federation.
It is interesting that if we do the following:
1. combine the cargo carrier and tanker into one "class-as-purpose"
2. combine the scout and surveyor into one "class-as-purpose"
2a. assume that the destroyer and scout from the FJSFTM are similar enough to be almost interchangable
3. assume that Explorer is a new type of class to the TNG era
We get the 3 classes shown in the FJSTM:
1. Cruiser
2. Transport/Tug
3. Scout/Destroyer
Since the FJSFTM uses several class names of destroyers, scouts, transports, and cruisers, but only shows diagrams for three types of ships, we also could suppose that some of of those classes look at least as alike as a Constitution and a Constituion-refit.
(However, there are really five types of ships because the destroyers and scouts are separate, and there is a planned, but not yet released, Dreadnought type of ship. Perhaps Explorers were made in more numbers than Dreadnoughts when the ships were really built.)
I always took the TNG Technical Manual's designation of "surveyor" as being the proper designation for a science vessel, with fully-staffed laboratories for long-term planetary and stellar research. In comparison, a "scout" was for more general short-term reconnaissance & border patrol missions, especially at the outer reaches of Federation space. While both surveyors and scouts can perform intelligence-gathering and data analysis missions, surveyors tend to be more science-oriented and can be deployed to study a specific planet or star system for weeks, if not months, IMO.
As far as "explorer," I viewed that as a largely TNG-era term for a ship that investigates and deals with the unknown, regardless if it's in totally uncharted space or in Earth's immediate backyard.
As far as "explorer," I viewed that as a largely TNG-era term for a ship that investigates and deals with the unknown, regardless if it's in totally uncharted space or in Earth's immediate backyard.
I was watching some interesting videos on Spacedock the other night in regards to ship designs and lineages.
For my own personal sci-fi head canon, this is the broad category system I've come to enjoy over the years:
Dreadnoughts
Generally the most powerful tactical designs, usually the smallest in production numbers but very powerful. For Trek purposes, I don't mind Starfleet having a small number of dedicated tactical classes, and I think the build ratios I've seen in many offscreen sources (10-20 dreadnoughts max in a given class, versus two to three times that number of line ships like cruisers) is fairly reasonable.
Battleships
Not always as much raw firepower as a dreadnought, but potentially stronger than a battlecruiser (which likely has more emphasis on speed than offense), battleships occupy a similar tier. Possibly a somewhat larger build ratio, depending on who operates them and what the fleet needs.
I think one benefit for both battleships and dreadnoughts is force projection/multiplication. A single dreadnought/battleship/carrier can serve as the same tactical anchor that a squad of smaller designs like frigates or destroyers could accomplish.
Carriers
I've noted over the years that dedicated carriers tend to be less common than other designs, in part because many line vessels in series already carry some small craft and possibly fighters in addition to some series (like Trek) having transporters as well. The main advantage of a carrier would be to create air/space superiority and fire support with their small craft in a tactical situation, and to provide bulk shuttles and other small craft for non-military missions like colonization.
The Protoss carriers in StarCraft have the advantage of their fighters being robotic and easy to build or replace via an internal factory, as the Protoss made heavy use of robotic technology to augment their military in the first game.
Cruisers (heavy, light, fast, command, medical, strike cruisers, battlecruisers)
Cruisers are the main line ships, with some specialization. Battlecruisers and strike cruisers, in this context, are geared more for tactical duties than a heavy or light cruiser and can offer power projection at a cheaper cost than a dreadnought or battleship. They have the flexibility to perform the broadest range of missions and would be useful stepping stones to larger commands.
Frigates (heavy, light, fast, strike frigates escort, medical)
As mentioned before, I like the idea of frigates generally being a sort of cross between cruisers and destroyers, in both design and mission role. They have some of the flexibility of a cruiser and more firepower than a destroyer, making them ideal vessels to support both designs. As with cruisers, service on a frigate could be very useful command training.
Destroyers (heavy, light, fast, escort)
Destroyers are light combatants and first responders generally, relying on speed and surgical strikes over heavy mass and armor. What they can't potentially overpower on their own, they can ideally outrun to sound the alarm.
Corvettes, Gunboats, Monitors, Escorts, Blockade Runners
These kind of fall in a similar range, and I would consider perimeter action ships to fall in this range as well (or to be considered destroyers). I've never really liked the PA classification and feel it could be accomplished by the existing destroyer/corvette types, personally.
Corvettes and gunboats are built for speed and have less weaponry generally than a destroyer. FASA suggested that the monitor was designed specifically to control worlds annexed by the Klingon and Romulan Empires, so only a single design exists in Starfleet. I've also seen other sources were monitors are smaller vessels with a few high powered weapons intended to act as fleet support, not too unlike the historical naval monitors that had a similar design.
Scouts
Scouts include vessels that can operate for military and tactical reconnaissance (like the FJ Hermes, as one example) as well as those dedicated to exploration and scientific missions, like the Oberth. I like to keep them under one broad umbrella.
Transports (tugs, freighters, dropships, etc.)
Another very broad category, pretty much anything that's a dedicated transport would fit here. Shuttlecraft would fall under this category, as would specialized transports like the civilian jumpships in Battletech. They're mostly FTL engine and can't maneuver at sublight speeds, being solely to transport dropships.
Small Craft (fighters, interceptors, bombers)
As mentioned above, many non-carrier designs often have a small tactical compliment, and I've generally treated these as being space superiority units like their modern counterparts. They don't typically attack an enemy vessel unless they have a numerical and tactical advantage, and mainly fight enemy small craft. Some settings like BT do have capital ships mounting fewer weapons designed to target small craft reliably.
For my own personal sci-fi head canon, this is the broad category system I've come to enjoy over the years:
Dreadnoughts
Generally the most powerful tactical designs, usually the smallest in production numbers but very powerful. For Trek purposes, I don't mind Starfleet having a small number of dedicated tactical classes, and I think the build ratios I've seen in many offscreen sources (10-20 dreadnoughts max in a given class, versus two to three times that number of line ships like cruisers) is fairly reasonable.
Battleships
Not always as much raw firepower as a dreadnought, but potentially stronger than a battlecruiser (which likely has more emphasis on speed than offense), battleships occupy a similar tier. Possibly a somewhat larger build ratio, depending on who operates them and what the fleet needs.
I think one benefit for both battleships and dreadnoughts is force projection/multiplication. A single dreadnought/battleship/carrier can serve as the same tactical anchor that a squad of smaller designs like frigates or destroyers could accomplish.
Carriers
I've noted over the years that dedicated carriers tend to be less common than other designs, in part because many line vessels in series already carry some small craft and possibly fighters in addition to some series (like Trek) having transporters as well. The main advantage of a carrier would be to create air/space superiority and fire support with their small craft in a tactical situation, and to provide bulk shuttles and other small craft for non-military missions like colonization.
The Protoss carriers in StarCraft have the advantage of their fighters being robotic and easy to build or replace via an internal factory, as the Protoss made heavy use of robotic technology to augment their military in the first game.
Cruisers (heavy, light, fast, command, medical, strike cruisers, battlecruisers)
Cruisers are the main line ships, with some specialization. Battlecruisers and strike cruisers, in this context, are geared more for tactical duties than a heavy or light cruiser and can offer power projection at a cheaper cost than a dreadnought or battleship. They have the flexibility to perform the broadest range of missions and would be useful stepping stones to larger commands.
Frigates (heavy, light, fast, strike frigates escort, medical)
As mentioned before, I like the idea of frigates generally being a sort of cross between cruisers and destroyers, in both design and mission role. They have some of the flexibility of a cruiser and more firepower than a destroyer, making them ideal vessels to support both designs. As with cruisers, service on a frigate could be very useful command training.
Destroyers (heavy, light, fast, escort)
Destroyers are light combatants and first responders generally, relying on speed and surgical strikes over heavy mass and armor. What they can't potentially overpower on their own, they can ideally outrun to sound the alarm.
Corvettes, Gunboats, Monitors, Escorts, Blockade Runners
These kind of fall in a similar range, and I would consider perimeter action ships to fall in this range as well (or to be considered destroyers). I've never really liked the PA classification and feel it could be accomplished by the existing destroyer/corvette types, personally.
Corvettes and gunboats are built for speed and have less weaponry generally than a destroyer. FASA suggested that the monitor was designed specifically to control worlds annexed by the Klingon and Romulan Empires, so only a single design exists in Starfleet. I've also seen other sources were monitors are smaller vessels with a few high powered weapons intended to act as fleet support, not too unlike the historical naval monitors that had a similar design.
Scouts
Scouts include vessels that can operate for military and tactical reconnaissance (like the FJ Hermes, as one example) as well as those dedicated to exploration and scientific missions, like the Oberth. I like to keep them under one broad umbrella.
Transports (tugs, freighters, dropships, etc.)
Another very broad category, pretty much anything that's a dedicated transport would fit here. Shuttlecraft would fall under this category, as would specialized transports like the civilian jumpships in Battletech. They're mostly FTL engine and can't maneuver at sublight speeds, being solely to transport dropships.
Small Craft (fighters, interceptors, bombers)
As mentioned above, many non-carrier designs often have a small tactical compliment, and I've generally treated these as being space superiority units like their modern counterparts. They don't typically attack an enemy vessel unless they have a numerical and tactical advantage, and mainly fight enemy small craft. Some settings like BT do have capital ships mounting fewer weapons designed to target small craft reliably.
Excelsior was called a battleship by FASA…but wound up being used as Constitution class Heavy Cruisers.
I might put a three nacelle dreadnought below a battleship. Of course SFB had the hypothetical four engine Ares…but I imagine it had less power than Stargazer.
I had this idea that around the TMP era…ship registry numbers got made based on size, rather by age. Oh well.
I might put a three nacelle dreadnought below a battleship. Of course SFB had the hypothetical four engine Ares…but I imagine it had less power than Stargazer.
I had this idea that around the TMP era…ship registry numbers got made based on size, rather by age. Oh well.
As far as vessel typing goes, for my project I drew up the following for use in the post-TNG decades, based on mentioned types:
LINE VESSEL TYPES
LINE VESSEL TYPES
- Explorer
- Unsupported missions of 5-10 years
- Large size for diverse scientific/diplomatic contingent
- Powerful in engine, arms; robust of frame/design
- Wide tech range, variable & modifiable in nature
- First line of advancement
- Lush crew spaces
- Cruiser
- Scaled heavy/medium (simply “cruiser”)/light
- As above for missions, but 2-5 years
- Slightly less in sci/diplo
- More patrol/internal duties, flag showing
- Often follow-on/up from initial explorer
- Heavy/light designations lean toward more explorer or more frigate
- Frigate
- “Junior cruisers”
- Used for internal patrols, border areas, policing
- Often kept in specific area to “make rounds”
- Slightly less in arms/speed than cruiser; plowhorse vs. racehorse
- Capable of 1-3 yr. missions
- Often commanded by CPT or CDR
- 60% tac-oriented
- Occasionally starbase-based
- Destroyer
- Small, swift, power punch; quick strikes & fall back
- Starbase-based; 1-2 yr. deployments
- Patrol, policing; less sci/diplo but mildly possible
- Often cruiser/frigate arms/speed in tiny package
- Often commanded by LCDR or CDR, sometimes CPT
- 80% tac-oriented
- Small crew
- Spartan accommodations
- Corvette
- Midpoint between destroyer & escort
- Multi-role “general purpose” type
- Extremely modifiable; variants often incl. courier, small transport, science ship, surveyor, etc.
- Small crew; Often commanded by LCDR or CDR, sometimes CPT
- Loadout (weapons, sensors, accommodations) depends on role
- Deep space-capable due to overengining
- Escort
- Smaller than destroyer, more heavily armed
- Starbase-based; 9-15 month deployments
- Patrol, policing; extremely limited sci/diplo
- Totally tac-oriented
- Small crew
- Often commanded by LCDR or CDR, rarely CPT
- Often attached directly to starbases
- Spartan accommodations
- Tanker
- Used for fuel transfers (matter/antimatter), consumables, H2O, liquid gases
- Fleet underway replenishment, starbase retankings, colonization/terraforming needs
- Various sizes for tasks
- Generally commanded by LT or LCDR
- Usually slower speeds; some faster for fleet use
- Can be made from downgraded line ship, but not often
- Transport
- Used solely for personnel movement on larger scales
- Larger units used for colonization support & evacuations
- Smaller often make “rounds” on fixed routes
- Most slower; some “fleet transports” for planetary assault ops
- Smaller commanded by LT or LCDR; larger by LCDR, CDR, occasionally CPT
- Can be made from downgraded line ship
- Container Ship
- Used to haul standard bulk containers
- Containers may be bulk cargo, liquids, transport pods
- Can be made from downgraded line ship
- Commanded by LCDR or CDR
- Melds properties of tanker, transport, freighter into one ship
- Cargo Carrier
- Smaller of bulk cargo transports
- Small crew (Deneva had 2-6)
- Mid-level speeds for quick delivery
- Some do routes, some point-to-point
- Commanded by LTs usually; occasionally LCDR
- Capacity of [X] mt
- Can handle time-sensitive deliveries when faster/line ship not available
- Can be made from downgraded line ship
- Freighter
- Larger bulk cargo transport
- Often routes or fleetwork; rarely point-to-point
- Used in colony establishment
- Medium-sized crew (75-100)
- Used for major bulk movement
- Capacity of [Y] mt
- Commanded by LCDR or CDR
- Runabout
- Used for variant missions: courier, small transport, etc.
- No assigned crew
- Attached to starbases & large explorers; some “float” (pickup here, leave at destination)
- Essentially enlarged “executive shuttle”
- Scout
- Small, agile, capable of high speeds
- “Flying sensor array”; used for exploration in peace, intelligence gathering & fleet picket ops in war
- Overpowered due to sensors & speed need
- Not often on long missions; usually starbase-based
- Medium armament
- Tiny crew (5-10 usually); augmented w/ intelligence types at times
- Usually commanded by LT or LCDR
- Science Ship/Surveyor
- Small specialized design
- Minimal armament for self-defense
- Mid-level engines for retreat, quick on-station time
- Small/medium crew size
- “Sensor array on wheels”; crew spaces either science use or living
- Science ship more specialized than surveyor; surveyor more “general science”
- Easily adaptable for other roles/mission needs
- Commanded by LCDR, CDR, or CPT with science background
- Robust shielding
- Heavily compartmented for danger isolation
- Often starbase-based; short mission durations
- Hospital Ship
- High speeds for quick response
- Minimal arms for defense only (except fleet ships)
- High number of transporters; high capacity
- Large shuttle/cargo bays; can be used as triage areas
- Dedicated medical wards, research facilities
- Equipped with special destruct packages to prevent contamination
- Heavily compartmented for danger isolation
- Commanded by CDR or CPT with medical background
- Comfortable crew/patient spaces
- Starbase-based at times
- Battleship
- Dreadnought
- Clipper (this is used for sort of early-era runabout-like ships)
To further extirpate the previous decade’s combat flavor, starship classifications were reorganized in 2295, bringing the vessel typing scheme in line with the new peaceful operational philosophy. Excelsior and Gnax had already been retyped from the blatantly warlike "battleship" to explorer and heavy cruiser, respectively. Further changes included the removal of military-style type modifiers; for a time, it was fashionable to speak of "strike cruisers", "fast attack frigates", "penetration vessels"—all terms that left no doubt as to the primary offensive missions of these ships. Also coming to an end were subclass designations informally used to group ships within a class sharing common design changes that deviated from the original layout. For example, in some publications the Constitution-class heavy cruisers were divided into no less than ten different subclasses, including Constitution, Constitution II, Defiant, Enterprise, Enterprise II, Jiyuan, and Raptor. Each of these had common structural and technological variations, yet there were differences even between the ships within the subclasses. By the time the concept was dropped, it had largely fallen into disuse as equipment and interior diversity had compounded to where individual ships were almost totally distinct from each other.
Dreadnought and Battleship are nearly redundant. If you use both classes you either have started building a revolutionary kind of battleship (such as when the historical HMS Dreadnought was launched in 1906, making previous battleships obsolete), you have size issues (Super Star Destroyer), or you have something very specific that makes the two classes different (like three nacelles with say a spare active warp core running the third one).
Well, my reasoning for that is explained long before that bit in the work, but it starts with a hawkish political party takes control after the 2280 election & moves to have Command be staffed with people who feel as they do (thus our TWOK-era militarism onscreen) so they can fight the Klingons. After that...
In order for the Klingon "threat" to be properly addressed to their liking, the militants required the ability to arm at will, ostensibly to ensure a swift and complete Federation victory in the upcoming inevitable war. Many of their opponents sat on the Starfleet Oversight Committee, though, and could be relied upon to block, dilute, or otherwise hinder the rearmament schemes deemed necessary by the hawks. For their plans to work, the Admiralty needed to be able to operate at nearly all levels with little or no interference from the Oversight Committee. Where the Ixan clique did hold power was the Resource Allocation Board, which collected and distributed the sum total of assets procured for governmental use. This included colonization supplies, planetary aid efforts, and of course construction materials, of which Starfleet received a vast percentage of each year. The faction altered the allocations, shifting them heavily in Starfleet’s favor, and then instituted an eminent-domain policy to justify further expropriation for the fleet, all perfectly legal and within the board’s purview. It also authorized Starfleet's internal administrative divisions to procure and allocate necessary resources on its own on an as-needed basis with minimal interference from the Committee or other Council supervision.
The effect of this decree was that Starfleet Command now had the legal freedom to establish bases and construct starships as it saw fit, without need for justification or explanation to the Federation Council. In the immediate term, this gave the Joint Chiefs the ability to expand the fleet as they wished. Peace treaty limitations on shipbuilding had ended three years prior, and Command wasted no time. Bolstered by the supportive efforts, Starfleet self-authorized a gargantuan shipbuilding program which would expand the average commissioned vessels per year from nine to approximately 370—an increase of slightly over 4000%! Not only would this program drastically multiply production at existing yards but it also established new federal shipyards throughout the Federation and subsidized expansion of private shipbuilding via farming-out more construction contracts to civilian companies. Nor would it end at merely building more: several new starship classes would be constructed, most designs having already been developed and finalized during the interim. Although many were blatantly military in mission set and type designation, the Oversight Committee still wielded enough power to ensure that the ships would still be capable of performing non-military missions within expected parameters (expected by the pro-exploratory supporters, that is) just as they had previously done with the Sentinel ships. Still, there was no denying that the new classes were primarily meant for the active use of force against a similarly-capable fleet.
Active production does not make a starship class an attractive prospect for alterations that would best be performed during planning and initial construction stages. It takes more time to modify or redesign existing assets for combat-oriented operations than it would to build new from the ground up, but that did not mean that the idea was not considered. Even the upcoming exploratory cruisers were reviewed for enhanced martial potential. Constellation’s unique solution to the extra volume requirement of a deepspace star cruiser did not make it easily modifiable to a combat-oriented mission set, though its weapons suite of four torpedo tubes and fourteen phasers (in both single and dual emplacements) gave it a more vicious bite than the 2240s-vintage heavy cruisers it was augmenting. The class would be entering service soon anyway, with the pathfinder USS Constellation (NCC-1974) commissioning in October 2281 and several follow-on production units thereafter; an enormous number of keels had already been flown in the wake of the announced shipbuilding increase, persuading those in charge to leave Constellation's design and mission profile unchanged. Not so Excelsior: two years after flying the prototype’s keel, the design and construction teams were directed to revise the class’ layout and mission profile to reflect the new martial Starfleet’s long-term plans more accurately. Phasers were increased from ten to fourteen dual emplacements, and torpedo capacity was doubled from two to four with the addition of a pair of aft-firing tubes placed under the fantail. The hull’s combat survivability was upgraded, deflector grid coverage was extended, and shield generator output augmented. Furthermore, while transwarp drive did have a military potential, it was first and foremost designed for exploratory applications, and the current Starfleet administration was still somewhat wary of this untested system. Excelsior had been ordered along with three follow-on units and all were slated to receive transwarp drive. This would be changed, and transwarp would be installed on the pathfinder class vessel only; the other ships—Ingram, Simonov, and Richmond—would mount standard warp drive, as would all the newly-ordered ships whose keels were currently being flown. All of these alterations prompted a change of the class' designation: until this point Excelsior had been referred to as a heavy cruiser, to connect it to the lineage of its predecessors, but the emphasis on battlefield effectiveness and the open aggressive posture taken by the government drove Mission Operations to reclassify it as Starfleet's first ever battleship. Use of this type nomen did not sit well with either the opposition or the Klingons, who now used creation of a battleship as proof that the Federation was in fact a warlike empire despite decades of declarations to the contrary. Internally, the Empire relished the idea of finally going against the Federation, confident in its eventual victory over the age-old enemy.
All the same, augmenting a starship's combat efficiency and reclassifying it as a battleship does not make it one, and Excelsior's origins as an exploratory cruiser shone through nonetheless. To get the all-powerful combat-oriented cruiser-type vessel it wanted Starfleet used its new powers to design and produce a true from-the-keel-up warship. This class (named Federation in unintended irony) was to be almost strictly suited for warfare. At 313 meters long and 140 meters in beam, it would also be comparable to Constitution; indeed, Federation was oft-described by its detractors as "a Constitution with a pituitary gland condition" and "an overmuscled, overpowered braggart of a starship". The class used a trick from Constellation, adding an extra deck at the widest point to thicken the saucer, which had slightly revised contours from the standard design. It also mounted an outsized twin impulse deck at the traditional aft saucer rim location and a trio of warp nacelles in a "three-up" configuration; the third nacelle, mounted above and behind the saucer on a dorsal extension pylon, was partly hopeful and partly practical as the designers planned for the ship to cruise at Warp 9.3 (804 c) and reach Warp 13.3 (2353 c) as a maximum—without the use of transwarp or other advanced "superdrives".
Federation was to embark the most sophisticated shield systems and have a hull optimized for maximum survivability in sustained multi-vessel combat operations. The class mounted a total of sixteen dual phaser emplacements and four torpedo tubes (two forward and two aft) in the common location at the base of the dorsal. Per their intended use as fleet flagships, Federations were equipped with a highly integrated combat information center separate from the bridge merging communications, sensors, and tactical systems into a single nexus for fleet command and control. The concomitant need for improved information gathering demanded the class be equipped with a secondary aft-facing sensor dish at the stern in the traditional shuttlebay location (hangar operations had been moved to the bow of the secondary hull, under the dorsal and above the main deflector), with twin tertiary sensor dishes forward providing dedicated tactical sensor usage during combat. Because Federation was so radically different than Excelsior, Mission Operations did not feel it would be correct to categorize both classes as the same type of vessel. Rather than once again reclass Excelsior, a new yet similar descriptor was created: "dreadnought", a resurrection from the early steamship days of Earth's wet navies. Construction commenced immediately upon the freeing of construction fetters in 2281.
In order for the Klingon "threat" to be properly addressed to their liking, the militants required the ability to arm at will, ostensibly to ensure a swift and complete Federation victory in the upcoming inevitable war. Many of their opponents sat on the Starfleet Oversight Committee, though, and could be relied upon to block, dilute, or otherwise hinder the rearmament schemes deemed necessary by the hawks. For their plans to work, the Admiralty needed to be able to operate at nearly all levels with little or no interference from the Oversight Committee. Where the Ixan clique did hold power was the Resource Allocation Board, which collected and distributed the sum total of assets procured for governmental use. This included colonization supplies, planetary aid efforts, and of course construction materials, of which Starfleet received a vast percentage of each year. The faction altered the allocations, shifting them heavily in Starfleet’s favor, and then instituted an eminent-domain policy to justify further expropriation for the fleet, all perfectly legal and within the board’s purview. It also authorized Starfleet's internal administrative divisions to procure and allocate necessary resources on its own on an as-needed basis with minimal interference from the Committee or other Council supervision.
The effect of this decree was that Starfleet Command now had the legal freedom to establish bases and construct starships as it saw fit, without need for justification or explanation to the Federation Council. In the immediate term, this gave the Joint Chiefs the ability to expand the fleet as they wished. Peace treaty limitations on shipbuilding had ended three years prior, and Command wasted no time. Bolstered by the supportive efforts, Starfleet self-authorized a gargantuan shipbuilding program which would expand the average commissioned vessels per year from nine to approximately 370—an increase of slightly over 4000%! Not only would this program drastically multiply production at existing yards but it also established new federal shipyards throughout the Federation and subsidized expansion of private shipbuilding via farming-out more construction contracts to civilian companies. Nor would it end at merely building more: several new starship classes would be constructed, most designs having already been developed and finalized during the interim. Although many were blatantly military in mission set and type designation, the Oversight Committee still wielded enough power to ensure that the ships would still be capable of performing non-military missions within expected parameters (expected by the pro-exploratory supporters, that is) just as they had previously done with the Sentinel ships. Still, there was no denying that the new classes were primarily meant for the active use of force against a similarly-capable fleet.
Active production does not make a starship class an attractive prospect for alterations that would best be performed during planning and initial construction stages. It takes more time to modify or redesign existing assets for combat-oriented operations than it would to build new from the ground up, but that did not mean that the idea was not considered. Even the upcoming exploratory cruisers were reviewed for enhanced martial potential. Constellation’s unique solution to the extra volume requirement of a deepspace star cruiser did not make it easily modifiable to a combat-oriented mission set, though its weapons suite of four torpedo tubes and fourteen phasers (in both single and dual emplacements) gave it a more vicious bite than the 2240s-vintage heavy cruisers it was augmenting. The class would be entering service soon anyway, with the pathfinder USS Constellation (NCC-1974) commissioning in October 2281 and several follow-on production units thereafter; an enormous number of keels had already been flown in the wake of the announced shipbuilding increase, persuading those in charge to leave Constellation's design and mission profile unchanged. Not so Excelsior: two years after flying the prototype’s keel, the design and construction teams were directed to revise the class’ layout and mission profile to reflect the new martial Starfleet’s long-term plans more accurately. Phasers were increased from ten to fourteen dual emplacements, and torpedo capacity was doubled from two to four with the addition of a pair of aft-firing tubes placed under the fantail. The hull’s combat survivability was upgraded, deflector grid coverage was extended, and shield generator output augmented. Furthermore, while transwarp drive did have a military potential, it was first and foremost designed for exploratory applications, and the current Starfleet administration was still somewhat wary of this untested system. Excelsior had been ordered along with three follow-on units and all were slated to receive transwarp drive. This would be changed, and transwarp would be installed on the pathfinder class vessel only; the other ships—Ingram, Simonov, and Richmond—would mount standard warp drive, as would all the newly-ordered ships whose keels were currently being flown. All of these alterations prompted a change of the class' designation: until this point Excelsior had been referred to as a heavy cruiser, to connect it to the lineage of its predecessors, but the emphasis on battlefield effectiveness and the open aggressive posture taken by the government drove Mission Operations to reclassify it as Starfleet's first ever battleship. Use of this type nomen did not sit well with either the opposition or the Klingons, who now used creation of a battleship as proof that the Federation was in fact a warlike empire despite decades of declarations to the contrary. Internally, the Empire relished the idea of finally going against the Federation, confident in its eventual victory over the age-old enemy.
All the same, augmenting a starship's combat efficiency and reclassifying it as a battleship does not make it one, and Excelsior's origins as an exploratory cruiser shone through nonetheless. To get the all-powerful combat-oriented cruiser-type vessel it wanted Starfleet used its new powers to design and produce a true from-the-keel-up warship. This class (named Federation in unintended irony) was to be almost strictly suited for warfare. At 313 meters long and 140 meters in beam, it would also be comparable to Constitution; indeed, Federation was oft-described by its detractors as "a Constitution with a pituitary gland condition" and "an overmuscled, overpowered braggart of a starship". The class used a trick from Constellation, adding an extra deck at the widest point to thicken the saucer, which had slightly revised contours from the standard design. It also mounted an outsized twin impulse deck at the traditional aft saucer rim location and a trio of warp nacelles in a "three-up" configuration; the third nacelle, mounted above and behind the saucer on a dorsal extension pylon, was partly hopeful and partly practical as the designers planned for the ship to cruise at Warp 9.3 (804 c) and reach Warp 13.3 (2353 c) as a maximum—without the use of transwarp or other advanced "superdrives".
Federation was to embark the most sophisticated shield systems and have a hull optimized for maximum survivability in sustained multi-vessel combat operations. The class mounted a total of sixteen dual phaser emplacements and four torpedo tubes (two forward and two aft) in the common location at the base of the dorsal. Per their intended use as fleet flagships, Federations were equipped with a highly integrated combat information center separate from the bridge merging communications, sensors, and tactical systems into a single nexus for fleet command and control. The concomitant need for improved information gathering demanded the class be equipped with a secondary aft-facing sensor dish at the stern in the traditional shuttlebay location (hangar operations had been moved to the bow of the secondary hull, under the dorsal and above the main deflector), with twin tertiary sensor dishes forward providing dedicated tactical sensor usage during combat. Because Federation was so radically different than Excelsior, Mission Operations did not feel it would be correct to categorize both classes as the same type of vessel. Rather than once again reclass Excelsior, a new yet similar descriptor was created: "dreadnought", a resurrection from the early steamship days of Earth's wet navies. Construction commenced immediately upon the freeing of construction fetters in 2281.
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