First built in 1986, the D1 was the first Klingon interstellar spacecraft to enter mass production. Klingon Warp technology was developed very fast, accelerated considerably by the study a derelict six hundred year old Hurq frigate left in orbit of Qo'nos after the conclusion of their cataclysmic raid. The first successful experimental testbeds were launched in 1975 and these were followed up by a number of spacecraft in which a number of systems were employed before the D1 was codified as being the ship of The Empire as it began to extend it's reach to other star systems. Capable of Warp 1.25 (latter brought up to Warp 1.3, 1.4 and ultimately 1.5 by refits and refinements) was capable of voyages to the outer planets of the Qo'nos system in hours and short range interstellar flights that would take decades using conventional drives could be done in three years or less.
The D1 was 120 meters long and had a wingspan of 130 and was one of the earliest manifestations of the iconic rear winged configuration of Klingon Warships. It was powered by a large scale reactor in the rear engineering section supplied by two largescale duterium fuel tanks. It required a crew of forty two which mostly lived in the forward habitation section, often for years at a time. Each D1 also carried a small shuttlecraft for landing away parties. In a pinch it could also carry up to 40 awake passengers or 160 of them in suspended animation. They could carry another 80 awake passengers or 360 in suspended animation using a modular cargo pod in place of the shuttle, though this reduced effective maximum speed by 10%. As the Klingons fully expected to face hostile powers, the D1 class was armed with a pair of laser turrets on the side of their wings. Some would be modified to carry several box launchers full of crude torpedoes.
Between 1986 and 2038 some 282 of these cruisers were built. The basic design was cheap to produce and served the basic needs of the growing empire well during it's first stages of expansion, though they were soon supplemented by dedicated transports. The first dozen D1 Cruisers were operated by the Imperial Government, but after that units could be commissioned by the various great houses which acquired more than 60% of the total output. D1 Cruisers ferried colonists and supplies across interstellar distances and defended them against foes. In 2016 a pair of D1 Crusiers destroyed an unarmed Vulcan survey ship in an unpleasant first contact situation, prompting Vulcan retaliation. Several more were lost as they intruded into Romulan Territory before the first Romulan War or at the hands of other species. Even so, losses of D1 ships by Alien Powers was eclipsed by those involving internal Klingon conflicts. Some 20% of all D1 cruisers were destroyed by rival houses fighting against each other or the Imperial Government fighting against upstarts which crossed the line. However a greater risk was mechanical failure. Breakdowns were fairly common en route which could easily leave the crew stranded in the void of space until either rescue came, life support failed or the crew decided to kill themselves. More than 40% were lost in such a manner in interstellar space. Much of the remainder either was written off and stripped for parts or was used as second line elements in the first Klingon/Romulan War in which this dated design fared poorly against the Romulan Navy's battle groups even after extensive refits.
The D1 was 120 meters long and had a wingspan of 130 and was one of the earliest manifestations of the iconic rear winged configuration of Klingon Warships. It was powered by a large scale reactor in the rear engineering section supplied by two largescale duterium fuel tanks. It required a crew of forty two which mostly lived in the forward habitation section, often for years at a time. Each D1 also carried a small shuttlecraft for landing away parties. In a pinch it could also carry up to 40 awake passengers or 160 of them in suspended animation. They could carry another 80 awake passengers or 360 in suspended animation using a modular cargo pod in place of the shuttle, though this reduced effective maximum speed by 10%. As the Klingons fully expected to face hostile powers, the D1 class was armed with a pair of laser turrets on the side of their wings. Some would be modified to carry several box launchers full of crude torpedoes.
Between 1986 and 2038 some 282 of these cruisers were built. The basic design was cheap to produce and served the basic needs of the growing empire well during it's first stages of expansion, though they were soon supplemented by dedicated transports. The first dozen D1 Cruisers were operated by the Imperial Government, but after that units could be commissioned by the various great houses which acquired more than 60% of the total output. D1 Cruisers ferried colonists and supplies across interstellar distances and defended them against foes. In 2016 a pair of D1 Crusiers destroyed an unarmed Vulcan survey ship in an unpleasant first contact situation, prompting Vulcan retaliation. Several more were lost as they intruded into Romulan Territory before the first Romulan War or at the hands of other species. Even so, losses of D1 ships by Alien Powers was eclipsed by those involving internal Klingon conflicts. Some 20% of all D1 cruisers were destroyed by rival houses fighting against each other or the Imperial Government fighting against upstarts which crossed the line. However a greater risk was mechanical failure. Breakdowns were fairly common en route which could easily leave the crew stranded in the void of space until either rescue came, life support failed or the crew decided to kill themselves. More than 40% were lost in such a manner in interstellar space. Much of the remainder either was written off and stripped for parts or was used as second line elements in the first Klingon/Romulan War in which this dated design fared poorly against the Romulan Navy's battle groups even after extensive refits.
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