Super Dreadnought - TOS Style
- Thread starter trekriffic
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Sorry, had a wee-event to go to this weekend.
The TM is the "Tech Manual", the original Star Trek guide from Franz Joseph. If a version of this is not in your collection, see to getting one in it immediately.
A DN is a "Dreadnought", what we actually refer to today as a "Battleship". Dreadnought is actually an anachronistic term meaning 'most powerful ship type in the fleet' and also means that it's type is NOT modified by words like 'light', 'heavy', 'fast', or 'super', and the like.
Hope this helps!
Historically, H.M.S. Dreadnought was the British Royal Navy's largest and most advanced battleship when it was launched in 1906. She served up through WWI. She so revolutionized battleship design that all nations' very heavy battleships came to be called Dreadnoughts after her and all smaller pre-1906 battleships came to be referred to as pre-Dreadnoughts.
I suspect the OP must have known at least some of this already, as the Star Trek DN was first and foremost a Franz Joseph creation. Though, I guess he may have somehow skipped FJ and gotten this idea from Star Fleet Battles, which took the FJ materials and really ran with them. In SFB parlance, tagging a ship with the Super- nomenclature isn't as extraneous as it would seem in real word naval terms.
--Alex
I suspect the OP must have known at least some of this already, as the Star Trek DN was first and foremost a Franz Joseph creation. Though, I guess he may have somehow skipped FJ and gotten this idea from Star Fleet Battles, which took the FJ materials and really ran with them. In SFB parlance, tagging a ship with the Super- nomenclature isn't as extraneous as it would seem in real word naval terms.
--Alex
It's just anachronistic.. the 'dreadnought concept' didn't last long as 'biggest heaviest ship ever' became an arms race through WWI and the 1920s. The name 'dreadnought' itself seemed more and more ridiculous (and was heavily mocked in US Naval appropriations) until the world pretty much pretended that none of that ever happened at 'battleship' officially took over as the term for 'heaviest-gunned ship'.
Thanks Vance, Albertese for the great input about ship nomenclature. I got the term super dreadnought from a WIKI page and thought it sounded cool. After a second glance following Vance's post I see the term used with a hyphen (super-dreadnought) usually placed inside quotation marks as in "super-dreadnaught". This leads me to believe that the "super" modifier is somewhat overkill as, by definition, a dreadnought is already the most powerful ship in the fleet. This then begs the question, if this ship, which far outclasses it's contemporary, the Federation class "dreadnought", in firepower, speed, armament, etc then where does that leave the Federation class? Would it still be considered a dreadnought even though it is no longer the most powerful ship in the fleet? Interestingly, I see the U.S.S. Federation referred to as a "Class 1" dreadnought in the diagram below so would that make mine a Class 2 dreadnought?
Dreadnaught Orthos by trekriffic, on Flickr
By the way, I've decided to do away with the term "super" and just go with "dreadnought" for the ship type. This vessel is the second of it's class by the way, the first being the U.S.S. GOLIATH which was lost with all hands when ambushed by a Klingon armada within the first six months of it's launch. It did manage to take out over a dozen D-7's as well as four Klingon battleships during the engagement but in the end it succumbed to the overwhelming numbers of enemy ships arrayed against it. So this ship is the second of the Goliath class of dreadnoughts.
Dreadnaught Orthos by trekriffic, on FlickrBy the way, I've decided to do away with the term "super" and just go with "dreadnought" for the ship type. This vessel is the second of it's class by the way, the first being the U.S.S. GOLIATH which was lost with all hands when ambushed by a Klingon armada within the first six months of it's launch. It did manage to take out over a dozen D-7's as well as four Klingon battleships during the engagement but in the end it succumbed to the overwhelming numbers of enemy ships arrayed against it. So this ship is the second of the Goliath class of dreadnoughts.
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Sorry, had a wee-event to go to this weekend.
The TM is the "Tech Manual", the original Star Trek guide from Franz Joseph. If a version of this is not in your collection, see to getting one in it immediately.
A DN is a "Dreadnought", what we actually refer to today as a "Battleship". Dreadnought is actually an anachronistic term meaning 'most powerful ship type in the fleet' and also means that it's type is NOT modified by words like 'light', 'heavy', 'fast', or 'super', and the like.
Hope this helps!
Ahhhhh... I see. I do have the Franz Joseph Tech Manual in my collection and am well acquainted with the U.S.S. Federation, first of starfleet's dreadnoughts. I used it as inspiration behind my new, more powerful, design. I also researched the term "dreadnought" on the internet, hence the inclusion of big guns and turrets on the Abaddon like those seen on her 20th century forebears.
Technical Manual Dreadnought, from Franz Joseph's Starfleet Technical Manual.
Edit: oops, somebody else already said it.
Kor
There are things to keep in mind when doing super-heavy ships in Trek, particularly the TOS era. The DN wasn't even constructed until the final season of Star Trek, and even then only a few were made. And just two years after THAT.. we get the uprated Constitution class which made the DN all but obsolete. If we follow history, the DNs that got upgraded in the 2270s would probably just be called 'Battleships' and that would be the end of that nomenclature within the Federation.
The Constitution class is already one of the heaviest ships in the fleet, being a heavy cruiser... there really isn't much to go up to from there. And, of course, you do wind up making two smaller ships than one super-big one... remember that the Ambassador and Galaxy classes weren't super-sized for combat, but were practically generation ships, almost mobiles starbases in and of themselves, with all the amenities therein.
I think a super dreadnought could be the concept we've seen with 4 nacelles, if not just a larger ship like the Galaxy-X.
So my thinking is this falls into the category of a Class 2 dreadnought. Constructed in secret using Doomsday Machine and captured Romulan technology. By far and away the most powerful ship in the Federation fleet or any of its main adversaries. The goal was to terrorize and strike fear into the Klingons during the period of the Federation-Klingon Cold War; eventually driving them to the bargaining table where the Federation could dictate the terms of any deals over disputed territories, trade routes, and valuable resources. At least that was the idea...
Yes. It's a very clandestine operation. A certain "Section" is involved. And a certain Captain with vengeance on his mind.
Here's the one I was thinking of. A SFB Fed "Battleship" that's technically bigger/better than the DN.
General Order 24 says otherwise.
The Abaddon could be used in a strategic sense as a weapon of peace. Armed with a tuneable anti-proton beam emitter capable of slicing up entire fleets (as well as planets) and carbon-neutronium alloy armor she would be virtually unstoppable in an assault on the Klingon homeworld. The very threat of such an attack would make the Klingon High Command think twice before launching an all out assault on Earth or its allies. Of course, the opposite might also be true as the Empire might decide a pre-emptive strike is warranted to prevent the Federation from building an entire fleet of these "Death Machines". Starfleet might well decide to conduct some sort of "demonstration" to prove to the Klingons beyond any doubt that an assault against the Abaddon (or Earth) would be fruitless with the only result being the loss of thousands, if not millions, of Klingon lives. Perhaps this is not very Federation-like but that's maybe where Section 31's influence comes into play.
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Curse Google, not me. I typed in "Star Fleet Battles Federation Super Dreadnought". I played SFB in the early 80's and don't remember what later ships did or didn't get into the game.
I remember the DN and the CV as far as larger ships go.
None of my two local Michaels stores had Glosscote in stock and I had run out. This bummed me out because I like to use their 40 or 50% off coupons. Not wanting to pay over 5 bucks at my LHS for a 3 oz can I went to Autozone to see what I could find to use in place of it. Normally I wouldn't buy Rustoleum, I've had less than stellar results using their gloss clear acrylic sprays but I was intrigued enough to spend $5.99 for an 11 oz can of Rustoleum gloss clear acrylic lacquer:
Gloss Clear Acrylic Lacquer by trekriffic, on Flickr
The instructions recommend a light misting for the first coat followed by a heavier "wet" coat. I had few qualms about using it over enamels since the paint had fully cured and I'd already given it multiple coats of Dullcote and Glosscote so I went ahead and gave the ship her initial light coat followed by a heavier wet coat. Here are a couple of pics taken right after the wet coats:
Secondary Hull Decals by trekriffic, on Flickr
Upper Saucer Decals by trekriffic, on Flickr
Gloss Clear Acrylic Lacquer by trekriffic, on FlickrThe instructions recommend a light misting for the first coat followed by a heavier "wet" coat. I had few qualms about using it over enamels since the paint had fully cured and I'd already given it multiple coats of Dullcote and Glosscote so I went ahead and gave the ship her initial light coat followed by a heavier wet coat. Here are a couple of pics taken right after the wet coats:
Secondary Hull Decals by trekriffic, on FlickrUpper Saucer Decals by trekriffic, on Flickr