The Ranger class entered service in 2217, and despite some shortcomings served as Starfleet’s premier heavy cruiser for almost 30 years until the introduction of the Constitution class.
The Lancaster class, although not as attractive as the contemporary Asia class was beloved by its crews as it had the reputation of being a ship that got you home no matter what damage it suffered. The class served as the basis for both the Siegfried class dreadnought and Belleau Wood class assault ship.
The USS Lancaster is generally considered to be one of the first “modern” starship with all primary facilities in the same general positions as in current vessels, for example the bridge was placed in the top of the primary hull. Although this position has been criticized as reckless and unnecessary, it symbolizes the bridge’s command of the entire ship. Despite being compared to a “warp-capable brick” because of its stark, almost brutal, contours and thick, relatively short warp nacelles the Lancaster class inspired a loyalty amongst its crews that few other Starship classes could match.
USS Lancaster commissioned in February 2205, and the next 15 vessels followed in the subsequent 24 months. The new class was hailed as a significant advance in starship engineering. However, perhaps the best measure of a ship’s success is the opinions of their crews, and the Lancaster class ships were loved by their crews. This fierce loyalty was reflected by the perversely prideful nicknames, such as “Thunderhog” (USS Olympia) and “Death Slab” (USS Texas), that they gave their ships. These ships were often decorated with unofficial hull “nose art” and kill markings. In fact, many crews were reluctant to give their ships up when newer classes entered service.
One reason for their popularity was that they were the most powerful warships of their time, with the highest speeds, strongest shields, and greatest firepower. Because of their reputations as superb fighting ships, the class tended to attract many Starfleet’s finest personnel. Lancaster class captains were probably the most aggressive in the history of Starfleet, however, this leadership style perfectly suited the spirit of the times and Starfleet fulfilled its popular mandate to protect Federation citizens from danger. As such ,the Lancaster ships were constantly in action throughout their careers. The class was refitted with modern weapons and shields in 2248, and saw much action in the four years war.
After an illustrious career, the Lancaster class was withdrawn in 2264. The last to retire, USS Unicorn, the recipient of 7 battle stars is now on display at the Starfleet Museum.
| Class: | X | Year: | 2205 | |
| Ship Source: | The Starfleet Museum | Ship Datasheet: | Download PDF |
Commissioned Ships
USS Lancaster NCC-1209
USS Merkwürdigliebe NCC-1210
USS Ticonderoga NCC-1211
USS Poole NCC-1212
USS Colossus NCC-1213
USS Invincible NCC-1214
USS Ceres NCC-1215
USS Olympia NCC-1216
USS Wolfe NCC-1217
USS The Tracys NCC-1218
USS Mustang NCC-1219
USS Pearson NCC-1220
USS Haldeman NCC-1221
USS Giraud NCC-1222
USS Valiant NCC-1223
USS Capek NCC-1224
USS Antietam NCC-1225
USS Eisenhower NCC-1226
USS Whittle NCC-1227
USS Alexander Nevsky NCC-1228
USS Thunderbolt NCC-1229
USS Ursus NCC-1230
USS Aristarchus NCC-1231
USS Hector NCC-1232
USS Franz Joseph NCC-1233
USS Unicorn NCC-1234
USS Chaffee NCC-1235
USS Lindbergh NCC-1236
USS Kosciuszko NCC-1237
USS Jakarta NCC-1238
USS Koryu NCC-1239
USS Venkman NCC-1240
USS London NCC-1241
USS Burroughs NCC-1242
USS Illustrious NCC-1243
USS Oppenheimer NCC-1244
USS Phoenix NCC-1245
USS Chandrasekhar NCC-1246
USS Neptune NCC-1247
USS Przhevalsky NCC-1248
USS Singapore NCC-1249
USS Arronax NCC-1250
USS Alfred T Mahan NCC-1251
USS Texas NCC-1252
USS Churchill NCC-1253
USS Spitfire NCC-1254
USS Amundsen NCC-1255
USS Phantom NCC-1256
USS India NCC-1257
USS Spaulding NCC-1258
In many ways the Asia class is the first modern Heavy cruiser. Only 9 ships were built, and 4 of these received extensive refits between 2262 and 2265, the last of these refitted ships did not decommission until 2287. One ship of the class, in its original configuration served as an Academy training ship until 2298.
In 2190 Starfleet Command proposed a new Cruiser which had twice the volume of the Moskva class. In 2192 development of the new class which was to be optimised for long-term exploration missions began.USS Asia was launched on April 23, 2204, but had an inauspicious entry into service due to a severe maladjustment developed in the antimatter containment field of the matter/antimatter reactor which prevented the warp core from being safely activated for a full year. Once the adjustment problem was solved the new warp core performed extremely well and set the standard for design for the next two centuries. The second ship, USS America commissioned in 2206, and the three other “continental” ships were commissioned in the following year.
Although the class carried the most advanced technology of their time, they were intended for a primarily exploration role, as such the weapons fit was light. On either side of the saucer were two banks of FEL-5 lasers, and the primary hull also held four missile launch bays.
The Asia class was one of the first to be fully equipped with subspace radio and celerotronic computer technology. The class also introduced significant advances in computer, life support, and power systems; these improved systems were soon also adopted on the more military roled Cruiser classes. During the 2210’s it became clear that the Asia class was much better suited for exploration missions than relatively less expensive contemporary, the Lancaster class, which was being developed.
Ships of this class operated mostly around the Federation border in the Alpha Quadrant, as this area was deemed to be safer than the Beta Quadrant for these relatively lightly armed vessels. In 2219 the USS America was ambushed by two Klingon D-3 cruisers and became the only ship of the class that suffered heavy battle damage, she was retired from service as a result.
Four ships of the Asia class were reconstructed from 2262 to 2265. This reconstruction of the ASIA class paved the way for the later refit program for the Constitution class as it was just as in depth. Only the internal arrangement of the secondary hull and the core of the primary hull remained substantially unchanged. A novel, more-efficient warp drive was installed and the ships were fitted with phasers and photon torpedo tubes. The Refitting was successful in that it was 50% less expensive than building a completely new starship and almost as capable. Ultimately, even the reconstructed ships could not compete with newer designs for long and the last Asia class ship was decommissioned in 2287.
USS Thule was the last of the class to enter service, and was retired in 2255. As a result she was never refitted, she subsequently saw service as an Academy training ship until 2298, before being scrapped due to to her poor condition. The only surviving Asia class ship, USS Europe is now on display at the Starfleet Museum.
Commissioned Ships
The Bonaventure was the first Federation Designed Warp Powered ship, all other designs had been underway before the foundation of the Federation. An experimental vessel, the Bonaventure was used as a showpiece for Federation technology, and was one of the first vessels sent on long duration exploratory missions. She was designed as a smaller counterpart to the Battle Cruiser Prototype. Tragically she was lost on her third mission, although the USS Enterprise located her in 2269, and it was established she had been pulled into a parallel universe of some type.
Only the Bonaventure was built, partly due to her unexplained loss, and partly because Starfleet felt that a larger number of smaller vessels could perform the exploration role more effectively. This position did not change until the Klingons became a greater threat in the early 23rd century.
The Krechet class, with its matter/antimatter power plant, added range to the admirable qualities of the earlier Amarillo class. Additionally the class was the first since the experimental NX class to use matter/antimatter propulsion.
The first Krechet class ships entered service in 2157. They were the first ships to serve in the fleet with matter/antimatter reactors since the experimental (and expensive) NX class of 6 years earlier. The reversion to matter/antimatter reactors was caused by the need to give combat vessels a far greater range as a result of the need to undertake offensive rather than defensive operations. The Krechet class had a range of 1000 hours at warp, 5 times that of the Amarillo. Otherwise performance was similar to the earlier class, although total power and speed were slightly higher
The command hull was based on that of the Amarillo, the main structural change being the relocation of the Warp nacelles to front of the vessel in an attempt to improve warp field dynamics and efficiency
August 2157, UES Krechet and UES Bowen, were on patrol in sector 23, 10 light years from the nearest starbase or outpost. Because of their longer ranges and higher speeds, the Krechet class was able to monitor what had previously been a potential route of invasion. On August 23, UES Bowen detected a high interstellar deuterium concentration. The cruisers tracked the deuterium to three Romulan tankers. Remaining out of sensor range to avoid alerting the tankers, they fired a message torpedo towards starbase 44 then continued along the tanker’s projected course until they found the Romulan invasion fleet 1 light year inside UE Alliance space. After reinforcements, including Tannhauser class heavy cruisers, arrived and engaged the Romulans near Hell’s Gate, the remnants of the badly mauled and surrounded invasion fleet self-destructed to avoid capture.
In all just eight Krechet class ships were built, of which only two were lost. Although the Krechet class was a transitional design that was not effective across the entire performance spectrum, it did allow the fleet to gain valuable experience in maintaining and operating M/AM powered vessels under wartime conditions. As the UE Alliance went on the offensive in mid- 2158, Krechets were largely relegated to secondary roles by the newer and more capable Conqueror and Powhatan classes.
The KRECHET-class cruiser UES FEUERSTEIN (CCM-4) is now on display at the Starfleet Museum.
| Class: | IX | Year: | 2157 | |
| Ship Source: | The Starfleet Museum | Ship Datasheet: | Download PDF |
Commissioned Ships
The Amarillo Class fusion powered Heavy cruiser served in the Fleet at the outbreak of the Romulan War. Although eclipsed by the far larger battle cruisers that served during the war, it can be argued that the Amarillo class marked the start of the proud tradition of Starfleet Heavy Cruisers.
The first 5 Amarillo Class ships entered service in 2152. At the time of the outbreak of the Romulan War they were still the most advanced Cruiser Class in service.
The ships compared well to the far larger Pioneer Class they served alongside, they had a similar power output and were far easier to handle in combat due to their smaller size. The Amarillo having similar firepower, but less combat persistence due to its limited number of missile relaods.
As with all ships of the period the Spherical Command hull held virtually all of the ship’s vital functions and crewed areas. The Design was also notable for starting the tradition, long maintained by Federation ships of mounting all of its weapons to cover the forward firing arcs.
Technically the only real flaw with the design lay in its power generation system. The ship was powered by Fusion reactors, although this did not generate less power than later Matter/Antimatter reactors it did use far more fuel, hence the operational range of these ships was only 100 hours at warp speed.
Despite this the class took the brunt of the early fighting in the Romulan War, and served alongside the later Krechet class (which basically added an antimatter generator to the same basic design) until finally replaced in 2158 by the Powhatan, Torsk and Conqueror classes. In all 16 of the 25 ships of this class were lost in action during the conflict, this should not be taken as a failure on the part of the design, more as a failure of Earth’s defensive preparations. The class performed as well as any could have hoped, but in the face of overwhelming opposition suffered inevitable losses at the hands of the Romulan Fleet.
The AMARILLO-class cruiser UES WOLVERTON (CC-47) is now on display at the Starfleet Museum.
| Class: | X | Year: | 2152 | |
| Ship Source: | The Starfleet Museum | Ship Datasheet: | Download PDF |
Commissioned vessels
** denotes lost or missing ships.
Design of what became the Bonaventure II Class began as far back as 2163, it built on a number of different design concepts (including the Bonaventure I Class of 2166). In many ways this blending of the NX, Daedalus and Bonaventure I design can be seen as the starting point for the Heavy Cruiser design concept which led ultimately to the Pyotr Velikiy Class of 2241 and Constitution Class of 2245.
The Class ship was christened USS Bonaventure following the loss of the previous USS Bonaventure in 2169 on her third mission. The Bonaventure (II) Class ultimately met the multirole mission profile devised by Starfleet which the Dragon Class (qv) was unable to meet.
After the end of the Romulan war, most ships in the Starfleet were small, lightly armed exploratory cruisers (such as the former UESN Daedalus and Comet classes). Most of the UESN’s heavy cruisers (Conqueror class) and fighter-carriers (Yorktown class) had been mothballed, repurposed, scrapped, or sold off to local defense forces, with only a small number entering service with Starfleet.
To meet any potential remaining Romulan threat, Starfleet needed to replace its Conqueror-class heavy cruisers. The large crew complements and offensive mission profile made them poorly suited for a more defensive role.
In April 2163 Starfleet issued a request for proposals for the Dragon class of border-defense heavy cruisers. The requirement was for firepower (both missile and beam weaponry) at least 33% greater than that of Conqueror. Cruising and maximum speeds were wf 3.4 and wf 4.5,again an improvement over the Conqueror. Displacement was planned to be 150,000 tons or less with a crew of 430 officers – both approximately a third of those of Conqueror. These ships were planned to be less expensive to design, construct, and operate, but still be more effective for border defence than the wartime Cruisers. 20 Ships were planned, to commission for 2166 onwards. This baseline ship is shown as the Dragon Mk1 on the Data sheet.
The successful design was in essence a scaled up Daedalus, using some Comet style components as well. Construction of the class began in August 2164, but problems were encountered as the first Dragon began to be fitted out with various components supplied by subcontractors. The challenging requirements led to many of these systems being designed specifically for the Dragon class, and also to these systems having an impact on the overall design. In addition Starfleet Intelligence threat analysis led to a requirement for across-the-board performance increases for all ship’s systems. Accordingly, the damage and ranges of all weaponry were to be increased by an average of 25%; and cruising and maximum speeds were increased to wf 3.6 and wf 4.7. This improvement was to be delivered from just a 10% increase in crew size and displacement.
To meet the new performance requirements, numerous changes were made. To increase the cruising and maximum speeds, a more powerful warp drive with larger reactor was installed requiring the addition of a separate “reactor hull”. In addition, the 129-m-long nacelles were replaced by 157-m-long units. As well as the increase in firepower the missile load was increased, and the shuttle bay enlarged. These changes further decreased the space that could be used for crew quarters, stores, and life-support systems. Dragon was now 257 m long, with an estimated displacement of 180,000 tons, and the various technical issues were still to be overcome. This is the Mk2 configuration.
In December 2165, Hull #1 was christened USS Fafnir (NCC-213) and launched to begin trials despite the ongoing integration problems. Upon commencement of trials construction was authorized to begin on the next 3 ships of the class. However the trials of Fafnir quickly revealed numerous problems. The most severe being that the firing of a full missile salvo from the forward missile tubes at attack speed caused the mounts for the p forward deflector and targeting sensors to become misaligned. This was resolved by structural reinforcement. High speed warp runs revealed harmonic flexing from the nacelle supports propagating throughout the length of the ship – these vibrations played havoc with navigation, weapons targeting, and prevented Fafnir from reaching design speeds. In the longer term these vibrations would lead to fatigue failure possibly resulting in the catastrophic loss of spaceframe integrity. To resolve these issues it was necessary to shorten and thicken the neck connecting the primary and secondary hulls and adding redundant supports for the nacelles on the reactor hull. Fafnir was now 247 m long but displaced 194,000 tons
By October 2166 most of the outstanding problems were being solved: the lead ship, USS Fafnir, was commissioned. Unfortunately by 2167 Starfleet’s requirements had changed, and the defensive posture of the Dragon meant they were ill suited for use in a exploration role. The lack of internal space owing to the level of equipment and weaponry fitment meant that there was no space for the installation of laboratories, scientific equipment, crew quarters, common areas, and long-term life-support systems. With the Romulan threat in abeyance, the Dragon had become a costly and immobile white elephant, and in November 2167 Starfleet cancelled the final 10 ships of the class before construction had begun.
Despite these problems the 10 completed Dragons proved to be rugged and reliable ships – however, all Dragons were withdrawn from front-line service by 2180 without ever having fired a shot in anger.
The Dragon-class heavy cruiser USS Jörmungandr (NCC-218) is on display in the Starfleet Museum.
Class: X-XII
Year: 2166
Ship Source: Starfleet Museum
Ship Datasheet: Coming Soon
Dragon Mk3 Configuration:
Commissioned Ships
Vintage Starships 
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