Monitor class

The experimental gunship was launched during the Earth-Romulan War. A heavily modified Monitor-class hull was the basis of the cargo ship Aurora. (Star Trek: Aurora)

History
Built in 2159 during the Earth-Romulan War and designed to survive the radiation of the strategically located Denevan Nebula located near Deneva Colony, the USS Monitor (XGS-01) was designed as a small, short-range gunship with a large amount of armour and heavy weapons for a ship of its size, as well as an innovative Multi-Purpose Deployment System which could be used to store and deploy sensor arrays, cargo, troops, mines etc. via  an external deployment bay on the ventral hull. This system would allow the Gunship to perform functions outside of its primary function of combat.

The class name Monitor was chosen from an ancient revolutionary warship from the American Civil War of 1862.

Its unusually heavy armour restricted its speed to warp 2. It was transported to the Denevan Nebula by a modified cargo freighter, where it quickly distinguished itself by using its sensor arrays to intercept Romulan attacks on convoys and resisting attacks with its heavy armour.

After the war the gunships were mothballed at Deneva, stripped of all their tactical systems.


 * Tim Vining is following the old Original Series version of events for the Romulan-Earth War with the use of primitive atomic weapons rather than the events of Star Trek: Enterprise.

Ships built
Three Monitor-class ships were built:


 * USS Monitor (XGS-01) (later refitted as Aurora
 * USS Ericsson (XGS-02)
 * USS Dahlgren (XGS-03)