| STARSHIP CLASS | |
| Constitution | |
| |
| Type: | heavy cruiser |
| Length: | 288.6 m |
| Beam: | 127.1 m |
| Draft: | 72.6 m |
| Max. warp: | warp 9 |
| Armaments: | 6x Type VII phaser emitters 2x Type VI phaser emitters 2x medium photon torpedo tubes |
| Defenses: | 1-layer conformal forcefield primary navigational deflector 3x auxiliary navigational deflectors |
- Note: the image and the stats depicted in the sidebar represent the Constitution Flight III, one of the latest variations of the initial class (prior to the linear nacelle refits) with the largest quantity of vessels registered.
The following is a summary of the Constitution class' development over the Final Frontier (2240-2270) period. For more complete details, please access the relevant reports (links below).
Horizon class origins[]
The Advance Flight II of the Horizon class battle cruiser
The Advances had been operational since 2198, with a significant upgrade to Flight II status starting in 2218. Each measured 294.1 meters long, 117.1 meters on the beam, and a height of 46.0 meters, massing 567,750 metric tons. They operated with the PB-18 nacelles and two oversized Scarbak GPM impulse engines, designed to produce almost three times as much thrust as the contemporary Caracal impulse units, and avoided all the complications and compromises of the two-stage Enterprise arrangement. The engineering space's Sternn augmented main fusion powerplant, providing 10:1 matter/antimatter peristaltic feed ratio, allowed the vessels to cruise at warp 3 (OCU scale) and attain a maximum speed of warp 5.5, with an endurance of two years. Tactically, the warships had four 1.0 gigawatt laser emitters, one powered for 950 MW, and six Type J (900 GW) phase cannons, as well as four torpedo tubes (with 110 photonic torpedoes and 20 probes). For defenses, they had a 1-layer conformal forcefield, one primary and two auxiliary navigational deflectors. Their shuttlebay hosted five light shuttles and six sublight tactical craft. They were crewed by 32 officers and 268 enlisted. USS Constellation (NCC-1017) had served honorably in the battlecruiser role for about 17 years, before she incurred major damage to her bow structure in 2219, taking her off the line for repairs.
The Archon subclass of the Horizon class battle cruiser
In profile, the Archon heavy cruiser, also a subclass of the Horizon, appeared nearly identical to the Advances. However, from almost every other angle the differences were more clear. These seven ships were just as heavily armed (and armored) as the Horizon Flight IIs, but they had adopted the "engorged" secondary hull from the failed Indomitable experiment, providing them with much more internal volume and the commensurate range and endurance (6 years). The PB-22 warp nacelles were a slight improvement on the PB-18, as they decreased individual unit mass for the same performance characteristics, through more advanced (but smaller) primary buffer panels and an intercooler that maximized efficiency with increased length. In keeping with the identical dimensions of the other Horizons, the overall mass hovered around 574,500 metric tons.
Despite the familiarity of the Horizons in Star Fleet service, the contemporaneous Baton Rouge class commissioned in the same year (2222) performed so much better as to directly impact the original order run for the Archons, from 20 down to 7. Just following her commissioning in that same year, USS Republic (NCC-1371) suffered a failure of damage control systems that resulted in heavy internal damage from a fire left unchecked in her bow section. She, like the USS Constellation, was taken offline for repairs, and was eventually transferred to Chiokis Starship Construction Corporation for engineering tests.
Constellation Fusion Testbed[]
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The former Constellation in her first testbed configuration
Ex-Constellation was selected as the primary platform of the two vessels assigned to Chiokis to receive the brunt of the testing engineering. In this configuration, she measured 243 meters long, 114.1 on the beam, and a height of 64.1, massing 592,600 metric tons. She was provided the third-generation PB-30A nacelles, with much more petite—though longer—pylons placed on the original respective hull mounts and at the same angle. An extremely large but advanced compression fusion powerplant was installed in the engineering hull and a relatively non-descript but fully-functional saucer, with an advanced impulse bank, replaced the dummy one.
Though weaponless during the development, she was equipped with a 1-layer conformal forcefield, a navigational deflector on the forward secondary hull, and three auxiliary navigational deflectors on the forward primary hull. She cruised at warp 5.6 (OCU scale) and had a varied crew quantity, as determined by the testing requirements. She carried 2 light shuttles, 2 shuttlepods, and 1 work pod in the Horizon-style shuttlebay.
Constellation Dilithium Testbed[]
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The re-activated Constellation (now NX-1017) in her second testbed configuration
By 2238, the Federation’s first natural dilithium source on Deneva was in the opening stages of full mining and refining of the most critical component of a truly efficient annihilation core, with Star Fleet’s Project Starship a targeted recipient. The NX Constellation had the previous 4:1 matter/antimatter spicing compression fusion powerplant replaced by a custom-fitted dilithium-regulated antimatter reactor and the ship was formally re-activated (though not yet re-commissioned) as NX-1017. The new dual PB-31 warp nacelles were placed in positions elevated and further back than the PB-30As utilized during the fusion testing phase. The pylons were reshaped and lengthened, as was the saucer’s interconnecting dorsal, which added considerable internal volume for machinery, laboratories, and workspaces. In this configuration, she measured 278.8 meters long, 114.1 on the beam, and a height of 76.9, massing 595,000 metric tons.
The test runs were considered successful, with a cruise speed of warp 6 (OCU scale) and a maximum speed of warp 8, a major confidence boost for the collaborating teams. As a result, the Republic was towed into the refit yard to closely track the changes that would be necessary to upgrade the remaining Horizons to similar standards. Concurrently, a new-build prototype (Constitution) was ordered, as there was considerable faith that the ships were far more capable than had been envisioned necessary in 2210, and thus the expense of greater numbers would provide far more utility.
Republic Heavy Cruiser Prototype[]
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The re-activated Republic (now NX-1371) in her prototype configuration
Ex-Republic was brought into the refit yards as a final examination of the feasibility of converting other Horizons to the new heavy cruiser specifications. She had been inactive since the fire in 2222 and floating lifeless without the forward command saucer and mounting structure. The yard completely stripped what remained of her internal spaces and a dilithium-regulated antimatter reactor (similar to that of her sister) was embedded in her newly-redesigned engineering spaces. The yard workers leveled off the upper slope of the secondary hull, placing a domed structure in its place—ribbed for added stress tolerance—with a limited-capacity shuttlebay immediately aft of amidships. Pylons supporting PB-31s were gamma-welded into the tested configuration for maximal warp efficiency and a pre-manufactured custom saucer, with a less extensive interconnecting dorsal (in comparison to the Constellation) mated in the upper forward position. The profile now suggested her Horizon origin just slightly.
In 2238, she began her flight tests, unarmed but well defended with a conformal forcefield and a large deflector dish forward of the secondary hull. Astern, the subspace displacement monitor array relayed the detected warp field results not just to engineering consoles within Republic, but also to the trailing starship and the operations office back at the yard. In this configuration, she measured 265.2 meters long, 114.1 on the beam, and a height of 68.3, massing 599,100 metric tons. As with Constellation, she carried 2 light shuttles, 2 shuttlepods, and 1 work pod in her limited shuttlebay.
Constitution Heavy Cruiser Production Prototype[]
The Constitution prototype, prior to the three battles that defined her pre-commissioned existence.
The first newbuild production based upon the finalized form of the Republic, along with a few innovations slipped in, Constitution (NX-1700) was authorized for construction as a prototype in May of 2239. The Chiokis saucer from the Siva subclass was adopted; though the saucer was less voluminous in internal space, the embedded deflector plating was well-tested and highly expected to fare well in combat situations. The saucer’s triple-ported impulse engines provided almost 8% more thrust than the Republic's quadruple set, due to the efficiency of the more compact design. A strengthened interconnecting dorsal provided additional comparative space, some of which was assigned to living quarters, with the remainder to the operations, weapons, and engineering departments. She measured 278.1 meters long, 22.0 on the beam, and a height of 68.3, massing 598,400 metric tons. She was propelled by PB-31 warp nacelles, armed with six 4.0 GW laser emitters, two 1.2 TW phased particle cannons, and one medium torpedo tube, and defended by a 1-layer conformal forcefield, and 4 navigational deflectors. She carried 2 medium (or 4 light) shuttles, 4 shuttlepods, and 4 work pods in the shuttlebay located on the dorsal of the secondary hull.
Over two years of dedicated construction passed before the first fully new-built heavy cruiser of Project Starship left the yards for initial trial runs. However, during a layover at Starbase 12 in July 2241, Constitution's command was unexpectedly assumed by Captain Kelvar Garth, whose own new command, USS Xenophon (NCC-558, a Marklin-class destroyer) was crippled by a dockside explosion. Thus began the uncommissioned prototype's direct involvement in three separate battles with the Klingons—at Axanar, Lea, and Donatu V—that would deal serious damage to the ship and require over three years in a cold status for repairs, but while also directly proving instrumental in refining the production design of what would be the Constitution class heavy cruiser.
USS Enterprise Heavy Cruiser Production Prototype[]
The Enterprise production prototype, improving upon the lessons Constitution learned the hard way.
In late 2244 and into 2245, Project Starship had four vessels undergoing operational overhauls, repairs, or construction: Constellation, Republic, Constitution, and Enterprise. Each was slightly different than the other and it was not yet clear which would be the production standard for the remaining 10 authorized ships and, consequently, the class ship. Captain Robert April, the project’s final and longest serving manager, took command of USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) on her commissioning day, April 11, 2245, with USS Constitution (NCC-1700) being commissioned mere days later. USS Republic (NCC-1371) and USS Constellation (NCC-1017) would be re-commissioned in May and June respectively; each of the four had “Project Starship” emblazoned in place of a class name on their respective dedication plaques. Ride-along evaluation teams from Project Starship critiqued each vessel during their post-commissioning crew familiarization work-ups, checking or striking off closely-held line items on their PADDs. The ship April had under his command chair measured 288.6 meters long, 127.1 on the beam, and a height of 72.6, massing 679,300 metric tons. She was propelled by PB-31A warp nacelles, armed with six 4.0 GW laser emitters, four 1.2 TW Type L and two 1.4 TW Type M phased particle cannons, and one medium torpedo tube, and defended by a 1-layer conformal forcefield, and 4 navigational deflectors. She carried 1 heavy shuttle, 2-4 light shuttles, 4 shuttlepods, and 4 work pods (along with a variety of special environment and tactical craft) in the aft-located shuttlebay.
Before the end of the year, the production standard decision was made: Enterprise. In a concession to Constitution's original authorization, the class would take on her name. USS Farragut (NCC-1702), in late 2247, would be the first commissioned Constitution heavy cruiser with the class name on her own dedication plaque.
USS Constitution Heavy Cruiser (Operational Standard)[]
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USS Constitution (NCC-1700) in her first operational (and unique) configuration.
Despite her experiences in the Battles of (First) Axanar, Lea, and Donatu V, the "Connie"'s development team sincerely believed she would be setting the standard for the Project Starship newbuilds ordered but yet to come. They knew that the nearly-featureless Enterprise in a bay across the shipyard was the closest competitor, but they were confident they could both repair the battle damage and upgrade to the now-battle tested standards before the sister ship would be completed. In the three-year race to follow, the team was almost right. They received permission to rebuild the devastated Siva-class saucer with which she had originated to the new specifications, and also argued (successfully) to retain the four Siva impulse engines, saving considerable reconstruction time. Other than being slightly less-armed (she fared very well with her present combat systems) and just over 19,100 metric tons more massive, she was identical externally to the new standard. However, to honor her valiant efforts during the recently concluded war and acknowledge that it is generally the lead newbuild ship that loans the name to the class, “Constitution” was chosen for the heavy cruisers’ shared name. She would remain in this configuration until converted into a Flight II in the 2250s.
USS Constellation Heavy Cruiser (Operational Standard)[]
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USS Constellation (NCC-1017) in her original operational configuration as a Constitution class heavy cruiser
After 17 years as an active Advance class battlecruiser and over two decades as a test ship for Chiokis' development of Project Starship, Constellation was about done with her rebuilding to the early Constitution production standard. However, her sister's unplanned combat experience put a stop to Constellation's early 2243 re-commissioning, as it was already clear the project would require considerable refinement to resolve combat-related damage control issues. The re-conversion to match the standard Enterprise was now pathfinding began again in 2244 and continued into mid-2245. Externally identical, her internal spaces differed significantly due to structural holdovers from her Advance and testbed days. USS Constellation (NCC-1017) would rejoin the fleet after 26 years, serving in exploration and diplomacy roles for about another ten years before receiving the upgrades to the Flight II configuration.
USS Republic Heavy Cruiser (Operational Standard)[]
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USS Republic (NCC-1371) serves as a less-detailed training ship for the oncoming and prestigious heavy cruiser crews.
Of the two testbed vessels for Project Starship, Republic was chosen by the director, Captain Robert April, to be not converted to the new Constitution production standard, but rapidly completed to serve as a training vessel for the crews of the forthcoming ships. Re-commissioned in May of 2245, she initially served in a defensive role in the vicinity of the Sol system so that her own crew could become intimately familiar with the expected capabilities of the new heavy cruisers. As the Farragut neared completion, Republic transitioned to her training assignment, taking Star Fleet’s best teams of command, engineering, science, medical, and operations personnel on three- and four-month familiarization cruises, demonstrating the advanced functions of the bridge, the superiority in maneuvering and speed, and—very importantly—the operational and maintenance procedures for the newest in dilithium-regulated antimatter annihilation drives. She was mothballed in 2257 instead of upgraded to the predominant Constitution Flight II and Bonhomme Richard standards as a compromise to justify the authorization of another newbuild.
Constitution Flight II Heavy Cruiser[]
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USS Excalibur (NCC-1705) in her Flight II configuration
USS Excalibur (NCC-1705, operating antispinward of the Federation in the direction of the Klingon Empire, was the first to be recalled to her operating starbase in 2250. The weapons conversion teams had been training for her arrival, and within 12 hours of the ship being placed into cold status (depowering her warp core and relying on the station to provide shore power to systems other than tactical and propulsion), they were prying the 4.0 GW lasers out and installing six Type VII phaser emitters into new retractable bays on the dorsal sides and a pair of smaller bays flanking the ventral torpedo launcher. The heavy plasma cannons were removed shortly thereafter, with new hull sections rapidly welded to cover the gaps. Three engineering teams also took on the challenge of removing the antimatter storage facility located on the ventral secondary hull (along with the ejection port) and installing more traditional fueling apparatus in the nacelle pylons, all within the allotted time. When complete, the ship's dimensions remain the same, with only 1,400 metric tons added to her deadweight mass.
By the end of 2256, USS Constitution (NCC-1700) and USS Constellation (NCC-1017) had gone through extensive upgrade periods to achieve full parity with the nine other ships of the Flight II standard. USS Republic (NCC-1371) was not deemed a viable candidate for inclusion, as she was wrapping up her assignment as the class training vessel and scheduled for decommissioning the next year. Due to operational commitments, USS Potemkin (NCC-1711) would skip this intermittent step to the Bonhomme Richard standard. (USS Valiant (NCC-1709), had gone missing in 2247, early in her post-commissioning familiarization run.)
Bonhomme Richard Heavy Cruiser[]
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USS Bonhomme Richard (NCC-1712), the lead of her subclass
The 14 ships authorized under the new Bonhomme Richard subclass had the identical directed energy weapons upgrade as the concurrent Constitution Flight IIs, but also an expanded torpedo bay supporting an additional launch tube in the ventral saucer. Some modernized equipment that would not be easily installed on pre-existing ships was also included, such as the dorsal-mounted MAUM sensor suite, updated inertial stabilizers, and more powerful auxiliary navigational deflectors. They shared the same dimensions and added a mere 1,300 metric tons over the Flight IIs.
The subclass entered Star Fleet service in 2251, and as the final ships were nearing completion in 2254, their dependability was so appreciated the decision was made to bring the Constitution Flight IIs up to the same standard. Enough time was scheduled for the more extensive yard periods necessary to add in the updated equipment and two more new-builds -- USS Krieger (NCC-1726) and USS Essex (NCC-1727) -- were also authorized. Because the subclass was authorized prior to the decision to include USS Constitution by almost 11 full years, the name did not change when she was herself upgraded to the standard in 2260.
Bonhomme Richard (Type 2) Heavy Cruiser[]
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USS Lexington (NCC-1703) was chosen to test the viability of the Bonhomme Richard Type 2 standard.
The flexibility of the relatively new phaser technology offered an enormous number of tactical choices, both offensive and defensive. A Star Fleet tactical review board chose to explore the potential of differing weapons loadouts on the Bonhomme Richard subclass for possible inclusion with future configurations of the Constitutions (and others). Of the ideas suggested, only two were approved for test runs on the Constitution Flight IIs being upgraded to the Bonhomme Richard standard. Three vessels were selected for each different loadout, with the ships sub-categorized as either Type 2 or Type 3 (the original production run and remaining upgraded vessels were referred to simply as Bonhomme Richards). The Type 2 added two single phaser mounts (of the type VI variety) to the ventral side of the secondary hull, providing additional protective coverage to that critical portion of the ship’s engineering superstructure. These were known as the amidships mounts. The mass of the Type 2 was 683,500 metric tons.
Bonhomme Richard (Type 3) Heavy Cruiser[]
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USS Intrepid (NCC-1708) was chosen to test the viability of the Bonhomme Richard Type 3 standard.
The Type 3 weapons loadout for the Bonhomme Richard was a bit more radical: phaser VI emitters were added—as a twin bank—onto the dorsal saucer, further back from the standard position on the Constitution series, but located between decks 2 & 3, directly beneath the bridge. The Type VII phaser bank was separated, with one mount placed on either side of the bridge module, on the saucer proper. It was thought this would provide better coverage against attackers moving fore-to-aft or aft-to-fore, as well as bringing another full bank to bear at some point on the attacking exchange. However, only the amidships phasers went on to become a permanent fixture of future starship generations.
Constitution Flight III Heavy Cruiser[]
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USS El Dorado (NCC-1722)
The final upgrade configuration, the Constitution Flight III standard, served the longest as the predominant archetypal heavy cruiser with the most members, 28. The primary upgrade it received was the installation of PB-47 nacelles, which propelled it a full factor higher, to warp 9. However, there were several other significant and minor changes that served to unite the entire series under this configuration, such as the inclusion of the exact weapons loadout as tested with the Bonhomme Richards Type 2, for a total loadout mass of 693,000 metric tons. Conventional knowledge has only the USS Enterprise returning from the completed 5-years exploration program, when in actuality 23 experienced line vessels were accepted for refit with the new linear warp nacelles. (USS Kongo suffered a crippling onboard explosion in 2277, precluding her own upgrade.)
Victory Heavy cruiser[]
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USS Victory (NCC-1760), the lead of her subclass
TacFleet, the starship administrative chain of command that oversees the utilization of assets for the defense of the United Federation of Planets, took note of the versatility of the Constitution, as well as the successful conclusions of those limited number of tactical missions completed by heavy cruisers temporarily assigned to the Echelon III Star Fleet component. Because TacFleet was generally tasked with missions of a timelier and combat-oriented nature, there often wasn’t a Constitution class vessel close enough or otherwise available to address situations that were sometimes well-aligned with those ships’ capabilities. TacFleet successfully lobbied for six newbuilds based upon the Flight III configuration to ensure dedicated access to these ships.
The most obvious modification from the exploration-minded Constitutions was the addition of two aft-firing medium torpedo tubes installed upon the dorsal side of the secondary hull, to discourage pursuit (in those scenarios where retreat was the proper course of action). Cargo spaces peripherally located to these launchers were re-designed as munition bunkers, providing an additional 70 photon torpedo capacity. The two single phaser mounts that originated on the Bonhomme Richard Type 2 were particularly applicable with the type of classified missions in which TacFleet vessels are often engaged, as some opponents made use of smaller and more numerous vessels in swarming attacks. Accordingly, the tactical suites of the Victories were enhanced and tertiary relays insured that more phaser banks could be charged and fired, and provided additional rerouting options in the event of combat damage. Lastly, the retraction gear for the directed energy weapons was removed, with each mount affixed directly on the surface of the hull: diplomacy and discretion were not tools TacFleet called upon and the response time was now limited to charging the phasers. The vessels would serve through 2279 in what was termed ambiguously as “detached duty” until relieved by later tactical classes, and were not themselves refitted to a more modern standard. Two vessels were lost: USS Defiant (NCC-1764) went missing into an interdimensional rift in the direction of Tholian space, while the USS Rivoli (NCC-1765) was lost in a reported combat situation that has not yet been declassified (or even acknowledged).
USS Republic Academy Trainer[]
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USS Republic in her Academy livery
Originally commissioned in 2222 and decommissioned in 2257, Republic only had 14 years of warp travel in her logs, because she was seen as both too old and too unique to warrant the extensive and costly upgrades of the Constitution standards. However, she was called again to service in 2285, when Star Fleet Academy’s training vessel, USS Enterprise, was lost to enemy action in the Mutara sector. Without a ready and prepared vessel for the training and education role, it was decided to re-commission USS Republic. Because of the limited time frame to get her operational again and provide Academy cadets the necessary space hours for their graduation, she was not equipped with modern weaponry. Instead, all combat exercises would be computer simulated, with the one ceremonial exception of an original 4.0-gigawatt laser emitter that was moved laterally to the centerline, embedded in the location of the original photon torpedo launcher. The Academy logo was emblazoned on her dorsal hull and school shuttle pilots made it a matter of course that the cadets’ first beauty passes of the ship was one of that visage, as they made their arrival approaches. While she served for only four years as the Academy’s training vessel, before being relieved by a series of far more modern starships, USS Republic (known affectionately and humorously as “the Pub”) was often spoken of fondly by members of the seven classes that got underway with her.
See Also[]