Einstein class

	This ship-related article is a stub. You can help STEU by expanding it.

USS Kelvin — An *Einstein* class starship

The Einstein class, also known as the Kelvin-type, was a type of starship used by the Federation Starfleet in the early 23rd century. The class was introduced in the late 22nd century, and was still in service into at least the 2230s. Generally designated a survey vessel or scout, the class was also sometimes referred to as a destroyer. (Star Trek, Federation: The First 150 Years, Star Trek Online)

The class featured primary and secondary hulls, a massive sensor pod, and a single warp nacelle. It had a length of approximately 450 meters, and a standard crew capacity of around 800. (Star Trek)

Based on visual evidence and other factors, the fan site Ex Astris Scientia reckons the Kelvin-type vessel's dimensions to be anywhere from 250 meters to 350 meters, which is more in keeping with known Starfleet ship design of the early 23rd century. Using data, including an early size comparison chart, from the reference book Star Trek - The Art of the Film, EAS concludes that the "actual" length of the Kelvin-type/Einstein class is 315 meters, close to the initial intent before the CGI ship models were upscaled during post-production. Some fan works use these, or other, specifications, instead of the "official" sizes provided by Paramount.

One notable ship of this class was the USS Kelvin under the command of Captain Richard Robau in 2233. (Star Trek)

A ship of this class that was still in service in the late 2290s was the USS Athena. (Project Potemkin: "Just Once...")

Einstein-class starships

Accord - Argo - Athena - Einstein - Gates - Gray - John F. Kennedy - Kelvin - Loreley - Marengo

Alternate continuities[]

The Romulan War[]

In the continuity of this series, Einstein-class starships existed as far back as the Earth-Romulan War. ("The Romulan War (Part 1)")

Delta Dynamics[]

Here, the starships USS Einstein (formerly USS Boston), USS Gray (formerly USS Drona), and USS Kelvin (formerly USS Rahman) were originally of a Boston-subclass of Syracuse-class destroyers that were retasked as observation ships in 2235. They were then set apart as a subclass of their own, the Einsteins. What appeared to be a leading zero on the registry numbers was the letter O, indicating that observational role. These ships continued that role into the 2280s. (Star Fleet Starship Recognition Manual: Report: Syracuse Destroyer)