| STARSHIP | |
| |
| Name: | Essex |
| Registry: | NCC-1350 |
| Class: | Horizon |
| Type: | battle cruiser |
| Affiliation: | Federation Starfleet |
The USS Essex (NCC-1350) was a Horizon-class heavy cruiser—lead ship of the Essex battle cruiser subclass—in Star Fleet service during the early- to mid-23rd century. With the same weapons loadout of the Advance Flt IIs, as well as the same overall dimensions, the ship stood out for its secondary hull design borrowed and modified from the failed Indomitable experiment, providing it an immense internal volume unavailable to its predecessors. The PB-22 warp nacelle was a slight improvement on the PB-18, decreasing individual unit mass for the same performance characteristics
While the Baton Rouge class was also first commissioned in the same year (2222), the operational history of the Advance subclass allowed for instant familiarity for the Essex and her sisters, meaning the ships were at the forefront of Star Fleet's strategic defense policy for a few of their early years. However, as the more modern heavy cruisers increased their numbers and operational responsibilities, the production of the subclass was quickly slashed to seven (from the envisioned twenty). In the end, these newest of the Horizon series still failed to provide the expectations of acceleration, agility, speed, or range to meet modern military standards or ambitions. Hence, Star Fleet would consider how additional upgrades could provide boosts in power and propulsive performance, in a direct impact to what would eventually result in the Constitution class heavy cruiser of the 2240s. The last Essex would be decommissioned in 2251. (Star Fleet Starship Recognition Manual: Report #296: Horizon Heavy Cruisers)