DOCKYARD

REVIEW
THE JOURNAL OF THE ADVANCED STARSHIP DESIGN BUREAU

VOLUME FOUR
ISSUE SIX
OCTOBER 2372

The Defiant Class

Escort: A New Role for
a Unique Starship
Design.

The Sovereign Class

Heavy Cruiser: Returning
to the Successes of the
Enterprise and Excelsior
Classes.

A Treatise on Warp
Geometry.

DOCKYARD REVIEW
OCTOBER 2372

HARD COPY PRINTOUT

GROUP HEADQUARTERS

Advanced Starship Design Bureau

Sol III Orbital Repair and Construction Facility (SpaceDock)
In Orbit Over the San Francisco Metroplex
State of California
United States of America
Terra - Sol System
DIRECTOR

Rear Admiral Chris Wallace

COORDINATOR

Captain Belldandy Morisato

TECHNICAL STAFF

Admiral Alex Rosenzweig

Vice Admiral J. Scott Spadaro
Commander Miyuki Kobayakawa
COVER ART AND COMPUTER MESHES

Cover - Alex Zervas and Ralph Schoberth (www.alexz.freeisp.co.uk)

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CONTENTS
AUTHOR

TITLE

PRINTOUT

Comment

1004

CPT Benjamin Sisko

The Defiant Class Escort

1005

RAD Mo Nunn

The Sovereign Class Heavy Cruiser

1009

RAD Chris Wallace

Why Two Nacelles Are Better Than Three

1013

ENTER THE FORUM

We welcome brief
comments on material
published in Dockyard
Review and also brief
discussions of interest for
possible publication in the
Comments section. We
are also looking for
articles for future issues.
Any articles or letters
submitted to Dockyard
Review are subject to
editing for content and
length before publication.

An internal cutaway view of the U.S.S. Defiant. This

controversial starship is the basis for a new class of highspeed powerful escorts.

COVER
ILLUSTRATION

The opinions or assertions in the articles here are the personal ones of the authors
and should not be construed as official. They do not necessarily reflect the views of
the Advanced Starship Design Bureau or the publishers of Dockyard Review.

A picture of the U.S.S.

Enterprise (CH 1701-E)
on patrol. Expectations
for this class are quite
high - can it live up to
them?

This publication incorporates data and scanned images taken from other various
works relating to the Star Trek seroes and movies. This publication is intended for
recreational and informational purposes and is published on a not-for-profit and
free-distribution basis. The inclusion of this data and imagery is not intended to be a
violation of the copyrights and trademarks of the original works publishers and
authors.

1003

Comment
Intrepid Class
(see The Intrepid Class Cruiser by Rear Admiral Adrian Newey,
October 2371 Dockyard Review)
Federation Councilor Emiko Tanaka
Terran Representative to the Security Council
It is pleasing to see a new class of high-quality and inexpensive explorers entering the Starfleet. While
ships such as the Galaxy Class are impressive showcases of Federation technology and might, they are just too
expensive to be built in any large numbers. And relying on Excelsior and Miranda Class ships, both nearly centuryold designs, to perform the grunt work of mapping and exploring Federation space is plain stupid. The Intrepid
Class, which should enjoy being built in large numbers, will do greatly to enhance the exploration ability of the
Starfleet.

1004

The Defiant Class Escort

How to Turn a One-Off Design into a Full Production Run
By:

Captain Benjamin Sisko

Commanding Officer - Starbase Deep Space Nine
Commanding Officer - U.S.S. Defiant * NX-74205

Few starships have experienced growing pains like the Defiant class. Developed as a response to first
contact with the Borg Collective, she goes against almost every tenet of Federation shipbuilding. Her gestation
has been painful, with the vessel almost canceled outright on a number of occasions. However, recent events
have played in her favor, and it was decided to modify the vessel to make it a better fit with the modern fleet.
GENERAL APPEARANCE
Derided by some as the bastard son of the mating of a cruiser and a runabout, the Defiant is essentially
an escort body with a cruisers powerplant and weapons systems. The ship is low and wide, presenting a very
small silhouette to targeting sensors. The vessel mounts almost all her weapons forward, and is designed to
engage targets from the front.
DEVELOPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION HISTORY
After first contact with the Borg Collective, Starfleet immediately began an intensive development
program for a new series of ships to repel a possible future Borg invasion. The program essentially boiled down
to using a few massive vessels, or a fleet of small, heavily armed and shielded, attack ships. The former concept
became the Courageous and the latter the Defiant.
Construction began in 2366 after a hastily put-together design program. Simulations showed massive
design flaws, and with the Borg some 5,000LY away, the program was criticized by many in the MSC. With the
invasion by the Collective in 2367 and the defeat at Wolf 359, her critics were silenced and construction began in
earnest, with changes made in the yard to try and correct the deficiencies.
The ship was completed and began her shakedown tests in 2368. These trials were an absolute disaster.
The initial simulations did not do justice to the actual problems with her flight and structure dynamics. The
engineers quickly determined that the propulsion system was far too powerful for such a small ship. Though
she was designed for bursts of up to Warp 9.99, in actuality the ships structure could barely handle Warp 9
without risk of coming apart. After these tests, the ASDB declared the design a failure and mothballed the
program pending a complete re-evaluation. Instead, the Courageous class was given the go-ahead and the first
vessel was started.
With the coming of the Dominion threat, plans were again floated to return the Defiant to the yards and
finish her out. It was felt that a large vessel would attract too much attention and the Defiants smaller size would
work. Most surprisingly, the Romulans approved of this plan, going as far as to offer a cloaking device and
Tactical Advisor for the vessel. The ship was returned to the yards in 2370 and the vessel formally entered
service in 2372, assigned to Deep Space Nine. Since that time, the Defiant has proven herself time and time again
in a variety of missions.
Though the original ship was flawed, work continued on refining the concept and making it more stable.
Continued simulation eventually resulyed in new changes that resulted in a far more effective ship and a prototype,
the U.S.S. Valiant, was commissioned. The new vessel proved to be a far better prospect than the Defiant, and
funds for additional vessels were approved.

1005

PROPULSION AND POWER SYSTEMS

The Valiant and her sisters mount a heavily de-tuned version of the LF-35 warp drive system fitted to the
Defiant. While still too powerful for such a small vessel, the changes have greatly improved the ships handling
characteristics. Top speed dropped to Warp 9.4, but she is far more efficient in the Warp 7-8 cruising range,
allowing for a longer endurance.
TACTICAL SYSTEMS
The Defiant and her sisters mount a devastating weapons array up front - four Type XII pulse phaser
cannon and two Type X phaser arrays. She also has two Mk 90 photon torpedo launchers. Such a phaser-heavy
compliment was created based on the Borgs resistance to photon torpedoes. In her new role as an escort, the
ability to deliver sustained such intense phaser power on target is an asset in the close-quarter battle tactics used
by the Dominion.
On such a small vessel, the FSQ shield system allows the Defiants to take massive amounts of punishment.
In addition, ablative hull armor has been fitted to the ship to deflect disruptor accounts. Only the Defiant mounts
a cloaking device, of Romulan origin.
SHIPS FACILITIES
The Defiant and her sisters are incredibly spartan for Federation vessels. There is no dedicated medical
staff, the small sickbay overseen by an Emergency Medical Hologram, but with a crew of only forty, this is not
seen as a problem. The EMH is powered by its own power source and the emitter array is isolated to the sickbay.
CONCLUSION
Currently only the U.S.S. Valiant has entered service. The Freedom, Shogun, and Vindicator are undergoing
construction and are expected to enter Fleet service within the year. These vessels will undergo extensive testing
before additional ships are contracted for.

Captain Sisko is the Commanding Officer of both Starbase Deep Space Nine and the U.S.S. Defiant. He
worked on the Defiant Class Starship Development Project and was the Executive Officer of the U.S.S.
Saratoga, lost at Wolf 359.

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1007

Defiant Class Escort

Displacement
Overall Length
Overall Draft
Overall Beam
Propulsion:

Velocity:

Duration:
Complement:

Embarked Craft:

Navigation:
Computers:
Phasers:
Phasers:
Missiles:
Defense:
Life Support:

1008

355,000 mt
119.48 m
21.07 m
93.88 m
Two LF-35 Mod 1 energized-energized antimatter warp drive units
(System Contractor: Shuvinaaljis Warp Technologies, Vulcan)
Two FIG-2 subatomic unified energy impulse units
(System Contractor: Kloratis Drives, Tellar)
QASR-2 particle beam maneuvering thrusters
(System Contractor: Scarbak Propulsion Systems, Earth)
Trentis IV pulsed laser reaction control system
(System Contractor: Orage Ijek, Aksajak, Andor)
Warp 6
Standard Cruising Speed
Warp 8.0
Maximum Cruising Speed
Warp 9.982
Maximum Attainable Velocity
5 years, standard
10
Officers
30
Enlisted Crew
0
Passengers (Normal Up to 100 maximum)
40
Total Crew (Standard)
0
Danube Class Runabout
0
Type 6 Personnel Shuttle
0
Type 7 Personnel Shuttle
0
Type 9A Cargo Shuttle
0
Type 16 Shuttlepod
0
Peregrine Class Fighter
0
S-3 Sentry SWAC Shuttle
RAV / ISHAK Mod 3 Warp Celestial Guidance
(System Contractor: Tlixis Ramab RRB, Coridan III)
M-15 Isolinear III with LCARS
(System Contractor: Daystrom Computer Systems, Luna)
4 Type XII Pulse Phaser Cannon
(System Contractor: HiBeam Energies, Earth)
2 Type X Collimated Phaser Array
(System Contractor: HiBeam Energies, Earth)
3 Mk 75 Photon Torpedo Launchers
(System Contractor: Skat-Rar Weapon Systems, Andor)
FSQ Primary Force Field
(System Contractor: Charlotte Shields, Earth)
MM6 Modular Gravity Unit
(System Contractor: Morris Magnatronics, Palyria, Mars)
AL4 Life Support System
(System Contractor: AAlakon Landiss, Divallax, Andor)

The Sovereign Class Heavy

Cruiser
The Replacement for the Galaxy Class?
By:

Rear Admiral Mo Nunn

Senior Engineer Starfleet Spacecraft Design Advisory Commission
Director LF-84 Warp Propulsion Intergration Team

When the U.S.S. Enterprise was lost in the Veridian system, Starfleet knew a new vessel would soon bear
the famous name. Original plans were to give the name to a new-build Galaxy (II) class, in honor of her immediate
predecessor. But a surprise move by of Office of Starship Registry gave the name to the second of the new
Sovereign class cruisers.
The Sovereign class represents the next generation of multi-mission vessels. Though the Galaxy class is
classified as a large exploratory cruiser, in fact the vessel fills almost every role a starship can, her sheer size
offering excellent mission flexibility. However, the ships cost an incredible amount of money and their sheer size
makes them unwieldy in combat. In addition, there have been numerous advancements in computer and tactical
systems since the Galaxy class entered service. With the Excelsior class quickly approaching the upper end of her
design life, especially on the frontlines, the Sovereign class is expected to perform the same duties, in a more
modern platform and at a far lower acquisition and maintenance costs.
GENERAL APPEARANCE
The Sovereign bears a resemblance to the Excelsior class battleship and is second only to the Griffon as the
longest vessel in Fleet service, though the ship is dwarfed in mass and volume by the Galaxy class. The ship is
extremely sleek in shape, resulting in excellent warp geometry that allows a high warp speed with excellent fuel
economy. The primary hull is elongated, and the ships draft is not as great as the Galaxy or Nebula classes.
PROPULSION AND POWER SYSTEMS
When Cochrane Warp Dynamics developed the new LF-44 series of warp drive, initial testing was
performed on the U.S.S. Bright Star and Werner von Braun. Results were highly favorable, and the drive was
approved for use on the Sovereign. A high-speed / high-efficiency design, they allow a top sustained speed of
Warp 9.7 and a cruising speed of Warp 6. The LF-44 also does not exert a detrimental effect on local space.
TACTICAL SYSTEMS
Like the Galaxy, the Sovereign class is designed to operate on the frontier of Federation space. Learning
from the defects in the Galaxy class, and corrections made to the Galaxy (II), the Sovereign was equipped with
nine Type XII phaser strips, three Mk 90 photon torpedo launchers (with quantum torpedo capability), and the
FSS shield system.
COMPUTER SYSTEM
The Sovereign class uses the M-16 Bio-Neural Gel Pack-Isolinear III computer system found in the Galaxy
(II) and Intrepid classes. The vessel was originally designed to use the M-15, so extensive systems rework was
necessary to implement the system in Sovereign and Enterprise. However, all future ships will incorporate the
design changes in the yard.

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SHIPS FACILITIES
Standard compliment of a Sovereign class starship is actually 150 more than that of a Galaxy, with fifty
less officers and two hundred more enlisted grades. An extreme surprise, at first glance, is that a Sovereign class
can carry almost two and a half times the number of passengers as a Galaxy 12,500 vs. 5,000. This is because
the ships quarters are almost half the size of those on the Galaxy, more closely resembling those on the Excelsior
class she will replace. Also, a far greater percentage of the ship is dedicated to storage space for long-duration
missions. In times of crisis, these spaces can be converted to temporary bulk personnel transport.
DEVELOPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION HISTORY
The Sovereign class Starship Development Project was launched in 2358. Designs were finalized in 2363
and construction began the following year on two keels. Sovereign entered service in 2371, followed shortly
thereafter by the newly christened Enterprise. Two additional ships are under construction, and more are expected
to be procured over the coming decades as Excelsior and Ambassador class vessels are retired.
CONCLUSION
At this time, the two vessels have been in service for far too short a time to make any sort of definitive
statement as to their effectiveness. Both vessels were originally placed on deep-space mapping tours, but with
the start of the Dominion War, both vessels are currently assigned to TacFleet.

Admiral Nunn was the man behind the integration of the LF-84 warp drive with the Sovereign Class. As
Senior Engineer of the SSDAC, Admiral Nunn oversees all Starfleet propulsion projects.

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1011

Sovereign Class Heavy Cruiser

Displacement
Overall Length
Overall Draft
Overall Beam
Propulsion:

Velocity:

Duration:
Complement:

Embarked Craft:

Navigation:
Computers:
Phasers:
Missiles:
Defense:
Life Support:

1012

3,205,000 mt
685 m
88 m
250 m
Two LF-44 Mod 1 energized-energized antimatter warp drive units
(System Contractor: Cochrane Warp Dynamics, Minos al Rijil, Alpha Centauri VII)
Two FIG-5 subatomic unified energy impulse units
(System Contractor: Kloratis Drives, Tellar)
QASR-2 particle beam maneuvering thrusters
(System Contractor: Scarbak Propulsion Systems, Earth)
Trentis IV pulsed laser reaction control system
(System Contractor: Orage Ijek, Aksajak, Andor)
Warp 6
Standard Cruising Speed
Warp 9.7
Maximum Cruising Speed
Warp 9.9+
Maximum Attainable Velocity
5 years, standard
130
Officers
725
Enlisted Crew
0
Passengers (Normal Up to 12000 maximum)
855
Total Crew (Standard)
0
Danube Class Runabout
3
Type 6 Personnel Shuttle
3
Type 7 Personnel Shuttle
3
Type 9A Cargo Shuttle
6
Type 16 Shuttlepod
RAV / ISHAK Mod 3 Warp Celestial Guidance
(System Contractor: Tlixis Ramab RRB, Coridan III)
M-16 Bio-Neural Gel Pack-Isolinear III with LCARS interface software
(System Contractor: Daystrom Computer Systems, Luna)
9 Type XII Collimated Phaser Array
(System Contractor: HiBeam Energies, Earth)
3 Mk 95 Photon Torpedo Launchers
(System Contractor: Loraxial, Andor)
FSS Primary Force Field
(System Contractor: Sylvanesti Shields, Alkara XV)
MM6 Modular Gravity Unit
(System Contractor: Morris Magnatronics, Palyria, Mars)
AL4 Life Support System
(System Contractor: AAlakon Landiss, Divallax, Andor)

Why Two Warp Nacelles Are

Better Than Three
A Treatise on Warp Drive Dynamics
By:
Rear Admiral Adrian Newey
Technical Director - Starfleet Spaceship Design Advisory Commission

For most of its history, Starfleet vessels have been fitted with two warp nacelles, with single nacelles
being much less common. Certain heavy vessels, mainly the dreadnoughts, have employed three nacelles,
and we have even seen some four-nacelle designs over the past century. Why do Federation starship designers
seem stuck on two nacelles? It all comes down to efficiency.
A common misconception amongst laymen is that the nacelles generate power. In fact, the nacelles use
the power to generate the warp field that propels the ship. However, having additional nacelles does allow a
larger M/AM reactor to be fitted, so the vessel does in fact produce more power.
A vessel with two nacelles produces 50% more power while consuming only 25% more reactants than a
vessel with a single nacelle. Two nacelles also create the optimum balance of power generation and vehicle
control. By altering the timing differences of each nacelle, the warp field geometry can be varied on the X/Yaxiss, thereby altering the ships
heading. Single nacelle vessels
require advanced field-control
systems to perform these
maneuvers, and only the smallest
ships (such as scouts) use a single
nacelle, since the cost of the control
system is smaller than using two
nacelles. Still, this is a rare case, and
by the late 2200s, most singlenacelle designs incorporated two
nacelles mounted side-by-side.
After the Romulan and
Klingon wars, Starfleet began
development of the dreadnought
class of starships to provide a highspeed weapons platform. To reduce
costs and speed introduction,
Starfleet decided to modify the
Constitution class heavy cruiser
rather than designing an entire new
class of vessels. Additional phaser
emplacements were added and, to
increase speed, a third PB-31 warp
nacelle was grafted to the top of the
primary hull. And thus the
Federation class dreadnought was
born. Though the addition of the
third nacelle required extensive

1013

modification to the impulse engines and required the moving of Main Engineering from that location to its
present location in the secondary hull, it did raise the top speed of the vessel by two full warp factors. Total
ships power increased 50%, but the consumption rate of reactants doubled. The ships handling characteristics
were worsened, but this was deemed acceptable as the mission objectives were to keep the ship docked at
Starbase until the start of hostilities. The dreadnought would then deploy to the trouble spot and engage the
enemy forces in conjunction with smaller, more maneuverable vessels, acting as a gun platform. These vessels
never saw their intended service, but their deterrent effect probably helped contribute to that.
With the introduction of new and improved starship designs by the Klingon and Romulan Empires,
Starfleet decided to uprate the Federation class dreadnoughts to the technology and systems employed on the
new Enterprise class of heavy cruisers. The dorsal section was lengthened to better integrate the LN-64 nacelle
mounted there, without sacrificing impulse design or efficiency. The original mounting design of the side-mounted
LN-64 nacelles was the same as that for the Enterprise class, but this was scrapped when the shaft design was
found to interfere with the expanded hangar bay. A new design, with the shafts mounted flush to the top of the
secondary hull and with a direct horizontal feed from one nacelle to the other. An added benefit of this arrangement
appeared during design modeling, since it made the warp field more triangular, providing better X/Y/Z-axis
control. Improvements in warp core design increased power to 150% of that of the Enterprise class, though
reactant consumption also rose, now to 200%. A second class of dreadnoughts, the Ascension, was also created,
using the Belknap class cruiser as its model. It had similar power and reactant adjustments.
Four nacelles did not enter Fleet service until the commissioning of the Constellation class exploratory
cruiser. These vessels were designed to operate on the extreme edge of Federation space for mission periods
exceeding ten years or more. As repair facilities would be few and far between, it was decided to use four LN-68
nacelles to reduce the stress on the warp system as a whole, to provide spare parts for repairs and, if necessary,
act as a backup set of warp nacelles in the event of a severe systems failure in the warp propulsion system.
This design, while inelegant, was functional and a number of ships were built. With all four nacelles in use, total
power was 200% and reactant consumption was 300% compared to when she ran on two nacelles. Since the
Constellation class was somewhat unique in its mission design objectives, the ridiculous waste in consumables of
four-nacelle operation was considered acceptable, though it remained the only four-nacelle vessel built.
In the late 2300s, the arise of more Threat elements against the Federation once again brought the call
for vessels with more than two nacelles. And once again, a third nacelle was grafted to a cruiser, in this case the
Galaxy class, resulting in the Olympus class dreadnought. The Starfleet Corps of Engineers, in a guerrilla war
worthy of the Maquis, finally rammed through a new four-nacelle design, the U.S.S. Peacekeeper diplomatic
cruiser, again based on the Galaxy class.
The ASDB is generally against vessels with more than two nacelles, siting the new LF-43 series which,
when mounted on the Galaxy (II) class large exploratory cruiser, raised its top speed to within 10% of the Olympus,
while using nearly half as much reactants. Therefore, it is unlikely we will see any more three or more nacelle
designs in the near future.

Admiral Newey is a Technical Director at the Starfleet Spacecraft Design Advisory Commission and is an
acknowledged expert in high-warp design dynamics.

1014