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| STAR TREK - CARDASSIAN SHIPS |
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Galor Class
Commissioned 2343 - 2365
Dimensions
Length 355 m
Width 185 m
Height 57 m
Decks 15
Mass 900,000 tons
Crew 600
Warp Speeds
Normal Cruise Warp 6
Maximum Cruise Warp 8.9
Maximum Rated Warp 9.2 for twelve hours
Armament
- 1 x High power phaser bank
- 6 x Medium power phaser banks, total output 12,750 TeraWatts
- 2 x Photon torpedo tubes + 200 torpedoes
- Defence Systems SShield system, total capacity 729,000 TeraJoules
- Heavy Kelindide double hull plus 7.0 cm High Density armour
- Standard level structural integrity field
Expected Lifetime 50 years
Refit Cycle
Minor 2 years
Standard 8 years
Major 16 years
The Galor is the mainstay of the Cardassian fleet, making up over half of their total Naval forces. When it first entered service in the 2340's the Galor was intended to oppose smaller and older vessels such as the Miranda, Excelsior, Norway and New Orleans classes. Initially the Cardassians wanted to also develop a much larger, more powerful design to oppose the Ambassador and Akira and the upcoming Nebula design, but this proved to beyond their resources and the project was dropped in its early stages. Instead it was decided to build a very large number of Galor class ships and operate 'hunter packs' of two or three together against the more powerful Starfleet ships.
The Galor is a rugged, sensible design. The engineering section is mounted at the forward end of the single hull structure, a move which puts the drive systems well forward of the centre of gravity. This makes the design inherently stable in all flight regimes, greatly simplifying many of the control systems - although it does reduce the vessels manoeuvrability somewhat. The single high power phaser bank is located directly ahead of the engineering area, reducing the length of conduit between the warp core and the weapon which increases the systems resilience to battle damage. The control spaces are directly above the blades on the vessels centreline, while the long narrow hull projecting aft from them holds the fuel tanks, habitation areas and other less essential systems.
The use of a powerful phaser bank was intended to allow the Galor to blast through the shields of an enemy vessel in just a few bursts, a philosophy which has proved somewhat optimistic over the years. The phaser is roughly equal to a Starfleet Type IX model, which is very powerful for a ship the size of the Galor. But the single installation gives the Galor a relatively poor firing arc for this weapon, something not improved by the ships low manoeuvrability. The medium power phaser banks are roughly equal to a Type VII phaser, which is more in line with the Galors size.
Originally it was planned to use burst fire torpedo systems, but as with the Romulans the Cardassians have had great difficulty developing this technology to the point where it can be used safely and effectively. The Galor thus has two standard torpedo tubes, one forward and one aft. The extra room this left over allowed the torpedo complement to be increased from a planned 160 to 200.
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Hideki Class
Commissioned 2345 - 2370
Dimensions
Length 100 m
Width 42 m
Height 23 m
Decks 6
Mass 100,000 tons
Crew 40
Warp Speeds
Normal Cruise Warp 5
Maximum Cruise Warp 7
Maximum Rated Warp 7.5 for twelve hours
Armament
- 2 x Type V phaser banks, total output 4,500 TeraWatts
- 2 x Micro photon torpedo tubes + 20 torpedoes
- Defence Systems Shield system, total capacity 94,500 TeraJoules
- Standard Kelindide double hull plus 2.0 cm High Density armour
- Standard level structural integrity field
Expected Lifetime 36 years
Refit Cycle
Minor 3 years
Standard 9 years
Major 18 years
The Hideki class is one of the most important ships in the Cardassian fleet, if only due to their high numbers. The Cardassians have always sought to produce simple, easy-to-build ships which pack a heavy punch for their size and in the Hideki they have accomplished just that. Although these ships are generally compared - unfavourably - to the Klingon B'Rel class Bird of Prey, in some ways this is unfair. Cardassian policy emphasizes that these ships are intended for largely border patrol or system defence duties, keeping Cardassian space defended in order to free up the larger ships for offensive duties. The B'Rel, on the other hand, is intended to be a fully capable attack vessel in its own right, albeit a light one. While the Hideki is not as capable as the Klingon vessel, it is thought to take almost one third of the resources to build and run - and three Hidekis would certainly be a match for a single B'Rel class.
The Hideki is thought to have a long term cruise speed of Warp 5, about right for a ship which will not be expected to cover large distances unsupported. The Armament is capable of dealing with pirate and mercenary type vessels that the Hideki might encounter on patrols and is sufficient to allow the Hideki to act in support of major fleet actions or operate as a light scout unit - although the relatively low speed is a limiting factor in this role.
The Hideki has been built in very large numbers, and as is inevitable with a class this size several variations have been fielded. The Type 1 is the basic Hideki class described above; the Type 2 is four metres longer; it has extra fuel and a greater degree of automation to reduce the crew to 32, giving a higher accommodation standard and allowing this variant to undertake longer patrols. The Type 3 has a more advanced sensor suite than previous models and is equipped with a new model of warp core which increases efficiency. The Type 4 is a new model which has added high density armour and a third phaser bank, although this is accomplished at the cost of lower maximum speeds and reduced range.
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Keldon Class
Commissioned 2365 - present
Dimensions
Length 366 m
Width 220 m
Height 60 m
Decks 17 excluding nacelles
Mass 1,400,000 tons
Crew 800
Warp Speeds
Normal Cruise Warp 6
Maximum Cruise Warp 9.2
Maximum Rated Warp 9.6 for four hours
Armament
- 1 x High power phaser bank
- 8 x Medium power phaser banks, total output 19,750 TeraWatts
- 2 x Rapid fire photon torpedo tubes + 250 torpedoes
- Defence Systems Shield system, total capacity 850,500 TeraJoules
- Heavy Kelindide double hull plus 8.0 cm High Density armour
- Standard level structural integrity field
Expected Lifetime 60 years
Refit Cycle
Minor 2 years
Standard 4 years
Major 12 years
The Keldon class is the most powerful vessel in the Cardassian fleet. Essentially an enlarged and uprated Galor class vessel, the Keldon class is an improvement on its predecessor in almost every respect. The secondary armament has been boosted from six to twelve phaser banks, while the primary phaser has been upgraded to put it on a par with a Type X phaser array. The photon tubes are capable of firing at more than twice the rate of the Galor class tubes, and the Keldon includes a great deal of new sensor and computer equipment designed to increase its ability to target vessels under cloak or capable of a high level of manoeuvrability. The shield system has been heavily upgraded, while the hull beneath has received a layer of high density armour plate.
While these measures put the Keldon class significantly above the Galor, they still do not rank with the larger, more sophisticated ships that the larger alpha quadrant forces can field. The Cardassians planned to produce the Keldon in huge numbers to compensate for this - over three hundred were planned, but the difficulties suffered by Cardassia in the last few years have made this more a fond hope than a realistic plan.
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Freighter
Commissioned 2341 - 2371
Dimensions
Length 124 - 241 m, depending on cargo pods carried
Width 37 m
Height 61 m
Decks 4
Mass 150,000 - 292,000 tons, depending on cargo pods carried
Crew 12
Warp Speeds
Normal Cruise Warp 5
Maximum Cruise Warp 6
Maximum Rated Warp 6.2 for four hours
Armament
- 1 x Low power disrupter bank, total output 50 TeraWatts
- Defence Systems Shield system, total capacity 13,500 TeraJoules
- Light Monotanium double hull
- Low level structural integrity field
Expected Lifetime 100 years
Refit Cycle
Minor 5 years
Standard 10 years
Major 20 years
The Cardassians use these useful craft as general purpose cargo carriers. It is a modular design, with a power system and warp and impulse engines in a stern section and the crew quarters, computer systems and bridge in the bow section. Between the two is anything from one to five cargo sections, each of which carries six storage pods. The standard pod is capable of carrying normal cargo items, but pods designed for bulk ores, liquids, and frozen items are also available.
Although most cargo vessels are unarmed, the Cardassians chose to equip this ship with a single light disrupter cannon in order to defend against low intensity threats such as mercenaries and raiders. The ship has no shields or armour of any kind.
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