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| STAR TREK - KLINGON SHIPS |
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B'Rel Class
Commissioned 2277 - 2355
Dimensions
Length 109 m
Width 92 m
Height 20 m
Decks 5
Mass 30,000 tons
Crew 10 - 25, depending on subtype
Warp Speeds
Normal Cruise Warp 5
Maximum Cruise Warp 7
Maximum Rated Warp 8.2 for twelve hours
Armament
- 2 x Mark 6 pulse disrupter cannon, total output 10,500 TeraWatts
- 1 x Photon torpedo tube + 35 torpedoes
- 1 x Single shot emergency photon torpedo torpedo tube
- Defence Systems Shield system, total capacity 337,500 TeraJoules
- Heavy Duranium/Tritanium double hull plus 5.0 cm High Density armour
- Standard level Structural Integrity field
Expected Lifetime 40 years
Refit Cycle
Minor 5 years
Standard 10 years
Major 30 years
Perhaps the most successful design of vessel in history, the B'Rel class has been in service in larger numbers over more subtypes for a longer time than any other class in known space. First fielded in the late 2270's, the B'Rel was built from the start to fill a variety of roles. As a special operations ship she would using her cloak to penetrate Federation border defences and attack lightly defended targets such as sensor outposts, communications relays and cargo craft, creating confusion in advance of a Klingon fleet attack. She was also a natural scout ship, ideal for locating and tracking Federation fleets from under cloak. During the long period of tensions between the Federation and Klingon Empire, many B'Rel class vessels operated as Raiders, cruising deep inside Federation space to pick off occasional lone vessels or outposts.
In design the B'Rel conforms to Klingon norms, with a single torpedo tube at the extreme forward point of the hull. The command centre is above this, with crew quarters - such as they are - located in the 'neck' section directly aft. The rear of the ship comprises the engineering compartments and a small cargo bay. A pair of wings carry small disrupter cannon at their tips, while a single fire emergency torpedo tube provides a backup to the main armament. The wings allow the B'Rel to operate in an atmosphere and landing gear is fitted, the first Warp capable craft known to have this ability.
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D-7 Class
Commissioned 2245 - 2307
Dimensions
Length 228 m
Width 160 m
Height 60 m
Decks 18 excluding nacelles
Mass 470,000 tons
Crew 480 crew plus up to 500 ground troops
Warp Speeds
Normal Cruise Warp 5
Maximum Cruise Warp 6
Maximum Rated Warp 8 for ten hours
Armament
- 10 x Mark 7 disrupter cannon, total output 6,750 TeraWatts
- 2 x 2nd class Photon torpedo tubes + 260 torpedoes
- Defence Systems Shield system, total capacity 756,000 TeraJoules
- Heavy Monotanium double hull plus 5.0 cm High Density armour
- Standard level Structural Integrity field
Expected Lifetime 100 years
Refit Cycle
Minor 5 years
Standard 10 years
Major 20 years
The D-7 class battle cruiser was the backbone of the Klingon fleet for over sixty years. First entering service in 2245, the D-7 was a far more powerful and advanced vessel than its predecessor. Although the Federation Miranda class was at least the equal of the D-7, and the Constitution class somewhat superior, the D-7 was built in larger numbers than both of these classes combined.
In layout the D-7 set the standard for all Klingon designs up until the present day. The Federation tended to place most or all of the weapons on the primary hull, concentrating firepower forwards, then rely on speed and manoeuvrability to bring them to bear on the target. The D-7s engines were seriously under powered compared to Federation vessels; to compensate, the Klingons put the bulk of the ships systems in a large engineering hull attached to the nacelles, and attached a small secondary hull on the end of a long 'neck' section that projected forwards. This concentrated the vessels mass towards the rear, making it easier for the engines to change the vessels attitude in space. The weapons were also more evenly distributed - one torpedo tube is located in the forward hull, the other in the engineering section facing aft. Six of the ten disrupter cannon are also in the engineering hull. This gives the D-7 a greater distribution of fire than the Constitution or Miranda class.
Facilities were also included to support up to five hundred ground troops; barracks accommodation was located adjacent to the ships six transporter rooms and the shuttle craft bay was considerably larger than previous Klingon vessels in order to support landing craft operations. Each D-7 was expected to be able to sustain ground operations for about twenty days without outside resupply.
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K'Tinga Class
Commissioned 2269 - 2304
Dimensions
Length 246 m
Width 160 m
Height 68 m
Decks 9 excluding nacelles
Mass 490,000 tons
Crew 510
Warp Speeds
Normal Cruise Warp 5.5
Maximum Cruise Warp 7
Maximum Rated Warp 8.5 for twelve hours
Armament
- 2 x Mark 10 disrupter cannon
- 12 x Mark 8 disrupter cannon, total output 15,500 TeraWatts
- 2 x Photon torpedo tubes + 230 torpedoes
- Defence Systems Shield system, total capacity 1,107,000 TeraJoules
- Heavy Duranium double hull plus 8.0 cm High Density armour
- Standard level structural integrity field
Expected Lifetime 90 years
Refit Cycle
Minor 2 years
Standard 6 years
Major 30 years
The K'T'Inga class battle cruiser was fielded by the Klingons during the 2270's to replace the D-7 class. The Klingon intelligence service had learned in 2263 that Starfleet was soon to engage on a major rebuild of the Miranda and Constitution class ships which would, among other things, equip them with the latest weapon and propulsion technology. Since the Miranda class had always been the equal of the D-7 one-on-one, and the Constitution had always been considered markedly superior, the prospect of these ships becoming significantly more powerful was not one the Klingons welcomed.
The Klingon high command judged that developing and building an entirely new class of battle cruiser would take at least ten to fifteen years, leaving nearly a decade when they would be vulnerable to attack. It was therefore decided that the new vessel would be based around the hull of a standard D-7, but would include the latest weapon and engine technology. The K'T'Inga therefore bears a close resemblance to the D-7; major external differences lie in the colour scheme, which is rather darker on the K'T'Inga, and in the forward hull, which is somewhat bulkier on the K'T'Inga. The K'Tingas nacelles are also distinctive.
The Armament of the K'T'Inga was upgraded throughout. A new heavier model torpedo was installed, cutting the number of torpedoes carried from 260 to 230. A Mark 10 disrupter cannon was mounted directly above each torpedo tube. The Mark 7 disrupters of the D-7 were replaced with Mark 8 models, of which an extra pair was worked in to the design. The ground forces barracks was eliminated so as to allow more space to engineering; this measure allowed a larger warp core to be installed and left space for a 20% increase in the fuel supply.
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Neg'Var Class
Commissioned 2368 - present
Dimensions
Length 680 m
Width 280 m
Height 137 m
Decks 39
Mass 7,000,000 tons
Crew 2,780 plus 10,000 ground troops
Warp Speeds
Normal Cruise Warp 8
Maximum Cruise Warp 9.4
Maximum Rated Warp 9.8 for twelve hours
Armament
- 2 x Mark 18 pulse disruptor cannon
- 18 x Mark 12 disruptor cannon, total output 135,000 TeraWatts
- 8 x Triple fire photon torpedo tubes + 2,200 torpedoes
- Defence Systems Auto modulated shield system, total capacity 3,010,500 TeraJoules
- Heavy Duranium/Tritanium double hull plus 25.0 cm High Density armour
- High level structural support field
Expected Lifetime 125 years
Refit Cycle
Minor 1 - 4 years
Standard 10 years
Major 25 years
Built during the 2360's, the Negh'Var was designed for unparalleled protection and firepower; her sheer size was intended to allow her to carry an armament powerful enough to overwhelm any opponent, present or future. She emerged from the shipyards as the largest vessel ever built by the Klingon Navy, at over twenty two hundred feet long.
The main armament of the Negh'Var comprises a pair of huge disruptor cannon, the largest such weapons ever built. Although they are the most powerful mobile weapons on any alpha quadrant ship, the weapons are able to fire over a very limited arc. Since the Negh'Var herself is not exactly a manoeuvrable ship, the intention of these weapons seems to be to deal with the heavy shielding associated with large space installations, fixed defensive systems and planetary arrays. Engaging other vessels falls to the 18 Mark 12 disruptor cannon distributed across the hull; while these are only a fraction as powerful as the Mark 18 weapons, they are at least equal in firepower to the Starfleet Type X phaser array and hence among the most powerful in service.
The Negh'Var is equally well equipped for defensive operations. The shield systems are based on those used in the defence platforms protecting the Klingon MAIN world, and the hull itself is constructed of a high density armour plate. As with recent Federation designs, the structural integrity field is rated at more than triple the normal standard, allowing it to considerably reinforce the armoured hull and provide a powerful backup protection.
Although its primary role is in destroying fixed defences and enemy vessels, the Negh'Var apparently has a considerable secondary role in landing and supporting troops. Some ten thousand can be carried on board, and the ship has over thirty personnel transporters and large numbers of landing craft to carry them. She can carry supplies for up to ten days of surface fighting, and if necessary can support the ground forces by both orbital bombardment and warhead transporting.
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Vor'Cha Class
Commissioned Unknown
Dimensions
Length 457 m
Width 240 m
Height 100 m
Decks 28
Mass 4,900,000 tons
Crew 780
Warp Speeds
Normal Cruise Warp 6
Maximum Cruise Warp 8.8
Maximum Rated Warp 9.4 or more
Armament
- 3 x Mark 12 pulse disrupter cannon
- 12 x Mark 10 disrupter cannon , total output 57,500 TeraWatts
- 4 x Triple fire photon torpedo tubes + 580 torpedoes
- Defence Systems High capacity shield system total capacity 2,092,500 TeraJoules
- Heavy Duranium/Tritanium double hull plus 16.0 cm High Density armour
- High level structural support field
Expected Lifetime 80 years
Refit Cycle
Minor 2 years
Standard 8 years
Major 16 years
The Vor'Cha class was originally the Klingon response to Starfleets Ambassador class design. Intended to be significantly more powerful than the Ambassador, the ship had something of a troubled beginning. The project was approved in 2332, and immediately ran into snags; the Klingons experienced problems with the manufacture of the Warp Coils, a problem Starfleet would later encounter for itself. In addition, despite much effort the Klingons could not match Starfleets development of the burst fire torpedo tube. However, the materials problems were overcome and the first designs indicated that the new ships would comfortably meet the design requirements using larger numbers of single fire torpedo tubes. However, by the time construction of the first vessel was begun in 2341, Starfleet had issued the requirement for the Nebula class Starship. This would clearly be more than a match for the proposed Vor'Cha class, leaving the Klingons with a major new warship design which would be obsolete the moment it left the shipyards.
The Klingons responded by going back to the drawing board and re draughting the design. Three of the Mark 10 disrupter cannon were replaced with more powerful models, designated the Mark 12. These were capable of operating in a 'pulse fire' mode, increasing their effectiveness against shield systems. High density armour plating was added around the ships Warp Core, nacelles, and around the weapons platforms. Efforts continued to field a burst fire torpedo system; in 2343 a group of six torpedoes exploded wile being fired from a test vessel, destroying it with the loss of two hundred personnel, including nine of the projects best design specialists. Despite this tragedy the Klingons pressed on, albeit with a less ambitious tube design capable of firing three torpedoes at a time, and were eventually successful.
The re-designed Vor'Cha began construction in 2345 and launched in 2351, three years before the first of the Nebula class. Comparisons between the two are inevitable; the Vor'Cha is generally considered to be about 15% more powerful than the standard Nebula design because of its superior armour and pulse fire disrupters. However, when fitted with an enhanced weapons pod the Nebula is generally reckoned to be more than a match for the Vor'Cha. The advent of the Galaxy class swung the balance further toward Starfleet, and the Vor'Cha class is decidedly behind the latest designs beginning to enter service in the quadrant. The Klingons are reported to be planning to upgrade the Vor'Cha fleet with more powerful disrupters, the latest torpedo tubes, and enhanced shielding systems to keep them on the front lines. It is not known when this process might begin.
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