Constitution class starship
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The Constitution class was a series of Starfleet vessel in the Star Trek fictional universe, first put into service in the mid-23rd century. Ships of this class were multi-role, but generally used for exploration and diplomacy; however, they were quite capable in combat against ships of most enemy powers of their time, with an armament consisting of (at least) six photon torpedo launchers, two main phaser banks, and a number of secondary phasers. In the late 2260s, the surviving Constitution class vessels underwent a large-scale refit with major upgrades in or replacement of every major system, extending the class' lifespan by at least twenty years. The most notable of these changes was the replacement of the warp nacelles, as well as the replacement of the original bridge module.
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Specifications
These specifications are from Star Trek Technical Manuals and other official but non-canon sources. Weapons counts have been determined by observing on-screen footage as well as examining pictures of official models. The canonicity of this method is in dispute.
Original
- Type: Heavy cruiser
- Dimensions:
- Height: 73 m
- Length: 289 m
- Beam: 132 m
- Accommodation: 430 standard
- Propulsion:
- One matter/antimatter reactor powering two Shuvinaaljis Warp Technologies FWF-1 warp engines (the name of the manufacturer is not canon, the source is FASA, which is Trek gaming only).
- Impulse engines
- Performance: Warp 8 maximum (TOS scale)
- Weaponry:
- two main phaser banks, a number of phasers at other locations (source is footage and the producer's book "The Making of Star Trek", 1968)
- at least 6 photon torpedo tubes (verified by dialogue in "Journy to Babel"
- Defenses: Deflector shields and defelctor screens
- Auxiliary vessels: at least 4 shuttlecraft, although in TAS it seemed to carry many more
Refitted
- Production facility:
- Originally, San Francisco Fleet Yards, Earth
- As of the 2270s, McKinley Orbital Spacedock, Earth
- Type: Heavy cruiser
- Dimensions:
- Height: 71 m
- Length: 305 m
- Beam: 141 m
- Accommodation: 500 standard (not canon, this is just a popular figure)
- Propulsion:
- One matter/antimatter dual intermix chamber reactor powering two Leeding Engines FWG-1 warp engines (name of manufacturer is not canon)
- One intermix-power-deflection/nuclear fusion impulse engine
- Performance: not specified, but fan sources say anywhere from Warp 9 to Warp 12 (TOS scale)
- Weaponry:
- 18 phaser emplacements, 12 of them paired, 6 of them in single mounts
- 2 photon torpedo launchers
- Defenses: Deflector shields and deflector screens
- Auxiliary spacecraft:
- 2-4 personnel shuttlecraft
- Lifeboats
- Possibly travel pod(s)
- Possibly work bee(s)
Known Constitution class ships
- USS Constellation (NCC-1017)
- Named for the USS Constellation, the starship Constellation was commanded by Commodore Matt Decker and was destroyed in 2267 by a massive planet-eating machine.
- USS Constitution (NCC-1700, ex-NX-1700)
- Named for the USS Constitution, the starship Constitution was the pathfinder of its class. Fate uncertain.
- USS Defiant (NCC-1764)
- Named for the HMS Defiant, the starship Defiant was lost in 2268, having disappeared into a rift in space. The ship's ultimate fate was never discovered - at least not in the normal Star Trek universe. A Star Trek: Enterprise episode reveals that it ended up in the Mirror Universe - where it was quickly discovered by the Terran Empire and used to gain the imperial throne.
- USS Eagle (NCC-956)
- Listed in a deleted scene, from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, as one of the ships that was supposed to take part in an attempt to rescue Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy from Rura Penthe.
- USS Endeavor (NCC-1695)
- Named for the Space Shuttle Endeavour and explorer James Cook's HM Bark Endeavour, the starship Endeavour was listed in a deleted scene, from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, as one of the ships that was supposed to take part in an attempt to rescue Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy from Rura Penthe.
- USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)
- The ship featured in Star Trek under the command of James T. Kirk. It was refitted from 2269 to 2271 and was destroyed in 2285 when Kirk ordered the self-destruction of the ship.
- USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A)
- Rather than a new ship, the Enterprise-A may have been a rechristening of the Yorktown according to some sources. Other sources have said that the Enterprise-A was originally intended to be the replacement for the Yorktown (NCC-1704-A). Still others believe that (since it is unlikely that the current, in-service "Yorktown" would be taken away from a captain that just saved his entire crew from death in space), the Yorktown stranded in space by the Probe was the second, non-Constitution-class ship, while the original Yorktown was hauled out of mothballs to serve as the Enterprise-A; explaining that ship's abrieviated lifespan. In Mister Scott's Guide to the Enterprise, the ship was said to have been originally been named the USS Ti-Ho, and had the registry number NCC-1798. The Enterprise-A was decommissioned in 2293 after the Khitomer Conference.
- USS Excalibur (NCC-1664)
- Named for the mythical sword Excalibur, the starship Excalibur was severely damaged by the Enterprise in 2268 while Richard Daystrom's M5 computer was in control of the Enterprise. Presumed recovered.
- USS Exeter (NCC-1672)
- Named for the HMS Exeter, the starship Exeter was commanded by Captain Ronald Tracey in 2268 when she was found in orbit over Omega IV with its crew dead. The Exeter had become biologically contaminated, which had killed the crew and reduced them to their most basic elements. The ultimate fate of the ship was not known. Some resources have mentioned that the ship was scuttled by Starfleet due to the contamination, other sources say the ship was abandoned in orbit around Omega IV.
- USS Farragut (NCC-1647)
- Named for Admiral David Farragut, the starship Farragut was commanded by Captain Garrovick. The Farragut was one of James T. Kirk's first starship posts. In 2257, a gaseous lifeform attacked the ship, killing approximately two hundred crewmembers, including Captain Garrovick; Kirk and the ship's XO were the only surviving senior officers.
- USS Hood (NCC-1703)
- Named for the battlecruiser HMS Hood, the starship Hood was one of the ships faced by and nearly destroyed by the Enterprise in the M5 Computer test.
- USS Intrepid (NCC-1831)
- Named for the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, the starship Intrepid was destroyed by a spacefaring organism in 2268. It was entirely crewed by Vulcans.
- USS Kongo (NCC-1710)
- Named for the Japanese battleship Kongo, the starship Kongo listed in a deleted scene, from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, as one of the ships that was supposed to take part in an attempt to rescue Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy from Rura Penthe.
- USS Lexington (NCC-1709)
- Named for the USS Lexington, the starship Lexington was one of the ships faced by and nearly destroyed by the Enterprise in the M5 Computer test.
- USS Potemkin (NCC-1657)
- The Potemkin was one of the ships faced by and nearly destroyed by the Enterprise in the M5 Computer test.
- USS Republic (NCC-1371)
- As an Ensign, Captain James T. Kirk served on board this vessel, as did then Lt. Benjamin Finney.
- USS Yorktown (NCC-1704)
- Named for the USS Yorktown, the starship Yorktown was disabled temporarily by a probe in search of humpback whales. According to fanon, it may have later been rechistened as the Enterprise-A, however no film or TV episode has ever confirmed this, so for now this is not canon.
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External links
- "Constitution class" at Memory Alpha (http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Constitution_class)
- "Constitution class" at STARTREK.COM (http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/library/ships/article/123185.html)
- "Starship Gallery - Constitution" at Ex Astris Scientia (http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/scans/constitution1.htm)
- "Constitution class" at the Neutral Zone Starship Database (http://www.neutralzone.de/database/Federation/StarFleet/Constitution.htm)
- "Constitution class" at "The Guardian of Forever" (http://www.stguardian.to/fed/constitution/index.html)