D-7 Class
| |
| D7 Class | |
| Information | |
| Affiliation | |
| Status |
Retired |
| Role |
Battlecruiser |
| Lineage | |
| Preceding Class | |
| Succeeding Class | [[*K't'inga
|
| Service | |
| Operator | |
| Entered Service |
2257 |
| Production Ended |
2270s |
| Retired |
2320s |
| Endurance | |
| Expected Design Life |
50 years |
| Expected Refit Cycle |
10 years |
| Expected Resupply Cycle |
5 Years |
| Crew Capacity | |
| Standard Complement |
430 |
| Emergency Capacity |
3,000 |
| Dimensions | |
| Length |
228 meters |
| Width |
160 meters |
| Height |
60 meters |
| Decks |
18 |
| Propulsion | |
| Cruise Speed |
Warp 6.5 |
| Maximum Speed |
Warp 8 |
| Emergency Speed |
Warp 9.5 (12 hours) |
| Armaments | |
| Energy Weapons |
|
| Torpedo Launchers |
|
| Torpedo Payload |
|
| Shields |
Standard graviton shielding system |
| Small Craft | |
| Shuttlebays |
1 |
| Shuttles |
10 |
| Template:Specification | |
The D7-class battlecruiser is one of the fiercest and most recognizable starships ever produced in Alpha or Beta Quadrants. Originally introduced in 2257 by Chancellor L'Rell as a symbol of unity for the Klingon Empire, the design would undergo over 100 years of refits and upgrades, be traded to the Romulan Star Empire, and see countless conflicts. The D7 is retired from active service by both the Romulans and Klingons in 2401, but may still be found in civilian hands and a formidable opponent that should not be underestimated.
Exploration and Science
The D7-class was not built with science or exploration in mind. As a pure warship, its sensor suite is intended to gather intelligence, track enemy vessels, and help exploit weaknesses in combat. The D7 can, however, be used for scientific and exploratory missions if absolutely required. Compared to other Klingon vessels of her era, the D7 is the most well-equipped for scientific duties. Although, for a Klingon warship design, that leaves much to be desired.
Diplomacy
Much like exploration, the D7-class was not designed with diplomacy in mind other than through superior firepower against enemy forces. However, the D7 has historically been used by the Klingon and Romulan Empires as ships of diplomatic gesture throughout the mid to late 23rd century. To that end, the D7 has been equipped with a limited amount of conference rooms and stately guest quarters for visiting dignitaries.
Engineering
A ship born out of and bred for war, the D7-class was an amalgamation of the best parts of the separate Great House's designs rolled into one vaguely familiar frame. Built on a similar overall aesthetic design as the D6-class battlecruiser, the D7-class battlecruiser incorporated aspects of the M'Chla-class, Chargh-class, and Qugh-class, but especially from the Sech-class and BortaS bir-class. Overall, the design appeared as a predator stalking the depths of space. The primary hull was almost wing-like, with two nacelles on each side, connecting a long "neck" with a "head" command section.
Tactical
At the time of its deployment, the D7-class battlecruiser was easily the most formidable ship in the Alpha or Beta Quadrants. The D7 excels in combat, boasting an impressive weapons array, a cloaking device, incredibly resilient shields, and a new generation warp drive capable of propelling the ship to sustained speeds of Warp 9. The new warp drive also efficiently routed power through the vessel to its weapons systems, allowing for a more powerful disruptor blast than anything that had been fielded by the Klingons previously. Due to its main weapons array pointing forward from the ship, the thruster design throughout also makes it one of the most maneuverable vessels of its era for its size, able to bring its main weapons to bear against an enemy with ease.
The D7-class is also an efficient combat vessel in several other areas including ship-to-ship combat, troop transport and deployment, and orbital or siege bombardment of stationary targets. In fact, compared to its contemporaries at the time, the only real threat to a D7-class battlecruiser in one-on-one combat was the Starfleet Constitution-class starship.
The only substantial tactical difference between the Romulan and Klingon versions of the D7 over its production run was the inclusion of plasma torpedoes on the Romulan version.
Shipboard Life
The D7 was never built with comfort in mind. With that being said, for both the Klingon and Romulan versions, the vessel was far more comfortable than its previous counterparts or contemporaries. The ship boasted actual leisure facilities; this was specifically unlike the Klingon designs that came before it. Leisure facilities vary between the Klingon and Romulan configurations of the design but largely include a massive mess hall, training facilities including a gym and bat’leth hall, and even limited holo facilities. However, when fully manned with troops for transport, quarters on the D7 were cramped and even the ship's captain would be forced to share accommodations.
Class History
The D7-class was first introduced to the Klingon High Council by Chancellor L’Rell as a symbol of the Klingon unification of the Great Houses in 2257. The design was almost immediately accepted by the leaders of each Great House and put into mass production, entering service shortly after. The D7 quickly went on to become the cornerstone of the Klingon Defense Force serving in almost any role imaginable. By the 2260s, the D7 was often found toe-to-toe with Starfleet’s Constitution-class along the border of the two empires.
During a short alliance between the Klingons and Romulans in the mid-2260s, several technologies traded hands; this included a swap of the D7 design to the Romulans in exchange for the Romulans far more advanced cloaking technology at the time. This exchange immediately altered the history of the D7 forever by adding the class to the Romulan fleet and also adding cloaking devices to each one within the Klingon fleet.
By the 2270s, active development and construction of the D7 had been discontinued by both the Romulans and Klingons in favor of their own, unique refit designs on the platform. Eventually, the Klingons deployed the K't'inga-class battlecruiser while the Romulans deployed their own improvement in the Stormbird-class. Although these two new designs took prominence, the D7 remained in active service for many years in both empires until finally being phased out in the 24th century.
In Play
- The D7 has long since been retired by both the Romulans and Klingons. However, over the years some have been lost, sold, or otherwise unaccounted for. This has led to these ships falling into the hands of civilians and outside of the government’s hands. Although these ships are antiquated by 2401, they are still a formidable opponent that should not be underestimated.
- These are most likely to be found in 2401 as the Romulan configuration, in the hands of petty warlords or regional overlords that have popped up within Romulan space since the fall of Romulus.