Cheyenne Class

Cheyenne-class fast cruiser
Information
Affiliation	United Federation of Planets
Type	Fast Cruiser
Role	Rapid Reponse
Lineage
Preceding Class	Niagara-class
Succeeding Class	Duderstadt-class
Service
Operator	Starfleet
Entered Service	2345
Endurance
Expected Design Life	80 Years
Expected Refit Cycle	10 Years
Expected Resupply Cycle	1 Year
Crew Capacity
Standard Complement	250
Emergency Capacity	1,000
Dimensions
Length	362 meters
Width	262 meters
Height	100 meters
Decks	20
Propulsion
Propulsion System	Matter/Antimatter powered warp drive
Cruise Speed	Warp 6
Maximum Speed	Warp 8
Emergency Speed	Warp 9.6 (12 hours)
Armaments
Energy Weapons	6x Type-X Phaser Arrays
Torpedo Launchers	2 forward single-fire launchers 2 aft single-fire launchers
Torpedo Payload	100 Photon Torpedoes
Shields	Graviton Shields
Small Craft
Shuttle Bays	1
Shuttles	4
Additional Information
BFMS Registry
Cheyenne-class Command Pages
Template:Specification

The Cheyenne-class fast cruiser is one of the few Starfleet designs with more than two nacelles. This aging class was a direct replacement for the finnicky Niagara-class fast cruiser and spiritually a successor to the Constellation-class, first put into service in the 2350s. Like the Constellation, the Cheyenne is often considered to be under-gunned, but it has been proven to be a reliable rapid-response vessel for humanitarian and engineering missions, while also being able to support the fleet's defensive mission in a pinch.

Science and Exploration

As a fast cruiser, the Cheyenne-class has a number of science labs and is suited to generalist exploratory duties, approximately equal to the Constellation and Miranda-classes in this regard. In the modern era, Cheyenne-class ships are rarely tasked with truly independent exploratory missions, but they do often find themselves on charting assignments ahead of the fleet. They have a long band of lateral sensors around the rim of the saucer section that gives them impressive medium-range sensor abilities. This feature makes them better at recon and patrol missions than scientific exploration.

Diplomacy

Cheyenne-class ships have above-average diplomatic capabilities for ships of their size, with enough guest quarters and other accommodations to house multi-party talks aboard the ship. Ships of this type have often been used to host accession talks for potential Federation member worlds, as they are large enough to remain in orbit for several months with enough supplies and recreational facilities to not need extensive support. Given their speed, they are well-suited for use as diplomatic couriers, though with perhaps less luxury than their contemporary, the Challenger.

Engineering

One of the few Starfleet designs with four nacelles, the Cheyenne-class has four of the same boxy nacelles developed with her sister class, the Springfield. The design philosophy behind this decision was that the ship would be able to alternate between its two sets of nacelles for normal flight but use all four when high speeds were necessary, but this particular feature was made obsolete by the nacelles introduced on the Challenger-class that would be featured aboard the other ships of this era, which were able to sustain higher speeds with less wear and tear. The engineering section is tall and slender, with the warp core running several decks through the center of it.

On the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the secondary hull there are large cargo bays with external doors located under shield-like fairings. These facilities allow for the quick unloading of bulky cargo. The shuttle bay is in the center of the secondary hull and is large for a ship of this class, allowing for cargo shuttles to deliver supplies efficiently.

The primary hull of the Cheyenne-class is similar to the ones employed upon the similar Springfield, Challenger, and New Orleans-class ships, but with both sides using the geometry that would end up being the ventral surface of the Galaxy, so there is less internal volume. The ship’s primary deflector is located in the saucer section, and the lack of a large dish limits some of its long-range sensor functions. This vessel was one of the first starships that could routinely separate and reconnect its saucer section from the engineering hull. There are clear separation lines on the aft quarter of the saucer section that conceal magnetic docking latches. This feature is primarily employed to allow the saucer section to enter areas where it needs more maneuverability or as a short-term solution for combat situations, given that the secondary hull is limited to thruster and warp power because the primary hull contains the impulse engines. As with the Nebula, the outer edge of the saucer section contains limited habitable space, with cargo holds taking up much of the volume there. These holds are close to the ship's primary docking ports, and are used for technical parts and cargo like medical supplies.

The ship’s power grid is limited by the relatively small warp core, which creates limitations during resource-intensive mission profiles. A small number of these vessels have been retrofitted with additional small craft capabilities in the saucer section, replacing the lower sensor platform with a door to a combination shuttle and cargo bay. This makes these ships even more useful as cargo carriers and humanitarian platforms.

Tactical

The Cheyenne-class has two large Type-X phaser arrays on the ventral and dorsal surfaces of the primary hull, as well as four smaller Type-X arrays on the nacelle pylons, providing near-comprehensive beam weapon coverage of the ship’s firing arcs. In addition, there are four class-6 single-fire torpedo launchers, two forward and two aft. As such, this class is suitable for low-intensity tactical assignments. It excels especially at handling pirates, raiders, and other threats common to the borders of Federation space.

Due to its power limitations, it is not an ideal tactical platform and generally needs to focus on using its maneuverability to bring its main weapons to bear, rather than using all of its arrays at once. In fleet settings, these vessels are often used for escape pod retrieval and other support roles, as their armaments are more limited than other medium-sized starships.

Shipboard Life

Similar to her cousins, the Cheyenne-class is a comfortable posting, which many 25th century officers may even consider to be luxurious compared to the more austere designs built since the 2390s. Most officers still have individual quarters and there are several lounges and holodecks available for recreation. Medical facilities are over-sized, as the ship is intended for fast response missions, and these facilities have been kept steadily up-to-date with the latest equipment.

Crews assigned to these vessels tend to see the assignment as a mere stepping stone to more prestigious or exciting posting, given that these ships are generally not assigned to missions outside of the Federation. Captains especially are often fairly junior and don’t tend to spend long tours on Cheyenne-class ships. Because of high turnover, it’s rare that these ships develop much in the way of esprit de corps or a real sense of ownership over the vessel, given that the longest terms or service tend to be one or two years, rather than the decade or more crews might expect to spend on a large explorer.

Class History

Developed alongside the Springfield class, the Cheyenne-class was seen as a replacement for the Niagara-class fast cruiser, which was proving difficult to maintain and build with its tri-nacelle design. It would also be a spiritual successor to the even older Constellation-class fast cruiser cruiser, in its return to a quad-nacelle design. Sharing many components with her sister class, design on the Cheyenne-class continued apace, and it was decided that the ship would also incorporate a number of novel features, including an ability to separate the ship’s saucer section and a warp drive system that would rely on alternating sets of warp coils across two pairs of nacelles.

This class experienced significant design challenges, but the first unit was launched in 2350. While Starfleet had optimistically expected to order a few hundred of these vessels, the design proved to be only marginally superior to the Constellation-class, as it suffered from the same power problems as her inspiration. In addition, the saucer separation ability was of extremely limited utility with the arrangement of the ship’s impulse engines being what it was. While initially envisioned as a routinely used ability, it was essentially only used when there was danger of a warp core breach.

In service, the Cheyenne never matched the speed of the Niagara but it was leaps and bounds more capable and more reliable than the Constellation, which was seen as a success. With a smaller crew than the larger California, they were able to handle light-intensity missions easily, but Starfleet generally prioritized the other members of the Fleet Modernization Program. While construction proceeded for 15 years, the Cheyenne was never ordered in large numbers. The USS Ahwahnee was heavily damaged at the Battle of Wolf 359 and a handful were also destroyed during the Dominion War, making them rare by the late 2370s. They continue in service to the present day, but they are becoming increasingly pushed into fringe assignments as time goes on.

Cheyenne Class Gallery

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Cheyenne Class In Play

• While not particularly powerful in terms of their combat strength, Cheyenne-class vessels are relatively fast and are very good at their logistics role. While they have been supplanted by newer ships, they serve on with a sense of pride.
• A Cheyenne-class is a good first command, as captains typically don’t stick aboard them very long. In some ways service here is a continuation of academy or command school training.
• Cheyenne-class starships might be repurposed as transports or freighters, just like the Miranda before them. They’re a design that would definitely be seen as second-rate by modern Starfleet personnel.