User:CrimsonTacit/Sandbox/Fleet Modernization Program (2270s)

The Fleet Modernization Program of the 2270s was a centralized effort led by Advanced Starship Design Bureau and the yard teams at the San Francisco Fleet Yards to upgrade a number of designs created in the 2250s with new technologies and a standardized engine design. This program's most iconic design was the Constitution II-class heavy cruiser, and the Miranda II that was built alongside her remained in service for the entirety of the 24th century. Considered the ultimate expression of the San Francisco School of starship design, the hull geometry and aesthetic of this generation of starship building ultimately returned at the beginning of the 25th century with vessels such as the Constitution III and Duderstadt.

History

By the 2260s, multiple generations of Federation starships were serving alongside one another. Though the family of vessels stemming from the Constitution-class heavy cruiser made up the bulk of the fleet, older classes remained in service as well. This lack of standardization created enormous hurdles for logistics in several different ways ranging from training new officers to pre-positioning spare parts to scheduling, as vessels with wildly different top speeds were difficult to use together. Starfleet ordered a comprehensive review of shipbuilding practices that was spearheaded by the Advanced Starship Design Bureau.

While partial standardization had already been achieved with the engine design from the Constitution spreading to other classes, continuing advances had led to a new engine design that could incorporate warp and impulse power into one integrated intermix system that would be substantially safer, more reliable, and faster. Incorporating this system would require wholesale structural changes across the fleet. Advances in scientific, tactical, and crew support systems also made it clear that this project would likely take decades and change the way the Federation built ships entirely.

In the late 2260s, it was decided to focus first on the Constitution and then roll out changes to other classes. Upon her return from her final five-year mission under Captain James T. Kirk in 2270, the Enterprise was chosen as the first vessel to be modified, and the rebuild took eighteen months in spacedock. While this work was ongoing, the ADSB identified redundancies across several classes, and sought approval to consolidate multiple vessel types into just six initial designs:

• Constitution-class heavy cruisers, Sombra-class light cruisers, and Federation-class dreadnoughts would be rebuilt as Constitution II-class heavy cruisers.
• Hermes-class scouts and Saladin-class destroyers would be rebuilt as Akula-class frigates
• Malakowski, Nimitz, Miranda, Pioneer, Bellerophon, Hoover, Shepard, and Walker-class cruisers would be rebuilt as Miranda II-class light cruisers.
• Antares, McGee and Archer-class surveyors would be rebuilt as Oberth-class surveyors.
• Radiant and Cardenas-class cruisers would be rebuilt as Constellation-class cruisers.
• Ptolemy and Helios-class tugs would be rebuilt as Ptolemy II-class tugs.