Bravo Fleet
Difference between pages "Freedom Class" and "K't'inga class"

Difference between pages "Freedom Class" and "K't'inga class"

From Bravo Fleet
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{{Specifications
{{Specification
| image = [[Image:Freedomclass.jpg|275px]]
| image = [[Image:Ktingaclass.jpg]]
| name = ''Freedom''
| displayName = '''''K't'inga'' Class'''
| affiliation = Starfleet
| name = K't'inga
| role = Scout
| affiliation = *[[Klingon Empire]]
| dateEntered = 2336
*[[Old_Romulan_Star_Empire|Romulan Star Empire]]
| expectedLife = 80 Years
| operator = *[[Klingon Defense Force]]
| expectedRefit = 10 Years
*[[Old_Romulan_Star_Empire#Romulan_Star_Navy|Romulan Star Navy]]
| timeResupply = 1 Year
| status = Active
| crewComplement = 230
| role = Battlecruiser
| emergencyCap = 500
| type =
| length = 350 meters
| precedingClass = Sech
| width = 175 meters
| succeedingClass = Vor'cha
| height = 100 meters
| dateEntered = 2258
| decks = 14
| productionEnd = 2369
| retired =
| expectedDuration = 100 Years
| expectedRefit = 15 Years
| timeResupply = 3 Years
| crewComplement =350
| emergencyCap = 1,500
| civilians =
| populationCap =
| flightCrew =
| passengers =
| length = 349.54 meters
| width = 251.76 meters
| diameter =
| height = 98.41 meters
| decks = 25
| propulsionSystem = Matter/Antimatter powered warp drive
| propulsionSystem = Matter/Antimatter powered warp drive
| cruiseSpeed = Warp 6
| cruiseSpeed = Warp 7
| maxSpeed = Warp 7.1
| maxSpeed = Warp 9.6
| emergencySpeed = Warp 7.5 (12 hours)
| emergencySpeed = Warp 9.8 (12 hours)
| energyWeapons =*8x Type-IX Phaser Arrays
| energyWeapons = 6x disruptor cannons
| torpLaunchers =*2 forward
| torpLaunchers = *1x forward
| torpPayload =*50 Photon Torpedoes
*1x aft
| shields =Multi-Layered Shielding System
| torpPayload = *150 photon torpedoes
| shuttleBays =1
*100 plasma torpedoes (Romulan version)
| shuttles =4
| shields = *Deflector shields
| runabouts =
*Cloaking device
}}
| dockingfacilities =
A nearly-obsolete patrol ship, the ''Freedom''-class scout is only seen defending outlying colony worlds or plying the Federation’s minor space lanes as a search and rescue or customs enforcement cutter. These odd ships have a very powerful long-range sensor array but are otherwise remarkable except for their single nacelle design.
| shuttleBays =  
| shuttles =  
| runabouts =
| fighters =
| aux =
| msd =  
}}The '''''K't'inga''-class battlecruiser''' was historically and prominently the frontline battlecruiser of the [[Klingon Empire]] for the second half of the 23rd century and well into the 24th century. Through various refits and modernizations, the ''K't'inga'' continued service well past her intended design life and into the [[ma:Dominion War|Dominion War]]. Although a much rarer sight in the 25th century with the wide deployment of the [[Vor'cha Class|''Vor'cha''-class]] battlecruiser, the ''K't'inga'' can still be found throughout Klingon space and the frontier as a multi-purposed ship of war.
===Exploration and Science===
Although a ship bred for war and used as a battlecuiser, the ''K't'inga'' is a deceptively adept exploration platform. The original design expectation that the ''K't'inga'' would be forced onto the fringe frontier of Klingon space for months or maybe even years at a time required that the ship be equipped with a suite of sensors to handle the unknown. This served multiple purposes in being able to relay mapping data, both passive and active, back to Klingon command to be analyzed as well as using the ''K't'inga's'' advanced sensor suite in combat situations against perspective targets. Historically, because of the advanced ''K't'inga'' sensors, the ubiquitous nature of the vessel throughout its lifetime, and the data collected over the years, the [[Klingon Defense Force]] was able to passively map out large swaths of the Klingon frontier.


=== Science and Exploration ===
The ''K't'inga'', being the workhorse battlecruiser of the Klingon Empire for almost 100 years, also served as its premier ship of exploration in any sense that the Klingon Empire was interested in such endeavors. Compared to other Klingon vessels of her era, the ''K't'inga'' is the most well-equipped for scientific duties. Although, for a Klingon warship design, that leaves much to be desired. If ever a matter of science or exploration was required, the ''K't'inga'' was the ship that was deployed for such matters during much of its lifetime. In the modern era, ships with more advanced sensor suites such as the ''Vor'cha''-class or [[Negh'Var Class|''Negh'Var''-class]] would primarily be deployed to any exploration assignments of importance.
With its trainable telescopic sensor array, the ''Freedom''-class scout had the longest sensor range of any Federation starship when it was first launched in 2339. It is ideal for stellar cartography missions and can take detailed images of stars, planets, and even subspace topography. It also has a small number of labs, but due to the ship’s small size, it doesn’t carry much in the way of a science department. These ships were never meant to wander past the Federation’s extensive borders, but are often tasked with minor scientific missions during the course of their regular patrols.


=== Diplomacy ===
===Diplomacy===
''Freedom''-class ships are not equipped for diplomatic missions other than delivering dignitaries from place to place, a task that they can accomplish with a single set of VIP accommodations located near the captain’s quarters. They have, however, been responsible for identifying a number of new civilizations with their long-range scanners, which has led to many first contacts, even though they themselves aren’t suited for this work.
Much like exploration, the ''K't'inga''-class was not designed with diplomacy in mind other than through superior firepower against enemy forces. However, the ''K't'inga'' has historically been used by the Klingon Empire as a ship of diplomatic gesture throughout the mid to late 23rd century. To that end, the ''K't'inga'' has been equipped with a limited amount of conference rooms and stately guest quarters for visiting dignitaries.


=== Engineering ===
===Engineering===
Resembling the old ''Saladin'' and ''Hermes''-class starships, the ''Freedom''-class scout is the only serving Federation starship that only has one nacelle. It has no secondary hull, other than a one-deck strip of engineering support systems running over the spine of this nacelle, and so the warp core is located within the ship’s circular primary hull. This connects to a pod containing two forward torpedo launchers, along with a tall interconnecting dorsal that leads to the saucer. The ship’s two small impulse engines are located where the neck of the ship connects to the saucer and given the ship’s small mass, they provide significant sublight maneuverability.
A ship [[ma:Federation-Klingon_War_(2256-57)|born out of and bred for war]], the ''K't'inga''-class was an amalgamation of the best parts of the separate [[Great House|Great House's]] designs rolled into one vaguely familiar frame. The ''K't'inga''-class battlecruiser incorporated aspects of the [[M'Chla class|''M'Chla''-class]], [[Chargh class|''Chargh''-class]], and [[Qugh class|''Qugh''-class]], but especially from the [[Sech class|''Sech''-class]] and [[BortaS bir class|''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.


A single shuttle bay is located under the bridge, with provisions for a small complement of auxiliary craft. On the underside of the saucer is a larger turreted sensor system that can pivot to allow the ship to collect sensor data in directions other than its main heading, a feature that has not been repeated in newer vessels.
===Tactical===
At the time of its deployment, the ''K't'inga''-class battlecruiser was easily the most formidable ship in the Alpha or Beta Quadrants. The ''K't'inga'' 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.


In the original design, the vessel used an ''Ambassador''-type warp nacelle, which was considered a reliable design by the time it was launched in 2339, and the ship relied on the main shield grid operating constantly at lower power levels to provide for navigational deflection. This proved to be an unsatisfactory arrangement, which led to a brief halt of production on this class after only a few dozen units, but in the 2350s, one of these vessels was used as a testbed for the full-sized version of the Galaxy-type nacelle. This turned out to be serendipitous, as the nacelle not only worked but it improved the ship’s maneuverability and warp speed significantly, along with the addition of a dedicated deflector under the nacelle. Following that, all ''Freedom''-class ships were retrofitted to use ''Galaxy''-type nacelles and a small production run of these vessels was resumed, bringing their numbers up to sixty.
The ''K't'inga''-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 ''K't'inga''-class battlecruiser in one-on-one combat was the [[Starfleet]] [[Constitution Class|''Constitution''-class]] starship.


=== Tactical ===
===Shipboard Life===
The ''Freedom''-class design has several small Type-IX phaser arrays on the primary hull, like the ''Ambassador''-class. Given that its primary mission is as a patrol ship, it was intended primarily to locate enemy threats and report their positions back to Starfleet, but it is also capable of engaging other ships on its own. It has two forward-firing torpedo arrays and its maneuverability made it dangerous for threat vessels in its time. In the modern era, it is normally tasked with patrolling travel lanes within Federation space, which includes customs enforcement and search and rescue tasks, which it is more suited to than to direct combat.
The ''K't'inga'' was never built with comfort in mind. With that being said, 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 ''K't'inga'' are cramped and even the ship's captain would be forced to share accommodations.


=== Shipboard Life ===
==Class History==
Cramped, antiquated, and generally unpleasant, the few ''Freedom''-class ships that remain in service are not popular assignments among Starfleet officers. Most crewmembers up to the rank of full lieutenant have to share quarters and there is poor separation between living and working areas aboard the ship, with so much mechanical equipment in the saucer that would ordinarily be in an engineering hull.  
The ''K't'inga''-class battlecruiser first came to life as a design brought forth to the [[ma:Klingon High Council|Klingon High Council]] by [[ma:Klingon Chancellor|Chancellor]] [[ma:L'Rell|L'Rell]] in 2257. The original design within the ''K't'inga''-class, the D7 spaceframe, was an amalgamation of the greatest successes of the different designs that the Great Houses employed through their individual fleets. These designs were disparate from one another, indicative of the fracturing of the Klingon people during this time period in Klingon history, but all derived from much older designs such as the [[ma:Klingon_Bird-of-Prey_(22nd_century)|''Vo'n'talk''-class]], [[ma:D5_class|''Devastator''-class]], and [[ma:Raptor_class|''Raptor''-class]] of centuries past. Chancellor L'Rell saw the new ''K't'inga''-class as a unifier of the Klingon people and ordered its mass production throughout the Great Houses as a symbol of that Klingon unity. The first ''K't'inga's'' were deployed only a few months later in order to assist the [[ma:USS_Enterprise_(NCC-1701)|USS ''Enterprise'']] against a rogue Federation armada. After this battle, the ''K't'inga'' did finally enter mass production as the Chancellor had asked for and quickly became the flagship and backbone of many of the Great Houses, and therefore, the Klingon Defense Force as a whole.
[[Image:Klingond7.jpg|thumb|left|The original D7 spaceframe of the ''K't'inga''-class firing a torpedo.]]
The first major change to the ''K't'inga'' came in the mid-2260s. By that point, the ''K't'inga'' had been in service for over 5 years and the engineers of the Klingon Defense Force had several suggested refits and remodels for the ship to increase its performance. This lined up with a budding alliance with the [[Romulan Star Empire]], in which the Romulans were incredibly interested in the ''K't'inga'' design. The Klingons, knowing that the original ''K't'inga'' design was about to undergo a significant upgrade, traded the original design to the Romulans in exchange for the Romulans relinquishing all claims to the contested planet of [[ma:Khitomer|Khitomer]], a Klingon stronghold and one of the most strategically important planets in the Empire. Shortly after, the Klingon ''K't'inga's'' were upgraded from the D7 spaceframe to the D7A spaceframe, leaving the Romulans with the older design while the Klingons moved forward.


Commanding officers of these vessels tend to either be fresh out of command school, or, frankly, suffering some sort of punishment from their superior officers, as it is not considered a prestigious command.
In subsequent decades, the Klingons continued to upgrade the ''K't'inga'' spaceframe. One of the most infamous iterations of a spaceframe appeared in the 2290s when the flagship of the Klingon Chancellor [[ma:Gorkon|Gorkon]], [[ma:Kronos_One|''Kronos One'']], was deployed under the D7E spaceframe. ''Kronos One'' was vitally important to the signing of the [[ma:Khitomer_Accords|Khitomer Accords]], the [[ma:Treaty_of_Alliance|Federation-Klingon Alliance]] that blossomed from those accords, and the future of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants as a whole. Many years later, as a symbol of peace and friendship, the Klingon Empire gifted ''Kronos One'' to the Federation to be displayed in the [[ma:Fleet_Museum|Starfleet Fleet Museum]] over [[ma:Athan_Prime|Athan Prime]].  


These ships lack holodecks and all but the most basic crew recreation facilities which would be standard on any ship built after the 2360s. This makes shore leave especially important for the crew, and so captains are sure to schedule a few days of this each time they reach port on a patrol.
The D7E spaceframe continued as the primary deployment of the ''K't'inga''-class until the 2340s, when the D7F spaceframe was deployed as a significant upgrade to the internal systems of the ''K't'inga''-class. The ''K't'inga''-class continued for another 20 years undisturbed until the development and deployment of the ''Vor'cha''-class battlecruiser. Seen as the first significant class in the Empire in over a generation, the ''Vor'cha'' was slated to replace the ''K't'inga'' within a decade as a massive improvement in every aspect. However, as the next decade rolled around and a new enemy came into sight, the lifespan of the ''K't'inga'' was artificially inflated.  


== Class History ==
Hundreds of ''K't'inga's'' in service at the start of the Cold War with the Dominion were slated for decommissioning and scrapping to use their raw materials to build a new fleet of ''Vor'cha's''. However, when the severity of the Changeling infiltration issue was realized by then-Chancellor [[ma:Gowron|Gowron]], the ''K't'inga's'' were instead repurposed back to war as the [[ma:Klingon-Cardassian_War|Klingon Empire invaded the Cardassian Union]] in 2372. When full-scale war broke out between the Dominion, now fully allied with the [[Cardassian Union]], and the Federation-Klingon-Romulan Alliance, the ''K't'inga's'' made up a huge backbone of the Klingon fleet. The designs, while older, were still a fearsome ship of war. The ''K't'inga'' took heavy losses during the war which was on par with the overall heavy losses of the Klingon Empire. However, by wars end, the ''K't'inga'' still numbered in the hundreds. With the decimation that the Klingon fleet took overall, the ''K't'inga'' again had its lifespan artificially increased to allow the Klingon Defense Force to build its own forces.  
Developed in the late 2330s alongside the new ''Ambassador''-class explorer, the ''Freedom'' was intended to be a more economical vessel than her larger cousin, largely filling the niche left behind by the decommissioned ''Soyuz''-class cruiser as a border patrol and colonial defense ship. Following the design of the older ''Hermes'' and ''Saladin-''class scouts and destroyers, it was decided that this would be a single-nacelled design, but otherwise it would use off-the-shelf components, including torpedo launchers from the ''Constitution''-class and internal systems from the ''Ambassador''.


After a short design process, the first ''Freedom''-class ships entered service in 2339, but their performance was far short of what Starfleet had anticipated in every way except the novel sensor array developed for the class. The nacelle’s shape precluded an appropriate number of maneuvering thrusters located there and gave the ship an odd sublight handling profile. Because of this, many vessels of this class had their construction frozen.
As the Klingon forces recovered, the ''K't'inga'' began to be slowly phased out by the Great Houses. By the early 25th century, the ''K't'inga''-class continues to serve many of the Houses but is no longer the backbone of most forces and becomes an increasingly dwindling sight in Klingon space.


While they performed adequately protecting minor colonies, the Freedom seemed likely to be an odd footnote in the annals of Starfleet design. A small number of them were involved in the Cardassian and Tzenkethi conflicts and acquitted themselves well enough, but no better than the even older ''Miranda''-class ships they fought alongside.
==Romulan D7==
[[Image:romuland7.jpg|thumb|left|The Romulan configuration of the ''D7'', easily notable by the feathered wings painted onto the hull.]]During a short alliance between the Klingons and Romulans in the mid-2260s, several deals and accords were struck; this included a swap of the D7 spaceframe design of the ''K't'inga'' from the Klingons to the Romulans. This exchange immediately altered the history of the D7 spaceframe forever by adding the class to the Romulan fleet at the time when the ''K't'inga'' was receiving upgrades within the Klingon fleet.


It wasn’t until the 2350s when one vessel of this class was resumed in the yards as a testbed for the new Galaxy-class nacelle that interest was revisited in the ''Freedom''. The new nacelle increased maneuverability and performance to a degree that the Freedom had become a viable small vessel for patrol purposes, and so the original run of 60 was completed as a stop-gap while the other classes in the fleet modernization program such as the ''Springfield'' and ''Cheyenne'' were completed.  
By the 2270s, active development and construction of the D7 spaceframe had been discontinued by the Romulans in favor of their own, unique refit design on the platform. Eventually, the Romulans deployed their own improvement in the Stormbird-class.


While the ''Firebrand'' was destroyed at Wolf 359, this class has suffered few hull losses, due to its main role as identifying threats rather than engaging them. A significant number of the production run remain in service as patrol cutters within Federation space on its space lanes, and several have also been reassigned to planetary defense forces.
The only substantial tactical difference between the Romulan and Klingon versions of the ''K't'inga'' over its production run was the inclusion of plasma torpedoes on the Romulan version.


== In Play ==
==In Play==
*The original D7 spaceframe has long since been retired by the Romulans and isn't a common sight for the Klingons anymore. 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.
*The Romulan configuration is most likely to be found in the hands of petty warlords or regional overlords that have popped up within Romulan space since the fall of Romulus.


* Think submarine in space. A ''Freedom'' is cramped, small, and fragile enough that it wants to avoid fights with most threats head-on. Instead, it identifies threat vessels and calls in its bigger sisters to deal with them. What it does do well at, though, is fighting off smaller raiders.
==Additional Information==
* Another good option for a first command, the few of these left in service would almost certainly be commanded by a very junior captain, likely holding the rank of commander or less.
*Due to the mention of the ''K't'inga'' by Captain Pike by name in SNW: Supspace Rhapsody which is set in 2259, Bravo Fleet has taken the stance that all of the ships were of the ''K't'inga''-class and that the "D7" is the specific variant of the class that changes over time. A real world example of such a thing would be the [[wikipedia:Arleigh_Burke-class_destroyer#Variants|''Arleigh Burke''-class destroyer variants]] in the real world US Navy. The ships are outwardly identical or similar overall but have significant upgrades to technology over the years.
* This is also a good option for an NPC patrol vessel you might encounter—or maybe even one that’s been stolen from the mothball yards by pirates!


[[Category:Federation starship classes]]
{{clear}}
[[Category:Scouts]]

Revision as of 21:15, 7 March 2024

Ktingaclass.jpg
K't'inga Class
Information
Affiliation
Status

Active

Role

Battlecruiser

Lineage
Preceding Class

Sech-class

Succeeding Class Vor'cha-class
Service
Operator
Entered Service

2258

Production Ended

2369

Endurance
Expected Design Life

100 Years

Expected Refit Cycle

15 Years

Expected Resupply Cycle

3 Years

Crew Capacity
Standard Complement

350

Emergency Capacity

1,500

Dimensions
Length

349.54 meters

Width

251.76 meters

Height

98.41 meters

Decks

25

Propulsion
Propulsion Systems

Matter/Antimatter powered warp drive

Cruise Speed

Warp 7

Maximum Speed

Warp 9.6

Emergency Speed

Warp 9.8 (12 hours)

Armaments
Energy Weapons

6x disruptor cannons

Torpedo Launchers
  • 1x forward
  • 1x aft
Torpedo Payload
  • 150 photon torpedoes
  • 100 plasma torpedoes (Romulan version)
Shields
  • Deflector shields
  • Cloaking device
Template:Specification

The K't'inga-class battlecruiser was historically and prominently the frontline battlecruiser of the Klingon Empire for the second half of the 23rd century and well into the 24th century. Through various refits and modernizations, the K't'inga continued service well past her intended design life and into the Dominion War. Although a much rarer sight in the 25th century with the wide deployment of the Vor'cha-class battlecruiser, the K't'inga can still be found throughout Klingon space and the frontier as a multi-purposed ship of war.

Exploration and Science

Although a ship bred for war and used as a battlecuiser, the K't'inga is a deceptively adept exploration platform. The original design expectation that the K't'inga would be forced onto the fringe frontier of Klingon space for months or maybe even years at a time required that the ship be equipped with a suite of sensors to handle the unknown. This served multiple purposes in being able to relay mapping data, both passive and active, back to Klingon command to be analyzed as well as using the K't'inga's advanced sensor suite in combat situations against perspective targets. Historically, because of the advanced K't'inga sensors, the ubiquitous nature of the vessel throughout its lifetime, and the data collected over the years, the Klingon Defense Force was able to passively map out large swaths of the Klingon frontier.

The K't'inga, being the workhorse battlecruiser of the Klingon Empire for almost 100 years, also served as its premier ship of exploration in any sense that the Klingon Empire was interested in such endeavors. Compared to other Klingon vessels of her era, the K't'inga is the most well-equipped for scientific duties. Although, for a Klingon warship design, that leaves much to be desired. If ever a matter of science or exploration was required, the K't'inga was the ship that was deployed for such matters during much of its lifetime. In the modern era, ships with more advanced sensor suites such as the Vor'cha-class or Negh'Var-class would primarily be deployed to any exploration assignments of importance.

Diplomacy

Much like exploration, the K't'inga-class was not designed with diplomacy in mind other than through superior firepower against enemy forces. However, the K't'inga has historically been used by the Klingon Empire as a ship of diplomatic gesture throughout the mid to late 23rd century. To that end, the K't'inga 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 K't'inga-class was an amalgamation of the best parts of the separate Great House's designs rolled into one vaguely familiar frame. The K't'inga-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 K't'inga-class battlecruiser was easily the most formidable ship in the Alpha or Beta Quadrants. The K't'inga 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 K't'inga-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 K't'inga-class battlecruiser in one-on-one combat was the Starfleet Constitution-class starship.

Shipboard Life

The K't'inga was never built with comfort in mind. With that being said, 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 K't'inga are cramped and even the ship's captain would be forced to share accommodations.

Class History

The K't'inga-class battlecruiser first came to life as a design brought forth to the Klingon High Council by Chancellor L'Rell in 2257. The original design within the K't'inga-class, the D7 spaceframe, was an amalgamation of the greatest successes of the different designs that the Great Houses employed through their individual fleets. These designs were disparate from one another, indicative of the fracturing of the Klingon people during this time period in Klingon history, but all derived from much older designs such as the Vo'n'talk-class, Devastator-class, and Raptor-class of centuries past. Chancellor L'Rell saw the new K't'inga-class as a unifier of the Klingon people and ordered its mass production throughout the Great Houses as a symbol of that Klingon unity. The first K't'inga's were deployed only a few months later in order to assist the USS Enterprise against a rogue Federation armada. After this battle, the K't'inga did finally enter mass production as the Chancellor had asked for and quickly became the flagship and backbone of many of the Great Houses, and therefore, the Klingon Defense Force as a whole.

The original D7 spaceframe of the K't'inga-class firing a torpedo.

The first major change to the K't'inga came in the mid-2260s. By that point, the K't'inga had been in service for over 5 years and the engineers of the Klingon Defense Force had several suggested refits and remodels for the ship to increase its performance. This lined up with a budding alliance with the Romulan Star Empire, in which the Romulans were incredibly interested in the K't'inga design. The Klingons, knowing that the original K't'inga design was about to undergo a significant upgrade, traded the original design to the Romulans in exchange for the Romulans relinquishing all claims to the contested planet of Khitomer, a Klingon stronghold and one of the most strategically important planets in the Empire. Shortly after, the Klingon K't'inga's were upgraded from the D7 spaceframe to the D7A spaceframe, leaving the Romulans with the older design while the Klingons moved forward.

In subsequent decades, the Klingons continued to upgrade the K't'inga spaceframe. One of the most infamous iterations of a spaceframe appeared in the 2290s when the flagship of the Klingon Chancellor Gorkon, Kronos One, was deployed under the D7E spaceframe. Kronos One was vitally important to the signing of the Khitomer Accords, the Federation-Klingon Alliance that blossomed from those accords, and the future of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants as a whole. Many years later, as a symbol of peace and friendship, the Klingon Empire gifted Kronos One to the Federation to be displayed in the Starfleet Fleet Museum over Athan Prime.

The D7E spaceframe continued as the primary deployment of the K't'inga-class until the 2340s, when the D7F spaceframe was deployed as a significant upgrade to the internal systems of the K't'inga-class. The K't'inga-class continued for another 20 years undisturbed until the development and deployment of the Vor'cha-class battlecruiser. Seen as the first significant class in the Empire in over a generation, the Vor'cha was slated to replace the K't'inga within a decade as a massive improvement in every aspect. However, as the next decade rolled around and a new enemy came into sight, the lifespan of the K't'inga was artificially inflated.

Hundreds of K't'inga's in service at the start of the Cold War with the Dominion were slated for decommissioning and scrapping to use their raw materials to build a new fleet of Vor'cha's. However, when the severity of the Changeling infiltration issue was realized by then-Chancellor Gowron, the K't'inga's were instead repurposed back to war as the Klingon Empire invaded the Cardassian Union in 2372. When full-scale war broke out between the Dominion, now fully allied with the Cardassian Union, and the Federation-Klingon-Romulan Alliance, the K't'inga's made up a huge backbone of the Klingon fleet. The designs, while older, were still a fearsome ship of war. The K't'inga took heavy losses during the war which was on par with the overall heavy losses of the Klingon Empire. However, by wars end, the K't'inga still numbered in the hundreds. With the decimation that the Klingon fleet took overall, the K't'inga again had its lifespan artificially increased to allow the Klingon Defense Force to build its own forces.

As the Klingon forces recovered, the K't'inga began to be slowly phased out by the Great Houses. By the early 25th century, the K't'inga-class continues to serve many of the Houses but is no longer the backbone of most forces and becomes an increasingly dwindling sight in Klingon space.

Romulan D7

The Romulan configuration of the D7, easily notable by the feathered wings painted onto the hull.

During a short alliance between the Klingons and Romulans in the mid-2260s, several deals and accords were struck; this included a swap of the D7 spaceframe design of the K't'inga from the Klingons to the Romulans. This exchange immediately altered the history of the D7 spaceframe forever by adding the class to the Romulan fleet at the time when the K't'inga was receiving upgrades within the Klingon fleet.

By the 2270s, active development and construction of the D7 spaceframe had been discontinued by the Romulans in favor of their own, unique refit design on the platform. Eventually, the Romulans deployed their own improvement in the Stormbird-class.

The only substantial tactical difference between the Romulan and Klingon versions of the K't'inga over its production run was the inclusion of plasma torpedoes on the Romulan version.

In Play

  • The original D7 spaceframe has long since been retired by the Romulans and isn't a common sight for the Klingons anymore. 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.
  • The Romulan configuration is most likely to be found in the hands of petty warlords or regional overlords that have popped up within Romulan space since the fall of Romulus.

Additional Information

  • Due to the mention of the K't'inga by Captain Pike by name in SNW: Supspace Rhapsody which is set in 2259, Bravo Fleet has taken the stance that all of the ships were of the K't'inga-class and that the "D7" is the specific variant of the class that changes over time. A real world example of such a thing would be the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer variants in the real world US Navy. The ships are outwardly identical or similar overall but have significant upgrades to technology over the years.
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