Bravo Fleet
Difference between pages "Ison Bale" and "User:Teylasramar/Sandbox/Constitution class"

Difference between pages "Ison Bale" and "User:Teylasramar/Sandbox/Constitution class"

From Bravo Fleet
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{{Character
{{icons|bfc}}
| image = [[File:CommodoreBale.jpg]]
{{Specification
| name = Ison Bale
| image = [[Image:Constitution.png]]
| fullname =  
| displayName = '''''Constitution'' Class'''
| placeoforigin = Betazed
| name = Constitution
| species = Betazoid
| affiliation = [[United Federation of Planets]]
| gender = Male
| operator = [[Starfleet]]
| dateofbirth = 7 September, 2329
| status = Retired
| dateofdeath =  
| role = Heavy Cruiser
| age = 70
| type =
| precedingClass =
| succeedingClass = Constitution II
| dateEntered = 2244
| productionEnd = 2268
| retired = *2271 (for refit)
*2288 (last original configuration retired)
| expectedDuration = 100 Years
| expectedRefit = 10 Years
| timeResupply = 5 Years
| crewComplement = *450 (standard)
*200 (5-year missions)
| emergencyCap = 2,000
| civilians =
| populationCap =
| flightCrew =
| passengers =
| length =
| width =  
| diameter =  
| height =  
| height =  
| weight =  
| decks = 22
| hair =  
| propulsionSystem = M/AM Warp Drive
| eyes =  
| cruiseSpeed = Warp 6
| affiliation = [[Starfleet]]
| maxSpeed = Warp 8
| rank = [[File:A1-1.png|alt=Commodore|Commodore]]
| emergencySpeed = Warp 9
| posting = [[Starfleet Academy—Mellstoxx III]]
| energyWeapons = 6x Type-VI Phaser Emitters
| position = Commandant
| torpLaunchers = *2 forward
}}
*1 aft
'''Commodore Ison Bale''' is the current Commandant of the [[Starfleet Academy—Mellstoxx III|Fourth Fleet Academy (aka Starfleet Academy--Mellstoxx III)]]. Bale has had a long and successful career as an engineer and starship captain and has been at the Fourth Fleet Academy since 2389. Widely respected for his intellect and the care he has for his charges, he is considered to be a fair and even-handed disciplinarian and has the highest possible academic standards for the academy that is tasked with training the future officers and captains of the Fourth Fleet.  
| torpPayload = 150 Photon Torpedoes
| shields = Graviton Shielding System
| dockingfacilities =
| shuttleBays = 1 aft landing bay
| shuttles = 4 Class F shuttles
| runabouts =  
| fighters =
| aux =  
| msd =  
}}The '''''Constitution''-class''' heavy cruiser is a legendary starship design often considered to be the exemplar of both [[Starfleet|Starfleet’s]] mission and its design ethos. First built in the 2240s, they remained Starfleet’s premiere heavy cruiser until the 2270s, having been refit and overhauled numerous times over those three decades until the changes became so substantial that the class was succeeded by its Enterprise sub-class, known officially as the [[Constitution II|''Constitution II''-class]].


== History ==
==History==
===Genesis===
By the 2220s, the [[United Federation of Planets]] Starfleet had established its mission and its philosophy as being distinct both from the [[ma:Earth Starfleet|United Earth Starfleet]] and the stellar services of the Tellarites, Vulcans, and Andorians, but its shipbuilding practices continued to be largely fragmented. Vulcans built science ships, Andorians built warships, Tellarites built trade vessels, and Humans built a little bit of everything. In some ways this was advantageous—national shipyards could excel in what they were good at—but the Federation had yet to truly synergize the strengths of its member worlds into a cohesive technological platform. Named for the idea of the governing documents of a union serving to strengthen its people, Project Constitution was ordered in 2230 as a way of unifying the technological abilities of the Federation’s members into a single vessel that would embody Starfleet’s core missions of exploration, diplomacy, defense, and mercy for missions far beyond explored space.


=== Early Life (2329-2347) ===
Starfleet Engineering created the Advanced Starship Design Bureau to design the Constitution, with its headquarters and production facility located in the heart of the Federation at [[ma:San Francisco Fleet Yards|San Francisco Fleet Yards]]. The design process was slow and methodical, taking nearly fifteen years before the first two vessels left the yards. The brief was not just to create a starship that incorporated aspects of various member worlds’ achievements but to go beyond them to create a vessel that innovated in every area. This would be the largest, most elaborate, and most capable starship yet fielded by Starfleet, taking on a crew of 500 humanoids for voyages of five years with minimal outside support.
Ison Bale was the second son of a prominent Betazoid family, the scions of which had been diplomats, politicians, and academics for centuries. He was born in a time of peace and prosperity for the Federation, in the calm following the Khitomer Accords in the 2290s and the Treaty of Algernon in the 2310s before the Federation-Cardassian War. Like his older brother, he was expected to follow the family tradition and become a respected counselor of state, but he had a reflexive urge to do the exact opposite of what was asked of him in that regard. He found mathematics, science, and engineering to be much more interesting, but the relentless talking, debating and arguing that went into diplomacy to be a waste of time. This caused not a small amount of friction between him and his family, but once he was into his teen years he was dead set on attending Starfleet Academy and his family found that it was easier to just let him try rather than continue to fight him.
=== Academy & Early Career (2347-2360) ===
Bale was admitted to Starfleet Academy in 2347, and fulfilling his promise to his parents, and Bale decided to study Warp Field Mechanics. This was a field that many Betazoids avoided because their natural advantage in dealing with other organic beings was completely nullified there, but Bale relished that challenge.


The transition to Starfleet was more difficult than Bale had imagined, as his family name carried with it none of the cachet it would have in a more traditional educational setting on Betazed. The physical training requirements were intense, and it took him several semesters to feel like he fully ''got'' what it meant to be a Starfleet cadet, as his youthful rebellion alone was insufficient to give him the discipline needed to succeed in that regard.
''Constitution'' herself, NX-1700, and the yet-unnamed NCC-1701 were laid down at San Francisco Fleet Yards in 2234, the former under the supervision of Admiral Matt Jefferies and the latter under then-Captain [[ma:Robert April|Robert April]]. The construction project was a truly multi-species affair, with each systems team purposefully composed of officers from across Starfleet’s own yards and the shipyards of member races. This initially led to conflict, but the management styles of Jefferies and April allowed every member of each team to find their own way of contributing to the project as a whole—this also served as a blueprint for operational procedures and command techniques for managing large multi-species crews, as this was something that Starfleet still lacked significant experience in.


By the time Bale was in his last year, however, he was well-respected by his peers and instructors alike. While he didn't have the makings of a bridge officer in him yet, he was well on track to being a valuable member of an engineering team. Upon graduation in 2351 as an ensign, Bale was assigned to the ''Constellation''-class starship ''Stargazer'' under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, where he served as one of the Warp Systems Engineers. The ship was old and underpowered, but proved to be a great challenge for a budding engineer to maintain; the unusual four-nacelle design required a lot of observation and maintenance to avoid ripping the ship apart. During the Federation-Cardassian War, Bale was injured during a skirmish where the Cardassians fired on an unshielded ''Stargazer'', but acquitted himself well under fire. In 2353, he was promoted to lieutenant junior grade and was aboard the ship during the legendary (in some circles) Battle of Maxia where Captain Picard first used the vaunted Picard Maneuver against what was later found to be a Ferengi vessel.
Thanks to the success of the construction process, the order was increased to six vessels in 2238, and ''Constellation'', ''Republic'', and ''Intrepid'' were laid down that same year.


After evacuating the ''Stargazer'' along with the rest of the crew, Bale was adrift for weeks in a shuttle before rescue. Because of his performance on the ''Stargazer'' (and following the inquiry into the ship's destruction), Bale was promoted to lieutenant and assigned as Assistant Chief Engineering Officer aboard the brand-new USS ''Normandy'', one of the last ''Cheyenne''-class starships off of the assembly lines. Like the ''Stargazer'', the ''Normandy'' was underpowered and difficult to maintain because of its engine configuration, but Bale had by then become an expert in managing such a system. Because of that, he served for five years there, developing several improvements to the engine control software that were deployed to the rest of that limited-production class of ship.
As the design evolved, many areas of the ''Constitution''-class spaceframe were built to be modular and easily reconfigurable to allow the design to be upgradeable, something that proved to be prescient as the class would have many minor upgrades and two major redesigns over its service life. The saucer section in particular was designed to be able to handle anywhere from two-hundred to five-hundred crew, with space for labs, recreational facilities, and sickbays alterable to suit different mission parameters and crew sizes. This was made possible by locating the majority of the ship’s larger equipment—the deflector dish, warp core, cargo holds, hanger, etc.—in the secondary hull, so that the primary hull was reserved for crew support and mission-specific equipment. The initial two vessels were configured to support a crew of 450, with a generalist lab arrangement and volume reserved for diagnostic computers to evaluate them during their shakedowns.


=== USS ''Leyte Gulf'' (2360-2375) ===
The prototype, ''Constitution'', was launched in 2244 and undertook an extensive six-month shakedown cruise in the core of the Federation while NCC-1701 continued under construction. A year later, the second prototype was unveiled as the first Federation starship to bear the name ''Enterprise'', named after the Earth Starfleet vessel widely considered to be the primary instrument leading to the founding of the Federation. Her launch was followed quickly by Constellation, which was completed more quickly thanks to lessons learned along the way of building the first two.
In 2360, Bale was promoted to lieutenant commander and took over the engine room aboard the [[Excelsior Class|''Excelsior''-class starship]] USS ''Leyte Gulf.'' Though older than the ''Normandy'', it was a much larger and much more prestigious assignment with much more powerful engines to deal with. As a department head, he found himself constantly dealing with personnel issues, something that his telepathy made easier, as in his experience most engineers were not great at communicating what they wanted and needed. He earned a commendation for efficiency during his time on the ''Leyte Gulf'' and was eventually selected by his captain to replace the Executive Officer after just four years in the engine room.


Though he'd imagined spending his entire career as an engineer, command was a new challenge for Bale. Admittedly, it's a role he found himself well-suited to, as he could balance technical acumen with an understanding of how people thought and what they needed. Several times, his abilities allowed him to give his captain a leg-up in negotiations, but where he excelled was optimizing crew assignments for cohesiveness. After four more years as a lieutenant commander, he was promoted to commander, and remained aboard the ''Leyte Gulf''.
===Early Service===
''Constitution'', ''Constellation'', and ''Enterprise'' were sent on their first five-year missions in 2245, with Captain [[ma:Garth|Garth of Izar]] commanding ''Constitution'', Captain Robert April commanding ''Enterprise'', and Captain [[ma:Matt Decker|Matt Decker]] commanding ''Constellation'', under the careful watch of Admiral Jefferies. The initial three ships were very successful in their first two years of service, and even as ''Republic'' and ''Intrepid'' were still nearing completion, Starfleet increased the order to twelve total ''Constitution''-class starships. A number of other classes using the same technological base, such as the ''Bellerophon'', ''Radiant'', and ''Archer'' classes were also ordered around this time.


When the Dominion War broke out, the ''Leyte Gulf'' was assigned to the First Fleet to defend the Sol system, and participated in the Battle of Sector 001 against the Borg. As one of the first ships to engage the cube at the edge of the system, the ''Leyte Gulf'' was quickly disabled and left for dead as the Borg remained on a direct heading for Earth. The majority of the crew managed to evacuate before the warp core went critical, leaving them to watch in horror as the cube got closer to the heart of the Federation, until Bale's former captain, Jean-Luc Picard, was able to destroy it.
The concept of a Five-Year Mission was prototyped aboard the original ''Constitution''-class vessels as a new way of managing the command and staffing of starships. It was not uncommon for short-range vessels to have a captain for a few months at a time or even for a single mission and regular contact with starbases allowed for frequent crew rotations. As the ''Constitution'' was intended to be much more independent, a structure was developed that commissioned each captain to a five-year stint aboard their vessel, with a command crew that was intended to be more or less stable. This required new regulations for managing crew advancement in the field, as well as new strategies for making a starship a comfortable and fulfilling place to spend five years of one’s life.


An ''Akira''-class heavy cruiser in the final stages of construction at Utopia Planitia was renamed ''Leyte Gulf'', and the surviving crew of the ''Excelsior''-class iteration of the ship was assigned to it in the weeks following the battle. Though still shaken from their experience, there was no time to rest as the Dominion were pressing on the Federation's borders. This modern, combat-capable vessel participated in the majority of the major engagements during the war, surviving where older ships could not because of its hardened systems.  
===Mid Career===
In 2250, ''Constitution'', ''Constellation'', and ''Enterprise'' all completed their first five-year missions to widespread acclaim. While Garth of Izar and Decker remained at their posts, Robert April was promoted to flag rank and, as the newly-minted Director of Deep Space Operations, became the supervisor of the entire Constitution fleet.


=== Command School (2375 - 2377) ===
A decade into their service, the ''Constitution'' class received their first major overhaul in 2255, with widespread systems upgrades and a shrinking of the crew by two hundred to optimize them for longer deep space missions. This allowed for larger and more spacious quarters, as well as less strain on the life support systems. The members of this class were absent from the [[ma:Federation-Klingon_War_(2256-57)|Federation-Klingon War of 2256-57]], as Starfleet wanted to keep them in reserve. As the class was a large investment of both resources and crew, Starfleet rush-ordered a leaner variant that would replicate the engine and tactical systems of the ''Constitution'' but with a much smaller crew: and a much shorter construction period the ''Sombra''. Few of these vessels were built, given the short duration of the war, and they were all refit as Constitution-class ships with full exploratory systems by 2260.  
Though Bale had developed significant command and combat experience during his time aboard the two starships ''Leyte Gulf'', he desired to further refine his theoretical knowledge of command, and so he enrolled in the Fourth Fleet Command Academy following the treaty of Bajor in 2375. Going back to his academy days was a little bit of a culture shock after having been in the field for close to twenty-five years, but he was able to study advanced techniques in detail, to formalize what he'd learned hands-on into a more cohesive knowledge base.


While in command school himself, he was also assigned as the Executive Officer of Cadet Squadron Bravo, leading cadets through drills and discipline-building exercises while not studying for his own program. This was his first taste of teaching, and he found it to be quite enjoyable, even if his near-term ambition was command.  
Following the war, Starfleet prioritized the construction of classes that were derived from the ''Constitution'', including the new ''Miranda'', ''Hermes'', and ''Saladin''-class vessels that were directly built from Constitution-type components. This building program included a handful of ''Constitution'' orders which made up losses in the years following, bringing the total ''Constitution''-class fleet up to 12 by 2265.


As Acting Captain of the training ship ''Exeter'', Bale received some of the highest-ever scores on the two training voyages he was assigned to lead, which was largely thanks to his extensive real-world experience. Though it was likely he could have gone on to command a ship directly after the war, his performance throughout Command School secured him a promotion to captain and command of the newly-launched ''Galaxy''-class starship ''Ulysses''.
Most ships of the ''Constitution'' class retained their 250-person crew into the 2260s, when the next major overhaul returned the core twelve vessels to a 450-person crew. The hull was also encased in a thin layer of metalo-ceramic armor, which gave them their now-classic, stark exterior. While serving still primarily as explorers, this refit also incorporated fewer but heavier phaser banks as a response to simmering tensions on the Klingon border.


=== USS ''Ulysses'' (2377-2389) ===
===Later Life===
Bale's move into the center seat came right about at his 30-year anniversary of enrolling in Starfleet Academy. Much of his career had been spent in conflict zones, so he was eager to take command of an explorer like the ''Ulysses'' which was sent on a ten-year odyssey of its own deep into the Alpha Quadrant, even as many of the fleet's assets were focused on rebuilding the Federation and her neighbors. Missions like Bale's were considered a symbol of the Federation's commitment to peaceful exploration, even in the aftermath of war.  
Though these vessels proved to be highly successful in service, ''Defiant'', ''Constellation'', ''Intrepid'', and ''Excalibur'' were all either destroyed outright or lost with all hands during the period between 2265 and 2270. While each of these circumstances was extraordinary and no underlying flaw was found in the class itself, Starfleet ordered an extensive overhaul, starting with the refit of the ''Enterprise'', a project which eventually became the ''Constitution II''-class heavy cruiser.


The ''Ulysses'' had been intended to join the Dominion War without most of its scientific systems installed, but it was still incomplete by the end of the war, and so was fitted out beyond the original specifications before its launch in 2377. Under Bale's command, the ship was able to demonstrate the full potential the class had for independent, unsupported exploratory endeavors in a way that none of her sisters had ever been allowed to, with conflict constantly pulling ships like the ''Enterprise'' and ''Venture'' away from their intended missions.  
Throughout the 2270s, the majority of the ''Constitution''-class vessels were upgraded into ''Constitution II''-class vessels, with the exception of the USS ''New Jersey'', which was not launched until 2268 and thus was considered too new to upgrade. ''New Jersey'' was decommissioned after 20 years of service in 2288, having stubbornly resisted a refit, and was placed in the Starfleet Museum, where she remains as of 2401: the last remaining example of an original configuration ''Constitution''-class starship.


Bale participated in several dozen first contact missions, and the ''Ulysses'' was considered a choice assignment under his command. As of the 2390s, Starfleet Science still has a backlog of data to go through from her missions beyond Breen space, and colonial surveys started during that initial expedition are just now bearing fruit. Luckily, the ''Ulysses'' was not pulled from her mission when the Romulan Evacuation began, nor was she recalled after the destruction of Mars in 2385, but following the natural end of her ten-year mission in 2387, the ship was recalled to Earth.
==Vessels Commissioned==
 
*USS ''Constitution'' (Refit as Constitution II, Retired)
Ten years in deep space had given the ''Ulysses'' and her crew substantial experience in operating a large ship far from home, but making much-needed repairs and upgrades took nearly two years, as Starfleet went over every centimeter of the ship to make improvements to the new ''Century'' and ''Odyssey''-class ships now under production. During this time, Bale remained nominally in command of the ship but took extended shore leave time back on Betazed. When he found out that the ''Ulysses'' would not be returning to deep space but would be serving as a flagship for the Fifth Fleet's defensive mission along the Romulan border, Bale took a long time to consider if that's something he was willing to accept. In the end, it wasn't.
*USS ''Enterprise'' (Refit as Constitution II, Destroyed)
 
*USS ''Constellation'' (Destroyed)
=== Fourth Fleet Academy (2389 to Present) ===
*USS ''Cayuga'' (Destroyed)
Now with forty years of Starfleet service under his belt, Bale knew that it was time to allow a younger generation to have its chance out among the stars. He also knew that a return to defensive duties was not what he wanted for himself. He'd been there and done that, already. He applied instead to work as a professor at Starfleet Academy. The Fourth Fleet's academy jumped at the opportunity to have such an experienced starship captain on staff and offered him command of Cadet Squadron Bravo, which he already had experience with.
*USS ''Defiant'' (Lost)
 
*USS ''Intrepid'' (Destroyed)
From 2389 to 2393, Bale led Junior and Senior cadets through the final two years of their program, getting to work with eight separate cohorts in that time. Teaching was a natural fit for him as much as it had been ten years prior, and he found it satisfying to balance the students' needs to be challenged and shaped with their need for empathy and understanding. He was immensely popular among his cadets, and the strong relationships he built there went on to forge excellent officers.
*USS ''Excalibur'' (Destroyed)
 
*USS ''Exeter'' (Refit as Constitution II, Active as training ship)
In 2393, Bale became Dean of Cadets, overseeing Cadet Squadron Bravo and the Fourth Fleet Academy's other training squadrons, especially in terms of discipline and progress to graduation. Two years later, he was promoted to commodore and took over as Commandant of the Fourth Fleet Academy, reporting directly to the Chief of Fourth Fleet Operations and overseeing the academy, its command school, and enlisted training programs at Mellstoxx III.
*USS ''Lexington'' (Refit as Constitution II, Retired)
 
*USS ''Potemkin'' (Refit as Constitution II, Retired)
== Service Record ==
*USS ''Republic'' (Refit as Constitution II, Active as training ship)
{| class="wikitable"
*USS ''Hood'' (Refit as Constitution II, Retired)
|+
*USS ''Valiant'' (Refit as Constitution II, Retired)
!Date
*USS ''Yorktown'' (Refit as Constitution II, Retired)
!Position
*USS ''Sombra'' (S) (Refit as Constitution II, Retired)
!Posting
*USS ''Peregrine'' (S) (Refit as Constitution II, Retired)
!Rank
|-
|2347-2348
|Warp Field Dynamics Cadet
|Starfleet Academy—Mellstoxx III
|Cadet Fourth Class
|-
|2348-2349
|Warp Field Dynamics Cadet
|Starfleet Academy—Mellstoxx III
|Cadet Third Class
|-
|2349-2350
|Warp Field Dynamics Cadet
|Starfleet Academy—Mellstoxx III
|Cadet Second Class
|-
|2350-2351
|Warp Field Dynamics Cadet
|Starfleet Academy—Mellstoxx III
|Cadet First Class
|-
|2351-2353
|Warp Systems Engineer
|USS ''Stargazer'' (NCC-2893)
|Ensign
|-
|2353-2355
|Warp Systems Engineer
|USS ''Stargazer'' (NCC-2893)
|Lieutenant Junior Grade
|-
|2355-2360
|Assistant Chief Engineering Officer
|USS ''Normandy'' (NCC-72852)
|Lieutenant
|-
|2360-2364
|Chief Engineering Officer
|USS Leyte Gulf (NCC-41508)
|Lieutenant Commander
|-
|2364-2368
|Executive Officer
|USS Leyte Gulf (NCC-41508)
|Lieutenant Commander
|-
|2368-2373
|Executive Officer
|USS Leyte Gulf (NCC-41508)
|Commander
|-
|2373-2375
|Executive Officer
|USS ''Leyte Gulf'' (NCC-71427)
|Commander
|-
|2375-2377
|Command School Student
|Fourth Fleet Command Academy
|Commander
|-
|2375-2377
|Executive Offficer, Cadet Squadron Bravo
|Fourth Fleet Academy
|Commander
|-
|2377-2389
|Commanding Officer
|USS ''Ulysses'' (NCC-78242)
|Captain
|-
|2389-2393
|Commanding Officer, Cadet Squadron Bravo
|Fourth Fleet Academy
|Captain
|-
|2393-2395
|Dean of Cadets
|Fourth Fleet Academy
|Captain
|-
|2395-Present
|Commandant
|Fourth Fleet Academy
|Commodore
|}
 
== Personal Life ==
Commodore Bale has been married to Yolonda Bale (a Human female) since 2364, and during their 35-year marriage, they have had four children ranging from age 32 to age 22, three of whom now serve in Starfleet. His youngest child, Marar Bale, graduated from the Diplomatic Institute of Betazed in mid-2399. Except during the Dominion War, his wife and children lived aboard whichever starship he was serving on, and Yolonda has been a professor of literature and culture at the Fourth Fleet Academy since the commodore joined the faculty there in 2389.
 
== Commodore Bale In-Play ==
* Commodore Bale is a fleet-level NPC that you are allowed to use in your own fiction. Use the history presented here as a way of capturing his characterization, but you're free to use him for any interactions you'd like, as long as you don't kill him off or alter the character!
* Bale joined Starfleet in 2347 and is now 70, meaning that he's old enough to be many traditionally-aged cadets' grandparents. That's the affect he projects as well: empathetic and understanding, but also quite firm when he needs to be. He enjoys working with cadets and getting to know them, but he's also quick to apply disappointment as a disciplinary tool should a cadet end up in his office.
* Bale is not the type of man to stay in his office all day; he enjoys sitting in on classes, walking the campus, and even guest lecturing for introductory courses when he has the time. He wants to get to know the students that pass through his academy.
* Bale is quite proud of the fact that, though a Betazoid, he is an accomplished engineer, something that he considers to be even more of an accomplishment than success in a more person-driven field would be, he is also quite proud of his heritage and enjoys living in a Betazoid colony.

Revision as of 00:27, 9 February 2024

This article is official Bravo Fleet canon.









File:Constitution.png
Constitution Class
Information
Affiliation

United Federation of Planets

Status

Retired

Role

Heavy Cruiser

Lineage
Succeeding Class Constitution II-class
Service
Operator

Starfleet

Entered Service

2244

Production Ended

2268

Retired
  • 2271 (for refit)
  • 2288 (last original configuration retired)
Endurance
Expected Design Life

100 Years

Expected Refit Cycle

10 Years

Expected Resupply Cycle

5 Years

Crew Capacity
Standard Complement
  • 450 (standard)
  • 200 (5-year missions)
Emergency Capacity

2,000

Dimensions
Decks

22

Propulsion
Propulsion Systems

M/AM Warp Drive

Cruise Speed

Warp 6

Maximum Speed

Warp 8

Emergency Speed

Warp 9

Armaments
Energy Weapons

6x Type-VI Phaser Emitters

Torpedo Launchers
  • 2 forward
  • 1 aft
Torpedo Payload

150 Photon Torpedoes

Shields

Graviton Shielding System

Small Craft
Shuttlebays

1 aft landing bay

Shuttles

4 Class F shuttles

Template:Specification

The Constitution-class heavy cruiser is a legendary starship design often considered to be the exemplar of both Starfleet’s mission and its design ethos. First built in the 2240s, they remained Starfleet’s premiere heavy cruiser until the 2270s, having been refit and overhauled numerous times over those three decades until the changes became so substantial that the class was succeeded by its Enterprise sub-class, known officially as the Constitution II-class.

History

Genesis

By the 2220s, the United Federation of Planets Starfleet had established its mission and its philosophy as being distinct both from the United Earth Starfleet and the stellar services of the Tellarites, Vulcans, and Andorians, but its shipbuilding practices continued to be largely fragmented. Vulcans built science ships, Andorians built warships, Tellarites built trade vessels, and Humans built a little bit of everything. In some ways this was advantageous—national shipyards could excel in what they were good at—but the Federation had yet to truly synergize the strengths of its member worlds into a cohesive technological platform. Named for the idea of the governing documents of a union serving to strengthen its people, Project Constitution was ordered in 2230 as a way of unifying the technological abilities of the Federation’s members into a single vessel that would embody Starfleet’s core missions of exploration, diplomacy, defense, and mercy for missions far beyond explored space.

Starfleet Engineering created the Advanced Starship Design Bureau to design the Constitution, with its headquarters and production facility located in the heart of the Federation at San Francisco Fleet Yards. The design process was slow and methodical, taking nearly fifteen years before the first two vessels left the yards. The brief was not just to create a starship that incorporated aspects of various member worlds’ achievements but to go beyond them to create a vessel that innovated in every area. This would be the largest, most elaborate, and most capable starship yet fielded by Starfleet, taking on a crew of 500 humanoids for voyages of five years with minimal outside support.

Constitution herself, NX-1700, and the yet-unnamed NCC-1701 were laid down at San Francisco Fleet Yards in 2234, the former under the supervision of Admiral Matt Jefferies and the latter under then-Captain Robert April. The construction project was a truly multi-species affair, with each systems team purposefully composed of officers from across Starfleet’s own yards and the shipyards of member races. This initially led to conflict, but the management styles of Jefferies and April allowed every member of each team to find their own way of contributing to the project as a whole—this also served as a blueprint for operational procedures and command techniques for managing large multi-species crews, as this was something that Starfleet still lacked significant experience in.

Thanks to the success of the construction process, the order was increased to six vessels in 2238, and Constellation, Republic, and Intrepid were laid down that same year.

As the design evolved, many areas of the Constitution-class spaceframe were built to be modular and easily reconfigurable to allow the design to be upgradeable, something that proved to be prescient as the class would have many minor upgrades and two major redesigns over its service life. The saucer section in particular was designed to be able to handle anywhere from two-hundred to five-hundred crew, with space for labs, recreational facilities, and sickbays alterable to suit different mission parameters and crew sizes. This was made possible by locating the majority of the ship’s larger equipment—the deflector dish, warp core, cargo holds, hanger, etc.—in the secondary hull, so that the primary hull was reserved for crew support and mission-specific equipment. The initial two vessels were configured to support a crew of 450, with a generalist lab arrangement and volume reserved for diagnostic computers to evaluate them during their shakedowns.

The prototype, Constitution, was launched in 2244 and undertook an extensive six-month shakedown cruise in the core of the Federation while NCC-1701 continued under construction. A year later, the second prototype was unveiled as the first Federation starship to bear the name Enterprise, named after the Earth Starfleet vessel widely considered to be the primary instrument leading to the founding of the Federation. Her launch was followed quickly by Constellation, which was completed more quickly thanks to lessons learned along the way of building the first two.

Early Service

Constitution, Constellation, and Enterprise were sent on their first five-year missions in 2245, with Captain Garth of Izar commanding Constitution, Captain Robert April commanding Enterprise, and Captain Matt Decker commanding Constellation, under the careful watch of Admiral Jefferies. The initial three ships were very successful in their first two years of service, and even as Republic and Intrepid were still nearing completion, Starfleet increased the order to twelve total Constitution-class starships. A number of other classes using the same technological base, such as the Bellerophon, Radiant, and Archer classes were also ordered around this time.

The concept of a Five-Year Mission was prototyped aboard the original Constitution-class vessels as a new way of managing the command and staffing of starships. It was not uncommon for short-range vessels to have a captain for a few months at a time or even for a single mission and regular contact with starbases allowed for frequent crew rotations. As the Constitution was intended to be much more independent, a structure was developed that commissioned each captain to a five-year stint aboard their vessel, with a command crew that was intended to be more or less stable. This required new regulations for managing crew advancement in the field, as well as new strategies for making a starship a comfortable and fulfilling place to spend five years of one’s life.

Mid Career

In 2250, Constitution, Constellation, and Enterprise all completed their first five-year missions to widespread acclaim. While Garth of Izar and Decker remained at their posts, Robert April was promoted to flag rank and, as the newly-minted Director of Deep Space Operations, became the supervisor of the entire Constitution fleet.

A decade into their service, the Constitution class received their first major overhaul in 2255, with widespread systems upgrades and a shrinking of the crew by two hundred to optimize them for longer deep space missions. This allowed for larger and more spacious quarters, as well as less strain on the life support systems. The members of this class were absent from the Federation-Klingon War of 2256-57, as Starfleet wanted to keep them in reserve. As the class was a large investment of both resources and crew, Starfleet rush-ordered a leaner variant that would replicate the engine and tactical systems of the Constitution but with a much smaller crew: and a much shorter construction period the Sombra. Few of these vessels were built, given the short duration of the war, and they were all refit as Constitution-class ships with full exploratory systems by 2260.

Following the war, Starfleet prioritized the construction of classes that were derived from the Constitution, including the new Miranda, Hermes, and Saladin-class vessels that were directly built from Constitution-type components. This building program included a handful of Constitution orders which made up losses in the years following, bringing the total Constitution-class fleet up to 12 by 2265.

Most ships of the Constitution class retained their 250-person crew into the 2260s, when the next major overhaul returned the core twelve vessels to a 450-person crew. The hull was also encased in a thin layer of metalo-ceramic armor, which gave them their now-classic, stark exterior. While serving still primarily as explorers, this refit also incorporated fewer but heavier phaser banks as a response to simmering tensions on the Klingon border.

Later Life

Though these vessels proved to be highly successful in service, Defiant, Constellation, Intrepid, and Excalibur were all either destroyed outright or lost with all hands during the period between 2265 and 2270. While each of these circumstances was extraordinary and no underlying flaw was found in the class itself, Starfleet ordered an extensive overhaul, starting with the refit of the Enterprise, a project which eventually became the Constitution II-class heavy cruiser.

Throughout the 2270s, the majority of the Constitution-class vessels were upgraded into Constitution II-class vessels, with the exception of the USS New Jersey, which was not launched until 2268 and thus was considered too new to upgrade. New Jersey was decommissioned after 20 years of service in 2288, having stubbornly resisted a refit, and was placed in the Starfleet Museum, where she remains as of 2401: the last remaining example of an original configuration Constitution-class starship.

Vessels Commissioned

  • USS Constitution (Refit as Constitution II, Retired)
  • USS Enterprise (Refit as Constitution II, Destroyed)
  • USS Constellation (Destroyed)
  • USS Cayuga (Destroyed)
  • USS Defiant (Lost)
  • USS Intrepid (Destroyed)
  • USS Excalibur (Destroyed)
  • USS Exeter (Refit as Constitution II, Active as training ship)
  • USS Lexington (Refit as Constitution II, Retired)
  • USS Potemkin (Refit as Constitution II, Retired)
  • USS Republic (Refit as Constitution II, Active as training ship)
  • USS Hood (Refit as Constitution II, Retired)
  • USS Valiant (Refit as Constitution II, Retired)
  • USS Yorktown (Refit as Constitution II, Retired)
  • USS Sombra (S) (Refit as Constitution II, Retired)
  • USS Peregrine (S) (Refit as Constitution II, Retired)
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