Federation Class Dreadnought

Class: Federation Classification: Dreadnought Service: 2260-2274 Number Active: 0 Dimensions Length: 320m Width: 140m Height: 87m Decks: 16 Mass: 900,000 metric tons Compliment: 500 Tactical: 10 Type VI Phaser Banks 3 2nd Class Photon Torpedo Launchers Defense: Advanced Shield System (max. cap. 891,000 TerraJoules) Anti Phaser Hull Coating The Constitution class Heavy Cruiser and Miranda Class Heavy Frigate, were reguarded by many to be the most powerful Federation Starships of the early 23rd century, more than capable of defending the Federation.  In the 2260's however, it was decided to take a radical new turn in shipbuilding, one that would give the federation a greater hand over that of the Klingon and Romulan Empires.  The new starship would be totally devoted to battle, carrying little in the way of research labs and diplomatic facilities.  This new type of vessel introduced was the Dreadnought. Following the lead of the HMS Dreadnought 300 years before, the new vessel was outfitted with powerful weapons and was heavily armored.  10 Type VI Phaser Banks and 3 2nd class Photon Torpedo Launchers made it the most powerful starship of the day.  In addition to the Monotanium double hull, a anti phaser coating was spread over the hull.  This coating dissappated incomming phaser or disruptor blasts across the entire hull surface, giving the Federation a powerful advantage in battle. The ship's design takes off on the Constitution, with the basic spaceframe staying the same.  A heavier Saucer Section was installed as were dual hangar bays, with 2 smaller navigational deflectors hanging aft, below the vessel's rear hangar.  A more powerful warp core, coupled with the addition of a third nacelle hanging off the aft end of the primary hull, gave the ship greater speed and maneuverability over her Klingon and Romulan counterparts. The Federation class had it's reputation severly tainted in 2267 when Vice Admiral Vaughn Rittenhouse used the USS Star Empire as a part of his plot to overthrow the Federation Council.  Admiral Rittenhouse and his entire crew aboard his flagship Pompey were lost when the destroyer collided with Star Empire in 2274.  Despite this incident, ships of the Federation class served with honor and were refitted along with the Constitution to form the new Star Empire class Dreadnought.  These ships continued on, playing a vital role in the security of the Federation until they were retired along with their Enterprise class sister ships in 2296.