Thedrew: 1 revision imported

2020-04-19T19:17:08Z

1 revision imported

← Older revision	Revision as of 19:17, 19 April 2020
(No difference)

Thedrew at 01:59, 16 February 2016

2016-02-16T01:59:42Z

New page

The '''Constitution-class''' [[starship]]s were the premier front-line [[Starfleet]] vessels in the latter half of the 23rd century. They were designed for long duration missions with minimal outside support and are best known for their celebrated missions of galactic exploration and diplomacy which typically lasted up to five years.

== History ==
The ''Constitution'' class lineage was launched in 2245, and served as [[Starfleet]]'s front-line vessels for the rest of the century. The ''Constitution'' class also served as a mighty deterrent to both the [[Klingon Empire|Klingon]] and [[Romulan Star Empire|Romulan Empire]]s, several times taking part in combat actions which determined the fate of the entire [[Federation]] if not the [[Alpha Quadrant]] itself.

The ''Constitution'' class design was refurbished some time between 2254, when the USS ''Enterprise'' had a crew complement of 203, and 2266, when the ''Enterprise'' held an increased crew complement of over 400.

The most famous ''Constitution'' class starship was the USS Enterprise, launched under the command of [[Captain]] Robert April in 2245. The ''Enterprise'' gained its reputation during its historic five year mission (2265-2270) under the command of Captain James T. Kirk.

In 2266, on stardate 1709, the ''Enterprise'' was instrumental in preventing a war between the [[Federation]] and the [[Romulan Star Empire]]. When a Romulan Bird-of-Prey crossed the [[Romulan Neutral Zone]] and destroyed several [[Earth]] Outpost Stations, Captain Kirk barely managed to outwit the enemy commander and stop his vessel from returning to [[Romulus]] and reporting on the Federation's weakness.

In late-2268, the ''Constitution'' class vessels ''Excalibur'', ''Hood'', ''Lexington'' and ''Potemkin'' took part in the disastrous testing of the M-5 computer, which was in control of the ''Enterprise''. The ''Excalibur'' was severely damaged, with all hands lost. The ''Lexington'' also was brutally assaulted by the M-5 computer when the unit became unstable.

Later that year, the ''Constitution'' class starship ''Defiant'' responded to a distress call from an unexplored sector of space, claimed by the [[Tholian Assembly]]. Shortly upon entering the region, the ''Defiant'' crew began experiencing sensory distortion, and insanity quickly spread throughout the ship. The ship's medical surgeon was unable to determine what was happening, and eventually the insanity induced by the phenomenon lead the crew to kill each other.

Three weeks later, [[Starfleet]] ordered the ''Enterprise'' to mount a search mission to locate the ''Defiant''. On stardate 5693.2, the Enterprise located her adrift, lost between universes in a space warp. As a result of a later phaser exchange between the ''Enterprise'' and several [[Tholian]] vessels, a hole was created through the spatial interphase, pushing the Defiant to parts unknown. As it turned out, the ''Defiant'' emerged in the 22nd century Mirror Universe, where the Tholians of that universe had created the interphase rift by detonating a tri-cobalt warhead within the gravity well of a dead star. It appeared that the ''Defiant'' would go on to play a major role in Empress Sato's rule over the [[Earth]]. However, it is unclear whether Sato's bid to become Empress actually succeeded, or what the final disposition of the ''Defiant'' in that universe was, as the Mirror Universe of the 23rd Century exhibited no significant advances in technology nor any evidence of knowledge of the 'real' universe.

=== Refit configuration ===
In the late 2260s to early 2270s, the ''Constitution'' class starships underwent a major refit program. The actual refitting took eighteen months of work and essentially a new vessel was built onto the bones of the old, replacing virtually every major system. Thus the ''Constitution'' class continued in service for a further twenty years.

Essential upgrades were made to the ''Constitution'' class' [[Warp drive|warp]] systems; the old cylindrical [[nacelle]]s were replaced with new angular ones, and also the warp nacelle struts were new, as they were connected to the engineering hull much closer to the neck than before. The engineering hull roughly retained its original shape -- while the original hull was essentially a conical cylinder, the refit was much more rounded. As for the interior of the hull, the most obvious upgrades were the enlargement of the shuttle deck and landing bay, as well as the addition of a horizontal matter-antimatter reaction assembly and a vertical intermix chamber.

New also was the installment of the double [[photon torpedo]] launcher with its rectangular housing in the neck of the vessel. Furthermore, the saucer section was considerably extended (almost 20 meters), while the rest of the surface remained about the same. Major changes were made to the interior of the ''Constitution'' class starship; however, many new systems were added and existing ones upgraded. Summarizing, only the internal structure of the saucer and very little of the engineering hull and neck may have survived the 2271 upgrade.

== Technical data ==

=== Physical arrangement ===
The ''Constitution'' class starships were one of the first to feature the saucer-engineering hull design, which would later become recognizable for most other [[Starfleet]] vessels. The hulls were capable of [[saucer separation]] in case of emergency; the crew would than evacuate to the saucer module, while personnel unable to escape in time could abandon the engineering hull through way of [[Escape Pods|escape pods]]. The [[Bridge|Main Bridge]] was located on top of the primary hull, while an emergency bridge was located deep within the saucer. The superstructure on top of which the bridge was located featured science labs on the original configuration ''Constitution'' class, but would be the location of the officers' [[Lounge|lounge]] and [[Dining Room|dining area]] on the refit configuration vessel.

If necessary, a ''Constitution'' class starship is capable of entering a [[Class M]] [[planet]]'s atmosphere and flying through it for an extended period of time.

[[Category:Ship class]]

Constitution class - Revision history

Thedrew: 1 revision imported

Thedrew at 01:59, 16 February 2016