Ambassador class
 | |
| Ambassador Class | |
|---|---|
| Category | Heavy Cruiser |
| Expected Duration | 80 Years |
| Time Between Resupply | 4 Years |
| Time Between Refit | 8 Years |
| Personnel | |
| Officers | 150 |
| Enlisted Crew | 500 |
| Marines | 64 |
| Passengers | 300 |
| Maximum (Evacuation) Capacity | 3200 |
| Speed | |
| Cruising Velocity | Warp 6.2 |
| Maximum Velocity | Warp 8.9 |
| Emergency Velocity | Warp 9.4 (12 Hours) |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 526 Metres |
| Width | 320 Metres |
| Height | 125 Metres |
| Decks | 36 |
A deep space heavy cruiser designed for long range exploration and defence of the Federation, the Ambassador class served as the primary capital ship of Starfleet from 2322 to 2360 in much the same role as the earlier Constitution class and Excelsior class. Designed to be durable and reliable, the Ambassador class is a rugged vessel well suited for missions in adverse conditions and far from support. Ambassador starships frequently operate independently and require little pampering to maintain. In combat the Ambassador class is a significant weapons platform, using a mix of phasers and torpedoes for overlapping fields of coverage, with little drop off in combat ability. In diplomatic or support profiles, this class contains adequate cargo and personnel facilities to fulfill a variety of mission objectives.
Auxiliary Craft
Shuttlebays: 2
Fighters
Runabouts
Shuttles
- Type 11 Shuttle: 4
- Type 15 Shuttlepod: 3
- Type 7 Shuttle: 2
- Type 8 Shuttle: 2
- Type 9 Shuttle: 4
Transports
Armament
Defensive Systems
Phasers
- Type IX Array: 6
- Type X Array: 4
Shielding Systems
Torpedoes
- Burst-Fire Torpedo Launcher: 2
- Photon Torpedoes: 190
- Quantum Torpedoes: 95
- Polaron Torpedoes: 15
- Tri-Cobalt Devices: 10
Class History
In the early 2300s Starfleet realised that increasing potential hostilities and longer range exploration missions were beginning to overtax the small number of larger Multi-role Capital ships and the end result was leaving the Federation somewhat more vulnerable than was desired. The Constitution class, despite having been refitted regularly was a prime candidate for replacement with a newer, more flexible vessel and hence, a design brief was issued to Starfleet’s Fleet Yards and private developers.
The result of the design competition was the Ambassador class, an extremely large vessel by the standards of the day, larger even than the Excelsior class, but the Ambassador was still highly flexible and a solid multi-role design. And in 2311, the Ambassador class was in production having passed her fleet trials with few problems. The initial run was that of 4 per year for ten years, with the eventual goal of phasing out the aging Constitution class in favour of the Ambassador.
One of the handiest things for Starfleet about the Ambassador class was the vast space she carried for extra Crew, Marines or Colonists, with additional quarters and mess hall facilities as well as cargo bays for supplies. This led the Ambassador to be considered one of the most flexible vessels at that time serving with Starfleet, with it being capable of all the usual Heavy Cruiser roles, that of Tactical Support, Exploration and Major Fleet Combat Operations, but also if necessary to function as a colony ship, Marine landing ship or a simple evacuation ship.
This led to a large production of the Ambassador with over 50 being produced in a period of 18 years, meaning that by 2329, the Ambassador had entirely replaced the Constitution class and the next fifteen years saw a moderate building programme increase the total number of Ambassador class vessels to 150. The loss of the USS Enterprise-C during the battle of Narendra III to a small Romulan force, did however force Starfleet to re-evaluate the Ambassador class and in 2348 a moderate refit programme was embarked upon, to provide the Ambassador with a better phaser armament, increasing the original 8 Type IX arrays to 10 Type IX’s.
This moderate refitting programme enabled the Ambassador to continue in service unchanged for the next twenty five years, until 2363, whereupon the Ambassador, now over 50 years old, was in need of a major refit. That then resulted in a major increase in the starship’s internal systems, with new power transfer systems as well as a new Warp Core and fusion reactors, resulting in a slight increase in her top speed and computer processing time. In addition her sensor and communications arrays were upgraded, providing the Ambassador with around double sensor range and triple accuracy as well as a longer communication range for all forms.
It was however the Dominion War that would prove the greatest challenge to the Ambassador class. With a large number in service, they as Heavy Cruisers along with other vessels, newer and older, would form the backbone of most Federation fleets during the war. The Ambassador performed much better than expected, however that did not prevent a relatively high number being lost to the Dominion. In 2373 the Federation had 137 Ambassador class vessels in service, but by the end of the war, just 73 remained serviceable. Thanks to a major recovery and repair effort over the next ten years however, 14 more heavily damaged Ambassador class vessels were restored to service giving a total of 87 in service by 2386, at which point Starfleet’s major Fleet Review of that year elected to embark upon a major refit programme to enhance the Ambassador class’ ability to continue serving with Starfleet. Included in the refit was a major new Warp Core, power systems, computer core, sensor arrays and communications arrays. In addition four of the Type IX arrays were removed in favour of four Type X arrays. In addition a lot of new systems were installed internally, making the Ambassador class as well armed efficiently, capable of serving within Starfleet for at least another 25 years.
Deck Listing
| Deck | Items |
|---|---|
| Deck 1 | Main Bridge, Captain's Ready Room, Observation Lounge, Weapons Locker, Primary Communications Array, Primary Sensor Array |
| Deck 2 | Captain's Quarters, First Officer's Quarters, XO’s Office, Senior Officer's Quarters, CoB’s Office, Conference Room , Officer’s Mess, Chief Intelligence Officer’s Office, Intelligence Centre |
| Deck 3 | VIP/Guest Quarters, Diplomatic Facilities, Chief Diplomatic Officer’s Office Large Conference Room, Auditorium, Transporter Room 1, Holodecks 1 + 2, Security Station |
| Deck 4 | Primary and Secondary Computer System Monitoring Room, Main Computer Core (Level 1), Core Maintenance Access, Guest Quarters , Crew Quarters |
| Deck 5 | Primary and Secondary Computer Systems Monitoring Room, Main Computer Core (Level 1), Core Maintenance Access, Guest Quarters , Crew Quarters |
| Deck 6 | Transporter Room 2, Main Computer Core (Level 2), Core Maintenance Access, Crew Quarters, Holodecks 3&4 |
| Deck 7 | Gymnasium, Natatorium, Mess Hall, Galley, Crew Quarters, Main Computer Core (Level 3), Conference Room 2, Secondary Tractor Beam Emitter |
| Deck 8 | Crew Quarters, Child Care Facilities, School, Computer and Equipment Storage Bay, Main Computer Core (Level 4) |
| Deck 9 | Primary Life Support and Environmental System Controls, Supplementary Crew / Passenger Quarters, Emergency Supply Storage, Secondary Deuterium Storage Tanks, Main Computer Core (Level 5), Core Maintenance Access |
| Deck 10 | Security Training Holodecks 1-3, Phaser Ranges 1-6, Armoury, Chief Security Officer's Office, Brig, Secondary Communications Array |
| Deck 11 | Primary SIF Generators, Primary IDF Generators, Holodecks 5 & 6, Supplementary Crew / Passenger Quarters, Scondary Life Support and Environmental System Controls |
| Decks 12 | Replicator Control, Industrial Replicators 3-5, Sickbay, CMO's Office, Medical Supply Storage, Medical Laboratories 1+2, Medical Holodecks 1-5, Supplementary Crew / Passenger Quarters, |
| Deck 13 | Stellar Cartography, Astrophysics Lab, Astrometrics Lab, Astrometric Sensor Arrays, Crew Quarters , General Purpose Science Labs 1-6 |
| Deck 14 | Sociology Department, Counsellor's Office, Customisable Science Lab 1, Chemistry Labs 1 & 2, Transporter Rooms 3 & 4, Crew Quarters |
| Deck 15 | Particle Lab, Geology Lab, Biology Labs 1 & 2, Customisable Science Labs 2 & 3, Hazardous Materials Lab, Containment Lab Suites 1 & 2 |
| Decks 16 | Plant Sciences Department, Arboretum, Botany Lab, Hydroponics Bay and Gardens, Main Impulse engines, Fusion Reactors 1-9, Engine Control Room, Impulse Engine maintenance access, Captain's Yacht, Captain’s Yacht’s staging zone, Supply storage |
| Deck 17 | Secondary Sickbay, Zoology Lab, Public Replicators, Customisable Science Labs 4-6, Primary Deuterium Storage Tanks, Supplementary Crew / Passenger Quarters |
| Deck 18 | Primary Deuterium Storage Tanks, Crew Quarters, Auxiliary Deflector Control, Maintenance Bay 1, Supplementary Crew / Passenger Quarters |
| Decks 19 | Fabrication Workshop, Industrial Replicators 6-10, Primary Deuterium Storage Tanks, Deuterium Injectors, Supplementary Crew / Passenger Quarters |
| Deck 20 | Ship's Stores, Crew Quarters, Engineering Hardware Replicators, Cargo Bays 3-4, Cargo Transporters 3-4, Supplementary Crew / Passenger Quarters |
| Deck 21 | Forward Torpedo Launcher, Torpedo Magazine and Loading, Torpedo Modification, Computer Research Lab, Torpedo Assembly Bay, Secondary SIF Generators, Supplementary Crew / Passenger Quarters |
| Decks 22 | Adult Classrooms, Crew Quarters, Supplementary Crew / Passenger Quarters, Holodecks 7-10 |
| Decks 23 | Crew Quarters, Supplementary Crew / Passenger Quarters, Cargo Bays 5 & 6, Cargo Transporters 5-6, Maintenance Bay 2 |
| Decks 24 | Tertiary Life Support and Environmental System Controls, Supplementary Crew / Passenger Quarters, Cargo Bays 7-10, Cargo Transporters 7-10 |
| Decks 25 | Shuttlebay 2, Shuttle Storage, Auxiliary craft elevator, Crew Quarters, Supplementary Crew / Passenger Quarters, Marine Barracks, Transporter Rooms 6-14, Secondary Armoury |
| Decks 26 | Graviton Deflector Generators, Shuttle Storage and Maintenance, Shuttle lift systems, Supplementary Crew / Passenger Quarters, Cargo Bays 11-15, Cargo Transporters 11-15 |
| Decks 27 | Main Engineering (Upper), Chief Engineer's Office, Primary Navigational deflector, Aft Torpedo Launcher, Torpedo Magazine , Tertiary SIF Generators |
| Decks 28 | Main Engineering (Central), Graviton Deflector Generators, Secondary Hardware Replicators , Supplementary Crew / Passenger Quarters, Cargo Bays 16-20, Cargo Transporters 16-20 |
| Decks 29 | Main Engineering (Lower), Warp Coil Maintenance Access, Antimatter Storage pods, Tertiary Deuterium Storage Tanks, Large Meeting Room, Supplementary Crew / Passenger Quarters |
| Decks 30 | Lateral Sensor Array, Auxiliary Computer Core (Level 1) , Core Maintenance Access, Supplementary Crew / Passenger Quarters |
| Decks 31 | Engineering Parts and Equipment Storage, Engineering Labs, Maintenance Bay 3, Auxiliary Computer Core (Level 2), Core Maintenance Access, Supplementary Crew / Passenger Quarters |
| Decks 32 | Quarternary SIF Generators, Astrophysics Lab, Materials Testing Lab, Auxiliary Computer Core (Level 3), Core Maintenance Access, Supplementary Crew / Passenger Quarters |
| Decks 33 | Holodecks 11-20, Supplementary Crew / Passenger Quarters, Secondary IDF Generators |
| Decks 34 | Secondary Antimatter Storage Pods, Antimatter Generator, Emergency Food Rations Storage, Emergency Personnel Transporter 2, Emergency Power Facility, Main Tractor beam Emitter |
| Decks 35 | Sensor Analysis Labs, Emergency Personnel Transporter 1, Hazardous Material Storage and Containment, Sensor Instrument Bays, Antimatter Injectors, Antimatter Storage Pods |
| Decks 36 | Waste Reclamation |
| Starfleet Starship Classes (Active) | |
| Research Bases | Argus class - Lowell class |
| Starbases | Nor class - Regula class - Stardock class |
| Cruisers | Ambassador class - Galaxy class - Nebula class - Prometheus class - Sovereign class |
| Light Cruisers | Akira class - Cheyenne class - Excelsior class - Intrepid class - Luna class - Normandy class - Norway class |
| Research Vessels | Nova class - Olympic class - Oberth class |
| Escorts | Centaur class - Defiant class - Miranda class - New Orleans class - Sabre class - Steamrunner class |