DOCKYARD

REVIEW
THE JOURNAL OF THE ADVANCED STARSHIP DESIGN BUREAU

VOLUME THREE
ISSUE TWO
OCTOBER 2345

The Steamrunner Class

Heavy Destroyer: A Swift
and Powerful New
Destroyer for Starfleet.

The Cheyenne Class

Superscout: Charting a
Path in the Tradition of the
Constellation Class.

The U.S.S. Excelsior: The

Great Experiment Turns
Fifty.

DOCKYARD REVIEW
OCTOBER 2345

HARD COPY PRINTOUT

GROUP HEADQUARTERS

Advanced Starship Design Bureau

Sol III Orbital Repair and Construction Facility (SpaceDock)
In Orbit Over the San Francisco Metroplex
State of California
United States of America
Terra - Sol System
DIRECTOR

Rear Admiral Harvey Postlethwaite

COORDINATOR

Captain Laguna Milano

TECHNICAL STAFF

Commander Estoril Monza

Lieutenant Commander Giles Silverstone
COVER ART AND COMPUTER MESHES

Cover - Andrew J. Hodges (www.Scifi-Art.com)

Cheyenne Mesh - Cooper (www.Scifi-Art.com)
Steamrunner Mesh - Tachy and Mojoman (www.Scifi-Art.com)
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Terra - Sol System

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Articles in this publication may be reproduced for informational or archival purposes only, provided proper credit is given to
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Text Copyright 1999, Panda Productions. Artwork Copyright 1999 the respective authors. Where possible, permission
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All correspondance should be directed to the Publishing Office.

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CONTENTS
AUTHOR

TITLE

PRINTOUT

Comment

1004

CAPT Alex Jaegar

The Steamrunner Class Heavy Destroyer

1005

CAPT Patrick Head

The Cheyenne Class Superscout

1009

CPT Eluza Onari

The Excelsior Class Golden Anniversary

1013

ENTER THE FORUM

We welcome brief
comments on material
published in Dockyard
Review and also brief
discussions of interest for
possible publication in the
Comments section. We
are also looking for
articles for future issues.
Any articles or letters
submitted to Dockyard
Review are subject to
editing for content and
length before publication.

COVER
ILLUSTRATION
A painting of the
Steamrunner
Class
Heavy Destroyer U.S.S.
Appalachia (HD 52136).
These vessels will help
relieve the defensive
strain being put on the
Ambassador Class.

The U.S.S. Excelsior (CH 2000) traveling at impulse. Originally constructed as a battleship in 2285, she
has since been reclassified as a Heavy Cruiser, along with her sisterships. (Peter Savin www.ScifiArt.com)

The opinions or assertions in the articles here are the personal ones of the authors
and should not be construed as official. They do not necessarily reflect the views of
the Advanced Starship Design Bureau or the publishers of Dockyard Review.
This publication incorporates data and scanned images taken from other various
works relating to the Star Trek seroes and movies. This publication is intended for
recreational and informational purposes and is published on a not-for-profit and
free-distribution basis. The inclusion of this data and imagery is not intended to be a
violation of the copyrights and trademarks of the original works publishers and
authors.

1003

Comment
The Excelsior Class Battleship
(see Excelsior Historical Review by Commodore Hans Jessry,
April 2344 Dockyard Review)

Rear Admiral Greg North, retired

As the former commanding officer of the U.S.S. Berlin * NCC-14232, I found your article on the Excelsior
class an interesting read. Not since the old Constitution / Enterprise cruisers has a starship class served the Federation so well. Though they suffered from problems during their initial trials and testing, they have proven to be
extremely durable vessels over the long haul. Though eclipsed by the Ambassador Class Heavy Cruiser as the
glamour posting in Starfleet, Excelsiors still account for the better part of 60% of the exploration force and their
discoveries and list of achievements will not soon be surpassed.

1004

The Steamrunner Class Heavy

Destroyer
Starfleets Newest Destroyer
By:

Captain Alex Jaeger

Designer - Steamrunner Class Starship Development Project
Starfleet Spaceship Design Advisory Commission

Starfleet has always maintained a defensive-oriented force structure. The largest Explorer class vessels
were also the best-armed and were expected to protect the Federation in times of crisis. However, the ships were
called upon more and more to put out fires and show the Flag, detracting from their primary role as Explorers. The Miranda class, though originally heavy frigates, had become outclassed by their Threat counterparts,
and could no longer perform these roles adequately. The Starfleet Spacecraft Design Advisory Commission was
charged with developing a new vessel capable of performing these roles, freeing the Ambassador and Excelsior
class starships to continue their exploration roles.
Starfleet had not had a true destroyer class ship since the old Baker class, which had been retired by
2315 with the introduction of the Ambassador class. However, the Steamrunner class Starship Development Project
best fit the requirements put forth by the SSDAC small size, decent weaponry, and low procurement and
operating costs.
GENERAL APPEARANCE
The Steamrunner class is an intrguing design. As a combat vessel, it was necessary to protect vital ships
systems. Therefore, the warp nacelles are buried into the hull structure. The nacelle structures extend back from
either side of the primary hull, joining together in the back by a structural crossmember that bends down to a
pod that houses the navigational deflector. This design has also been found to be inherently stronger than the
traditional elliptical shape, allowing a 15% reduction in mass through the use of thinner structural members.
PROPULSION AND POWER SYSTEMS
The size and performance characteristics of the LF-20 warp drive and FIG-2 impulse unit were a perfect
match for the Steamrunner class.
TACTICAL SYSTEMS
The Steamrunner was designed to hold its own in a combat situation. As such the ship mounts six Type
IX phaser rings and two Mk 75 photon torpedo launchers. The FSP shield system from the Ambassador class was
fitted, giving the ship excellent defensive shielding.
COMPUTER SYSTEM
The Steamrunner carries the new isolinear-based M-13 designed for the Cheyenne class superscout, as it
will be next to impossible to fit a larger computer core in these vessels. Therefore, the M-13 will allow the
Steamrunners to be updated throughout their service life without the need for a new core.
SHIPS FACILITIES
No Federation starship performs a purely military role in this day and age. Fleet resources are too
precious for such a vessel. So while the Steamrunner is combat-oriented, she also carries a small scientific compliment and performs scouting and survey missions while on patrol duties. There is also an extemely limited

1005

diplomatic capability, and ships of this class have performed such duties in the more out-of-the-way places in
the Federation Treaty Zone.
DEVELOPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION HISTORY
The Steamrunner class was approved in 2331 with the lead vessel entering service in 2335. So far, fifty
vessels have been approved, with three more batches of fifty ships each scheduled to enter service every ten
years through 2362.
CONCLUSION
The Steamrunner class serves her designed role well, though the lack of scientific facilities has been a
problem in assigning the ship non-combat roles. To that end, most vessels of this class have been assigned patrol
duties, reliving more capable explorer-class vessels to perform other missions.

Captain Jaeger is a Designer at the Starfleet Spacecraft Design Advisory Commission and designed the
Steamrunner class.

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1007

Steamrunner Class Heavy Destroyer

Displacement
Overall Length
Overall Draft
Overall Beam
Propulsion:

Velocity:
Duration:
Complement:

Embarked Craft:

Navigation:
Computers:
Phasers:
Missiles:
Defense:
Life Support:

1008

575,000 mt
292 m
45 m
217 m
Two FL-20 Mod 1 energized-energized antimatter warp drive units
(System Contractor: Cochrane Warp Dynamics, Minos al Rijil, Alpha Centauri VII)
Two FIG-2 subatomic unified energy impulse units
(System Contractor: Kloratis Drives, Tellar)
QASR-2 particle beam maneuvering thrusters
(System Contractor: Scarbak Propulsion Systems, Earth)
Trentis IV pulsed laser reaction control system
(System Contractor: Orage Ijek, Aksajak, Andor)
Warp 7
Standard Cruising Speed
Warp 9.0
Maximum Cruising Speed
Warp 9.6
Maximum Attainable Velocity
5 years, standard
100
Officers
500
Enlisted Crew
100
Passengers (Maximum)
600
Total Crew (Standard)
0
Danube Class Runabout
4
Type 6 Personnel Shuttle
4
Type 7 Personnel Shuttle
2
Type 9A Cargo Shuttle
6
Type 16 Shuttlepod
RAV / ISHAK Mod 3 Warp Celestial Guidance
(System Contractor: Tlixis Ramab RRB, Coridan III)
M-13 Isolinear I
(System Contractor: Daystrom Computer Systems, Luna)
6 Type IX Collimated Phaser Array
(System Contractor: HiBeam Energies, Earth)
2 Mk 75 Photon Torpedo Launchers
(System Contractor: Skat-Rar Weapon Systems, Andor)
FSP Primary Force Field
(System Contractor: Charlotte Shields, Earth)
NAG1 Modular Gravity Unit
(System Contractor: New Amsterdam Gravitics, New Amsterdam, Alpha III)
AL2 Life Support System
(System Contractor: AAlakon Landiss, Divallax, Andor)

The Cheyenne Class

Superscout
Blazing a Trail for the Ambassador Class to Follow
By:

Captain Patrick Head

Starfleet Advanced Technologies Group

The introduction of the Ambassador class Heavy Cruiser in 2330 opened a new era of exploration within
the Federation. These vessels were far larger in internal volume than their Excelsior class counterparts, and their
new warp drives allowed them to travel farther, faster, than any previous Explorer.
Almost two decades before the Ambassador class entered service, the four-nacelle cruisers of the
Constellation class were sent on missions to the extreme fringes of explored space and beyond. When the Ambassador
class entered service, plans were drawn up to have the Constellations survey for later, follow-up missions by the
Ambassadors. However, once put into place, it became obvious this was not a workable solution.
The Constellations were far too slow and their sciences equipment, compared to an Ambassador, outdated
to make much of a contribution. Therefore, in 2325 the ASDB formed the Cheyenne class Starship Development
Project to develop a new high-speed / long-duration class of scout. The vessel was to mass under 2.5 million
tons, so the new LF-15 series of warp drive was chosen. However, the drive was so new that no one really knew
how reliable they were, nor their expected durability. Though favored by the ASDB, using only two nacelles
could not be guaranteed to meet the speed and duration required and, as they had done with the Constellation, it
was decided to mount four nacelles to the Cheyenne.
GENERAL APPEARANCE
The Cheyenne class bears a striking resemblance to her Constellation class forebear. This is deliberate, as
the Constellation design worked and the ASDB did not want to mess with a good thing. The nacelles were
specially designed for the Cheyenne, in an attempt to better harmonize the warp fields generated. The primary
hull was the first to use the new elliptical saucer design. This design was chosen as simulations showed it provided
better dynamics at high warp integers than the more traditional saucer of the Enterprise, Excelsior, and Ambassador
classes.
PROPULSION AND POWER SYSTEMS
Four LF-15 warp drive nacelles were added. As it had with the Constellation class, this required the
fitting of two separate warp cores, which then tied together to provide balanced operation through a unified
H-shaped intermix chamber system. Each core and its pair of nacelles can operate independently, if needed.
Though the LF-15 is less powerful than the LF-10 series used on the Ambassador Class, the engine has excellent
relaiability an important feature on a deep-space explorer.
TACTICAL SYSTEMS
The Cheyenne is surprisingly lightly armed considering she is designed to operate to far from support.
However, the Federation is a far quieter and peaceful place than when the Constellations plied the spacelanes.
Three Type IX phaser arrays and two Mk 75 photon torpedo launchers are carried, along with the FSP shield
system.
COMPUTER SYSTEM
The isolinear-chip based M-13 series of computers were custom built for the Cheyenne class, as the existing

1009

duotronic-based M-12 was too large and smaller, earlier models did not have the computing power or storage
capacity to meet the stated requirements.
SHIPS FACILITIES
Someone serving on a Constellation would marvel at the new staterooms aboard the Cheyenne. The wide
elliptical primary hull allows room size almost 75% larger than those on the Constellation, though both ships
have similar crew compliments. The sensor, survey, and scientific suites are the most advanced at the time, at
least until the Galaxy class comes on-line.
DEVELOPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION HISTORY
Four-nacelle starships are not easy to build, which is why there have been only two designs. The
Constellation class offered somewhat of a benchmark for the Cheyenne to use, but calibration still took almost a
full year after the lead ship was launched in 2330. The vessel reached a speed of Warp 9.4 before hull stresses
reached serious levels.
CONCLUSION
The problems with the Cheyenne class are similar to those with the Constellation and seem to prove that
two nacelles are, in general, the optimum format. Those problems aside, the Cheyenne class has performed well,
much like the Constellation. Twenty Cheyenne class ships have been approved for production at this time.

Captain Head is on the staff of the Starfleet Advanced Technologies Group, which played a major role in
the
development and calibration of the Cheyennes quad-nacelle warp drive.
1010

1011

Cheyenne Class Superscout

Displacement
Overall Length
Overall Draft
Overall Beam
Propulsion:

Velocity:
Duration:
Complement:

Embarked Craft:

Navigation:
Computers:
Phasers:
Missiles:
Defense:
Life Support:

1012

1,700,000 mt
394 m
134 m
250 m
Four LF-15 Mod 1 energized-energized antimatter warp drive units
(System Contractor: Cochrane Warp Dynamics, Minos al Rijil, Alpha Centauri VII)
Two FIG-2 subatomic unified energy impulse units
(System Contractor: Kloratis Drives, Tellar)
QASR-2 particle beam maneuvering thrusters
(System Contractor: Scarbak Propulsion Systems, Earth)
Trentis III pulsed laser reaction control system
(System Contractor: Orage Ijek, Aksajak, Andor)
Warp 7.0
Standard Cruising Speed
Warp 9.0
Maximum Cruising Speed
Warp 9.4
Maximum Attainable Velocity
5 years, standard
50
Officers
250
Enlisted Crew
0
Passengers (Normal Up to 100 maximum)
300
Total Crew (Standard)
0
Danube Class Runabout
4
Type 6 Personnel Shuttle
2
Type 7 Personnel Shuttle
2
Type 9A Cargo Shuttle
8
Type 16 Shuttlepod
0
Peregrine Class Fighter
0
S-3 Sentry SWAC Shuttle
RAV / ISHAK Mod 3 Warp Celestial Guidance
(System Contractor: Tlixis Ramab RRB, Coridan III)
M-13 Isolinear I
(System Contractor: Daystrom Computer Systems, Luna)
3 Type IX Collimated Phaser Array
(System Contractor: HiBeam Energies, Earth)
2 Mk 75 Photon Torpedo Launchers
(System Contractor: Skat-Rar Weapon Systems, Andor)
FSP Primary Force Field
(System Contractor: Charlotte Shields, Earth)
NAG1 Modular Gravity Unit
(System Contractor: New Amsterdam Gravitics, New Amsterdam, Alpha III)
AL2 Life Support System
(System Contractor: AAlakon Landiss, Divallax, Andor)

The Excelsior Class Battleship

Golden Anniversary
The Great Experiment Turns Fifty
By:

Rear Admiral Eluza Onari

Starfleet Operating Forces - TacFleet

When commissioned in 2286, the U.S.S. Excelsior was dubbed The Great Experiment due to her Koller
Uti K27 transwarp drive. When the drive proved to be a failure and the ship was fitted with a standard warp
drive, some thought that a class that began with such potential would instead become a white elephant.
How wrong they were. The USS Excelsior (BB 2000) just celebrated her fiftieth birthday in service and
looks strong to celebrate a 100th in 2385. Over fifty sister ships have joined her, and Starfleet continues to build
five ships a year.
Though classified as a battleship, the Excelsior has actually turned into one of the more capable explorer
platforms available to Starfleet. Though the Ambassador class became the new Explorer flagships of the mid2300s, the Excelsiors continue to serve at the forefront of the Galaxy Exploration Commands deployment strategies.
There are actually three different sub-classes of the Excelsior. The original remains the most popular,
with over thirty in service. Next came the Ingram Space Control Ship variant, named after the second Excelsior
class vessel. When the transwarp drive looked to be a failure, the Military Staff Committee approved extensive
modifications to the second ship, turning it into a Space Control Ship. The design proved a success and the third
and fourth vessels were built to this standard.
In fact, the Excelsior herself was expected to be converted to an SCS, until her new Commanding Officer,
Captain Hikaru Sulu, put forward an intriguing option turning the ship into an explorer. While having her
new conventional warp drive installed, the sensor and laboratory suites on the ship were expanded and updated
to the latest specifications. The ship was re-launched in 2290 and began a three-year research mission cataloging
planetary atmospheric anomalies. The ship proved so successful that all future Excelsiors were equipped to this
standard.
When the USS Enterprise (CH 1701-A) was retired in 2292 after her first (and only) five-year mission, it
was decided to assign the name to a new-build Excelsior class vessel. This variant was equipped with two large
sensor pods at the front of the secondary hull, beside the primary deflector. This greatly improved the scientific
capabilities of the ship, but at a cost to her warp dynamics, limiting top speed a full warp factor below that of
unmodified Excelsior class vessels. As such, only 10 Excelsiors were built to this specification.
All Excelsior class starships were equipped with an extensive tactical suite and were designed to deliver
a powerful offensive punch. This suite proved to be an important asset in her exploration role, allowing the
ships to serve on the Klingon / Romulan neutral zones as well as deep into the Federation Treaty Zone without
the need of escorts.

Rear Admiral Onari serves with TacFleet and is in charge of Excelsior Class starship deployments. She
was the former Commanding Officer of the Excelsior Class starship U.S.S. Starleaf (BB 6184).

1013

Excelsior Class Heavy Cruiser

Displacement:
Overall Length:
Overall Draft:
Overall Beam:
Propulsion:

Velocity:
Duration:
Complement:

Embarked Craft:

Navigation:
Computers:
Phasers:
Phasers:
Missiles:
Defense:
Life Support:

1014

434,610 mt
467 m
78 m
186 m
Two K-27 Mod 1 dilithium-energized antimatter linear warp drive units
(System Contractor: Koller Uti, Stuttgart, Earth)
Two LN-72 Mod 1 dilithium-energized antimatter linear warp drive units
(System Contractor: Shuvinaaljis Warp Technologies, Vulcan)
Two SANTH-H subatomic unified energy impulse units
(System Contractor: Scarbak Propulsion Systems, Earth)
QASR particle beam maneuvering thrusters
(System Contractor: Scarbak Propulsion Systems, Earth)
Trentis II pulsed laser reaction control system
(System Contractor: Orage Ijek, Aksajak, Andor)
Warp 30
Standard Cruising Speed
Warp 15
Maximum Cruising Speed
Warp 17
Maximum Attainable Velocity
5 years, standard
150
Officers
650
Enlisted Crew
0
Passengers (Normal Up to 50 maximum)
800
Total Crew (Standard)
5
Type SW-7 Personnel Shuttle
5
Type S-10 Shuttlepod
5
Type S-2A Bee Workpod
5
Victory Class Fighter
5
Vigilante Class Fighter
RAV / ISHAK Mod 1 Warp Celestial Guidance
(System Contractor: Tlixis Ramab RRB, Coridan III)
Daystrom Duotronic IV with Multitronic M-9 Supplement
(System Contractor: Daystrom Computer Systems, Lunaport, Luna
10 banks of 2 each RIM-15A independent twin mount
(System Contractor: Agusta Ansadado, Inc, Fuzes, Venus)
4 banks RSM-20B single mount
(System Contractor: Agusta Ansadado, Inc, Fuzes, Venus)
4 tubes Mk 70 Mod 2 Direct
(System Contractor: Skat-Rar Weapon Systems, Ezuruk, Andor)
Merlin primary force field and deflector control system
(System Contractor: Prentice-Schafer Inc., Marsport, Mars)
MC-3E artificial gravity generator
(System Contractor: Cristobal SM/S, Manila, Earth)
Rastis radiation protection package
(System Contractor: Tidjikja/Atar Associated Industries, Rastaribi, Regulus)
Cerix waste regeneration system
(System Contractor: Jullundur-Lahore Ltd., Bombay, Earth)