Empress_Boog
Grand Empress
[X] A Light Cruiser - Project Saber
Starship Design Bureau
- Thread starter Sayle
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[X] A Heavy Frigate - Project Steamrunner
The Light Cruisers: Small to medium Sized vessels. Historical notable for their multirole uses. As Cruisers they should have an extended radius of action and self-sufficiency to act independently in this radius of action. Medium firepower and protection with high speed and maneuverability.
USES: Convoy escort, Commerce protection, Independent Patrol vessel, Commerce Raider, Mining operations(As in placing hidden explosives), Fleet scouting(Either s individual or in Groups), Capital escort, Destroyer group leader, Torpedo attack vessel.
In quest Context I guess we need: A fast long ranged scout vessel with good armament and sensors+ some utility for multirole purposes.
The Frigate: Smallest vessel to still be able of independent operations. Cheaper than destroyers but far less capable also slower. Historical NOT Multirole, Frigates usually are build for one role only. Like Anti submarine frigates, Air defense frigates surface combat frigates, or Littoral Combat ships using armed small craft to fight/ deploy specialist.
Uses: Anti submarine warfare, Mine warfare(Booth laying and clearing mine fields), Anti aircraft role, cheap convoy escorts, Light guided missile platform, small craft deployment platform(Littoral Combat Ships), and Electronic warfare ships.
In quest Context I guess a Heavy Frigate to be a slow, long ranged, heavy armed, and protected convoy escort vessel. on a smaller frame then a Light Cruiser.
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Which is all weird for star trek because the canon steamrunner was bigger then the canon saber.
300+ meters vs 160 meters
Yeah but that is not my fault i just answered was the difference between frigates and Light Cruisers in an Historical context was.
I'm not complaining about you, I'm complaining about how weird the starfleet classification system is.
Edit: also for reference a modern day super carrier is 330 meters.
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I'm pretty sure it's "whatever the writer table thought that week" is the classification system, aided by some efforts to systematize it for STO.
2367: Project Saber (Spaceframe)
Order -> Spaceframe -> Warp Core/Nacelles -> Tactical -> Internals -> Prototyping -> Certification -> Retrospective
[X] A Light Cruiser - Project Saber
With the choice made as to what project to take on, the question now becomes how best to tackle it. Pouring over the logs and reconstructions of the Battle of Wolf 359 you notice a number of common themes for the smaller vessels - while the Miranda-class starships were quickly immobilized and destroyed, the more modern New Orleans-class managed to outright evade some of the Borg Cube's fire. You quickly make a note to all teams that any designs should present a minimal profile to enemy weapons fire and ensure decent engine profiles versus mass factor. This will likely mean eliminating the traditional secondary hull as much as possible, giving the proposed ship a sleeker form factor.
But as with all things, you need to start with the primary hull. There are three main proposals for Project Saber, each of which are intent on maximising a single useful trait on the small starship. The first idea is to elongate a saucer section forward to provide a clear arc of fire around the entire primary hull, which would allow a long phaser strip to build up as much power as possible before discharging. Back-of-the-napkin calculations suggest you might get a total phaser array length of around 250 meters, which would give them quite a punch. Certainly an attractive start to a combat-focused starship.
The second idea is to do the opposite, widening the saucer instead of lengthening it, putting the bow of the ship closer to the center of mass. This would present an attractive opportunity for an access point to the heart of the saucer, allowing the placement of a shuttle bay for attack fighters or off-ship operations - or perhaps the primary deflector, allowing you the very limited verticality you have to play with to be devoted to other useful systems.
The third and final suggestion is use a standard circular saucer, maximising internal area. This would require the secondary hull to accommodate both the main deflector and any potential armament, likely splitting them into two separate 'humps' off the saucer, but it would provide more space for the warp core and greater power generation. That can be parlayed into higher warp factors down the line.
Starfleet has given you free reign on this one. Let's prove you can be trusted with that latitude.
[ ] An elongated forward saucer section to maximise the power of a continuous phaser strip.
[ ] An angular, widened saucer to accommodate a forward-facing shuttlebay or deflector.
[ ] A standard saucer with dual secondary hulls.
Two Hour Moratorium on Voting, Please.
All three are tempting depending on what exactly we want.
Option 1: good firepower
Option 2: either a good support option or maximizes evasion
Option 3: good for warp travel, so a good scout
Option 1: good firepower
Option 2: either a good support option or maximizes evasion
Option 3: good for warp travel, so a good scout
So Big gun
Small profile
Or big space?
Personally the middle one looks best given the stated objective.
Small profile
Or big space?
Personally the middle one looks best given the stated objective.
Is this shaped like the USS Voyager's main saucer?
Tempted to just go with phasers, but phasers have pretty much never been a great anti Borg option.
- Location
- California
Well, maybe the Borg aren't all bad...
Assuming we get the Canon Defiant which we will, I think option one might be redundant.
There aren't trick options that are "hehe, actually that's useless". The Borg work like they do in canon. They adapt to what they're hit with, but sufficient firepower can get stuff done.
Cool. I feel canon on the Borg is kind of inconsistent (somewhat explained by adaptability, somewhat explained by different writers wanting to do different stuff) so thought I'd ask.
Jensaarai
Sing Victory Everlasting
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Okay, as I'm reading these options;
Very fighty, lots of pew-pew...
Canon Saber, potential multi-role function...
Or speed for longer trips.
- Location
- California
We do need to remember that while the Federation is more concerned about security than ever, and combat effectiveness is something we're going to need to focus on now, we are still Starfleet. Our ships are still going to need to carry out science and aid missions, so we can't fully build towards combat.
That's what Commander Sisko is doing in the office next door, and it would be rude to step on his turf like that.
That's what Commander Sisko is doing in the office next door, and it would be rude to step on his turf like that.
Hmmm. It's a tough one.
Going with the same choice the designers did for the canonical Saber class means we can stick a deflector in the front of the saucer, meaning we don't have to find somewhere else for it. This could be crucial when saving mass so that the ship can remain nimble is our top priority. Remember, Starfleet's specification didn't call for the most upgunned ship, it calls for a light and nimble ship which can evade enemy fire.
But it also limits one of the main ways for us to make the ship feel like our own, rather than a repeat of the canon design, and potentially let it punch above its weight. The update also indicates that there are other trade-offs we can make to stay within our mass budget whilst sticking the deflector somewhere else. This will probably mean sacrificing something important, whether it's a proper shuttle bay or space for internal systems, but that might prove to be a worthwhile tradeoff in the end.
@Sayle, what are the specs we have to meet on this design?
Going with the same choice the designers did for the canonical Saber class means we can stick a deflector in the front of the saucer, meaning we don't have to find somewhere else for it. This could be crucial when saving mass so that the ship can remain nimble is our top priority. Remember, Starfleet's specification didn't call for the most upgunned ship, it calls for a light and nimble ship which can evade enemy fire.
But it also limits one of the main ways for us to make the ship feel like our own, rather than a repeat of the canon design, and potentially let it punch above its weight. The update also indicates that there are other trade-offs we can make to stay within our mass budget whilst sticking the deflector somewhere else. This will probably mean sacrificing something important, whether it's a proper shuttle bay or space for internal systems, but that might prove to be a worthwhile tradeoff in the end.
@Sayle, what are the specs we have to meet on this design?