Sovereign Class

From FEInfobase

Sovereign-Class

Class Information
Expected Hull Life	120 years
Resupply Time	15 years
Refit	20 years
Category	Explorer/Heavy Cruiser
Affiliation	Starfleet
Dimensions
Length	685.2 meters
Width	275 meters
Height:	130 meters
Decks	29
Engines
Warp reactor	M/ARA ( Using a Trelinium Powered Core )
Warp nacelles	2
Cruising speed	Warp 7.5
Maximum speed	Warp 9.95
Emergency speed	Warp 9.992 [12 hours]
Impulse generators	2
Defensive Systems
Phasers	2 Type-XV phaser arrays 10 Type-XII phaser arrays
Torpedo launchers	5 fixed tubes 2 forward u 2 aft shuttle bay 2 aft engineering hull 1 turret (forward)
Photons	200
Quantum	10
Shields	Multi Layered Shielding System (MLSS)
Hull	Ablative Armor Type I
Tractor beams	Type-XII ( Range 3.0 km )
Personnel
Officers	175
Enlisted	525
FMI/Sabre	2
Passengers	500
Auxiliary Craft
Shuttle Bays	3
Shuttles	2 Type 8 personal shuttles 2 Type 9 personal shuttles 4 Type 11 personal shuttle 2 Type 18 shuttle pods
Runabouts	1 Huron Class Runabouts 1 Delta Flyer Class Runabout 1 Argo Class Runabout 1 Captain's Yacht
Additional Information
Systems	Hybrid bioneural/isolinear circuitry Primary fusion reactors: output 9.2 EJ/hr Secondary fusion reactors: output 7.6 EJ/hr Advanced Lateral and Long Range Output/Retrieval sensor systems Starfleet / Romulan Cloaking Device
Built	18
Refit	3
Decommissioned	0
Mothballed	0
MIA/Destroyed	15
[Source]

The Sovereign class starship was the most advanced starship in the Federation fleet when the first two ships of the class were launched in 2372. They were outfitted with technologies specially designed to fight the Borg following Starfleet's crushing defeat at the hands of the Borg when Captain Jean Luc Picard was assimilated in to the collective to serve as Locutus of Borg.

Re-Development of Sovereign Class

The Sovereign class had already gone through a major over haul of her tactical systems in early 2375 in response to the threat of the more powerful Dominion battleships during the Dominion War. The ship was provided with more weapons to help fight off these threats. The USS Enterprise NCC 1701-E showed how well these enhancements helped improve the Sovereign class capabilities when it engaged a Reman Scimitar class warbird. The Enterprise was heavily damaged but was successful in destroying the ship.

The production of Sovereign class starships was in high gear come 2380. Several of the larger Federation shipyards, like Utopia Plantia, San Francisco, Xavier, Avalon and Beta Antares were at least building one. Starfleet saw the class as the newest design which could help prepare the Federation for any more possible future conflicts or wars. Their decision was met with great objection from a number of politicians and ambassadors from the Federation Council. Starfleet decide to reduce the number of Sovereign and other larger capital ships in production over possible fears that the Federation President could eventual halt its production.

In 2382 command of the USS Enterprise NCC 1701-E was transferred to Captain Wesley Crusher. An officer now in his late early thirties, he was the second youngest person in Starfleet history to command a ship named Enterprise (after James T. Kirk). He had taken over executive officer duties on board the flagship from Commander Worf after he left to return to Qoâ€™nos. Jean-Luc Picard finally agreed to a promotion in to the Starfleet Admiralty after his successful mission in the Gamma Quadrant to participate in the signing of the Alpha/Gamma accords with the Dominion. The new admiral was assigned to work alongside his own counterpart, Kathryn Janeway. The Enterprise continued to serve Starfleet and the Federation well under the command of Captain Crusher. Crusher mediated a new peace treaty between the Federation and the Talarian Empire. The treaty opened a new era between the two powers allowing for trade routes to be set up, a mutual defence pact signed and a sharing of scientific resources. Fate fell to the proud vessel when it was heavily disabled on December 17th 2384 by an unusual sub-space anomaly near to the Bajoran badlands. The ship was in the middle of a rescue effort to retrieve the crew of a stricken Talarian ship on its way to Deep Space Nine. The Enterprise had been successful in rescuing the Talarian crew but the ship had to be towed back to Earth.

The Enterprise was temporarily decommissioned as was no way that the ship could be repaired without using heavy amounts of resources from the San Francisco and Utopia Plantia shipyards. Admirals Picard and Janeway fought hard for the ship to be repaired but they were overruled. The ship was placed in to dock alpha one at Utopia Plantia shipyards to rest until a decision would be made with what to do with the Sovereign class vessel.

Without any knowledge Starfleet Corps of Engineering had already start work on slowly repairing the ship. Captain Crusher had pulled in a few favours to have the ship repaired gradually shortly before he took his new assignment teaching at Starfleet Academy.

On 9th April 2385, shortly after the Borg dealt the Klingon Empire a crippling blow to their fleet Captain Worf, the Federation Ambassador to Qoâ€™nos had returned to Earth to request the Federation Council to allow the Klingon Empire to become members of the UFP. The Klingons were quickly brought in to the Federation family. By this time repairs and refits to the USS Enterprise-E were nearing completion. Starfleet Tactical had been using the ship as test bed for some new systems to fight the Borg Collective. The ship was hurried out of dry-dock, command of the ship was transferred to Captain Worf with Admiral Picard returning to his old ship as mission advisor. The Enterprise-E would lead a relief force consisting of forty-two starships to Qoâ€™nos, bringing medical supplies, food, 500 Olrem orbital defence weapons platforms, and other resources the Klingons would soon need to defend their homeworld.

By the time the fleet arrived at Qoâ€™nos it was revealed that the ship was part of the Sovereign Re-Development Project and that it had been upgraded. Her impulse manifolds are enhanced allowing the ship to out fly anything at least half its size, and the warp coreâ€™s matter/antimatter reactorâ€™s catalyst is powered by trelinium crystals. The ship was outfitted with forty hellfire torpedoes, four hundred photon torpedoes, three hundred quantum torpedoes, fifteen tri-cobalt warheads and six transphasic torpedoes. Two out of its twelve type twelve phaser arrays were upgraded to type fifteen phaser arrays. Additionally the ship was given a multi layered shielding system (MLSS), type two ablative armour generators. When the Federation fleet arrived at Qoâ€™nos Chancellor Martok immediately had each ship including the Enterprise-E outfitted with the newest Klingon cloaking devices.

The Enterprise-E only saw action twice against the Borg during its defence for the Klingon Homeworld. The first time was when the Borg made their first attempt to destroy Qoâ€™nos. The Borg had planned to take out Qoâ€™nos knowing that if they did Federation forces would not be able to gain valuable resources from the Klingon Homeworld. The combined Federation and Klingon fleet in orbit of Qoâ€™nos took out the first wave of Borg vessels. Only six allied vessels were lost during this engagement. When Fleet Admiral Janeway recalled Admiral Picard to Earth, the Enterprise rendezvoused with the USS Triton and transferred the Admiral back to Earth.

Contact was soon lost with the Enterprise well as the Klingon homeworld when Starfleet discovered that the Borg had took the offensive against the Klingons for the last time. Starfleet sent ships that attempted to make it back to the Klingon Homeworld, but they were forced to retreat after their small task group was attacked.

Data records from the Enterprise-E indicated the new improvements to the starship helped the ship serve the Klingon people well. Whatever happened to the old flagship remains a mystery. However these new designs were carried on to the next batch of Sovereign class starships to be built by Starfleet.

In 2396 the first of five of Sovereign class starship hulls to be built by a joint effort from engineers at the San Francisco and Oakland shipyards was launched. She was designated the USS Perseus. The ship had better shielding, propulsion and weaponry systems. The Perseus first saw action against the Borg on 4th January 2397 at the Battle of Alpha Centauri. It was the only starship to return from the battle. In 2399 it saw action again on 23rd December 2399 when it joined the combined Federation Alliance fleet of nearly eight thousand starships. The Perseus along with its sister ship the USS Archer were the only two Sovereign class starships to survive the Battle of Sol.

By the beginning of 2400 two more Sovereign class starships had been finally built. These would be the last two Sovereigns to be built, as they used a heavy amount of Starfleet resources to build them. One was designated the USS Lexington. On 1st March 2403 the last Sovereign class starship was re-named USS Stargazer in honour of the ship that held that name under the command of Starfleet Commander in Chief, Fleet Admiral Jean Luc Picard.

Summary of Re-Development

2384: Engineers begin work on upgraded and keeping the Sovereign class starship one of the advanced classes in the Federation fleet. The USS Enterprise-E is docked at Utopia Plantia and used as the test bed for these possible upgrades. The ship is outfitted with a trelinium crystal powered warp core, two type 15 phaser arrays, increase in torpedo compliment and multi layered shielding system. The latest bio-neural circuitry is installed to help computer processing and ship operations.
2385: On 11th April 2385 the USS Enterprise NCC 1701-E is officially re-commissioned by Starfleet during a brief ceremony. Bridge plaque is put back in pride of place and Captain Worf takes command of the ship with Admiral Jean Luc Picard serving as Mission Advisor. The vessel leads Starfleet re-enforcements to Qoâ€™nos. Itâ€™s ordered to protect the Klingon homeworld at all costs.
2390: Starfleet issues a general order for the Sovereign class re-development project to continue on with other Sovereign class starships.
2396: On 25th October 2396 the USS Perseus NCC-88386 is officially commissioned by Starfleet during a brief ceremony. Bridge plaque is put in pride of place. The Perseus is ordered to join the remains of the Fourth Fleet to defend Alpha Centauri.
2397: On 9th November 2397 the USS Archer NCC-89278 is officially commissioned by Starfleet during a brief ceremony. Bridge plaque is put in pride of place and Vice Admiral Thomas Paris takes command of the ship.
2400: On 29th January 2400 the USS Lexington NCC-89468 is officially commissioned by Starfleet during a brief ceremony. Bridge plaque is put in pride of place and Commander Laura Hurley takes command of the ship.
2403: On 1st March 2403 USS Stargazer NCC-89893 is officially commissioned by Starfleet during a brief ceremony. Bridge plaque is put in pride of place and Lieutenant Commander Darren Kestler takes command of the ship. The ship is assigned to the Earth Defence Force.