The Constitution-class vessel entered service in 2245 with the commissioning of the USS Constitution (NCC-1700) under Captain Jules Hart, one of Starfleet's most decorated captains. The class soon proved its worth, and the data and adjustments from the USS Constitution were incorporated into the second ship of the class, the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), which was commissioned the same year, under Captain Robert April.
The Constitution-class was the first ship class to be built under the five-year mission program, operating independently of starbase resupply into real deep space exploration and research missions. Its original specifications called for two phaser banks port and starboard on the dorsal side of the saucer, and one bank forward on the ventral side, right above the twin torpedo launchers, mounted in the saucer. The Mark 2 version of the ship soon resolved the gunnery oversights, beginning in 2259, when newer ships were built with 3 banks dorsal and ventral (forward, port, and starboard), along with 4 single turrets on the underside of the engineering hull, and two single turrets above the shuttlebay aft. There were still two forward torpedo tubes, and an aft engineering tube added as well, after the short 'Four Years' War' concluded.
The ship had a maximum safe cruising speed of warp 6, and a maximum velocity of warp 8. While traveling at warp, the nacelles would glow blue, as would the ends of the nacelles. This was a visual artifact of the warp field in the visible EM spectrum.
The ship proved exceedingly popular, and 13 of the class were ordered produced. Over the years, additional ships were ordered in 2257, and by 2259, the Mark 2 version was released, and all Mark 1 ships were ordered recalled to be refit to the new specifications. This new upgrade, with its newer phaser and torpedo systems, the new M-4 computer, and new FWF-1 engines kept the Constitution class at the forefront of the fleet.
Specifications[]
- Length: 290 meters
- Width: 127 meters
- Height: 73 meters
- Decks: 23
- Crew: 410
- Shuttles: 10
- Phasers: 2 dorsal banks; 1 ventral forward bank (Mk1 only); Mk2: 3 dorsal/ventral, 4 single turret ventral engineering hull, 2 single turrent above shuttle bay
- Photon Torpedoes: 2 forward; 1 aft
Notable Ships[]
Note: The USS Republic was refit from the Louisiana-Class Cruiser, adding the Constitution-class secondary hull to an existing saucer section. The Intrepid, Farragut, and Excalibur were similarly refitted from the Saladin-class with the construction of appropriate Constitution-class secondary hulls. This brought the project under-budget, though the four ships needed additional computer upgrades to the M-3 (upgrade A-3).
- Mark 1
- USS Constitution (NCC-1700)
- USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)
- USS Potemkin (NCC-1702)
- USS Hood (NCC-1703)
- USS Lexington (NCC-1709)
- USS Yorktown (NCC-1717)
- USS Defiant (NCC-1764)
- USS Republic (NCC-1373)
- USS Intrepid (NCC-1631)
- USS Farragut (NCC-1647)
- USS Excaliber (NCC-1664)
- USS Exeter (NCC-1672)
- Mark 2
- USS Bismark (NCC-1704)
- USS Yamato (NCC-1705)
- USS Kongo (NCC-1710)
- USS Challenger (NCC-1715)
- USS Valiant (NCC-1718)