Emden Class (2321)

 

History

The Emden class began construction as a variant to the Barracuda class. In the early 24th century, the Federation borders as well as the trade routes were expanding rapidly, whereas the starship speeds did not increase significantly. Remote colonies and private traders called for a better protection that Starfleet's large ships couldn't provide while under way on scientific or diplomatic missions. Thus, Starfleet decided to develop a fast ship with state-of-the-art armament that could be economically operated by a small crew. Consequently, the term "escort" was introduced for this new category of vessels smaller than a frigate or a destroyer. The unsuccessful Barracuda-class scout was the closest vessel to these specifications. Cochrane Fleet Yards at Alpha Centauri, where the Barracuda had been developed, determined to make up for their recent lack of success, devised extensive design changes that ultimately established a new class of ships. The USS Emden NCC-15401 was launched in 2321 after a construction time of only three years. The basic configuration of the Barracuda class was adopted, but with an enlarged aft section. The ship lacks an underslung engineering section. Therefore the deflector dish was moved to a cut-out in the saucer hull, in a section which mostly held crew quarters and cargo bays that were not needed on the Emden class that could be operated with a crew of typically 20. As an escort, the ship didn't necessitate a modular weapons & sensor pod, and a fixed pod was chosen to hold the torpedo launchers, of which one is facing forward and one facing aft. The Emden class has Type-VIII phaser rings instead of point phasers.

The Emden class proved more successful than her mother design; 38 ships were built altogether. Additionally, two ships of the Barracuda class were rebuilt to the Emden configuration, resulting in the oddity that these two ships now have a lower registry than the class ship. In 2335, production of the class was halted in anticipation of a whole new generation of starships which would have included a new escort. Nevertheless, it was not until 2361 that the Ramses-class escort was launched, followed by the Defiant class and the Hannibal class. With these new ships the term escort has been redefined as a heavily armed warship.

 

Depictions

 

Data

Class specifications
Ship type: Escort
Length: 155m
Width: 94m
Height: 34m
Crew complement: 20
Max. speed: Warp 8.8
Commissioned ships
USS Andes NCC-11258
USS Viking NCC-11259
USS Emden NCC-15401
USS Nazca NCC-15402
USS Baikal NCC-15403
USS Swordfish NCC-15404
USS Mostar NCC-15405
USS Chronos NCC-15406
USS Amaslon Mat NCC-15407
USS Marathon NCC-15668
USS Audacity NCC-15669
USS Etendard NCC-15670
USS Corsair NCC-15671
USS Fury NCC-15672
USS Baruul NCC-15673
USS Braveheart NCC-15674
USS Tyanak NCC-15675
USS Koss NCC-17852

USS Whirlwind NCC-17853
USS Tannenberg NCC-17854
USS Alizé NCC-17855
USS Thunderstorm NCC-17856
USS Flare NCC-25227
USS Satalik NCC-25228

USS Harpoon NCC-25229
USS Namsla NCC-25230
USS North Star NCC-25231
USS Punjab NCC-25232
USS Nottingham NCC-35015
USS Aram Bayaani NCC-35016
USS Freya NCC-35017
USS Jaffa NCC-35018
USS Karam NCC-35019
USS Montgomery NCC-35020
USS Velociraptor NCC-35021
USS Aral NCC-35022
USS Taiga NCC-44121
USS Harbin NCC-44122
USS Porthos NCC-44123
USS Nayak NCC-44124

 


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