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THE SHIPS OF
UNITED EARTH
STARFLEET
Starfleet in the 22nd Century
Before the attack on Earth by the Xindi and then the conflict with the Romulan Empire, the United Earth Starfleet was made up primarily of vessels designed to protect civilian traffic to and from Earth colonies, to patrol Earth's solar system, and to fulfill the scientific missions of the United Earth Space Probe Agency (UESPA).
It was during the Kzinti crisis of the late 21st century that Earth ships belonging to the United Earth Space Navy (UESN) deployed and engaged in large-scale military action. Earth's efficiency at space warfare against the Kzinti, despite Earth being technologically behind their enemy, convinced the Vulcans that humanity had not entirely grown out of its taste for warfare. For that reason, the Vulcans went to great effort to keep high-warp and weapons technology out of Earth's hands and to discourage the newly chartered Starfleet Command from constructing fleets of warships. With the Kzinti threat contained, Earth's civilian leadership followed the Vulcans' lead.
This complacency nearly cost humanity its very existence when the Xindi threat presented itself and it wasn't long before Starfleet and MACO had convinced Earth leadership to begin a modernization and militarization program which became known as Project Deploy. Other major fleet modernization programs implemented during the Romulan conflict included the Yorktown, Icarus, Pioneer, and Columbia Projects along with the various research and development programs that fell under each project's mandates.
The following are the Starfleet forces that were deployed during the Earth-Romulan conflict of 2155-2160.
YORKTOWN class
Starfleet's first and only "battleship", the Yorktown-class began construction in secret in orbit of Ganymede in the wake of the Xindi assault on Earth in 2153. There were six ships in the class and all were capable of warp 7 thanks to the success of the NX-Zeta Project. Major innovations included deflector screens, pulsed-phase cannons, and a point-defense and x-ray laser grid to thwart the Romulans' atomic munitions. The new duo-analog systems developed by the "Brain Trust" at Jupiter Station made the Yorktowns immune to Romulan stealth and telecapture technologies. The Yorktown battleships would get their first test on the battlefield during Operation Dauntless.
Notable Ships of the Line:
Yorktown, Yamato, Constitution, Potemkin, Farragut, Missouri
NX class
NX-class starships served as the flagships for Starfleet Command's joint task forces throughout the Earth-Romulan War. By the end of the conflict with the Romulans, only two out of the seven NX ships of the line had survived. The most famous NX-class ship, Enterprise, underwent a refit in 2159 after its near-destruction at Galorndon Core. The NX refit's design inspired the short-lived Columbia-class, which was named after Enterprise's sister ship which had been lost with all hands earlier that year.
Notable Ships of the Line:
Enterprise, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Endeavour
DAEDALUS class
The Daedalus class cruiser had been a workhorse in UESPA operations for nearly two decades before the war with the Romulans began, primarily to conduct science experiments and delivering terraforming equipment to Earth colonies. The "D's" simple, modular design allowed Earth to build them at nearly triple the rate of the NX class starships. After the attack on Alpha Centauri, twelve new "Mark II" Daedalus-class heavy cruisers were constructed. Six were refit with IPBM tubes to deliver nuclear payloads and the other six were purpose-built per MACO specifications to deliver ground forces for special operations.
Notable Ships of the Line:
Essex, Archon, Excelsior, Valiant, Defiant, Icarus
INTREPID class
Before the Earth-Romulan war, Intrepid-class light cruisers were assigned to escort civilian convoys along the Terra Nova, Vega, and Tau Ceti trade routes. Occasionally they would be assigned to support science missions sponsored by UESPA and various civilian agencies. The outbreak of war with the Romulans brought much-needed upgrades to the ships' weapon packages and warp drives but by the end of the conflict, only three Intrepids had survived. While the class was officially retired in 2162, the Intrepid legacy was honored with a ceremonial relaunch in the late 24th century.
Notable Ships of the Line:
Intrepid, Excalibur, Republic, Ares, Saratoga, Lexington
FREEDOM class
After breaking the Warp 4 barrier, Freedom-class light cruisers were used exclusively by MACO and Starfleet Intelligence for classified military and diplomatic operations. When war broke out, they were conscripted for combat service and designated as "courier ships" which carried special operations troops, intelligence operatives, and field commanders. The "Freedom Fighters" also pioneered the use of phased-pulse cannons which were upgraded for use on the Yorktown-class battleships. The legendary starship Franklin joined Captain Archer's "Operation Hornblower" expedition in 2159.
Notable Ships of the Line:
Franklin, Kennedy, Armstrong, Yeager, Copernicus
DELTA class
Before the creation of the United Federation of Planets, Delta-class starships had the distinction of being the only Starfleet vessel to serve in two wars. In addition to their role as an escort during the Romulan conflict, the Deltas were designed and deployed during the Kzinti Wars when Starfleet Command was first chartered. Several Delta-class ships that survived the Kzinti Wars were procured by the Alpha Centauri Concordium to patrol and police the Centauri cluster. During Project Deploy, a dozen aging Delta corvettes were refitted with weapon and engine upgrades which enabled them to hit the higher warp speeds needed for deep-space combat deployments.
Notable Ships of the Line:
Jupiter, Achilles, Thor, Hera, Saladin, Crusader
EINSTEIN class
Before the Earth-Romulan War, Einstein-class ships were science vessels running experiments or charting stellar phenomena in what at the time was considered "deep space." At the time, the Einsteins' "uni-celle" design was considered necessary so that warp fields could not interfere with the various sensitive experiments being conducted. In wartime, the Einsteins ran escort duty on the Alpha Centauri and Deneva routes, though the vessels were slow, easy targets for the Romulan destroyers. They were quickly reassigned to deploy communication relays and to serve as hospital ships. The Einsteins did play a key role in the Battle of Cheron as minesweepers.
Notable Ships of the Line:
Einstein, Kelvin, Fahrenheit, Tesla, Marconi, Newton
POSEIDON class
After the Xindi attack on Earth, it was clear that a stronger defense of the solar system was urgenty needed. Starfleet quickly designed and commissioned ten Poseidon-class torpedo ships for that purpose. The vessels were a "kit bash" of major components from other ships to meet production timelines. The Poseidon's weapons pod was heavily armed with dozens of spatial and photonic torpedoes which could fire quickly and in multiple configurations without having to reload. The Poseidons were instrumental in defending Andoria alongside Challenger NX-03 during the Romulan attack on that system and at the Battle of Cheron where they worked in concert with the Einsteins to destroy the Romulan minefield.
Notable Ships of the Line:
Athena, Ajax, Zeus, Poseidon, Mars, Miranda
PIONEER class
The Pioneer-class transports were brought out of mothballs in response to the outbreak of hostilities with the Romulans. These massive behemoths were over 70 years old and were former carrier ships from the famed Cochrane Expedition that settled the Centauri cluster. Only six Pioneers could pass inspection before they were approved for new warp engines and weapon systems. Each Pioneer was customized for specific mission parameters. Two served as hospital ships, two were modified to deploy the new Hornet fighter armada and the John Carter was equipped with a massive veteron cannon which had been used for terraforming on Mars, providing a major tactical advantage for the Coalition at Cheron.
Notable Ships of the Line:
Nightingale, Midway, Pioneer, Olympus Mons, John Carter
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