Burke class frigate

Burke class nearspace frigate

In 2219, Geering (of Earth) was granted the contract for a new combatant to patrol the internal spacelanes of the Federation, now almost sixty years old. Along with the ship’s mission, it was already conceptualized and visualized…just not yet designed. Geering had no issues jumping to this later development phase.

In 2221, the Burke class nearspace frigate was unveiled: comprised of two underslung nacelles and one thin but large saucer, the vessel was ready not only for immediate production, but also variation. The saucer held the entire crew complement, all of the weapons systems, computers, fuel and impulse propulsion systems, in precise modularized sections. The SAA impulse drive appeared to be an attachment to the aft centerline, extending just a slight amount above the widest deck. Within the saucer, fuel tanks rimmed the two sides, with then crew and support systems successively inboard. Two single 1.0 GW laser emitters were installed dorsally, with one on the ventral centerline, as offensive weaponry. Six dorsal berths, covered by protective portals, housed the defensive 2.0 GW plasma cannons. The contract specifically excluded torpedo weaponry, but Geering was thinking ahead by including two powered attachment points for a future weapons pod.

The dual PB-21 warp nacelles were attached by stubby support pylons to the ventral hull of the saucer. The nacelle had built-in power systems, accounting for the larger-than-expected bulk. Additionally, the nacelle’s power systems also supported an integrated navigational deflector ahead of the (obstructed) Bussard collectors. These two dishes served as the primary deflection capability of the ship, supported by three auxiliary deflectors built into the saucer’s forward rim.

Despite the complex nature of the nacelles, they were not considered to be super-performers; quite the contrary, they were fuel hogs and were capable only of propelling the ship’s up to warp 6.5, with an endurance of 2 years. Geering was adamant they were necessary to properly equipping the saucer with all of the combat and support services that would otherwise be in space competition with an internal warp core.

The ships set sail with 239 crew (25 officers, 214 enlisted). Dimensions for the Burkes were 183 meters of length, 122 along the saucer’s beam, and a height of 35.5, and massed 320,000 metric tons. Primary forcefields were of the 2-layer conformal type, with the extendable support of the two primary and three auxiliary deflectors. Two 6-person Mk general purpose and two 22-person emergency transporters were installed, and no auxiliary craft were provided. A total of 43 (original) Burkes were constructed by 2226.

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Aldrin subclass deep space frigate

With the first ships of the Burke class slipping the rails, Star Fleet gave the go-ahead to Geering to produce a Mark II version, one intended to have a longer endurance and patrol the areas of the Federation not normally visited by the charted spacelanes. Adding 5,000 metric tons to the design was an extension aft of the bridge, along the saucer’s spine. The interior provided extended fuel tanks, storage for consumables, a workshop, and a small hanger (“hangerette”) to house a small number of repair pods. On either side, closer to the pilot house and one deck below, were docking ports. The powered attachment points on the Burke’s saucer were left off, for the attachment rail along the top of the spinal extension would allow optional equipment to be quickly installed to these Aldrins, equipment that would preclude the type of weapon pods being planned for the Burkes.

The extension did increase the operational range of the class by 50%, which wasn’t saying much, since the increase was only an additional year (from two). The PB-21B warp nacelles were not the workhorses necessary to take advantage of the extra fuel, so the frigates did not so much push the boundaries of the Federation than allow the cruisers and other explorers the freedom to not linger in the nether areas of semi-explored space. However, the subclass did benefit from minor improvements in sensors, targeting and computing power.

A total of 24 Aldrins were constructed by 2225.

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Burke Flight II nearspace frigate

A versatile ship is a valuable ship. This concept was not unknown in Star Fleet in the 2210s, but practicality must outweigh lofty ideas; frigates were easy to pigeon-hole into the function of patrollers. Before Geering was selected to design and assemble the Burkes (in 2219), the idea of a torpedo-capable frigate was discarded as far from as important as getting responsive and capable patrollers into the spacelanes. Numbers were proving critical to assuring the mercantile fleets that they could and would be protected when they raised the alarm. Complicating a design with torpedo bays and launchers would not only lengthen the amount of time to produce each individual frigate, but would come at the expense of something else that was deemed critical. Crew? Range? Neither of these were worth torpedo capability. The simple answer was to get a capable energy-armed ship out there and out there now.

Geering had the foresight to suggest that there could be a time that a torpedo-capable ship might be required in great numbers and that time might not be on the Federation’s side to design and produce such a combatant in the numbers required to handle the threat. The company was able to convince Star Fleet’s Office of Support Operations that by adding only two powered attachment points to the dorsal hull now, there would be plenty of time to develop an optional sled with a weapons mount. The Burkes could hit the spacelanes in the short term but be quickly upgraded with torpedo capability, when called to do so. The attachment points required so little maintenance, claimed Geering, that it would a wise investment. The office agreed and directed Star Fleet Engineering to assist in preliminary planning for such a system.

The weapons sled and 4 torpedo module variants were ready well before the class’ 2235 refit yard period was to begin. However, it was decided to go into full production of the pods only in preparation for the ships’ tech upgrade. The four variants were produced in limited numbers each, so as to try each of the combinations equally. Torpedo launch venting was a serious concern in the cramped compartments of the modules, but venting was known to interfere with both heat build-up of the launching equipment and launch-phase targeting sensors co-located on the pods. For this reason, weapons exercises—and eventually operational combat use—were to be considered and recorded rather closely, to find which configuration was the most efficient and dependable. Of course, the ship’s commanding and weapons officers would provide feedback and opinions critical to the decision makers.

The four variants were never used in any fleet operational actions. While there was certainly the opportunity, in reality operational area commanders only had the modules installed on their assigned Burke assets for the directed weapons exercises and rarely for scheduled patrols; the reason was that the other versatility of the vessel—diplomacy—was deemed far more important than the overt militarization of a respected response vessel. However, Star Fleet did not abandon the idea of the weapons pod, easily recognizing the need for such a capacity, and settled on a final configuration that was unveiled with the fourth flight of the Burkes, in 2252.

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Burke Flt II weapons pod

The four torpedo module variants released with the Flight II were:

• Module A: 2 forward launchers, large aft venting
• Module B: 2 forward launchers, 1 aft launcher, forward and aft venting
• Module C: 2 forward launchers, 2 aft launchers, forward and minimalized aft venting
• Module D: 3 forward launchers, 1 aft launcher, restricted forward and standard aft venting

Aldrin Flight II deep space frigate

Between 2235 and 2237, all 24 vessels of the Aldrin subclass entered drydocks and spacedocks for their standard refit periods, along with the Burkes. The most important tactical upgrade they each received was having the three laser emitters removed and replaced with six Type L phased particle cannons of 1.2 terrawatt capacity, secured by spacetight hatches. Four were provided on the dorsal saucer, with the remaining two on the ventral side.

A lack of satisfaction with the PB-21B nacelle crafted to the mission profile of the frigates was primarily focused on the range capacity afforded the ship, which was limited to a cruise limit of warp 4, and a maximum speed of warp 6.5. Modelling suggested that a reflux of the warp field, focused on the immediate aft, along with a few other longevity and internal maintenance tweaks, might tip the scales of efficiency a bit in the ships’ favor; a subspace field visor coupled on to the extreme end of the nacelles, however, did not support the results of the modelling. They were not removed, as they seemed to have no effect one way or the other, other than somewhat restricting the light emissions from that particular field window.

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Aldrin Flight II booster pod

One of the selling points by Geering for the Aldrin subclass deep space frigate was the adaptability afforded by the spinal extension (with its additional fuel storage), vitally necessary for extending the patrolling range of the original class. The shipbuilder heavily pushed the versatility and capacity of the attachment rail running fore to aft along the extension for all sorts of sensors, mechanical gear, and other equipment, both proposed and as-yet unrealized. If an Aldrin was to be in the vicinity of a Class G Dichromic nebula, then the area commander could outfit the ship with the appropriate gravimetric sensors to map the distortions. An astrometric suite would be ideal for that T Tauri star just off the charted course. And independently controlled spotlights would be critical to assisting in ship-based recovery efforts, especially in the post-event investigations.

All of these events did occur, and many more, but one thing every ship’s commanding officer requested before short- or mid-length deployments was the booster pod. While definitely a fuel burner, the immediate acceleration from both a full stop and during an otherwise-steady delta vee was commendable and potentially a life-saver. Aldrins were not oblivious of the various pirate forces, Orions included, and the unexpected rate of closure could often startle an otherwise confident hostile boarding party “visiting” a hapless merchant freighter. And when the warp bubble was fully formed, the additional 0.05 c of impulse could stop the show.

Certainly, the booster pod was a popular request with Aldrins, and once they were fully produced, rarely would a deep space frigate be seen without one, unless it was transiting thru the inner Federation or on a long-range patrol, outside of dependable refueling stages.

A similar image to the Aldrin Flight II with booster pod will be found within the Aldrin Flight IV entry.

Burke Flight III nearspace frigate

In 2244, the Andorian shipbuilder company Chiokis, a sub-contracting design firm for previous ship classes, won the Star Fleet bid to modernize the Burke class nearspace frigate with the new solid state era nacelles. Chiokis seized this for the opportunity to promote its primary hull design (also a saucer shape), because the new PB-45 warp nacelles required external power generation: a total matter conversion powerplant not built into the nacelle itself, allowing the ship to achieve a cruising speed of warp 5 and a max speed of warp 8. This required a near-complete redesign of the saucer section to accommodate this massive new system.

Select ships of the Burke and Aldrin subclass series were designated for this radical refit; along with the new saucer modifications—both internal and external—they also received the latest (in the now more dependable) phaser emitters in twin banks, the new SAD impulse assembly, and, for the nearspace frigates, a destroyer-type sensor dish attached to the ventral saucer via a “bulge” extension that would very soon be considered as characteristic of Chiokis’ saucers. These modifications gave the ships a more engineered—less organic—look compared to the majority of the remaining ships of Geering origination.

All in all, only eight of the Burkes would receive this upgrade. Not because the design concept was a failure, by any means, but because of the expense and time for the upgrade was deemed too intrusive. This class would soon be a generation older in comparison to the numerous ship designs expected to be released as the vanguard of a large modernization leap forward for the fleet, and their lifespan would be limited regardless of any major facelifts. Additionally, both the existing nearspace and deep space ships were deemed too critical to operations in the short term to take them out of service for the time needed to refit the entire class.

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Aldrin Flight III deep space frigate

In 2244, the Andorian shipbuilder company Chiokis, a sub-contracting design firm for previous ship classes, won the Star Fleet bid to modernize the Burke class nearspace frigate with the new solid state era nacelles. Chiokis seized this for the opportunity to promote its primary hull design (also a saucer shape), because the new PB-45 warp nacelles required external power generation: a total matter conversion powerplant not built into the nacelle itself, allowing the ship to achieve a cruising speed of warp 5 and a max speed of warp 8. This required a near-complete redesign of the saucer section to accommodate this massive new system.

Select ships of the Burke and Aldrin subclass series were designated for this radical refit; along with the new saucer modifications—both internal and external—they also received the latest (in the now more dependable) phaser emitters in twin banks, the new SAD impulse assembly, and a ventral “bulge” extension that would very soon be considered as characteristic of Chiokis’ saucers. These modifications gave the ships a more engineered—less organic—look compared to the majority of the remaining ships of Geering origination.

All in all, only four of the Aldrins would receive this upgrade (though an additional eight would be selected for the Magellan deep reconnaissance variation). Not because the design concept was a failure, by any means, but because of the expense and time for the upgrade was deemed too intrusive. This class would soon be a generation older in comparison to the numerous ship designs expected to be released as the vanguard of a large modernization leap forward for the fleet, and their lifespan would be limited regardless of any major facelifts. Additionally, both the existing nearspace and deep space ships were deemed too critical to operations in the short term to take them out of service for the time needed to refit the entire class.

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Magellan subclass scout cruiser

In 2244, with the decision to upgrade the Burkes and Aldrins to the developing Chiokis standard, a total of twelve of the latter subclass were re-assigned to regional drydocks to begin the yard period. Eight of these were selected to receive what was tentatively referred to as the Aldrin Flight III Plus overhaul, wherein they would receive all of the deep space equipment, but also have a multi-mission adaptable sensor suite bolted on all three sides of the re-configured spinal extension.

Oddly enough, one of the selling features of the earlier Flight II Aldrins was the adaptable attachment rail that ran along the dorsal side of the extension, but was removed for the Flight III series. Nonetheless, the variety of sensors installed (gravimetric, multiphasic, magneton, subspace differential, and virtual positron) were not intended to come off and their breadth met more than most expected contingencies. Additionally, an improved command, control, communications, and intelligence (C³I) suite was internally installed to allow the ship to conduct its main mission: deep space reconnaissance. And in this role they performed exceptionally well, with sterling service in the Four Years War.

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Burke Flight IV nearspace frigate

As stated previously, the Flight III series of refits for the Burkes and Aldrins were abbreviated to 8 and 4 (respectively), due both in part to the expense of upgrading an entire class of aging vessels and their high OPTEMPO, regardless of their warp 6.5 or 8 nacelles. The ships were the linchpin for regional commanders, both in the major spacelanes and the “mid-space” between the homeworlds and the frontier. While it was regrettable the majority of the overall class would not be able to make use of the newer and faster PB-45 nacelles, they were still needed and valued in their respective roles.

Though long range intentions had the Burke lines operational into the 2270s, the intent also was to keep the ships relevant. Between 2252 and 2254, all remaining Flight IIs were brought into the yards for overhauls of the weapons systems. Both the plasma and particle cannons were removed, freeing up considerable space for the Type VI phaser emitters, now that the technology had hit its reliable stride. However, these modernizations did not allow the class to remain operational for the planned length; the first decommissionings began with a sizable block at the beginning of the 2260s, with the last stricken from the Star Fleet rolls in 2267.

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Burke Flight IV weapons pod

The Burkes and Aldrins saw their beam weaponry armament halved with the replacement of the plasma and particle cannons by the three twin-bank phaser emitters during the refit beginning in 2252, from Flight II to Flight IV status. Commanding officers were not reticent to undergo this conversion, for phaser technology was well-touted by the skippers of other ships of the line. That faith did not mean there was any discussion of relieving the Burkes of their missile capabilities by removing the modular weapons sled, though. Quite the opposite: Star Fleet now felt it had enough test data to suggest the Type E torpedo module as the standard launcher for sled-equipped ships. Four forward-facing launchers were supported by a large aft-facing vent, allowing the launch-phase targeting sensors to work unimpeded. While this final configuration did not include the aft-facing launchers, the commonality of equipment and alignment allowed the weapons department on each of these ships a greater rate of fire than had been achieved in similar exercises with the previous four configurations.

By this time, operational area commanders were much less reluctant to outfit their Burkes with the weapons sled: regional partners and member states were becoming more accustomed to a more militarized Star Fleet, though they were also appreciative of the duality the fleet demonstrated through the more peace-oriented interactions of other vessels, such as cruisers and medical ships. It didn’t hurt, either, to see a Burke warp into the system with a weapons sled now equipped with the new sensor module, in order to timely examine, in detail, some anomaly that had made its presence known or to assist in a black swan catastrophe.

Burke Flight IV deflector pod

In 2258, a concerted effort was made to save the megesti, an energy-hungry spaceborne species endemic to the Algol system. Studied off and on by visiting exploration and research vessels for a few decades, several conclusions had been reached: the megesti’s “natural environment” had been constructed (for them?) 23,000 years ago by parties unknown as a subspace disk orbiting two of the three stars, and the disk was rapidly degrading. The creatures had no more than another 1,550 years before they would fully dissipate. The Horizon class USS Victoria’s survey of the system and the swarm had even raised the (hotly debated) question of the species’ sentience.

The rescue concept was predicated on the idea of rejuvenating the subspace disk using warp-enabled deflectors to build and possibly retain “energy bridges” from the stars’ highly charged center of gravity. Normally, such a feat would be well outside the capacity of the Federation, as most inhabitable zones of a solar system are almost a full astronomical unit (AU) or more from the host star(s), and the sheer amount of energy needed to even attempt such a task would be inconceivable. However, the close orbital nature of Beta Persei Aa1 and Aa2 (0.062 AU) allowed the swarm to endlessly travel about the binary pair at a relative distance of only 0.17 AU. Theoreticians suggested it just might be achievable in this specific situation.

Six Flight IV Burkes were equipped with their weapons pods and specially manufactured deflector modules. Five of the vessels were staged at equidistant points within the swarm’s orbit (the sixth had standby duty) and engaged their modules at a precise point of the stars’ shared revolution. While early indications supported the development of the bridge, it was determined the initial attempt was too short. A month later, the task force tried again, holding their positions for sixteen days, and the results were encouraging; the subspace disk was definitely strengthened and the megesti reacted with a multitude of colors in the visual spectrum and alternating oscillations in intensity in the ultraviolet bands. However, when the optimal period of star orbits had passed and the beams were disengaged, the bridges withdrew and the same ratio of degradation had returned. At most, the effort only sustained the swarm’s environment for the period of external activity.

It was concluded that a series of stationary subspace enhancers might be able to maintain the bridges for about half the orbital time, which meant that the Federation’s efforts would only extend the environment by about an additional 800 years. A better answer would have to be discovered. Meanwhile, the deflector pods would go back into storage, not to be brought out again over the remaining two years of the Burkes’ service.

Aldrin Flight IV deep space frigate

The Burkes and Aldrins saw their beam weaponry armament halved with the replacement of the plasma and particle cannons by the three twin-bank phaser emitters during the refit beginning in 2252, from Flight II to Flight IV status. Commanding officers were not reticent to undergo this conversion, for phaser technology was well-touted by the skippers of other ships of the line. Other than this undeniable improvement of firepower, the subclass continued on its mission of exploration and diplomacy within the Federation’s “mid-space” regions, until the last was de-commissioned in the mid-2260s.

Note: For more details on the Flight IV booster pod, please refer to the Flight II version of this same load-out.

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Ship Registry

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Comparison/Blueprints/Orthos

Starship Comparison Guide

Burke class nearspace frigate

Aldrin subclass deep space frigate

Burke Flight II nearspace frigate

Burke Flight II nearspace frigate with weapons pod

Aldrin Flight II deep space frigate

Aldrin Flight II deep space frigate with booster pod

Burke Flight III nearspace frigate

Aldrin Flight III deep space frigate

Magellan subclass scout cruiser

Burke Flight IV nearspace frigate

Burke Flight IV nearspace frigate with weapons pod

Burke Flight IV nearspace frigate with deflector pod

Aldrin Flight IV deep space frigate

Aldrin Flight IV deep space frigate with booster pod

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Author: RevancheRM

Illustrator: Adrasil

Original Inspiration: Star Trek (2009); Starfleet Battles; Star Trek: Axanar; Tobias Richter

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