Horizon class heavy cruiser

Horizon class heavy cruiser

In the 2180s, capital ships from the Romulan War—comprised of myriad designs from the founding states—entered periods of inspection and surveys, with expected results: they were tried, tired, and increasingly out-of-date. Star Fleet responded with a call for a new heavy cruiser design. While “quantity” was a constant demand for the expanding service, the requirement for destroyers, tenders, and transports meant that this new generation capital ship had to stress “quality” foremost.

Chiokis Corporation of Andor, a sub-contractor on previous designs, introduced as its first ever primary submission what was immediately declared to be an updated Yorktown battle cruiser. A monster of a ship (at 562,000 metric tons), it was comprised of two hulls and bracketed by nacelles of significance, the PB-18s. The ship’s length was an impressive 294.1 meters, with a beam of 117.1 and a height of 46 meters. The primary saucer hull, the broadest part of the ship, had a thickness of 8 meters at the rim, allowing not only quarters and weapon emplacements in the impressive 10 decks, but also six high-tech laboratories. The secondary hull had a clear lineage with that of the Yorktown, though it was enlarged both in depth and length, providing a sense of streamlining with its curving shapes and the undercut stern. The two outrigged pylons slightly sloped downward in order to provide improved positioning for the nacelles. The PB-18s allowed the ship to cruise at warp 3 and attain a maximum velocity of 5.3. The massive Scarbak GPM impulse engines cowled onto the lower secondary hull avoided all the complications and compromises of the two-stage Enterprise/Columbia arrangement.

The ship itself was equipped to sustain its crew of 35 officers and 278 enlisted on four-year missions over 400 light-years, protecting them with 2 banks of dual laser emitters in the 1.2 gigawatt range, eight Type I phased particle cannons (900 gigawatts), and two Type H (700 gigawatts) covering the aft. Eighty photonic torpedoes were also carried in the primary hull, fired from the battery on the ventral side. The Horizon was Star Fleet’s first capital ship to go out sans any armor, fully confident in the ship’s reliance on two shield generators to wrap the crew with a blanket of subspace/graviton fields.

Thirteen cruisers of this initial design were fielded, with more planned. The ships were respected for their capacity for independent exploratory deployments outside known space, as well as their various military duties. The Horizon herself had a distinguished career of exploration under the command of Captains Mann, Gatulla, and Broderick. The three-year expedition under Captain Mann established first contact with no less than 12 civilizations, a feat no longer believed to be possible after the early days of the Enterprise exploits. However, shortcomings were identified, especially in regards to “hearth world defense,” which would be addressed with the follow-on Advance subclass battle cruiser.

Advance subclass battle cruiser

The Horizon class heavy cruiser was immediately respected for the exploratory capacity provided to Star Fleet, but there was, no doubt, acknowledgment of some shortfalls that needed to be addressed as the ships ventured forth. The class had been designed in a holistic sense to be a cruiser; however, the design that sailed from the rails to the border addressed the exploratory nature of a cruiser over that of the defensive role. The defensive needs of the Federation had to be addressed (as highlighted by the feline Xindi unrest of 2196-97) and rather than design a brand new battle cruiser, it was decided to adapt the Horizon and build this subclass alongside. The Federation Council released additional funds to increase the total number of cruiser hulls to twenty-six, evenly divided between exploratory and defensive types.

The Advance battle cruiser maintained the dimensions of her matriarch, but internal changes were significant. The tactical suite was rethought, with upgraded targeting systems, aft phased particle cannons swapped out to match the strength of the forward suite, and four of the forward cannon replaced by two additional photonic torpedo launchers on the dorsal saucer rim. Very little of the scientific nature of the original was retained, as most laboratories were ripped out to make space for the heavier tactical package. The shuttlebay was also re-designed to accommodate a small flight of tactical craft.

While the addition of the Advance was appreciated for the strength it provided to the “hearth world defense,” there was a notable amount of disappointment with its actual battle prowess. Though military threats receded a touch in the design’s initial years, when USS Sentry (NCC-1010) engaged the newly belligerent Klingons in 2209, it struggled against the aggressors and lost. The final three hulls were put on hold until the shortfalls could be addressed. Therefore, the class was limited to only ten named Advances (the hull for NCC-1023 was deemed flawed well before completion, and would be commissioned in a different subclass in 2210).

Whorfin subclass battle cruiser

The Whorfin subclass battle cruiser was the result of the resumed construction of the Advance subclass, of which further production had ceased following the analysis of the loss of USS Sentry to Klingons in 2209. The external changes were limited; visual inspection of one (of only three) of the variants would often result in mistaken identification as an Advance or even a Horizon. Internally, however, the chance to improve upon the tactical effectiveness of the battle cruiser led to changes in the power routing (specifically the energy weapons), protection (shielding and electronic warfare systems), and sturdier internal structures. The aft-facing phased particle cannons were removed, with two laser emplacements added to the ventral side of the secondary hull.

While the original nine Advances would not see the same changes provided retroactively (they would receive technological overhauls in 2218), they were retained in their original “hearth world defense” role, with their three younger sisters joining them. The upgrades proved the meddling’s expense in 2229, when the USS Whorfin herself survived a Kshatriyan ambush with only light casualties, continuing on in service to the Federation (as a deep space survey cruiser over three tours), until 2297.

Indomitable experimental battle cruiser

The USS Indomitable battle cruiser was the one-off experimental continuation of an Advance hull that was tremendously overdue because of flaws that had gone undetected until late in the hull construction process. When USS Sentry (NCC-1010) lost its battle to the three Klingon aggressors in 2209, construction on the remaining Advance hulls was halted, and only resumed when the Whorfin subclass plans were released. The hull on NCC-1023, however, was set aside for a special purpose: an experimental upgunning intended to specifically address the emergent Klingon threat. The Indomitable hull was a fleet-management godsend, after all: an existing design could be used to rapidly develop this new battle cruiser concept without hauling an active ship off the tip of the spear, when it would be needed the most. The hull’s advanced stage of construction also meant that critical shipbuilding assets would not be tied up, right when Star Fleet was considering how to pivot.

The key to this upgraded heavy cruiser design was the enormous PB-19. The 180-meter long nacelle was envisioned to push the ship to supercruise speeds. The pylons to support the nacelles were made longer and stronger, and far outside the breadth of the primary saucer. The Scarbak impulse engines of the preceding sister ships were miniaturized, with all six staggered along the two pylons, while not providing redundancy so much as impulse-capable survivability. Often lost because of and behind the massive scope of the nacelles was the significantly-lengthened secondary hull; its 140-meter length was intentional, to allow for the installation of two Mann-class SSWR-IX reactors in parallel. The tremendous amount of power provided by the two reactors meant that not only would the nacelles see the required amounts necessary for supercruise, but that enhanced shielding and an increase in the number of main lasers would also be well-supported. All the critical spaces that typically reside in the engineering hull needed to be accounted for, and that required an extension.

The weapon upgrade was seen as an unqualified success: where most Star Fleet ships sported single or dual-bank energy weapon emplacements, the Indomitable was prepared to put six 1.2 GW lasers (in two triple-banks) on any vessel “crossing the t”, managed by an advanced fire control system. Those same aggressors would also have to deal with four 900 GW phased particle cannons and four forward-embedded torpedo tubes; two additional Type J cannons covered the aft quarter.

Unfortunately, the ship could not pass its warp trials: the fluctuating output of the temperamental reactors threatened to overload the electroplasma conduits that fed the thirsty nacelles. As so much hope was being placed on the upgraded cruiser, its frequent emergency down-warping was a common end result of any one trial, as witnessed plenty of times by the tailing Texas-class USS Altay (NCC-911). Star Fleet could not risk fielding the class with such an unreliable power system.

While the ship itself would not proceed to commissioned status, much less to subclass production, the weapons integration proved useful in succeeding military ship construction and in upgrade programs, including that of the various Horizon subclasses. The elongated secondary hull would also be adopted and adapted by the follow-on Essex battle and Archon heavy cruiser subclasses.

Horizon Flight II heavy cruiser

In 2193, the USS Horizon sailed from the rails, ushering in an era of serious contemplation by Star Fleet on the role of the heavy cruiser in both defense and exploration. Twenty-five years later, Star Fleet firmly understood the continuing importance the Horizon class (and its subclasses) had as a core component of the fleet. While not advancing as quickly as it would later in the century nor as fast as the Federation would have preferred, technological progress continued forward and the fleet captains for these heavy cruisers were able to successfully advocate for enhancing the capabilities of their ships. Specifically, this refit would focus on the weaponry of the original Horizon class, as well as the Advances.

Priority Number One was upgrading the hard-hitting torpedo systems. In the Horizons, the launch assemblies located in the neck bay were ripped out and replaced with an auxiliary control room (the previous, smaller, one located centrally in the neck was turned into a medical quarantine space). Now, instead of two co-located tubes, four additional ones were embedded into the primary saucer: two comprising one wide bay on the central command island and two additional ones on the forward rim of the hull. The introduction of modern forced-intermix warheads allowed for these separated locations to make use of specialized antimatter storage, rather than utilize the AM conduit that fed directly into the matter/antimatter reaction assembly in the engineering spaces. To make some room for these rim-embedded launchers, four phased particle cannons were removed; the remaining six were given better surge suppressors, for 20% overcharging (Type J). An additional 950 MW laser emitter was placed on the ventral side of the secondary hull, right below the hanger bay; the entire laser fire control was upgraded to the Indomitable standard.

To help the fleet managers differentiate the capabilities of the modified ships over those awaiting the refit, they were designated as Flight II Horizons.

Advance Flight II battle cruiser

In 2218, the Advance subclass battlecruiser, along with the primary Horizon class, entered drydocks for an upgrade period focused specifically on enhancing the tactical suite. For the Advances, that meant replacing the torpedo bay located in the “neck” of the ship with an auxiliary control room (the previous, smaller one located centrally in the neck was turned into a trauma ward). Space was cleared out of the command island for a newer torpedo bay designed around modern forced-intermix warheads, and the two individual bays already present on the saucer rim were also upgraded. The phased particle cannons were replaced by newer models (Type J) that made use of better surge suppressors for 20% overcharging. An additional 950 MW laser emitter was placed on the ventral side of the secondary hull, forward of the GNDN interface; the entire laser fire control was upgraded to the Indomitable standard. Interestingly enough, the main battery of lasers (forward saucer, dorsal, and ventral) were downgraded from 1.2 GW to 1.0 GW, for better heat management (which had been impacting the life span of the emitter coils and lenses).

To help the fleet managers differentiate the capabilities of the modified ships over those awaiting the refit, they were designated as Flight II Advances. This would be the last major upgrade before this subclass was fully decommissioned in 2258 (11 years after the last Horizon Flt II was retired).

Essex battle cruiser

Four years after the first of the veteran Horizon subclass heavy cruisers and Advance subclass battle cruisers received their Flight II upratings, newbuilds of even greater advancement were commissioned into frontline service with Star Fleet. The battle cruiser variant continued the homage to the hero vessels of the Daedalus class of the preceding generation with the USS Essex (NCC-1350), the first in this latest subclass. With the same weapons loadout of the Advance Flt IIs, as well as the same overall dimensions, a position paper about the ship would not appear to do it justice: the ship had a secondary hull design borrowed and modified from the failed Indomitable experiment, providing it an immense internal volume unavailable to its predecessors. This increased the ship’s range and endurance, due to the enormous increase in fuel and supplies carried (when compared to the older, converted cruisers). The higher standard of accommodation was also appreciated by her crew. The PB-22 warp nacelle was a slight improvement on the PB-18, decreasing individual unit mass for the same performance characteristics, through more advanced (but smaller) primary buffer panels and an intercooler that maximized efficiency with increased length (but less of a physical footprint).

While the Baton Rouge class was also first commissioned in the same year (2222), the operational history of the Advance subclass allowed for instant familiarity for the Essex and her sisters, meaning the ships were at the forefront of Star Fleet’s strategic defense policy for a few of their early years. However, as the more modern heavy cruisers increased their numbers and operational responsibilities, the production of the subclass was quickly slashed to seven (from the envisioned twenty). In the end, these newest of the Horizon series still failed to provide the expectations of acceleration, agility, speed, or range to meet modern military standards or ambitions. Hence, Star Fleet would consider how additional upgrades could provide boosts in power and propulsive performance, in a direct impact to what would eventually result in the Constitution class heavy cruiser of the 2240s. The last Essex would be decommissioned in 2251.

Archon heavy cruiser

Four years after the first of the veteran Horizon subclass heavy cruisers and Advance subclass battle cruisers received their Flight II upratings, newbuilds of even greater advancement were commissioned into frontline service with Star Fleet. The heavy cruiser variant, like the concurrent battle cruiser variant, continued the homage to the hero vessels of the Daedalus class of the preceding generation with the USS Archon (NCC-1370), the first in the final Horizon subclasses. With the same weapons loadout of the Horizon Flt IIs, as well as the same overall dimensions, a position paper about the ship would not appear to do it justice: the ship had a secondary hull design borrowed and modified from the failed Indomitable experiment, providing it an immense internal volume unavailable to its predecessors. This increased the ship’s range and endurance (6 years, specifically), due to the enormous increase in fuel and supplies carried (when compared to the older, converted cruisers). The higher standard of accommodation was also appreciated by her crew. The PB-22 warp nacelle was a slight improvement on the PB-18, decreasing individual unit mass for the same performance characteristics, through more advanced (but smaller) primary buffer panels and an intercooler that maximized efficiency with increased length (but less of a physical footprint).

While the Baton Rouge class was also first commissioned in the same year (2222), the operational history of the Horizon subclasses allowed for instant familiarity for the Archon and her sisters, meaning the ships were at the forefront of Star Fleet’s strategic forward defense policy for a few of their early years. However, as the more modern heavy cruisers increased their numbers and operational responsibilities, the production of the subclass was quickly slashed to seven (from the envisioned twenty). In the end, these newest of the Horizon series still failed to provide the expectations of acceleration, agility, speed, or range to meet modern military standards or ambitions. Hence, Star Fleet would consider how additional upgrades could provide boosts in power and propulsive performance, in a direct impact to what would eventually result in the Constitution class heavy cruiser of the 2240s. The last Archon would be decommissioned in 2263.

Blueprints/Orthos

Horizon class heavy cruiser

Advance subclass battle cruiser

Whorfin subclass battle cruiser

Indomitable experimental battle cruiser

Horizon Flight II heavy cruiser

Advance Flight II battle cruiser

Essex battle cruiser

Archon heavy cruiser

Toolkit

This toolkit of Horizon class parts is compiled & provided by Anthsco.

Last Updated on 2403.16 by admin