2280s

Summary

• The "modern" Larson class destroyer (Mk VII) continues to play a relatively minor role.

• Ninety percent of colony expeditions opt for small vessels and batches of less than half a thousand colonists, to avoid the Federation edict regarding Star Fleet escorts.

• As many as 170 buoy tenders are active.

• This is the last decade in which Star Fleet utilizes single-nacelle tugs.\

• Continuing Okinawa light frigate operations in this decade is an unexpected bonus.

• For the fifteen year period spanning 2275 to 2289, Star Fleet is well-stocked in exploratory cruisers.

• Some regret is expressed in Star Fleet with the inability to project a perimeter fleet.

• Prospecting operations (at least, the Star Fleet-subsidized ones) wind down.

• A small number of missions for the Leonardo class corsairs involve operative insertion and extraction missions.

• The Nightshield private military corporation performs dozens of colonial escort contracts.

• Early: Commissioner Lars-Erik Valdemar presents his initiative for a 1600-starship Star Fleet.

• By early: Chandley class strike frigates are raiding Klingon ships with deadly speed and efficiency.

• Late: New cruisers dedicated solely to scientific duties once again have to be fielded, to compensate for the dispatching of multipurpose units to the front lines.

• Mid: Light tug numbers begin a shallow decline, with the decommissionings of the Ohio.

• Late: The quantity of Richtofen class clippers is downscaled due primarily to the high maintenance requirements—and resulting availability— that limited it to regions with high levels of technological resources and know-how.

That is, a significant number are decommissioned before the 2290s.

Years

• 2280
• 2281
• 2282
• 2283
• 2284
• 2285
• 2286
• 2287
• 2288
• 2289

Events

• By: All civilian ships of the Vanguard-Ganymede subclass have been scrapped.

• By: Many civilian Merchant class heavy transports are retired.

• By: Archer class light scouts no longer operate in contested space.

• Though capital ship forces adequately cover the main space lanes, the threat of small, cloaked commerce raiders suddenly emerges.

• Weapon systems defined as 'heavy' (per the 2271 weapons classification system) first enter service.

• Icarus and Ashanti class battle cruisers start being selected for retirement; some are put to use as engineering testbeds for the modern battle cruisers.

• All the old light cruisers, from Amchitka to Kearsarge to the Texas refits, have been disarmed and donated forward, sold for scrap, or converted to support vessels of various sorts. The light cruiser force has shrunk by more than 60% in a matter of a decade.

• A modern warp-enabled cargo drone is introduced.

• Following the decommissioning of the penultimate Thuringia class surveyor, USS Ratha (NAR-24309) is retained for ‘technology evaluation purposes’, carrying classified equipment whilst operating in the vicinity of Omega Leonis.

• The network of sensors and communications relays is ordered expanded.

• Budgetary limitations begin to be lifted.

• Early: Star Fleet decides to cease operating the remaining handful of corvette tenders.

• Mid: All but six of the Vulcan T'Pari and K’Kmarak surveyors and three of the Star Fleet Thuringias are idled.

• Late: The Coronado through-deck carriers start to be retired, one-by-one, from active operations.

• By end of: Only 50 Cochrane class colonizers remain active with Star Fleet.

References

2270s

Category:Timeline 23rd century

2290s