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|history= Guide, ''Starfleet: Year One'' (Friedman, MJ)
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Apart from the ''[[Armstrong/Helena (Guide)|Armstrong]]'' class, the only new cruiser-sized design to emerge during the Romulan War was the '''Christopher''' class light cruiser, a totally new class featuring no ''[[Triton (Guide)|Triton]]'' or ''[[Enterprise (Guide)|Enterprise]]'' components. Built for speed and endurance, the ship was optimized from the beginning for extremely mobile warfare, and would act as the spearhead of a new tactical approach. The cruisers would no longer prey on the frustratingly elusive Romulan carrier groups, but would perform deep strikes against fixed installations, moving the war to the Romulan turf for the first time. A key requirement to this approach was the increase in scoutship quality and quantity, which had already given UESF its first major victory in [[2159]]. But only with the new long range cruisers could such strikes be mounted with any certainty of success.
Major changes swept through Earth’s mercantile fleet in the postwar years. As wartime alliances solidified into federal unity, the bilateral trade agreements between member cultures were replaced by a broader network of economics. Under the Vanderbilt administration, virtually all corporation-level trade pacts were dissolved, and cargo routes were opened for free competition. Many of Earth’s boomer businesses were marginalized in the process. On the other hand, Earth’s military logistics fleet was in a unique position to secure commercial contracts, as its organizational structure and hardware drastically differed from those of its mercantile and military competitors, combining out of necessity the best of both worlds.


Every lesson learned from ''[[Marshall (Guide)|Marshall]]'' and ''[[Cavalry (Guide)|Cavalry]]'' destroyers was applied here, from the omission of particle beam weaponry to the use of heavy frontal armor and provision of room for up-to-date subspace/graviton shield generators. In fact, ''USS Warren E. Christopher'' (NCL-2000) should basically be considered a heavy destroyer instead of a true cruiser. Quickly joined by no less than 17 sisters, the ship nevertheless soon proved her worth as an independent, high endurance fighting platform worthy of the cruiser designation.  
Few foreign military supply ships could haul semi-refined ores the way Earth’s lifeline designs did. Fewer still were built with the operational flexibility and multi-year endurance. Earth was quick to capitalize on the advantages by fielding the Merchant class of heavy transport ships. The standard structure of a bow module with propulsive and habitat functions, a spine for general goods cargo, fuel and ballast systems, and a modular hold arrangement was scaled up once more, to some 250 meters of total length. A few changes were made to the trusty old format, however. Warp propulsion now consisted of a stern-mounted pair of CWD-A7 nacelles, the 45,000 ton civilian counterpart of PB-6. Power was generated by two compression fusion reactors derived from military systems as well. No fewer than nine decks were provided for habitation at the forward compartment. Impulse engines and warp repeaters were mounted laterally, and a navigational deflector installed on bow.  


The primary hull of the ''Christopher'' was a two-part structure reminiscent of an alligator head: a rounded upper section housed three decks of command, control and communications functions and habitat space, while the smaller lower ‘jaw’ housed twin missile tubes with magazines for at most fourteen heavy 900 mm fusion or photonic missiles each. A pair of 95,000 ton PA-4 warp engines on sturdy pylons sprouting from a boxy secondary hull represented traditional thinking and gave the ship a rather conventional cruiser silhouette. Tried and proven construction techniques could be used, for it was not the hull that was significant in the new cruiser. Nor was the integrated weapons system unconventional: in addition to a single warp torpedo tube and two tubes for sublight missiles, there were two gigawatt-class, warp-accelerated main lasers to provide primary firepower, with four smaller lasers for close-in protection.  
The cargo modules to be carried under the spine were larger than ever, optimized for bulk transport. The Type VII module protruded just a few meters below the bow section of the ship, while the thrice as large Type VIII required a separate deflector emitter to protect it from superluminal impacts. Combinations of older Type III and IV modules could also be carried. Flexibility in cargo transfer operations required a shuttle hangar astern, above the main reactor compartment. This facility was modular and carried only when required, however. Typically, loading and offloading would still depend on orbital ports that possessed independent surface-to-orbit systems. Transporter-based bulk loading systems were slowly being introduced, but mechanical conveyors remained the primary means of cargo transfer well into the 23rd century.


What made a difference was the combination of a high endurance powerplant, a superb inertial navigation system and a separate major computer dedicated completely to the task of long-duration warp navigation. While two ''Cavalries'' or one ''Marshall'' might pump out equal missile, torpedo or laser firepower, the destroyers could not compete in the range of combat operations. At a cruise speed of full warp three, some ten lightyears could be spanned in a single combat sortie – twenty, if the ships were stripped of some weaponry, crew and equipment, and given extra fuel.
Starfleet’s interest in transports of this type was waning, however. There no longer existed a strategic need for the Earth military to haul ore. Beyond retaining a few class J vessels for moving fissionables, Starfleet wanted to sell its ore transport fleet to commercial operators. Yet a crucial commercial advantage would be lost by disbanding the logistics net that made the fleet greater than the sum of its ships. On February 2167, the Subcommittee for Logistics and Trade submitted to the UFP Council its proposal for an organization dedicated to mercantile operations under the general Starfleet command structure. An exceptionally swift process dissolved many doubts about the bureaucratic inertia of the new federal government, and by March 16th, resulted in the founding of Starfleet Merchant Marine.  


Due to their superior speed and range, the ''Christophers'' seldom operated in concert with other ship types, although complex ambushes were at times performed jointly with modern destroyers.  
By the end of the month, some 60% of Starfleet’s transport vessels had been assigned to the new organization. Several acquisitions had also been made, among them eight Merchant class transports, under the Starfleet name Murmansk. The vessels were sent to inaugurate cargo services between UFP core space and the Regulus direction, and to assure purely commercial operators that the spacelanes in this region were now safe for transit. They were of an austere standard, lacking the modular shuttlebay or any armament. Shielding was slightly improved over the original civilian level, however.


***
In 2169, when Merchant production was reaching its peak, Starfleet purchased five more units. Three of these were configured as Capitol deep space command ships for SF Command needs, and also carried starship repair and replenishment gear in significant quantity and quality in the customized Type VIIIC command pods. The shuttlebay module and a series of large sensor arrays were permanently carried. A year later, two other ships put the same modular add-ons to very different use, and formed the Broadway subclass of cultural exchange vessels. The Broadway and the Hurok were a combination of spaceborne research facilities, negotiation rooms, exhibition halls and education centers, and carried a permanent specialist crew of 158 civilian experts in addition to the SMM operating crew. At each port of call, the number of people onboard would triple, as local researchers, diplomats, student groups and assorted audiences would make full use of the facilities.


''USS Chester W. Nimitz'' and ''USS Raymond Spruance'' took the place of their fallen namesakes of ''[[Messier (Guide)|Messier]]'' class, while others received names honoring various lost destroyers. The names proved good omens, for not a single ''Christopher'' was lost while idle on Earthbase orbit or flying into a Romulan ambush. Eight cruisers nevertheless perished in attack sorties, in battles that may have been uneven but in which the initiative at last was on the Earth side.
The Merchant Marine sold the eight transports by 2189, but SFC kept operating the Capitol command vessels till the early 23rd century. It also added several auxiliary cruiser types to the combined tender and command ship family, patching the holes in actual cruiser coverage the best it could. Three engine refits were effected, and steadily improved the performance of the Capitols. The Broadways underwent the same refits, and the Hurok remained in operation until 2246, retired more due to the changes in political atmosphere than to technological obsolescence. Many civilian Merchant vessels reached the ripe age of 120-130 before being retired in the 2280s.  
 
[[Image:Christopher schematic.jpg|left|300px|thumb|As two ''[[Cavalry (Guide)|Cavalry]]'' destroyers launch their missiles at more distant targets, light cruiser ''Anaconda'' (NCL-2008) plunges directly into a swarm of enemy missile boats at Nimbus in [[2160]]. While the ''Christophers'' were never designed to fight against small craft the way the older cruisers were forced to do, the ''Anaconda'' more than held her own in the engagement; superior UESF fire control was beginning to turn the tables against the Romulans and making their small craft less of a threat to Earth fighting vessels.]]
 
The greatest hour of the ''Christopher'' class came in [[2160]], when a flotilla of seven specially configured light cruisers, stripped of the torpedo launcher, some consumables and most crew and carrying a mixture of heavy anti-ship and anti-surface missiles and a maximal fuel load, penetrated Romulan defenses with a daring uninterrupted warp run of 52 days. Despite the immense problems of coordination due to complete sensor and communications silence while in warp drive, the cruisers arrived at the [[Cheron]] system in perfect formation with only minor systems damage to one vessel. Local defenses responded with deadly force, and the UESF flotilla lost two cruisers in quick succession. Still, the surviving cruisers fired their missiles with precision at the frontline command center spotted four months earlier by a [[Doppler (Guide)|Doppler]] scout.
 
Near-simultaneously, six other strikes of this type were carried out against other Romulan installations located in the recent months, featuring mixed fleets of ''Christophers'' and ''[[Enterprise (Guide)|Enterprises]]''. Two were never heard of again, but the remaining four all scored devastating hits on their targets. Yet none was more important than the battle at Cheron: unbeknownst to the crews, the ships had managed to destroy the hub of the entire Romulan subspace communications network in sectors 23 through 28. The utter confusion into which the Romulan command structure had been thrown would have meant easy victory for Earth. The only way for the Romulans to protect their frontline bases would have been to permanently deploy their fleets inside the respective systems. Instead of risking total loss of both bases and ships, the Romulans decided to throw the game. A request for truce was sent out in October 12, 2160.
 
***
 
Surviving ''Christopher'' units continued operations beyond the onset of peace. Since local space was quite saturated with war surplus vessels, and since the victorious Federation had few challengers, there was little interest in developing an antimatter-powered successor design. Yet the deep space capabilities of the ''Christophers'' were not as useful in peacetime duty as one might assume, as there was no room or power to be spared for research gear. No permanent laboratory spaces were ever installed aboard the vessels, nor did the sensor suites receive the advanced short range planetary survey instruments of the ''Enterprises''. The light cruisers mainly attained fame in early pirate hunts, and served admirably in enforcing Federation law and order across the former dominions of the UFP signature members.
 
When the time for retirement came in [[2182]], four ''Christopher'' vessels including the original class ship were still active. All were sold forward to existing and hoped-for allies in the coreward direction.  


==Notes==
==Notes==

Revision as of 19:46, 14 January 2014

Christopher class light cruiser
Christopher
Class Overview
Category Light Cruiser
Operational 2158-2182
Constructed 18
Dimensions
Length 182.2 m
Beam 102.0 m
Height 33.0 m
Mass 215,200 tons
Performance
Cruise Speed w 3
Max Speed w 5.9
Endurance
  • 2 years (standard)
  • 4 years (reduced-crew operations)
Complement
Officers 16
Enlisted 145



Tactical Systems
Beam Weapons
  • 2xMagnusson 0.96 Plus Class lasers
  • 4xSchawlow 1.07 Plus Class lasers
Missile Weapons
  • 2x nuclear missile launchers (50 missiles)
  • 1x spatial torpedo launcher (30 torpedoes)
Shields
  • Polarizable armor on most of primary hull
  • 1-layer subspace/graviton globular forcefield
Transporters
  • 1 3-pad, Mk-I
Auxiliary Craft
  • 2 atmospheric shuttlepods
  • 2 assault shuttles
Historical
Ships of Note * USS Warren E. Christopher (NCL-2000/NCC-18)
Canonicity
Design Guide
Name Starfleet: Year One (Friedman, MJ)
History Guide, Starfleet: Year One (Friedman, MJ)



Major changes swept through Earth’s mercantile fleet in the postwar years. As wartime alliances solidified into federal unity, the bilateral trade agreements between member cultures were replaced by a broader network of economics. Under the Vanderbilt administration, virtually all corporation-level trade pacts were dissolved, and cargo routes were opened for free competition. Many of Earth’s boomer businesses were marginalized in the process. On the other hand, Earth’s military logistics fleet was in a unique position to secure commercial contracts, as its organizational structure and hardware drastically differed from those of its mercantile and military competitors, combining out of necessity the best of both worlds.

Few foreign military supply ships could haul semi-refined ores the way Earth’s lifeline designs did. Fewer still were built with the operational flexibility and multi-year endurance. Earth was quick to capitalize on the advantages by fielding the Merchant class of heavy transport ships. The standard structure of a bow module with propulsive and habitat functions, a spine for general goods cargo, fuel and ballast systems, and a modular hold arrangement was scaled up once more, to some 250 meters of total length. A few changes were made to the trusty old format, however. Warp propulsion now consisted of a stern-mounted pair of CWD-A7 nacelles, the 45,000 ton civilian counterpart of PB-6. Power was generated by two compression fusion reactors derived from military systems as well. No fewer than nine decks were provided for habitation at the forward compartment. Impulse engines and warp repeaters were mounted laterally, and a navigational deflector installed on bow.

The cargo modules to be carried under the spine were larger than ever, optimized for bulk transport. The Type VII module protruded just a few meters below the bow section of the ship, while the thrice as large Type VIII required a separate deflector emitter to protect it from superluminal impacts. Combinations of older Type III and IV modules could also be carried. Flexibility in cargo transfer operations required a shuttle hangar astern, above the main reactor compartment. This facility was modular and carried only when required, however. Typically, loading and offloading would still depend on orbital ports that possessed independent surface-to-orbit systems. Transporter-based bulk loading systems were slowly being introduced, but mechanical conveyors remained the primary means of cargo transfer well into the 23rd century.

Starfleet’s interest in transports of this type was waning, however. There no longer existed a strategic need for the Earth military to haul ore. Beyond retaining a few class J vessels for moving fissionables, Starfleet wanted to sell its ore transport fleet to commercial operators. Yet a crucial commercial advantage would be lost by disbanding the logistics net that made the fleet greater than the sum of its ships. On February 2167, the Subcommittee for Logistics and Trade submitted to the UFP Council its proposal for an organization dedicated to mercantile operations under the general Starfleet command structure. An exceptionally swift process dissolved many doubts about the bureaucratic inertia of the new federal government, and by March 16th, resulted in the founding of Starfleet Merchant Marine.

By the end of the month, some 60% of Starfleet’s transport vessels had been assigned to the new organization. Several acquisitions had also been made, among them eight Merchant class transports, under the Starfleet name Murmansk. The vessels were sent to inaugurate cargo services between UFP core space and the Regulus direction, and to assure purely commercial operators that the spacelanes in this region were now safe for transit. They were of an austere standard, lacking the modular shuttlebay or any armament. Shielding was slightly improved over the original civilian level, however.

In 2169, when Merchant production was reaching its peak, Starfleet purchased five more units. Three of these were configured as Capitol deep space command ships for SF Command needs, and also carried starship repair and replenishment gear in significant quantity and quality in the customized Type VIIIC command pods. The shuttlebay module and a series of large sensor arrays were permanently carried. A year later, two other ships put the same modular add-ons to very different use, and formed the Broadway subclass of cultural exchange vessels. The Broadway and the Hurok were a combination of spaceborne research facilities, negotiation rooms, exhibition halls and education centers, and carried a permanent specialist crew of 158 civilian experts in addition to the SMM operating crew. At each port of call, the number of people onboard would triple, as local researchers, diplomats, student groups and assorted audiences would make full use of the facilities.

The Merchant Marine sold the eight transports by 2189, but SFC kept operating the Capitol command vessels till the early 23rd century. It also added several auxiliary cruiser types to the combined tender and command ship family, patching the holes in actual cruiser coverage the best it could. Three engine refits were effected, and steadily improved the performance of the Capitols. The Broadways underwent the same refits, and the Hurok remained in operation until 2246, retired more due to the changes in political atmosphere than to technological obsolescence. Many civilian Merchant vessels reached the ripe age of 120-130 before being retired in the 2280s.

Notes

  • Some commissioned ship names attributed to the Christopher class are:
USS Maverick
USS Yellowjacket
    • Guide:
USS Anaconda (NCL-2008)
USS Chester W. Nimitz
USS Raymond Spruance
USS Warren E. Christopher (NCL-2000/NCC-18)
    • Recommended RPG Ships:
named after various lost destroyers (as well as the above two Messier cruisers)


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