In 2366, Starfleet realized that with the advent of new technologies revolutionizing starship design that the relatively new Galaxy class and other vessels of her era were rapidly becoming outdated and there was only so much they could do to keep pace with the changes.
To that end, Starfleet commissioned a design competition for a next generation Heavy Cruiser, combined with the same multi-role capability as the Galaxy provided. A complicated brief, that spawned a multitude of vessels competing for the brief, from some surprisingly small vessels right up to some remarkably large vessels, competing in scale for the Normandy class.
In the end, Starfleet chose to conduct feasibility studies on three vessels, the Ghandi class, the D’Kyr class and the Sovereign class. The feasibility study placed the Sovereign class into the lead and as a result an initial vessel was constructed.
The USS Sovereign’s keel was laid in late 2367 and she would then take 2 years to complete at the Nikoral Shipyards, in the Tellar System. The construction ran largely unimpeded, despite problems with some of the integration of the new systems. This meant that by early 2370, the USS Sovereign was ready for trials with the Fleet.
The trials went forwards and the Sovereign class worked excellently, with a wide range of abilities her initial production was tabled at 8 vessels over the next five years, the second of which being the famous or infamous USS Enterprise-E.
The first production run was sped up, thanks to increasing tensions with the Dominion and this meant that the 8 tabled vessels were completed in just three years, enabling a second production run of 12 vessels being begun, just in time for the Dominion War. The Dominion War and the 2nd Federation-Klingon War resulted in a much larger number of Sovereign class vessels in service, despite a number of combat losses, resulting in 27 being in service by the wars end, in 2375.
The Sovereign class was then placed into the refit programme in 2379, which resulted in more phaser arrays, torpedo tubes and a replaced warp nacelle, resulting in marginally higher warp performance that had resulted from the development of the Excalibur class. These upgrades made the Sovereign a premier Multi-role Cruiser, ideal for a wide range of tasks and it is likely that she will continue to serve in this role for many decades to come.
Specifications
| Category | Explorer |
| Duration | 120 years |
| Resupply | 1 years |
| Refit | 10 years |
| Personnel | |
| Officers | 165 |
| Crew | 495 |
| Marines | 128 |
| Passengers | 150 |
| Speed | |
| Cruising Speed | Warp 8 |
| Maximum Speed | Warp 9.9 |
| Emergency Speed | Warp 9.99 (for 36 hours) |
| Dimmensions | |
| Length | 672m |
| Width | 275m |
| Height | 96m |
| Decks | 24 |
| Auxiliary Craft | |
| Shuttlebays | 2 |
| Shuttles | Hunley Shuttle: 1 Type 11 Shuttle: 2 Type 8 Shuttle: 2 Type 9 Shuttle: 2 |
| Runabouts | Captain`s Yacht – Sovereign Runabout: 1 Danube Runabout: 1 Delta Flyer Runabout: 1 |
| Fighters | Raptor Space Superiority Fighter: 8 Gryphon Fighter/Bomber: 4 |
| Transports | Argo Transport: 1 Wyvern Hopper: 3 |
| Workpods | Brunel Workpod: 2 |
| Armament | |
| Defensive Systems | Ablative Armour |
| External Defensive Systems | Point Defense Batteries: 14 |
| Shielding | Auto-Modulating Shields Metaphasic Shielding Regenerative Shielding |
| Phasers | Type XII Array: 16 |
| Torpedos | Burst-Fire Torpedo Launcher: 8 – Photon Torpedoes: 475 – Quantum Torpedoes: 285 – Polaron Torpedo: 40 Rapid-Fire Quantum Torpedo Turret – Quantum Torpedoes: 200 Tri-Cobalt Devices: 6 |
Deck Listing
| Deck | Description |
| 1 | Bridge, Captain’s Ready Room, Observation Lounge, Airlock |
| 2 | Captain’s Quarters, Executive Officer’s Quarters, Enlisted Affairs Office, Emergency Batteries, Weapons Locker |
| 3 | Main Lounge, Senior Officers’ Quarters, Aft Viewing Lounge, Communications Library, Officers’ Quarters, Gymnasium |
| 4 | Officers’ Quarters, Crew Quarters, VIP Quarters, Transporter Rooms 1 & 2, Emergency Batteries, Life Support, Environmental Controls, Chief Operations Officer’s Office |
| 5 | Security Office, Brig, Armoury 1, Security Training Facilities, Chief Intelligence Officer’s Office, Aft Tactical Sensors, Crew Quarters, Holodecks 1 & 2, Environmental Support Systems, Cargo Bay 1 |
| 6 | Main Computer Core (Level 1), Main Computer Core Control, Main Shuttlebay, Flight Control Room 1, Primary ODN Systems, Science Labs, Arboretum, Diplomatic Facilities, Civilian Quarters, Crew Quarters, Holodecks 3 & 4 |
| 7 | Main Computer Core (Level 2), Main Shuttlebay, Secondary ODN Systems, Astrometrics, Stellar Cartography, Main Science Lab, Chief Science Officer’s Office, Counsellor’s Office, Hydroponics Bay, Ship’s Library, Civilian Quarters, School |
| 8 | Main Computer Core (Level 3), Impulse Assembly, Fusion Reactors, Main Sickbay & Supports, Chief Medical Officer’s Office, Weapons Locker, Engineering Lab, Shuttlebay Elevators, Upper Shuttle Maintenance & Storage, Forward Tactical Sensors |
| 9 | Main Computer Core (Level 4), Impulse Engines, Impulse Driver Assembly, Warp Core Subsystems, Lower Shuttle Maintenance & Storage, Dorsal Docking Port, Emergency Transporters, Crew Quarters |
| 10 | Impulse Assembly, Fusion Reactors, Deuterium Injectors, Auxiliary Fusion Reactor, Shuttle Repair & Machine Shop, Engineering Support Area, Industrial Replicators, Marine Barracks, Marine HQ, Armoury 2, Crew Quarters, Holodecks 5 & 6, Waste Management/Recycling Centre, Cargo Bays 2-5 |
| 11 | Auxiliary Deflector Controls, Shuttle Elevator Assembly, Airlock, Marine Barracks, Crew Quarters, Transporter Rooms 3 & 4, Airlocks, RCS Thrusters |
| 12 | Auxiliary Deflector Array, Primary IDF Generators, Primary SIF Generators, Primary Shield Generators, Systems Support Compartment, Maintenance Bay 1 |
| 13 | Quantum Torpedo Turret Access, Torpedo Storage, Main Sensor Array, Deuterium Tanks, Power Distribution Subsystems, Science Labs, Mess Hall (Aft), Maintenance Bay 2 |
| 14 | Deuterium Tanks, Shuttlebay 2, Flight Control Room 2, Power Distribution Systems, Captain’s Yacht Access, Turbolift Maintenance |
| 15 | Secondary Computer Core (Level 1), Shuttlebay 2, Shuttle Storage, Graviton Generators 1 & 2, Deflector Assembly, Weapons Locker, Main Power Transfer Conduits, Transporter Room 5, Cargo Bays 6 & 7 |
| 16 | Secondary Computer Core (Level 2), Reserve Antimatter Storage, Graviton Generators 3 & 4, Main Navigational Deflector, Deflector Control, Main Engineering, Chief Engineering Officer’s Office, Weapons Locker, Main Power Transfer Conduits, Warp Nacelle Access, Cargo Bays 8 & 9, Emergency Transporters |
| 17 | Secondary Computer Core (Level 3), Aft Sensor Array, Graviton Generators 5 & 6, Deflector Assembly, Secondary Plasma Vent, Emergency Transporters |
| 18 | Graviton Generators 7 & 8, Deflector Assembly, Auxiliary Shield Generators, Multi-purpose Chamber (Upper), Crew Quarters |
| 19 | Lateral Sensors, Secondary Communications Array, Emergency Graviton Generators (2), Emergency Batteries, Complementary Deflector Assembly, Multi-purpose Chamber (Lower) |
| 20 | Forward Torpedo Launchers (2), Torpedo Magazine, Probe Storage, Primary Communications Array, Tractor Beam Assembly, Turbolift Maintenance |
| 21 | Antimatter Storage Pods, Forward Tractor Beam Emitter, Secondary IDF Generator, Secondary SIF Generator, Cargo Bay 10 (Upper) |
| 22 | Antimatter Storage Pods, Antimatter Generator, Torpedo Magazine, Maintenance Bay 3, Cargo Bay 10 (Lower) |
| 23 | Tractor Beam Assembly, Antimatter Generator, Antimatter Injectors, Secondary Sensor Array, Sensor Analysis Suite |
| 24 | Tractor Beam Assembly, Aft Tractor Beam Emitter, Aft Torpedo Launchers (2), Torpedo Magazine, Warp Core Jettison Hatch |
Ships of the Line
- USS Cavalry
- USS Samurai
- USS Journeyman
- USS Gladiator
- USS Nogura
- USS Regent
- USS Marshal
- USS Paladin
- USS Imperator