Posted by Captain Nicholas Villarreal (Engineering Director) in Specification Review: Independence-class Heavy Frigate (TOS) - Review OPEN Until June 14, 2020

Hello Robert!
It’s been a long time. I’m happy to see you are still frequenting the EDept!
A couple of reminders:
I live in Canada and use the UK spelling of words. Colour instead of color. Please ignore proposed corrections for things that you know are correct where you live.
While I may seem nit-picky, I’m really just trying to help make your spec the best that it can be. But I don’t want it to lose your unique voice! Any suggestions to the wording can be ignored if you feel they sound too much like my words and not enough like yours!

Independence-Class
Category: Frigate
Variant: Heavy
Designer: Robert Archer
Mark I
Draft 1
Date: 05/19/2020

History and Mission Overview

The dawning of 2240 was a generally peaceful one for the Federation.

Perhaps this should read: “The dawning of the 2240’s was a generally peaceful time for the Federation.”

Though there were random border raids near Klingon space, and the occasional issue with Orion pirates, Starfleet felt confident that the immediate future would be one of expansion and discovery. But still one where they had to remain vigilant for possible threats of old enemies and new discoveries.

Perhaps: “They still had to remain vigilant for possible threats from old enemies and potential new adversaries.”

It was this in mind that Starfleet put the call out for a multi-role rugged frigate, one which though smaller then common cruiser designs could perform just as well in a variety of situations.

I feel that the part after the comma would do better as its own sentence. Perhaps: “It was with this in mind that Starfleet put out the call for a rugged, multi-role frigate. One that could perform as well as a cruiser in a variety of situations.”

It took the Starfleet design bureau almost five years of design and construction before the first five Independance

Spelling error. Should be “Independence.”

class frigates came out of the assembly yards around Earth, with another three ready for commissioning should the need arise. Built around the 21st century idea of the United States Navy’s littoral combat ship, the Independence took many of the same cues of these multi-role frigates from history. The intent was to build a small, fast, maneuverable and relatively inexpensive ship that could be easily reconfigured for a variety of different roles should the need arise. This would range from system patrols, to scientific surveys, anti-pirate/raider action ships, and service as a logistics transport.

I am liking this design already. Any homage to real naval ships gets always earns a Smartie.

Mission Profiles

The Independence Class Frigate is suited to the following mission profiles:

Survey, analysis and cataloging of anomalies and uncharted systems.
Planetary and astrological event crisis response, management and containment.

The animals in the zodiac are partying too hard again! Astrological should be replaced with astronomical.

Deployment of scientific and engineering response efforts in a crisis.
System and border patrols, anti-piracy/raider combat roles.
Cargo supply and relief efforts in emergencies.

Structure And Construction

The Independence Class Frigate was designed from the ground up to be rugged, dependable, and functional for its missions. Starfleet decided to accelerate the construction of the Independence-class by reusing structural designs from previous vessels, but with new materials. The forward section has exactly the same shape and structural outline as the upper-fore of the old Daedalus-class starship from a century prior. The rearward sections of the ship are shaped as rectangular platforms which then connect seamlessly as one unit into a half dome shaped saucer. Projecting upwards at the rear of the ship, on short V shaped pylons are the ship’s two warp nacelles.

I don’t know if they would want to reuse structural designs from century old vessels. That would be like taking a Fokker Triplane and mating it to an afterburning turbofan engine. Even though you’ve built it with the latest materials, it’s probably not going to work very well because the design is simply outdated. Instead, I can see the designers taking cues from the older vessels. Taking the globe-like hullform of the Daedalus-class, but using the latest structural and material designs to bring it into the 24th Century. Perhaps: “The designers looked to proven designs to help accelerate the design process. The forward section may have the same shape and silhouette as the Daedalus-class from the previous Century, but it has been built using the latest engineering practices and materials.”

The entire frame of the ship spans 12 decks across a triple layered duranium hull structure, in between each hull layer are 5cm of dura plastic foam. The outer layer of hull plating is in a state of permanent polarisation

Spelling: “polarization.”

to enable greater unprotected resistance to enemy weapons fire. The duranium trusses that support the outer hull are then laser welded to form a permanent support chassis.

The Independence class is capable of atmospheric entry and flight, though not landing, on gravity up to 2.5 times Earth standard gravity. Atmospheric flight is handled through a combination of the ship’s impulse reactors fed through special atmospheric RCS thruster packets

I think this should be “packs.”

along the ship’s frame.

Science And Remote Sensing Systems

Sensor Systems

The Independence class makes use of the

I would eliminate the “the.”

150 sensor palettes arranged across the ship in clusters of four. The ship’s circular navigational deflector is located on decks 7 and 8 in a square shaped inset. These together make up the standard TOS-Type-5 sensor system. It has a short range scan of 2 light years and a high range scan of 6.5 light years. Through the application of high power emissions diodes, the sensor array can be utilised

Spelling: “utilized.”

as a jamming system to prevent enemy vessels from sending or receiving transmissions. Effective jamming range for this system at full power is 100,000km. It should be noted that affecting

Perhaps “activating?”

this jamming system also prevents the jamming vessel from utilising

Spelling: “utilizing.”

their own communications systems.

Computer and Network Systems

The Independence Class Frigate is equipped with a single duotronic computer mounted vertically on the rear sections of decks 2 and 3. Any requests from the library computer must be issued through the main Computer Room and any portable information must be copied to recorder tapes. The only information terminals capable of accessing the library computer without passing through the computer room are those in the Captain’s Quarters, the Main Conference Lounge, Main Engineering, the Science Labs, Sickbay and the Bridge.

The Enterprise also had library access in the briefing room, and I can see that being very helpful!

Warp Propulsion Systems

The Independence Class Frigate is equipped with the Class V warp core system. It has a maximum Cochrane output of 615, with a standard cruising speed of TOS-Warp 5, a maximum sustainable speed of TOS-Warp 7, a maximum speed for 12 hours of TOS-Warp 8, and an emergency speed for 2 hours of TOS-Warp 8.5.

The core is positioned vertically on decks 11 and 12 with support systems on deck 12 with the matter/antimatter pods. Emergency ejection systems propel the core and pods in an emergency out the bottom of the ship.

I think the second “emergency” is redundant.

Impulse Propulsion Systems

The Independence Class Frigate has one quad-injector impulse engine positioned at the rear of deck 1. The engine has a maximum output of .23c and can accelerate or decelerate the ship, coupled with the RCS thruster system, in 35 seconds.

Tactical Systems

Defensive Shields and Hull Polarization Systems

The Independence Class Frigate is equipped with the Type 5 shield system; made up of 5 shield generators located at key points around the ship. The system has a maximum dissipation rate of 109,500 kilowatts, and a maximum graviton load of 403 megawatts.

The dissipation rate should be written as 1.095x10^5 kW. Even with that fix, both the dissipation rate and maximum graviton loads look really low to me. I know it’s a TOS-era ship and we want to try to show the progression of technology… But would a modern shuttlecraft really have better shields than a TOS-era starship? I think making the graviton load closer to the Type-5, with the dissipation rate between the Type-4 and Type-5 would be better. That’s just my opinion.

Finally, the class was one of the last to be equipped with a hull polarization system that strengthens the ship’s hull by nearly 100% above normal. In an emergency of shield failure, it also has a maximum energy dissipation rate of 54,750 kilowatts.

5.475x10^4 kW

Phaser Systems

The Independence Class Frigate is equipped with the Type-5 phaser bank system. The system has a maximum energy output of 0.3 MW out to a range of 18,750km. The ship has two, triple paired banks to port and starboard along the forward lines of the ship to dorsal and ventral. With an additional pair of banked emitters to port and starboard, dorsal and ventral along the aft end of the ship next to the ship’s nacelle pylons.

This gives the ship more phasers than the Constitution-class, which was a Heavy Cruiser. Including the “new” emitters at the rear of the ship (ENT: “In a Mirror Darkly”), the Constitution-class had eight emitters in four banks of two. Your ship currently has twenty-two emitters in four banks of three and four banks of two. Just something to think about.

Forward phaser fire can angle 90 degrees to port and starboard respectively providing a full 180 degree length of coverage along the forward dorsal and ventral beam of the ship. The aft phasers cover an additional 180 degrees of the aft quarter except for a narrow line between the ship’s nacelles and pylons.

Fire control for the forward banks is handled by the control room on deck 7, while the aft control is handled by the control room on deck 8.

I like that you have retained the “phaser rooms.”

Torpedo Systems

The Independence Class Frigate has two Type 2 standard fire torpedo launchers positioned with 1 forward and 1 aft facing on deck 2. Each launcher is capable of firing a single torpedo or probe every 4 seconds.

Feeding, storage, fire control and servicing system rooms for both launchers are located centrally on deck 2. The ship carries 55 Mark-II torpedoes, and 20 assorted class 1-9 scientific probes.

I’m going to have to cut it here for tonight. I will pick up and continue with my review after work tomorrow!

–Jared