Defender Class
Heavy Cruiser
The Development of Dreadnought class star ships have always been a
matter of contention between Starfleet personnel and Federation politicians.
While Starfleet Admirals assert the need for large capital ships is
to counter the existence of such super weapons by the Federation’s
belligerent neighbors, diplomats assert that turning Starfleet into
a primarily military force rather than a joint scientific/military force
runs counter to the Federation charter. The Defender class is an example
of how these two opposing viewpoints can lead to disaster.
Originally conceived as a front-line dreadnought class vessel, the
Defender class was to have been a massive Starship capable as serving
as flagship for far reaching Starfleet task forces. A second pair of
warp nacelles, solely tied into the ship warp shields, would give the
vessel unprecedented shielding, making it a truly formidable opponent.
However, after the debacle concerning Admiral Rittenhouse’s attempted
coup of the Federation using the new Dreadnought class, the Federation
Council rapidly moved to decrease offensive weaponry spending for the
Federation.
Although its shield capabilities were retained, the Defender class
vessels were not built with any increase in weapons capability. Its
lack of heavy firepower, coupled with the vessels inability to achieve
a greater speed of warp 5.6 due to the nacelle configuration, relegated
the vessel to primarily support functions. In the latter years of the
vessels commission, the Defender class was used as the flagship for
planetary defense fleets and reserve fleets near the the heart of the
Federation, far from its intended goal as the spearhead for tactical
assault squadrons at the borders of the Federation.
Defender Class Production Schedule
| USS Citadel |
USS Isle of Britain |
| USS Maginot |
USS Axanar |
| USS Stalingrad |
USS Berlin |
USS Citadel
It is not unseemly for a man to die fighting in defense of his country.
-Homer
USS Maginot
We have to distrust each other. It's our only defense against betrayal.
-Tennessee Williams
USS Stalingrad
Wars begin in the minds of man, and in those minds, love and compassion
would have built the defenses of peace.
-U Thant
USS Isle of Britain
Five thousand balloons, capable of raising two men each, could not cost
more than five ships of the line; and where is the prince who can afford
so to cover his country with troops for its defense as that 10,000 men
descending from the clouds might not in many places do an infinite deal
of mischief before a force could be brought together to repel them?
-Benjamin Franklin
USS Axanar
Love is much like a wild rose, beautiful and calm, but willing to draw
blood in its defense.
-Mark A. Overby
USS Berlin
The free expression of the hopes and aspirations of a people is the
greatest and only safety in a sane society.
-Emma Goldman
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