Ambassador Class

Type: Heavy Cruiser

In the early 2300s Starfleet realised that increasing potential hostilities and longer range exploration missions were beginning to overtax the small number of larger Multi-role Capital ships and the end result was leaving the Federation somewhat more vulnerable than was desired. The Constitution class, despite having been refitted regularly was a prime candidate for replacement with a newer, more flexible vessel and hence, a design brief was issued to Starfleet’s Fleet Yards and private developers.

The result of the design competition was the Ambassador class, an extremely large vessel by the standards of the day, larger even than the Excelsior class, but the Ambassador was still highly flexible and a solid multi-role design. And in 2311, the Ambassador class was in production having passed her fleet trials with few problems. The initial run was that of 4 per year for ten years, with the eventual goal of phasing out the ageing Constitution class in favour of the Ambassador.

One of the handiest things for Starfleet about the Ambassador class was the vast space she carried for extra Crew, Marines or Colonists, with additional quarters and mess hall facilities as well as cargo bays for supplies. This led the Ambassador to be considered one of the most flexible vessels at that time serving with Starfleet, with it being capable of all the usual Heavy Cruiser roles, that of Tactical Support, Exploration and Major Fleet Combat Operations, but also if necessary to function as a colony ship, Marine landing ship or a simple evacuation ship.

This led to a large production of the Ambassador with over 50 being produced in a period of 18 years, meaning that by 2329, the Ambassador had entirely replaced the Constitution class and the next fifteen years saw a moderate building programme increase the total number of Ambassador class vessels to 150. The loss of the USS Enterprise C during the battle of Narendra III to a small Romulan force, did however force Starfleet to re-evaluate the Ambassador class and in 2348 a moderate refit programme was embarked upon, to provide the Ambassador with a better phaser armament, increasing the original 8 Type IX arrays to 10 Type IX’s.

This moderate refitting programme enabled the Ambassador to continue in service unchanged for the next twenty five years, until 2363, whereupon the Ambassador, now over 50 years old, was in need of a major refit. That then resulted in a major increase in the starship’s internal systems, with new power transfer systems as well as a new Warp Core and fusion reactors, resulting in a slight increase in her top speed and computer processing time. In addition her sensor and communications arrays were upgraded, providing the Ambassador with around double sensor range and triple accuracy as well as a longer communication range for all forms.

It was however the Dominion War that would prove the greatest challenge to the Ambassador class. With a large number in service, they as Heavy Cruisers along with other vessels, newer and older, would form the backbone of most Federation fleets during the war. The Ambassador performed much better than expected, however that did not prevent a relatively high number being lost to the Dominion. In 2373 the Federation had 137 Ambassador class vessels in service, but by the end of the war, just 73 remained serviceable. Thanks to a major recovery and repair effort over the next ten years however, 14 more heavily damaged Ambassador class vessels were restored to service giving a total of 87 in service by 2386, at which point Starfleet’s major Fleet Review of that year elected to embark upon a major refit programme to enhance the Ambassador class’ ability to continue serving with Starfleet. Included in the refit was a major new Warp Core, power systems, computer core, sensor arrays and communications arrays. In addition four of the Type IX arrays were removed in favour of four Type X arrays. In addition a lot of new systems were installed internally, making the Ambassador class as well armed efficiently, capable of serving within Starfleet for at least another 25 years.

Specifications
Length: 526m

Width: 320m

Height: 125m

Decks: 36

Crew: 150 Officers, 500 Enlisted Crew, 64 Marines, up to 300 Passengers (Max evac: 3,200)

Aux Craft: 2 Shuttlebays, 4 Runabouts, 12 Shuttles

Armament: 6 Type IX Phaser Arrays, 4 Type X Phaser Arrays, 2 Torpedo Tubes

Known Ships
USS Mary Celeste, Striken due to extensive combat damage

USS Frontier, On Active Service