Miranda class (SFC)

Miranda class

Miranda class (SFAGame)

Commissioned	2250
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As the General War began to loom on the horizon in the late 2270s, the Federation took a serious look at their ship building program. It was noted that, while excellent, the Constitution class command cruiser took too long to build and that the Akula class destroyer design had serious limitations on its combat capability. Famed designer Ray Olesen was tasked to produce an improved design; the result was the Miranda class new light cruiser (NCL).

The NCL, launched in 2280, used the primary hull section of the destroyer, with some modifications, and a pair of more efficient warp engines. The design was so successful that it was used as the basis for many variants, and it replaced destroyers in the production program on a one-for-one basis. The NCL had a crew complement of 360, featured a capacity of ten shuttlecraft, four science labs, two transporters, and two tractor beam emitters, and was armed with four photon torpedo launchers, a single Type-G missile launcher, and six banks of Type-1 phasers. The NCL remained in production until 2299.

Impressed with the ability of the Klingon Empire's missile bombardment ships to provide an additional concentration of firepower, the Federation designed a long-range missile bombardment ship, the new drone cruiser (NCD), around the NCL hull. Unfortunately, technical problems delayed its launch until 2282. The NCD gained an additional two shuttlecraft, and completely eliminated the use of photon torpedoes in exchange for six Type-A missile launchers. The NCD remained in production until 2295.

As the General War erupted, and the supply of older hulls dwindled rapidly, the Federation designed the new commando transport (NCT) to replace the aging commando cruisers. While the NCT lacked the commando cruiser's ability to land directly on a planetary surface and was not as well armed, it had better shielding, was able to operate with other NCL hulls, and had a larger shuttlebay. The NCT had a crew complement of 400, a capacity of twelve shuttlecraft, three science labs, four transporters, and two tractor beam emitters, and was armed only with six Type-1 phaser banks. The class remained in production until 2303.

The NCL+ refit was introduced in 2287; it moderately increased the NCL's shielding and added two banks of Type-3 phasers. Two years later in 2289, the NCD+ refit was introduced as well. Like the NCL+, it improved the shielding and defensive armaments of the base NCD variant. The NCT+ refit was introduced in 2291, providing the same improvements to the NCT variant.

The light command cruiser (CLC) was launched in 2291, and was intended as a substitute for Constitution class command cruisers. Though it proved inadequate for that role, it was used as a command cruiser for NCL squadrons.

Faced with a shortage of heavy cruiser hulls during the latter years of the General War, the Federation looked to other designs to create a new heavy cruiser (NCA) that could be assembled in shipyards already building NCLs, leaving the heavy cruiser shipyards free to build battlecruisers. The NCA, featuring a crew complement of 400, was introduced in 2294. The addition of a rear hull and a small center engine increased the power, versatility, and range of the NCA over the NCL, and it was armed with four photon torpedo tubes, two Type-G missile tubes, eight Type-1 phaser banks, and two Type-3 phaser banks.

The new heavy command cruiser (NCC) was a variant of the NCA that added command and control capabilities, as well as a small boost in firepower. Introduced in 2298, the NCC, with a crew complement of 430, wasn't considered to be a very successful class, as it was too expensive to produce in meaningful numbers, and it was too easily destroyed in combat.

A hospital ship (CLH) variant was also introduced at an indeterminate point. The CLH had crew complement of 430, a fourteen-shuttle capacity for ferrying patients, eight science labs, four transporters, four tractor beam emitters, and purely defensive armaments of four banks of Type-3 phasers.^[1]