Daedalus (class)

• Medium cruiser
• History
  • Development project approved: 2120, San Francisco Fleet Yards, Earth
    • Initial plan was for exploring variations of then-standard fusion-based warp drive to improve capabilities beyond warp 2
      • 2130: Lead warp theorist Victor Brodesser pushed for variations on the basic ion drive model based on early theories derived from reported interactions with ion storms
      • Initial designs of cascading ion drive begun 2134 (ENT Novel: Daedalus)
  • Prototype commissioned: 2135, Daedalus
    • Cascading ion drive prototype begins construction 2139 (ENT Novel: Daedalus)
    • Launched: October 5, 2140 (ENT Novel: Daedalus)
      • Lost upon failure of cascading ion drive (ENT Novel: Daedalus)
  • General success of spaceframe results in M/AM retrofit
    • Redesign begins 2141
    • Registry block 151-179 reserved 2141
  • Begins general production: 2144, USS Masao
    • Launched 2144
  • Success of class leads to continuation of construction beyond initial production run, second block 210-239 reserved 2153
    • Production accelerated December 2155 for Earth-Romulan War, block expanded to 210-269 (ENT Novel: Beneath the Raptor's Wing)
  • Due to Earth-Romulan War, refit design begins 2156 using NX-class technology (ENT Novel: Beneath the Raptor's Wing)
    • Existing ships to undergo accelerated 90 day refit as feasible, all new vessels to be built under new design specifications
    • Accelerated production run and reassignment of resources from NX/Intrepid production increases rate of production from 5/year to 10/year, over 3x NX production speed
      • Three-plus times quicker production cycle by Beneath the Raptor's Wing
  • Production halts 2160 following cessation of Earth-Romulan War, initial technology exchanges and fleet rearrangements leading up to founding of Federation
  • Second refit begins 2161 to incorporate non-Human technology as part of fleet-wide refit project for all existing Earth Starfleet vessels as part of Starfleet incorporation (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
    • Though initially thought out of date, with plans c.2163 to begin phasing out in lieu of Ceres-class vessels, post-war refit resulted in surprisingly reliable results (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
    • High crew capacity proved especially useful for personnel or colony transportation (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
  • Retirement: 2196 (TNG: "Power Play")
    • Due to aging systems and spaceframes no longer compatible with advancing technology, all active vessels removed from service
    • USS Benjamin Franklin stripped of sensitive technology and warp drive, remanded to Starfleet Academy for use as Sol-system training vessel
  • Due to lack of materiel, on request by Starfleet Corps of Engineers for SCE-dedicated starships, provisional reactivation of three vessels 2264 authorized
    • USS Masao, USS Zander, and USS Lovell reactivated from Surplus Depot Z15, refit to modern standards, remanded to SCE
• Statistics
  • Length: 225m (ST: Legacy)
  • Width: 102m
  • Height: 63.8m
  • Crew: 229
  • 89 constructed 2144-2160
  • Cruising speed: Warp 2
    • 2156 Romulan War Refit: Warp 3.5
    • 2161 Refit: Warp 5
    • 2264 SCE Refit: Warp 5
  • Maximum speed: Warp 3.5
    • Estimated as below
      • In Beneath the Raptor's Wing, NX-class will intercept vessel from edge of system 5 minutes before Daedalus-class at Warp 5
      • Edge of system at approximately 50 AU
      • Fesoan at approximately 3 AU by CLB's calculations
      • 47 AU at warp 5 is approximately 3m
      • 47 AU in 8m is approximately warp 3.5
    • 2156 Romulan War Refit: Warp 4.7
    • 2161 Refit: Warp 6.2
    • 2264 SCE Refit: Warp 7
  • Auxiliary vessels
    • Mounting for up to five 3-man MACO dropships (ENT Novel: Beneath the Raptor's Wing)
    • Mounted on underside of secondary hull for high-speed orbital deployment (ENT Novel: Beneath the Raptor's Wing)
  • Armament
    • Original design
      • 2x Plasma cannons
      • 2x Torpedo launcher (ST: Legacy)
        • Mark I Triton-class spatial torpedoes
      • Mark I polarized hull plating
    • 2156 refit
      • 2x Mark I phase cannons
      • 2x Torpedo launcher
        • Mark I Triton-class spatial torpedoes (ST: Legacy)
        • Mark I photonic torpedoes (ST: Legacy)
      • Mark III polarized hull plating
    • 2161 refit
      • 2x Mark II pulsed phase cannons (SCE Short Story: "Foundations, Book Two")
        • Laser cannon per text, adjusted to fit later canon
      • Torpedo launcher
        • Mark II spatial torpedoes (SCE Short Story: "Foundations, Book Two")
      • Mark III polarized hull plating
      • Deflector shields

Known ships

Daedalus-class

Name	Registry	Service Begin	Service End
Daedalus	NCC-150	2140-10-05	2140-10-05
USS Masao	NCC-151	2144
USS Zander	NCC-152	2144
USS Kearsarge	NCC-154	2145	2156-06-20
USS Yorktown	NCC-156	2146
USS Adirondack	NCC-157	2146	2156-06-20
USS Gettysburg	NCC-158	2147
USS Carolina	NCC-160	2148	2196
USS Rochelle	NCC-161	2148	2162
USS Heinlein	NCC-164	2149
USS Olympus	NCC-165	2149	2156-04-02
USS Kon-Tiki	NCC-166	2150
USS Ptolemy	NCC-167	2150	2156-04-02
USS Zefram Cochrane	NCC-168	2151	2156-04-02
USS Lovell	NCC-170	2152	2268
USS Okuda	NCC-171	2152	2157-02-16
USS Stephen Decatur	NCC-172	2152	2156-04-02
USS Essex	NCC-173	2152	2167
USS Bach	NCC-174	2152
USS Shepard	NCC-175	2153	2156-06-20
USS Yeager	NCC-176	2153	2155-10-16
USS William Clark	NCC-177	2153	2157-02-16
USS Pilgrim	NCC-178	2153
USS Archon	NCC-179	2153	2167
USS A.G. Robinson	NCC-210	2154	2160-07-29
USS Probert	NCC-211	2154	2156-04-02
USS Nightingale	NCC-212	2154
USS Benjamin Franklin	NCC-213	2154
USS Dykstra	NCC-214	2154	2156-04-02
USS Valley Forge	NCC-216	2155	2156-04-02
USS Franklin Roosevelt	NCC-217	2155	2160-05-03
USS Cowpens	NCC-218	2155	2157-02-16
USS Nez Perce	NCC-225	2156	2157-02-16
USS Jein	NCC-228	2156	2157-02-16
USS Armstrong	NCC-236	2157	2160-07-29
USS Rochelle	NCC-260	2161	2162
USS Discovery	NCC-269	2161	2196