Mediterranean (class)

• Transport (TNG: "We'll Always Have Paris")
  • Originally designated frigate
• Named for Earth's Mediterranean Sea
• History
  • Designed as a successor to the aging Miranda-class during the late 2330s and early 2340s, a period of higher militarization within the Federation
  • Registry block 43700-43899 reserved 2341
  • Initial construction: 2341
  • First commissioned: USS Mediterranean, 2342
    • Shakedown tests concluded 2343
  • Construction on remaining vessels runs from 2344 to 2354
  • Design saw initial success throughout the 2340s and 2350s, especially seeing plentiful service in the Cardassian war in the late 2350s (Novel: Revelation and Dust)
  • During the Tzenkethi war in the early 2360s, massive unexpected losses of Mediterranean-class vessels to Tzenkethi forces led to discovery of previously-unnoticed structural integrity weaknesses as a result of converging high-capacity EPS conduit runs in the aft hull
    • Inspired by Star Trek: Explorer - "The Expert"
  • Following the end of the Tzenkethi war in late 2363, it was determined after a three month review that producing a redesign that would remove the weakness would divert too many engineering resources from many high-priority projects for too long to be warranted, especially as many of their duties had already been taken by the more modern Springfield- and Challenger-classes instead
  • In lieu of a refit, the Mediterranean class was reclassified as transport and Mediterranean-class vessels were relegated to low-risk missions within Federation territory whenever possible

Known ships

Mediterranean-class

Name	Registry	Service Begin	Service End
USS Mediterranean	NCC-43700	2342	(2342)
USS Wyoming	NCC-43730	2345	(2375)
USS Lalo	NCC-43837	2350	2366
USS Progress	NCC-43844	2351	(2369)