Starfleet Ships

This page contains descriptions and some specifications for the most common ship classes in the fleet.

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My Starfleet starship size chart

The Nova and Olympic images originate from Ex Astris Scientia

Akira-class

The Akira-class first appeared in First Contact. The ship was designed by Alex Jaegar and only exists as a CGI. This was the biggest and most detailed of the ships designed by Jaegar. It also appeared in various DS9 episodes and the Voyager episode "Message in a Bottle". Jaegar has stated that the design has the unusually large amount of 15 torpedo launchers but 12 of these appear to be in the weapons pod at the rear - the remaining 3 are located fwd of the deflector dish. Jaegar has also implied that the fwd and aft shuttlebays are connected with the statement "the front bay would be the launching bay, and then to return they'd come into the back, because they'd be protected by the rest of the ship." This class may also be capable of performing a form of saucer separation but it's unclear as to where the separation line would be. One could conjecture that Starfleet designed the Akira as a homage to the pre-Federation NX-class (featured in the current Enterprise series).

Heavy Cruiser
427m
17 decks (excluding pod)
500 crew
3,055,000 tonnes
2 warp nacelles, 4 impulse engines
15 torpedo tubes (3 fwd, 4 fwd pod, 8 aft pod), 3 phaser arrays
3 shuttlebays (2 aft, 1 fore)

side view top view

Ambassador-class

The Ambassador-class was first introduced by Starfleet early in the 24th Century. The class was first seen in TNG "Yesterday's Enterprise" as the badly damaged USS Enterprise NCC-1701-C. The ship is equipped with phaser arrays and has a saucer shuttle bay like the Ent-D and an Engineering shuttle bay like the original Enterprise. There's actually two versions of this class. The USS Enterprise is the same as the USS Ambassador prototype and all other 10xxx registered Ambassador-class vessels, but the later 26xxx registered ships have extra bits bolted on and other slight differences. The Ambassador-class has been completely superseded by the Galaxy-class and was decommissioned by 2370. The Ambassador-class was designed by Rick Sternbach based on a drawing by Andrew Probert. The intention was to give the impression of an intermediate step between the Excelsior and Galaxy-class. The studio miniature was built by Greg Jein.

Heavy Cruiser (Decommissioned)
525m (1721')
35 decks
800 crew
2 warp nacelles, 1 impulse engine (secondary hull)
2 fwd torpedo tubes (secondary hull)
10 phaser arrays (8 primary hull, 2 secondary hull)
2 shuttlebays (1 each primary/secondary hull)

side view top view

Constellation-class

The Constellation-class was introduced by Starfleet in the early 2280s. The ship is comprised of four Miranda type warp nacelles and has similar saucer elements as well. The class was designed for deep space exploration and patrol duties. The ship was first seen as Picard's first command, the USS Stargazer, in TNG "The Battle". The class was decommissioned by 2370. Designed by Andrew Probert and Rick Sternbach, the model was built by Greg Jein.

"Performance" Cruiser (Decommissioned)
310m
15 decks
535 crew
4 warp nacelles, 4 impulse engines
4 fwd torpedo tubes
11 ball turret phaser banks (6 dual, 5 single)

side view

Constitution-class

The Constitution-class is the one that started it all. Obviously the class first appeared in The Original Series as Kirk's USS Enterprise NCC-1701 ("No bloody A, B, C, or D"). It is likely that the class was introduced in the early 2240s but this was never confirmed in any episode or movie. In their day they were the most advanced and powerful ships in the fleet. In the early 2270s the remaining ships of the class, starting with the Enterprise, were heavily refitted and redesigned into the incarnation that we see in the first six movies. We can't be completely sure when the entire class was decommissioned but the Enterprise-A (a new ship built to the class refit standard) was decommissioned in 2293. The Constitution-class was replaced in the fleet by the Miranda and Excelsior classes. The original 11ft studio model was designed by Matt Jefferies and built by Richard C. Datin. The 8ft movie refit model was designed by Andrew Probert and built at Magicam.

Heavy Cruiser (Decommissioned)
289m (original), 305m (refit)
21 decks
430 crew
original: 190,000 tonnes
refit: 210,000 tonnes
2 warp nacelles, 2 impulse engines (primary hull)
original: fwd torpedo launcher (primary hull), 2 fwd phaser emitters (primary hull)
refit: 2 fwd torpedo launchers (secondary hull)
refit: 12 ball turret phaser banks (6 dual primary hull, 6 single secondary hull)
1 tractor beam emitter (secondary hull)
1 shuttlebay (secondary hull)

side view top view refit side view refit top view refit deck chart

Danube-class

The Danube-class was introduced in the DS9 pilot episode "Emissary". The first ship seen was the USS Rio Grande when it was used to discover the Bajoran wormhole and the Celestial Temple. This class of ship is usually described as a Runabout and is designed for a command crew of 1-4. All the ships are named after great rivers on Earth. The class was designed by Rick Sternbach and Jim Martin as a bigger sister to the standard Starfleet shuttle. The model was built by Tony Meininger.

Runabout
23m
1 deck
4 crew
158.7 tonnes
2 warp nacelles, 2 impulse engines
10 phaser arrays

side view top view fore view

Defiant-class

This was the first dedicated warship introduced by Starfleet. The USS Defiant was originally conceived as a prototype for a fleet that would defend the Federation against the Borg. The Borg actually attacked and were defeated in 2366, before the Defiant was finished. When hostilities with the Dominion broke out, Starfleet assigned the now finished prototype to DS9. The Romulans even loaned a cloaking device for exclusive use in the Gamma Quadrant. Over the years the USS Defiant proved its worth in battle so the class went into limited production. The USS Sao Paulo was assigned to station DS9 to replace the original Defiant after it was destroyed by the Breen (DS9 "The Changing Face of Evil", "The Dogs of War"). The USS Defiant was first seen in the DS9 third season premiere "The Search (Part 1)" and the engine room was first seen in the third season finale "The Adversary". The Defiant was designed by Jim Martin, Gary Hutzel, and Tony Meininger. The 4ft studio miniature was built by Tony Meininger.

Escort
171m
4 decks
50 crew
355,000 tonnes
2 warp engines, 2 impulse engines
2 fwd quantorp systems, 2 torpedo launchers (1 aft, 1 fwd nose)
4 fwd pulse phaser cannons, 1 bridge mounted phaser emitter
3 tractor beam emitters (2 main hull, 1 nose)
1 main shuttlebay

side view top view MSD

Excelsior-class

The Excelsior was first introduced in the early 2280s as a testbed for the transwarp drive. It is not clear as to the success/failure of "The Great Experiment" (transwarp) but, either way, the class went into mass production as a successor to the Constitution-class and currently makes up the majority of ships in the fleet. The prototype was first seen in Star Trek III and the model was designed by ILM's Bill George. The production ship was first seen in ST-VI with slight modifications. The Excelsior-variant USS Enterprise NCC-1701-B was first seen in ST:Generations and features extra elements designed by John Eaves.

Heavy Cruiser
std: 467m, Ent-B: 469m
21 decks
600 crew
2,350,000 tonnes
2 warp nacelles
std: 2 impulse engines (primary hull)
Ent-B: 4 impulse engines (primary hull)
2 fwd and 2 aft torpedo launchers (secondary hull)
14 ball turret phaser banks (10 dual primary hull, 4 single secondary hull)
1 shuttlebay (secondary hull)

side view top view Ent-B side view Ent-B top view

Galaxy-class

This class was introduced in the early 2360s to serve as a multi function vessel of exploration and is the successor to the Ambassador-class. The Galaxy-class is currently the largest in the fleet and has only been produced in limited numbers (12?). The class was first seen in TNG pilot episode "Encounter at Farpoint" as the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D. The class was designed by Andrew Probert and blueprinted by Rick Sternbach. The original 6' studio miniature was built at ILM by Greg Jein. A more detailed 4' miniature, also built by Greg Jein, was introduced in TNG 3rd season episode "The Defector".

Hybrid Explorer
643m (2108')
42 decks
1012 crew
4,500,000 tonnes
2 warp nacelles, 3 impulse engines (1 secondary and 2 primary hull)
3 torpedo launchers (fwd/aft secondary hull, aft primary hull only)
12 phaser arrays (2 primary hull, 9 secondary hull, 1 secondary hull only)
1 large tractor beam emitter (secondary hull)
3 shuttlebays (1 main bay primary hull, 2 bays secondary hull)
1 captain's yacht (primary hull)

side view top view MSD

Intrepid-class

This class was first seen in VOY "Caretaker" as the USS Voyager NCC-74656. This design features bio-neural circuitry to better response times. A reserve warp core is also stored to replace the original one if it is destroyed or damaged beyond repair. Additionally, this class features variable geometry warp nacelles that not only protect the fabric of space from damage, but also provide optimal warp field generation and efficiency. This class was designed by Rick Sternbach with the 5ft studio miniature being built by Tony Meininger.

Advanced Medium Cruiser
344m
15 decks
150 crew
700,000 tonnes
2 warp nacelles, 2 impulse engines
2 fwd and 2 aft torpedo launchers, 13 phaser arrays
2 tractor beam emitters
1 shuttlebay, 1 aeroshuttle

side view top view bottom view fore view aft view MSD bridge main engineering sickbay

Miranda-class

This class was likely developed during the 2270s in conjunction with the refit Constitution-class. It features Constitution-refit components in a far more compact arrangement with the engineering section connected directly to the saucer. This class replaced the Constitution-class and now makes up the second largest portion of the fleet (after the Excelsiors). The first Miranda seen was the USS Reliant NCC-1864 in Star Trek II. The ship was designed by Mike Minor and Joe Jennings. The model was built at ILM under the supervision of Jeff Mann.

Medium Cruiser
233m (765')
11 decks
200 crew
150,000 tonnes
2 warp nacelles, 2 impulse engines
2 each fwd/aft torpedo launchers (rollbar), 2 each fwd/aft phaser cannons (rollbar)
8 ball turret phaser banks (6 dual, 2 single)
2 shuttlebays

side view top view

Nebula-class

This class is a compact arrangement of the Galaxy-class components but with a large sensor/weapon pod. Going by the registries, the Nebulas were probably introduced prior to the Galaxys (the Nebula-class may have been inspiration for the "deluxe" Galaxy-class). The first Nebula-class ship seen was the wrecked USS Melbourne in the graveyard scene of TNG "Best of Both Worlds II" - the burning study model could barely be made out. The Melbourne was unique in that it had two additional small warp nacelles in place of the pod. The first proper appearance of the class was the USS Phoenix in TNG "The Wounded". The Phoenix had a simpler, rounder pod than the Nebulas that appeared later (starting with the USS Sutherland from TNG "Redemption (Part II)"). The class was designed by Ed Miarecki, Rick Sternbach, and Mike Okuda. The model was built by Greg Jein.

Explorer
440m
29 decks (without pod)
750 crew
3,309,000 tonnes
2 warp nacelles, 2 impulse engines
4 torpedo tubes (2 each fwd/aft pod), 5 phaser arrays
2 shuttlebays, 1 captain's yacht

side view

Norway-class

This class has only been seen in First Contact battling the Borg cube and was a CGI designed by Alex Jaegar. Little information is available on this class but it's worth mentioning how it shares similar components and hull plating to the Defiant class. The Norway, also based on the lower registry of the USS Budapest, may have been an early attempt by Starfleet to develop a craft along the lines of the Defiant.

Medium Cruiser
335m
13 decks
190 crew
622,000 tonnes
2 warp nacelles, impulse engines

side view top view

Nova-class

This is a relatively new class of ship which seems destined to replace the Oberth-class as the fleet's science vessels. This class is relatively small and slow and has a limited weapons array. It does have an incredible array of sensors though and has two deflector dishes. This class was first seen as the ill-fated USS Equinox NCC-72381 which appeared in VOY "Equinox Part I and II". The Nova-class was designed by Rick Sternbach, adapting the DS9TM Defiant Pathfinder. The CGI model was built by Eddie Robison at Digital Muse.

Science Vessel
165m
8 decks
80 crew
110,000 tonnes
2 warp nacelles, 1 impulse engine
2 fwd torpedo launchers, 11 phaser arrays
1 shuttlebay, 1 waverider shuttle

All these Nova pics were originally scanned from Star Trek: The Magazine. Thanks go out to Adam Heinbuch for the four views.

port view top view bottom view front view beauty shot MSD

Oberth-class

This is Starfleet's token science vessel. The class was first seen in ST-III as the ill-fated USS Grissom NCC-638. This is a very long lived class and has been in service for at least 90 years. The small registry of the Grissom even suggests that the class was introduced prior to the Constitutions (although we didn't see the former until ~2285). The model was designed by David Carson and built at ILM.

Science Vessel
120m (395')
7 habitable decks
80 crew
2 warp nacelles, 1 impulse engine

side view top view

Olympic-class

This is Starfleet's token medical ship. It strikes me as being a homage to Starfleet's early Daedalus-class. The first and only appearance was as the USS Pasteur NCC-58925 in TNG "All Good Things...". The studio miniature was built by Bill George in his spare time but was utilised because of its high quality.

Medical
~320m
32 decks
? crew
2 warp nacelles, 3 impulse engine

side view

Prometheus-class

This class so far only exists as the prototype NX-59650 and has a number of advanced features. When first seen it was the fastest known ship in Starfleet and has regenerative shielding, ablative hull armour (like the Defiant), and can separate into three autonomous components (multi vector assault mode). It was also equipped with a then new and experimental EMH. The prototype ship first appeared in VOY "Message in a Bottle" but was also briefly seen later in VOY "Endgame". The Prometheus only exists as a CGI designed by Rick Sternbach. I can't believe such a new ship was given such a low registry. Even so, the MSD and dedication plaque both exhibit a far more appropriate registry of NX-74913. As confirmed by Mike Okuda, the hull rego was a mistake due to miscommunication between the VFX and art departments.

Tactical Cruiser
415m
16 decks
150 crew
850,000 tonnes
6 warp nacelles (2 primary hull only, 2 each secondary/tertiary hull)
6 impulse engines (2 primary hull, 2 each secondary/tertiary hull only)
14 phaser arrays (6 primary hull, 2 secondary hull only, 6 tertiary hull)
1 shuttlebay (secondary hull)

side view top view MSD

Saber-class

This is another of the four new CGIs designed by Alex Jaegar for First Contact. Going by the hull details and panelling, this craft seems vaguely related to both the Galaxy and Sovereign family of ships. Due to the compact nature of the vessel, it may have been an early attempt from Starfleet to develop a vessel more suited for battle. The class also showed up in some later DS9 episodes.

Light Cruiser
183m
13 decks
40 crew
310,000 tonnes
2 warp nacelles, 2 impulse engines
phaser arrays

side view top view

Scout-type

So far this unnamed class has only appeared as the mission scout ship in ST:Insurrection that Data takes control of. This CGI only ship was designed by John Eaves and given the registration NCC-75227. This strikes me as being an advancement on DS9's Danube-class runabout.

Scout/Runabout
24m
1 deck
2 crew
2 warp engines, 4 impulse engines

side view

Sovereign-class

This is Starfleets newest flagship class. The only ship of this class seen so far is the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E which first appeared in ST:First Contact. The Ent-E was launched in 2372. This is the longest class in the fleet and features a stretched/sleek design (in contrast to the Galaxy-class wide-body). The Enterprise-E was the most advanced ship in the fleet as of 2373. The design strikes me as being intended as a replacement for the aging Excelsiors in the same way the Galaxys replaced the Ambassadors. The 10 foot studio model was designed by John Eaves, blueprinted by Rick Sternbach, and built at ILM.

Flagship Explorer
686m (2250')
24 decks
855 crew
3,205,000 tonnes
2 warp nacelles, 2 impulse engines (primary hull)
1 fwd quantorp launcher (secondary hull)
3 fwd photorp tubes (1 primary, 2 secondary hull)
5 aft photorp tubes (3 secondary, 2 primary hull)
16 phaser arrays (11 primary hull, 5 secondary hull)
2 tractor beam emitters (secondary hull)
2 shuttlebays (1 each primary/secondary hull), 1 captain's yacht (secondary hull)

side view top view MSD

Steamrunner-class

This is one of the new CGIs introduced by Alex Jaegar for First Contact. Very little is known about this class except that it took part in the second Borg battle. The Steamrunner class does have some remarkable similarities to the Sovereign class with its hull plating and other components - perhaps the former is a earlier member to the latters family of ship design. It also showed up in some DS9 episodes.

Medium Cruiser
335m
13 decks
190 crew
622,000 tonnes
2 warp nacelles, 2 impulse engines
phaser arrays
1 shuttlebay

side view top view

Yeager-class

This is one of the DS9 Tech Manual kitbashes. It is comprised of a Monogram USS Voyager saucer and nacelles mixed with a Monogram Maquis Raider. In theory this is not a bad idea but in practice it looks quite ugly and doesn't strike me as being very practical. The ship appears orbiting the far side of the station in often reused establishing shots of DS9. I believe the first occurance was during the 6th season of DS9.

Medium Cruiser
330m
13 decks
150 crew
2 warp nacelles, impulse engines
2 aft torpedo launchers, 8 phaser arrays
1 aeroshuttle

side view