Type:

Light Cruiser

Commissioned:

2367 - present

Dimensions:

Length:

366 m

Beam:

160 m

Height:

40 m

Decks:

9

Mass:

375,000 tons

Crew:

185

Armament:

6 x Type VIII phaser arrays, total output 13,000 TeraWatts

2 x Pulse fire photon torpedo tubes + 75 torpedoes

2 x Standard photon torpedo tubes + 80 torpedoes

Defense Systems:

Shield system, total capacity 891,000 TeraJoules

Standard Duranium/Tritanium double hull plus 4.8 cm High Density armor

Standard level Structural Integrity Field

Warp Speeds:

Normal Cruise: Warp 6

(TNG Scale)

Maximum Cruise: Warp 8.8

Maximum Rated: Warp 9.5

Strength Indices:

Beam Firepower: 260

(Galaxy Class = 1000)

Torpedo Firepower: 500

Weapon Range & Accuracy: 465

Shield Strength: 330

Hull Armor: 580

Speed: 940

Combat Maneuverability: 9400

Overall Strength Index: 450

Diplomatic Capability:

Grade 3

Expected Hull Life:

48 years

Refit Cycle:

Minor: 2 years

Standard: 8 years

Major: 24 years

Added Features:

During the late 2340's Starfleet became increasingly worried about the average age of the ships in the fleet. Although vessels such as the Miranda and Excelsior class were performing adequately as mid sized cruisers and destroyers, these designs dated back between 50 and 100 years and were lagging behind the latest technology despite frequent refits. Rapid expansion of the Federation was also putting a great strain on both the exploratory and defense capacities of Starfleet, and although the Nebula class was under development Starfleet was predicting that it would be unable to meet all of its commitments by 2365

The Steamrunner design was fielded in the early 40s along with the Saber as part of a major fleet wide program of modernization. Essentially the Steamrunner's serve a similar function to the modern day Intrepid class - a smaller, faster counterpart to the cruiser class ships which would be deployed in large numbers to augment the more capable designs. The first of the class was launched in 2342, and series production began after a six month flight test program

The Steamrunner introduced several innovations into Starfleet; she was the first to be equipped with an isolinear computer system rather than the duotronic system then in use. Her hull form was also rather unusual in appearance; the angular profile of the primary hull was claimed to be an inherently stronger shape than the traditional circular/elliptical shape, allowing a reduction in the thickness of the structural beams which decreased the overall vessel mass by some 12%. This made for greater acceleration at both impulse and warp. However, some flaws have surfaced in the design; Steamrunner class ships which engaged in extended periods of high warp speed found some cracking in the structural members of the primary hull. Several fixes were tried to correct this problem; Starfleet finally found that a combination of a modified Structural Integrity Field system and slight changes to the Warp drive itself eliminated the harmonic vibrations which were causing the problem. Those vessels already damaged had to have some of their main hull support structure replaced, a task which set construction of the class back some time

Although the Steamrunner is relatively limited in its capabilities to perform scientific and exploratory functions compared to a larger ship, its real difficulties lie in the diplomatic area. Like the Intrepid class which is now replacing it, the Steamrunner is capable of holding only limited diplomatic venues. Despite this the Steamrunner's have proved their worth in diplomacy, helping to settle many matters in sparsely populated areas where Starfleet's "big guns" rarely make an appearance