Article by Maldal (I still can't remember who the heck that was), diagram by Bernd.
CLASS OVERVIEW:
The Frigate has always been a quick, well-armed vessel ideally suited to both military and support activities. From deep space patrol to assisting civilian vessels in their travels across the Federation, it is the Frigate that is the most visible type of vessel in the Starfleet. During times of military crisis, it is the frigate that protects vital trade routes and helps deliver vital troops and supplies to the fronts.
DESIGN HISTORY
Designed to replace the aging Merced Class of Fast Frigates, the New Orleans class has remained the main frigate of the United Federation of Planets for the last 40 years. Small, sturdy, and well equipped for its size, the New Orleans class remains in active, frontline service even after the introduction of its replacement in the Steamrunner class starship; sporting three outboard equipment modules, this vessel can be quickly and easily adapted to any scientific or military mission necessary. A total of six torpedo tubes can be installed, one forward and one aft in each module along with a third launcher, mounted either forward or aft, along the ventral pod area. A wide variety of sensor equipment can also, of course, be installed rather than weaponry. With nearly 150 New Orleans class ships constructed over a thirty-year period and nearly a hundred of those are still in service, the class has proven to be a durable and lasting design.
Development of the New Orleans Class began in 2340, with Starfleet calling for a replacement for the successful Merced class Frigate in its complete revamping of the Starfleet. The development team was based out of the famous San Francisco Fleet Yards took to the daunting task of designing a frigate that would serve as more than just a deep space patrol craft, but also as a deep space exploration vessel without increasing appreciably the size or crew compliment when compared to the Merced Class.
In order to more explicitly define the design philosophy of the New Orleans Class frigate, the designers utilized Starfleet Exploration Directives 902.3 & 914.5, Starfleet Defense Directives 138.6, 141.1, and Federation Security Council General Policy with the following objectives: 1. Provide a multi-mission mobile platform for a wide range of scientific and explorative research projects. 2. Replace Merced, Miranda, and Excelsior class Starships as an instrument of Federation deep-space exploration and/or defense. 3. Provide autonomous capability for full execution of Federation defensive, cultural, scientific, and explorative policy in deep space or border territory. 4. Serve as a frontline support vehicle during times of war and emergencies.
The Design team laid down the groundwork for a new MARA Warp system and Nacelle design assembly, which would become a hallmark of the new generation of vessels as variants of this system would later be modified and used in the Galaxy, Nebula, Springfield and Cheyenne Classes. The initial simulations showed a marked improvement in warp performance, particularly at the high warp speeds, while not increasing the amount of fuel consumed. This would give the New Orleans class a much wider range of operation and on-station duration than the older Merced class � allowing the New Orleans Class too much better fill the role of exploration.
However, the new design also meant that additional interior deck space would be taken up by a larger Engineering section, along with Deuterium tanks and the appropriate support equipment. Given the space restrictions placed on the design by Starfleet, this would mean more and more space once reserved for science laboratories, storage, and crew compartments would have to be sacrificed. The current design, while faster and with a longer endurance than previous frigate designs, it had even less space for its assigned duties as a deep-space research vessel.
In order to work around the space constraints in the initial hull build, the design team decided to add generalized, multifunction mission pods, located along the aft portion of the saucer along with running along the ventral spine of the vessel. These pods provided the New Orleans class added flexibility in its mission roles by allowing modular units such as additional sensor arrays, science laboratories, medical facilities, storage units or weapons systems to be installed and changed as different needs arose.
Despite the advances made by in the New Orleans class design, most noteably the advent of truly modular components to be utilized in the mission specific pod area, this class has seen a relatively limited production run when compared to her predecessors. Starfleet preferred to build the larger Galaxy and Nebula class vessels in much larger numbers than originally estimated, which were much better suited to deep space exploration, while relying on those New Orleans class ships to be used in conjunction with the older Merced class frigates for patrol and defensive operations in and around Federation space.
The two production contracts for the New Orleans Class ended in 2380. The New Orleans Class was constructed from three facilities at the peak of its production run � out of Utopia Planetia, Mars, Sol, out of Earth Station McKinnley with parts manufactured and assembled out of the San Francisco Shipyards and several ships of this class were produced at the Antereas Fleet Yards. Those New Orleans class vessels that remain in service today continue to be refit and upgraded as time and technology permit, while lost New Orleans vessels have been replaced by the newer Steamrunner class starship.
CONSTRUCTION HISTORY
The primary hull went into design early in 2340, shortly after the announcement of its inception. The initial frame was constructed in Bay 2 of Utopia Planetia, with the engineering hull being gamma welded in place by 2343. While the hull was being laid and the saucer section constructed, the Warp Engine design team began finalized the initial design of the new M/ARA core and propulsion system and began constructing separately the Warp Nacelles and Primary Warp Core Dilithium Chamber.
Due to flaws in construction materials used in the final assembly of Starboard Warp Coil 3 through 6 prevented the starboard nacelle from being integrated into the prototype spaceframe, now registered as the USS New Orleans, NCX 57000. Due to material shortages, the USS New Orleans nacelle was not ready to sail on her initial shakedown until 2 years after her hull and primary spaces were completed for testing.
In order to expedite the launch window, Impulse Engine drives from a decommissioned Merced Class frigate were lifted and integrated into the testbed space frame for testing purposes while the Starfleet Corps of Engineers began development and testing on a new series of Impulse engines. As with the Warp Core, variants of these impulse engines would be utilized in later classes such as the Springfield, Cheyenne, Nebula and the vaunted Galaxy Class starship.
After initial testing and prototype development on the M/ARA and Impulse engines by Starfleet, the famous Yoyodine Propulsion labs were awarded the full production contract for both the impulse and warp core engine components. The Yoyodine YPS 8000 impulse engine was developed and the first plants were not installed until 2348, one year after initial space frame testing. The KPS � 2000 M/ARA warp core and nacelle system were not finalized until 2349, almost two years after the initial space frame testing.
The USS New Orleans sailed from Utopia Planetia in 2347, utilizing the standard Merced Class Impulse engines for primary power and propulsion. Test tolerances on the power grid, navigational deflector along with the navigational sensor arrays, along with other vital ships systems such as Life Support, Transporters, the new Computer Systems, etc, were well within nominal parameters and the test cruise was deemed a success.
By 2349, the USS New Orleans had been upgraded with the first Yoyodine YPS 8000 impulse engine system and the new KPS � 2000 M/ARA warp core system was installed and the NCX 57000 left Utopia Planetia for a shakedown cruise from the Sol system to Alpha Centauri and back. Stress tolerance tests were done on both the newly integrated Warp Core and Impulse reactors. Both propulsion systems performed to specification, though the KPS � 2000 warp field did create anomalies in the starboard and port side aft defensive shielding, due to warp field interference from the nacelles. Despite this failing, the final shakedown cruise was deemed a success and Starfleet ordered the production of no less than 100 of these vessels to enter active service. The registry for the USS New Orleans was changed to reflect this order to NCC 57000 and production began in earnest.
As the New Orleans class entered service, it slowly became an unheralded support and police ship for the United Federation of Planets. As it has entered its 40th year of service, and with that began to receive refits and upgrades to maintain its place as a frontline ship in the fleet. The uprated variant of the New Orleans Class has received further tweaking in its Warp M/ARA dilithium chamber, allowing for a slightly faster top speed and more efficient use of its antimatter fuel. Further updates include the installation of Type X phaser emitters over the original Type IX emitters originally installed and the addition of rapid-fire photon torpedo launchers similar to those found in the Norway Class space frame.
The New Orleans class, while a valuable member of the Starfleet thanks to its solid, modular space frame and mission specific pods that allow it to perform multiple mission parameters, has also been shown to have a few potent problems. The most notable problem being the large, powerful warp nacelles cause a severe weakening of the defensive shield configuration along the port side and starboard side aft portion of the shield grid. This weakness was exploited by threat vessels to disable the New Orleans Class quickly. The Borg, in particular, noted this weak spot and exploited it with brutal effectiveness, shearing a nacelle off of the USS Kyushu during the battle of Wolf 359, causing a cascade power failure that resulted in the quick destruction of the ship. Additionally, the added phaser arrays and torpedo launchers in the uprated version of the New Orleans class placed an unusually high strain on the power system and caused additional repair and overhaul cycles for the YPS 8000 impulse fusion plants. Because of these problems, the New Orleans class never really reached the production levels expected of the design. They remained a unique addition to the fleet, replaced by the new Nebula Class in deep space operations and the Steamrunner Class in patrol duties before it ever had a chance to make its mark as a first class vessel.
NEW ORLEANS CLASS NEW ORLEANS CLASS - UPRATED
General Specifications: Production Base: ASDB Integration Facility, Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards, Mars. ASDB Integration Facility, San Franciso Fleet Yards, Earth. ASDB Integration Facility, Anteras Fleet Yards, Anteras IV Type: Frigate Compliment: 200 officers and crew; 25 visiting personnel; 1,900 person evac limit. Dimensions: Length, 355 m; beam, 260 m; height, 82 m. Mass: 825,000 metric tons. Performance: Warp 9.6 for 12 hours (STD), Warp 9.75 for 12 hours (UPRTD). Armament: Six type-IX phaser emitters (STD), Six type-X phaser emitters (UPRTD); two torpedo launchers (STD), six torpedo launchers (UPRTD). Notable ships of this class:
USS New Orleans NCC - 57000 USS Renegade NCC - 63102 USS Thomas Paine NCC-65530 USS Kyushu NCC-65491 USS Apache NCC-61491 USS Comanche NCC-61333 USS Huron NCC-61245 USS Rutledge NCC-57295
Available pictures: (1) Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Would not the Apache and Comanche be better suited as Chyenne class names? Not that naming ship after wiped-out tribes was ever a good idea....
Intresting that the pods are considered "equipment modules", but if they were really uber-torpedo launchers, the ship would far outclass a Galaxy in firepower so I guess it works...
Looks like objective #2 was never realised- nicely explained though.
quote:2. Replace Merced, Miranda, and Excelsior class Starships as an instrument of Federation deep-space exploration and/or defense.
With the exception of considering the Steamrunner as a frigate, (and not knowing what the wrriter thinks the Merced looks like) I love the article.