LOKNAR CLASS LINEAR WARP UPGRADE PROJECT

LOKNAR II – VALLEY FORGE – PHOBOS

A classic staple of the ‘Class I’ era, the Loknar (FF 2700) class did not receive as much attention or gain quite as much notoriety as the more well known Surya (FF 1850) or Coventry (FH 1230) classes (thanks to the more exotic design which made mass production harder/more time intensive), but would go on to form the backbone of Starfleet’s frigate force—taking over more defensive/offensive oriented assignments as the former two classes were deployed on longer-range, scientific and support missions. With the advent of the Linear Warp Era and the infamous delays that plagued Starfleet’s Perimeter Action Ship program, Starfleet made Loknar the basis for a number of more specialized sub-classes. The Linear Warp Era (widely considered to have started around 2267-68) saw a shift in emphasis towards starships that were larger and more heavily armed. The advances in technology and engineering also contributed towards the trend of specialized variants/sub-classes that would become a hallmark of this period. Loknar, despite its more complex design and lower overall production numbers, still managed to rack up a number of notable achievements. Most recognized among these were the exploits of Yorkshire (FF 2715) in sector 21305. In 2263, she was the starship responsible for discovering the region of space—filled with plasma storms and gravitational anomalies—that would later be known as the ‘Badlands’. The discovery of the long lost Terra Ten colony by the Hiroshima (FF 2718) was further proof of the class utility outside traditional military spheres. Ships of the class were uprated to the Loknar II linear-warp standard over a 2-year period from 2273 to 2275. This standard stayed faithful to the original design, save for the forward ‘notch’ within the primary hull, housing the battery of 3 2nd Class Torpedo Launchers. As with the other uprated frigate designs—such as Knox (FF 1940) and Miranda (FH 1830)—and new

ones such as Okinawa, Loknar II’s were used in various supporting capacities (convoy escort, colony support, interdiction etc.) as well as border patrol and (owing to their generally heavier armament) rapid-response/perimeter action duties. In 2283, the Halk (FF 2742) and Rome (FF 2726) were lost during the infamous ‘Kargon Incident’ in which a group of 6 Klingon D-18B class Destroyers ambushed and destroyed the Frigates and the Heavy Cruiser they were escorting (the Kongo/CH 1710). The Klingons managed to take the Halk by surprise—destroying her in just one volley—but the Rome however managed to inflict serious damage on 2 ships before succumbing to the same fate. The first sub-class to be developed, Valley Forge, proceeded independently of Loknar II (and its eventual successor, Phobos)—along similar lines to 5 other classes (Soyuz, Kearsarge II, Ortega II, Akula II and Daytona) conceived and developed to fill the void created by the infamous delay of the Perimeter Action Ship development project. The fact that Starfleet had clearly overstepped its bounds in performing covert surveillance against the Kzinti and was then severely censured by the Federation Council (in late 2274) did absolutely nothing to change either the astro-political situation or the balance of power. The Klingon Defense Force showed no signs of stopping, let alone slowing, either their continued development of ship classes both big and small or their fleet-wide uprating program. The Romulan Imperial Navy was also undergoing a period of rejuvenation and expansion—their now legendary ‘Hawk’ series of starships presenting yet another challenge for Starfleet planners. The destruction of Starbase 47 by the Tholian Navy, renewed ‘adventurism’ along the Klingon Neutral Zone and continued pervasive espionage activities on the part of the Romulans all represented threats (though, to varying degrees) which necessitated their own responses from Starfleet. Valley Forge, like Soyuz, Kearsarge II and Daytona was developed to leverage the potential of next generation Phaser Cannon technology. The primary hull remained unchanged then, from Loknar II, save for the slightly older bridge module and the phaser cannon turret—which wqs modified from that featured on Soyuz, mounting only 4 cannons in a 2x2 arrangement and an additional torpedo launcher. From their initial entry into service in 2279 to late 2285, 130 of these ships were put into service. Maximizing the inherent maneuverability of the basic Loknar class design, these Heavy Frigates were used first and foremost for interdiction and patrol operations along the Klingon and Romulan Neutral Zones—where the Klingons in particular, were especially vicious. Typical of the problems that Starfleet faced on the frontier was the Battle of Khatanga in 2284. Ordered to intercept two groups of Klingon raiders that had rendezvoused in the Khatanga system, the Starships Zephyr (FH 2977), Santa Maria (FH 2980) and Grozny (FH 2981) were the only survivors of a 10-ship contingent that engaged the Klingons, claiming 6 of the 8 total kills. These ships continued in faithful service through 2327, seeing action not only against the Klingons, but the Romulans (engaging them in several low-scale cross border incidents in the wake of the Tomed Incident) and the Tholians as well. The Phobos sub-class represented the ultimate iteration of Loknar in linear-warp form. Conceived in 2286, the goal was to integrate technologies and design/engineering techniques being used on and included in the development of the Excelsior. Also, with the relative success of Valley Forge, the ASDB sought to further differentiate between the basic Loknar II design and its more heavily armed brethren—the goal here being to duplicate the close integration that existed between the Enterprise and Miranda classes. Aesthetically, design changes between Phobos and Loknar/Loknar II were more substantial. The catamaran hull elements were redesigned, becoming larger in diameter and hanging down lower from the saucer—primarily to accommodate the two new deflector dishes, but also to handle a rollbar and accompanying torpedo launcher pod. The saucer itself reverted back to the fleet-standard design, losing the unique ‘forks’ at the rear and lacking the forward ‘notch’ of Valley Forge. Where armament was concerned, Phobos was down a single phaser bank compared to Loknar II and also had its banks arranged uniquely—angled to port and starboard instead of directly forward, with the 3rd dorsal bank covering the aft firing arc behind the bridge. Internally, Phobos was designed with a more robust scientific/exploratory capability in mind as well as an extended operating range. Hallmarks that demonstrated this included 14 science labs (relatively uncommon on single-hull ships of this size), an advanced astrometrics bay, a computer system that was custom designed & engineered specifically for the class as well as expanded crew support facilities. Ships were upgraded to this new standard from Loknar II specifications over a 5-year period from 2288-93, with an additional build group of 20 ships authorized by the Federation Council in 2295. These frigates ended up taking over long rage exploratory duties from Enterprise following that class’ retirement in 2310 and ended up serving in this capacity until their retirement in 2340. With the outbreak of war with the Dominion in 2372, there was a call by a small minority of officials in Starfleet Command to reactivate a number of these ships. However, given the losses suffered by both the Excelsior and Miranda classes, Command was loathed to stain the legacy of yet another class in a similar manner.

Class Classification Service Number Active Length Beam Height Decks

Loknar II Frigate 2273-87 0 300m 142m 36m 9

Mass Compliment

145,833 metric tons 175

Armament Defense Systems

6 Type VII Phaser Banks 3 2nd Class Torpedo Launchers Standard Deflector Shield System total capacity 607,300 TerraJoules Standard Duranium/Tritianium Single Hull

Class Classification Service Number Active Length Beam Height Decks

Valley Forge Heavy Frigate 2279-2327 0 300m 142m 36m 9

Mass Compliment

147,338 metric tons 170

Armament Defense Systems

6 Type VII Phaser Banks 4 Pulse Phaser Cannons 4 2nd Class Torpedo Launchers Standard Deflector Shield System total capacity 620,900 TerraJoules Standard Duranium/Tritianium Single Hull

Class Classification Service Number Active Length Beam Height Decks

Phobos Frigate 2288-2340 0 300m 142m 36m 9

Mass Compliment

146,154 metric tons 180

Armament Defense Systems

5 Type VIII Phaser Banks 4 2nd Class Torpedo Launchers Standard Deflector Shield System total capacity 618,490 TerraJoules Standard Duranium/Tritianium Single Hull

Editor’s Annotations Originally, I was just going to do the Valley Forge (as Loknar’s sole linear-warp incarnation) and that was it. However, in doing a bit of searching online, Phobos gets more than a bit of attention. So I sat and thought a little bit and I came up with the idea of this sort of ‘staggered’ uprating program. Conveniently enough, the backstory on the ‘Kargon Incident’ (courtesy of FASA), with the destruction of two Loknars, provided just the kind of justification I wanted for Valley Forge. All in all, this is a little more bare-bones than I’d like, but it both saves me from dragging the whole writing process out needlessly (brainstorming ideas to flesh out backstories/development histories) and helps speed up the release/publication process (don’t worry though, quality will always reign over quantity).

Bibliography Logos—Kristian “Reverend” Trigwell (Gallery @ Star Trek Minutiae) Viperaviator (DeviantART) Blueprints—Neale “Vance” Davidson (Jaynz Institute of Technology) Unknown