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Description

The Horizon class heavy cruiser and its subclasses (Advance , Whorfin , Indomitable , Horizon Flt II , Advance Flt II , Essex , Archon ) are Part 1 of the Project Starship series.

Image provided by: adrasil
Original inspirations from: Rick Sternbach (Spaceflight Chronology) and video game Star Trek: Legacy
History from: Hobbyist's Guide to the UFP Starfleet , by Timo Saloniemi

Variant blueprints: Access via Adrasil's Download button

Featured in: Starship Recognition Manual #296

Four years after the first of the veteran Horizon subclass heavy cruisers and Advance subclass battle cruisers received their Flight II upratings, newbuilds of even greater advancement were commissioned into frontline service with Star Fleet. The heavy cruiser variant, like the concurrent battle cruiser variant , continued the homage to the hero vessels of the Daedalus class of the preceding generation with the U.S.S. Archon (NCC-1370), the first in the final Horizon subclasses. With the same weapons loadout of the Horizon Flt IIs, as well as the same overall dimensions, a position paper about the ship would not appear to do it justice: the ship had a secondary hull design borrowed and modified from the failed Indomitable experiment, providing it an immense internal volume unavailable to its predecessors. This increased the ship's range and endurance (6 years, specifically), due to the enormous increase in fuel and supplies carried (when compared to the older, converted cruisers). The higher standard of accommodation was also appreciated by her crew. The PB-22 warp nacelle was a slight improvement on the PB-18, decreasing individual unit mass for the same performance characteristics, through more advanced (but smaller) primary buffer panels and an intercooler that maximized efficiency with increased length (but less of a physical footprint).

While the Baton Rouge class was also first commissioned in the same year (2222), the operational history of the Horizon subclasses allowed for instant familiarity for the Archon and her sisters, meaning the ships were at the forefront of Star Fleet's strategic forward defense policy for a few of their early years. However, as the more modern heavy cruisers increased their numbers and operational responsibilities, the production of the subclass was quickly slashed to seven (from the envisioned twenty). In the end, these newest of the Horizon series still failed to provide the expectations of acceleration, agility, speed, or range to meet modern military standards or ambitions. Hence, Star Fleet would consider how additional upgrades could provide boosts in power and propulsive performance, in a direct impact to what would eventually result in the Constitution class heavy cruiser of the 2240s. The last Archon would be decommissioned in 2263.

Would you like to learn more about this class of ship? Download the free Hobbyist's Guide to the UFP Starfleet , a three-volume, 1236-page history of space flight, by Timo Saloniemi.

For an extremely rich gallery of Star Trek starships and vessels from other universes, check out my partner, adrasil , here on DeviantArts.

Description

The Horizon class heavy cruiser and its subclasses (Advance , Whorfin , Indomitable , Horizon Flt II , Advance Flt II , Essex , Archon ) are Part 1 of the Project Starship series.

Image provided by: adrasil
Original inspirations from: Rick Sternbach (Spaceflight Chronology) and video game Star Trek: Legacy
History from: Hobbyist's Guide to the UFP Starfleet , by Timo Saloniemi

Variant blueprints: Access via Adrasil's Download button

Featured in: Starship Recognition Manual #296

Four years after the first of the veteran Horizon subclass heavy cruisers and Advance subclass battle cruisers received their Flight II upratings, newbuilds of even greater advancement were commissioned into frontline service with Star Fleet. The heavy cruiser variant, like the concurrent battle cruiser variant , continued the homage to the hero vessels of the Daedalus class of the preceding generation with the U.S.S. Archon (NCC-1370), the first in the final Horizon subclasses. With the same weapons loadout of the Horizon Flt IIs, as well as the same overall dimensions, a position paper about the ship would not appear to do it justice: the ship had a secondary hull design borrowed and modified from the failed Indomitable experiment, providing it an immense internal volume unavailable to its predecessors. This increased the ship's range and endurance (6 years, specifically), due to the enormous increase in fuel and supplies carried (when compared to the older, converted cruisers). The higher standard of accommodation was also appreciated by her crew. The PB-22 warp nacelle was a slight improvement on the PB-18, decreasing individual unit mass for the same performance characteristics, through more advanced (but smaller) primary buffer panels and an intercooler that maximized efficiency with increased length (but less of a physical footprint).

While the Baton Rouge class was also first commissioned in the same year (2222), the operational history of the Horizon subclasses allowed for instant familiarity for the Archon and her sisters, meaning the ships were at the forefront of Star Fleet's strategic forward defense policy for a few of their early years. However, as the more modern heavy cruisers increased their numbers and operational responsibilities, the production of the subclass was quickly slashed to seven (from the envisioned twenty). In the end, these newest of the Horizon series still failed to provide the expectations of acceleration, agility, speed, or range to meet modern military standards or ambitions. Hence, Star Fleet would consider how additional upgrades could provide boosts in power and propulsive performance, in a direct impact to what would eventually result in the Constitution class heavy cruiser of the 2240s. The last Archon would be decommissioned in 2263.

Would you like to learn more about this class of ship? Download the free Hobbyist's Guide to the UFP Starfleet , a three-volume, 1236-page history of space flight, by Timo Saloniemi.

For an extremely rich gallery of Star Trek starships and vessels from other universes, check out my partner, adrasil , here on DeviantArts.