In the year 2284, the U.S.S. Excelsior, called 'The Great Experiment', was commissioned. The ship was to be the first Starship capable of Transwarp flight. This was a failure, but the Excelsior class went on to become one of the best Starship classes of all time.
The history of the Excelsior class tends to consist of extremes.
Initially fitted with a Transwarp drive and proclaimed "the great experiment",
the ship had an ignoble start when its engines failed when it was called into
action to prevent the theft of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Although this was due
to deliberate sabotage, it transpired that the Excelsior had been saved from
a major disaster; engineers working to correct the damage discovered a series
of flaws in the Transwarp drive which, had it been used, would have caused a
nacelle implosion which would have destroyed the ship. The Excelsior spent nearly
a full year in Spacedock while engineering specialists struggled to repair the
problem. Re-launched early in 2286, the ship met with little more success. Although
the fatal flaw of the Transwarp drive was repaired, the system was subject to
major problems and over the next year it never completed a successful test,
much to the embarrassment of Captain Styles and his crew. Finally Starfleet
canceled the Transwarp project altogether, and for a short time the Excelsior
faced decommissioning. There was nothing wrong with the basic engineering of
the space frame however, and in all other areas the Excelsior class was still
the most advanced ship in Starfleet, and indeed the entire Quadrant, by a considerable
margin. In light of this Starfleet rapidly decided to fit the Excelsior class
with a more conventional propulsion system. She returned to Spacedock for the
third time in 2287 to have her hull converted to run with a standard Warp drive.
This process went remarkably smoothly, and by the end of the year the Excelsior
was in space again. From here the history of the ship leapt from one extreme
to the other; from being a costly and embarrassing failure, the Excelsior rapidly
built a reputation for outstanding performance and a solid reliability few other
designs have matched. Series production commenced at once, and continued unbroken
for the next thirty nine years - a record for Federation shipbuilding. The Excelsior
herself was assigned to Captain Sulu in 2290 and conducted extensive scientific,
exploratory and diplomatic missions under his distinguished command. Today the
ships of the Excelsior class continue in service, having undergone many refits
and upgrades over the decades.
The first major subgroup of the Excelsior class, the Enterprise-B subtype was designed for greater burst speed and maneuverability than the standard Excelsior and carried a much more elaborate electronics fit. The intention was to counter the new generation of cloak capable vessels being deployed by the Klingon empire. Starfleet was especially worried about developments which might permit Klingon vessels to fire whilst still cloaked, and it was these in particular that the new type was designed to counter. Wake homing torpedoes were fitted as standard, while plasma detector systems allowed the new ship to locate almost any existing vessel through its cloak. The advanced sensors of the Enterprise-B were also able to engage vessels firing from cloak by automatically locking phasers onto the origin of the weapons fire and almost instantly laying down a pattern of fire on the immediate area before the enemy vessel could change its position. Although the plasma emission weakness was rapidly eliminated from Klingon cloaking devices, the automatic lock and fire system of the Enterprise-B subclass proved so successful in service that by 2310 the Klingons had been forced to abandon the whole idea of firing from behind the cloak and reverted back to using this device purely during approach and evasion operations.
2273: Starfleet issues a general design brief for a multi purpose vessel capable of deep space, combat, and diplomatic missions, while using the newly developed Transwarp drive system, to enhance and then replace the aging Constitution Class. The general idea is for a modular Starship, which would be capable of Transwarp fight. Two project briefs are handed to Starfleet for the Fuji and Excelsior Classes. The Excelsior Class is approved by Starfleet as the prototype vehicle. Permission for base designs are approved.
2275: Starfleet view the Design Schematics for the new class and after much deliberation, the primary design is approved and briefs for the Transwarp propulsion, computer, weapons and spaceframe parameters are sent out to Starfleet Design agencies for consultation. Spaceframe design is approved and full specifications are forwarded to the San Francisco Fleet Yards for designations. Production begins with a projected 8 year turnover for the Prototype ship.
2277: Emergency saucer section separation mechanism is borrowed from the Constitution Class. Transwarp systems delayed due to a flaw in the reaction matrix. Nacelle designs approved and construction begins.
2279: Theoretical Propulsions Dynamics labs send a functional test Transwarp core for fitting and alignment in the bare chassis. Chassis latching system passes Review 1. By the end of the year the Spaceframe is 72% completed.
2280: Saucer section separation latches pass Review One. Early in the second year, computer cores arrive and are fitted to the Excelsior. Propulsion dynamics labs deliver a fully functional Transwarp core for testing. By mid August, reactors are on line and supplying primary power.
2281: Computer system are operating at 84% of maximum. System expected to become self aware within the year. Transwarp core begins primary testing. Star drive section nears completion. Bridge module attached to Primary hull. Master chassis now completed for six Starships. These are then moved and stored for use after shakedown and testing of Prototype.
2282: Primary hull work complete. Habitat modules are attached and bridge unit is brought to functional status. Chassis is completed. Computer systems are uploaded and tested. Primary modules are attached and outer hull of the saucer section nears completion.
2283: Transwarp core passes Review Three and it tested to 80% peak. Computer system fully self aware and umbilical from the station are cut as the ship become self sufficient. Structural latching systems onboard the U.S.S. Excelsior with regards to saucer separation are tested and approved. Impulse systems pass Review Three and being autonomous low level power control. Secondary Back up Generators are shut down and become auxiliary system control. Structural latching system for saucer separation passes Review Three.
2284: U.S.S. Excelsior leaves Dry Dock for primary testing estimate to last eight months. Questions arise in Transwarp systems. U.S.S. Excelsior returns to San Francisco Fleet Yards early in year. Warp stress coating is applied and the ship is clear to begin deep space assessments. All primary tests have passed Review Four, except Transwarp drive. Final exterior markings and paint applied. On 2, August 2284 the U.S.S. Excelsior is officially commissioned by Starfleet during a brief ceremony. Bridge plaque is put in pride of place and Captain Styles takes command of the ship.
Commissioned 2293 - Present
Classification: Explorer / Counter cloak cruiser
Structure:
Duranium
Length: 467 meters
Width: 185 meters
Height: 100 meters
Decks: 28
Mass 1,870,000 tons
Warp Systems:
Normal Cruise: Warp Factor 6
Maximum Cruise: Warp Factor 8.6
Maximum Rated: Warp Factor 9 for twelve hours.
Impulse Systems:
Power: Fusion
Engines: 2
Tactical Systems:
Phasers:
Type IX: 12
Torpedoes:
Launchers: 4
Photon: 200
Quantum: 160
Shields:
Metaphasic Shielding
Auto-modulating Shields, total capacity 1,296,000 TeraJoules
Ablative Armor
Cloaking Device
Standard Duranium double hull
Standard level Structural Integrity Field
Crew and Auxiliary Systems:
Officers: 115
Enlisted Crew: 450
Passengers: 0
Transporters: 1x4 personnel / cargo
Diplomatic Capability: Grade 5
Auxiliary Craft:
Shuttle Bays: 3
Shuttles: 8
Type 6: 4
Type 9: 2
Type 11: 1
Wyvern "Hopper" Class Transport: 1
Fighters: 5
Razor Class Interceptor: 4
Broadsword Class Multi-Role Fighter: 1
Runabouts: 3
Danube: 2
Delta Flyer: 1
Expected Hull Life: 100 years
Refit Cycle Minor: 2 years
Standard: 6 years
Major: 18 years