6.5 Cavalry Class Destroyer
Born from the Centaurean Project Mars, the Cavalry class was a small, highly maneuverable destroyer whose hull-over-single-engine design proved an effective combatant, and the page also describes the Vanguard class transport, the largest and most versatile civilian cargo ship of the early Federation.
Cavalry Class Destroyer
Service Entry Date (Old Calendar): 2141Project Mars was originally conceived by the Centaureans to develop a new type of destroyer to replace the aging Terran Black Mamba. After the war ended, though, the project was temporarily shelved. The War with the Vegan Tyranny reminded Star Fleet of the need for a small, well armed, and highly maneuverable destroyer type starship. The original proposal was dusted off and revamped to take advantage of the latest in Centaurean warp drive technology. Although initially criticized for its cramped quarters and ungainly looking appearance, it proved an effective combatant. The hull-over-single-engine design of the Cavalry class, unique at the time, would be revisited by the Class I starship program almost a century later.
Before the Romulan War the Cavalry class destroyers were used primarily as patrol and customs enforcement craft. The ambush of the destroyer USS Patton in 2159, the last Cavalry class starship ever built, is widely regarded as the opening salvo in the Romulan War (2159-2162). Their slow warp speeds limited their availability on the front lines, though, so most wound up in garrison fleets or at secondary defensive line stations. All were scheduled to be decommissioned in 2162 but were retained in service due to the outbreak of the M’Dok War. They were retired as a whole shortly after the end of that conflict.
Specifications
Length: 130 m. Beam: 25 m. Draft: 35 m. Mass: 14,900 DWT. Crew: 80. Range: 2 years at L.Y.V. Cruising speed: Warp 2.0. Maximum safe speed: Warp 3.1. Armament: 4 laser banks, 1 particle beam cannon, 2 fusion torpedo tubes (1 each fore/aft).Vanguard Class Transport
Service Entry Date (Old Calendar): 2144This was the largest civilian transport (in terms of cargo capacity) of the early years of the Federation. It could be found everywhere in the civilian, industrial, and military sectors, plying the space lanes with all kinds of cargo. Its side loading ports and reconfigurable cargo bays is what gave these starships their versatility. They could carry almost anything, from raw ore and goods to finished bulk product, both frozen and liquid cargoes, and even small spacecraft. They could also carry up to 1000 beings in a pinch, which proved useful in several different occasions — especially during colony and base evacuations and in the troopship role during the Romulan War. Most were maintained for decades by their owners with periodic upgrades. Not surprisingly, a fair number are still in civilian service even today.