8.4 Texas Class Light Cruiser
The Texas class was an obsolete-on-arrival Romulan War holdover, the last Star Fleet class with laser-resistant armor plating and capable of planetary landing, that found its niche in fire and ground support and as Marine "commando cruisers."
Service Entry Date (Old Calendar): 2175
The base design for the Texas class was a holdover from the Romulan War — a vessel intended not only to take punishment but to dish it out as well. As such it was something of an anomaly in the peaceful post-war era. Authorization for construction was cancelled and then reapproved several times before it was finally given the go-ahead in mid-2170. 50 were originally conceived back in 2160; by the time approval finally came through and the Federation Council had their way that number had been cut down to just 12. They were built as originally designed and as such was the last Star Fleet starship class to have laser-resistant armor plating. This had been rendered obsolete by the development of force field shielding systems during the War; however, Star Fleet saw this as an excellent opportunity to rid its inventories of excess reserve armor. What little was left over from the building of the Texas class was eventually sold.
These ships were obsolete from the moment they entered service. Their one saving grace was that they were one of the few Star Fleet starship classes designed for a planetary landing and take-off. As such they found their purpose as fleet support roles, often serving as fire support ships or ground support vessels. They excelled in the latter role, where their heavy weapons and armor plating would make them a favorite with the Star Fleet Marines during the war-torn days of the early 23rd century. Eventually 4 of these would be turned over to the Marines, who had them rebuilt as “commando cruisers” with modern warp engines and weaponry to better support their operations. The only obvious visual differences between this configuration and the original were the new PB-32 warp engines and the removal of the main navigational deflector from the front underside of the ship. These Texas-based “commando cruisers” would go on to become the longest-lived starships still in service with Star Fleet (120 years) when this document was published.
As of this date all Texas class light cruisers save the 4 in Marine service have been decommissioned. Only 6 remain in the Star Fleet Reserve, with the others having been sold or scrapped.
Original Specifications (2175)
- Length: 189.9 m
- Beam: 85.3 m
- Draft: 50.1 m
- Mass: 112,000 DWT
- Crew: 140
- Armament: 6 laser banks, 2 fusion torpedo tubes
- Cruising speed: warp 3.0
- Maximum speed: warp 3.6