design by William Colley
NOTES:
The Cassard class missile destroyer was conceived in late 2242 as fleet combat support vessel. Starfleet felt the need to provide the fleet with a starship that was capable of providing overwhelming accelerator cannon support to the battle. This ship was designed to serve as the equivalent of an artillery battery for ground troops. In mid 2243 the Cassard class became a reality for Starfleet when the finalized design was approved utilizing the new M-1 control computer.
The Cassard class proved their worth during the on and off conflicts with the Klingon Empire over the years of service from 2243 through 2288. Their first baptism of fire occurred with the Imperial Klingon Navy in 2248. This proved to be a devastating learning experience for the Klingons. The Federation 6th Fleet was conducting maneuvers in an uninhabited system near Federation Outpost 1. A Klingon scout spotted the six red force ships and radioed a near by Klingon fleet of the current situation. The scout never spotted the other eight ships of blue force that were hiding behind the second planet of the system preparing for the upcoming practice engagement. Blue fleet had four ships of the Cassard class participating in the maneuvers. This was the first time the Cassard class ship participated in a major fleet exercise. Ironically, the maneuvers were testing integration strategies for the Cassard class into current battle fleets. An hour before the exercise was to begin a Klingon task force of three D-7As and six D-16s entered the system and engaged the red force. Red force began a slow retreat to the second planet in an attempt to set up the Klingon fleet for an ambush with the blue fleet. The Cassard class ships lead the blue fleet counter attack by moving around the planet and attacked the Klingon fleet from the rear with complete surprise. The Cassards launched the counter attack with a volley of their accelerator cannon’s. They destroyed the Klingon flagship and proceeded to attack the other ships one at a time in concentrated volleys will the rest of blue fleet provided defensive support. The battle ended 30 minutes later with the loss of three Federation vessels, two heavily damage, and the rest with light to moderate damage. Three D-16s managed to retreat back to Klingon space with moderate damage and the rest were destroyed. The Cassard class proved their worth in fleet size battles with other starships providing beam weapon support, but remained untested until six months later when three Cassard class destroyers where forced into battle without fleet support near the Klingon border. All three ships were lost in the engagement. After that incident, all Cassard class destroyers were removed from long-range patrol duties and assigned to outpost defense duties and fleet support actions only. Starfleet felt the ships were too vulnerable to operate without support from other starships due to the lack of beam weapons.
In 2258 the MK II version was commissioned using the new photon torpedoes as the primary weapon system. Other systems were also upgraded to improve the survival ability of the class, but the beam weapon problem still existed. This remained unchanged until 2268 when the MK III version entered service.
In 2288 the last Cassard class destroyer was removed from service and placed into mothball status. The ships remained in mothball until 2304, when 26 ships were sold to the Affiliation of Outer Free Worlds. The USS Cassard was placed into the Starfleet museum in 2305.
| Construction Data: | |||
| Model – | Mk I | Mk II | Mk III |
| Ship Class – | VI | VI | VI |
| Date Entering Service – | 2243 | 2258 | 2268 |
| Number Constructed – | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Hull Data: | |||
| Superstructure Points – | 12 | 13 | 15 |
| Damage Chart – | C | C | C |
| Size: | |||
| Length – | 280 m | 280 m | 280 m |
| Width – | 127 m | 127 m | 127 m |
| Height – | 59 m | 59 m | 59 m |
| Weight – | 60,350 mt | 60,305 mt | 64,295 mt |
| Cargo: | |||
| Total SCU – | 90 SCU | 90 SCU | 90 SCU |
| Cargo Capacity – | 4,500 mt | 4,500 mt | 4,500 mt |
| Landing Capacity – | None | None | None |
| Equipment Date: | |||
| Control Computer Type – | M-1 | M-1 | M-1 |
| Transporters: | |||
| Standard 6-person – | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Emergency 22-person – | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Cargo – | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Other Data: | |||
| Crew – | 91 | 91 | 91 |
| Passengers – | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Shuttlecraft – | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Engines And Power Data: | |||
| Total Power Units Available – | 22 | 32 | 34 |
| Movement Point Ratio – | 3/1 | 3/1 | 3/1 |
| Warp Engine Type – | FWB-1 | FWB-2 | FWB-2 |
| Number – | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Power Units Available – | 9 ea. | 14 ea. | 14 ea. |
| Stress Chart – | M/O | M/O | M/O |
| Max Safe Cruising Speed – | Warp 6 | Warp 7 | Warp 7 |
| Emergency Speed – | Warp 7 | Warp 8 | Warp 8 |
| Impulse Engine Type – | FIB-2 | FIB-2 | FIB-3 |
| Power Units Available – | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| Weapons And Firing Data: | |||
| Beam Weapon Type – | FL-2 | FH-4 | FH-4 |
| Number – | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Firing Arcs – | 2 f | 2 f | 2 f/p, 2 f/s |
| Firing Chart – | F | Q | Q |
| Maximum Power – | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Damage Modifiers: | |||
| +3 | (-) | (-) | (-) |
| +2 | (-) | (1-8) | (1-8) |
| +1 | (-) | (9-14) | (9-14) |
| Torpedo Weapon Type – | FAC-1 | FP-2 | FP-2 |
| Number – | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| Firing Arcs – | 4 f | 6 f | 8 f |
| Firing Chart – | F | H | H |
| Power to Arm – | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Damage – | 8 | 6 | 6 |
| Shield Data: | |||
| Deflector Shield Type – | FSA | FSF | FSF |
| Shield Point Ratio – | 1/1 | 1/2 | 1/2 |
| Maximum Shield Power – | 7 | 10 | 10 |
| Combat Efficiency: | |||
| D – | 37.7 | 63.6 | 68.5 |
| WDF – | 9 | 17.2 | 26.4 |