Constitution III Class
The Constitution III-class explorer is an advanced starship that carries the design lineage of the Constitution into the 25th century. Thanks to refinements in starship automation, this class manages to deliver explorer-grade scientific, diplomatic, and exploratory capabilities with half the crew complement of the long-serving Galaxy-class explorer. The Constitution III is the ultimate evolution of the Constitution-class design aesthetic and is a solid, proven design ready to support Starfleet's core missions.
Science and Exploration
Designated as an explorer, the Constitution III is capable of sustained, independent exploratory missions beyond Federation space. The intent has been that they will undertake 5-year missions just like their Constitution-class predecessors, but this has not been attempted in reality due to the ever-shifting political situation of the Alpha and Beta quadrants. The Advanced Starship Design Bureau predicts that this class will actually be capable of seven and ten-year missions, as operational protocols mature.
While they have good long-range sensors, the Constitution III has truly excellent mid-range and short-range sensors, as she is designed to explore star systems in depth. Because of this, her impulse engines are the most powerful proportionally to her size of any ship in the fleet, which allows her to easily navigate asteroid fields and other hazards. Constitution III-class vessels have extensive science labs, with both mission configurable and specialist labs available.
Diplomacy
Constitution III-class starships are well-equipped for first contact and other diplomatic missions. While not as luxurious as older explorers, they have guest quarters and a diplomatic conference area separate from the conference room attached to the main bridge. Their high top speed also makes them adept at responding to diplomatic situations quickly. Where the Constitution III is less capable is multi-party talks requiring a large amount of onboard accommodations, and an Obena or Odyssey would be preferred in this situation.
Engineering
With a circular primary hull and cylindrical secondary hull, the Constitution III-class continues the same rough planform created for the original Constitution in the 23rd century. Two large nacelles are fed from a single warp core, which runs the height of the secondary hull. Warp speed is enhanced by two warp governors on the underside of the saucer section, which are interconnected through the ship’s four advanced impulse engines. This class is nimble at both warp and impulse speeds. Fewer onboard systems are experimental than on the Sagan, in an effort to improve the ship’s overall reliability, but her high top speed means that the engines themselves must be looked after closely.
Small craft facilities aboard the Constitution III are located in both the primary and secondary hulls. Shuttlebays 1 and 2 have doors on the dorsal surface of the primary hull behind the bridge which connect to engineering workshops and cargo storage areas, making them ideal for launching repair missions using workbees. These bays also store runabouts. Shuttlebay 3 on the stern is most often used for standard shuttle operations.
Tactical
Constitution III-class starships are deceptively well-armed, as they have much fewer individual weapons emplacements than other large starships but each of these systems is quite powerful. Though they are not intended for tactical missions per se, they can still fulfill the role of a capital ship in fleet settings and handle first-contact scenarios with potentially hostile civilizations. Four advanced type-XIV phaser arrays on the saucer section are complemented by six dual phaser banks containing rapid-fire Type-XII phaser turrets for warding off attacks from small vessels. Torpedo coverage is provided by two forward and one aft burst-fire torpedo launchers, of the same type developed for the Odyssey-class explorer, each capable of firing salvos of up to fifteen warheads at a time. A Constitution III relies on its powerful impulse engines to maneuver its phaser and torpedo emplacements to bear for concentrated salvos before evading any response.
This class was one of the first to deploy metaphasic shielding as a standard feature. This state-of-the-art shielding has been successfully used to shield ships in the coronae of stars, proving how well it can disperse energy from natural phenomena and hostile vessels.
Shipboard Life
Carrying on the distinguished legacy of the Constitution class, the Constitution III is a sought-after posting because of this history. They perform the types of missions that many people dream about when they enter Starfleet: going boldly into the unknown. It is known, however, that these ships are also a return to 23rd century-sized crew quarters. While almost everyone has their own quarters, they are not the multi-room apartments found aboard ships of previous eras, and few of them have windows. Like other ships built at the end of the 24th century, communal recreation facilities allow more space to be devoted to mission equipment in a smaller form factor. This is still a comfortable assignment, but one quickly as to become accustomed to trading massive amounts of private space for the opportunity to go to the edge of known space. Medical facilities are well equipped, with secondary medical wards complementing the main sickbay.
Many of the ships of this class carry on established names, often with two or even three vessels that have also borne those names. Some of these ships have even been built to incorporate hull sections and systems from these older ships. This leads their crews to feel as though their ship is the original, and they have great pride in that fact. As such, they are also extremely sought-after by captains.
Constitution III Class History
While a revamp of the Constitution had been long discussed amongst certain circles at Starfleet Command, the dominant school of starship design up until 2385 was the Utopia Planitia School, which had tended towards larger, more organic designs. The re-emergence of the San Francisco School following Utopia Planitia’s destruction led to a turn in starship design back towards clean lines, fewer windows, and 23rd-century silhouettes. Combining design aspects of both the Shangri La and Constitution II-class heavy cruisers, the Constitution III was designed to be twice the size of the original Constitution.
By the 2390s, Starfleet had built Odyssey-class heavy explorers and both Ross and Obena-class explorers at a steady pace. These ships were serving the Federation well, but some voice Starfleet wanted more vessels at the 500-person strength to better distribute personnel resources. While the Luna-class light explorer met part of that requirement, Starfleet ordered a new explorer class that could deliver the performance of the Obena and Ross with more automation as a counterpart to the massive Odyssey-class ships, which would continue in production.
Similar in size and crew complement to the new Sagan-class light explorer, the Constitution III has been designed to be less maintenance intensive and is also slightly faster, though it has less endurance at its top speed and smaller embarked craft facilities. It compares favorably with the Ross and Obena.
Several vessels of the older classes were upcycled into Constitution III-class vessels starting in 2397. The Constitution herself left drydock in 2400, followed by a number of her stablemates that year. The third USS Titan was launched in 2401, having been built with components salvaged from the Luna-class iteration of that ship.
Constitution III In-Play
- Though the Constitution III resembles a 23rd-century design, it is actually a 25th-century design that’s much larger. These are modern ships, with a retro appearance.
- As of 2401, they are exceedingly rare. (Also, until 2402, a certain ship has not yet changed its name.)
- Most of these ships come with an important name from Star Trek lore.