| STARSHIP CLASS | |
|---|---|
| Rome-class | |
| |
| Affiliation: | Federation; Starfleet |
| Type: | flotilla leaders |
| Service period: | mid 2240s-2390s |
| Dimensions | |
| Specifications | |
| Crew: | 166 |
| Speed: | warp 8.8 |
| Armaments: | 6 phaser banks (three dorsal and three ventral); 2 photon torpedo launchers |
| Defences: | deflector shields |
| Auxiliary craft: | Federation shuttlecraft |
The Rome-class was a starship class of Starfleet flotilla leaders built in the mid-2240s at the Copernicus Fleet Yards on Luna. A relatively small class of starship they introduced a number of new technologies with mixed success. The class survived until the early 2390s with the survivors spending their last decade of service as Starfleet hacks.
Mission statement[]
As flotilla leaders the Rome-class was intended to act as the flagship for a number of smaller vessels such as the Larson-class or Saladin-class destroyers on extended operations such as convoy duties. The class resembles the Saladin-class but is marginally larger being able to accommodate a command staff.
Design[]
Crew complement[]
Typical crew complement comprises 166 officers and crew however there are facilities for a command staff of around 20 plus bunk space for an additional 60 people.
Propulsion[]
The warp core is located aft of the main bridge in the saucer section and is mounted horizontally. While at first glance the Rome-class appears to be configured with a single warp nacelle like the Saladin-class this is somewhat deceiving. In fact the rather large nacelle comprises two rows of smaller warp coils that together generate more warp power than a more traditionally configured single row of larger coils. The two inner warp nacelles are fed one large Bussard collector at the front which only fuels the common mistake that the vessel has only one nacelle arrangement. This configuration allows the Rome-class to achieve the respectable figure of warp 8.8 on the old scale.
A drawback of this configuration however is that it is far more complex than traditional warp nacelles and are far more time consuming to repair in the field. Also, neither sets of coils can be run independently of the other and if the Bussard collector is damaged there is no secondary back up as in vessels with two nacelles.
Two powerful impulse engines are located aft of the saucer section which gives the ship a high power/mass ratio which endows the Rome-class with excellent sub-light manoeuvrability.
Weaponry[]
Six phaser banks are located on the saucer section; three dorsal and three ventral. All are located equally spaced around the circumference with one mounted directly ahead of the main bridge while the the other two are adjacent to the shuttle bay/neck.
The Rome-class has two forward photon torpedo launchers protruding from the lower half of the saucer and located above the sensor dome. Like a number of ships of the period it lacks an aft torpedo launcher.
Defensive systems[]
The Rome-class was able to dispense with having a deflector dish instead relying on powerful navigational shields to protect it at high warp. This was thanks largely to power from the engines being channelled through the deflector grid; a process that would become more common on starships without dedicated engineering sections.
For protection in combat the Rome-class can generate a strong shield around the hull that like the deflector grid can be reinforced with energy channelled from the warp engines. In emergencies these shields can extended around smaller vessels but this requires the two vessels to manoeuvre extremely closely to one another.
Members of the Rome-class[]
The Rome-class were constructed between 2246 and 2249 when Starfleet began to lose interest in the dedicated flotilla leader concept preferring to assign medium to large Starfleet classes to carry out the function. All were built at the Copernicus Shipyards and with the notable exception of the first of the class USS Rome, all were named after generals from Earth's Roman Empire.
- USS Rome (NCC-630)
- USS Corbulo (NCC-631)
- USS Agrippa (NCC-632)
- USS Macedonicus (NCC-633)
- USS Constantine (NCC-634)
- USS Magnus (NCC-635)
- USS Aetius (NCC-636)
- USS Calvinus (NCC-637)
The Rome-class was designed by Tony Wilkins using the parts sheets from Wolf's Shipyards.