D ' deridex class The warbird design referred to as " D ' deridex " - class , B - type warbird , or Warbird class was one of the largest and most powerful mainstays of the Romulan Star Empire . It served as the backbone of the Romulan fleet during the later half of the 24th century . History . The uncloaking of a warbird of this type in 2364 , during an encounter with the on the edge of the Neutral Zone , signaled the end to fifty - three years of Romulan isolation . ( ) Over the next ten years , these warbirds , under the command of both the Romulan military and the Tal Shiar , participated in numerous encounters with Starfleet and the Dominion . By 2374 , they were prominently featured in the Dominion War , where they were instrumental in forcing the Dominion fleets back , time and again . The design saw action during the First and Second Battles of Chin ' toka , as well as the final showdown of the conflict , the Battle of Cardassia . ( ) At least four warbirds were used in the Battle of the Omarion Nebula , joined with at least twelve Cardassian cruisers in a combined fleet of twenty ships . The entire fleet was ambushed and destroyed by a fleet of 150 Dominion ships . ( ) At least seven warbirds were present in the Federation Alliance fleet at the Battle of Cardassia . One is known to have been destroyed and at least five survived . ( ) Technical data . The " D ' deridex " - class warbird was classified as a battle cruiser by Starfleet . Using a forced quantum singularity as a power source ( see ) and the latest in Romulan cloaking technology , the " D ' deridex " was not only one of the most advanced vessels in the Romulan Star Empire , but also in the Alpha Quadrant . These warbirds were roughly twice as long as a Federation starship with a lower overall maximum speed . ( ) Two " D ' deridex " - class warbirds outgunned an " Intrepid " - class starship . ( : " Learning Curve " ) Physical arrangement . The outboard plan of the warbird ' s design incorporated a unique , horizontally split " shell " hull design , with a prominent forward section . The bulk of the ship ' s overall size was incorporated in the open - shell , which resembled two separate " wings " that met at either side at the warp nacelle s , at the " tail " and off the " neck " , which was connected to the " head " or primary forward hull section . The " head " featured the bridge , main engineering , and a majority of the primary weapon systems of the vessel . ( , etc . ) Tactical systems . The primary directed energy weapon s array of a warbird was located in its " head " , and consisted of a disruptor array , capable of firing both beams and pulses , which also appears to have been shared with a torpedo launcher . ( ; ; ) Some warbirds were also known to have been equipped with phaser s . ( ) Three additional weapon arrays were located , one each , along the top of the upper " neck " support , along the bottom of the lower " neck " support , and at the tip of the " nose " . ( ; ) Cloaking device . Like earlier Romulan ships , " D ' deridex " - class warbirds were equipped with cloaking device s , which protected them from detection in most evasive situations . Like all cloaking devices , the " D ' deridex " - class could utilize them when in defensive or combat situations . As was the case with virtually all cloaking devices , the warbird could not have its shields and cloak active simultaneously . Cloaked warbirds radiated a slight subspace variance at warp speeds ; therefore , ships traveling at speeds above warp 6 ran a much greater risk of being detected through their cloak . ( ) There were other unconventional means to penetrate the warbird ' s cloak . One of the most effective methods of doing so , pioneered by the Dominion , was to use an anti - proton beam scan , which proved to be effective in almost every situation in which it was used . While traveling under cloak , all electromagnetic emissions , including communications , aboard a warbird were carefully monitored . ( ) Propulsion systems . The fact that a typical " D ' deridex " - class warbird used a forced quantum singularity as its power source gave the ship some vulnerabilities . If that system was not functioning perfectly or was damaged even slightly , it might have shown through the cloak as a magnetic disturbance of some kind . The destruction of the engine core of a " D ' deridex " - class warbird usually led to the complete destruction of the entire ship . In order for a warbird to remain undetected while under cloak , the radiative emissions from the warp engines had to be precisely balanced . A slight misalignment in any of the warbird ' s nullifier core s would create a small magnetic disturbance in space whenever the ship was in motion . This could make the ship detectable while cloaked . The effect of this disturbance , when it occurred , appeared intermittently as a polarized magnetic distortion . ( ) The use of the confined singularity limited the warbird ' s overall maximum speed . For a warbird to match the top speed of a " Galaxy " - class starship , it needed to exceed its maximum engine output by thirty percent . Doing this would typically cause the warbird ' s warp drive to sustain irreparable damage . ( ) The confined singularity could potentially cause time shifts into the future . This occurred to Starfleet Chief Engineer Miles O ' Brien for a brief period . As a result of this effect , he was able to prevent an attack on Deep Space 9 by a Romulan warbird . Also , if the singularity signature was carefully scanned , it could be monitored through the cloak . ( ) Additional systems . The warbird was equipped with at least one tractor beam , located in the forward section of the warbird , specifically in the lower " neck " . ( ) Interior design . The primary color scheme aboard warbirds was distinctively beige and green - gray or teal . Due to the extreme size of warbirds , these vessels were littered with numerous long corridor s . ( ; ) Main bridge . The design of the main bridge of a warbird shared numerous similarities to both its Klingon and Federation starship counterparts . Located in the front of the bridge , against the forward bulkhead , was the ship ' s main viewscreen . Directly behind this , and to the left , was the location of the pilot ' s console , which contained helm ( and possibly navigator ) functions . In some ships , the pilot stood at his console ; in others , the pilot was allowed a chair . To the right of the pilot ' s position was a station sometimes held by the executive officer . This console had access to the ship ' s weapons systems . The command chair was located near the rear of the bridge , on a raised platform . Around the perimeter of the command chair were various stations . ( ; ) Major variations in bridge design included a side - by - side seating arrangement for the commander and sub - commander . ( ) Ready room . Adjacent to the bridge was the commander ' s ready room or command center . Although appearing to vary by ship , one style included ( but was not limited to ) a large desk and couch , with removable table and a window that provided a view of outside the ship , such as showing a perspective of space when the vessel was in its normal environment . ( ) In some cases , ready rooms functioned as command centers , and included monitors and display consoles . This allowed the commander to monitor the control of ship or fleet activities without actually being on the bridge . ( ) Wardroom . The wardroom was the conference or officers ' room connected to the main bridge by a set of doors . Its function was similar to that of an observation lounge , but also served as the dining area for the ship ' s senior officer s . ( ) Engine room . The engine room section was located at the ventral base of the forward " head " of the warbird . Its layout was similar to that of a " Galaxy " - class starship , with primary situation station in the center of the room and associated consoles along the walls surrounding the room . One outstanding difference between the main engineering of a warbird and other Romulan starships , likewise distinguishing it from those of the Federation and Klingon Empire , was the absence of a large matter - antimatter reactor core . In place of this bulky component , the Romulans had a wall compartment , which contained the quantum singularity engine core . ( ) Procedure room . The procedure room aboard a warbird was a starkly - lit chamber , with a chair at one end of the room , and with various movable pieces of equipment positioned around it . ( ) Shuttlebay . A shuttlebay was located two decks down from the ship ' s " C " Deck , in Section 25 . This area was large enough to contain at least one Starfleet runabout . ( ) Cargo bay . The cargo bay s served as storage areas for the ship ' s cargo , and possessed shelving space along the walls opposite of the main cargo bay doors . ( ) Crew quarters . The crew quarters aboard a warbird were located on the ship ' s " C " Deck . They were sparsely furnished , with a table and chairs in the center of the floor , and a set of bunk beds incorporated into the walls . Crew quarters could also have force field s integrated in and around their bulkheads . ( ) Variations are known to have included a bed fully detached from the wall , and a sink with mirror along the far left wall from the entryway . ( ) Appendices . Background information . Designation . In the script for , the Romulan warbirds are identified as " D ' daridex " class cruisers " . This spelling is changed to " " D ' deridex " - class " after this episode aired . The designation as " B - type " is mentioned in , which could be seen as an aptly conceived designation since it coincided with the introduction of the slightly differing second studio model ( see below ) . The ship is also referred to as a " warbird class starship " by Picard in " The Defector " . The warbird that appears in is referred to as a " battle cruiser " , which seems to be an inaccurate classification for a vessel of this size . However , according to the script for that episode , the Romulan vessel was also referred to as a Bird - of - Prey . This indicates that the warbird model " may not " have been intended to be used in this case , and that the battle cruiser reference was never changed to reflect the model used . It is also possible that the Romulan battle cruiser mentioned in may too have been the yet - unseen " D ' deridex " . According to the " " ( p . 63 ) and the " " ( " Federation Historical Highlights , 2161 - 2385 " ) , there was a star system named D ' deridex , which might be the possible origin for the name of this starship class , in the Beta Quadrant . The system ' s primary was a . " Technical Manual " . The following information of specifications and defenses comes exclusively from the " " : Some of this information contradicts data from the original specifications of warbird designer Andrew Probert and also some observations of the " D ' deridex " - class in canon episodes .