Saurus Class

Originally the front line Heavy Cruiser of the Gorn Royal Navy, the Saurus was replaced in the 2260s by the new Euromastyx Class. Unwilling to let useful hulls go to the scrapyard, the GRN re-purposed some as the Reptillon Class Torpedo Cruiser (the first such design to enter service). The rest were refitted to act as Scout Cruisers, now serving as the eyes and ears of Gorn Royal Navy Heavy Assault Fleets.

## Development

Gorn warship design had long been a rather simplistic affair, at least judged by later Federation standards. After their discovery of warp drive in the early 22nd Century, Gorn designers and engineers found the simplest method of ship construction was robust, angular designs with high-powered impulse drives at the rear, with multiple warp nacelles bolted on for warp travel. Little changed after their development of M/AM power in the early 2200s (relatively late, in galactic terms), with later Starfleet engineers referring to the concept as the "warp powered brick".

Against their earliest enemies (the now extinct Paravians) and their most hated foes (the Romulans) this principle worked well enough however, and their earliest designs of Heavy Cruiser all followed this same planform. The Saurus Class, entering service in 2244 was an evolutionary rather than revolutionary step. The biggest departure made from previous designs was the choice of pure M/AM power from the outset (with earlier Gorn Heavy Cruisers being refit from hybrid M/AM-Fusion backups) and being designed with Phaser weaponry in mind rather than conversions from existing Laser emitter installations. These two new systems being integral to the new design would yield significant efficiency improvements over earlier designs which retrofitted the later systems. The Saurus also mounted a pair of the then standard Gorn Secondary Weapon System, the Particle Accelerator Cannon.

In 2258, the Type G Plasma Torpedo was at last ready for deployment, and the Saurus saw her first refit to carry the new weapon, with her Particle Accelerator Cannons removed in favour of a single forward tube. This new weapons system gave the Saurus enormous punch, although took considerable time to arm and was rather short ranged. The technology behind the Type G was considered Top Secret, and was successfully hidden even from Romulan Tal Shiar agents for many years.

The Saurus never saw a full scale conflict in this configuration however, as during the early 2260s, the Gorn Royal Navy sought to replace the design with another evolutionary upgrade of their trusted Heavy Cruiser planform. The result was the Euromastyx Class of 2264. The Saurus however still had life left in her, and two different directions were taken. Some were allocated to be converted into specialised fire support ships (a type that would later be termed Torpedo Cruisers, the first of such ships to enter service in the powers of the galaxy), although their development took many years and was considered of low priority. (see "Reptillon Class")

The rest of the class were allocated to be converted into Scout Cruisers, as the Gorn Royal Navy had found themselves lacking adequate reconnaissance and early warning ships for their heavy assault fleets. The upgraded power systems from the Euromastyx Class allowed the Saurus to keep her original Heavy Cruiser armament, whilst also carrying improved sensors and a new suite of Electronic Countermeasures (ECM).

In the late 2280s, as part of the Federation-Gorn joint intelligence programme, Saurus Class Scout Cruisers were upgraded with a Gorn variant of Plasma-Detecting Probes to aid in the detection and hunting of cloaked vessels.

## Operational History

The Saurus entered service with little fanfare in 2244, participating in fleet combat for the first time during the 3rd Gorn-Romulan War‏‎ of 2248. It was during this conflict that concerns were raised as to the effectiveness of her Particle Accelerator Cannon armament against modern Romulan designs, a concern since the previous Gorn-Romulan War in 2230. This had led to the development of Plasma weaponry, although a practical weapons system along these lines was still many years from deployment. Until such a time, the Saurus Class, as indeed all Gorn warships armed with the Particle Accelerator Cannon, were forced to make do with the increasingly obsolete weapon.

The next deployment of the Saurus was in her most well-known role as a Scout Cruiser during the 4th Gorn-Romulan War of 2282. The use of the Type G Plasma Torpedo during that conflict by the Gorn Royal Navy came as a nasty surprise to the Romulan Star Empire, who believed they had the monopoly on Plasma-based weaponry. The Saurus once again saw combat as the eyes an ears of the Gorn Royal Navy heavy assault fleets during the subsequent 5th Gorn-Romulan War of 2284.

It was during the Organian Conflict and War of Pacification that the Saurus saw most service, scouting out targets for the Gorn Royal Navy assault fleets and providing early warning of incoming attacks. The Saurus was also still remarkably capable in most engagements, her weaponry making her capable of tangling with most combatants.

The General War once again saw the Saurus scouting the way for the Gorn Royal Navy, with their sensor arrays invaluable at gathering information for assaults on the Klingon Empire during what was perhaps the Gorn Royal Navy's finest hour.

## Apocrypha

The Saurus, despite her advanced age, continued to serve with the Gorn Royal Navy until the 2325 when the Gorn Confederacy joined the United Federation of Planets and the Gorn Royal Navy became part of Starfleet. More modern Gorn warships were passed onto planetary defence fleets and the like, but the Saurus Class, with her advanced age and specialised nature was mostly retired.

## Specifications

* **Class:** Scout Cruiser
* **Hull Type Designation:** GCS
* **Length:** 381m
* **Crew:** 244
* **Warp Nacelles:** 4

* **Maximum Sublight Speed:** 3975 k/s (39.75 Mk/s)
* **Cruise** **Warp Factor Speed:** wf 6.9
* **Safe** **Maximum Warp Factor Speed:** wf 9.1
* **Hull Rating:** 600 HSF
* **Shield Rating:** 320 FSP

* **Sensor Rating:** 1000 SRU

* **Armament and Equipment:**
	+ Primary
		- 3 × Gorn Type Phaser Emitter
	+ Secondary
		- 1 × Type G Plasma Torpedo Tube
	+ Heavy
		- None
	+ Advanced
		- None
	+ Equipment
		- Tractor Beam Emitter
		- Plasma-Detecting Probes
		- Electronic Countermeasures (ECM)

## Ships in Service (2292)

GNS Allosaurus

GNS Apatosaurus

GNS Ammosaurus

GNS Anchisaurus

GNS Barosaurus

GNS Brachiosaurus

GNS Bruhathkayosauru

GNS Sauroposeido

GNS Seismosaurus

GNS Aachenosaurus

GNS Palaeosauriscu

GNS Dragonfire

GNS Dragonbane

GNS Thunderchild

GNS Fleshharrower

GNS Hunter

GNS Tannin

GNS Gdhar

GNS Shima

GNS S'ssnossis

GNS S'sscullars

GNS Accthaska

GNS Sookthask

GNS Cathahrask