F15L VoD (Captain) Class

Based on the hull of the F15 QuD (Insurrection) Class Destroyer, the VoD serves as a Destroyer Leader, providing command and control functions as well as increased firepower. She entered service shortly before the outbreak of the Organian Conflict and has served the Klingon Defence Force in every conflict since.

## Development

The traditional battle strategies employed by the KDF have revolved around the use of Cruisers, most often Heavy Cruisers, penetrating enemy lines and engaging the enemy head on, hopefully overwhelming the enemy vessels encountered. These raids proved very effective in most situations, including the operations against the Federation in the 2220s and beyond. Light Cruisers were deployed in attacks on convoys and other targets of economic opportunity and supporting the larger Heavy Cruisers in fleet engagements, and brought in after the disastrous raids of 2244, the F5 pIH (Suspicious) Class Frigate served as the eyes and ears of the KDF.

The introduction of the E12 B'Rel (Bird of Prey) Class in 2271 gave the KDF even greater combat flexibility, with the deep raid tactics then in use being gradually refined into the lightning war stratagem truly mastered by General Chang and taught by him at the Elite Command Academy, opened in 2273.

Colonel Galt’naH, who was one of the more brilliant tactical minds at the Academy, discovered in 2280 while programming in simulations of a prolonged war with the Federation that the Klingon Defence Force suffered from a major tactical gap in their Order of Battle. The E12 B'Rel (Bird of Prey) Class Escort was well suited to the task of scouting and escort duty, and the F5B pIH (Suspicious) Class Frigate was perfectly suited to picket
duty and fast patrol. The problem was that neither was sufficient for the traditional Destroyer roles of long term search and destroy missions or heavy convoy escort. The D5C Qa'HoS (Relentless) Class Light Cruiser was supremely qualified for the heavy convoy escort and protracted search and destroy missions, but she was also needed for support roles in larger fleet engagements.

After running through the equivalent of the first month of the war, there were not enough light cruisers to go around and construction of replacements was slow and consumed too many resources. Seeing this tactical weakness, Galt’naH raised the question with the High Council. Many council members scoffed, stating that the D5C Qa'HoS (Relentless) Class was more than adequate for that duty, and that any war with the Federation would most likely be over very quickly anyway. For several hours, the Colonel attempted to argue his case but in the end the council’s final decision was against the idea. Galt’naH began to protest but was curtly dismissed before his anger would cause him to slight the honour of any council members or its decisions.

Undaunted, the Colonel decided that if the High Council were too myopic to listen to reason then a demonstration would be required. Secretly, the Colonel programmed in a few modifications to the Bird of Prey simulation and created a variant of the ship, which was available only to him. Then, after the rest of the Klingo-Federation War scenario was input, he invited several council members and other dignitaries to try their hand at destroying the Federation. It soon became obvious that a lack of a true Destroyer class vessel would cause any war with the Federation to soon turn into a race against Light Cruiser attrition. Afterwards, Colonel Galt’naH manned the simulator and accessed his Destroyer concept. Within the simulator, the concept worked to perfection and fulfilled the dual purpose of Destroyer duty and freeing up valuable war resources. The council members present immediately called for design and construction of the Colonel's Destroyer. The class of ship was dubbed “QuD” or “Insurrection” in honour of the Colonel bringing about a change in the “final decision” of the council.

In 2285, shortly before the outbreak of the Organian Conflict, a further development of the QuD Class was authorised. Designed as a Destroyer Leader, this design entered service as the F15L VoD (Captain) Class. The wing braces were strengthened and the inboard Disruptors replaced with Heavy Disruptors, giving the VoD formidable firepower. Electronic Counter-Countermeasures were also fitted, enabling the VoD to aid her Flotilla in cutting through ECM employed by enemy starships.

in 2290 when the QuD Class was refitted with the newly developed Frequency Modulated Particle Accelerator Cannon (FMPA), the VoD was to be similarly refit. However, trials showed that the higher power consumption of the Heavy Disruptors and ECCM systems on the VoD made the fitting of an FMPA impractical. Rather than sacrifice her Destroyer Leader functions (rendering her pointless anyway), the VoD remained in service without the cannon.

## Operational History

The theories of Colonel Galt’naH proved well founded when war with the Federation did come in 2285. The QuD Class performed admirably, with the VoD leading these roaming groups of Destroyers attacking economic targets inside the Federation. In the War of Pacification, the QuD proved one of the few classes of ship of any power able to go toe-to-toe with the designs of the Interstellar Concordium, although a compromise of her great firepower was a reduction in shielding, which sometimes left her vulnerable. The VoD was also a child of this compromise, although her heavier firepower often helped see off enemy attacks before she was seriously threatened.

In the Ormong of 2291, QuD Class ships fought on all sides and losses were considerable. Production restarted in 2292 shortly before Melkor seized power, and continued throughout the General War. The life of the VoD Class mirrored her more numerous sister, although with the fitting of the FMPA to the QuD in 2290, the VoD no longer had a firepower advantage over her.

## Apocrypha

After the signing of the Khitomer Accords in 2293, production of the QuD slowed, in part due to the Accords, in part due to the loss of the two main energy production facilities in the Empire, the Tal'Ihnor Gates System and Qo'noS moon Praxis. The QuD remained in service although advances in shielding technology rendered the FMPA obsolescent in the 2320s. The last QuD Class ships were retired in the 2350s. The VoD however had a shorter life, with her ECCM systems falling into obsolescence in the 2320s. The last VoDs were converted into heavy Destroyers around this time, and served for another decade or so before retirement.

## Specifications

* **Class:** Destroyer Leader
* **Hull Type Designation:** KDL
* **Length:** 153m
* **Crew:** 75
* **Warp Nacelles:** 2

* **Maximum Sublight Speed:** 3975 k/s (39.75 Mk/s)
* **Cruise** **Warp Factor Speed:** wf 7.9
* **Safe** **Maximum Warp Factor Speed:** wf 9.5
* **Hull Rating:** 220 HSF
* **Shield Rating:** 365 FSP

* **Sensor Rating:** 600 SRU

* **Armament and Equipment:**
	+ Primary
		- 2 × Disruptor Cannon
	+ Secondary
		- 1 × Photon Torpedo Tube
	+ Heavy
		- 2 × Heavy Disruptor Cannon
	+ Advanced
		- None
	+ Equipment
		- Tractor Beam Emitter
		- Klingon-Type Cloaking Device
		- Electronic Counter-Countermeasures (ECCM)
		- Probes

## Ships in Service (2292)

IKS VoD

IKS Cha’par

IKS LoQ'ToHL

IKS Cha’qu

IKS Cheb’na

IKS ChevwI’tlhoy

IKS Choc’Qa

IKS Da’nal

IKS Da’vI

IKS DenIb

IKS QuatlH

IKS DenIbya

IKS DIlum

IKS Doq’ej’wovbe

IKS Do’Ha

IKS Lung’Dir

IKS Ghang

IKS Ghawran

IKS Ghaytan’Ha

IKS Ghet’wI

IKS GHIla’SnoS

IKS GhItlH

IKS Boqjol

IKS Ghobchuq

IKS LoDnI’pu