Paladin Class

The Paladin is built on a highly modified Knight Class planform and fitted with additional command and control systems including Electronic Counter-Countermeasures (ECCM). She is found at the head of Her Majesty's Royal Destroyer Flotillas and provides targeting solutions for nearby ships, generally Knight Class Destroyers. These solutions help allied ships counter enemy evasive manoeuvres and ECM and score more hits on target.

## Development

The traditional battle tactics of the Hydran Royal Navy were compared, by adversary and ally alike, to ancient cavalry charges (or, as the Captains of the Klingon Defence Force put it, "bringing a D'ktagh to a Disruptor Rifle fight, and winning). The Royal Navy focused on Destroyer-class warships, armed with the devastating Fusion Beam. This weapon, although powerful, was very short ranged, requiring warships armed with it to close to point-blank range. To this end, the Royal Navy deployed Gatling Phasers, weak but rapid firing Phasers, intended to suppress enemy defences as their warships closed to Fusion Beam range, and the Hellbore Cannon, a long ranged weapon particularly good at neutralising shields. The Heavy Cruisers of the Royal Navy were designed as specialised fire support ships, intended to fire volleys of Hellbore rounds to weaken the defences of enemy targets as the Destroyers advanced to deliver the killing, Fusion Beam blow.

Following this same ethos, the Knight Class was an evolutionary, rather than revolutionary, design, with incremental improvements over earlier Destroyer designs. She featured high sublight speed, an underside mounted Fusion Beam Emitter and a trio of Hydran Type Gatling Phaser Emitters. Not as aggressively armed as Klingon or Lyran Destroyers, she featured stronger shielding than these designs, helping her to close to her targets. She entered service with the Hydran Royal Navy in 2252.

First seeing fleet combat during The Return and the subsequent Organian Conflict, the Knight and the tactics behind her use proved extremely effective, but somewhat rigid. Knight Class crews were renown for their bravery, but losses were somewhat high. At this time, the Regent Class Light Cruiser was employed to head Flotillas. However whilst the flank speeds of these warships had been sufficient with previous classes of Destroyer, the Knight outpaced the older cruiser, and against modern foes, she required all her formidable flank speed to close to her target and couldn't slow to wait for the more sluggish Light Cruiser.

Taking a cue from the Klingon Defence Force and their newly introduced F15L VoD (Captain) Class Destroyer Leader, the Royal Navy developed the Knight Class hull into a Destroyer Leader for their Flotillas. Quite radically modified from her progenitor, the new design featured forward swept warp nacelles and projecting fins containing Electronic Counter-Countermeasures‏‎ in the form of specialised targeting computers and sensor boosters. The weapons complement of the new design was unchanged, including the provision for three Fusileer Hellbore Fighters. The additional equipment required a slightly larger hull, as well as additional crew members.

## Operational History

The new Destroyer Leader entered service as the Paladin Class, first seeing service towards the end of the Organian Conflict and the Hydran engagements of the War of Pacification. Being able to keep up with their Knight Class charges, and supporting them with Electronic Counter-Countermeasures to cut through enemy ECM, the Paladin helped to reduce losses in Her Majesty's Royal Destroyer Flotillas significantly.

A Paladin Class Destroyer Leader, the HMS Hospitalier, lead one such Flotilla sent by Monarch-Queen Emoleth III to aid the beleaguered Federation in the early days of the General War. They helped to repel invading Klingon forces from Federation territory alongside the Gorn Royal Navy.

## Apocrypha

One of the more modern Hydran designs, several designs were conceived based off the Paladin Class planform, intended to replace the Knight Class as a Destroyer. However, none entered service before the end of Hydran independence. A Destroyer Flotilla, lead by an unknown Paladin Class, was present at the Battle of the Last Alliance in the Targreth System in 2323.

## Specifications

* **Class:** Destroyer Leader
* **Hull Type Designation:** HDL
* **Length:** 227m
* **Crew:** 155
* **Warp Nacelles:** 2

* **Maximum Sublight Speed:** 4425 k/s (44.25 Mk/s)
* **Cruise** **Warp Factor Speed:** wf 7.4
* **Safe** **Maximum Warp Factor Speed:** wf 9.3
* **Hull Rating:** 210 HSF
* **Shield Rating:** 405 FSP

* **Sensor Rating:** 800 SRU

* **Armament and Equipment:**
	+ Primary
		- 3 × Hydran Type Gatling Phaser Emitter
	+ Secondary
		- None
	+ Heavy
		- 1 × Fusion Beam Emitter
	+ Advanced
		- None
	+ Equipment
		- Tractor Beam Emitter
		- Probes
		- Electronic Counter-Countermeasures‏‎ (ECCM‏‎)
		- 3 × Fusileer Hellbore Fighter

## Ships in Service (2292)

HMS Paladin

HMS Templar

HMS Beldon

HMS Lonfast

HMS Glasfold

HMS Sheafgow

HMS Terethon

HMS Kanath

HMS Exoleth

HMS Kohnvey

HMS Excelar

HMS Siorath

HMS Goroth

HMS Garrut

HMS Barrath

HMS Crusader

HMS Acre

HMS Damascus

HMS Hospitalier

HMS Teutonic

HMS Errant

HMS Ordobath

HMS Ordogathr

HMS Challenger

HMS Columbia