Inquiry class

## SPACECRAFT CLASS

Dorsal view of Flight II vessel

*Block II & III:*

* 13 type-X phasers
* 4 launch tubes

The ***Inquiry*-class** was a type of spacecraft developed by Starfleet in the late 24th century. It was classified as a scale 6 heavy cruiser. Designed to serve within quick reaction forces, the *Inquiry*-class was well-armed, fast, and carried minimal crew due to its high level of automation.

## History

With the collapse of the Romulan Star Empire, Starfleet established a base in the Devron system to serve as the focal point of relief, security, and exploration measures in former Imperial territory. As the *Inquiry* cruisers left their slips, many were assigned to this forward base and slowly the 1st Devron Heavy Response Squadron was composed entirely of Flight I and II *Inquiry* vessels.

A shift occurred in Starfleet's composition doctrine after construction of the first hundred *Inquiry*-class vessels. Concerns arose regarding the potential for flaw exploitation that could cripple the fleet if only a single design was fielded. While no flaw was discovered before the policy change, Starfleet Command began approving varying starship designs to avoid a potential disaster.

While most of the design remained the same for the Flight II *Inquiry*-class vessels, the warp propulsion system had received a significant upgrade. This necessitated a new nacelle design that would improve efficiency, time at warp, and shorten the vessels by almost seventy-five meters. The order was for an additional fifty vessels, with plans to refit Flight I cruisers as they came in for regular maintenance.

As work began on refitting several first run *Inquirys* at the New Aberdeen Shipyards, engineers proposed a more extensive refit to replace the navigational deflector and rework the forward section of the secondary hull. The experimental aspects of the deflector, with its unique vanes, had proven ineffective, so Starfleet Command approved a refit to a more traditional design. The new Flight III vessels began launching from New Aberdeen in 2400.

When open war erupted between the Federation and the Klingon Empire in 2405, Starfleet Command tasked the Corps of Engineers to assess and suggest upgrades for the vessels of the fleet. The *Inquiry*-class, seen as the peak design of its day, proved to be less effective against much smaller and more agile Klingon designs. The SCE took inspiration from the cruisers and proposed a new design that carried many elements of the *Inquiry*, but was significantly smaller, more economical, and more combat focused. The new design was designated the *Avenger*-class.

## Technical specifications

### Deck plan

The following was the standard internal layout of *Inquiry*-class vessels.

### Propulsion systems

Both the initial warp drive and the Flight II were late Sternbach/Jaeger models. The Flight I nacelles were elongated, with rounded edges, while the refit units were blockier and significantly shorter.

### Tactical systems

The Flight I vessels mounted eleven Annular Confinement Beam-jacketed Type-X phasers, with the Flight II adding an additional two arrays to its nacelles that were then retained on the Flight III. All three iterations carried two forward-facing and two aft-facing launch tubes.

### Auxiliary craft systems

Two shuttlebays provided a variety of auxiliary craft operations for the *Inquiry*-class. The main facility, known as Shuttlebay 1, was located on the stern of the secondary hull. The flight deck was on Deck 17, with the facility extending from Deck 13 through Deck 18. Traffic control, and the aerospace officer's office, was on Deck 13. Located on the bow of the primary hull, the smaller Shuttlebay 2 was spread across section of Decks 08, 09, and 10, with the flight deck on Deck 09.

The standard complement of auxiliary craft for the class was twenty-four. This included four workpods, six shuttlepods, twelve shuttlecraft, and two runabouts. The actual number of craft assigned would vary depend on mission assignment.

The class also carried sixty Type A Mark VIII Autonomous Survival and Recovery Vehicles (ASRV), each with their own berth. Forty-two were located on the dorsal hull, with the remaining eighteen on the ventral.

## Appendices

### Connections

**Project groups:** **Union Station** (*Geneva* • *Concorde* • *Presidio*) • **Century Cruiser** (*Springfield* • *New Orleans* • *Challenger* • *Niagara* • *Freedom II* • *Galaxy* • *Nebula* • *Cheyenne*) • **Multi-Mission explorers** (*Brigid* • *Esquiline* • *Palatine*) • **Deep Shadow** (*Eclipse* • *Phantom* • *Scryer*) • **Miracle Worker** (*Scott* • *Daystrom* • *Tucker* • *Gagarin*) • **Aeronaut** (*Mercury* • *Ajax* • *Icarus* • *Shran*)

**Other named classes:** *Aegian* • *Aerie* • *Akula* • *Atlas* • *California* • *Centaur* • *Challenger* • *Cheyenne* • *Constellation* • *Constitution III* • *Crossfield* • *Curry* • *Daedalus* • *Dauntless* • *Excelsior II* • *Freedom II* • *Gemini* • *Glenn* • *Guardian* • ***Inquiry*** • *Iwo Jima* • *Jupiter* • *Lexington* • *Niagara* • *Obena* • *Okinawa* • *Parliament* • *Perseus* • *Pioneer* • *Ranger* • *Sagan* • *Solanae* • *Springfield* • *Turing* • *Ulysses*

**Auxiliary craft:** *Aero* • Class C • Class F • *Danube* • *Flyer* • *Gondola* • *Kodai* • *Mollard* • *Peregrine* • *Selenic* • Type 4 • Type 5 • Type 6 (Type 6A • Type 6S) • Type 7 • Type 8 • Type 9 (Type 9A) • Type 10 • Type 11 • Type 14 • Type 17 • Type 19 • *Valkyrie* • *Venture* • *Waverider* • *Yellowstone*

**Leadership:** Commander-in-chief • Joint Chiefs • Chief of Starfleet External Affairs • Chief of Starfleet Operations • Chief of Starfleet Research and Exploration • Chief of Starfleet Tactical

**Agencies:** Operations (Engineering • Judicial • Materiel Supply • Mission Operations • Personnel Management • Records Service • Shipyards Operations • Starbase Operations) • Research & Exploration (Science • Medical) • External Affairs • Tactical (Intelligence • Security • MACO)

**Notable units:** Ktarn Fleet • Task Force 77

**Facilities:** Deep Space K-7 • Deep Space K-13 • Deep Space 9 • Masamichi Array • Starbase 45-Keepsake • Starbase 82-Maat • Starbase 234-Beskerm • Starbase 247-Vershina

**Agencies:** Starfleet • Diplomatic Corps • Department of Temporal Investigations • Federation Security Agency

**Facilities:** 40 Eridani A Starfleet Construction Yards • Antares Ship Yards • Beta Antares Ship Yards • Copernicus Ship Yards • Laikan Starfleet Shipyards • McKinley Station • Memory Project • New Aberdeen Shipyards • Proxima Maintenance Yards • Salazaar Shipyards • San Francisco Fleet Yards • TL-9139 Starfleet Maintenance Yards • Tranquility Base • Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards

### Sources consulted

* Inquiry class article at *Memory Alpha*.
* Inquiry class article at *Memory Beta*.
* Inquiry Battlecruiser article at the *Star Trek Online Wiki*.
* *Star Trek Adventures - Utopia Planitia Starfleet Sourcebook* by Modiphius Entertainment.
* Inquiry Class article at the *Bravo Fleet Wiki*.
* Inquiry Class - Heavy Cruiser article at the Obsidian Fleet Database.
* Inquiry class article at the *Starbase 118 Wiki*.
* Inquiry Class article at the *Starbase 400 Sim Guide*.