Langley Class

A huge starship designed originally to replace the Federation Class, the Langley languished in "development hell" for many years and became a technology demonstrator for later Capital Ships such as the Missouri Class Battleship. Ultimately a waste of resources and never entering full service with Starfleet, the Langley never the less paved the way for the gargantuan new breed of Battleships and Fleet Carriers that were launched toward the end of the Organian Conflict.

## Development

During the 2250s, tensions between the Klingon Empire and the United Federation of Planets steadily increased, finally culminating in the 4-Day War of 2266. While little more than a border skirmish, this minor conflict was never the less the first time in which Klingon and Federation vessels were pitched against each other since the Treaty of Korvat in 2249. The effect of the 4-Day War on both Federation and Klingon ship designs was immense.

One of the most alarming factors was the utter failure of the Federation Class Battleship (since reclassified as a Dreadnought) to meet design stated performance levels. Whether this was a fault in design or merely inexperienced crews (as unlike the vaunted Constitution Class Heavy Cruisers and other lighter vessels such as the Akula Class Destroyer, the Federation Class was rarely seen outside of fleet manoeuvres) is a matter of contention, but the facts remain that the two ships of that class order to the Organia Sector in that week in 2266, the USS Organisation (NCC-2111) and USS Alliance (NCC-2113), arrived in theatre 5 days into the conflict.

Had a Klingon Heavy Strike Fleet not been delayed by a brilliant series of hit-and-fade attacks by the Federation 88th Destroyer Flotilla (under the leadership of Captain James Alexander Wightherst, later a famed Battlecruiser Squadron Fleet Captain), that same fleet would have most likely faced off against a few Surya Class Light Cruisers and a handful of obsolete Saladin Class Destroyers. The intended support fleet, a trio of Constitution Class Heavy Cruisers including the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), had arrived within a few hours of the declaration of war and had already engaged Klingon forces on route. The lack of heavy support led to the costly defeat in the Paris System, which further led to the final grand stand-off at Organia.

As it was, the two Federation Class ships only arrived in time to partake in the aforementioned stand-off, and due to events now made famous, never fired their weapons in anger during that conflict.

The Federation Class had been an awkward compromise. Many in the Federation feared this was a return to the colonial days of the 2180s, with Federation warships discovering 'unclaimed' systems and the resulting dispute being settled at the point of a laser cannon. On the other side of the fence were the more hawkish Federation representatives who saw the militaristic Klingon Empire growing through conquest, expanding the Neutral Zone lengthways (eventually into what was discovered, disastrously for the Klingons, to be the territory of the Tholian Assembly), creating an ever widening area for Starfleet to defend, and argued that a powerful flagship was required in order to deter not only Klingon, but possible Romulan invasion.

The result was one that neither hawks nor doves were satisfied with. Bristling with Photon Torpedo Tubes and Phaser Banks, no amount of science labs and sensors could disguise the warship that was the Federation Class. However, burdened down with unnecessary (for combat) equipment and personnel, what was intended as a cavalry charger had been turned into a packhorse. Too slow and encumbered for combat against Klingon warships, too inflexible and expensive to act in any of the half-hearted scientific or diplomatic roles she had been saddled with, the Federation Class seemed doomed.

The Klingon Empire was of course delighted to use the failure of the most powerful warship Starfleet possessed for propaganda. Not to mention her real limitations, she was also the namesake of the enemy. The Klingon state media had a field day, proudly boasting that had the meddlesome Organians not intervened, the warriors of the Empire would be toasting and feasting at the Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco. They of course didn't mention the failure of their heavy strike fleet or the embarrassing losses exacted by the 88th Destroyer Flotilla, or of course the equally disturbing revelations the short war had revealed about the KDF's preparedness to face Starfleet in a total war situation.

However, those not in the know in the Federation responded in the only natural way: They panicked. Their borders weren't safe. They could be raided at will by fast, deadly and nigh invincible Klingon warships. And that's to say nothing of the Romulans. Undetectable foes that Starfleet couldn't even see, let alone defeat.

This was, of course, all hyperbole, but as with every piece of propaganda, there is the grain of truth in the pearl of lies. Starfleet knew that they had been caught with their trousers down and that had open battle commenced, their vaunted Battleships would be smouldering hulks, or worse, Klingon war prizes. Much worse, the KDF Warships they had faced were far more capable than was believed. While not as advanced or well rounded as their Federation counterparts, and often a little short-legged (giving Starfleet some breathing room as the KDF could not easily mount an offensive deep into the Federation without seizing critical bases and relying on a long supply line), the technology gap was closing. Within a decade, the KDF might surpass the current level of sophistication within Starfleet.

This led to two emergency programmes. The first was an immediate re-examination of what could and should be improved aboard Federation starships, both in the short term (3 to 5 years) and the long term (10 to 15). The second was a new commission contract for a quintet of new, vastly superior Battleships to replace the Federation Class. The original intention for 5 ships was to provide adequate protection for both the Klingon and Romulan Neutral Zones (2 along the Klingon border, 1 along the Romulan border, and 2 in reserve on a regular rotation). It was also politically motivated, a ship for each of the 5 founding members of the Federation. It was intended for each ship to be manned by a 80/20 mix of members from a founding member homeworld and other Federation member species. It was hoped that these cultural and political motivations would help reduce criticism of an increasingly militant Starfleet.

However, once the initial "Homefront Hysteria" had died down, these two massively expensive projects were gradually scaled back. 5 ships were culled to 3, the political and cultural elements of the projects quietly shelved in the process. The main focus of Starfleet R&D was the Type II project, and progress on the great Battleships slowed to a crawl.

In a further cost cutting exercise, Starfleet R&D realised that many of the systems being developed for the Type II project could be prototyped on the 3 ordered Battleships. This would not only save development costs, but also provide a blank canvas for which to test said systems without having to worry about decades old technological bottlenecks and provide the Federation with 3 cutting (some might say bleeding) edge Battleships, immensely useful for both propaganda and actual defence purposes.

In a nostalgic look back at the 'good old days' of civilian space exploration (and no doubt to try and avoid any controversy over the name of these behemoth Battleships) Starfleet R&D termed the project "Project Langley" after the airfield where the genus of their ancestor, NASA, first performed experiments in the field of aeronautics.

Intended to have a working prototype by the summer of 2268, a large banner was erected in the Starfleet R&D Combined Weapons Research Laboratory (SCWRL, known as the Squirrels Nest for obvious reasons) reading "Langley: The Great Leap Forward". However, more budget cuts brought the project to a virtual standstill. The prototype, the USS Langley (NX-1927) was not finally completed until June 23rd 2273, 5 years overdue. The other two vessels, commissioned as the USS Essex (NX-1928) and the USS America (NX-1929), were commissioned a scant few years later, their construction greatly aided by the completion of the Langley.

## Operational History

However all was not well with the new ships. The bleeding edge technology inside their hulls failed with a depressing regularity. Their SSWR-XV-X warp cores, the largest yet constructed, were temperamental and sensitive to imbalances that would barely be noticed in any other warp core of the day. Despite promises to the contrary, the new Type B Phaser Emitters designed as part of the Type II programme would not mount properly into the ports on the Langley Class ships, and the older Type A Phaser Emitters had to be used instead, nor were the torpedo bays designed to take the new Mark VI Photon Torpedo Tube. What was intended as the crowning achievement of the project, an improved and far more formidable descendant of the 'Kaminari' Type II Phaser Cannon, had tragically repeated its ancestors trial run by overloading the capacitor and destroying the (fortunately unmanned Valley Forge Class) test ship.

Worst of all, they were technological dead ends. The Type II project, being given higher priority, had reached fruition by the time the Langley was completed. While not as efficient in theory as the all-new systems aboard the Langley, Type II technology was gradually being installed fleet wide, with an entire refit given to the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), which became the flagship of Starfleet due to this new technology and the fame of her crew.

Continually rejected by Starfleet for 5 years, the three "Langley sisters" remained part of Starfleet R&D. Gradually the faults were ironed out, some of the more questionable technological 'upgrades' dispensed with Type II systems installed in their place (akin to the Standard A Late overhauls at the time), and finally in 2278 the Langley, Essex and America were accepted as part of Starfleet, albeit as "NCX" ships; Ships out of prototype phase, but considered non-standard and experimental. They toured Federation space, albeit more for morale and propaganda purposes than a show of military prowess.

In 2285, with the outbreak of the Organian Conflict, work recommenced on two uncompleted hulls that had been cancelled early in the Langley programme. The intention was that these hulls could be completed and brought into operation quicker than a totally new class, and that given as the work would be undertaken by Starfleet R&D rather than regular shipyards, their completion would not tie up much needed shipyard space. The two ships were worked on feverishly in the dark days of 2285 and 2286, but by the time they were commissioned in 2288, the USS Missouri (NCC-2463), lead ship of the new Missouri Class Battleship had been completed, and their Raison D'Etre had passed.

Later that year, after a decade of "Educational Visits" (termed "Freak Shows" by their crews), the three original Langley sisters and the two newcomers were mothballed into the Federation Reserve Fleet, at last receiving the NCC prefix to their registries. The five Langleys ended up alongside, ironically enough the very ships they were intended to replace, the Federation Class. In a fitting twist, the three original Langleys had new Captains that were from three of the founding colonies of the Federation; Earth, Andoria and Vulcan.

It seemed a rather ignominious end for these proud battleships, gathering dust in a remote shipyard in a forgotten sector of the front, but fate intervened.

On February 26th 2292, a day that will live in infamy, a powerful fleet of Klingon warships battered the Federation Reserve Fleet Shipyards in the Pearl System. With the Prime Fleet half a galaxy away in the Galactic Fringe combating the ISC, all hopes of stemming this major Klingon invasion seemed lost.

The three original Langleys were scheduled to be in dry dock that day, the Langley for critical repairs to her spaceframe, and the Essex and America in for systems checks and overhauls after a series of systems failures on exercise two weeks before. The two newcomers, the USS Asia (NCC-1930) and USS Europe (NCC-1931) were deployed on duties to the Hydran Kingdoms. However, the Langley had been checked a day early for reasons unknown, and was found to be in better repair than first thought. A few minor joints needed replacement, but otherwise she was in good shape for a ship of her age. She was out on a shakedown cruise at the time of the attack.

The Essex had finished her inspection and repairs scant hours before the attack and was in system when the first wave struck the shipyards. Responding immediately, she single-handedly destroyed three Klingon Cruisers, believed to be of the new D7M Suvwl' QeH (Warrior's Anger) Class. A large part of her success, so claimed her humble crew, was down to the installation of a Quantum Carrier-Wave Beam Projector (QCB) in the bay originally intended for the Type III Assault Phaser. They were fitted to all five Langleys as part of that weapons trial during 2289 and proved successful enough in trials to warrant retaining. However, success against such overwhelming odds was fleeting, and she was forced to withdraw into a nearby nebula to avoid detection. Striking at lone Klingon warships for 48 hours, reportedly with no change in bridge or weapons crews, the Essex held out until reinforcements from the Gorn Royal Navy arrived. She was so badly damaged however that she was laid up for virtually the entire remainder of the General War. Her Captain, Captain (Resv) Albert V. Harrison, was maimed by a Photon Torpedo strike on the bridge. He received the Purple Star and the Starfleet Distinguished Service Cross for his actions and was honourably discharged from the service once he had recovered from his other injuries. The condition of Pearl Shipyards did not aid repair efforts, but finally leaving dry dock under the command of Acting-Captain Commander Douglas C. Sholtau, former 'Number One' under Harrison, the Essex formed part of the vanguard that protected the newly-constructed Subspace Slipway during the famous Andromeda Strike.

The America was not so lucky. Almost a third of the way through her inspection and repairs at the time of the strike, Vulcan Captain (Resv) Saurek attempted to conduct an emergency withdrawal from dry dock. Some 300 crew members were either outside in IES Suits working on the hull or in auxiliary gangways and arteries that had been established to ease the inspection process. Out of these, roughly 270 managed to flee into Shipyard Pearl Minor Alpha and survived the attack. The rest sadly perished, as the already weakened America was set upon by a pack of Birds of Prey. Captain Saurek was posthumously awarded the Federation Medal of Valour, the highest award in the Federation, and the Star of Surak, a rare award issued by the Vulcan people to those who exhibit sound judgement and logical thinking even in mortal danger and as such whose actions undoubtedly saved the lives of others. Had Captain Saurek not attempted to leave Shipyard Pearl Minor Alpha, the station itself would have undoubtedly become a much greater target. Due to his actions, the Klingon attackers largely ignored the shipyard, which sustained only minor damage.

In the weeks following the attack on the Pearl Shipyards, the last of the three original Langleys, also as fate would have it the sole serviceable Federation Battleship left in the Alpha Quadrant, the USS Langley (NCC-1927), joined the Gorn Royal Navy on their campaign to liberate the conquered Federation systems. Taking part in the Battle of Bernard on March 3rd 2292, Andorian Admiral (Resv) GjarosGar th'Jhas helped liberate this subjugated system from Klingon control. With their defensive mandate, the crew of the Langley remained in Federation space as the Gorn Royal Navy cut deep into the Klingon Empire.

## Apocrypha

The end of hostilities brought an end to the service lives of the remaining sisters. The USS Langley (NCC-1927), USS Essex (NCC-1928), USS Asia (NCC-1930) and USS Europe (NCC-1931) were decommissioned in the months following the Khitomer Accords in 2293. Obsolete and war weary to boot, the older Langley was retired first on June 7th 2293. The repaired Essex survived a little longer, until July 29th. The stripped hulks of these two proud warhorses were towed to 'Lucky's Yard', the nickname for the Starfleet Salvage and Reclamation Yard in the Somme System. The younger sisters, Asia and Europe, were finally decommissioned in 2298.

Fittingly, all four survived to see the new century, the Langley being broken up in January of 2301, with the other three finally being scrapped in March. Not a bad run for a class of ships designed out of mass hysteria, rendered obsolete before they were finished, and deemed "Reserve Standard" 4 years before they ever fired a shot in anger.

## Specifications

* **Class:** Battleship**,** Obsolete
* **Hull Type Designation:** FOBB
* **Length:** 780m
* **Crew:** 1070
* **Warp Nacelles: 4**

* **Maximum Sublight Speed:** 2850 k/s (28.5 Mk/s)
* **Cruise** **Warp Factor Speed:** wf 6.0
* **Safe** **Maximum Warp Factor Speed:** wf 7.8
* **Hull Rating:** 850 HSF
* **Shield Rating:** 1700 FSP

* **Sensor Rating:** 800 SRU

* **Armament and Equipment:**
	+ Primary
		- 6 × Type A Phaser Emitter
	+ Secondary
		- 6 × Mark V Photon Torpedo Tube
	+ Heavy
		- None
	+ Advanced
		- 1 × Quantum Carrier-Wave Beam Projector (QCB)
	+ Equipment
		- Tractor Beam Emitter
		- Mark VI Probes

## Ships in Service (2292)

USS Langley (NCC-1927)

USS Essex (NCC-1928)

USS America (NCC-1929)

USS Asia (NCC-1930)

USS Europe (NCC-1931)