Rattlesnake Class

Designed originally as a "Heavy Destroyer" intended to replace the ageing Anaconda Class, the Rattlesnake proved too large and cumbersome for the role, but became the first Light Cruiser design in the Gorn Royal Navy.

## Development

The Gorn Confederacy first encountered the Romulan Star Empire in 2190. At that time, the Romulan Star Navy used relatively primitive vessels armed with the Cohesive Fused Deuterium Irradiation Cannon‏‎ (CFDIC) as an Alpha Strike weapon, with a back-up of fusion-tipped missiles. Gorn weaponry at the time was similarly basic, consisting of Lasers as Primary Weapons with the Particle Accelerator Cannon as a Secondary Weapon. The two powers fought to a stalemate twice, in 2190 (1st Gorn-Romulan War‏‎) and in 2230 (2nd Gorn-Romulan War‏‎) with the Gorn Confederacy marginally ahead in technological terms during the 2nd conflict having upgraded to Phaser weaponry. Both sides determined that to overcome the other, superior weaponry would be required. In an example of convergent evolution in design, both powers opted to invest in plasma-based weaponry, however it would be many years before either had any practical breakthroughs.

In the meantime, the Gorn Royal Navy saw a need for a fast patrol craft to defend the borders of the Confederacy. Falling back on a robust Primary Weapons array of Phaser emitters, backed up by the venerable Particle Accelerator Cannon, the new Destroyer was intended to outrun what she could not outgun. Gorn designers were adept at using multiple warp nacelles and overpowered impulse drives to propel craft at high warp and sublight speeds, at a cost of range and manoeuvrability (a principle that Starfleet engineers later called the "warp powered brick"), but against Romulan designs, this brute force concept worked remarkably well.

Entering service in 2240, the new Anaconda Class was the first Destroyer-class warship in the Gorn Royal Navy, forming the core of a new border reaction force. The volatile nature of the Romulan-Gorn border saw her in action within a few months, although full scale fleet manoeuvres did not occur until the renewed hostilities of the 3rd Gorn-Romulan War‏‎ of 2248.

By the end of the conflict, the Particle Accelerator Cannon was beginning to show it's age, proving less and less effective as a Secondary Weapon against modern designs. Although a breakthrough in 2258 provided heavier warships with the new Type G Plasma Torpedo, this powerful weapon was too energy intensive to fit to the Anaconda. The Particle Accelerator Cannon soldiered on in service for several more years, until in 2263, a new avenue in weapons research yielded an unusual replacement; the Gravimetric Harmonic Resonance Cannon. The GHRC functioned using the ships Tractor Beam Emitter to piggy-back a constantly shifting tractor pulse that, in essence, shook the target object apart at the molecular level. Although requiring some hull modification to fit the Anaconda, the new weapon was a significant improvement over the old Particle Accelerator Cannon.

Whilst this new weapon brought the Anaconda Class back into competition, there were still those in the Gorn Royal Navy who felt that a larger, more capable replacement would serve the needs of the fleet better. To fulfil this concept, the basic Anaconda Class hull was enlarged, more armour plating fitted, with a modified warp core from a Saurus Class Heavy Cruiser to provide sufficient power. To give the required sublight speeds, an enlarged impulse deck was called for, although warp speeds presented more of a problem. At the time, Gorn technology wasn't capable of producing nacelles of the required power, and the only solution that could be found was to fit no less than six of the type previously fitted to the Anaconda Class to this new "Heavy Destroyer".

Unfortunately, power consumption issues meant that the weapons array of this new design was no better than the Anaconda Class, the very design she was intended to replace. She would also prove slower, despite the increased reactor power and enlarged impulse decks. The design was considered a failure, and shelved.

In 2280, a breakthrough in gravimetric science led to the development of the Graviton Density Distortion Sphere (GDDS). This device, when fitted to a warship, projected a graviton particle field around the ship. This shell would protect from most forms of physical damage, including weapons fire, until the graviton field was sufficiently weakened by impacts to fail completely. Whilst not an invulnerability shield, it did have several practical applications, both offensively and defensively.

The development of the GDDS, along with improvements in warp core technology in the intervening years, brought the Heavy Destroyer concept back into consideration. If fitted with a GDDS, and outfitted with a warp core derived from that fitted to the Euromastyx Class Heavy Cruiser, along with some other improvements, the Heavy Destroyer could fill a current void in the fleet, shown by experiences in the 4th Gorn-Romulan War, acting as a command ship for existing Anaconda Class Destroyer Flotillas, and supporting the larger Euromastyx Class Heavy Cruisers. Rather than a Heavy Destroyer, the design would finally go into production in 2284 as the Rattlesnake Class Light Cruiser, the first such warship in the Gorn Royal Navy.

## Operational History

The new Light Cruiser entered service too late to see service in the 5th Gorn-Romulan War of 2284, but was soon bloodied in the Organian Conflict the following year. Being based on the lighter, Anaconda Class Destroyer hull rather than a Heavy Cruiser hull, she was quicker and cheaper to produce than larger warships, and soon became the vanguard of Gorn military efforts during the conflict, continuing into the War of Pacification.

The General War of 2293 saw continued use of the Rattlesnake, although against manoeuvrable Klingon warships, her GDDS was less effective than in previous conflicts.

## Apocrypha

The Rattlesnake continued to serve in her dual roles as Destroyer Flotilla command ship and a support ship for Heavy Cruisers until the Gorn Royal Navy was rolled into Starfleet in 2325 after the Gorn Confederacy chose to join the United Federation of Planets. A handful of Rattlesnakes continued on in planetary defence fleets, but the majority were scrapped, their exotic weaponry difficult to maintain and increasingly obsolescent.

## Specifications

* **Class:** Light Cruiser
* **Hull Type Designation:** GCL
* **Length:** 250m
* **Crew:** 125
* **Warp Nacelles:** 6

* **Maximum Sublight Speed:** 4125 k/s (41.25 Mk/s)
* **Cruise** **Warp Factor Speed:** wf 6.9
* **Safe** **Maximum Warp Factor Speed:** wf 9.3
* **Hull Rating:** 540 HSF
* **Shield Rating:** 275 FSP

* **Sensor Rating:** 800 SRU

* **Armament and Equipment:**
	+ Primary
		- 4 × Gorn Type Phaser Emitter
	+ Secondary
		- None
	+ Heavy
		- None
	+ Advanced
		- Graviton Density Distortion Sphere (GDDS)
	+ Equipment
		- Tractor Beam Emitter
		- Probes

## Ships in Service (2292)

GNS Rasktlenak

GNS Skerkenet

GNS Skavensk

GNS Serttekns

GNS Gorkinsth

GNS Horkinsk

GNS Florinksik

GNS Dorinkinisk

GNS Florntinsk

GNS Dorinkiks

GNS Worgiskn

GNS Corksntk

GNS Dloarksk

GNS Tharknsik

GNS Gorniskik

GNS Covlorksn

GNS Morkinsklak

GNS Scarhtask

GNS Ssssltns

GNS Arcksthen

GNS Taraskenar

GNS Achenask

GNS Arcutusak

GNS Sirisask

GNS Edrisask

GNS Banaskath

GNS Banath

GNS Casaspokiath

GNS Polaskirth

GNS Rosskath

GNS Formaskth

GNS Beediskth

GNS Kathansthsk

GNS Qurensakength

GNS Blacthskpurl