Ambassador class

The ***Ambassador* class** was a type of Federation starship in service during the 24th and 25th centuries. The most famous vessel of the class was the ill-fated USS *Enterprise* (NCC-1701-C), lost heroically at Narendra III in 2344. (TNG: "Yesterday's Enterprise", et. al; *Star Trek: New Frontier*; *Star Trek Online*)

Designed as a replacement for the decades-old *Excelsior*-class and *Constellation*-class starships, the *Ambassador*-class was seen as a true successor to the revered *Constitution*-class vessels of the previous century. The class would serve as Starfleet's front-line heavy cruisers and primary explorers from the mid-2320s to the 2360s, when the *Galaxy* class took over that role. (*TNG Technical Manual*; *Ships of the Line 2012*; Decipher: *Starships*; *Star Trek: Pendragon*)

Its variant sublasses included the *Probert*- (later, *Narendra*-), *Yamaguchi*- and *Horatio*-class designs. The *Guardian* class of the 25th century was also an offshoot of the *Ambassador* lineage. (*Ships of the Line 2012*; *The Official Starships Collection*; *Star Trek Online*)

## Service history

The prototype for the class, the USS *Ambassador* was launched as a test-bed for the new spaceframe in 2319, conducting its first trials at Helaspont Station in the Alpha Quadrant. Starfleet Command chose this location for the tests as a show of strength meant to intimidate the neighboring Tzenkethi Coalition. (*TLE* novel: *One Constant Star*; *Ships of the Line 2012*)

Though the *Ambassador* trials were successful, the original spaceframe (designed by Admiral Andrew Probert and considered ahead of its time) was determined to be too costly and resource-intensive to mass produce at the pace Starfleet required. The design was simplified, and the first batch of standard ("Mark II") ships entered production in 2322, the earliest seeing completion by 2325. (*Ships of the Line 2012*; *The Official Starships Collection*; Decipher: *Starships*)

Only a few ships were completed in the original configuration, though the design was intermittently used throughout the class' construction period, with "Mark I" unofficially referred to as the "*Probert* subclass." The USS *Ambassador* herself continued to serve as a test-bed for new technologies. (*The Official Starships Collection*; *Star Trek: Avenger*; *STA* novel: *Enigma*; *TNG Technical Manual*; *Star Trek Online*; *Star Trek: Pendragon*)

In 2342, the USS *Yamaguchi* was relaunched, the first *Ambassador*-class ship refit to an improved "Mark III" design to which it would give its name. (DS9: "Emissary"; *The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard*)

By the final decades of the 24th century, technological developments eventually caught up with Probert's original design, making it feasible to enter full production as the *Narendra* class, named in honor of the *Enterprise*-C's final sacrifice. (*Star Trek Online*; *Star Trek: Pendragon*)

In the 2410s, the *Guardian* class entered service, which incorporated elements of the *Narendra* design, alongside an upgrade for the *Narendra* class itself. Within a few years, another modernized variant of the *Ambassador* was introduced, called the *Horatio* class. In addition to new builds, some existing ships were upgraded to these designs. (*Star Trek Online*)

## Notable vessels

* USS *Ambassador*
* USS *Argus*
* USS *Avenger*
* USS *Christchurch*
* USS *Churchill*
* USS *Damascus*
* USS *El Dorado*
* USS *Enterprise*-C
* USS *Excalibur*
* USS *Exeter*
* USS *Forrestal*
* USS *Gandhi*
* USS *Horatio*
* USS *Olympia*
* USS *Seattle*
* USS *Soval*
* USS *Tempest*
* USS *Thelian*
* USS *Valdemar*
* USS *Wayfarer*
* USS *Yamaguchi*
* USS *Zhukov*

See also: List of Ambassador-class starships

## External links

* Ambassador class article at ***Memory Alpha***, the canon *Star Trek* wiki.
* Ambassador class article at ***Memory Beta***, the non-canon *Star Trek* wiki.
* Ambassador class article at ***Star Trek Expanded Universe***, the fanon and fanworks *Star Trek* wiki.