Grendel Class

Designed as a Command ship, the Grendel went through a painful and protracted development process. Eventually proving to be a powerful and reliable design, she is the backbone of Gorn Royal Navy assault fleets.

## Development

The development of practical Plasma weaponry by Gorn scientists in 2258 at last gave the Gorn Royal Navy a powerful Secondary Weapon. Gorn tacticians had differing views on how best to deploy the new weapon. Whilst early production efforts were focused on refitting existing designs to carry single Type G Plasma Torpedo Tubes in place of multiple obsolescent Particle Accelerator Cannons, long term planning focused on ways to mount multiple torpedo tubes on a single hull to maximise Alpha Strike firepower. One school of thought focused on the fire support ship concept, built on existing cruiser hulls, which eventually became the Reptillon Class Torpedo Cruiser. The second planned for an even grander warship, intended to serve as a new Command ship for Gorn fleets. These design sketches required entirely new hull designs, radical departures from traditional Gorn shipbuilding, as well as the associated powerplants, drives and support systems.

Rather than the usual simplistic blocky design previously employed by large Gorn warships, (such as the venerable Tyrannus Class Battleship) the proposed design was a large wedged beak, with two large warp nacelles tucked into the centre line, one on top of the other. Two pairs of Type G Plasma Torpedo Tubes flanked these nacelles, like glowing eyes, with a single impressively sized impulse deck to the rear. These were backed up with a large Primary Weapons array of six Gorn Type Phaser Emitters. As with all Gorn designs, manoeuvrability was sacrificed in favour of straight line speed, armour and firepower.

Before this paper project could ever be put into production, an entirely new warp core and nacelle design would need to be designed, as none then in service with the Gorn Royal Navy were capable of providing sufficient power for such a larger and energy-intensive design. Early efforts were miserable failures, proving overweight and underpowered, and the prototype hull languished for many years for lack of suitable power systems.

In 2267, the Gorn Confederacy encountered the United Federation of Planets in the Cestus System. Although initially hostile to the new arrivals, the two powers soon put the misunderstanding behind them, and by 2271 this peace treaty had grown into the Federation-Gorn Alliance. With this alliance came a technological exchange, and in return for their understanding of plasma and tractor beam based weaponry, Gorn scientists received badly needed data on the latest Federation warp cores and nacelles. The new Gorn Capital Ship finally had the powerplant and drives she needed.

Despite the breakthrough, issues remained with power relay systems, complications with surges when the multiple Torpedo Tubes were charging simultaneously, and numerous teething problems associated with such a large and untested design. The shakedown cruise for the prototype, GNS Grendel, did not commence until 2281, although by this time several production hulls were on the slipways in various states of completion. Final delivery of the GNS Grendel to the fleet took place just before the outbreak of the 4th Gorn-Romulan War‏‎ in 2282.

In 2288, shortly before the planned combined Alliance offensive into Coalition space, Grendel Class Dreadnoughts (as they had then been reclassified as) were fitted with a new weapon to try and offset their limited manoeuvrability. The Quantum Carrier-Wave Beam(QCB) was a further development of Gorn Tractor Beam-based weaponry research, aided by Federation scientific cooperation. The device piggy-backed off the ship's Tractor Beam Emitter, giving 360 degree coverage, and projected a metreon energy pulse across a target's shields, causing heavy shield damage but leaving a target's hull and systems undamaged.

## Operational History

During her deployment to the frontlines, the GNS Grendel (along with two stablemates) suffered severe fluctuations in her reactor core. Although not immediately threatening to the ship, the issues required the primary warp core to be shut down, virtually stranding the new Battleships in a precarious position until the problem could be identified and repairs made. Although these were eventually made, with the Grendel and her detachment limping back to a nearby outpost, it was an enormously embarrassing situation for the Gorn Royal Navy and kept the trio out of combat until the last few engagements of the war.

The 5th Gorn-Romulan War‏‎ of 2284 saw the first true deployment of the Grendel Class, finally replacing the elderly Tyrannus Class Battleship. Occasional issues still arose, but her crews were considered to be some of the finest in the Gorn Royal Navy and soon came to appreciate the quirks of their new warships. The Grendel could stand against anything the Romulan Star Navy could throw at her.

This feeling of near invulnerability led to uncharacteristic brazenness on the part of her crews, and during the Organian Conflict that followed, new and even more formidable Romulan warships shattered this conceit when the GNS Grendel herself was ambushed and lost. This led to an uparming of the remaining Grendel Class warships, and their re-designation as Dreadnoughts as the war continued. Tentative plans were made for a replacement, although the wartime economy meant these plans were very long term.

The Grendel continued to serve during the War of Pacification, proving an invaluable counter to ISC echelons. Her newly fitted Quantum Carrier-Wave Beam Projector added a welcome boost to her already formidable firepower, and with all-round reach, helped to offset her lack of manoeuvrability compared to Interstellar Pacification Force vessels.

The General War of 2292 saw the Grendel once again called into action, although by this point the lead numbers of her replacement, the King Grendel Class Battleship, were entering service. Still, the Grendel formed the core of Gorn heavy assault fleets during the Gorn counter-invasion of the Klingon Empire.

## Apocrypha

Although outpaced by the super-Battleships of the late2280s and finally replaced in her role as a Battleship by her larger sister, the King Grendel Class, the Grendel remained in service with the Gorn Royal Navy until the Confederacy joined the United Federation of Planets in 2325. Although considered too expensive to operate in planetary defence forces, several were saved as museum ships, commemorating the Gorn Royal Navy and her role as a staunch ally of Starfleet in the 23rd Century.

## Specifications

* **Class:** Dreadnought
* **Hull Type Designation:** GDN
* **Length:** 503m
* **Crew:** 478
* **Warp Nacelles:** 2

* **Maximum Sublight Speed:** 3300 k/s (33 Mk/s)
* **Cruise** **Warp Factor Speed:** wf 7.2
* **Safe** **Maximum Warp Factor Speed:** wf 9.0
* **Hull Rating:** 960 HSF
* **Shield Rating:** 650 FSP

* **Sensor Rating:** 800 SRU

* **Armament and Equipment:**
	+ Primary
		- 6 × Gorn Type Phaser Emitter
	+ Secondary
		- 4 × Type G Plasma Torpedo Tube
	+ Heavy
		- None
	+ Advanced
		- Quantum Carrier-Wave Beam Projector (QCB)
	+ Equipment
		- Tractor Beam Emitter
		- Probes
		- Electronic Warfare Equipment

## Ships in Service (2292)

GNS Throelingks

GNS Athrasomsek

GNS Ralosliesk

GNS Makraonsket

GNS Forlneskt

GNS Forhtinekst

GNS Dorneiktls

GNS Erabusktek

GNS Thatrasktek

GNS Garendek

GNS Tatarkdek

GNS Hathakak

GNS Tenkadak

GNS Malatakar

GNS Gorrnthak