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What are the bounds of Starfleet's size - upper, lower and middle?

What is the estimated distribution of ship types in Starfleet?

How many different ship classes does Starfleet presently operate?

I'm not just doing this for my health; this is for a never-finished article to summarize the tactical, strategic and economic strengths and weaknesses of Starfleet.

Iceberg wrote:What are the bounds of Starfleet's size - upper, lower and middle?

Lower is 1200 hundred (40 ship anual production, 20 year life span) NCC numbers suggest an absolute upper of ~80 thousand those there are problems with them. Also, 2800 ships is concidered by the Federation to be overwhelming reinvorcements to the Dominion and 600 ships is a major fleet.

What is the estimated distribution of ship types in Starfleet?

No idea.

How many different ship classes does Starfleet presently operate?

Huge numbers. Galaxy, Nebula, Sovereign, Akira, Steamrunner, Sabre, Defiant, Prometheus, Miranda, Excelsior, etc.

Do they really have large numbers of Prommies, though? Really, there's probably two at the most, the one in "Message in a Bottle" and the supposed variant in "Endgame".

From: The Price of Freedom - The United Federation of Planets Sourcebook which has a disclaimer that says : "...While we have tried to extrapolate logically within the flavor of ST :TNG, some liberties have been taken and players should remember that only the events, characters, and places that appear on the show or in the films are canon."

Suffice to say, Star Wars sourcebooks don't need that disclaimer

But anyways, this is what they had for ship types:

CLASSIFICATION TABLE
Explorers-EX
Heavy Explorers-EXH
Cruiser-CA
Exploratory Cruiser-CEX
Fast Cruiser-CF
Heavy Cruiser-CH
Light Cruiser-CL
Frigate-FR
Fast Frigate-FF
Heavy Frigate-FH
Light Frigate-FL
Escort(Perimeter Defense)-ES
Light Escort(Corvette)-EL
Heavy Escort-FL
Scouts-SS
Heavy Scout-SH
Courier-SC
Fighter-XF
Medical-MD
Surveyor-SV
Deep Space Surveyor-SVH
Research/Laboratory-SRS/SRL
Cargo Carrier-TC
Tanker-TA
Tender-TN
Transport-TT
Armored Transport-TTA
Tug-TG

Their selection of classes in service:

EXPLORER CLASSES CURRENTLY IN SERVICE:
Ambassador (EX), Ascendant(EX), Galaxy(EX), Sovereign(EXH)

CRUISER CLASSES CURRENTLY IN SERVICE:
Miranda(CA), Renaissance(CA), Norway(CA), Constellation(CEX), Excelsior(CEX), Nebula(CEX), Hermes-"Apollo Refits"(CF), Istanbul(CF),Niagara(CF), Osaka(CF)Akira(CH),Wambandu(CH),Apollo(CL),Cheyenne(CL),Saber(SL),Legacy(proposed)(CH),Odin(proposed)(CL), Nova (proposed)(CS)

FRIGATE CLASSES CURRENTLY IN SERVICE:
Mediterranean-FR, NewOrleans-FR, Shi'Kahr-FR, Chimera-FF, Ariel-FF, El Dorado-FH, Steamrunner-FH, Newport-FL, Santa Fe-FL, Springfield-FL, Ukora-FL, Aegan(upcoming Medit. Refit)-FR, Pyrenees(proposed)-FR, Oberon(proposed)-FH

ESCORT CLASSES CURRENTLY IN SERVICE:
Capella-ES, Pollux-ES, Merced-EL, Nomad-EL, Pinnacle-EH, Frontier-EH, Bolarus(proposed)-ES, Defiant(proposed)-EH

SCOUT CLASSES CURRENTLY IN SERVICE:
Hokule'a-SS, Vigilant-SS, Rigel-SH, Orion(proposed)-SH

Couriers: Loki-SC, Mercury(proposed)-SC
Medical: Geneva-MD, Graceful-MD, Olympic-MD
Surveyors: Copernicus-SV, Korlev-SV, Sagan-SV
Research/Lab: Fermi-SRS, Oppenheimer-SRS, Noble-SRL
Cargo Carriers: Fiji-TC, Midway-TC, Rakotia-TC
Tankers: Lauro-TA, Wei-Fa-TA
Tenders: Andes-TN, Sierra(impulse)-TN-I, Ural-TN
Transports:Deneva-TT, Sydney-TT, Iowa-TTA, Utah-TTA
Tugs: Hogan-TG, Piper-TG

Hope that helps

oh fuck, even though the book is from '99, it doesn't have anything after DS9, or Voyager started.

Lets take the opening fleet shot for Sacrafice Angles.

44 ships on screen.

4 Galaxies
5 Excelsiors
9 Mirandas
6 Akiras
1 Defiant

The rest are unknown ships.

As to known ship types in service as of Deep Space Nine.

Miranda
Excelsior
Galaxy
Nebula
Akira
Sabre
Norway
Steamrunner
Prometheus
Sovereign
Defiant
Intrepid
Nova
4 Frankenstien ships (Centuar included)

Assumed to still be in service:
Ambassador
New Orleans
Cheyne
Constellation
Niagra

As to Starfleets size. It ranges from 2,000-20,000. Most accepted range is 8,000-12,000 with some variation depending on classes of ships and service life.

The most numerous ship classes are the Galaxy, Akira, Excelsior, and Miranda. The Miranda is most numerous. Given the number of Mirandas seen in boneyards, its assumed Starfleet took all their reserve ships and brought them into battle. This explains the large number of Mirandas and Excelsiors. It also explains why Starfleet seems to have a larger fleet as of DS9 then they normaly would. The Galaxy apparently recieved upgrades and was greenlighted for mass production. In a single camera pan a clean dozen Galaxy class ships can be spotted in Sacrafice Angels. Of the newer Starfleet designs the Akira seems to have caught on. It almost seems like a replacement for the Excelsior. Its possible the Akira is a multi mission capable warship that can be altered depending on mission (explains overuse of phasers in some circumstances as well as possible carrier types).

Is there any footage of the Akira class launching fighters? The aft shuttlebays seem a bit small, and whatever those things are for'ard, they're not fighter launch bays - their vertical clearance is barely more than one deck high. I don't think the Akira-class are actual carriers in the sense of a Nimitz or even an Invincible - if anything, they're cruiser-carriers in much the same way as the Soviet Kiev/Baku design. More likely, they're just heavy cruisers.


From this picture, if anything, the area at the front of the saucer appears to hold a number of torpedo tubes.

Iceberg wrote:Is there any footage of the Akira class launching fighters? The aft shuttlebays seem a bit small, and whatever those things are for'ard, they're not fighter launch bays - their vertical clearance is barely more than one deck high. I don't think the Akira-class are actual carriers in the sense of a Nimitz or even an Invincible - if anything, they're cruiser-carriers in much the same way as the Soviet Kiev/Baku design. More likely, they're just heavy cruisers.

There is no footage of it launching shuttles or fighters. All figures on its fighter capacity are bassed on observations of the CGI model. A conservative estimate for the Akira fighter capacity assuming Tac-Fighters fold on the wings and that an interior section is designed for holding says an Akira can hold 60 Tac-Fighters.

From this picture, if anything, the area at the front of the saucer appears to hold a number of torpedo tubes.

Correct. Three launchers above the deflector and one below.