NX 2000 in spacedock, Stardate 8096
Excelsior in spacedock, stardate 8454.In 2271, Hull number 2000 is put forward in answer to Starfleet Proposal 342334 for the latest model of heavy cruiser design that will form the backbone of Starfleet's multi-platform fleet going into the 24th century. Specific mission parameters are carried forward from the original Constitution-class concept and enhanced to reflect in the changes in the nature of interstellar relations, the increases in distance along and outside of the Federation frontier, the increase in mission duration as a result, and the need for cutting-edge technology for sensors, passive (shields) and active (weapons) defences, diplomatic and scientific capability, etc.

It is decided early on to mate this project with the highly promising Transwarp Project currently under parallel research programs at the Vulcan Science Academy and networked universities on Earth, Hamal and Deneb Kaitos. After almost losing the newly refitted NCC 1701 U.S.S. Enterprise down a wormhole when her engines went into antimatter imbalance, the Transwarp Project uses the data gathered by the ship’s computers during this incident to enhance their research.

Transwarp drive was to be Starfleet's attempt to allow a starship to travel far faster than had even been predicted before. New engineering advances allowed the designing of a warp core reactor with over 10 000 times the power of the Constitution-class equivalent. Soon it became apparent that NX 2000 was to be the testbed for more than just new sensor systems and new engines. By the time the spaceframe was under construction in the late 2270s, nearly every starship system to be installed in her was to be new and experimental.

Captain Styles, looking just a little smug....NX 2000, U.S.S. Excelsior, was launched on Stardate 8095.5 (Earth Calender Year 2284) from the San Francisco Orbital Yards. Excelsior entered her period of testing, which would last for 6 years. Capable of warp speed, the ship would have to be fuelled with antimatter to go to warp and she will be limited to thrusters and impulse for easily half of the fitting-out period. At present, she has only 20% of her internal volume fully completed. Though control systems are in place, weapons, science sensors, crew quarters and such like have still to be installed.

Every possible test was carried out by the Research and Development team onboard NX 2000. Her computer was tested for speed and number of systems it could run autonomously. The Artificial Intelligence installed in the computers was of a whole new generation and Excelsior was the first starship that could fly herself. Excelsior was assigned the best that Starfleet could offer her: Captain Styles, the captain who had more test hours than any other at that time, now currently the Head of Starfleet Research and Development. Commander Richard Hawkins was the Chief Engineer and Transwarp specialist, briefly replaced by the more field-experienced Captain Montgomery Scott for a brief period in 2285, Hawkins oversaw the engines of Excelsior until the completion of the testing phase in 2287. The Transwarp project never achieved it's aim of attaining speeds of over Warp 10, however it did directly lead to a new generation of warp drive engines. In 2290 the Excelsior was given her NCC designation and command was handed over to Captain Hikaru Sulu.

Excelsior class starships take approximately five years to construct from keel to fully operational starships. There is approximately an eighteen month - two year gap between delivery dates. As the older ships come in for Service Life Extension Program (SLEP), they are upgraded to the standards of the latest ships, virtually eliminating differences. There are only a few Federation facilities constructing vessels of this type including: San Francisco orbital fleet yards, Clyde fleet yards in Glasgow on Earth, Dalian fleet yards in China on Earth, Ishikawajima Harima in Yokohama on Earth, Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia on Earth, Cha'ka Fleet yards on Andor and Utopia Planitia fleet yards. Delivery dates for the vessels are as follows:

Registry Number Starship Name Delivery date Notes
2000 Excelsior 2284 Prototype
2541 Hood 2287 As seen in ILM images from TNG: Encounter at Farpoint.
2542 Yorktown 2288 Named for the aircraft carriers CV-5 and CV-10 and the AEGIS cruiser CG-48.
2543 Vanguard 2289 Named for the final british battleship and trident submarine.
2544 Repulse 2290 Named for the WW2 battlecruiser and Polaris submarine.
2545 Renown 2291 Named for the WW2 battlecruiser and Polaris submarine.
2573 Roosevelt 2292 Named for Theodore Roosevelt (26th) and Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd), Presidents of the USA.
1701-B Enterprise 2293 Prototype 17th Generation starship [designated Generation 16+]
6212 Albion 2295 First 17th Generation starship. Named for the commando carrier and assault ship.
6213 Bulwark 2296 Named for the commando carrier and assault ship.
13958 Okinawa 2297 First vessel of Production batch 2.
14124 Roma 2298 named for the Italian WW2 battleship.
14221 Farragut 2299 Registry taken from Memory Beta.
14232 Berlin 2301
14427 Lexington 2303 Named for the aircraft carriers CV-2 and CV-16.
14455 Vikramaditya 2304 Named for the Indian aircraft carrier.
14598 Fearless 2305 Named for the Falklands War assault ship.
14631 Midway 2305 named for the aircraft carrier.
14660 Queen Elizabeth 2306 named for Elizabeth I who built up the navy of England and the battleship and aircraft carrier.
14771 Discovery 2306 Named for R.R.S. Discovery and Shuttle Discovery
14783 Krasin 2307 Named for the Russian Icebreaker..
14816 La Fayette 2307 Named for the French stealth frigate, US aircraft carrier and submarine.
14881 Graf Zeppelin 2308 Named for the airship designer and German aircraft carrier.
14902 John F Kennedy 2308 Named for the 35th President of the USA and the supercarrier.
14934 Tecumseh 2309 Named for the American Civil war monitor.
14957 Victorious 2309 named for the British aircraft carrier and Trident submarine.
18250 Ark Royal 2310 Named for the aircraft carriers: 1914, 1937, 1950 and 1981.
18253 Potemkin 2310 Named for Constitution class NCC 1657.
18297 America 2310Named for Constitution class NCC 1847, the aircraft carrier and amphibious assault ship.
18309 Hyuga 2311 named for the Japanese helicopter destroyer.
18334 Richelieu 2311 Named for the French WW2 battleship and seventeenth-century statesman Cardinal de Richelieu.
18386 Endeavour 2312 Rachel Garrett's first assignment after graduation in 2315. LE: "Wells of Souls."
Named for HMS Endeavour and Shuttle Endeavour
18392 Aurora 2313 Named for Shackleton's supply ship and the Polar survey ship Aurora Borealis.
18401 Mumbai 2314
18444 Tiger 2316 Named for the battlecruiser HMS Tiger, alleged to be even more beautiful than Hood.
18562 Eagle 2318 Named for Constitution class NCC 1685 and british aircraft carriers (1918) and 1946.
18618 Invincible 2320 Named for the Falklands War veteran aircraft carrier HMS Invincible.
18669 Washington 2322 Named for BB-56, the North Carolina class battleship.
18709 Oriskany 2324 Named for Essex class CV 34.
18673 Paris 2326
18704 Varyag 2326 Named for the former Soviet aircraft carrier.
18733 Canberra 2327 Named for the capital city of Australia and P & O liner from the Falklands war.
18991 Iron Duke 2328 Named for Admiral Sir John Jellicoe's flagship at Jutland and Type 23 'Duke' class frigate.
18997 Mandela 2330 Named for the former President of South Africa.
34099 Livingston 2331 First vessel of Production batch 4.
38602 Yamato 2332 Named for the Japanese superbattleship
38603 Musashi 2332 Named for the Japanese superbattleship
38604 Shinano 2332 Named for the Japanese supercarrier
38804 Karachi 2333
38860 Kongo 2335 Named for the Japanese battleship.
38907 Intrepid 2337 Named for the Falklands War assault ship.
38997 Malinche 2337
40512 Gorkon 2339
42111 Fredrickson 2340
42136 Cairo 2340
42285 Charleston 2341
42296 Hood 2341 Named for the British battlecruiser.
42451 Righteous 2341
42768 Lakota 2342
42857 Grissom 2343
42995 Al-Batani 2344
43305 Valley Forge 2345
50446 Crazy Horse 2347
52043 Melbourne 2349 This NCC number is a compromise, given the 62xxx registry is blatantly for a Nebula class vessel.


Author's Notes:

Firstly, may I thank Scottish Andy for his history of the Excelsior class and NCC number commissioning date generator program which has helped to put dates to these starships. These have been spaced out in a few places to give a fluid lineage and additional ships have been added in the 18000 range for when the Constitution class are retired. Note: this is not an exhaustive list, plus names and registries can change without warning due to canon details emerging or story requirements.

Figures for the size and construction times for the Excelsior class have been devised from the equivalent data for the U.S. Navy Nimitz class nuclear aircraft carriers [vessels of approximate size to the Excelsior class]. The gap in NCC numbers with Albion shows the change from 16th to 17th generation starship technologies. From the figures quoted, the eventual full size of the Excelsior class will be around 50 hulls, the last being in the NCC 43xxx range such as U.S.S. Valley Forge [a vessel still in service at the time of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]. Obviously should any canon sources contradict these fleet numbers, this page will be updated.

Thanks to Curt Danhauser for his Excelsior enthusiasm and Bridge station guidance.


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