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And we’re back once again, with the Klingon ships for the 2240s decade. Just like the revision with Starfleet, I found it quite necessary to come up with a modification to the original chart. However, this time it’s mostly to maintain the significant difference in the number of ship designs with the Federation while not leaving the Romulans too far behind. Also, I finally found a way to made a decent drawing of the carrier (although it doesn’t look exactly like the one FASA made).

So, let’s get on to the list (assuming you’re bothering to read this):

A-3 Na ra’Den-Class (Carrier of Doom)

The Klingons are no strangers to the concept of fighter-craft. After all, what better way to attain personal glory than in a single-accommodation space vehicle designed for warfare? The Klingons perfected the use of these craft during their earlier conflict with the former Orion Coalition. Some even claim they stole the idea (and possibly the designs) from them. This allegation would include the idea of carriers. However, unlike the Orions, the Klingons would be a bit more conservative with the number of designs they operated at any given time. This was followed more readily after their war when it turned out that most other species did not employ starfighters, let alone carriers.

As the alpha-numerical designation indicates, this is only the third design. Given the lack of need for these ships, the Klingons simply maintained what they had, with this one having been built at the turn of the century. Ironically, it would prove no match for the smaller Federation design and would be summarily retired in the 2260s.

The ship itself would not see much use against the Federation during either the 2- or 4-year wars for the same reason (initially) as the heavier warships were not; it wasn’t believed they were necessary. It didn’t help that when fighters were employed against Starfleet vessels, they were too successful. Although they could avoid the Lasers and Accelerator cannons, this ability would be limited and Starfleet vessels seemed to be far too resistant to fighter-mounted weapons. The only effective fighters were the bombers and the heavy assault fighters, and even they had limited success.

Things did not improve when Starfleet began employing Phasers instead, since the ability to lock on to a ship was greatly improved with these weapons. This meant that a starfighter could be destroyed by a single Phaser shot without fail before it had the chance to do anything.

Eventually, the Klingons would rethink their designs for starfighters, but would stick to their usual four (4) designations:

A fighter for Space Superiority

A Bomber

An Interceptor (which wouldn’t be necessary until Starfleet made their own fighters)

A Heavy Assault Fighter

These would continue to be a major advantage as the Federation and the Romulans would stick mostly to a single type of fighter, refusing to diversify as the Klingons did (actually, they just didn’t see it as significant an advantage as the Klingons did).

Design: Original, but heavily based on the FASA design.

B-10 Klolode-Class (Destruction)

The final attempt to create a working concept of the one-shot cannon whose problems had plagued Klingon designers for decades, now. Being a recent design, it obviously had the benefit of learning from the drawbacks of its predecessors.

However, the only true change that could be implemented was housing the cannon’s barrel itself in a much, much, larger spaceframe. Furthermore, the barrel itself was slightly downsized so that it ended (length-wise) just behind the generator, allowing for more space in this otherwise intimidating ship. Unfortunately, the problem of the exposed secondary generator remained, since no one could figure out a way to shield it without cutting efficiency or causing heat retention. Even utilizing energy shields was considered too problematic, since it still caused heat retention, on top of requiring more energy to maintain, itself.

Despite these solutions, the class was still considered impractical, but would still last longer than its predecessors, with several vessels seeing service until the mid-2270s. However, the basic design itself was still considered viable, and the cannon would be removed for a more conventional battleship design.

Ironically, even this battleship would see little-to-no service against the Federation in either the 2-years, or 4-years war as the Klingons would not consider them significant enough as adversaries to warrant the use of these ships.

Design: Modified from original by Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc. (SFB)

B-9 tlho-Class (Apocalypse)

With the desire for an ultimate weapon still very much in the forefront of the mind of many Klingon engineers and tacticians, it was obvious that this next class would see production. Indeed, those same Klingons spent years learning from the mistakes of the Suvwl-Class, eventually coming up with this variant.

For this design, the answer was actually rather simple: an independent power source for the cannon. While it seemed to work on paper, the practical application was something else. For one, the secondary power source was so intense, that it could not have any protection of any sort. This was because it generated so much heat that the only way to effectively dispel such heat was to leave it completely open to the vacuum of space. Unfortunately, this made it something of a weak point for enemy ships to exploit. However, this was the only way to both power the cannon and provide enough energy for the rest of the ship, including the other weapons (since the Klingons obviously wouldn’t want a ship that is otherwise defenseless). The other major problem was the fact that the design of the entire ship itself was still too small to comfortably accommodate the “barrel” of the cannon. As such, it protrudes from the aft end of the ship. An alternate design without this section was drawn up and almost made it into production, except for the fact that the cannon itself needed to expel a lot of heat from each firing. This meant there was a very real need for an exhaust port of some sort. All sorts of alternative methods of dispelling the heat were proposed, but none of them came anywhere close to the amount needed and ultimately led to overheating. Furthermore, the best alternatives still led to the ship being destroyed due to excessive heat retention in as few as three (3) firings.

Fortunately, physics didn’t allow for easy exploitation of this apparent design flaw, as projectiles couldn’t overcome the draft of heat escaping from it, and only an expert marksman could hit it with energy weapons.

(and yes, the above is a deliberate dig at the people who thing the Death Star’s exhaust port is some kind of “plot hole”. For a better defense of this design “flaw”, see the Dorkly YouTube channel)

Aside from that, the ship would also suffer from decreased maneuverability, beyond the norm for even something as heavy as a battleship.

As such, this design would also be retired by the end of the decade.

Design: Original

B-8 Suvwl-Class (Warrior)

Built around the turn of the century, this ship was built as a different take on battleships. Instead of just being heavily armed (and armored), the ship would be host to a massive cannon that could take out other ships in a single shot. Obviously, this first attempt had to be massively scaled back, since the power required for this would be far too enormous. As a result, the ship was only capable of severely damaging another ship, or at the very least, overloading the shields.

Unfortunately, with the power requirements needed to achieve anything approaching those effects, the weapon would see more common use as a very heavy version of the disruptor cannon.

While the ship did continue to see use, this would be the final decade it would be maintained, with the class already being retired as of 2241 and the remaining active ships being gradually phased out of service by 2249. This, despite (or rather, because of) the war(s) with the Federation.

Design: Original

C-8 Batlh’etlh-Class (Blade of Honor)

With Klingon culture being what it is, it’s obvious that they’d have several models of heavy warships that they’d be constantly bringing up to date via various refits and new designs. Unlike the above battleships, which had a specific purpose, the dreadnaughts were nothing more than a common updating of the second-most-powerful ship. This particular design, however, directly benefited from the technological improvements of the aforementioned battleships, mostly dealing with an improved power plant, and heavier disruptors. A later update would see the addition of disruptor cannons that were far more devastating than anything up to that point.

Despite being a more “practical” design than the battleships, these types of warship also did not see much use against the Federation, due, once again, to the Klingons having little respect for their “weak” enemy and believing expending ships such as this would be something akin to overkill.

Design: Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc. (SFB)

C-7 JuL’caR-Class (Conqueror)

An older design based on the then-popular L-17 battlecruiser that had been the epitome of Klingon warships up to that point. This ship saw limited use during the war(s) with the Federation, and was used more to patrol other, more vulnerable areas of the empire, where it was believed that more “worthy” adversaries might attack from.

The design itself was essentially a modification of the L-18, outfitted with greater weapons, heavier shields and a more armored hull. It also sported an attempt to downscale the then-still-experimental disruptor cannon for more practical use. The idea was somewhat successful, and would see more use due to a more efficient design prompted via the next decade’s slate of refits.

Design: Geoffery Mandel/Doug Drexler

L-16 Duv’akh-Class (Hidden Blade)

Based on the older D6’s design concept, this was the predecessor to the E-17 Riskadh-Class battlecruiser. Its greater bulk is obviously because the Klingons of the time would’ve seen the Riskadh-Class as too flimsy. However, the bulk of the craft tended to work against it, given that its maneuverability was quite low making it as slow as a dreadnaught, or a battleship.

Despite this single (though significant) shortcoming, the ship class would continue to be used up until the Riskadh-Class was built in this decade. It would mostly see action with several support ships, or in situations that did not require a great amount of maneuverability. Furthermore, the introduction of the E-17 would allow for a slight refit that would solve the problem, for the most part. Sadly, the problem would still remain quite significant and the class itself would only see service into the 2250s because of the second war with the Federation.

Design: Original

D-7 K’Tinga-Class (Bringer of Destruction)

Some people consider this to be a different ship class than the one seen in the movies. To me, this makes no sense since they look far too similar, one just has more detail than the other. Besides, why wouldn’t the Klingons refit their most high-profile warship? Not to mention the fact that those same people willingly accept the Constitution-Class’ movie-era refit as the same as its TOS counterpart, despite the far greater differences in appearance than that of the D7 and K’Tinga. Seems nonsensical, to me.

As such, I have obviously made the two designs one and the same, hence why this is the D-7 K’Tinga-Class.

Anyway, the ship itself obviously saw construction (or at least completion) around this time frame as the new standard bearer for Klingon designs going forward, much as its D-Series predecessors were. In fact, it’s believed that the completion of this ship was what started (or significantly contributed to beginning) the initial 2-years war in 2243. The idea is that the ship had performed so well, it had exceeded expectations. So, aside from starting new designs for various ship types, the Klingons felt more emboldened, believing, now, that with this ship-design they could easily defeat the Federation. Not that they didn’t already see the Federation as weak, but this ship would cement the victory over them in the minds of the High Council.

The design itself would be so popular and instrumental in Klingon affairs, that the ship itself, in one form or another, would serve for over a century before finally being retired. The last conflict it would see any use in would be the Dominion War of the 2370s, and that would mostly be due to the need for ships based on the strength of the Dominion itself.

This particular variant would have many alterations due to its immense popularity with Klingon commanders, with some even receiving a green coloration and slight feather-like detailing reminiscent of Romulan ships. In fact, it’s believed this particular affinity for vaguely bird-like imagery was due to the influence of the Romulans, however indirect it may’ve been. The Klingons, as a matter of fact, had been aware of, and engaged with, the Romulans on many occasions preceding their war with the Federation.

Design: Matt Jefferies

L-18 Chel‘etlh-Class (Hunter’s Blade)

This design was essentially a heavier redesign of the L-17. At least, at the start. Eventually it grew to be much more than that. Despite both being battlecruisers, this ship-class was considered a much heavier and more powerful version. Some even referred to it as a “proper” battlecruiser, and wanted to see it as the standard-bearer for battlecruiser designs going forward. However, those who thought that way were few in number, and the D-Series remained in place as the forefront design of the Klingon Empire.

However, this design would still see significant service throughout the Empire and through multiple conflicts. Indeed, this was the heaviest ship the Klingons used against the Federation. At least in the initial 2-year conflict.

The ship would also not be pushed aside for any other design, no matter how superior it might be. Indeed, it was the second-longest-lasting design in the empire, second only to the D-7 itself.

Design: Original

D-6 K’Tmara-Class (Bringer of Justice)

The predecessor to the D-7, and the foremost ship of the Klingon Empire. This was a legacy held by all D-Series ships, as they usually had the most attention given, and the greatest technological upgrades of the time were usually implemented in this ship. Indeed, this design was so advanced that the ship seen here is the original design itself, first launched at the turn of the century!

Though it would last for several years more, it would have to undergo a significant refit to see the end of the century itself. After that, it, and its predecessor would be retired due to an inability to upgrade the ship any further. Ultimately, any attempt to change the ship would’ve been so significant that one might as well have built an entirely new ship, instead. As such, the class was easily retired in the 2290s, especially in light of the devastation caused by the destruction of Praxis. Not even commanders who once had a deep affinity for the ship tried to see her retained, as they already had a more-than-suitable replacement in the D-7.

Design: Modified from a design by Tobias Richter.

E-17 Riskadh-Class (Queen of Battle)

Another popular design due to its superior capabilities when compared to that of the D-7. Its superior turn rate and weapons placements made it the warship of choice in most major conflicts. However, it never achieved the same popularity as the D-7 with commanders. This, despite the design being more of a match for the Federation’s vaunted Constitution-Class.

As such, the design saw an untimely retirement as it was one of several ships cut from service due to the destruction of Praxis and the significant reduction of resources that resulted from it.

Design: FASA

L-17 Hegh’naQjej-Class (Death Spear)

The L-Series was considered the black sheep of the Klingon fleet by Starfleet, when it was first encountered during the 2-years war. The designation was difficult to pin down, since Starfleet had already indicated distinct designation assignments for each and every letter:

A indicated a Carrier

B indicated a Battleship

C indicated a Dreadnaught

D indicated a Battlecruiser

E indicated a Heavy Cruiser

F indicated a Light Cruiser

G indicated a Destroyer

H indicated a Frigate, Corvette, or other light ship

With “I” already assigned to transports and colony ships, “J” was kept in reserve for unseen ships such as science/research vessels (assuming the Klingons had any) and “K” was for Fleet Tenders, Tugs, and other service ships.

With the other side of the alphabet used for the Romulan ships, the only letter left was “L”. But with all the designations already made, it would be a major headache to try and classify this new battlecruiser by rearranging the system already set up. So, instead, they simplified things by using the next letter available.

For the Klingons, there was no such difficulty. Indeed, the “L-Series” was well known for competing with the D-Series of battlecruisers, often being seen as a major upgrade and a “true battlecruiser”. Despite this, the D-Series were always more versatile and capable than their L-Series counterparts. As such, even though the Ls would replace the Ds as battlecruisers, they would never achieve the popularity and glory that their “lesser” originators did.

This competition was more implied than an outright practice. In reality, the L-Series was just an upgrade from whatever the D-Series had pioneered. Few, if any, Klingons actually saw any sort of competition at all.

In fact, the only example was during the 2220s, when the commander of a D-6 challenged his rival to a match of ships, with the other purposefully taking command of a then-recent L-14. The challenge was actually made in open space, beyond the then-current borders of the Klingon Empire. Further, it was a Federation ship observing this battle which then tried to stop the conflict that led to the misunderstanding that caused the outbreak of war with the Klingons.

This particular ship, though, was several times removed from that era and was considered the epitome of battlecruiser design. The nearly-perfect placement of the disruptor hard points, the overall shape that allowed superior maneuverability, and the balance between the energy available and weapons systems were all considered the height of Klingon engineering, outside the E-17 Riskadh-Class. Technically, even the D-7 couldn’t touch its seemingly flawless design. In fact, it’s believed that the placement and shape of bridge modules on this design were what influenced ships for years to come. Even the addition of a heavy disruptor was considered better-utilized than those of the B-Series battleships attempts, or the C-7 dreadnaught’s.

Still, the ship would not get the recognition it was believed to have deserved. Worse, it would be improved upon with later L-18 design.

Regardless, it still saw quite a bit of service in the fleet for the rest of the century, and even the High Council was reluctant to discontinue it, even in light of the Praxis incident.

Design: Geoffery Mandel/Doug Drexler

E-14 Hoh’SuS-Class (Killing Blow)

As a light cruiser, this ship was once considered a formidable ship in its own right. However, those days are quickly dwindling. The most striking, and as Klingon engineers discovered, problematic, of its features is the warp nacelles protruding upwards from the hull, instead of the traditional downward orientation. This not only created a problem of maneuverability, but vulnerability as well. As to the maneuverability of the ship, it was merely a matter of getting used to the innovative design, something Klingon commanders were unwilling to do, especially since they already had better performing ships with more traditional designs. The idea that the warp nacelles were more vulnerable was more of an opinion than anything else, since many believed that raising the nacelles above the ship made them more of a target. Finally, the most practical reason was that the orientation, combined with the traditional downward orientation of the wing-like structures, brought the nacelles closer to the hull, and thusly put the crew in unnecessary danger.

Despite this, the design was still retained for some time, due to its effectiveness, despite this perceived handicap. This, however, led to the ship’s quick demotion early on from a Heavy Cruiser. Some think it’s because the D-6 was eventually deposed by the L-14 as a battlecruiser, but it was really more an opinionated reasoning.

The ship would only be retained for this decade to participate in the initial 2-years war.

Design: Original

F-19 Qatlh-Class (Wolf)

Although seen more as a “mini-D7”, the ship did distinguish itself by effectively using its reduced volume and increased maneuverability to its advantage. As such, the ship was very easy to command. The only downside was that this ship was considered by Klingons as the equivalent of “training wheels”.

Design: Based off the D-5 “war” cruiser by JBobrooney (I can’t figure out what else it would be from…)

E-16 Hegh’tay-Class (Death Rite)

The E-Series of Cruiser designs would typically retain their Heavy Cruiser status until the D-Series was demoted, as mentioned above. This ship, like the F-19, was considered the most efficient design and easiest to command. The difference being that it was still more powerful, and therefore reserved for more “advanced” officers. Some even say it uses the classic D-7 design better than the D-7 itself, though no one will admit that when asked.

Design: Geoffery Mandel/Doug Drexler

F-17 K’Teremny-Class (Bringer of the Future)

The Klingons, too, had experimented with single-nacelle designs. However, their nacelles did not need to maintain an energy field between the two, as Starfleet’s did, so the design made more sense. Not only that, a warp field was better shaped and more practically maintained due to the form of the typical Klingon ship’s hull. The lack of power was solved by simply drawing it from the impulse engines, instead, as the Romulans did.

As such, this ship’s performance was at least average. It was built as an experiment, and maintained due to its effectiveness. Some more cynical individuals might be inclined to think the Klingons keep it around to rub their success with the unique design in Starfleet’s face. But the Klingons aren’t childish after all…

Design: Original

G-15 charghwl’-Class (Conqueror)

As one might expect, this ship was built simply to modernize the Klingon’s line of destroyers, with the D-7 being an obvious template. And you’d be right. Aside from its appearance, there wasn’t too much to set this apart from a regular destroyer, except the fact that it was decided to make it far more heavily armed than destroyers of the past. With this in mind, these ships often had different hardpoint configurations, even to the point of being customized by the ship’s commander. In this respect, no two ships were the same and could as easily be identified in this manner as with the name or registration.

Design: Original (but influenced by other designs, like the above mentioned D5)

E-15 Hegh’tlhlch-Class (Death’s Hand)

The older of the two, it was demoted to light cruiser the second its successor was built. This was natural, of course, since the D-series were typically demoted to Heavy Cruiser the second an L-series was not only built, but demonstrated superior performance as a battlecruiser. The trade-off would be that ships like this would over-perform in their new assigned roles. The logical solution would seem to be to change the classification system. Instead, the Klingons added additional duties to this ship’s roster, allowing it to be an (admittedly heavy) patrol cruiser and long range scout. This would lead to some resentment amongst its commanders, which would be silenced the second they realized that long range scouting meant a greater chance to run into enemies. Furthermore, the ship itself was heavily armed enough to engage most potential [known] threats, which was the ulterior motive behind this change in the ship’s application. Despite this, the ship would not last much beyond this decade, as more “realistic” designs would be thought up, and constructed.

Design: Original, based off the E-16

G-14 Jagh’jer-Class (Enemy’s Scourge)

In its heyday, this ship was seen as a prime example of a dedicated warship (though admittedly a rather light one). This was based on its one advantage of the design being nearly flat, with the nacelles extending on short “wings” protruding directly to the sides of the ship, instead of being positioned up or down. This resulted in a greatly reduced target profile, but one that still allowed for a placement of a significant amount of disruptors. The ship could also generate enough power for heavy weapon emplacements, making it another of the preferred ship designs for many a Klingon commander.

Ironically, despite its designation as a destroyer, many saw it more as a light cruiser than the F-17, which was assigned the role of light cruiser (until the demotion came from the top with the D-6 becoming a heavy cruiser).

Despite its popularity, more recent designs (especially those of the next two decades) were seen to have easily compensated for the design’s advantage. That, and the fact that the empire was focusing more on heavy warships due to the continued war with the Federation, which turned out to not be as easy an adversary as was generally believed. So yes, it was the Federation’s fault that this design was ditched. [Insert Klingon swear word of choice here]

Design: Original

H-19 noH’etlh-Class (War Blade)

This ship was seen as a minimalist approach to frigate designs. Even the bridge module was small enough to only allow the minimum of required stations and no amenities. Indeed, that was the philosophy throughout the ship: no amenities, no nothing. This ship was so Spartan, it would make the Defiant (NX-74056) look like a luxury liner (not that Klingons were known for luxuries in the first place).

This also affected its performance in conflict as its weapons were also few and far between. Despite that, it was still a very effective design and would continue to serve throughout the rest of the century.

Design: Original, based off the F-5 “Kole” by Amarillo Design Bureau in SFB

F-18 Talatskh-Class (Little Killer)

The name of this ship might seem unusual to many, given that the disparity in size between this ship and others is not that great. Instead, the name is a reference to the fact that this ship class was constructed, and completed, at the same time as the carrier that still operated in this decade (and would continue to until the 2270s). While design choices, such as the angular approach to the forward command section was not seen as anything new, even at the time, its overall appearance was considered too similar to the much, much larger carrier to the point that it was considered a mini version of it (despite having drastically different mission profiles).

As to the design itself, the idea came about in a drunken stupor. No really, the chief designer of this ship had once come up with it while stumbling home after a night of excessive blood wine and started to question the traditional concept of having a narrow boom between the command section and the rest of the ship. At first, he just dropped the boom altogether. However, when he awoke the next day, he noticed how incredibly stupid the design looked (the hangover didn’t help his perception of it). So he immediately scrapped it and went with another design he had no memory of creating (yet, somehow, he remembered the boom-less design). He decided to propose that one instead, which the board decided in favor of (to his surprise). Indeed, he had also inadvertently provided the inspiration for the then-new carrier design!

The only thing that would be changed from his original, would by the command section which would be changed to the angular design that was popular at the time (since it afforded more protection to the bridge).

The ship itself, however, would only last until the 2260s, as angular command sections had fallen out of vogue (to put it one way), and would only be used a few other times, and even then after considerable changes.

Design: FASA

H-17 nguv-Class (Sentinel)

Believe it or not, there’s not much to say about this design. It was essentially seen as nothing more than a smaller, lighter, version of the F-17, with the nacelle replaced by the E-14’s unique variant. The design did surprisingly well in test runs, and actual performance. The only unique or novel idea would be the tube added, which was an early attempt to create a projectile-based weapon to compliment the disruptor. Obviously nothing viable was made for it, so it remained unused. Although some commanders would demand a heavier disruptor to be added, the additional power demands could not be supplied by the single-nacelle design. Regrettably, this ship would not see service long enough to see the implementation of photon torpedoes in the following decades, so the tube would be little more than a reminder of failure. This makes it even more surprising that it remained in service for so long (it would be retired later this decade, shortly after the 2-year war).

Design: Original

K-6 Lara’atan-Class (Protector of Brothers)

After having the classification system outlined in the L-17’s entry, you might be questioning the classification of this ship. Well, given the animosity between the Klingons and the Federation ever since their first contact, it’s obvious that the Federation never got anything resembling a close look into the types of ships they had. It didn’t help that this particular classification of “K-6” was proposed by an impulsive young ensign, and adopted without checking the classification system already in use (which was not necessarily common knowledge, even in Starfleet). Finally, Starfleet and the Federation didn’t find out until after the Khitomer accords that the Klingons, in general, did not build independent vessels for functions such as transportation, colonizing, science, research, or service ships. Instead, these were handled by extant designs that had their interiors gutted (for the most part) and altered for whatever new mission it was required to carry out.

As for this particular ship design, it was a recent attempt to retain the lessening popularity of the angular command section, while integrating a wholly original design. The unique appearance of the ship even surprised many Klingons. However, the concept itself was sound, as it afforded a sort of maneuverability that other ships lacked. Its shape also allowed for more efficient use of internal volume, allowing it to equal (if not rival) larger, heavier vessels.

The designation of Escort Frigate was chosen due to the ship’s maneuverability and unique weapons placement, which allowed better firing arcs than many other ships its size. So, although it was still a frigate, it was most effective as an escort for larger vessels. Even ships like the L-16, or the battleships could feel at ease with these craft at their side.

The design itself is said to be the very first ship the Klingons built (or at least finished) for the 2240s, with the first vessel being completed on the terrestrial calendar date of January 3rd, 2240 (Oh my! They’ll be killed on our front doorstep! And there’s not trash pickup until January 3rd…) (that’s for anyone who’s actually reading this. Bonus points if you know what that’s from).

Design: FASA

H-18 Sivista-Class (Fast Sword)

This particular design was actually older than most of the other ships on this chart (with the exception of the D-5) dating back to the 2180s! In fact, many claim that this design was responsible for popularizing the concept of an angular forward command section (it wasn’t, the design was popular as early as the 2150s). The reason for this was the fact that, when it was first built, this resembled another design that had just been completed. The only difference was the more commonplace use of the more bulbous command section.

The ship itself was nothing to really celebrate. Its only accomplishment that separated it from others was its incredible speed. This contributed more to the perception that it caused the popularity of the angular forward section, since its more rotund opposite was not capable of such speeds. This, in turn, led to the believe that angular designs somehow affected the warp field, and therefore were better for speed. Until this was debunked with later designs such as the E-16 (and some earlier than that).

The design itself would be the longest lasting Klingon design, until the D-7 refit broke the record in the 24th century.

Design: FASA

D-5 K’Tyay -Class (refit) (Bringer of Victory)

Although Klingons are known for keeping their ships in service longer than most other races (except for maybe the Romulans), much of this is credited to knowing when a particular design is too outdated to continue, resulting in a massive refit of the vessel. Some of these refits are so significant that they bear little resemblance to the original design. In fact, some speculate that Starfleet got the idea to do just this, in the 2270s, from the Klingons.

Case in point is the D-5 refit. This version was massively refit to continue as a viable vessel well into the 23rd century. And it worked, with this particular iteration of the ship not being retired until the destruction of Praxis in 2293, and the vast reduction of resources available to the Empire that it brought.

The design itself was influenced heavily by the D-6’s own design, with the obvious thickening of the wings and shrinking of massive disruptor cannons, making them less obvious (and therefore, less of a target). The additional struts helping to connect the forward command section to the larger aft were also removed, as it was eventually determined that they didn’t provide much in the way of extra support (if they provided any), and the aft section was given considerably more bulk. The boom was thinned out, since the thicker version made it more of a target, and the entire thing was covered, instead of leaving any of the structure exposed to open space.

The performance of the ship itself was seen as significant step up from the original D-5 design, but was constantly demoted in mission profiles due to superior designs upstaging it. However, no one could bring themselves to demote a legendary D-series vessel to anything less than a light cruiser, so there it would remain. This was actually typical of the much-loved and lauded D-Series, as no vessel of that class would ever find itself below the role of a cruiser in an official capacity. Even if the ship could only perform the duties of a lighter vessel.

Design: Hector Ortiz (Cryptic, STO)

F-16 Sech-Class (Torch)

One of the problems many had with the basic design of most ships was the fact that the warp nacelles were kept out, away from the ships where they would present more of a target (this complaint ceased when the Klingons saw the even worse design choice of the Federation ships which seemed to be designed to collapse, by their standards). Although some ships in the past had experimented with the wing-only look, it was anything but a standard design, and the engineering corps never seemed to get it to work well. That is where this design came in, with a much more graceful winged look that evoked a deadly bird (though the wingspan was rather short), and both warp nacelles attached next to the impulse deck.

While it did solve the problem, it wasn’t as efficient in generating a warp field, nor did it take into account the reason why the warp nacelles were held further away from the ship in the first place; that being the radiation emitted from them. Finally, there was the close proximity to the impulse engines which seemed to interfere with each other. Not to mention the fact that the impulse deck had to be additionally shielded, since the engineers on these ships were dropping like flies.

Aside from that, overall performance was not an issue. The ship was more than adequately armed for its size and was technically termed a heavy destroyer. Though some believed it was a waste to have wings with nothing at the tip.

Despite all of those considerations, the ship did remain in service until the 2260s where it did find something of a favored status with certain commanders. Especially when sufficient shielding was installed in the engineering sections.

Ironically, the 2280s would see significant improvements in warp nacelle designs in which the units emited far less radiation, making this design much safer. Regardless, the Klingon Empire had decided not to refit the ships, given that they’d already been retired en masse, and that the whole refit fad of the 2270s had long since passed.

Design: Original, but based on a design by Atolm

H-16 t’h’Lar-Class (Defender)

One of the most famous designs for its reversed look to the ship, bringing the warp nacelles forward and away from the rear section, proving to be less of a hazard. The ship was also noteworthy for increasing its volume with the larger aft section due to this design choice. While popular, its maneuverability at warp speeds was noticeably reduced (though not by much), and its lack of a significant amount of aft weapons was a design choice that baffled most. Fortunately, later designs would rectify this oversight, and without any significant drain on the ship’s energy output.

Despite all of this, the ship’s role as a destroyer would easily make it the equal of its Federation counterparts. Some would even argue it was superior, though these are usually ones who already favor the design.

The ship itself would remain in service until the 2270s, where it was strongly debated whether or not to refit the design. Eventually it was decided (by a slim majority) to retire the ship and simply build a new one, instead.

Design: FASA (redrawn significantly by myself)

K-5 Mej-Class (Cleave)

A rather unusually design concept that wouldn’t really catch on due to a learning curve that many commanders (and crews) found unacceptable. Despite that, the ship was very effective, especially in the hands of a capable commander, ideally one who had already been training with the design for some time. As such, there would be training programs specifically set up for this design to justify its existence. This was furthered by the fact that the ship could be absolutely devastating in the right hands and as such, the High Command believed that the results were more than worth the commitment needed for such vessels.

Indeed, the ship was considered small and maneuverable enough to be considered a starfighter, and with less than 50 crew, it wasn’t far off. The only thing that would’ve overcome its one weakness would’ve been a rotating wing-structure that would allow the weapons on the ends of the wings to be readjusted for specific tasks. Not to mention a plane the other commanders were more used to working in. However, it was generally believed that the ship was too small to realistically integrate moving parts, not to mention the fact that moving parts were considered more of a luxury than a necessity, given their additional weight and cost.

Ironically, that would be disproved a few decades later by the Bird-of-Prey, co-designed with the Romulans. Unfortunately, by that time, this design had been retired as it was no longer seen as realistic, or necessary.

Design: Atolm (original drawing by Sean Tourangeau)

And that’s basically it. Questions. Comments. Complaints.

Anything…

Description

And we’re back once again, with the Klingon ships for the 2240s decade. Just like the revision with Starfleet, I found it quite necessary to come up with a modification to the original chart. However, this time it’s mostly to maintain the significant difference in the number of ship designs with the Federation while not leaving the Romulans too far behind. Also, I finally found a way to made a decent drawing of the carrier (although it doesn’t look exactly like the one FASA made).

So, let’s get on to the list (assuming you’re bothering to read this):

A-3 Na ra’Den-Class (Carrier of Doom)

The Klingons are no strangers to the concept of fighter-craft. After all, what better way to attain personal glory than in a single-accommodation space vehicle designed for warfare? The Klingons perfected the use of these craft during their earlier conflict with the former Orion Coalition. Some even claim they stole the idea (and possibly the designs) from them. This allegation would include the idea of carriers. However, unlike the Orions, the Klingons would be a bit more conservative with the number of designs they operated at any given time. This was followed more readily after their war when it turned out that most other species did not employ starfighters, let alone carriers.

As the alpha-numerical designation indicates, this is only the third design. Given the lack of need for these ships, the Klingons simply maintained what they had, with this one having been built at the turn of the century. Ironically, it would prove no match for the smaller Federation design and would be summarily retired in the 2260s.

The ship itself would not see much use against the Federation during either the 2- or 4-year wars for the same reason (initially) as the heavier warships were not; it wasn’t believed they were necessary. It didn’t help that when fighters were employed against Starfleet vessels, they were too successful. Although they could avoid the Lasers and Accelerator cannons, this ability would be limited and Starfleet vessels seemed to be far too resistant to fighter-mounted weapons. The only effective fighters were the bombers and the heavy assault fighters, and even they had limited success.

Things did not improve when Starfleet began employing Phasers instead, since the ability to lock on to a ship was greatly improved with these weapons. This meant that a starfighter could be destroyed by a single Phaser shot without fail before it had the chance to do anything.

Eventually, the Klingons would rethink their designs for starfighters, but would stick to their usual four (4) designations:

A fighter for Space Superiority

A Bomber

An Interceptor (which wouldn’t be necessary until Starfleet made their own fighters)

A Heavy Assault Fighter

These would continue to be a major advantage as the Federation and the Romulans would stick mostly to a single type of fighter, refusing to diversify as the Klingons did (actually, they just didn’t see it as significant an advantage as the Klingons did).

Design: Original, but heavily based on the FASA design.

B-10 Klolode-Class (Destruction)

The final attempt to create a working concept of the one-shot cannon whose problems had plagued Klingon designers for decades, now. Being a recent design, it obviously had the benefit of learning from the drawbacks of its predecessors.

However, the only true change that could be implemented was housing the cannon’s barrel itself in a much, much, larger spaceframe. Furthermore, the barrel itself was slightly downsized so that it ended (length-wise) just behind the generator, allowing for more space in this otherwise intimidating ship. Unfortunately, the problem of the exposed secondary generator remained, since no one could figure out a way to shield it without cutting efficiency or causing heat retention. Even utilizing energy shields was considered too problematic, since it still caused heat retention, on top of requiring more energy to maintain, itself.

Despite these solutions, the class was still considered impractical, but would still last longer than its predecessors, with several vessels seeing service until the mid-2270s. However, the basic design itself was still considered viable, and the cannon would be removed for a more conventional battleship design.

Ironically, even this battleship would see little-to-no service against the Federation in either the 2-years, or 4-years war as the Klingons would not consider them significant enough as adversaries to warrant the use of these ships.

Design: Modified from original by Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc. (SFB)

B-9 tlho-Class (Apocalypse)

With the desire for an ultimate weapon still very much in the forefront of the mind of many Klingon engineers and tacticians, it was obvious that this next class would see production. Indeed, those same Klingons spent years learning from the mistakes of the Suvwl-Class, eventually coming up with this variant.

For this design, the answer was actually rather simple: an independent power source for the cannon. While it seemed to work on paper, the practical application was something else. For one, the secondary power source was so intense, that it could not have any protection of any sort. This was because it generated so much heat that the only way to effectively dispel such heat was to leave it completely open to the vacuum of space. Unfortunately, this made it something of a weak point for enemy ships to exploit. However, this was the only way to both power the cannon and provide enough energy for the rest of the ship, including the other weapons (since the Klingons obviously wouldn’t want a ship that is otherwise defenseless). The other major problem was the fact that the design of the entire ship itself was still too small to comfortably accommodate the “barrel” of the cannon. As such, it protrudes from the aft end of the ship. An alternate design without this section was drawn up and almost made it into production, except for the fact that the cannon itself needed to expel a lot of heat from each firing. This meant there was a very real need for an exhaust port of some sort. All sorts of alternative methods of dispelling the heat were proposed, but none of them came anywhere close to the amount needed and ultimately led to overheating. Furthermore, the best alternatives still led to the ship being destroyed due to excessive heat retention in as few as three (3) firings.

Fortunately, physics didn’t allow for easy exploitation of this apparent design flaw, as projectiles couldn’t overcome the draft of heat escaping from it, and only an expert marksman could hit it with energy weapons.

(and yes, the above is a deliberate dig at the people who thing the Death Star’s exhaust port is some kind of “plot hole”. For a better defense of this design “flaw”, see the Dorkly YouTube channel)

Aside from that, the ship would also suffer from decreased maneuverability, beyond the norm for even something as heavy as a battleship.

As such, this design would also be retired by the end of the decade.

Design: Original

B-8 Suvwl-Class (Warrior)

Built around the turn of the century, this ship was built as a different take on battleships. Instead of just being heavily armed (and armored), the ship would be host to a massive cannon that could take out other ships in a single shot. Obviously, this first attempt had to be massively scaled back, since the power required for this would be far too enormous. As a result, the ship was only capable of severely damaging another ship, or at the very least, overloading the shields.

Unfortunately, with the power requirements needed to achieve anything approaching those effects, the weapon would see more common use as a very heavy version of the disruptor cannon.

While the ship did continue to see use, this would be the final decade it would be maintained, with the class already being retired as of 2241 and the remaining active ships being gradually phased out of service by 2249. This, despite (or rather, because of) the war(s) with the Federation.

Design: Original

C-8 Batlh’etlh-Class (Blade of Honor)

With Klingon culture being what it is, it’s obvious that they’d have several models of heavy warships that they’d be constantly bringing up to date via various refits and new designs. Unlike the above battleships, which had a specific purpose, the dreadnaughts were nothing more than a common updating of the second-most-powerful ship. This particular design, however, directly benefited from the technological improvements of the aforementioned battleships, mostly dealing with an improved power plant, and heavier disruptors. A later update would see the addition of disruptor cannons that were far more devastating than anything up to that point.

Despite being a more “practical” design than the battleships, these types of warship also did not see much use against the Federation, due, once again, to the Klingons having little respect for their “weak” enemy and believing expending ships such as this would be something akin to overkill.

Design: Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc. (SFB)

C-7 JuL’caR-Class (Conqueror)

An older design based on the then-popular L-17 battlecruiser that had been the epitome of Klingon warships up to that point. This ship saw limited use during the war(s) with the Federation, and was used more to patrol other, more vulnerable areas of the empire, where it was believed that more “worthy” adversaries might attack from.

The design itself was essentially a modification of the L-18, outfitted with greater weapons, heavier shields and a more armored hull. It also sported an attempt to downscale the then-still-experimental disruptor cannon for more practical use. The idea was somewhat successful, and would see more use due to a more efficient design prompted via the next decade’s slate of refits.

Design: Geoffery Mandel/Doug Drexler

L-16 Duv’akh-Class (Hidden Blade)

Based on the older D6’s design concept, this was the predecessor to the E-17 Riskadh-Class battlecruiser. Its greater bulk is obviously because the Klingons of the time would’ve seen the Riskadh-Class as too flimsy. However, the bulk of the craft tended to work against it, given that its maneuverability was quite low making it as slow as a dreadnaught, or a battleship.

Despite this single (though significant) shortcoming, the ship class would continue to be used up until the Riskadh-Class was built in this decade. It would mostly see action with several support ships, or in situations that did not require a great amount of maneuverability. Furthermore, the introduction of the E-17 would allow for a slight refit that would solve the problem, for the most part. Sadly, the problem would still remain quite significant and the class itself would only see service into the 2250s because of the second war with the Federation.

Design: Original

D-7 K’Tinga-Class (Bringer of Destruction)

Some people consider this to be a different ship class than the one seen in the movies. To me, this makes no sense since they look far too similar, one just has more detail than the other. Besides, why wouldn’t the Klingons refit their most high-profile warship? Not to mention the fact that those same people willingly accept the Constitution-Class’ movie-era refit as the same as its TOS counterpart, despite the far greater differences in appearance than that of the D7 and K’Tinga. Seems nonsensical, to me.

As such, I have obviously made the two designs one and the same, hence why this is the D-7 K’Tinga-Class.

Anyway, the ship itself obviously saw construction (or at least completion) around this time frame as the new standard bearer for Klingon designs going forward, much as its D-Series predecessors were. In fact, it’s believed that the completion of this ship was what started (or significantly contributed to beginning) the initial 2-years war in 2243. The idea is that the ship had performed so well, it had exceeded expectations. So, aside from starting new designs for various ship types, the Klingons felt more emboldened, believing, now, that with this ship-design they could easily defeat the Federation. Not that they didn’t already see the Federation as weak, but this ship would cement the victory over them in the minds of the High Council.

The design itself would be so popular and instrumental in Klingon affairs, that the ship itself, in one form or another, would serve for over a century before finally being retired. The last conflict it would see any use in would be the Dominion War of the 2370s, and that would mostly be due to the need for ships based on the strength of the Dominion itself.

This particular variant would have many alterations due to its immense popularity with Klingon commanders, with some even receiving a green coloration and slight feather-like detailing reminiscent of Romulan ships. In fact, it’s believed this particular affinity for vaguely bird-like imagery was due to the influence of the Romulans, however indirect it may’ve been. The Klingons, as a matter of fact, had been aware of, and engaged with, the Romulans on many occasions preceding their war with the Federation.

Design: Matt Jefferies

L-18 Chel‘etlh-Class (Hunter’s Blade)

This design was essentially a heavier redesign of the L-17. At least, at the start. Eventually it grew to be much more than that. Despite both being battlecruisers, this ship-class was considered a much heavier and more powerful version. Some even referred to it as a “proper” battlecruiser, and wanted to see it as the standard-bearer for battlecruiser designs going forward. However, those who thought that way were few in number, and the D-Series remained in place as the forefront design of the Klingon Empire.

However, this design would still see significant service throughout the Empire and through multiple conflicts. Indeed, this was the heaviest ship the Klingons used against the Federation. At least in the initial 2-year conflict.

The ship would also not be pushed aside for any other design, no matter how superior it might be. Indeed, it was the second-longest-lasting design in the empire, second only to the D-7 itself.

Design: Original

D-6 K’Tmara-Class (Bringer of Justice)

The predecessor to the D-7, and the foremost ship of the Klingon Empire. This was a legacy held by all D-Series ships, as they usually had the most attention given, and the greatest technological upgrades of the time were usually implemented in this ship. Indeed, this design was so advanced that the ship seen here is the original design itself, first launched at the turn of the century!

Though it would last for several years more, it would have to undergo a significant refit to see the end of the century itself. After that, it, and its predecessor would be retired due to an inability to upgrade the ship any further. Ultimately, any attempt to change the ship would’ve been so significant that one might as well have built an entirely new ship, instead. As such, the class was easily retired in the 2290s, especially in light of the devastation caused by the destruction of Praxis. Not even commanders who once had a deep affinity for the ship tried to see her retained, as they already had a more-than-suitable replacement in the D-7.

Design: Modified from a design by Tobias Richter.

E-17 Riskadh-Class (Queen of Battle)

Another popular design due to its superior capabilities when compared to that of the D-7. Its superior turn rate and weapons placements made it the warship of choice in most major conflicts. However, it never achieved the same popularity as the D-7 with commanders. This, despite the design being more of a match for the Federation’s vaunted Constitution-Class.

As such, the design saw an untimely retirement as it was one of several ships cut from service due to the destruction of Praxis and the significant reduction of resources that resulted from it.

Design: FASA

L-17 Hegh’naQjej-Class (Death Spear)

The L-Series was considered the black sheep of the Klingon fleet by Starfleet, when it was first encountered during the 2-years war. The designation was difficult to pin down, since Starfleet had already indicated distinct designation assignments for each and every letter:

A indicated a Carrier

B indicated a Battleship

C indicated a Dreadnaught

D indicated a Battlecruiser

E indicated a Heavy Cruiser

F indicated a Light Cruiser

G indicated a Destroyer

H indicated a Frigate, Corvette, or other light ship

With “I” already assigned to transports and colony ships, “J” was kept in reserve for unseen ships such as science/research vessels (assuming the Klingons had any) and “K” was for Fleet Tenders, Tugs, and other service ships.

With the other side of the alphabet used for the Romulan ships, the only letter left was “L”. But with all the designations already made, it would be a major headache to try and classify this new battlecruiser by rearranging the system already set up. So, instead, they simplified things by using the next letter available.

For the Klingons, there was no such difficulty. Indeed, the “L-Series” was well known for competing with the D-Series of battlecruisers, often being seen as a major upgrade and a “true battlecruiser”. Despite this, the D-Series were always more versatile and capable than their L-Series counterparts. As such, even though the Ls would replace the Ds as battlecruisers, they would never achieve the popularity and glory that their “lesser” originators did.

This competition was more implied than an outright practice. In reality, the L-Series was just an upgrade from whatever the D-Series had pioneered. Few, if any, Klingons actually saw any sort of competition at all.

In fact, the only example was during the 2220s, when the commander of a D-6 challenged his rival to a match of ships, with the other purposefully taking command of a then-recent L-14. The challenge was actually made in open space, beyond the then-current borders of the Klingon Empire. Further, it was a Federation ship observing this battle which then tried to stop the conflict that led to the misunderstanding that caused the outbreak of war with the Klingons.

This particular ship, though, was several times removed from that era and was considered the epitome of battlecruiser design. The nearly-perfect placement of the disruptor hard points, the overall shape that allowed superior maneuverability, and the balance between the energy available and weapons systems were all considered the height of Klingon engineering, outside the E-17 Riskadh-Class. Technically, even the D-7 couldn’t touch its seemingly flawless design. In fact, it’s believed that the placement and shape of bridge modules on this design were what influenced ships for years to come. Even the addition of a heavy disruptor was considered better-utilized than those of the B-Series battleships attempts, or the C-7 dreadnaught’s.

Still, the ship would not get the recognition it was believed to have deserved. Worse, it would be improved upon with later L-18 design.

Regardless, it still saw quite a bit of service in the fleet for the rest of the century, and even the High Council was reluctant to discontinue it, even in light of the Praxis incident.

Design: Geoffery Mandel/Doug Drexler

E-14 Hoh’SuS-Class (Killing Blow)

As a light cruiser, this ship was once considered a formidable ship in its own right. However, those days are quickly dwindling. The most striking, and as Klingon engineers discovered, problematic, of its features is the warp nacelles protruding upwards from the hull, instead of the traditional downward orientation. This not only created a problem of maneuverability, but vulnerability as well. As to the maneuverability of the ship, it was merely a matter of getting used to the innovative design, something Klingon commanders were unwilling to do, especially since they already had better performing ships with more traditional designs. The idea that the warp nacelles were more vulnerable was more of an opinion than anything else, since many believed that raising the nacelles above the ship made them more of a target. Finally, the most practical reason was that the orientation, combined with the traditional downward orientation of the wing-like structures, brought the nacelles closer to the hull, and thusly put the crew in unnecessary danger.

Despite this, the design was still retained for some time, due to its effectiveness, despite this perceived handicap. This, however, led to the ship’s quick demotion early on from a Heavy Cruiser. Some think it’s because the D-6 was eventually deposed by the L-14 as a battlecruiser, but it was really more an opinionated reasoning.

The ship would only be retained for this decade to participate in the initial 2-years war.

Design: Original

F-19 Qatlh-Class (Wolf)

Although seen more as a “mini-D7”, the ship did distinguish itself by effectively using its reduced volume and increased maneuverability to its advantage. As such, the ship was very easy to command. The only downside was that this ship was considered by Klingons as the equivalent of “training wheels”.

Design: Based off the D-5 “war” cruiser by JBobrooney (I can’t figure out what else it would be from…)

E-16 Hegh’tay-Class (Death Rite)

The E-Series of Cruiser designs would typically retain their Heavy Cruiser status until the D-Series was demoted, as mentioned above. This ship, like the F-19, was considered the most efficient design and easiest to command. The difference being that it was still more powerful, and therefore reserved for more “advanced” officers. Some even say it uses the classic D-7 design better than the D-7 itself, though no one will admit that when asked.

Design: Geoffery Mandel/Doug Drexler

F-17 K’Teremny-Class (Bringer of the Future)

The Klingons, too, had experimented with single-nacelle designs. However, their nacelles did not need to maintain an energy field between the two, as Starfleet’s did, so the design made more sense. Not only that, a warp field was better shaped and more practically maintained due to the form of the typical Klingon ship’s hull. The lack of power was solved by simply drawing it from the impulse engines, instead, as the Romulans did.

As such, this ship’s performance was at least average. It was built as an experiment, and maintained due to its effectiveness. Some more cynical individuals might be inclined to think the Klingons keep it around to rub their success with the unique design in Starfleet’s face. But the Klingons aren’t childish after all…

Design: Original

G-15 charghwl’-Class (Conqueror)

As one might expect, this ship was built simply to modernize the Klingon’s line of destroyers, with the D-7 being an obvious template. And you’d be right. Aside from its appearance, there wasn’t too much to set this apart from a regular destroyer, except the fact that it was decided to make it far more heavily armed than destroyers of the past. With this in mind, these ships often had different hardpoint configurations, even to the point of being customized by the ship’s commander. In this respect, no two ships were the same and could as easily be identified in this manner as with the name or registration.

Design: Original (but influenced by other designs, like the above mentioned D5)

E-15 Hegh’tlhlch-Class (Death’s Hand)

The older of the two, it was demoted to light cruiser the second its successor was built. This was natural, of course, since the D-series were typically demoted to Heavy Cruiser the second an L-series was not only built, but demonstrated superior performance as a battlecruiser. The trade-off would be that ships like this would over-perform in their new assigned roles. The logical solution would seem to be to change the classification system. Instead, the Klingons added additional duties to this ship’s roster, allowing it to be an (admittedly heavy) patrol cruiser and long range scout. This would lead to some resentment amongst its commanders, which would be silenced the second they realized that long range scouting meant a greater chance to run into enemies. Furthermore, the ship itself was heavily armed enough to engage most potential [known] threats, which was the ulterior motive behind this change in the ship’s application. Despite this, the ship would not last much beyond this decade, as more “realistic” designs would be thought up, and constructed.

Design: Original, based off the E-16

G-14 Jagh’jer-Class (Enemy’s Scourge)

In its heyday, this ship was seen as a prime example of a dedicated warship (though admittedly a rather light one). This was based on its one advantage of the design being nearly flat, with the nacelles extending on short “wings” protruding directly to the sides of the ship, instead of being positioned up or down. This resulted in a greatly reduced target profile, but one that still allowed for a placement of a significant amount of disruptors. The ship could also generate enough power for heavy weapon emplacements, making it another of the preferred ship designs for many a Klingon commander.

Ironically, despite its designation as a destroyer, many saw it more as a light cruiser than the F-17, which was assigned the role of light cruiser (until the demotion came from the top with the D-6 becoming a heavy cruiser).

Despite its popularity, more recent designs (especially those of the next two decades) were seen to have easily compensated for the design’s advantage. That, and the fact that the empire was focusing more on heavy warships due to the continued war with the Federation, which turned out to not be as easy an adversary as was generally believed. So yes, it was the Federation’s fault that this design was ditched. [Insert Klingon swear word of choice here]

Design: Original

H-19 noH’etlh-Class (War Blade)

This ship was seen as a minimalist approach to frigate designs. Even the bridge module was small enough to only allow the minimum of required stations and no amenities. Indeed, that was the philosophy throughout the ship: no amenities, no nothing. This ship was so Spartan, it would make the Defiant (NX-74056) look like a luxury liner (not that Klingons were known for luxuries in the first place).

This also affected its performance in conflict as its weapons were also few and far between. Despite that, it was still a very effective design and would continue to serve throughout the rest of the century.

Design: Original, based off the F-5 “Kole” by Amarillo Design Bureau in SFB

F-18 Talatskh-Class (Little Killer)

The name of this ship might seem unusual to many, given that the disparity in size between this ship and others is not that great. Instead, the name is a reference to the fact that this ship class was constructed, and completed, at the same time as the carrier that still operated in this decade (and would continue to until the 2270s). While design choices, such as the angular approach to the forward command section was not seen as anything new, even at the time, its overall appearance was considered too similar to the much, much larger carrier to the point that it was considered a mini version of it (despite having drastically different mission profiles).

As to the design itself, the idea came about in a drunken stupor. No really, the chief designer of this ship had once come up with it while stumbling home after a night of excessive blood wine and started to question the traditional concept of having a narrow boom between the command section and the rest of the ship. At first, he just dropped the boom altogether. However, when he awoke the next day, he noticed how incredibly stupid the design looked (the hangover didn’t help his perception of it). So he immediately scrapped it and went with another design he had no memory of creating (yet, somehow, he remembered the boom-less design). He decided to propose that one instead, which the board decided in favor of (to his surprise). Indeed, he had also inadvertently provided the inspiration for the then-new carrier design!

The only thing that would be changed from his original, would by the command section which would be changed to the angular design that was popular at the time (since it afforded more protection to the bridge).

The ship itself, however, would only last until the 2260s, as angular command sections had fallen out of vogue (to put it one way), and would only be used a few other times, and even then after considerable changes.

Design: FASA

H-17 nguv-Class (Sentinel)

Believe it or not, there’s not much to say about this design. It was essentially seen as nothing more than a smaller, lighter, version of the F-17, with the nacelle replaced by the E-14’s unique variant. The design did surprisingly well in test runs, and actual performance. The only unique or novel idea would be the tube added, which was an early attempt to create a projectile-based weapon to compliment the disruptor. Obviously nothing viable was made for it, so it remained unused. Although some commanders would demand a heavier disruptor to be added, the additional power demands could not be supplied by the single-nacelle design. Regrettably, this ship would not see service long enough to see the implementation of photon torpedoes in the following decades, so the tube would be little more than a reminder of failure. This makes it even more surprising that it remained in service for so long (it would be retired later this decade, shortly after the 2-year war).

Design: Original

K-6 Lara’atan-Class (Protector of Brothers)

After having the classification system outlined in the L-17’s entry, you might be questioning the classification of this ship. Well, given the animosity between the Klingons and the Federation ever since their first contact, it’s obvious that the Federation never got anything resembling a close look into the types of ships they had. It didn’t help that this particular classification of “K-6” was proposed by an impulsive young ensign, and adopted without checking the classification system already in use (which was not necessarily common knowledge, even in Starfleet). Finally, Starfleet and the Federation didn’t find out until after the Khitomer accords that the Klingons, in general, did not build independent vessels for functions such as transportation, colonizing, science, research, or service ships. Instead, these were handled by extant designs that had their interiors gutted (for the most part) and altered for whatever new mission it was required to carry out.

As for this particular ship design, it was a recent attempt to retain the lessening popularity of the angular command section, while integrating a wholly original design. The unique appearance of the ship even surprised many Klingons. However, the concept itself was sound, as it afforded a sort of maneuverability that other ships lacked. Its shape also allowed for more efficient use of internal volume, allowing it to equal (if not rival) larger, heavier vessels.

The designation of Escort Frigate was chosen due to the ship’s maneuverability and unique weapons placement, which allowed better firing arcs than many other ships its size. So, although it was still a frigate, it was most effective as an escort for larger vessels. Even ships like the L-16, or the battleships could feel at ease with these craft at their side.

The design itself is said to be the very first ship the Klingons built (or at least finished) for the 2240s, with the first vessel being completed on the terrestrial calendar date of January 3rd, 2240 (Oh my! They’ll be killed on our front doorstep! And there’s not trash pickup until January 3rd…) (that’s for anyone who’s actually reading this. Bonus points if you know what that’s from).

Design: FASA

H-18 Sivista-Class (Fast Sword)

This particular design was actually older than most of the other ships on this chart (with the exception of the D-5) dating back to the 2180s! In fact, many claim that this design was responsible for popularizing the concept of an angular forward command section (it wasn’t, the design was popular as early as the 2150s). The reason for this was the fact that, when it was first built, this resembled another design that had just been completed. The only difference was the more commonplace use of the more bulbous command section.

The ship itself was nothing to really celebrate. Its only accomplishment that separated it from others was its incredible speed. This contributed more to the perception that it caused the popularity of the angular forward section, since its more rotund opposite was not capable of such speeds. This, in turn, led to the believe that angular designs somehow affected the warp field, and therefore were better for speed. Until this was debunked with later designs such as the E-16 (and some earlier than that).

The design itself would be the longest lasting Klingon design, until the D-7 refit broke the record in the 24th century.

Design: FASA

D-5 K’Tyay -Class (refit) (Bringer of Victory)

Although Klingons are known for keeping their ships in service longer than most other races (except for maybe the Romulans), much of this is credited to knowing when a particular design is too outdated to continue, resulting in a massive refit of the vessel. Some of these refits are so significant that they bear little resemblance to the original design. In fact, some speculate that Starfleet got the idea to do just this, in the 2270s, from the Klingons.

Case in point is the D-5 refit. This version was massively refit to continue as a viable vessel well into the 23rd century. And it worked, with this particular iteration of the ship not being retired until the destruction of Praxis in 2293, and the vast reduction of resources available to the Empire that it brought.

The design itself was influenced heavily by the D-6’s own design, with the obvious thickening of the wings and shrinking of massive disruptor cannons, making them less obvious (and therefore, less of a target). The additional struts helping to connect the forward command section to the larger aft were also removed, as it was eventually determined that they didn’t provide much in the way of extra support (if they provided any), and the aft section was given considerably more bulk. The boom was thinned out, since the thicker version made it more of a target, and the entire thing was covered, instead of leaving any of the structure exposed to open space.

The performance of the ship itself was seen as significant step up from the original D-5 design, but was constantly demoted in mission profiles due to superior designs upstaging it. However, no one could bring themselves to demote a legendary D-series vessel to anything less than a light cruiser, so there it would remain. This was actually typical of the much-loved and lauded D-Series, as no vessel of that class would ever find itself below the role of a cruiser in an official capacity. Even if the ship could only perform the duties of a lighter vessel.

Design: Hector Ortiz (Cryptic, STO)

F-16 Sech-Class (Torch)

One of the problems many had with the basic design of most ships was the fact that the warp nacelles were kept out, away from the ships where they would present more of a target (this complaint ceased when the Klingons saw the even worse design choice of the Federation ships which seemed to be designed to collapse, by their standards). Although some ships in the past had experimented with the wing-only look, it was anything but a standard design, and the engineering corps never seemed to get it to work well. That is where this design came in, with a much more graceful winged look that evoked a deadly bird (though the wingspan was rather short), and both warp nacelles attached next to the impulse deck.

While it did solve the problem, it wasn’t as efficient in generating a warp field, nor did it take into account the reason why the warp nacelles were held further away from the ship in the first place; that being the radiation emitted from them. Finally, there was the close proximity to the impulse engines which seemed to interfere with each other. Not to mention the fact that the impulse deck had to be additionally shielded, since the engineers on these ships were dropping like flies.

Aside from that, overall performance was not an issue. The ship was more than adequately armed for its size and was technically termed a heavy destroyer. Though some believed it was a waste to have wings with nothing at the tip.

Despite all of those considerations, the ship did remain in service until the 2260s where it did find something of a favored status with certain commanders. Especially when sufficient shielding was installed in the engineering sections.

Ironically, the 2280s would see significant improvements in warp nacelle designs in which the units emited far less radiation, making this design much safer. Regardless, the Klingon Empire had decided not to refit the ships, given that they’d already been retired en masse, and that the whole refit fad of the 2270s had long since passed.

Design: Original, but based on a design by Atolm

H-16 t’h’Lar-Class (Defender)

One of the most famous designs for its reversed look to the ship, bringing the warp nacelles forward and away from the rear section, proving to be less of a hazard. The ship was also noteworthy for increasing its volume with the larger aft section due to this design choice. While popular, its maneuverability at warp speeds was noticeably reduced (though not by much), and its lack of a significant amount of aft weapons was a design choice that baffled most. Fortunately, later designs would rectify this oversight, and without any significant drain on the ship’s energy output.

Despite all of this, the ship’s role as a destroyer would easily make it the equal of its Federation counterparts. Some would even argue it was superior, though these are usually ones who already favor the design.

The ship itself would remain in service until the 2270s, where it was strongly debated whether or not to refit the design. Eventually it was decided (by a slim majority) to retire the ship and simply build a new one, instead.

Design: FASA (redrawn significantly by myself)

K-5 Mej-Class (Cleave)

A rather unusually design concept that wouldn’t really catch on due to a learning curve that many commanders (and crews) found unacceptable. Despite that, the ship was very effective, especially in the hands of a capable commander, ideally one who had already been training with the design for some time. As such, there would be training programs specifically set up for this design to justify its existence. This was furthered by the fact that the ship could be absolutely devastating in the right hands and as such, the High Command believed that the results were more than worth the commitment needed for such vessels.

Indeed, the ship was considered small and maneuverable enough to be considered a starfighter, and with less than 50 crew, it wasn’t far off. The only thing that would’ve overcome its one weakness would’ve been a rotating wing-structure that would allow the weapons on the ends of the wings to be readjusted for specific tasks. Not to mention a plane the other commanders were more used to working in. However, it was generally believed that the ship was too small to realistically integrate moving parts, not to mention the fact that moving parts were considered more of a luxury than a necessity, given their additional weight and cost.

Ironically, that would be disproved a few decades later by the Bird-of-Prey, co-designed with the Romulans. Unfortunately, by that time, this design had been retired as it was no longer seen as realistic, or necessary.

Design: Atolm (original drawing by Sean Tourangeau)

And that’s basically it. Questions. Comments. Complaints.

Anything…