VOR CHA CLASS ATTACK CRUISER Designed to supplant the venerable K Tinga class Battlecruiser in KDF service, the Vor Cha class would go on to become one of the most recognizable Klingon warship designs in the modern era. From the late 23 rd century, the KDF began to slowly fall behind other major powers in terms of spacecraft design and engineering. Though the D-9/K teremny and D-10/Riskadh classes had expanded the capabilities and overall effectiveness of the KDF, Starfleet s Excelsior class was widely considered to be superior thanks to the multi-mission philosophy behind its design. The introduction of the Renaissance class in 2305, which pioneered the use of phaser emitters linking together individual banks via force coupling and then the Ambassador in 2320, which pioneered the use of burst fire torpedo launchers allowing more than one torpedo to be fired simultaneously further swung the balance in Starfleet s favor. The KDF responded by scaling up their D-11/B Rel class Bird-of-Prey to become the K Vort class Battlecruiser a 654 meter long behemoth that was heavily armored and featured a pair of massive Heavy Disruptors at its wingtips. For all its raw firepower, the K Vort was also slow and the aforementioned disruptors were somewhat difficult to target when compared to Starfleet s phaser emitters. What was truly needed was a modern cruiser, not as gargantuan as the K Vort, but not as small as the K Tinga. A ship that would put the KDF back on par with Starfleet in all aspects of technology and engineering while at the same time, revolutionizing Klingon ship design. The development of the Vor Cha began in 2344 with the class entering service in 2347, well after the Ambassador class had entered service, but 8 years ahead of the Nebula class. It maintained the classic layout pioneered by the D-4/Dama class of a forward command hull featuring the bridge and a portion of the main armament, connected to a secondary hul/engineering section featuring personnel accommodations, cargo bays, the remainder of the armament and other support systems by a thin neck section. The warp nacelles maintained their traditional positions slung low and extending aftwards from the engineering section helping to enhance maneuverability. Aesthetically speaking, the Vor Cha eschewed the smooth, clean surfaces of the D-7 and its successors for a rougher, slightly craggy appearance thanks to the incorporation of thick, high-density armor plating in the construction process a trait that would be repeated on the Negh Var class. Tactically, the Vor Cha eclipsed the K Vort, the smaller class going on to become the most powerful in KDF service for two decades mounting 3 Mark XVI Heavy Disruptor Cannons, 18 Mark XII Disruptors and 4 Torpedo Launchers. These ships were first tested in combat during the Klingon Civil War of 2367-68, the IKS Bortas carrying the flag of Chancellor Gowron. Their power was graphically demonstrated to Starfleet in 2371 when a large KDF armada attacked the Starship Defiant (DD 74205) and launched an assault on the Federation Starbase Deep Space Nine. With the reinstatement of the Khitomer Accords in 2373, the KDF rejoined its Federation allies in the fight against the Dominion beginning with a large force organized around a Vor Cha squadron sent to assist Starfleet during their Operation Return. Starting in 2375, an extraordinary burden was placed on these ships and the KDF s other classes as well. The entry of the Breen into the war alongside the Dominion was a massive, if
temporary setback for the allies as KDF ships were the only ones proven invulnerable to the energy dampening weapon the Breen employed aboard their frigates. In 2376, the Vor Cha was supplanted by the closely related Q ang ( Chancellor ) class that had slightly smoother lines, employed upgraded weaponry (including Plasma Torpedos) and a vastly more sophisticated warp drive.
Class Classification Service Number Active Length Beam Height Decks Vor Cha Attack Cruiser 2347- Unknown 481m 342m 107m 28 Mass Compliment 2,238,000 metric tons 1,900 Armament Defense Systems 3 MK XVI Disruptor Cannons 18 MK XII Disruptor Cannons 4 Torpedo Launchers Standard Deflector Shield System total capacity 2,079,000 TerraJoules Heavy Duranium/Trititanium Double Hull plus 15cm High Density Armor
Editor s Annotations The most often-seen Klingon capital ship throughout TNG and DS9, the Vor Cha is something of an enigma. Conventional wisdom has the class being developed roughly around the same time as the Galaxy/Nebula, while certain fanon sources have the class being developed in response to Starfleet s Ambassador (which seems plausible given the relative lack of knowledge in regards to Klingon history during the Lost Era). The Q ang/ Chancellor sub-class comes from the TrekLit realm and seems to be an update to the Vor Cha much in the same way as the Galaxy II was to the Galaxy. Along with the Negh Var, it can be reasonably assumed that the Vor Cha and Q ang have become KDF staples and form the backbone of their overall fleet.
Bibliography Logo Kristian Reverend Trigwell (Gallery @ Star Trek Minutiae) Schematic Bernd Schneider Blueprints Starship Schematic Database