Federation Canterbury-class Light Frigate

Canterbury-class Light Frigate

Overview:
The Canterbury-class light frigate was proposed in 2346 following the successful Cheyenne-class shakedown cruise. The design team envisioned a Miranda-class replacement that would share at least 75% of its parts and components with modern starships (specifically the Cheyenne-, Springfield-, and Freedom-classes), and Starfleet leadership hoped to retire its 23rd-century Miranda-class logistics network.

The first two ships, the USS Canterbury and the USS Leander, launched in 2348 for space trials. Both proved capable as short-duration science and patrol vessels, and thirty ships were initially ordered. Unfortunately for the Canterbury-class, several of her proponents in Starfleet Command were replaced with more traditional-minded admirals. The production orders for the Cheyenne- and Springfield-classes were sharply cut in favor of adding more ships to the evergreen Excelsior-class heavy cruiser fleet. The Canterbury-class order was reduced to only a fraction of its original size. Some of its resources were shifted into upgrading the existing Miranda-class ships, while others were repurposed to the acquisition of the heavier New Orleans-class frigates.

After nearly two decades of “suspended” acquisition orders, the Canterbury-class production line was officially decommissioned after the Saber-class light cruiser was approved. The few remaining ships are considered to be honorable postings (if not distinguished or desirable), and will continue to serve until their 2398 retirement date.

Specifications:
Entered Service: 2348
Active Ships: 9
Endurance: 6 months
Length: 293.7 meters
Beam: 235.2 meters
Complement: 184 crew

Designer’s Notes:

The idea of a Miranda/Nebula-style ship with Springfield/New Orleans proportions isn’t a new one by any means, but I was greatly inspired by Conner Bentley’s Leander-class. He used a slightly different combination of parts than I had ever seen before. I didn’t try to make a 1-for-1 copy, but give him full credit for the inspiration. This model is built using components from CaptainMojo’s excellent Nebula, Cheyenne, Freedom, and Excelsior parts kits: link Most components have been stretched, skewed, flipped, and otherwise transformed.

Conner Bentley’s original Leander-class ship can be seen as blueprints, a beautiful rendering, and downloaded as an OBJ via his Deviantart page: link

Parts Used:

• Saucer, shuttlebay, bridge (Freedom-class parts kit)
• Engineering hull (Nebula-class parts kit)
• Impulse engines (Apollo-type from Nebula-class parts kit)
• Warp pylons (Centaur-type from Excelsior-class parts kit)
• Warp engines (Cheyenne-class parts kit)
• ”Drexler” module and neck (Nebula-class parts kit)
• (Alternative 1: Apollo-type round pod from Ambassador-class parts kit, “Drexler” module pylon)
• (Alternative 2: Antares-type pod from Miranda-class parts kit, “Drexler” module pylon)

I hope you find some use for this ship!