Vas'deletham class

Vas'deletham-classJ4-class ("Winged Defender")
Affiliation:	Romulan Imperial Star Navy
Type:	cruiser
Service period	23rd century
Dimensions
Length:	187 meters
Width:	293 meters
Height:	94 meters
Specifications
Crew:	348 to 350
Maximum speed:	warp 9
Cruising speed:	warp 7
Armaments:	8 disruptor emitters, either 1 plasma weapon launcher or 3 photon torpedo launchers
Defences:	deflector shields, cloaking device
Auxiliary craft:	2 Romulan shuttlecraft

The V30-class (also known as the Vas'deletham-class, translated as Winged Defender-class) was a series of class XII Romulan cruiser starships in Imperial Star Navy service around the time of the 23rd century.

Specifications

The type 1 Vas'deletham vessels crewed 350, while the type-2 model reduced this to 348. These vessels docked two shuttlecraft, and possessed seven transporter rooms, with four 6-person personnel transporter stages, two large-scale emergency transporters and a single cargo transporter. The V30s measure 187 meters in length, 293 meters in width and 94 meters in height, with the type-1 vessels having a weight of 200,100 metric tons and the type-2 ships upgraded to 202,200 tons. The vessels have a cargo storage capacity of 40 SCU (standard cargo units), or 2,000 metric tons. Control computers on board were of the R6M type. The V30 had two RWG-1 warp nacelles, with an cruising speed of warp seven and a maximum speed of warp 9. The impulse engines were of the RIE-3 type. The ships were defended by RSL type deflectors. There was a distinction in armament between the two known modifications of Winged Defenders. Both variants were equipped with eight RB-9 disruptor emitters with arcs of fire in all directions, while the type-1 was equipped with a forward plasma weapon launcher of the RPL-3 design, while the type-2 V30 was equipped with three RP-3 photon torpedo launchers (two forward and one aft). The ships had a variable-geometry wing that could change position depending on flight modes, and were equipped with the RCE model cloaking device.

Service history and disposition

The V30 type-1 series entered service around reference stardate 2/17, with over twenty ships constructed for the Romulan government, with the type-2 series numbering around 15 vessels built built between its introduction on stardate 2/19 and the mid-2280s. New vessels were constructed at a rate of seven per year. These vessels had never engaged Federation forces in combat during their first few decades of service, but were reputed to be victorious over many comparable Klingon vessels. The V30 was never deployed alone, usually flying in formation with support vessels on patrols, mostly along Romulan borders. While the V30 was thought to be roughly equivalent to the Federation Starfleet Constitution-class heavy cruiser, the presence of multiple other combat vessels was thought to represent a tactical superiority. The ships were named for the vas'deletham ("winged defender") bird which is native to Remus, an animal that is vicious and deadly in the protection of its nest. (FASA RPG module: Romulan Ship Recognition Manual)

Reference stardate 2/17 roughly corresponds to the late 2270s decade on the standard timeline.

During the late 23rd century, ships of this class were the flagships of the Romulan fleet and were deployed along border areas as a deterrent to potential incursions into Romulan space. Starfleet outposts along the Romulan Neutral Zone began to observe Winged Defender-class cruisers patrolling the border in the late 2270s. (FASA RPG module: Star Trek IV Sourcebook Update)

On reference stardate 2/1801.18, the Klingon Gold Wing's IKS Gloryseeker, IKS Claw of the Riyity, and IKS Waraxe ambushed a Winged Defender 17 parsecs from Delta Khinah II, destroying it before it could cloak and retreat. It was able to warn two nearby Verelan Vastarum-class scouts, but to no avail, as they were also destroyed. (FASA RPG module: The White Flame Starship Combat Scenario Pack mission: "Operation Eradicate: Scenario 1)

As of the mid-2280s, Enterprise-class starships had not yet confronted a Winged Defender. They were known to shadow their counterparts patrolling on the opposite sides of Klingon and Federation borders. Starfleet Intelligence observed an unusual shuffling of ship names and assignments that made it difficult to compile an accurate number of these ships. (FASA RPG module: The Romulans: Starfleet Intelligence Manual)

Appendices

Background

The Winged Defender is one of several Klingon and Romulan ship classes originally designed for the FASA RPG that were revived in the ST video games: Encounters, Conquest, Legacy.