Akula

The Akula-class starship was designed at the dawn of the 23rd century to replace the aging Strider-class frigates that Starfleet had relied upon since its founding almost three decades prior. Fast and well armed for their time, these ships served in a perimeter action role until they were finally pulled from service in 2257, having been entirely supplanted by the Saladin class. By the end of their careers, these vessels were considered barely on the edge of viability. Out of the 35 Akulas commissioned, 10 of them were destroyed; the majority of them were lost in their final decade of service, and each of those seven fell in combat.

It was not an especially large ship. While just over 200 meters, the saucer was rather small in diameter compared to the Saladin which would replace it. A substantial secondary hull followed directly off the rear section of the saucer, with nacelles off to each side mounted on short pylons. The bridge module was, unusually, mounted slightly forward on the saucer. In 2229, Starfleet instituted a refit project for the Akula that increased most of its performance characteristics (most notably the sensors) and resulted in a visually-distinct ship mounting brand new nacelles along with an underslung deflector dish.