D'Deridex Class Warbird

Name: D'deridex
Craft: Romulan Star Empire D'deridex-Class Heavy Warbird
Type: warship
Scale: capital
Length: 1,041.65 x 772.43 x 285.47 meters
Ship Mass: 4,320,000 metric tons
Starship Size: 10
Skill: capital ship pilot
Autopilot: 3D+2
Crew: 1,500; Skeleton: 150/+10
Passengers: 400
Cargo Capacity: 100,000 metric tons
Consumables: 3 years
Warp Drive: 5 / 8.2 / 9.6 (12 Hours)
Nav Computer: yes
Maneuverability: 0D+2
Space: 8.5
Hull: 6D+2
Shields: 3D+2
Sensors

• Passive: 35 / 1D+1
• Scan: 100 / 2D
• Search: 140 / 3D
• Focus: 5 / 3D+2

Cloaking Device: while cloaked, +4D Difficulty to detect ship
Weapons

• Type Arendev Disruptor Array

Fire Arc: 360 degrees forward
Location: forward command hull
Crew: 1
Scale: capital
Skill: capital ship gunnery
Fire Control: 1D+1
Space Range: 1-2/5/15
Firing Modes: Standard, Pulse
Rate of fire: 5
Damage: 5D+2

• 5 Type Uregal Disruptor Arrays

Fire Arc: 2x 360 degrees dorsal, 3x 360 degrees ventral
Location: forward dorsal, forward ventral, aft dorsal, aft ventral, command hull ventral
Crew: 1
Scale: capital
Skill: capital ship gunnery
Fire Control: 1D+1
Space Range: 1-2/5/15
Firing Modes: Standard, Pulse
Rate of fire: 5
Damage: 4D+2

• 2 High Yield Torpedo Launchers

Fire Arc: 1 forward, 1 aft; but are self guided
Location: forward, aft
Crew: 1
Scale: capital
Skill: capital ship gunnery
Fire Control: 1D+1
Spread: 10

• Class XIV Plasma Torpedoes

Space Range: 1-45/180/487
Ammunition: 60 total
Damage: 12D

• Type G-II Singularity Torpedoes

Space Range: 1-18/75/203
Ammunition: 240 total
Damage: 8D

• 3 Class Delta Tractor Beams

Fire Arc: 2 forward, 1 aft
Location: forward dorsal, forward ventral, aft ventral
Crew: 1
Scale: capital
Skill: capital ship gunnery
Fire Control: 1D+1
Space Range: 1-3/5/10
Rate of fire: 1
Strength: 4D+2

• 2 Class Alpha Tractor Beams

Fire Arc: Shuttlebay
Location: 1 in each Shuttlebay
Crew: 1
Scale: Starfighter
Skill: capital ship gunnery
Fire Control: 0D+2
Space Range: 1-3/5/10
Rate of fire: 1
Strength: 3D

Miscellaneous:

• Crew Quarters:
  • Spartan: 200
  • Basic: 1,000
  • Expanded: 300
  • Luxury: 85
  • Unusual: 20
• Decks: 63
• Escape Pods: 220

• Capacity per Pod: 8

• Year Commissioned: 2361; underwent class wide upgrades in 2371 (Earth Reckoning)

Transporters

• Personnel: 8

• Range: 40,000 km
• Capacity: 6 persons

• Emergency: 8

• Range: 15,000 km
• Capacity: 24 persons

• Cargo: 8

• Range: 40,000 km
• Capacity: 400 kg

Complement

• Shuttle Craft: 16
• Shuttle Pods: 8
• Probes: 120
• Captain's Yacht: yes

Description: The warbird design referred to as D'deridex-class, B-type warbird, or Warbird class was one of the largest and most powerful mainstays of the Romulan Star Empire. It served as the backbone of the Romulan fleet during the latter half of the 24th century.

History

The uncloaking of a warbird of this type in 2364, during an encounter with the USS Enterprise-D on the edge of the Neutral Zone, signaled the end to fifty-three years of Romulan isolation. (TNG: "The Neutral Zone") Over the next ten years, these warbirds, under the command of both the Romulan military and the Tal Shiar, participated in numerous encounters with Starfleet and the Dominion.

By 2374, they were prominently featured in the Dominion War, where they were instrumental in forcing the Dominion fleets back, time and again. The design saw action during the First and Second Battles of Chin'toka, as well as the final showdown of the conflict, the Battle of Cardassia. (DS9: "Tears of the Prophets", "The Changing Face of Evil")

At least four warbirds were used in the Battle of the Omarion Nebula, joined with at least twelve Cardassian Keldon-class cruisers in a combined fleet of twenty ships. The entire fleet was ambushed and destroyed by a fleet of 150 Dominion ships. (DS9: "The Die is Cast") At least seven warbirds were present in the Federation Alliance fleet at the Battle of Cardassia. One is known to have been destroyed and at least five survived. (DS9: "What You Leave Behind")

Technical data

The D'deridex-class warbird was classified as a battle cruiser by Starfleet. Using a forced quantum singularity as a power source and the latest in Romulan cloaking technology, the D'deridex was not only one of the most advanced vessels in the Romulan Star Empire, but also in the Alpha Quadrant. These warbirds were roughly twice as long as a Federation Galaxy-class starship with a lower overall maximum speed. (TNG: "The Neutral Zone", "Tin Man")

Physical arrangement

The outboard plan of the warbird's design incorporated a unique, horizontally split "shell" hull design, with a prominent forward section. The bulk of the ship's overall size was incorporated in the open-shell, which resembled two separate "wings" that met at either side at the warp nacelles, at the "tail" and off the "neck", which was connected to the "head" or primary forward hull section. The "head" featured the bridge, main engineering, and a majority of the primary weapon systems of the vessel. (TNG: "The Neutral Zone", etc.)

Tactical systems

The primary directed energy weapons array of a warbird was located in its "head", and consisted of a disruptor array, capable of firing both beams and pulses, which also appears to have been shared with a torpedo launcher. (DS9: "The Die is Cast"; TNG: "The Defector", "Face of the Enemy", "Timescape"; VOY: "Message in a Bottle") Some warbirds were also known to have been equipped with phasers. (TNG: "Contagion")

Three additional weapon arrays were located, one each, along the top of the upper "neck" support, along the bottom of the lower "neck" support, and at the tip of the "nose". (TNG: "Contagion", "Unification II"; DS9: "What You Leave Behind")

Cloaking device

Like earlier Romulan ships, D'deridex-class warbirds were equipped with cloaking devices, which protected them from detection in most evasive situations. Like all cloaking devices, the D'deridex-class could utilize them when in defensive or combat situations. However, cloaked warbirds radiated a slight subspace variance at warp speeds; therefore, ships traveling at speeds above warp 6 ran a much greater risk of being detected through their cloak. (DS9: "The Search, Part I", "The Die is Cast") There were other unconventional means to penetrate the warbird's cloak. While traveling under cloak, all electromagnetic emissions, including communications, aboard a warbird were carefully monitored. (TNG: "Face of the Enemy")

Propulsion systems

The fact that a typical D'deridex-class warbird used a forced quantum singularity as its power source gave the ship type some vulnerabilities. If that system was not functioning perfectly or was damaged even slightly, it might have shown through the cloak as a magnetic disturbance of some kind. The destruction of the engine core of a D'deridex-class warbird usually led to the complete destruction of the entire ship.

In order for a warbird to remain undetected while under cloak, the radiative emissions from the warp engines had to be precisely balanced. A slight misalignment in any of the warbird's nullifier cores would create a small magnetic disturbance in space whenever the ship was in motion. This could make the ship detectable while cloaked. The effect of this disturbance, when it occurred, appeared intermittently as a polarized magnetic distortion. (TNG: "Face of the Enemy")

The use of the confined singularity limited the warbird's overall maximum speed. For a warbird to match the maximum speed of a Galaxy-class starship, it needed to exceed its engine output by thirty percent. Doing this would typically cause the warbird's warp drive to sustain irreparable damage. (TNG: "Tin Man")

The confined singularity could occasionally cause time shifts into the future. This occurred to Miles O'Brien for a brief period. As a result of this effect, he was able to prevent an attack on Deep Space 9 by a Romulan warbird. Also, if the singularity signature was carefully scanned, it could be monitored through the cloak. (DS9: "Visionary")

Additional systems

The warbird was equipped with at least one tractor beam, located in the forward section of the warbird, specifically in the lower "neck". (TNG: "The Mind's Eye")

Interior design

The primary color scheme aboard warbirds was distinctively beige and green-gray or teal.

Due to the extreme size of warbirds, these vessels were littered with numerous long corridors. (TNG: "The Mind's Eye"; DS9: "Improbable Cause")

Main bridge

The design of the main bridge of a warbird shared numerous similarities to both its Klingon and Federation starship counterparts.

Located in the front of the bridge, against the forward bulkhead, was the ship's main viewscreen. Directly behind this, and to the left, was the location of the pilot's console, which contained helm (and possibly navigator) functions. In some ships, the pilot stood at his console; in others, the pilot was allowed a chair.

To the right of the pilot's position was a station sometimes held by the executive officer. This console had access to the ship's weapons systems.

The command chair was located near the rear of the bridge, on a raised platform. Around the perimeter of the command chair were various stations. (TNG: "Contagion", "Face of the Enemy"; DS9: "The Die is Cast")

Major variations in bridge design included a side-by-side seating arrangement for the commander and subcommander. (TNG: "The Neutral Zone")

Ready room

Adjacent to the bridge was the commander's ready room or command center. Although appearing to vary by ship, one style included (but was not limited to) a large desk and couch, with removable table and a window that provided a view of outside the ship, such as showing a perspective of space when the vessel was in its normal environment. (DS9: "Improbable Cause", "The Die is Cast")

In some cases, ready rooms functioned as command centers, and included monitors and display consoles. This allowed the commander to monitor the control of ship or fleet activities without actually being on the bridge. (TNG: "Redemption II")

Wardroom

The wardroom was the conference or officers' room connected to the main bridge by a set of doors. Its function was similar to that of an observation lounge, but also served as the dining area for the ship's senior officers. (TNG: "Face of the Enemy")

Engine room

The engine room section was located at the ventral base of the forward "head" of the warbird. Its layout was similar to that of a Galaxy-class starship, with primary situation station in the center of the room and associated consoles along the walls surrounding the room.

One outstanding difference between the main engineering of a warbird and other Romulan starships, likewise distinguishing it from those of the Federation and Klingon Empire, was the absence of a large matter-antimatter reactor core. In place of this bulky component, the Romulans had a wall compartment, which contained the quantum singularity engine core. (TNG: "Timescape")

Procedure room

The procedure room aboard a warbird was a starkly-lit chamber, with a chair at one end of the room, and with various movable pieces of equipment positioned around it. (TNG: "The Mind's Eye")

Shuttlebay

A shuttlebay was located two decks down from the ship's "C" Deck, in Section 25. This area was large enough to contain at least one Starfleet Danube-class runabout. (DS9: "The Die is Cast")

Cargo bay

The cargo bays served as storage areas for the ship's cargo, and possessed shelving space along the walls opposite of the main cargo bay doors. (TNG: "Face of the Enemy")

Crew quarters

The crew quarters aboard a warbird were located on the ship's "C" Deck. They were sparsely furnished, with a table and chairs in the center of the floor, and a set of bunk beds incorporated into the walls. Crew quarters could also have force fields integrated in and around their bulkheads. (DS9: "The Die is Cast")

Variations are known to have included a bed fully detached from the wall, and a sink with mirror along the far left wall from the entryway. (TNG: "Face of the Enemy")

Source:

• Memory Alpha: D'deridex class
• Memory Beta: D'deridex class
• Ship Recognition Manual vol 5 (Spacedock) (pages 12-15)
• thedemonapostle