Michael Grafton proposed that: At the height of the General War, the Federation Starfleet Bureau of ships discovered that they were using the existing stockpile of "15 box" engines at a much greater rate than they could replace.
Thus an alternate means of powering the existing DD/SC/DE ships was sought.
The solution found was to install 3 "Frigate sized" engines, so the DD had the same warp engine power as the DW and FFB.
The results were spectacular, though this was never a general refit and the force of destroyers was slowly becoming smaller as no replacements were being built (the DD shipyard was converted to NCL production).
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SVC is not sure there was any shortage of 15-box engines but the idea of this engine swap just to get more power sounds like something players would do.
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This refit (the DDw) was only applied to destroyer hulls that were badly damaged. It was applied after Y XXX, to all Destroyers that had recieved over 80% warp damage, as part of their repairs. Several destroyers served through the Andromedan and Op Unity periods without ever receiving the refit.
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SVC doesn't buy the damage thing. For one thing, it is meaningless. If the ship is legal you buy it.
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SSD: Take a DD/DG/SC/DE whatever. Remove the 15 box center warp engine. Add 3 - 6 box engines (Left, Right and Center) and 3 crew units (1 of which is 2 BPs). I would think there are arguements for and against 1) An improved Breakdown rating (a big deal) and 2) adding a few shield boxes (a lesser deal?)...
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SVC isn't buying improved breakdown and sees no justification for improved shields beyond "I want it".
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NOTE: this brings the Fed DD closer to parity with the F5 -> F6 conversion (remember, the Fed FF is a Frigate while the F5 is a small destroyer) since the FF -> FFB conversion is "less excellent." And the DD could use a bit of a boost. And this was about the most logical one I could think of.
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SVC is laughing his ass off.
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SVC asks if this applies to DD, DDL, DE, DDG, SC, etc.

By Mike Strain (Evilmike) on Wednesday, January 09, 2008 - 02:48 pm: Edit

I wouldn't be surprised if some YDD/GDD's were 'converted' to 'regular' DD's.

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 04:02 pm: Edit

We all know that any ship can be improved. But there have to be limits.

In most cases, adding an extra engine to an existing design is generaly done on the centerline of the ship where there is maximum frame to work with to operate the engine and the stress of the hull can resonably be expected to best take the force being applied. THIS IS NOT TO SAY THAT THERE IS A RULE THAT REQUIRES THIS, THIS IS PURE OBSERVATION (Emphasis, not shouting).

I am, in any case, not sure that the Federation Destroyer saucer could be so easily modified to operate with three engines in the way suggested by the original designer. The structures that exist above the NCL and BB do not seem to support the idea. Adding extra engines outside the centerline of a design does not seem to have happened (to my memory) in the game system as of yet (this, as noted, does not mean that it is not possible, there is no "rule" on this), but simply doing a three engine version of the DD hull (even with the increased chance of engine damage due to now having left and right as well as center warp engines) does not on the face of it (to me) justify doing the SSD.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Saturday, August 10, 2019 - 12:34 am: Edit

I am not sure if this would be good for the game. Any ship can use more power. This conversion would make all of the DDs obsolete. I hate to fall back on "unbalanced warp field" but we may have to.