CLASS:
Perhaps the most famous class of vessel in Starfleet history, the Constitution class was a legend in its own time. When launched, the USS Constitution set a new standard of excellence in almost every applicable field - she was simultaneously the fastest ship, most advanced exploration platform and most powerful combat vessel in known space. The four hundred and thirty crew enjoyed a standard of crew accommodation unknown on other vessels of the period, while the diplomatic facilities rivalled those of all but the most elaborate Starbases. By 2265 the early Constitutions where reaching twenty years of age, their designed life span. Starfleet had decided that they where becoming somewhat long in the tooth and was looking for a replacement class; however, such was the popularity of these ships that the Starfleet design bureau stated in an official memo that none of the contemplated new designs matched up to them and the best course of action was to simply rebuild the existing ships with the latest technology. Although Starfleet was not convinced at first, careful testing of the skeleton framework of several Constitution class ships revealed that the basic structure was more than capable of continuing in service, having withstood twenty years of hard use with ease.
