The Federation Class Dreadnought was initially conceived prior to the
Four Years as a variant of the Heston class heavy cruiser (which was itself
a Military role variant of the Constitution). The design was shelved as the
new dilithium energised engines were not yet available to power such a large
vessel. After the war the design was modified to take account of the lessons
of the War and put into production using the new FWF-1 engine. The class was
refitted in 2274, and was the most powerful Starfleet vessel until the
introduction of the Excelsior class some twenty years later.
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