PumwI' class

The PumwI' class (English: Accuser) was a Klingon dreadnought class launched in the 2280s. By 2293, there were eight PumwI's in service, with two more under construction. They were equipped with five warp nacelles and were among the largest ships in the Klingon Defense Force until the advent of the Negh'Var class. Only the best Klingon captains would be given the command of such juggernauts in their time. However, they were slower than Constitution-class ships, making it rather easy for enemies to escape combat. (TOS video games: Klingon Academy, Starfleet Command (game))

History

RIS Bouteina

As the RIS Bouteina flew across the Scovion Nebula, the crew encountered a ship of this class who was adrift in space. She was called the IJN Eidolon. Her older weaponry was no match for the Bouteina's advanced tactical systems. This class of ship was equipped with a starbase-grade morgue. In 2384, this class was recommissioned by the KDF as prison ships, holding over 10,000 prisoners at once. As prison ships, this class was known as the Eidolon class. The lead ship of the class gained this macabre status after nearly all of its occupants were killed as a result of the cure for the zombie sickness. However, due to the great costs of building these ships, only one other keel was laid down. (RIS Bouteina: "Eidolon")

Also, the Romulan Guard had two ships of that class in service as of 2294, but only the RIS Behemoth survived as of 2386. Along with the D7-class, the PumwI'-class were among the oldest ships of the Tal Prai'ex at this time. (RIS Bouteina: "Battle of Eight Beat")

An alternate timeline caused by the Q Continuum made the Romulans receive five PumwI'-class ships rather than the two they had in the prime timeline. (RIS Bouteina: "Limit at Plus Infinity")

By 2298, 42 PumwI'-class ships were built, with several units lost in combat, such as the IKS DighreS, which was Admiral Kerla's flagship in Operation Tyr. (Star Trek: False Vacuum: "Structural Unemployment")

Star Fleet Battles

In the Star Fleet Battles timeline, there were two versions of the PumwI' class in service: one designated the C8, intended for use along the Lyran-Kzinti border, and another one designated C9, intended for use along the Federation border. The C8 and C9 were designed and put through the prototype stage at the same time. The C8 was found to be better able to defend itself against missiles and attack fighters. This fact eventually made it the standard Klingon dreadnought design by the 2280s.

The C9 variant of the PumwI', along with the very similar C8, was designed for extended operations. It was much larger than the D7-class battlecruisers. Most of the C9s were later converted to C8s. A few other C9s (in RIS Bouteina, it was eventually revealed that it was two units, RIS Behemoth and ChR Medusa's Gaze) were instead sold to the Romulan Star Empire at very favorable terms for the Klingons. The PumwI's were very maneuverable and durable ships.

The heavy toll on Klingon dreadnoughts during the General War caused the Klingon Defense Force to design and build an upgraded version of the basic PumwI'. The additional cost of construction was thought to be balanced by the planned increased survival rate of the "heavy" PumwI', or the C10K. The Eidolon was a "heavy" PumwI'.

Romulan service

When Klingon Ambassador Count Vak Kaleen convinced the Romulans to attack the Federation, part of the agreement included the delivery of a new "C9" PumwI' dreadnought (reporting code: K9R). The Romulans named this ship Behemoth and converted it to their technology. It was the most powerful single unit in the Romulan Fleet until the advent of the Fvillha-class heavy dreadnought.

A further development of the K9R PumwI', the K9RH version added additional phasers to increase the plasma defense and the offensive reach of the dreadnought. It could only be refitted from an existing K9R PumwI', of which only a few existed in the Romulan fleet.

External link

• PumwI' class article at Memory Beta, the non-canon Star Trek wiki.