This Federation class of starship is easily one of the coolest on Star Trek. Sadly, it never got that much attention, which is unfortunate- it's definitely an eye pleaser.

The saucer section looks quite similar to that of a Galaxy Class starship, with the bridge on top and the main shuttlebay directly behind the bridge. As a departure from the normal primary hull construction, the primary hull of the New Orleans Class starship has two Quantum torpedo launchers, one on each side of the bridge, which are massive and unmistakable- they look more like canons than anything else and quite intimidating.

The secondary section is where the "coolness" factor comes in. Instead of the sweeping nacelles and sloped secondary hull as seen on the Galaxy Class starships, the secondary hull of the New Orleans Class has the nacelles closely nestled to the primary hull, giving the look of a compact, powerful ship with incredible manueverability. And the ship's look doesn't in the least belie what your first impressions might be- it is compact, powerful and extremely nimble in combat situations. On the underside of the secondary hull is a third Quantum torpedo launcher, just beneath the deflector dish.

Originally classified as a "Frigate" class starship, the New Orleans Class is actually capable of being refitted for different mission types, much like the Nebula Class Starship. Its primary mission parameters, however, typically include border scouting, defensive/offensive battle and armed escort.

You can find pictures of the New Orleans Class Starship easily on the 'net. Either do a Google Image search for the name of the starship class or look under "USS Kyushu". It truly is a sweet ship to behold- one of my favorites.

Crew complement: 260
Ships built / Remaining in service: 52/37
Weapons: 8 Type IX Phaser arrays; 3 Quantum Torpedo launchers
Maximum cruising speed: Warp 9.6 (as of 2367)
Mass: 1.67 million metric tons
Length: 360 meters
Decks: 16

Ships in service:
Name------------------------------Registry-------------Status

USS New Orleans--------NX 57288-------Operational

USS Lisbon----------------NCC 57355-----Operational

USS Rutledge-------------NCC 57295-----Operational / Refit

USS Walker----------------NCC 57820-----Operational

USS Oceana---------------NCC 61612-----Operational / Refit

USS Kyushu---------------NCC 65491-----Destroyed

USS Orleans--------------NCC 62745-----Operational

USS San Antonio-C-----NCC 61872------Destroyed

USS Philadelphia--------NCC 62123-----Destroyed

USS Pearson-------------NCC 62223-----Destroyed

USS Thomas Paine-----NCC 65530-----Operational / Refit

USS Valencia-B----------NCC 63012-----Operational

USS Balmoral------------NCC 57290-----Operational

USS Dundee--------------NCC 69522-----Destroyed

USS Musashi-------------NCC 65075-----Operational

USS Louisiana-----------NCC 65781-----Operational

USS Indiana--------------NCC 61054-----Operational / Refit

USS Hudson-A-----------NCC 61085-----Destroyed

USS Sacramento--------NCC 65661-----Operational / Refit

USS Mobile----------------NCC 58011-----Operational

USS Manson--------------NCC 65262-----Operational / Refit

USS Gloucester----------NCC 65617-----Destroyed

USS Emerson------------NCC 61913-----Operational

USS Renegade----------NCC 63102-----Operational

USS Devout---------------NCC 67576-----Operational

USS Bersatra-------------NCC 68210-----Operational

USS Lille-------------------NCC 58617-----Operational

USS Hemingway-------NCC 68845-----Destroyed

USS Dark Horse---------NCC 58078-----Destroyed

USS Taurus---------------NCC 60375-----Operational

USS Heron----------------NCC 62058-----Operational

USS Unicorn--------------NCC 67339-----Operational

USS Libra-----------------NCC 73880-----Operational

USS Warsaw-------------NCC 75803-----Operational

USS Dresden-B---------NCC 74099-----Operational

"New Orleans" was the class designation given to a kitbash model built by modelmaker Ed Miarecki for the Battle of Wolf 359 graveyard scene in the TNG episode "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II". The model was was constructed with parts from two commercial Galaxy-class model kits of differing scales, as well as some custom additions to create the appearance of a ship much smaller than the Galaxy class but of similar design.

The only New Orleans class ship ever seen onscreen was the USS Kyushu (NCC-65491). The only other notable ship of the New Orleans class was the USS Rutledge (NCC-57295), which was commanded by Captain Benjamin Maxwell during the Federation-Cardassian War of the 2350s and upon which Miles O'Brien served as tactical officer early in his career. The Rutledge was never shown onscreen, however.