The U.S.S. Indianapolis is a Ambassador Class Starship. Here is
alittle history on the Ambassador Class... The Ambassador Class
was the result of a study by Starfleet astronautical engineers to find
a worthy successor to the Excelsior Class. Their goals called for
larger lift capability and internal volume (thus a longer operating
range and longer on-station time), and upgraded defense/weapons
systems to deter the then-hostile Klingon Empire. The design teams
from Starfleet and the warp drive experts at Yoyodyne Propulsion
Systems set to work on the project. Some fourteen months later, the
prototype, NX-10521, departed Earth Station McKinley on its shakedown
cruise. The ship was christened USS Ambassador, and she was all
that Starfleet had hoped for. The Ambassador was a true battleship
-- her armament systems far surpassed any other ship's in Starfleet,
in both power and number. Ambassador's hull was shielded with
extra-thick duranium plate armor. Her sheilds could withstand much
more punishment than than an Excelsior's and she was quicker, too.
The Ambassador met Starfleet's defensive needs admirably, and
Ambassador class starships (along with their counterpart, the New
Orleans Class) still comprise the backbone of Starfleet's military wing.

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