BRAD'S COMMENTS:  The Nelson Class is an almost identical carbon copy of the Saladin class Destroyer that was created by Franz Joseph for the old, beloved Star Fleet Technical Manual.  The only minor cosmetic changes that FASA did were to split the warp pylon into two diagonally-angled pieces and remove the deflector dish which was mounted on the ventral surface of the saucer.  I have therefore chosen to use the Saladin schematic in place of FASA's schematic, so as to take advantage of the improved quality of the scan, and also to stay true to the original design as it first appeared in the Technical Manual.
        In terms of game play the Nelson is a pretty durable scout ship, especially the later models.  I have always believed that this ship would have made a nice poor man's destroyer if only it had come equipped with a torpedo, but alas the Nelson is armed only with laser or phaser weaponry.  Along with ships like the Constitution, the Larson, the Loknar, the Federation, and the Anton, the Nelson is part of what I like to think of as the TOS Fleet.  The ships of the TOS Fleet are all designs that employ the simplistic TOS-era design ethic, before the sleek industrial detailing of the Consitution Refit that we first see in Star Trek: TMP.  The saucer sections all look the same, the warp nacelles all look the same, and we can probably assume that both of these parts were to scale on all of the ships.
        During scenarios I will sometimes use one or more Nelsons as picket or vanguard ships on the leading edge of a larger Federation flotilla.  Especially in an area where I believe there are cloaked Klingon or Romulan craft hiding.  Using its sensors I will try and sniff out the cloaked enemy, or if I am playing a newer gamer sometimes he or she will take the bait and attack the Nelson Class decoys before my main Federation fleet arrives, thus spoiling the enemy surprise attack without me having to put any of my larger Federation craft into the line of fire.
        Ship to ship, later model Nelsons do okay against very early Romulan cruisers and some very early Klingon designs, but again the lack of a torpedo really hampers this class in terms of its offensive potency.  Better to use the ship as an expendable decoy, which is what I usually end up doing.

From the FASA Star Trek FEDERATION SHIP RECOGNITION MANUAL, circa 1985
Nelson Class VII Scout
NOTES:  "The Great Awakening" was responsible for the addition of many ships to Star Fleet, not the least of which was the Nelson Class scout.  This vessel shares many design features with the Constitution Class cruisers and the Larson Class destroyers, though it is not intended to act as a warship.  The primary mission of the Nelson is to explore and map uncharted areas of space, to observe new civilizations and cultures, and, in some cases, to make initial contact.  This has made the Nelson Class scout responsible for more contacts with alien cultures than any other vessel class in Star Fleet.
        When introduced on Stardate 1/8804, the Nelson was the most modern vessel in the Galaxy Exploration Command; it would prove to be one of the finest ships of its day.  It mounted the powerful FWC-1 warp engine and was capable of cruising at Warp 8 for up to two years at a time.  The Mk I was not particulalry maneuverable and relied on its emergency speed of Warp 9.9 to carry it to safety if it were attacked.  Because of its mission, the Mk I mounted two forward-firing only, medium-power lasers, and the FSG shield generator, a single transducer system.
        When phaser weapons were brought into the inventory, the Mk Is were refitted as they returned from their missions.  At this same time, the impulse engines were replaced with the FIC-3 system, increasing the power output by 10%.  Experiences during the Four Years War dictated an upgrade to the FSF shield generator, its binary transducer giving the same protection at half the power expenditure.  By Stardate 2/0006 all Mk Is had been refit to Mk IIs.
        On Stardate 2/0801 Star Fleet passed down the order to refit the Mk II vessels to the Mk III by installing FWC-2 warp engines, FH-7 phasers, and FSH shield generators.  The change in the main engines would increase the overall power output by 30% and the maneuverability by 50% at the expense of the cruising and emergency speeds.  FSH shield generators were installed for more protection, and, as an added defensive element, FH-7 phasers replaced the FH-2s.  On Stardate 2/0806 the first of the refit Nelsons, the USS Sager, was put into service.  In all, 114 of the Mk Ills would be commissioned before the introduction of the Mk V.
        The Mk IV mounted the FIE-2 impulse drive system.  Only two of this model, the USS Moisanen and USS Manzer, ever entered service.  Prior to their completion, the Mk IV design was changed and all other vessels under construction were altered to conform to this change.  The Moisanen and Manzer were refit to the Mk V model within two years after their entry into service.
        The Mk VII mounted the FH-8 phaser system and the FSN shield generators.  A major change in the arrangement of the weapons was incorporated in the Mk VII.  The earlier models mounted two phasers with separate fire control systems, which meant that both could be fired independently but they required more space and operating personnel.  In the Mk V, the phasers were put into a bank and a single phaser was added to cover the aft quadrant. The FH-8s, being more sophisticated and having a longer range, required the M-2 computer system.  The FSN shield generators increased the shielding protection by 20%.
        Of the 273 Nelsons built, 88 Mk Vs remain in active service, with 14 Mk IIs, 12 Mk Ills, and 8 Mk Vs in reserve fleets.  One Mk V is used by Star Fleet Training Command, and 32 Mk Is, 11 Mk IIs, 8 Mk Ills, and 3 Mk Vs have been destroyed.  Four Mk Is were captured by the Klingons during the Four Years War; 16 Mk Is, 6 Mk IIs, 2 Mk Ills, and 1 Mk V have been listed as missing; 8 Mk Is, 10 Mk IIs, 22 Mk Ills, and 9 Mk Vs have been scrapped; and 4 Mk Is, 4 Mk IIs, 8 Mk Ills, and 2 Mk Vs have been sold to civilian commercial concerns.

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