Sovereign class nuclear-powered guided missile cruisers were built in the late 1960s, intended to complement nuclear-powered aircraft carriers with their long range. Their construction came just prior to the development of the Aegis system, however, and the ships were in need of a large crew complement compared with comparably-sized Cavalier class destroyers and suffered from particularly poorly-designed helicopter decks resulting in a number of fatalities. Although kept in service in order to not throw away the OMDF's recent investments, they were overshadowed in service by Excalibur class cruisers as they entered service.
In their first refuelings, 25 years after entering service, all Sovereign class ships were refit with SPY radar, Aegis systems, and Mark 43 vertical launch systems in anticipation of another 25 years of operation. Despite these upgrades, Sovereign class ships took heavy losses in the Circum-Pacific War.
Ships
OFS Sovereign (CGN-42) - The lead ship of her class, Sovereign entered service in 1967 with the Ceres fleet. She was transferred to the Cascade detachment of the Atlantic fleet after refueling in 1992 and saw action in the Belkan War as part of the Goldfinch's (CV-18) battlegroup.
OFS Avatar (CGN-43) - Transferred to the Atlantic fleet after her 1993 refueling, she was sunk by Yuktobanian strike fighters ingressing on the East Coast from Leasath in the Circum-Pacific War.
OFS Challenger (CGN-44) - Originally a Ceres fleet asset, she was sent to the Atlantic in 1994 and was among the units that penetrated the Futuro Canal in 1995.
OFS Sentinel (CGN-45) - Transferred from the Ceres fleet to the Atlantic after her refueling was completed during the Belkan War. Was in the Challenger's squadron when it entered the Great Lakes but was sunk by a Belkan battlecruiser.
OFS Colossus (CGN-46) - Commissioned in to the Pacific fleet, she engaged in many counter-piracy operations following her refit.
OFS Enterprise (CGN-47) - The fourth OFS Enterprise, she was the unofficial flagship of the Pacific fleet throughout her career, and lived up to her name by sinking two Yuktobanian battlecruisers in 2010.
OFS Legacy (CGN-48) - Served with the Pacific fleet since her commissioning, the Legacy was sunk by Yuktobanian fire in 2010.
OFS Providence (CGN-49) - Commissioned in to the Pacific fleet and sunk by Yuktobanian strike fighters in the Circum-Pacific War.
OFS Constitution (CGN-50) - The fifth OFS Constitution, she was commissioned into the Atlantic fleet and transferred to the Ceres after her refit. She was disabled at the Battle of Saint Hewlett. Sinking less than a few feet in shallow water, she was returned to service in 2012. She earned the nickname "Old Ironsides," itself given to the first Constitution centuries ago.
OFS Federation (CGN-51) - Scheduled for refueling and overhaul in 2003, the Federation was removed from the naval registry as post-Cold War downsizing and converted into a museum ship.