Manufacturer: Gateway Co.
Preceded by: CR-70
Succeeded by: CR-110
Subclasses:
CR-95
Current Service (0):
Past Service:
(2) New Archton Fleet
(1) United Federation Remembrance Fleet
New Republic Fleet: (4)
Federation ship Tantive IV, which served in both Liam Wars and the War with Noah.
The CR-90 Corvette was the longest running corvette design in the History of Gateway, and in fact the ship was the first official ship to come out of Gateway Co. since it was named Gateway. The Corvettes served in the John and Liam Wars, as well as the War with Noah. They were divided into three contingents (essentially a squadron for corvettes), the Tantive, Radiant, and Resolute contingents, and the Tantive IV is preserved as a model in the Federation Museum. It was replaced by the CR-110 design.
During the days of the Coalition of Independent Paper Plane Enthusiasts (CIPPE) the need was seen for a smaller ship than a cruiser but bigger than a destroyer (the CIPPE had not adopted the standard ship-scale used today, in which destroyers are bigger than cruisers). The company that would become Gateway, headed up by John B.G., began work on a corvette, and as the story goes, he also wished for it to look like the Star Wars Corvette that appeared in A New Hope. This is why when you look at the ships they appear to have "ears." This is in fact based on the cockpit of the CR-90 from Star Wars.
Despite working day after day on a design that would work, time quickly changed the situation. The Coalition, now the Alliance against Liam, found itself entrenched in a war that was not about large cruisers but instead about small fighters and - you guessed it - corvettes. The CR-90 found it's edge in this war, using it's small size to excel in fighter support roles. Over 50 of the planes were made during this war, and many would be lost in action.
After these wars, John and Liam came together to found the New Federation of Paper Planes (the original name for the U.F.P.) and the remaining CR-90's were pressed into Federation service. Despite their rich history, the CR-90's weak points were becoming more apparent and something obviously needed to be done. The remaining planes were refitted into the CR-95 subclass and continued to serve. Despite the continual refit the planes saw, it was becoming yet more apparent that they were not the planes they once were. Gateway petitioned the Federation Government (with the support of the President) to replace the CR-90 with a new design, but they were refused by the High Command, in favor of projects FF-29 and FF-38 which would become the Lexington-class and the Essex-class, respectively.
After the New Republic was formed, the Corvette saw an unexpected surge in popularity with the new government, which finally prompted Gateway to bring back the idea of a new, more advanced corvette for the New Republic Air Force (NRAF). The idea was approved and it sprouted the CR-110 corvette designs.