A VERY CAPABLE DESTROYER, WITH SOME GOOD old fashioned ST:TOS lines.  (click here for original FASA graphic)  The D-18C is particularly fun to play because of the cloaking capability, but even the D-18B is well matched against similar destroyers from other Trek governments.  This is one of the Klingon destroyer designs that was given a considerable amount of backstory by the FASA writers, and some of it is funny to read given decades of Trek progress since the original manuals came out in the early to mid 1980s.  There's that mythic Triangle again, a place located on no canon star map, and never mentioned in any episode script.  Ditto for the Klingonese place names and the name of the captain, Krezs sutai Kargon.  Would that be Kresz of the House of Kargon, or Kargon of the House of Kresz?  It's obvious that in 1985 so much of the Klingon universe had yet to be fleshed out.  Had the backstory for this ship been written today, doubtless it would have been written very differently.

     — BRT

Additional comments, by Paul Steege, March 2004
Tonight, I was looking for size figures on the D-18, and saw your comments on the rather extensive backstory done for this ship, particularly about Captain Kresz sutai-Kargon, and thought I could shed a little light on this. I realize that I can't possibly be the first person to point this out, but as long as I was emailing you anyway, I figured I'd point it out anyway.  That particular style of Klingon name is based on those used in a novel called "The Final Reflection," written by John M. Ford. The copyright date on the book is 1985, so it pre-dates all the TNG Klingon stuff. To equate it with the TNG naming convention, it would in fact be Kresz of the House of Kargon. The "sutai" bit is an honorific, sort of like the "-san," "-sama," and other honorifics used in Japanese. A Klingon with no particular "fame" would be Kresz tai-Kargon, sutai indicates a certain level of honor and/or glory, and the highest honorific was epetai. (There may have been more than these three, but those are the ones I remember off the top of my head--my copy seems to have disappeared again tonight.) Ford's novel also shared the FASA concept of "fusions," Klingons whose DNA was a combination of the "Imperial Race" (the post-TMP "ridged" Klingons") and other races (such as human, resulting in the "smooth-headed" Klingons of the Original Series). I've never been able to figure out which came first, Ford's novel or the FASA game--I suppose it's possible that FASA actually created the honorific system and Ford just borrowed it, but it seems like an unnecessary detail for a starship combat game. Anyway, great work on the site, and thanks for all the hard work you've put in on it.

From the FASA Star Trek KLINGON SHIP RECOGNITION MANUAL, circa 1985
D-18 (Gull) Class VII - IX Destroyer
Known Sphere Of Operation: Empire-wide use
Data Reliability: A for D-18A and D-18B; C for D-18C
 Major DataSource: A and B models in Star Fleet possession; Klingon Sector Intelligence 
          The D-18, by far the most widely-used destroyer in the Klingon Imperial Navy, is found in every region of Klingon space and in the Triangle.  There are even reports of D-18 groups accompanying research efforts in the spinward areas.
          Like other Klingon vessels, the D-18 has the command pod forward of the main hull, though the boom or neck is considerably smaller than on other designs.  The thin neck has no storage compartments or uses other than to contain a horizontal turbolift.  The pod has jettison mechanism coupled with a small impulse drive system, but, unlike other self-contained pods, it contains no weapons.  All the bridge crew quarters are located in the pod, as are food synthesizers and life-support systems.
          The main hull of the D-18 is very large and spacious, featuring the very effective compartmented design to reduce decompressive explosion in case of penetration.  The warp drives are mounted at the outer edge of the wings, giving the ship a gull-wing appearance and its nickname.  The warp engines may be jettisoned in case of an overload, leaving the hull to operate with its impulse drive system located center-aft.  Inside the hull, forward of the impulse drive, is the engineering section for the entire ship, occupying a roomy eight decks.  Forward of engineering, in the center-forward area of the main hull just above the connecting point for the boom, is the impressive shuttle bay, containing space for twelve shuttlecraft, more than most major warships.  The beam weapons are mounted on the underside of the main hull, with the forward-firing KD-5s at the corners and center of the hull and the aft-firing KD-14 centrally mounted; in later models, the KD-14 is mounted on the bottom of the torpedo bay.
          The D-18B and later models have command pods with an angular appearance and no weaponry.  In addition, the D-18B mounts the highly efficient KWE-3 warp drive system, giving cruising speeds of Warp 8 and emergency speeds of Warp 9, making the D-18B one of the fastest ships in known space, and providing more maneuverability and more power to the weapons systems.  The addition of four more KD-5 disruptors gives this model the firepower lacking in the D18A.  The only drawback of this model is that when the additional engine mass was added, the effectiveness of the shield generators decreased.
          The D-18B, the most common model to be encountered, has served the Klingon Imperial Navy well and has been involved in many encounters both with the Federation and Romulans.  The most notable of these is 'The Kargon Incident'.  In this skirmish, Captain Kresz sutai Kargon, commanding a group of six D-18Bs, attacked a Federation outpost located in the Orion sector.  Responding to the outpost's distress call was the USS Kongo (a Constitution class cruiser) accompanied by the USS Halk and USS Rome (both Loknar class frigates).  The Federation ships arrived too late to save the outpost, but not too late to engage the Klingons.  Detecting only three ships on sensors, one with severe damage and the others with minor damage, Captain J.C. Fredriksen of the Kongo ordered the Loknars to close with the Klingons and demand their surrender.
          In the meantime, the Kongo approached the D-18 lying dead in space.  As the Kongo neared the vessel, sensors picked up three ships coming out of warp to the rear and the systems aboard the dead ship coming to life.  Captain Fredriksen ordered the helmsman to turn hard about, but it was too late.  The damaged D-18 destructed with such tremendous force that the Kongo's starboard warp nacelle was ripped from the hull and the port engine damaged beyond repair.  The incoming D-18s fired into the burning wreck of the Kongo and completed the deed their comrades had begun.  The Halk was so taken by surprise that it, too, never had a chance to return fire, and the first volley of shots from the oncoming D-18s totally destroyed the frigate.  The Rome, however, opened fire on one of the disabled D-18s and scored two photon torpedo hits on its bridge and numerous phaser hits to its engines.  The Rome then turned on the other disabled D-18 and began firing as fast as it could, scoring hits with every shot.  The D-18s rushing in from their attack on the Halk fired in unison, and the Rome, though it had fought valiantly, suffered the same fate as the other two Star Fleet vessels.  News of this attack reached Star Fleet three days later when a communications rnarker from the Rome was retreived.  From this report, it was also learned that the Klingon ships in this engagement were painted in bright blue colors.  Ships of this description have been seen in and near the Triangle.  Whether they are the ships of Captain Kresz sutai Kargon is unknown.
          Of the 358 D-18Bs built, 257 remain in active service, 2 are used as training vessels, 82 have been destroyed, 9 have been captured (5 by Star Fleet and 4 by the Romulans), 4 are listed as missing, 1 has been scrapped, and 3 are in the service of ranking families in the Empire.  The D-18B is currently being produced at the construction facilities located at H'renn and losia.  These facilities have an average production rate of 20 ships per year.
          The D-18C has an aft-firing photon torpedo, added to cover the weak spot of the ship.  It also mounts a KSD shield generator, which has a binary transformer that produces shielding at twice the level of efficiency as the KSE system found on the D-188.  Of the 82 D-l8Cs built, 75 remain in active service, 4 have been destroyed, 1 is listed as missing, and 2 have been sold to private interests in the Triangle. The D-l8C is currently being produced at Taamar, Fonawl, and Mustaka.  Information received from Operation Dixie indicates that these facilities have a combined production rate of 18 per year.
          The Klingons call the class Laraatan, which translates to 'protector of brothers'.  The class is more commonly referred to as 'Gull' by Star Fleet personnel, an obvious reference to its appearance.
          When the D-I8A entered service on Stardate 2/0108, the military situation along all borders was relatively calm.  The Klingons, still recovering from the war with the Federation, did not wish to antagonize Star Fleet any more than necessary, so the first groups of D-I8As were placed along the Romulan and Triangle borders.  For three years, the D-18As performed patrol duties without incident.
          In the ship's first combat test, three D-18s were ordered into the Triangle to intercept a Romulan convoy and destroy the transports.  Intelligence reports had shown that there would be an escort of only one ship, a new R-4 about which nothing was known.  The D-18s approached the convoy from three different directions, hoping to catch the escort with flanking fire and dispatch it easily.  The R-4 was not alone, however, but was accompanied by another R-4.  The Klingons began firing as soon as they were in range.  In response, the Romulans concentrated all fire on first one of the D-18s and then another, doing heavy damage.  The Klingon captains realized that their ships were underpowered and undergunned for this type of mission, and began a fighting withdrawal; one survived.
          This engagement showed the Imperial Command that the D-18 needed more efficient engines and a better array of weapons.  As originally designed, the pod on the D-I8A did carry beam weapons, but, by Stardate 2/1512, all of the old A models had been converted to Bs.  
Of the 231 D-18As built, 156 have been converted to Bs, 62 have been destroyed, 4 (3 by the Romulans and 1 by Star Fleet) have been captured, 2 are listed as missing, 3 have been scrapped, and 3 have been sold to private interests in the Triangle.