The U.S.S. Kelvin is a grade 4 Uncommon Federation Interceptor that unlocks at Shipyard level 42. Its job is defense: while defending, it raises the shield piercing, armor piercing, and accuracy of your whole fleet, which makes it a support hull for base and armada defense rather than a solo grinder. If you fly Federation ships, it earns its slot.
The build takes 150 blueprints and 150 days, and a level 42 Armory hands you enough shards to unlock its refits.
How to get the U.S.S. Kelvin
The Kelvin needs 150 blueprints to build, and the build opens once your Shipyard reaches level 42 and you have completed the required grade 4 ship research. Blueprints for it have appeared in the Federation faction store, so Federation-aligned players can gather them over time through reputation.
Research is a second route. The Ship Commission: U.S.S. Kelvin project in the Ascension research tree rewards U.S.S. Kelvin blueprints, and completing it also counts toward the Star Base Commission: Command Center approval.
| Requirement | U.S.S. Kelvin |
|---|---|
| Blueprints | 150 |
| Building | Shipyard level 42, plus grade 4 ship research |
| Build cost | 25,000,000 Tritanium, 1,600,000 Dilithium, 7,000 4★ Common Refined Crystal, 2,450 4★ Common Refined Gas |
| Build time | 150d |
| Max tier / level | Tier 12 / level 60 |
| Scrappable from | Operations 55 |
The build cost is 25,000,000 Tritanium, 1,600,000 Dilithium, 7,000 4★ Common Refined Crystal, and 2,450 4★ Common Refined Gas. Base build time is 150 days, before any construction-speed research or bonuses. From Operations level 55 the Kelvin becomes scrappable, so it can feed the scrapyard once you outgrow it.
U.S.S. Kelvin ability
The Kelvin’s ship ability is Inventive Strategy. When the Kelvin is defending, at the start of each round it increases the shield piercing, armor piercing, and accuracy of every ship and defense platform by 30% at level 1, scaling to 100% at level 60. Ship abilities are always active, so there is nothing to trigger.
| Ship level | Inventive Strategy bonus |
|---|---|
| 1 | 30% |
| 10 | 65% |
| 25 | 75% |
| 30 | 79% |
| 40 | 86% |
| 60 | 100% |
Because the buff only fires on defense and covers your whole fleet plus defense platforms, the Kelvin reads as a base-defense and armada-defense piece. Sitting in a station defense or a defending armada, it sharpens the offense of everything around it.
The bonus reaches your defense platforms as well as your ships, so a Kelvin parked at home adds to the station’s own guns during an attack.
U.S.S. Kelvin active abilities
The Kelvin also carries two player-unlocked abilities that sit apart from the always-on Inventive Strategy. Relentless Assault increases weapon damage against hostiles and armadas, giving the ship an offensive mode for PvE grinding. Field Repairs works out of combat: while undocked, it instantly repairs 25% of the ship’s health, which saves a trip back to dock during a long session. Both come from refits, covered below, and each is used on its own terms rather than running always.
Stats and tiers
These are base values in the current game version; research, buffs, and officers raise them in play. One quirk to note: the Kelvin’s hull HP holds steady across tiers while its shield HP and cargo keep climbing, so most of its survivability growth comes from shields rather than hull.
| Tier | Warp (speed / range) | Impulse | Cargo (protected) | Shield HP | Hull HP | Health (displayed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3.9 / 85 | 98 | 40,000 (1,000) | 278,266 | 241,619 | 259,942.5 |
| 6 | 4.4 / 150 | 98 | 56,000 (1,400) | 379,729 | 241,619 | 310,674 |
| 12 | 5.0 / 210 | 98 | 96,000 (2,250) | 577,257 | 241,619 | 409,438 |
Weapons and firing pattern
Warm-up is the round a weapon first fires; cool-down is how many rounds pass between shots after that. The values below are at max tier 12.
| Weapon | Type | Shots | Warm-up | Cool-down | Damage | Crit chance | Crit damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weapon 1 | Kinetic | 3 | 2 | 2 | 48,626–58,349 | 10% | 150% |
| Weapon 2 | Kinetic | 3 | 2 | 2 | 48,626–58,349 | 10% | 150% |
| Weapon 3 | Energy | 2 | 1 | 1 | 31,259–37,508 | 10% | 150% |
The two kinetic weapons are the Kelvin’s main punch, firing three shots each, while the energy weapon is a lighter, faster-cycling second source.
Crew slots and officer bonus
| Ship level | Officer slots |
|---|---|
| 5 | 1 |
| 10 | 2 |
| 20 | 3 |
| 35 | 4 |
| 55 | 5 |
The Kelvin raises your officers’ attack, defense, and health stats by the same amount, stepping up a ladder as the ship gains those stats. The table shows where each step lands.
| Amount | Bonus |
|---|---|
| 700 | 40% |
| 1,400 | 80% |
| 2,275 | 120% |
| 3,150 | 160% |
| 4,200 | 200% |
| 5,600 | 240% |
| 7,700 | 280% |
| 10,500 | 320% |
| 14,000 | 360% |
| 21,000 | 400% |
U.S.S. Kelvin refits
Refits unlock the Kelvin’s extra abilities and a Federation reputation bonus. They cost ship shards and, in one case, a building level. Upgrading the Armory to level 42 grants enough refit shards to fully unlock the Kelvin’s refits.
| Refit | What it does |
|---|---|
| Kelvin Relentless Assault | Unlocks the Relentless Assault ability. Needs a level 42 Armory and 60 shards. |
| Field Repairs (U.S.S. Kelvin) | Unlocks Field Repairs, which instantly repairs 25% of the ship’s health out of combat while undocked. Costs 120 shards. |
| Jem’Hadar Fighter | Increases the base Federation reputation gained or lost from defeating hostiles and Armadas with the U.S.S. Kelvin by 100%. Costs 100 shards to unlock. |
The Jem’Hadar Fighter refit is the one that answers the reputation question: with it, every hostile and Armada the Kelvin defeats moves your Federation standing twice as far. That makes the Kelvin a good ship to grind Federation hostiles with, as long as you remember the reputation change can be a loss as well as a gain.
Three more research projects target the ship: U.S.S. Kelvin Hull Plating raises its base hull health, Advanced Maneuvers: U.S.S. Kelvin raises its weapon damage against player ships, and Isolytic Training: U.S.S. Kelvin raises its Isolytic damage against hostiles. Taking the Kelvin to tier 6 also lets you claim Borg Data Node Tier 6 from Gifts, which upgrades the Borg Cube.
Crew for the U.S.S. Kelvin
The Kelvin is a defensive support hull, so a defending crew wants officers that boost mitigation, shield health, or the piercing and accuracy stats its ability already leans on. For an offensive Relentless Assault build against hostiles, weapon-damage and crit officers fit better. For current top picks, see the officer tier list; the best crew shifts as the meta and your roster change.
The U.S.S. Kelvin in Star Trek
The U.S.S. Kelvin opens the 2009 Star Trek film. In 2233 it is the first Starfleet ship to meet the Narada, the Romulan mining vessel commanded by Nero that arrives through a black hole from the future. With its captain killed, first officer George Kirk takes command, orders the crew to evacuate, and then rams the Kelvin into the Narada to cover their escape. His wife gives birth to James T. Kirk during the evacuation. That sacrifice defines the film’s alternate reality, which fans named the Kelvin timeline after the ship.
U.S.S. Kelvin build cost by tier
Build and repair costs and times for every tier.
| Tier | Build cost | Repair cost | Build time | Repair time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 25,000,000 Tritanium 1,600,000 Dilithium 7,000 4* Common Crystal 2,450 4* Common Gas |
31,185,000 Tritanium 1,275,750 Dilithium |
150d 0h 0m | 22h 19m |
| Tier 2 | 1,267,200,000 Tritanium 69,500,000 Dilithium 19,735 4* Common Crystal 12,515 4* Common Gas 46,040 4* Common Interceptor Parts |
63,273,000 Tritanium 2,588,250 Dilithium |
14d 14h 0m | 1d 15h 15m |
| Tier 3 | 3,528,000,000 Tritanium 188,000,000 Dilithium 38,105 4* Common Crystal 10,130 4* Uncommon Crystal 14,900 4* Common Gas 5,050 4* Uncommon Gas 95,390 4* Common Interceptor Parts 27,350 4* Uncommon Interceptor Parts |
69,601,000 Tritanium 2,728,250 Dilithium |
29d 4h 0m | 1d 16h 46m |
| Tier 4 | 9,372,000,000 Tritanium 400,000,000 Dilithium 61,990 4* Common Crystal 17,840 4* Uncommon Crystal 8,865 4* Uncommon Gas 162,935 4* Common Interceptor Parts 45,425 4* Uncommon Interceptor Parts |
158,217,500 Tritanium 5,122,250 Dilithium |
48d 14h 40m | 1d 18h 5m |
| Tier 5 | 20,765,500,000 Tritanium 801,900,000 Dilithium 101,770 4* Common Crystal 29,145 4* Uncommon Crystal 12,830 4* Uncommon Gas 257,435 4* Common Interceptor Parts 70,690 4* Uncommon Interceptor Parts |
258,107,500 Tritanium 7,120,750 Dilithium |
72d 22h 0m | 1d 19h 40m |
| Tier 6 | 40,138,500,000 Tritanium 1,447,800,000 Dilithium 152,590 4* Common Crystal 43,595 4* Uncommon Crystal 17,875 4* Uncommon Gas 389,075 4* Common Interceptor Parts 105,855 4* Uncommon Interceptor Parts |
516,148,500 Tritanium 12,941,250 Dilithium |
97d 5h 20m | 1d 21h 1m |
| Tier 7 | 80,364,000,000 Tritanium 2,764,000,000 Dilithium 64,900 4* Uncommon Crystal 23,470 4* Rare Crystal 18,170 4* Rare Gas 571,680 4* Common Interceptor Parts 154,615 4* Uncommon Interceptor Parts |
764,116,500 Tritanium 18,082,750 Dilithium |
121d 12h 40m | 1d 22h 40m |
| Tier 8 | 139,672,000,000 Tritanium 5,830,100,000 Dilithium 93,350 4* Uncommon Crystal 31,455 4* Rare Crystal 20,970 4* Rare Gas 824,940 4* Common Interceptor Parts 222,185 4* Uncommon Interceptor Parts |
1,193,094,000 Tritanium 33,612,250 Dilithium |
157d 23h 40m | 2d 0h 2m |
| Tier 9 | 196,424,800,000 Tritanium 8,199,200,000 Dilithium 131,090 4* Uncommon Crystal 42,025 4* Rare Crystal 24,665 4* Rare Gas 1,160,135 4* Common Interceptor Parts 311,730 4* Uncommon Interceptor Parts |
1,807,211,000 Tritanium 50,699,250 Dilithium |
194d 10h 40m | 2d 1h 23m |
| Tier 10 | 348,440,000,000 Tritanium 15,159,200,000 Dilithium 56,180 4* Rare Crystal 24,235 4* Epic Crystal 17,060 4* Epic Gas 1,640,520 4* Common Interceptor Parts 104,825 4* Rare Interceptor Parts |
2,040,944,500 Tritanium 59,564,750 Dilithium |
243d 1h 20m | 2d 3h 13m |
| Tier 11 | 483,095,200,000 Tritanium 21,017,300,000 Dilithium 76,690 4* Rare Crystal 30,150 4* Epic Crystal 19,125 4* Epic Gas 2,274,505 4* Common Interceptor Parts 128,540 4* Rare Interceptor Parts |
2,342,410,000 Tritanium 68,309,500 Dilithium |
315d 23h 20m | 2d 4h 36m |
| Tier 12 | 835,787,200,000 Tritanium 35,248,800,000 Dilithium 103,480 4* Rare Crystal 37,865 4* Epic Crystal 21,820 4* Epic Gas 3,104,030 4* Common Interceptor Parts 159,605 4* Rare Interceptor Parts |
2,745,225,000 Tritanium 77,586,250 Dilithium |
437d 12h 0m | 2d 5h 58m |
U.S.S. Kelvin ship XP needed by level
Experience required to reach each level, tier by tier. A few levels have no figure listed.
Tier 1
Level 2: 8,000
Level 3: 12,000
Level 4: 20,000
Level 5: 29,000
Tier 2
Level 6: 41,000
Level 7: 59,000
Level 8: 78,000
Level 9: 100,000
Level 10: 130,000
Tier 3
Level 11: 158,000
Level 12: 190,000
Level 13: 235,000
Level 14:
Level 15:
Tier 4
Level 16: 378,000
Level 17: 430,000
Level 18: 483,000
Level 19: 565,000
Level 20:
Tier 5
Level 21: 695,000
Level 22: 798,000
Level 23: 875,000
Level 24: 955,000
Level 25: 1,083,000
Tier 6
Level 26: 1,175,000
Level 27: 1,270,000
Level 28: 1,423,000
Level 29: 1,530,000
Level 30:
Tier 7
Level 31: 1,825,000
Level 32: 1,948,000
Level 33: 2,075,000
Level 34: 2,293,000
Level 35:
Tier 8
Level 36: 2,578,000
Level 37: 2,830,000
Level 38: 2,990,000
Level 39: 3,153,000
Level 40:
Tier 9
Level 41: 3,623,000
Level 42: 3,805,000
Level 43: 4,140,000
Level 44: 4,340,000
Level 45:
Tier 10
Level 46:
Level 47:
Level 48:
Level 49:
Level 50:
Tier 11
Level 51:
Level 52:
Level 53:
Level 54:
Level 55:
Tier 12
Level 56:
Level 57:
Level 58:
Level 59:
Level 60:
Resources to max out a U.S.S. Kelvin
- 2,158,879,400,000 Tritanium
- 91,127,400,000 Dilithium
- 381,190 4* Common Crystal
- 390,080 4* Uncommon Crystal
- 333,300 4* Rare Crystal
- 92,250 4* Epic Crystal
- 29,865 4* Common Gas
- 44,620 4* Uncommon Gas
- 63,805 4* Rare Gas
- 58,005 4* Epic Gas
- 10,526,685 4* Common Interceptor Parts
- 392,970 4* Rare Interceptor Parts
- 937,850 4* Uncommon Interceptor Parts
Total Experience: 169,108,000
Is the U.S.S. Kelvin worth it?
For a grade 4 Uncommon, the Kelvin fills a specific niche: fleet-wide defensive support that raises piercing and accuracy for everything defending alongside it. It is most useful in base defense and defending armadas, and its Relentless Assault refit gives it a side job hunting hostiles. Because it scraps from Operations 55, it stays useful through the mid game and then becomes scrap material. Federation players building reputation should grab it; others can pass. Its low cargo and defense-only ability mean it was never built to mine or grind alone, so plan to crew it for the fleet job it does best.
