A large warship that saw use before the development of the Galaxy and related hulls, the Ambassador Heavy Cruiser served as the Federation's long range explorer and general cruiser, supplanting the existing fleet of Excelsior Cruisers. Slower than an Excelsior but bulkier and better equipped for combat, the Ambassador was a formidable heavy cruiser. Unfortunately, very few Ambassadors were built, Starfleet opting to produce more of the cheaper and more versatile Excelsior hulls.

By the time that the Galaxy and its ilk began entering widespread construction most Ambassadors had either been mothballed, scrapped, or destroyed. From 2355 on the Ambassador should be considered a Limited Availability (33%) hull.