Construction of the Essex Prinn was completed on reference stardate 2/9912, in the latter part of the 2350s decade. This vessel was commissioned at one of the two shipyards that produced Paine-class vessels, either Deneva Shipyards or Gibraltar Shipyards. (FASA RPG module: Star Trek: The Next Generation Officer's Manual) The majority of ships of the Paine-class seem to be named for notable figures from history, from Federation history and Human history, for example. The source material does not specify any additional information about the character of Essex Prinn, however.