Editing UNSC Point of No Return

{{Title|UNSC ''Point of No Return''}}
{{Status|Canon}}
{{Infobox/Ships
|name            = ''Point of No Return''
|image           = 
|caption         = 
|modules         = 
{{Infobox/Ships/Individual
|country              = [[Unified Earth Government]]
|country flag         = {{Icon|UEG}}
|name                 = ''Point of No Return''
|class                = {{Class|Point Blank|prowler}}{{Ref/Generic|See [[#Production notes]]}}
|namesake             = [[Wikipedia:Point of no return|Point of no return]]
|identification       = 
|operator             = [[UNSC Navy]]{{Ref/Reuse|Page 43}}
|manufacturer         = [[Watershed Division]]{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}
|architect            = 
|laid down            = 
|launched             = 
|commissioned         = 
|decommissioned       = 
|fate                 = 
|status               = In active service as of [[2552#December|December 31, 2552]]{{Ref/Anthology|Evo|The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole}}
|captains             = 
|ai                   = 
|motto                = 
|badge                = 
}}
|hide-characteristics=
|nocollapse      = 
|type            = [[Prowler]]
|length          = {{Convert|1591|ft|m|sp=us|disp=flip}}{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22|Enc22|Page=128}}{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc09|Enc09|Page=252}}
|width           = 
|height          = 
|mass            = 1.1 million tonnes{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}
|power           = [[Fusion reactor]]
|maneuver drive  = Baffled [[fusion drive]]s{{Ref/Novel|Id=GOO2|GoO|Chapter=2}}
|slipspace drive = [[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine]]
|crew            = 
|complement      = At least 24 [[S-14 Baselard]]s{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS19|HSS|Chapter=19}}{{Ref/Reuse|HSS20}}
|troops          = 
|hull            = 
*[[Titanium-A armor|Titanum A battleplate]]
*[[Stealth ablative coating]]{{Ref/Novel|Id=GOO3|GoO|Chapter=3}}
|shielding       = 
|sensors         = 
|ew              = Communications-jamming{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS7|HSS|Chapter=7}}
|armaments       = 
*1 [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|20F9B9 MAC]]{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}
*5 [[Shiva-class nuclear missile|M947 Shiva nuclear missile]] delivery system{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}
*80 [[Archer missile#M42 Archer|M42 Archer missile]] pods{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS20|HSS|Chapter=20}}
*4 [[M66 Sentry autocannon]] turrets{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}
*20 [[M910 Rampart point defense network]] turrets{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}
|aircraft        =
|air facilities  = Multiple [[hangar bay]]s including
*Command hangar{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS16|HSS|Chapter=16}}
*Drop hangar{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS7|HSS|Chapter=7}}
*Aft fighter hangar{{Ref/Reuse|HSS19}}
*Various maintenance hangars{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS17|HSS|Chapter=17}}
}}
The '''UNSC ''Point of No Return''''' is a {{Class|Point Blank|prowler}} in the [[United Nations Space Command]]'s [[Office of Naval Intelligence]]. It is one of the most advanced and secret ships ever built by the UNSC.

==Background==
The ''Point of No Return'' is the wartime command and control platform for ONI Section Three. The existence of the vessel is highly classified: officially, the ship does not even exist. Very few have actually seen the ship, only a handful have ever been aboard, and less than twenty officers have access to its most sensitive areas.<ref name="Page 43">'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 43''</ref> The ship is crewed by people from all military branches of the UNSC and multiple [[artificial intelligence]]s maintained solely by ONI.

==Service history==
In [[2531]], [[Colonel]] [[James Ackerson]] met on ''Point of No Return'' with [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[Aaron G. Gibson]], [[Rear Admiral]] [[Ned Rich]], and [[Vice Admiral]] [[Margaret Parangosky]] to discuss the [[SPARTAN-II program]]. They decided to grant Ackerson permission to begin the SPARTAN-III project.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''pages 43-49''</ref> Later, the ship retrieved [[Kurt-051]] after he had been "killed" in action in the [[Groombridge 34 System]].<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 57''</ref> During that operation to shut down a malfunctioning slipspace drive, Kurt noticed that the ship's holding cage was the size of a destroyer, though it had the angles found on [[UNSC prowler|prowlers]]. He noted that the concept of a large stealth ship was seemingly oxymoronic, as the larger a ship is, the more exponentially-difficult it is for the ship to maintain stealth.

In [[2537]], Admirals Rich and Parangosky met with Spartan-051 and [[Senior Chief Petty Officer]] [[Franklin Mendez]] again to inform him that the [[SPARTAN-III Program|SPARTAN-IIIs]] of [[SPARTAN-III Alpha Company|Alpha Company]] had been killed and to begin training the SPARTAN-III [[SPARTAN-III Beta Company|Beta Company]].<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 79''</ref>

The ship survived the [[Human-Covenant War]]. On [[2552#December|December 31, 2552]], [[Codename: SURGEON]] filed a report to [[Codename: USUAL SUSPECTS]] entitled "[[Historical/Psychological Analysis of Cole, Preston J.]]" The report was filed from UNSC ''Point of No Return'' in synchronous orbit on the far side of [[Luna]]. This was the last reported action of the ship and its current whereabouts remain unknown.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', ''page 487''</ref>

==Design==
Technically considered a [[UNSC prowler|prowler]], the ''Point of No Return'' is the largest  ever built, easily the size of a [[UNSC destroyer]]. Constructed in parts and then assembled in deep space, the ship is completely radar invisible thanks to [[stealth ablative coating]], and when her engines run below 30 percent she is as dark as interstellar space. It also contains a room called "[[Odin's Eye]]", a chamber surrounded by a [[Faraday cage]] that blocks all electronic signals.{{Ref/Reuse|Page 43}}

==Production notes==
While not explicitly confirmed, it is extremely heavily implied that the ''Point of No Return'' is a {{Class|Point Blank|prowler}}, as introduced in ''[[Halo: Silent Storm]]''. In ''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]'', the ''Point of No Return'' is stated to be "easily the size of a UNSC destroyer", while the ''Point Blank''-class measurements provided in the ''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)|Halo Encyclopedia]]'' notably explicitly provide the exact same length as the {{Class|Halberd|light destroyer}}. This is a notable change; the ''Point Blank'' was first designed for the [[Sins of the Prophets]] fan mod, in which it is notably larger. This active change away from the source material to a specific number on par with the ''Halberd'' almost certainly corresponds with aligning the ''Point Blank'' with ''Ghosts of Onyx''{{'}}s statement about the ship's size. The ''Halo Encyclopedia'' also went out of its way to mention the "stealth cruiser" nomenclature as being a nickname applied to the ''Point Blank''-class, rather than a sweeping broad sub-categorisation of UNSC spacecraft - somewhat reinforcing that there are presumably not a series of stealth cruiser classifications in the navy.

Additionally, ''Silent Storm'' also introduced the concept of Prowler naming schemes; [[Ghost Flight]] Prowlers all have names with ''Ghost'' in their title - ''[[UNSC Ghost Song|Ghost Song]]'', ''[[UNSC Ghost Star|Ghost Star]]'', ''[[UNSC Ghost Wind|Ghost Wind]]'' and so forth for the other themed flights featured in the book. Similarly, the ''Point Blank''-class ship introduced in ''Silent Storm'' alongside the {{UNSCShip|Vanishing Point}} share the "''Point''" nomenclature seemingly inherent to this stealth cruiser classification. As such, this article treats the ''Point of No Return'' as a ''Point Blank''-class prowler.

Finally, ''Silent Storm'' author [[Troy Denning]] has also noted that he considered the ''Vanishing Point'' part of the same design as ''Point of No Return'', though ultimately the final decision fell to [[343 Industries]]. Given the information presented in the ''Halo Encyclopedia'', it would seem that they have continued this interpretation.{{Ref/Twitter|TDenningauthor|1037460400130928643|Troy Denning|Quote=is the Point of No Return meant to be the same design as the Vanishing Point?<br>Yes, but I'm not the official authority. 343 could identify them as different classes at a later point, if necessary for a story/game purpose. That possibility remains open.|D=16|M=04|Y=2022}}

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''
**''[[The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole]]'' {{Mo}}

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Point of No Return}}
[[Category:Cruisers]]
[[Category:Prowlers]]
[[Category:UNSC ships]]