Phoenix-class colony ship: Difference between revisions

{{Title|''Phoenix''-class colony ship}}

{{Era|UNSC|HCW|Post}}

{{Ship Class Infobox

|manufacturer=[[Halifax Spacewerx]]<ref name="Warfleet"/>

|length={{Convert|2500|m|ft}}<ref name="EVG">'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 188''</ref>

|width={{Convert|800|m|ft}}<ref name="EVG"/>

|height={{Convert|689|m|ft|}}<ref name="Warfleet">'''[[Halo Warfleet]]''', ''page 48-49''</ref>

|mass=44 million metric tons<ref name="Warfleet"/>

*3 [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|22B6R3 MAC Batteries]]s<ref name="SOF Fact">[http://www.halowars.com/GameInfo/SpiritOfFire.aspx '''Official Halo Wars Community Site''' - ''Spirit of Fire'']</ref><ref name="Mythos">[[Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo]]</ref>

*10 [[11A2R1 naval coilgun battery|11A2R1 naval coilgun batteries]]<ref name="Warfleet"/>

*24 [[Archer Missile#M42 Archer|M42 Archer missile pods]]<ref name="Warfleet"/>

*40 [[M800 Rampart point defense gun]]s<ref name="Warfleet"/>

|misc=11,000<ref>'''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]''', ''page 72''</ref>

|affiliation=[[United Nations Space Command]]

The '''''Phoenix''-class''' is a [[colony ship]] classification used by the [[Unified Earth Government]], with a [[hull classification symbol]] of '''CFV'''. In addition to ferrying colonists to newly settled worlds, they are used to carry equipment such as prefabricated [[colony starter unit]]s, hydroponics and other facilities.<ref>'''[[Halo Wars: Genesis]]'''</ref> Known ships of the ''Phoenix'' class include the {{UNSCShip|Skidbladnir}} which colonized [[Harvest]]<ref name="Contact">'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''', ''page 183''</ref> and the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} which aided in the colonization of [[Arcadia]] and was later converted into a warship.

==Design==

The ''Phoenix''-class ships were designed to transport thousands of colonists from an [[Inner Colony]] such as [[Earth]], as well as [[terraforming]] equipment necessary to alter the existing atmosphere and/or biosphere to better suit human habitation. Once the terraforming is completed, the colonists settle the planet. On at least one instance, a colony ship was decommissioned to aid in the development of a colony. On [[Harvest]], the [[UNSC Skidbladnir|''Skidbladnir's'']] fusion reactor was used to power the first settlement, [[Utgard]] and its data processing storage housing the Agricultural Operations AI, [[Mack]] was also utilized. The ship's AI, [[Loki]], became the [[Planetary Security Intelligence]], sharing a core with Mack, and was tasked with covertly monitoring the colony for trouble by the UNSC.<ref name="Contact"/> Whether this was a common fate for colony ships tasked with settling new worlds is unknown.

At least one ''Phoenix'', the UNSC ''Spirit of Fire'', was modified for wartime use by the [[United Nations Space Command]] and redesignated a '''''Phoenix''-class support vessel'''.<ref name="EVG"/> The refitted ships carry vehicles, troops, and supplies as support for ground forces. It also carries the resources necessary to build [[firebase]]s, with the base structures being repurposed colony starter units.<ref name="Halo Wars">'''[[Halo Wars]]'''</ref>  

Once converted, a ''Phoenix''-class ship becomes an extremely effective troop transport and orbital support ship, with the ability to carry large amounts of ground troops and ample supplies to sustain them in the field with little to no external contact for considerable amounts of time. It is also able to utilize its deck guns to rapidly conduct multiple "MAC-blasts" in support of ground troops.<ref>Halo Wars Level "Dome of Light"</ref><ref group="note">All ''Halo Wars'' media, including the [[Halo Wars Timeline Events|in-game timeline]], the [http://www.halowars.com/GameInfo/SpiritOfFire.aspx official website], and ''[[Halo Wars: Genesis]]'', state that the ''Spirit of Fire'' was outfitted with a single MAC during its military refit. During [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_vYCugfijI the cutscene] prior to the level ''[[Dome of Light]]'', [[James Gregory Cutter|Captain Cutter]] asks, ''"Can we use the ship's '''''cannons''''' to take it out directly?"'' At the end of this level, the player is able to request forty MAC rounds in very rapid succession, which is impossible for a standard MAC; throughout most of the game, the player can request up to four MAC rounds simultaneously. In addition, the rounds released by the "MAC Blast" power cause very limited damage. Thus, it stands to reason that these weapons were used to provide orbital bombardment by the ''Spirit of Fire'' rather than its primary MAC, which would cause great collateral damage and would have a considerably lower rate of fire</ref> The ship plays a vital role in battle by dispatching [[D82-EST Darter]] dropships to quickly and efficiently distribute supplies near hostile areas, while [[D20 Heron]]s deploy prefabricated firebases to reinforce places of interest.  However, despite the conversion of the ''Phoenix''-class from a colony transport ship to a warship, it still lacks the capacity to operate as a front-line ship-to-ship combatant; despite the addition of armor plating, the outer edges of ''Spirit of Fire''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s hull was ripped away when the ship collided with a {{Class|CPV|heavy destroyer}}, with no damage being inflicted on the opposing ship.

*{{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} - Active as of [[2559]]; officially lost with all hands in 2531.

*The name ''Phoenix'' may be a reference to [[Bungie]]'s canceled game of the same name,<ref name="Halo Wars"/> or, more likely, the name is derived from an Ensemble prototype which pitched humans against invading Martians in a War of the Worlds style, which was titled ''Phoenix''.<ref>[http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3919/ensemble_studios_the_last_tour.php?page=1 Ensemble Studios Last Tours]</ref>

*The ''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]'' wrongly claims the ''Spirit of Fire'' to be three miles long.

File:HFB-Lotsofships.png|The ''Phoenix''-class colony ship compared to other known UNSC and Covenant vessels of the wartime era.  

File:Spirit SF room.png|[[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine|Shaw-Fujikawa drive]] room of a refit ''Phoenix''-class colony ship in ''[[Halo Wars: Genesis]]''.

File:Spirit drop bay bravo.png|Drop Bay Bravo of the ''Spirit of Fire''.

File:Timeline002.jpg|Concept art of the ship's bridge for ''[[Halo Wars]]''.

File:HaloWars-SOF-Space.jpg|A profile of the ''[[UNSC Spirit of Fire]]'', illustrating the Phoenix-class vessel's vast length and armament.

File:ApexBattleImage.png|The ''[[Spirit of Fire]]'' colliding with a [[Covenant destroyer]].

File:RepairsOpening.png|The ''Spirit Of Fire'' faces a Covenant destroyer in the interior of the Shield World.

File:HM-SOFArk.png|The ''Spirit of Fire'' in ''[[Halo Mythos]]''.

<references group="note"/>

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{{Human Ships}}

[[Category:United Nations Space Command ship classes]]