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UNSC Leviathan

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UNSC Leviathan
HFB-UNSCLeviathan.png
Production information

Class:

Marathon-class heavy cruiser[1]

Role:

Flagship[1]

Specifications

Length:

1,192 meters (3,910 ft)[2]

Width:

293 meters (960 ft)[3]

Height:

375 meters (1,230 ft)[3]

Slipspace drive:

Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine

Armament:

Service information

Commissioned:

After 2510[Note 1]

Destroyed:

August 30, 2552[1][4]

Participated battles:

Fleet:

Battlegroup Leviathan[5]

Known commanders:

Vice Admiral Michael Stanforth[1]

Affiliation:

UNSC Navy

 

UNSC Leviathan, affectionately known as the Levi,[6] was a Marathon-class heavy cruiser in service with the UNSC Navy, before and throughout the Human-Covenant War. The cruiser served as the flagship of Battlegroup Leviathan and was commanded by Vice Admiral Michael Stanforth, the former head of ONI Section Three[7] and the commander of FLEETCOM Sector Three.[1]

Service history[edit]

Battle of Sigma Octanus IV[edit]

Main article: Battle of Sigma Octanus IV

By July of 2552, Leviathan was one of the twenty cruisers remaining within the UNSC fleet.[7][Note 2] Upon receiving warning of the Covenant's intended attack on Sigma Octanus IV, Stanforth and Battle Group Leviathan was the first to respond and arrived in the system on July 17, 2552.[1][7] Leading UNSC naval forces aboard Leviathan, Stanforth moved his fleet into a position between the planet and its moon to combat the oncoming Covenant fleet. Leviathan and the rest of the fleet managed to fire upon the Covenant vessels with a massive volley of MAC slugs. However, the UNSC fleet was unable to avoid the incoming salvo of Covenant plasma torpedoes. The UNSC Cradle positioned itself between the two fleets and absorbed most of the torpedoes, leading to the refit station's destruction. Stanforth ordered all ships to break formation and attack the Covenant vessels before they recharged their weaponry.[8]

As the engagement continued, the UNSC fleet managed to prevail over the Covenant and succeeded in destroying many hostile vessels. Leviathan was hit with a plasma torpedo, heavily damaging the ship's foredecks.[9] The cruiser took numerous other damages during the battle,[4] moderately injuring Stanforth and several members of its crew. Leviathan and seven other ships later assisted the UNSC Iroquois in combating a Covenant destroyer, upon Captain Jacob Keyes' request. As Leviathan and the other ships attacked the destroyer, the ship disengaged Iroquois and left the system along with the rest of the Covenant fleet.[10] After the battle, several dropships of UNSC Marines returned from Sigma Octanus IV and docked with Leviathan; the cruiser left the system once the Marines were aboard.[11]

Fall of Reach[edit]

Main article: Fall of Reach

After the battle, Leviathan returned to Reach on July 18, 2552, where a boatswain determined that repairs would take at least two months. Stanforth then sent a request to FLEETCOM, asking for the ship's crew to be transferred to the UNSC Coenwulf while he "made rounds" at HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6 in Sydney, Australia on Earth.[6]

UNSC Leviathan was presumably repaired and operational during the final weeks of the Fall of Reach. Stanforth led Battlegroup Leviathan throughout the Epsilon Eridani system in battle against the Covenant.[5][12] On August 12, 2552, the battlegroup returned to Reach for emergency repairs and refit.[5] Soon after the arrival of the Covenant's Fleet of Particular Justice, Stanforth organized the remnants of the Epsilon Eridani Fleet over Reach aboard Leviathan on August 30, 2552. However, the Covenant fleet eventually managed to destroy Stanforth's final line of defense and Leviathan was destroyed, resulting in Stanforth's death.[1][4]

Trivia[edit]

The cruiser is named after a leviathan, a mythical sea creature.

Gallery[edit]

List of appearances[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b According to the Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition), the Marathon class was introduced as a replacement for the aging Halcyon class. The Halcyon was designed in 2510 and likely did not enter service until years later. However, The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole depicts a ship called the Leviathan under the command of then-Admiral Harold Stanforth in June 2503. One may infer that the Leviathan mentioned in the story was an earlier ship that served as the Marathon-class Leviathan's namesake, as well as a previous flagship for the same commanding officer. See here for more details.
  2. ^ According to Halo: The Fall of Reach, as of July 2552, UNSC Leviathan was one of twenty cruisers left in the Fleet, possibly referring to either the FLEETCOM Sector One or the entire Navy. Despite that, this number remains clearly retconned in later media.

Sources[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Halo Waypoint: Michael Stanforth
  2. ^ Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 42
  3. ^ a b 3D model data
  4. ^ a b c d e Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition), page 270 (2011)
  5. ^ a b c Halo: Reach, Dr. Halsey's personal journal
  6. ^ a b Data Drop, #4
  7. ^ a b c Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 188 (2010)
  8. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, pages 215-222 (2010)
  9. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 224 (2010)
  10. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, pages 227-229 (2010)
  11. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 242 (2010)
  12. ^ Halo 3: ODST, ONI memorial
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