Editing Naval boarding

{{Status|Canon}}
{{Wikipedia|Boarding (attack)}}
{{References}}
{{Center|''For the gameplay mechanic, see [[Boarding (gameplay mechanic)]].''}}
[[File:Covenant Boarding Party.png|thumb|250px|A Covenant boarding party preparing to disembark on the {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}}.]]
'''Boarding''' generally refers to the insertion of people onto an enemy or ambiguously affiliated ship. Boarding may be carried out during wartime in an attempt to seize and possibly destroy the vessel, or it may occur in peacetime by pirates and other criminals, or as a means of inspection to prevent piracy and smuggling. A "boarding party" is a group of naval infantry, typically known as "[[UNSC Marine Corps|marines]]", assigned to capture an enemy ship or station by killing or capturing its crew. 

Boarding actions are formally referred to by the [[United Nations Space Command]] as "'''naval intercept operations'''" ('''NIO''').{{Ref/Game|H5G|Armor customization (Halo 5: Guardians)|Armory|Detail=[[BREAKER-class Mjolnir|Breaker]] Body Description|Quote=Void-hardened and sealed to meet the demanding requirements of Spartan naval intercept operation (NIO) boarding teams, BREAKER armor is also well suited for missions in environmentally compromised zones.}}

==Purpose==
Boarding is used in wartime as a way to seize a vessel without destroying it, or to remove its cargo before it is destroyed. It can also be used to aid in the collection of naval intelligence, as soldiers boarding a sinking, crippled, or surrendered vessel could possibly recover enemy plans or technology. For a boarding to be successful, it must occur without the knowledge of the crew of the defending ship, or the ship's defenses must be suppressed.

===Peacetime===
In peacetime, boarding actions are often carried out to police vessels in order to suppress [[piracy]], smuggling, and [[Insurrectionist|insurrection]].

==Background==
===Covenant===
[[File:Boardingcraft.jpg|thumb|250px|A Covenant boarding craft attached to ''[[Cairo Station (station)|Cairo Station]]''.]]
[[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] [[Covenant fleet|naval]] commanders utilize boarding to attempt to capture enemy vessels and their technology whole, or to avoid a space battle that could damage both their ships and their enemy's vessel, the destruction of which would deprive the Covenant of valuable intelligence on the [[United Nations Space Command]].

Until the [[Great Schism]] in [[2552#November|November 2552]], Covenant boarding parties were generally composed of [[Sangheili]], [[Unggoy]], and sometimes [[Kig-Yar]] and [[Yanme'e]]. The Covenant typically employ [[R'sisho-pattern Tick|designated boarding craft]] launched from larger vessels to cut through the hull of the enemy ship or station and rapidly insert infantry to the interior.<ref>'''Halo 2''' campaign level ''[[Cairo Station (station)|Cairo Station]]''</ref> Vacant airlocks may also be used by boarding craft to latch on and gain entry into an enemy ship.<ref>'''Halo: Combat Evolved''' campaign level ''[[The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Combat Evolved level)|The Pillar of Autumn]]''</ref> Some starships, such as [[Kig-yar privateer ship]]s, are equipped with docking umbilicals with penetrator tips specifically designed to cut into an enemy ship.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 98''</ref>

===United Nations Space Command===
[[File:HWG_Prophecy_Boarding.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Fire Team Lima]] performs a microgravity boarding of the {{UNSCShip|Prophecy}} to enact the Cole Protocol against Covenant boarders.]]
In most cases, UNSC forces use [[D77-TC Pelican]] dropships to ferry [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marine]] forces from ship-to-ship. This method was employed during the [[Insurrection]], with the UNSC developing specialised [[soft seal]] technology in the final stages of [[Operation: TREBUCHET]] to safely deploy Marines inside rebel vessels. This insertion method was used during the [[Harvest campaign]] in [[2531]], with [[John Forge]] leading [[Fire Team Lima]] in boarding the disabled {{Class|Marathon|heavy cruiser}} UNSC ''Prophecy''.<ref>''Halo Wars: Genesis''</ref> Marines and [[ODST]]s are capable of performing [[Extra-vehicular activity|EVA]] actions utilising [[vacuum suit]]s and the [[ODST armor]], while Spartans are capable of employing the [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor]] for similar such actions.

Spartans in [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor]] are capable of boarding ships through the use of [[Extra-vehicular activity|EVA equipment]], as the MJOLNIR system is vacuum sealed. This was employed often during the war with the Covenant, with one of the first engagements fought seeing the Spartans boarding the Covenant vessel ''[[Unrelenting]]'' at the [[Battle of Chi Ceti]]. Spartans would later employ boarding actions in Operations [[Operation: WARM BLANKET|WARM BLANKET]] and [[Operation: UPPER CUT|UPPER CUT]], using craft such as [[OF92 Booster Frame]]s and [[FSS-1000 Sabre]]s to planet themselves on the exterior hull of an enemy vessel. In the post-war era, Spartans have a range of MJOLNIR [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor (GEN2)|GEN2]] armor variants designed to assist in boarding actions and EVA activity, including [[EVA-class Mjolnir|EVA]] and [[ORBITAL-class Mjolnir|Orbital]]. Spartans have continued to lead the charge in conducting boarding actions, with [[John-117]] using boarding tactics against ''[[Mantle's Approach]]'' during the [[New Phoenix Incident]], and again with [[Blue Team]] against the captured ''[[Argent Moon]]'' in [[Operation: BIRD IN HAND]]. Spartan-IV personnel have also seen use in boarding actions including against the ''[[Pilgrims' Pride]]'' and the [[Station at Oth Lodon]].

In defending against Covenant boarding parties, a tactic sometimes used by the UNSC against Covenant boarders is the depressurization of hull compartments which have been compromised by boarders, suffocating any hostiles not wearing [[vacuum suit]]s. This measure was utilized aboard the {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} during the [[Battle over Installation 04]].<ref>''Halo: The Flood'', chapter 1</ref> If Covenant forces are caught in the airlock, it is possible for UNSC defenders to simply open the airlocks before pressurisation is complete to eject the boarders into space.<ref>''[[Halo 4]]'', campaign level [[Composer (level)|Composer]]</ref> When these options are not available, UNSC ships rely on on-board Marine and ODST complements for ship-board defense. In times of emergency, naval crewmen may also be expected to pick up arms to fend off attackers.

===The Flood===
During the [[Battle of Installation 05]], [[Flood]] [[Flood carrier form|carrier forms]] were ejected from an [[airlock]] of an infected starship towards an uninfected starship.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 197''</ref> Also, the Flood used the {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}} to board and capture ''[[High Charity]]''. In the later years of the [[Forerunner-Flood war]], it was standard practice for Flood forces to board and infest Forerunner vessels after the latter had been disabled by suppression fields emitted by [[star road]]s or other [[Precursor]] constructs at the Flood's disposal. Due to the suppression fields disabling their systems, very few Forerunner ships were capable of self-destructing before they were overwhelmed.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 214-215''</ref>

===Forerunners===
In their first battle against the Flood, the [[Promethean Knight]]s were deployed from the Mantle's Approach to board the enemy ships and destroy them from within. The Knights would use thruster packs to control their flight pattern.<ref>'''Halo 4''', '''Terminal 6'''</ref>

==List of appearances==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
*''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''
*''[[Halo: The Flood]]''
*''[[Halo: First Strike]]''
*''[[Halo 2]]''
*''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''
*''[[Halo: Uprising]]''
*''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''
*''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol]]''
*''[[Halo Wars: Genesis]]''
*''[[Halo Wars]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo 3: ODST]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo Legends]]''
**''[[The Package]]''
{{col-2}}
*''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''
**''[[Midnight in the Heart of Midlothian]]''
**''[[The Mona Lisa]]''
*''[[Halo: Reach]]''
*''[[Halo: Fall of Reach]]''
**''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Covenant|Covenant]]''
*''[[Halo: Glasslands]]''
*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]''
*''[[Halo 4]]''
**''[[Terminal (Halo 4)|Terminals]]''
**''[[Spartan Ops]]''
*''[[Halo: Silentium]]''
*''[[Halo: Initiation]]''
*''[[Halo: Escalation]]''
*''[[Halo: Mortal Dictata]]''
*''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]''
*''[[Hunt the Truth]]''
*''[[Halo: Fleet Battles]]''
*''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach - The Animated Series]]''
*''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]''
*''[[Halo: Shadow of Intent]]''
*''[[Halo: Silent Storm]]''
*''[[Halo Infinite]]''
*''[[Halo: The Rubicon Protocol]]''
{{col-end}}

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

[[Category:Military tactics]]