Editing Naval boarding

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{{SeeWikipedia|Boarding (attack)}}
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<center>''For the gameplay mechanic, see [[Boarding (gameplay mechanic)]].''</center>
[[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.

==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]]''.]]
[[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 [[Yanme'e]]. The Covenant typically employ [[Covenant boarding craft|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]]''</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===
In most cases, UNSC forces use [[D77-TC Pelican]] dropships to ferry [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marine]] forces from ship-to-ship. This insertion method was used when UNSC Marines boarded the {{UNSCShip|Prophecy}} during the [[Harvest campaign]] in [[2531]].<ref>'''Halo Wars: Genesis'''</ref> 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 occurred during the boarding of the Covenant vessel ''[[Unrelenting]]'' at the [[Battle of Chi Ceti]]. During the [[Fall of Reach]] in [[2552#August|August 2552]], the UNSC used [[YSS-1000 Sabre]]s and a D77-TC Pelican to successfully board the [[SDV-class heavy corvette|Covenant corvette]] ''[[Ardent Prayer]]'' to deliver a makeshift bomb to the [[Covenant supercarrier]] ''[[Long Night of Solace]]''.<ref>'''Halo: Reach''', campaign level ''[[Long Night of Solace (level)|Long Night of Solace]]''</ref>

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 of Installation 04]].<ref>'''Halo: The Flood''', ''page 24'' (2003 edition); ''page 26'' (2010 paperback)</ref>

[[2552#September|On September 19]], UNSC forces, in an attempt to rescue [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[Jacob Keyes]], boarded the damaged {{Class|CCS|battlecruiser}} ''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]'' as it held position over [[Halo Array|Halo]] [[Installation 04]].<ref>'''Halo: Combat Evolved''', campaign level ''[[The Truth and Reconciliation]]''</ref> Two days later, [[SPARTAN-II Program|Spartan]] [[John-117]] again boarded the vessel, which was now controlled by the [[Flood]], to retrieve the captain's [[command neural interface]].<ref>'''Halo: Combat Evolved''', campaign level ''[[Keyes]]''</ref> On September 22, the remaining Marines, ODSTs, and naval personnel boarded the ship in an attempt to use it to travel to [[Earth]]; however, [[First Lieutenant]] [[Melissa McKay]] crashed the ship into the Halo to prevent the Flood from spreading to Earth and across UNSC space.<ref>'''Halo: The Flood''', ''page ??''</ref>

During the [[Battle of Earth]], a large [[Orbital Drop Shock Trooper]] unit was to board the ''[[Solemn Penance]]'' using [[Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle|SOEIVs]], but failed when the carrier jumped into [[Slipstream space|slipspace]].<ref>'''Halo 3: ODST''', campaign level ''[[Prepare To Drop]]''</ref> Two weeks later, Spartan [[Blue Team]] boarded the [[Covenant destroyer]] ''[[Bloodied Spirit]]'' by stowing away from the [[Centennial Orbital Elevator]].<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page ??''</ref>

The [[Open Frame 92/Extra-Vehicular Activity|OF92/EVA "Booster Frame"]] is a UNSC vehicle designed for boarding Covenant vessels. With specialized weapon systems, it is able to rip small holes in a ship's energy shields and then pierce then hull with a Gauss cannon. These vehicles have no sealed cockpit; thus a pressurized suit must be worn.

In [[2535]], ODSTs from the [[UNSC light frigate|light frigate]] ''[[UNSC Midsummer Night|Midsummer Night]]'' boarded the civilian freighter ''[[Finnegan's Wake]]''.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page ??''</ref> This demonstrates the UNSC's commonly enacted efforts to combat [[insurrectionist]] smugglers during the early years of the Human-Covenant War.

In [[2557]] during the [[Ur-Didact|Didact]]'s [[New Phoenix Incident|attack on Earth]] Master Chief Petty Officer [[John-117]] boarded the Didact's ship ''[[Mantle's Approach]]'' using an [[F-41 Broadsword]] fighter to destroy it and the [[Composer]] with a [[HAVOK tactical nuclear weapon]], a mission that succeeded, saving the population of Earth from being digitized by the Composer.

===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]]''
{{col-end}}

==Sources==
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[[Category:Military tactics‎]]