Phoenix-class colonial support vessel
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| Phoenix-class colony ship | |
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| Production information | |
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Manufacturer: |
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Class: |
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Role: |
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| Technical specifications | |
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Length: |
2,500 metres (8,200 ft)[2] |
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Width: |
800 metres (2,600 ft)[2] |
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Height: |
689 metres (2,260 ft)[1] |
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Mass: |
44 million metric tons[1] |
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Slipspace drive: |
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Hull: |
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Armament: |
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Crew: |
11,000[5] |
| Chronological and affiliation | |
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Era: |
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Introduced: |
c. 2362 |
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The Phoenix-class colonial support vessel[6] 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 units, hydroponics and other facilities.[7] Known ships of the Phoenix class include the UNSC Skidbladnir which colonized Harvest[8] and the UNSC Spirit of Fire which aided in the colonization of Arcadia and was later converted into a warship.
Design details[edit]
First commissioned in 2362 during the golden age of human colonization, Phoenix-class colony ships were designed to transport colonists, terraforming equipment, and other infrastructure from an Inner Colony such as Earth to a distant colony world.[1] For decades after 2362 the Phoenix-class colony ship was the largest interstellar vehicle created by humanity.[9] A single Phoenix-class colony ship is capable of setting up a self sufficient colony in just six months.[9] On lusher or more verdant colony worlds the Phoenix-class colony ship would stay on station in orbit or act as a dedicated transport for personnel and resources to and from the Sol system.[9] In at least one instance, a colony ship was decommissioned to aid in the development of a colony. On Harvest, the 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.[8]
Modifications[edit]
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.[2] The refitted ships carry vehicles, troops, and supplies as support for ground forces. It also carries the resources necessary to build firebases, with the base structures being repurposed colony starter units.[10]
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.[11][Note 1] 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 Herons 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's hull was ripped away when the ship collided with a Sinaris-pattern heavy destroyer, with no damage being inflicted on the opposing ship.
Ships of the line[edit]
- CAA First Reverie - Launched in 2362 to colonise new worlds.
- UNSC Phoenix - Lead ship of the Phoenix-class.
- UNSC Spirit of Fire (CFV-88) - Active as of 2559; officially lost with all hands in 2534.
- UNSC Skidbladnir - Scrapped for materials.
Halo: Fleet Battles[edit]
UNSC Phoenix-class colonial support vessel[edit]This element includes a single Phoenix-class colonial support vessel.
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UNSC Phoenix (Guardian Spirit formation)[edit]This element includes a Phoenix-class colonial support vessel and one Marathon-class heavy cruiser.
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Trivia[edit]
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Browse more images in this article's gallery page. |
- The phoenix was a mythological bird which would be reborn at the end of its lifetime; in a similar fashion, the Phoenix-class colony ship would be decommissioned and stripped down upon colonizing a planet, with the ship's materials "giving birth" to a new colony.
- The name Phoenix may be a reference to Bungie's canceled game of the same name,[10] 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.[12]
- The Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition) wrongly claims the Spirit of Fire to be three miles long.
Gallery[edit]
A cross section of the Phoenix-class refit Spirit of Fire.
The Shaw-Fujikawa drive room of a refit Phoenix-class colony ship in Halo Wars: Genesis.
Drop Bay Bravo of the Spirit of Fire.
Concept art of the ship's bridge for Halo Wars.
A profile of the UNSC Spirit of Fire, illustrating the Phoenix-class vessel's vast length and armament.
The Spirit of Fire colliding with a Sinaris-pattern heavy destroyer.
The Spirit of Fire faces a Covenant destroyer in the interior of the shield world.
One of the cryo-chambers on board a Phoenix-class colony ship.
The holographic display table on the bridge of a Phoenix-class colony ship.
A Phoenix-class colony ship being constructed at a UNSC shipyard, possibly over Jupiter, in Halo Legends: Origins.
A Phoenix-class vessel (left) near Reach in Halo: Fall of Reach.
The Spirit of Fire in Halo: Escalation.
A Phoenix in comparison with a Marathon and Epoch in Halo: Fleet Battles.
A Phoenix-class colony ship.
A Phoenix-class colony ship with a D77-TC Pelican.
The Phoenix-class colony ship compared to other known UNSC and Covenant vessels of the wartime era.
The Spirit of Fire in Halo Mythos.
The Spirit of Fire in Halo Wars 2.
Phoenix-class colony ships in concept art for Halo Infinite.
List of appearances[edit]
- Halo: Contact Harvest (First mentioned)
- Halo Wars: Genesis (First appearance)
- Halo Wars
- Halo Legends
- Halo: Fall of Reach
- Halo: Escalation
- Halo: Fleet Battles
- Halo Mythos
- Halo: Tales from Slipspace
- Halo: Smoke and Shadow (Mentioned only)
- Halo Wars 2
- Halo: Outpost Discovery
- Halo: Shadows of Reach
- Sacrifice (Indirect mention)
- Halo: Point of Light (Mentioned only)
- Halo: Divine Wind
- Halo: Hippocratica (Mentioned only)
Notes[edit]
- ^ All Halo Wars media, including the in-game timeline, the official website, and Halo Wars: Genesis, state that the Spirit of Fire was outfitted with a single MAC during its military refit. During the cutscene prior to the level Dome of Light, 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
Sources[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h Halo Warfleet, p. 48-49
- ^ a b c Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, p. 188
- ^ Official Halo Wars Community Site: Spirit of Fire (defunct, Archive)
- ^ Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo
- ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition), p. 72
- ^ Spartan Games: Halo: Fleet Battles - UNSC - UNSC Phoenix-Class Colonial Support Vessel (defunct, Archived)
- ^ Halo Wars: Genesis
- ^ a b Halo: Contact Harvest, p. 183
- ^ a b c Halo Waypoint, Halo Community Update - Hot Drops & Flag Caps (Retrieved on Mar 1, 2021) [archive]
- ^ a b Halo Wars
- ^ Halo Wars Level "Dome of Light"
- ^ Ensemble Studios Last Tours
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