Editing Phoenix-class colony ship

{{Title|''Phoenix''-class colonial support vessel}}

{{Status|Canon}}

{{Ship class infobox

|manufacturer=[[Halifax Spacewerx]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

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

|width={{Convert|800|m|ft}}{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}}

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

|mass=44 million metric tons{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

*3 [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|22B6R3 MACs]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}<ref name="SOF Fact">[http://www.halowars.com/GameInfo/SpiritOfFire.aspx ''Official Halo Wars Community Site'': Spirit of Fire] (defunct, [[Archive:Halowars.com/Spirit of Fire|Archive]])</ref><ref name="Mythos">[[Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo]]</ref>

*10 [[11A2R1 naval coilgun battery|11A2R1 naval coilgun batteries]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

*24 [[Archer Missile#M42 Archer|M42 Archer missile pods]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

*40 [[M800 Rampart point defense gun]]s{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

|misc=11,000<ref>''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]'', p. 72</ref>

|affiliation=

*[[United Nations Space Command]]

The '''''Phoenix''-class colonial support vessel'''<ref>[http://shop.spartangames.co.uk/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=HFUN13 '''Spartan Games:''' ''Halo: Fleet Battles - UNSC - UNSC Phoenix-Class Colonial Support Vessel''] (defunct, [https://web.archive.org/web/20170719015452/http://shop.spartangames.co.uk/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=HFUN13 Archived])</ref> 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]]'', p. 183</ref> and the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} which aided in the colonization of [[Arcadia]] and was later converted into a warship.

==Design details==

 

First commissioned in 2362 during the [[Domus Diaspora|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.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}} For decades after 2362 the ''Phoenix''-class colony ship was the largest interstellar vehicle created by humanity.{{Ref/Site|Id=hot drops|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/hot-drops-flag-caps|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Halo Community Update - Hot Drops & Flag Caps|D=01|M=03|Y=2021}} A single ''Phoenix''-class colony ship is capable of setting up a self sufficient colony in just six months.{{Ref/Reuse|hot drops}} 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.{{Ref/Reuse|hot drops}} In 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/Reuse|Contact}}

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/Reuse|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/Note|1=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}} 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 {{Pattern|Sinaris|heavy destroyer}}, with no damage being inflicted on the opposing ship.

*{{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} (CFV-88) - Active as of [[2559]]; officially lost with all hands in 2534.

*The name ''Phoenix'' may be a reference to [[Bungie]]'s canceled game of the same name,{{Ref/Reuse|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 (2009 edition)]]'' wrongly claims the ''Spirit of Fire'' to be three miles long.

File:HWF Spirit of Fire.jpg|A cross section of the ''Phoenix''-class refit ''Spirit of Fire''.

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

File:HWG SoF DropBayBravo.png|Drop Bay Bravo of the ''Spirit of Fire''.

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

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

File:ApexBattleImage.png|The ''[[Spirit of Fire]]'' colliding with a {{Pattern|Sinaris|heavy destroyer}}.

File:RepairsOpening.png|The ''Spirit of Fire'' faces a Covenant destroyer in the interior of the shield world.

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

File:HM - SOF and Ark.jpg|The ''Spirit of Fire'' in ''[[Halo Mythos]]''.

{{Ref/Notes}}

{{Ref/Sources}}

{{Human civilian ships}}

[[Category:UNSC ship classes]]