Halcyon-class light cruiser: Difference between revisions

Halcyon-class light cruiser (edit)

Revision as of 02:47, May 9, 2024

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→‎Service history: Maybe someone can work in the mention of the scrapping at Aszrod better, because it does show that cruisers were still being disposed of even during the war's final months.

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 ==Service history==
-At just over 1.17 kilometers in length, the ''Halcyon''s were the lightest of vessels to be designated and structured as cruisers. Compared to later capital ships, the original ''Halcyon''s were sorely underpowered and undergunned: their Mark II fusion engines provided but a tenth of the output of modern reactors and their armament consisted of a mere six [[Archer missile]] pods and a single [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC]] gun. According to the AI [[Cortana]], these ships were considered subpar within the [[UNSC fleet]] by 2552.{{Ref/Reuse|FoRC25}} Many of these cruisers were retired and placed into long-term storage near [[Europa]] after only a few years of service.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}
+At just over 1.17 kilometers in length, the ''Halcyon''s were the lightest of vessels to be designated and structured as cruisers.{{Ref/Reuse|FoRC25}} Considered subpar compared to later ships, these cruisers only served for a handful of years before they were placed into long-term storage near [[Europa]],{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}} and were eventually designated for scrapping.{{Ref/Reuse|FoRC25}}
-When the [[Human-Covenant War]] erupted in [[2525]] a number of ''Halcyon'' cruisers were reactivated from storage and refitted. With the right upgrades, a ''Halcyon''-class cruiser could be a formidable foe. During the [[Battle for Arcadia]] in [[2531]], the {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} teamed up with three other ships to destroy [[CCS-U321|a]] {{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}}, suffering heavy damage but remaining combat ready enough to provide ground support for the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}}. Later, during the [[Fall of Reach]], the upgraded ''Pillar of Autumn'' was able to inflict damage far beyond its tonnage, engaging and destroying [[Covenant frigate]]s, a {{Pattern|Ruma|light carrier}} and a [[Kewu-pattern battleship|powerful warship]] of unspecified class. Later, in orbit above the Forerunner construct known as [[Installation 04|Halo]], the ''Autumn'' destroyed four additional ''Ket''-pattern battlecruisers under the guidance of the AI Cortana. While much of this success was due to the tactical genius of Captain Jacob Keyes and his crew, the upgraded ''Autumn'' was highly resilient and capable of unleashing tremendous artillery barrages.
+When the [[Human-Covenant War]] erupted in [[2525]] a number of ''Halcyon'' cruisers were reactivated from storage and refitted. Some participated in remarkably early engagements of the war; [[Preston Cole|Vice Admiral Cole's]] [[Battle Group X-Ray]] fought the [[Battle of Harvest]] with a number of these cruisers.{{Ref/Book|HWG|Id=HWG}} Even this early on, it was evident that the ''Halcyon''s were not invulnerable; {{UNSCShip|Constantinople}} was lost with all hands during this battle. Meanwhile, the UNSC ''Pillar of Autumn'' took heavy damage when it teamed up with three other ships to destroy [[CCS-U321|a]] {{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}} during the [[Battle for Arcadia]].{{Ref/Level|HW|Arcadia City}} This led to a substandard performance record for the cruisers, and they'd come to be known as a joke within the [[UNSC Navy]].{{Ref/Reuse|FoRC25}} <!--Even as the war entered its final years, the UNSC would choose to scrap some of these cruisers, as the [[Asźod ship breaking yards]] were in the process of scrapping at least one ''Halcyon''-class cruiser by the time of the [[Fall of Reach]].{{Ref/Level|HR|Id=HRPoA|Pillar of Autumn}}-->
-The ship's main Magnetic Accelerator Cannon was enhanced to fire in three-round bursts. While each individual round was weakened, this firing pattern typically ensured at least one projectile would penetrate a Covenant vessel's shields. Damaged, the targeted ship could then be overwhelmed with Archer missiles, nuclear weaponry, or further bombardment once the ''Autumn'' recharged its main batteries. Unfortunately, the ship and nearly all of its original crew were destroyed in an attempt to prevent the firing of the Halo ring, and to prevent the release of the parasitic life-form known as the [[Flood]]. The detonation of the ''Autumn's'' fusion reactors destroyed not only the ring, but the majority of the [[Fleet of Particular Justice|Covenant fleet]] which had pursued it from Reach.
+''Halcyon''-class cruisers continued to serve throughout the conflict. As the losses continued to mount, the UNSC were forced to consider radical improvements to keep the ships competitive. The UNSC ''Pillar of Autumn'' received one such overhaul as part of the planned [[Operation: RED FLAG]], and used it to great effect during the subsequent [[Fall of Reach]], where it was instrumental to the destruction of a {{Pattern|Kewu|battleship}}.{{Ref/Book|TFOR|Id="FoRC36"|Chapter=36}} Later, during the approach to [[Alpha Halo]], it managed to destroy four Covenant [[capital ship]]s before being forced to crash onto the ring's surface, a phenomenal performance for a UNSC cruiser.{{Ref/Level|CE|Pillar of Autumn (Combat Evolved Level)|Pillar of Autumn}} Ultimately, the ''Autumn'' met its end when its engines were overloaded to destroy the Halo and much of the Covenant's [[Fleet of Particular Justice]],{{Ref/Level|CE|The Maw}} leaving behind only a handful of survivors.
 The first of the {{Class|Autumn|heavy cruiser|heavy cruisers}}, commissioned into service following the end of the Human-Covenant War,<ref>'''[[Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide]]'''</ref> would be built from the recycled hulls of surviving ''Halcyon''-class vessels.{{Ref/Book|Id=WFA|WF|Chapter=Human, Cruisers}}