Editing UNSC Home Fleet

{{Status|Canon}}

|name=UNSC Home Fleet|variant=Human

|size=Hundreds of [[UNSC starship|ships]] {{C|Post-[[Fall of Reach|Reach]]}}

|battles=*[[Battle for Earth]]

*[[Onyx Conflict]]

|commanders=*[[Vice Admiral|VADM]] [[Danforth Whitcomb]]{{Ref/Reuse|fbcore}}

*[[Fleet Admiral|FADM]] [[Terrence Hood|Lord Terrence Hood]]{{Ref/Book|Id=enc73|Enc11|Page=73}}{{Ref/Book|Id=evg113|EVG|Page=113}}

The '''UNSC Home Fleet''' is a [[UNSC fleet|fleet]] in the [[UNSC Navy]]. Their assignment is to protect [[Earth]] and the [[Sol system]] from an invasion or attack.{{Ref/Level|Id=Crows|H3|Crow's Nest}}

Prior to his death, [[Vice Admiral]] [[Danforth Whitcomb]] was the commander of the Home Fleet.{{Ref/Book|Id=fbcore|Halo: Fleet Battles core rulebook|Page=39}} [[Fleet Admiral]] [[Terrence Hood|Lord Terrence Hood]], the [[Chief of Naval Operations]] would inherit the role sometime after.{{Ref/Reuse|enc73}}{{Ref/Reuse|evg113}} Following September 5, 2552, Fleet Admiral [[Joseph Harper]] would be given tasking and administrative lead over all aerospace assets in the [[Sol system]],{{Ref/Reuse|navalrecords}} requiring coordination between himself and Lord Hood.{{Ref/Reuse|FTH}}

===Human-Covenant War===

=====Battle for Earth=====

{{Quote|So then the [[Covenant fleet]] really starts to tear into the orbital defenses. It's getting ugly up there. Major skirmishes with the [[Second Fleet|Second]], [[Seventh Fleet|Seventh]], and [[Sixteenth Fleet]]s.|[[Laura Tanner|Sergeant Laura "Smokes" Tanner]]{{Ref/Reuse|goo204}}}}

[[File:H2A - BattleofEarth.png|250px|thumb|Ships of the Home Fleet engaging the [[Covenant]] during the early stages of the Battle of Earth.]]

The Home Fleet's first known engagements with the conglomerate of alien races known as the [[Covenant]] were during the last stages of the [[Human-Covenant War]] in the [[Battle of Earth]], where it successfully defeated the [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration]] directly commanded by a member of the Covenant's [[Hierarchs|leadership]] in Earth's orbit. The engagement, however, was against a very small fleet of two [[CAS-class assault carrier|assault carriers]] and thirteen [[Ket-pattern battlecruiser|battlecruisers]]. This engagement, commanded by both Fleet Admirals Hood and Harper, suffered a number of casualties as the [[Fifth Fleet|fleet]] of sixty-seven frigates and eight cruisers under Harper's command attempted to hold back the enemy cruisers from reaching the orbital defense platforms.{{Ref/Level|Id=cairo|H2|Cairo Station}}

On ''Cairo Station'', Fleet Admiral Hood was awarding [[Master Chief Petty Officer|MCPO]] [[John-117]] and [[Avery Johnson|Sergeant Major Avery Johnson]] for their actions at [[Installation 04]] and the subsequent [[Operation: FIRST STRIKE]]. When [[Cortana]] received a slipspace rupture report near [[Io]], she relayed the information to FADM Hood. When the Covenant force arrived, the Home Fleet was ready and waiting. Opening up with ''Marathon''-class cruisers and MAC shells, they decimated the Covenant fleet, but suffered heavy losses themselves. Also during the engagement, the Covenant released boarding pods to occupy and destroy the MAC platforms using [[antimatter charge]]s. Stations ''Athens'' and ''Malta'' were both destroyed, but ''Cairo'' was spared destruction by John-117, who later took the bomb and destroyed one of the two assault carriers, the ''[[Day of Jubilation]]''.{{Ref/Reuse|cairo}}

At New Mombasa, the UNSC followed the surviving assault carrier, the ''[[Solemn Penance]]'', to the surface. The {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}}{{'}}s ground forces, commanded by [[Miranda Keyes]], engaged the Covenant until; in retreat, the carrier fled the battle.{{Ref/Level|H2|Metropolis}} The UNSC ''In Amber Clad'', {{UNSCShip|Paris}}, {{UNSCShip|Redoubtable}}, {{UNSCShip|Coral Sea}} and the {{UNSCShip|Dusk}} made it into the slipspace rift before it closed.

Shortly after the [[Battle of Mombasa]], the full-scale assault on Earth has been launched; numerous [[Covenant fleet]]s began to arrive in the following days and weeks, spreading all across the planet and targeting many areas and cities. Simultaneously, the rest of the [[Sol system]], including [[Human colonies|colonies]], were attacked. Despite the colossal battle, most of well-organized [[Truth's fleet|Jiralhanae forces]] (under the command of the [[Prophet of Truth]]) remained preoccupied for the excavation effort of the [[Forerunner]] [[Portal at Voi|portal]] in the [[East African Protectorate|East Africa]].{{Ref/Generic|Id=FTH|[[Halo Legendary Crate]]|[[Halo Legendary Crate/Data Drops|Data Drop #2]]|Detail=[[:File:LC 002 Doc 1.jpg|First Twelve Hours]]}} By [[2552#November|November 3]], three [[expeditionary fleet]]s of the Home Fleet: the [[Second Fleet|Second]], [[Seventh Fleet|Seventh]] and [[Sixteenth Fleet]]s had participated in major skirmishes against dozens of [[Covenant starship|Covenant warships]] as the enemy fleet was scattering the orbital defense grid.{{Ref/Novel|Id=goo204|Halo: Ghosts of Onyx|Page=204-205}} Concurrently, the [[Great Schism]] began with the [[Sangheili]] and [[Jiralhanae]] now turning to each other,{{Ref/Level|Id=H2U|H2|Level=Uprising}} with many Sangheili and their [[Covenant separatists|loyal forces]] joining [[Thel 'Vadam]]'s [[Fleet of Retribution|faction]] and allying with the UNSC forces.

Only ''In Amber Clad'' successfully kept pace with the carrier. The ''Dusk'' arrived days later, though the ''Coral Sea'' and ''Redoubtable'' arrived before the onset of the [[Great Schism]] and hid from a colossal [[High Charity defense fleet|Covenant fleet]] in the system that defends the Covenant main and artificial homeworld, [[High Charity]], close to the surface of [[installation 05|Delta Halo]] while scanning it, and the fate of ''Paris'' is unknown.{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/locations/delta-halo|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Delta Halo|D=22|M=5|Y=2015}}

The ''In Amber Clad'' deployed her ODST contingent on Installation 05, along with John-117 to [[Assassination of the Prophet of Regret|assassinate]] the Prophet of Regret; who had escaped back from Earth in the assault carrier; itself no longer a target. The rest of the ''In Amber Clad's'' crew and remaining Marines went to find the Index. [[Avery Johnson]] and Miranda Keyes fought through the [[Quarantine zone (location)|Quarantine Zone]] before encountering [[Thel 'Vadam]]ee; an [[Arbiter]] and former [[Supreme Commander]] of the [[Fleet of Particular Justice]], and being captured by the Covenant leadership. They were taken to High Charity and afterwards, the [[control room]] to fire Installation 05. ''In Amber Clad'', however, was taken over by the [[Flood]] and made a precision jump out of the ring's atmosphere, appearing inside High Charity. Cortana originally planned to destroy High Charity by detonating the Clad's [[fusion drive|fusion reactors]], though due to subsequent events, this plan never took place.{{Ref/Level|H2|[[High Charity (Level)|High Charity]]}} [[Cortana]] would make a second attempt to destroy High Charity by sending a message to the UNSC, in hopes that they would send ships from Earth to [[NOVA bomb]] the station.{{Ref/Novel|HGOO|Page=182-183}}

The UNSC Home Fleet dispatched [[Battle Group Omicron|a battlegroup]] commanded by [[Admiral]] [[Carl Patterson]] to Onyx to recover [[Forerunner]] artifacts reported by [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Halsey]]. When the battlegroup arrived, they engaged two [[Covenant destroyer]]s. {{UNSCShip|Glasgow Kiss}} was the first to be destroyed when it purposely turned into plasma fire from the destroyers intended for the {{UNSCShip|Stalingrad}}. They believed they had won the engagement, destroying one ship and heavily damaging the other. The damaged ship fled to the unseen side of the planet, with the UNSC ships in pursuit.  

Twenty [[Joyous Exultation Covenant|Covenant]] ships that had been hidden on the other side of the planet appeared from the [[Gravity well (physics)|gravity well]] of Onyx, and began to attack the battle group.{{Ref/Novel|HGOO|Page=286-300}} In the ensuring mayhem, the remaining UNSC ships attempted to accelerate through the gravity well of the planet through the lines of the Covenant ships coming from surface of Onyx. The {{UNSCShip|Iwo Jima}} got in between eight Covenant warships and self-destructed, sacrificing itself to destroy two destroyers. Only five UNSC ships made it through. These ships disengaged when [[Onyx Sentinel|Sentinels]] destroyed three Covenant ships using plasma capture. In an attempt to escape the Sentinels, the Covenant assigned a rear guard of two ships to protect the rest of the fleet. This helped them escape the gravity well of Onyx at the cost of these two ships.

The {{UNSCShip|Dusk}} planted fourteen [[M441 Hornet Remote Explosive System|Hornet mines]] around the moon of Onyx. Then, the surviving ships of Patterson's battle group launched an attack. The attack, however, was a trick to lure the Covenant force into the mine field. The mines detonated, but four Covenant destroyers made it through the nuclear fireballs. The rest of the UNSC ships thought they would win the engagement, until thirty-two [[Combined Fleet of Righteous Purpose|Covenant vessels]], reinforcements from [[Joyous Exultation]] arrived. They destroyed the surviving ships of the battle group.{{Ref/Novel|HGOO|Page=325-333}}

The only ship to make it out alive was the {{UNSCShip|Dusk}}, which stayed dark and was lucky enough to not get hit by the reigning debris or be detected by the Covenant ships. It eventually escaped to slipspace by narrowly evading the Sentinels that erupted from the disintegrating Onyx.{{Ref/Novel|HGOO|Page=375-378}}

=====Late Battle for Earth=====

[[File:H2A - Earth and Dreadnought.jpg|thumb|300px|As the ''[[Anodyne Spirit]]'' and other forces of the Prophet of Truth moved in, the Home Fleet was devastated.]]

After the [[Flood]] [[Fall of High Charity|infestation]] of High Charity, the Prophet of Truth led what remains within the [[High Charity defense fleet|Covenant loyalists forces]] in an attempt to make a final push offensive on Earth.{{Ref/Reuse|Id=TGJ}} In the later stages of the Battle for Earth around November 17, Truth's [[Truth's fleet#Further engagements|final and overwhelming invasion forces]] arrived in the system and breached the [[Luna]]r perimeter.{{Ref/Reuse|Crows}} With the Earth's defenses already weakened by waves of invasion fleets that had arrived previously, the Home Fleet and orbital defense platforms engaged the Covenant armada in high Earth orbit, holding their own against the overwhelming enemy fleet to defend the planet.{{Ref/Reuse|Id=TGJ}}

As the massive space and ground battles against overwhelming Covenant forces still ruthlessly rages, the [[Keyship|Forerunner keyship]] ''[[Anodyne Spirit]]'' carrying [[Prophet of Truth]] jumped to Earth after a [[Scramble onboard Forerunner Dreadnought|nine-day delay]] by the presence of [[John-117]] aboard the Dreadnought.{{Ref/Reuse|Id=TGJ}}{{Ref/Comic|Id=HUI3|HU|Issue=3}} When the ship arrived over Earth via slipspace, John-117 contacted [[Fleet Admiral]] [[Terrence Hood]] by indicating that he was aboard of the Covenant [[flagship]] while the fleet originally attempted to target the "unknown" alien ship.{{Ref/Level|Id=TGJ|H2|Level=[[The Great Journey (level)|The Great Journey]]}} The ''Anodyne Spirit'' was then surrounded by the Covenant fleet battling the UNSC vessels of the UNSC fleet.{{Ref/Comic|Id=HUI4|HU|4}} Unable to fend off the enemy fleet despite strong and formidable defense from the UNSC, too much of the Home Fleet was ultimately destroyed as well as presumably a large number of orbital defense platforms, letting the Covenant fleet to [[Orbital bombardment|bombard]] Earth and resulting extreme human military and civilian casualties.{{Ref/Reuse|Crows}} However, mainly due the hundreds of orbital defense platforms, it is likely that the vast majority of the Covenant naval forces was destroyed by the defenders.{{Ref/Level|Id=H2TA|H2|Level=The Armory|Quote=The ''[[Cairo Station (station)|Cairo]]'' is just one of ''three hundred'' geosync platforms. That MAC gun can put a round clean through a Covenant capital ship. With coordinated fire from the ''[[Athens Station|Athens]]'' and the ''[[Malta Station|Malta]]'', nothing's getting past this battle cluster in one piece.}}

At about this time, the Home Fleet had significantly only a handful of UNSC vessels that remained and was almost to the point of total destruction.{{Ref/Reuse|Crows}} The UNSC was using its last reserves of ships to launch hit and run attacks on the Covenant.

Discovering that the Halo Array had been remotely activated, the UNSC planned to send a force from the Home Fleet, led by the cruiser {{UNSCShip|Endeavor}}, to the Ark to deactivate the signal, and invited advisors from the Swords of Sanghelios, briefing them on the situation and asking for their assistance in activating the Voi portal to reach it. When the portal activated, a Forerunner Retriever emerged, and began to harvest the surrounding countryside, but was destroyed by the ''Endeavor'' with support from air forces from a nearby UNSC military base. While the UNSC wanted to send a larger force aboard the ''Endeavour'', Shipmaster [[N'tho 'Sraom]] refused to wait, and took his own ship, the Covenant heavy corvette ''Mayhem'', through on his own initiative, with UNSC personnel aboard.{{Ref/Reuse|hunters}}

The Home Fleet, consisting of dozens of ships, was in place to respond when [[000 Tragic Solitude]] sent through hundreds of Retrievers to strip Earth and the rest of the solar system to repair his installation. These sentinels were rudimentarily armed, but were destroyed in large numbers by Home Fleet, though it took heavy casualties and was on the verge of defeat until a stalemate on the Ark between the ''Mayhem's'' crew and Tragic Solitude, forcing the Retrievers to withdraw through the portal. Afterwards, the UNSC sent reinforcements through the portal to investigate the threat and discovering that the ''Mayhem's'' crew and passengers had survived. The carrier {{UNSCShip|Witness}} recovered ''Mayhem'' within one of its hangars, and carried it back through the portal to Earth.{{Ref/Novel|Id=hunters|HitD}}

In [[2557]], the [[Ur-Didact|Didact]]'s ship, ''[[Mantle's Approach]]'', arrived in-system to use the [[Composer]] to digitize humanity. Having been forewarned by the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}}, the Home Fleet was ready and led by the ''Infinity,'' engaged ''Mantle's Approach.'' [[Battlegroup Dakota]], led by the ''Infinity'' moved into position to confront the Didact's flagship, sustaining some losses due to the vessel's superior defenses and failing to inflict damage upon the ship. As the battlegroup engaged ''Mantle's Approach'', ''Infinity'' was contacted by [[John-117|the Master Chief]] who was flying beneath the [[Didact]]'s shields in an [[F-41 Broadsword]] armed with a [[HAVOK tactical nuclear weapon|nuclear weapon]]. In order to allow the Master Chief to destroy the enemy vessel, the ''Infinity'' used two of her forward batteries to blast a hole in the ship's hull after the Master Chief took out ''Mantle's Approach's'' point-defense weapons, allowing the Master Chief to board the ship. The battlegroup subsequently disengaged from the fight, staying on station instead while the Master Chief destroyed ''Mantle's Approach'' and the Composer from the inside with his nuclear weapon.{{Ref/Level|H4|[[Midnight]]}}

=====Created conflict=====

In [[2558]], when [[Cortana]] reemerged as the new leader of the [[Created]] after her presumed destruction during the Didact's earlier attack, she activated a series of [[Forerunner]] [[Guardian]]s to enforce the will of the [[Mantle]], now believing AIs to be the true Reclaimers of the galaxy. The ''Infinity'' and her escorts again rushed to Earth's defense as a [[Subjugation of Earth|Guardian appeared above Earth]], with the Home Fleet and the orbital defense grid scrambling their defenses in the wake of this new threat. However, having witnessed the capabilities of the Guardians, the crew of the ''Infinity'' instead chose to retreat, narrowly escaping the massive EMP blast that shut down all technology on Earth, rendering the Home Fleet utterly defenseless as their own vessels were also disabled in orbit.{{Ref/Level|H5G|[[Guardians]]}}

==Composition==

Following [[2552#September|September 5, 2552]] all remaining fleets were amalgamated into a single command grouping under the UNSC Home Fleet. Fleet leaders remain in leadership roles of these fleets however.{{Ref/Generic|Id=navalrecords|Heading=[[Halo Legendary Crate]]|Subheading=[[Halo Legendary Crate/Data Drops|Data Drop #2]]|Detail=[[:File:LC 002 Doc 3.jpg|Naval Records Archives]]}} This means that forces under the [[Fifth Fleet]], [[Seventh Fleet]], [[Third Fleet]], [[Sixteenth Fleet]], and [[Second Fleet]] are technically also a part of the Home Fleet after this point. The surviving fleet of [[Epsilon Eridani Fleet]] is also technically a part of the Home Fleet after the events of [[Operation: FIRST STRIKE]].

Other Battle Groups in the Home Fleet include, the [[Sixth Battle Group]] and [[Sol Defense Group 3/A-5]].

{{Col-begin}}

{{Col-4}}

===Battle Group Omicron===

*{{UNSCShip|Stalingrad}}

*{{UNSCShip|Brasidas}}

{{Col-4}}

===Medii Battle Group===

{{Main|Medii Battle Group}}

{{Col-4}}

===Battle Group Dakota===

{{Main|Battle Group Dakota}}

*{{UNSCShip|Infinity}}

===Unknown===

*{{UNSCShip|Witness}}

*{{UNSCShip|Endeavor}}

*{{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}}

*''[[Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo]]''

{{Ref/Sources}}