Canon

Ket-pattern battlecruiser: Difference between revisions

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{{Title|''CCS''-class battlecruiser}}
{{Title|''Ket''-pattern battlecruiser}}
{{Status|Canon}}
{{Status|Canon}}
{{Newcontent|[[Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)]]}}
{{Ship class infobox
{{Ship class infobox
|name=''CCS''-class battlecruiser
|name=''Ket''-pattern battlecruiser
|image=[[File:DH CCS Ket.png|300px]]
|image=[[File:DH CCS Ket.png|300px]]
|manufacturer= [[Assembly Forges]]<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/vehicles/indulgence-of-conviction '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Indulgence of Conviction'']</ref>
|manufacturer= [[Assembly Forges]]{{Ref/Site|Id=Indulgence|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/vehicles/indulgence-of-conviction|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Indulgence of Conviction|D=20|M=10|Y=2020}}
|class=[[Covenant cruiser|Cruiser]]{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22|Enc22|Page=264}}
|class=[[Covenant cruiser|Cruiser]]{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22|Enc22|Page=264}}{{Ref/Book|Id=Warfleet|HWF|Page=62-63}}
|engine=2 [[Repulsor engine|''Gablien''-pattern repulsor engines]]
|engine=2 [[Repulsor engine|''Gablien''-pattern repulsor engines]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|power=2 [[pinch fusion reactor]]s{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|power=2 [[pinch fusion reactor]]s{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|slipspace drive=''Ophon''-pattern [[borer]]
|slipspace drive=''Ophon''-pattern [[borer]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|length={{Convert|1782|m|ft|sp=us}}<ref name="ENC">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]''', ''page 265''</ref><ref name="EVG">'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 41''</ref>{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}
|length={{Convert|1782|m|ft|sp=us}}{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}{{Ref/Book|Id=EVG|EVG|Page=41}}{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc09|Enc09|Page=265}}{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc11|Enc11|Page=277}}
|width={{Convert|862|m|ft|sp=us}}{{Ref/Reuse|ENC}}{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}}
|width={{Convert|862|m|ft|sp=us}}{{Ref/Reuse|Enc09}}{{Ref/Reuse|Enc11}}{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}}
|height={{Convert|230.8|m|ft|sp=us}}<ref name="StnLfts">'''[http://halo.bungie.org/misc/sloftus_covenantcruiser/ Covenant CCS-class Battle Cruiser]'''</ref>
|height=
|mass=90.7 million metric tons<ref name="Warfleet">''[[Halo: Warfleet]], pgs. 63''</ref>
|mass=90.7 million metric tons{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|shielding=''Corvex''-pattern [[Energy shielding|dispersal field generators]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|shielding=''Corvex''-pattern [[Energy shielding|dispersal field generators]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|hull=[[Nanolaminate hull plating]]
|hull=[[Nanolaminate hull plating]]
|armament=*1 [[Energy projector|''Profero''-pattern excavation beam]]<ref name="Warfleet">''[[Halo: Warfleet]], pgs. 63''</ref>
|armament=*1 [[Energy projector|''Profero''-pattern excavation beam]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*1 [[Plasma lance|''Ignis''-pattern plasma lance]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*1 [[Plasma lance|''Ignis''-pattern plasma lance]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*16 [[Plasma torpedo|''Serpens''-pattern plasma torpedo silos]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*16 [[Plasma torpedo|''Serpens''-pattern plasma torpedo silos]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*42 [[Plasma cannon (starship)|''Sono''-pattern plasma cannons]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*42 [[Plasma cannon (starship)|''Sono''-pattern plasma cannons]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*50 [[Pulse laser turret|''Gon''-pattern pulse lasers]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*50 [[Pulse laser turret|''Gon''-pattern pulse lasers]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|complement=*180 [[Sangheili Major|Obedientaries]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|complement=*180 [[Obedientaries]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*2,500 Warriors{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*2,500 Warriors{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*4,100 Thralls{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*4,100 Thralls{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
Line 27: Line 26:
*10 [[Spirit]]/[[Phantom|Phantom dropships]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*10 [[Spirit]]/[[Phantom|Phantom dropships]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*50 [[Banshee|Banshee flyers]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*50 [[Banshee|Banshee flyers]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*20 [[R'sisho-pattern Tick|Tick boarding craft]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*20 {{Pattern|R'sisho|Tick}}s{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*44 [[Ruwaa-pattern Shadow|Shadow transports]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*44 {{Pattern|Ruwaa|Shadow}}s{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*32 [[Seraph]]/[[Keljiric-pattern Tarasque|Tarasque strikecraft]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*32 [[Seraph]]s or {{Pattern|Keljiric|Tarasque}}s{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*48 [[Wraith|Wraith mortar tanks]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*48 [[Wraith|Wraith mortar tanks]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*150 [[Ghost|Ghost scouts]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*150 [[Ghost|Ghost scouts]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|crew=*8 [[Sangheili|Superiors]]
|crew=*8 [[Superior]]s{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*2 [[Huragok|Engineers]]
*2 [[Huragok]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*500 [[Menial]]s
*500 [[Menial]]s{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|misc-title=
|misc-title=
|misc=
|misc=
Line 56: Line 55:
**[[Vata 'Gajat's mercenary group]]
**[[Vata 'Gajat's mercenary group]]
}}
}}
{{Quote|Mother of God... I'd never thought I'd get close to one of these things. How the hell are we supposed to get inside that monster?|UNSC Marine during the first [[Raid on the Truth and Reconciliation|raid on ''Truth and Reconciliation'']].}}<ref name="T&R">'''Halo: Combat Evolved''', campaign level, ''[[The Truth and Reconciliation]]''</ref>
{{Quote|Mother of God... I'd never thought I'd get close to one of these things. How the hell are we supposed to get inside that monster?|UNSC Marine during the first [[Raid on the Truth and Reconciliation|raid on ''Truth and Reconciliation'']].{{Ref/Level|Id=T&R|HCE|The Truth and Reconciliation}}}}
The '''''Ket''-pattern battlecruiser'''{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}} {{3Letter|CCS|battlecruiser}}{{Ref/Site|Id=WP09|URL=http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/Universe/detail/battlecruiser/355706b7-6bd3-480a-89b7-6986e8cd03a3|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Battlecruiser|D=28|M=04|Y=2012|LocalArchive=Archive:Halo_Waypoint/2009_to_2014/Universe/Ships#Battlecruiser}}{{Ref/Site|Id=WP14|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/vehicles/covenant-cruiser|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Covenant Cruiser|D=28|M=10|Y=2020}} is a [[Covenant]] [[Capital ship|capital warship]]. It is one of several [[Covenant cruiser|cruiser]] types used by the Covenant, each of which is similar in design but differs in size and function.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc09}}{{Ref/Reuse|Enc11}}{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}} The ''Ket''-pattern served as one of the empire's most prominent warship classes alongside the {{Pattern|Elefen|battlecruiser}}, succeeded the aging {{Pattern|Maugen|armored cruiser}}s, and has since become a workhorse of the empire's various [[Covenant remnants|successor states]].


The '''''CCS''-class battlecruiser''' is a [[Covenant]] [[Capital ship|capital warship]]. It is one of several [[Covenant cruiser|cruiser]] types used by the Covenant, each of which is similar in design but differs in size and function.{{Ref/Reuse|ENC}}{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}}
==Overview==
Battlecruisers have consistently served in the Covenant's [[Covenant fleet|starfleet]] in some capacity throughout the empire's long existence{{Ref/Reuse|WP09}}, replacing the older {{Pattern|Maugen|armored cruiser}}s between the [[Fifth Age of Reclamation|Fifth]] and [[Seventh Age of Reclamation]]. Since then, battlecruisers have proliferated to be produced in vast quantities - moreso than any other [[Covenant starship]]{{Ref/Reuse|WP14}} - across dozens of shipyards in a litany of design patterns and other modifications - with the ''Ket'' and ''Elefen'' dominating the battlecruiser classifications as a whole.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}
 
Battlecruisers primarily serve in attack and occupation roles{{Ref/Reuse|WP14}}, though their workhorse nature sees them frequently serving in a wider variety of functions outside of this.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}} Their offensive and defensive capabilities, combined with a large troop and equipment payload, make them ideal for deployment of ground forces during [[Planetary warfare|ground campaigns]], or serving as middle-weight combatants (relative to other Covenant ships) in [[space warfare]].{{Ref/Reuse|Enc11}} This is contrasted with more aggressive [[executioner]]s such as the {{Pattern|Sinaris|heavy destroyer}} and large [[Covenant carrier|carriers]] such as the {{Pattern|Kerel|assault carrier}}.{{Ref/Reuse|WP09}}{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}}
 
The overall characteristics of the ''Ket''; numerous and highly-capable in multiple roles as to form the core of the Covenant fleet, indicate it is likely classed as an [[advocate]] within Covenant naval schema.


==Overview==
===Design details===
===Design details===
The ''CCS''-class battlecruiser is a mid-sized [[capital ship]] that is used in both offensive and defensive roles. This type of ship is known for its large personnel and equipment capacity, which makes it ideal for infantry, vehicle, and matériel deployments during ground engagements.{{Ref/Reuse|ENC}} The vessel is well known for its offensive capabilities, often participating in ship-to-ship combat and in [[glassing]] operations. The ''CCS''-class battlecruiser, while not the largest cruiser in service with the Covenant, is the most prominent of the Covenant's ships, and is used in large numbers at the heart of nearly every Covenant invasion force.{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}} They are often deployed in three-ship battle groups.<ref>'''Halo: Combat Evolved''', campaign level, ''[[The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Combat Evolved level)|The Pillar of Autumn]]''</ref> The "S", or Salvation, in the cruiser's three-letter classification code, "CCS", denotes that the ''CCS''-class battlecruiser is a dedicated [[warship]].<ref name="canon fodder2">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-have-s-moa '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Canon Fodder: Have S'moa'']</ref>
Battlecruisers are shaped to allow for mobility in atmospheric flight and agility when fighting in space.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc11}} Their hulls are shaped with sweeping contours and almost-perfect symmetry, visually reminiscent of [[List of animals|marine life]] found on [[Sangheili colonies]].{{Ref/Reuse|WP09}}{{Ref/Reuse|WP14}}{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}} Battlecruisers, as with other [[Covenant cruiser]]s, feature internal modular bays that can be configured as engineering, medical, armory, barracks and religious facilities.{{Ref/Reuse|WP14}}


Nearly two kilometers from stem to stern, the standard battlecruiser follows the typical architecture of a Covenant ship: a sleek, amphibious design with sweeping contours, bulbous sections, and perfect symmetry,<ref name="waypoint">[http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/Universe/detail/battlecruiser/355706b7-6bd3-480a-89b7-6986e8cd03a3 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Battlecruiser''] (defunct, backup on [https://web.archive.org/web/20120428124054/http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/Universe/detail/battlecruiser/355706b7-6bd3-480a-89b7-6986e8cd03a3 Archive.org])</ref> with either two or four fin-like structures beneath the bow. It is shaped this way to allow for mobility in atmosphere during the deployment of infantry, as well as for a significant level of agility when in combat in orbit.{{Ref/Reuse|ENC}} Unlike the larger {{Class|CAS|assault carrier}} and the more aggressively deployed {{Pattern|Sinaris|heavy destroyer}}, the battlecruiser serves in a somewhat intermediary role: a fully weaponized warship with the ability to apply meaningful military deployment. For this reason it is frequently utilized, easily surpassing the numbers of any other known Covenant vessel.{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}}
Battlecruisers are best recognised for their distinctive fins, located on the underside of the ship's nose. These fins serve as sensor arrays, the number of which can differ between designs - though the configuration of the fits themselves is not an indicator of [[design pattern]] variation.{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/calm-in-the-storm|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - Calm in the Storm|LocalArchive=https://archives.halopedia.org/waypoint/www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/calm-in-the-storm.html|D=04|M=08|Y=2021|Quote=No, although the sensor vane layout is often a way of helping to differentiate between different patterns. For example, if you look closely most of the battlecruisers you see in Halo 3 are actually different from than the Ket-pattern Truth and Reconciliation described in Halo: Warfleet (pp. 62-63), despite their similar fin arrangement.|Quotee=Kenneth Peters}} The battlecruiser's ubiquitous nature has seen them influence many other cruiser designs produced since, with the {{Pattern|Zanar|light cruiser}} produced as a stable mutation of the ''Ket'' and ''Elefen'' design.{{Ref/Book|HWF|Page=73}}


===Armament===
===Armament===
''CCS''-class battlecruisers are typically armed with several dozen energy weapons, which are used both in ship-to-ship combat and in glassing operations.<ref>'''Halo: Combat Evolved PC Strategy Guide''', ''page 73''</ref> These weapons include [[pulse laser turret]]s, very powerful speed-of-light weapons that fire high-intensity laser bolts, radiating energy in the blue wavelength of the electromagnetic spectrum,{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}} though they sometimes fire nearer the red wavelength.<ref name="Package">'''Halo Legends''', '''The Package'''</ref> The turrets are chitinous pods featuring insect-like antennae and are located at various points around the vessel.{{Ref/Reuse|StnLfts}}<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 123'', ''page 146'' (2010 edition)</ref>
[[File:CCS Legends.jpg|250px|thumb|A battlecruiser firing its pulse lasers and torpedoes.]]
While specific pattern models and custom variations can vary, battlecruisers typically follow a fairly consistent suite of armaments. Their primary weapon system usually consists of a ventral [[energy projector]], with [[plasma cannon]]s and [[pulse laser turret]]s for secondary and tertiary weapons, respectively.{{Ref/Reuse|WP14}}{{Ref/Reuse|Indulgence}} They may also be fitted with [[plasma torpedo]]s.{{Ref/Film|HLeg|Episode=The Package}} The '
 
For the ''Ket''-pattern ships in the design style of the ''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]'', these armaments consisted of the following, respectively;
*1 [[Excavation beam|''Profero''-pattern excavation beam]]{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*1 [[Plasma lance|''Ignis''-pattern plasma lance]]{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*42 [[Plasma cannon (starship)|''Sono''-pattern plasma cannons]]{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*16 [[Plasma torpedo|''Serpens''-pattern plasma torpedo silos]]{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*50 [[Pulse laser turret|''Gon''-pattern pulse lasers]]{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
 
The primary [[pinch fusion reactor]] located in the ship's core provides the power needed to operate the excavation beam and plasma lance, alongside igniting the plasma torpedoes. The inert plasma torpedo cores themselves are stocked in the "wings" of the ship, and can be fired out of the sixteen silos located on the top of the ship's ventral surface.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
 
===Defenses===
The ''Ket''-pattern battlecruiser is outfitted with an [[Dispersal field generator|''Corvex''-pattern dispersal field generator]], which provides the ship with [[energy shielding]] defences. The hull is formed of layers of shield-reinforced [[nanolaminate]] plating, capable of withstanding the force of even a nearby [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear detonation]].{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}} Fifty ''Gon''-pattern pulse laser turrets are equipped on the ship for point-defence.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
 
===Internal layout===
[[File:HWF_T&R.jpg|250px|thumb|A cross-section of a ''Ket''-pattern battlecruiser.]]
====Control center====
Buried deep within the vessel's heart is the control center, also known as the bridge and the Combat Information Center (CIC), from where the entire ship's operations are coordinated.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc11}} Typically occupied by only the highest-ranking officers, the control center is a large room with a centralized bridge platform overlooking the rest of the room. [[Holography|Holographic]] controls line the outer perimeter of the raised dais. The viewscreens are also holographic projections, visible at the forward end of the room near the ceiling. The viewscreens can either display exterior views of the ship's surroundings or can display tactical data. They can also be synchronized to the onboard security cameras and can display ship schematics.{{Ref/Reuse|WP09}}
 
====Hangar bays====
The ''CCS''-class battlecruiser contains four bisected hangar bays; two to starboard and two to port. They are each three-tiered, with a large amount of space between the floors and ceilings of each level. Each three-tier bay has two retracting metal doors. The bays feature [[energy barrier]]s over the openings to allow ships to pass through them while retaining atmosphere and pressure inside the ship. These barriers deny the movement of all forms of matter attempting to enter or leave the hangar bays. Each launch area in the bay is capable of housing [[dropship]]s and [[Banshee|Banshee attack craft]]. Retracting elevators in the decking of each bay are used to ship Covenant ground and air craft into the bays for launching or for gravity connection to a waiting dropship. These elevators lower into holding areas adjacent to cargo bays.{{Ref/Reuse|WP09}}


The battlecruiser also has weapon emplacements along its lateral lines. These weapons include [[plasma torpedo]] turrets, which fire long, powerful lances of blue-white, amber, or red plasma contained and guided by a shaped magnetic field.{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}}{{Ref/Reuse|Package}}<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 8'', ''page 22'' (2010 edition)</ref><ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 21'', ''page 33'' (2010 edition)</ref><ref>'''Halo 3''', campaign level, ''[[The Covenant]]''</ref> The ship also possesses two [[energy projector]]s, or "cleansing beams", located on the ventral surface - one fore and one amidships, concentric with the [[gravity lift]].{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}} In addition to their use in space combat, the energy projectors are used for low-altitude glassing operations. They can seemingly be charged before firing, causing a powerful initial blast,<ref name="NA">'''Halo: Reach''', campaign level, ''[[New Alexandria]]''</ref> though they are typically fired as a free-flowing beam.<ref name="tsavo">'''Halo 3''', campaign level, ''[[Tsavo Highway]]''</ref><ref name="Highway">'''Halo 3: ODST''', campaign level, ''[[Coastal Highway]]''</ref> This beam is typically bluish white,{{Ref/Reuse|tsavo}}{{Ref/Reuse|Highway}}<ref name="ReferenceA">'''Halo 3''', campaign level, ''[[Floodgate]]''</ref><ref>'''Halo Wars'''</ref><ref>'''Halo Legends''', ''Origins''</ref> though it also may be red{{Ref/Reuse|NA}} or purple.<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign levels, ''[[Cairo Station]]'' and ''[[Regret (Halo 2 level)|Regret]]''</ref>{{Ref/Note|The purple beams seen in ''Halo 2'' are emitted from assault carriers' energy projectors, though it is reasonable that a battlecruiser's energy projectors could also emit purple beams.}} These different colors likely represent varying beam intensity.
====Gravity lift====
Like most Covenant warships, the ''CCS''-class battlecruiser is equipped with a single ventrally mounted [[gravity lift]], enabling quick and easy transportation of personnel, vehicles, equipment and supplies to a planet's surface. A large, circular platform can be detached and lowered to the ground to provide a stable surface for disembarking and embarking troops, vehicles, and matériel. The platform has six interlocking hinges and is carried with the ship; when the cruiser is in position over a planet's surface, the six interlocks retract and the beam repels the platform at a controlled descent to the surface. Once on the ground the platform acts as an anchor for the ship. The ship can make use of the gravity lift without the platform, but it must remain in position.{{Ref/Reuse|WP09}} When attached to the ship, the central gravity platform doubles as the firing port for the energy projector,{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}} in a similar fashion to those of the [[Covenant assault carrier]]s and the {{Pattern|Sh'wada|supercarrier}}.


==Ships of the line==
==Ships of the line==
[[File:H3 CCSCruiser Aft.jpg|thumb|right|The aft view of a CCS.]]
<!--After a unanimous discussion on the Discord server, we will not speculate the Elefen's visual design until one is explicitly called out in the source material. Please do not add them.-->
At least two known [[design pattern]]s of the CCS-class are known to exist; the ''Ket'' and ''Elefen''-patterns.{{Ref/Book|HWF|Page=73}} The two can most prominently be distinguished by the sensor vanes present on the front of the ship; the ''Ket''-pattern may have four, while the ''Elefen'' may have two.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}{{Ref/Note|While never explicitly stated in ''Warfleet'', book co-contributor [[Stephen Loftus]] elaborated on this on his [[User talk:ScaleMaster117#Elefen-pattern battlecruiser|talk page]].}}
 
===''Ket''-pattern===
===''Ket''-pattern===
*''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]'' - Participated in the [[Fall of Reach]], and destroyed over [[Installation 04]] after it was boarded by [[UNSC Marines]] and the [[Flood]].
The only specifically-identified ''Ket''-pattern battlecruiser has a relatively unique design, consisting of a nearly-entirely smooth hull and two sensor fins.
*''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]'' - Participated in the [[Fall of Reach]], and later destroyed over [[Installation 04]].
<gallery>
File:H2A CCSOverI05.png|A ''Ket''-pattern battlecruiser on [[Installation 05]].
</gallery>


===Unknown pattern===
===Unknown pattern===
<!-- Note this pattern of CCS can have its underbelly look slightly different -->
The following vessels share a broadly similar design, indicating they may belong to a different design pattern to the ''Ket''-pattern. These include a more segmented hull and variable number (typically 3-4) sensor fins.
The following CCS share a design pattern, but the name has not been confirmed yet:
*''[[Indulgence of Conviction]]'' - Participated in the Battle for Earth, infected by the Flood, and crashed on Earth.
*''[[Indulgence of Conviction]]'' - Participated in the Battle for Earth, infected by the Flood, and crashed on Earth.
*''[[Harbinger of Piety]]'' - Participated and destroyed in the [[Battle for Earth]].
*''[[Triumphant Declaration]]'' - Participated in the [[Battle of Mare Erythraeum]] on Mars.
*''[[Triumphant Declaration]]'' - Participated in the [[Battle of Mare Erythraeum]] on Mars.
*''[[Pious Inquisitor]]'' - Participated in the [[Battle for Earth]] and [[Battle of Installation 00]], destroyed by [[Kig-Yar]] over [[Shaps III]].
*''[[Sanctity of Purification]]'' - Destroyed in the [[Battle of Fumirole]].
<gallery>
File:CSS_6.png|A ship of this design in the [[Fleet of Retribution]].
</gallery>


===Misc===
===Misc===
The following CCS have no confirmation on what pattern they are:
The following battlecruisers cannot be identified to belong to a specific design pattern.
*''[[Sanctity of Purification]]'' - Destroyed in the [[Battle of Fumirole]].
*''[[Harbinger of Piety]]'' - Participated and destroyed in the [[Battle for Earth]].
*''[[Pious Inquisitor]]'' - Participated in the [[Battle for Earth]] and [[Battle of Installation 00]], destroyed by [[Kig-Yar]] over [[Shaps III]].
*''[[Purity of Spirit]]'' - Participated in the [[Fall of Reach]].
*''[[Purity of Spirit]]'' - Participated in the [[Fall of Reach]].
*''[[Purveyor of Serenity]]'' - Unknown
*''[[Purveyor of Serenity]]'' - Unknown
Line 95: Line 125:
*''[[CCS-U321]]'' - Participated and destroyed in the [[Battle for Arcadia]] and was destroyed by the {{UNSCShip|Texas}}, {{UNSCShip|Belfast}}, {{UNSCShip|Armstrong}} and {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} after it was caught with its shields down.
*''[[CCS-U321]]'' - Participated and destroyed in the [[Battle for Arcadia]] and was destroyed by the {{UNSCShip|Texas}}, {{UNSCShip|Belfast}}, {{UNSCShip|Armstrong}} and {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} after it was caught with its shields down.
*''[[CCS-U624]]'' - Participated in the Battle for Arcadia.
*''[[CCS-U624]]'' - Participated in the Battle for Arcadia.
==Internal layout==
===Control center===
Buried deep within the vessel's heart is the control center, also known as the bridge and the Combat Information Center (CIC),{{Ref/Reuse|ENC}} from where the entire ship's operations are coordinated. Typically occupied by only the highest-ranking officers, the control center is a large room with a centralized bridge platform overlooking the rest of the room. [[Holography|Holographic]] controls line the outer perimeter of the raised dais. The viewscreens are also holographic projections, visible at the forward end of the room near the ceiling. The viewscreens can either display exterior views of the ship's surroundings or can display tactical data. They can also be synchronized to the onboard security cameras and can display ship schematics.{{Ref/Reuse|StnLfts}}{{Ref/Reuse|T&R}}{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint}}
===Brigs===
The ''CCS'' has at least two brigs for holding prisoners. Each is a rectangular room with four force field-secured cells on either side, for a total of eight per brig. Each cell can accommodate a large number of prisoners, although normally only one is placed in each cell, probably for security purposes against the possibility of an organized escape attempt. The cell barriers appear to use the same technology as the [[shield door]]s that are common to Covenant installations and vessels, though they obviously do not allow passage from one side to the other. Even plasma bolts and ballistic projectiles can not pass through the fields. The shield barriers can be lowered by a holographic control panel on a raised platform on the far side of the brig opposite the entrance. The cells are arranged at the periphery of a spacious room, with guards patrolling them. The guards usually have [[active camouflage]], using their stealth to monitor the prisoners.{{Ref/Reuse|StnLfts}}{{Ref/Reuse|T&R}}
===Cargo bays===
The ''CCS''-class battlecruiser has multiple storage bays. These bays are connected to cargo hatches and corridors that allow the transfer of matériel from other bays to either the gravity lift room or to the hangar bays. The storage bays are two-level expanses that contain weapons, food, and military equipment crates, in addition to storing both land and air vehicles.{{Ref/Reuse|StnLfts}}{{Ref/Reuse|T&R}}
===Hangar bays===
The ''CCS''-class battlecruiser contains four bisected hangar bays; two to starboard and two to port. They are each three-tiered, with a large amount of space between the floors and ceilings of each level. Each three-tier bay has two retracting metal doors. The bays feature [[energy barrier]]s over the openings to allow ships to pass through them while retaining atmosphere and pressure inside the ship. These barriers deny the movement of all forms of matter attempting to enter or leave the hangar bays. Each launch area in the bay is capable of housing dropships and [[Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft|Banshee attack craft]]. Retracting elevators in the decking of each bay are used to ship Covenant ground and air craft into the bays for launching or for gravity connection to a waiting dropship. These elevators lower into holding areas adjacent to cargo bays.{{Ref/Reuse|StnLfts}}{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint}}
===Gravity lift===
Like most Covenant warships, the ''CCS''-class battlecruiser is equipped with a single ventrally mounted [[gravity lift]], enabling quick and easy transportation of personnel, vehicles, equipment and supplies to a planet's surface. A large, circular platform can be detached and lowered to the ground to provide a stable surface for disembarking and embarking troops, vehicles, and matériel. The platform has six interlocking hinges and is carried with the ship; when the cruiser is in position over a planet's surface, the six interlocks retract and the beam repels the platform at a controlled descent to the surface. Once on the ground the platform acts as an anchor for the ship. The ship can make use of the gravity lift without the platform, but it must remain in position.{{Ref/Reuse|StnLfts}}{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint}} When attached to the ship, the central gravity platform doubles as the firing port for the energy projector,{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}} like that of the ''CAS''-class assault carrier and the {{Pattern|Sh'wada|supercarrier}}.
The gravity lift bay is similar in design to the cargo bays except that it is only one level high. The gravity lift's door mechanism is situated in the center of the room, with cargo and personnel hatches located around the rectangular bay's walls. Several gravity lift bays are on board the cruisers, not far from the cargo and shuttle bays. Each bay has four cargo hatches along opposite walls for vehicle transfer.{{Ref/Reuse|StnLfts}}{{Ref/Reuse|T&R}}
===Corridors and doors===
The class features a labyrinthine network of curved corridors, with circuitry concealed behind purple metal casings. At junctions, gaps in the ceiling and floor appear to accommodate [[Huragok]] maintenance personnel, allowing them to float between levels easily and quickly.
Like those of the {{Pattern|Ceudar|heavy corvette}}, the doors on the ''CCS''-class battlecruiser open by a three-way system. Unlocked doors are outlined in white light, while locked ones have crimson light. They are protected from electronic intrusion by a 128,000-bit modulating encryption key, but this key can be penetrated by a sufficiently advanced [[artificial intelligence]] within minutes.{{Ref/Reuse|T&R}}
===Engines and engine room===
The ''CCS''-class battlecruiser is outfitted with two large tritium plasma-powered<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 331''</ref> [[repulsor engine]]s for sublight propulsion. The ship's [[Slipstream space|slipspace]] field generators are fine-tuned enough to make much more efficient and lower-power transitions to slipspace than UNSC ships; making the vessel faster at traveling through the alternate dimension. Covenant ships are also capable of greater precision in exiting Slipspace at a given location.{{Ref/Reuse|StnLfts}}
The engine room contains fiber-optic cables that run from to the control room. These cables are very delicate and, if severed, can cause the vessel to crash.{{Ref/Reuse|McKay}}


==Operational history==
==Operational history==
Since the beginning of the Covenant, the battlecruiser has consistently been the hegemony's primary mode of intragalactic transportation.{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint}} For the centuries leading up to the [[Human-Covenant War]], the ''CCS'' was involved in every major event in the Covenant's history, including both peace and conflict.
The ''Ket''-pattern battlecruiser entered service in the [[Ages of Reclamation|Seventh Age of Reclamation]], succeeding the aging {{Pattern|Maugen|armored cruiser}}s.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}} The vessel was produced by dozens of shipyards in huge numbers, leading it to become a mainstay workhorse of the Covenant fleet alongside the {{Pattern|Elefen|battlecruiser}}.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}} In service, they served a huge range of functions for the naval forces of the Covenant, allowing it to dominate other cruiser designs such as the later {{Pattern|Zanar|light cruiser}}.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}} As such, they fulfilled a key role during the [[Human-Covenant War]], and were so ubiquitous that their silhouettes were recognisable to even the most inexperienced [[United Nations Space Command]] cadets.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
 
===Human-Covenant War===
Countless ''CCS''-class battlecruisers were used during the Human-Covenant War in operations ranging from fleet engagements to glassing. They were considered among the most dangerous of Covenant ships and often spearheaded invasions.
 
The earliest known UNSC encounter with a ''CCS''-class battlecruiser occurred in [[2526]].<ref>[[Data pads|Data pad 10]]</ref> Two ''CCS''-class vessels were present at the [[Battle for Arcadia]] in [[2531#February|February 2531]]. [[CCS-U321|One]] was destroyed by the {{UNSCShip|Texas}}, {{UNSCShip|Belfast}}, {{UNSCShip|Armstrong}} and {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} when caught with its shields down, but [[CCS-U624|the other]] destroyed the ''Texas'' and ''Belfast'', severely damaged the ''Armstrong'' and ''Pillar of Autumn'' and continued on to [[Arcadia]].<ref>'''Halo Wars''', campaign level, ''[[Arcadia City]]''</ref> Several battlecruisers were later encountered by [[Admiral]] [[Preston Jeremiah Cole|Preston Cole's]] [[Battle Group India]] at the [[Battle of Psi Serpentis]] in [[2543#April|April 2543]]; these ships, as well as the rest of the Covenant fleet, were destroyed when Cole's flagship, [[UNSC Everest|''Everest'']], caused the nearby gas giant [[Viperidae]] to go nova.{{Ref/Note|According to ''The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole'', the ''CCS''-class battlecruiser was first encountered at the Battle of Psi Serpentis in 2543. This contradicts ''Halo Wars: Genesis'', which shows Cole's fleet engaging such vessels in [[2526]]; ''Halo Wars'', in which two ''CCS''-class ships are encountered at Arcadia in 2531; data pad 10, which states that the [[The Assembly|Assembly]]'s findings about glassing were derived from observing the ''CCS'' class in 2526; and ''Halo: The Essential Visual Guide'' and the ''Halo Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Halo Universe'', which state that the vessel was encountered throughout the war.}}


One of the largest known deployments of ''CCS''-class battlecruisers was during the [[Fall of Reach]] in [[2552|summer 2552]], in which dozens of such vessels were used in the invasion of [[Reach|the planet]]. During the [[Siege of New Alexandria]], at least two battlecruisers glassed the city of [[New Alexandria (location)|New Alexandria]] from low altitude with their [[energy projector]]s.<ref>'''[[Halo: Reach]]''', campaign level ''[[New Alexandria]]''</ref> During the [[Battle of Asźod]], one attempted to prevent the {{Class|Halcyon|light cruiser}} {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} from escaping the [[Asźod ship breaking yards]]. [[SPARTAN-B312]] was able to use an [[Mark 2488 Onager|Onager]] [[mass driver]] to shoot down the battlecruiser by targeting its energy projector when the ship dropped its shields to destroy the ''Pillar of Autumn''.<ref>'''[[Halo: Reach]]''', campaign level ''[[The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Reach level)|The Pillar of Autumn]]''</ref>
CCS-class vessels contributed to many of the war's most significant battles including the [[Battle of Harvest]]{{Ref/Comic|HWG}}, [[Battle of Alpha Corvi II|Alpha Corvi II]]{{Ref/Comic|HCD|Issue=1}}, [[Battle for Arcadia]]{{Ref/Level|HW|Arcadia City}}, the battles of [[Battle of Psi Serpentis|Psi Serpentis]]{{Ref/Anthology|Evo|Story=The Impossible Life and Possible Death of Preston J. Cole}}, [[Battle of Kholo|Kholo]]{{Ref/Anthology|Id=Return|Evo|The Return}} and [[Algolis Invasion|Algolis]].{{Ref/Anthology|Evo|Midnight in the Heart of the Midlothian}} In the war's [[2552|final year]], CCS-class ships participated in the battles of [[Battle of Fumirole|Fumirole]]{{Ref/Generic|Deliver Hope}}, [[Battle of Beta Eridani|Beta Eridani]]{{Ref/Level|Id=fb1|Halo: Fleet Battles|Scenario One: Flight!}}{{Ref/Level|Id=fb2|Halo: Fleet Battles|Scenario Two: Contact}} and the culminative [[Fall of Reach]]. CCS-class battlecruisers formed the core of Covenant fleets [[Space engagements over Reach|battling]] over [[Reach]], with several part of the [[Fleet of Particular Justice]] pursuing {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} to [[Installation 04]].{{Ref/Level|HFR|Escape (Halo: Fireteam Raven level)|Escape}}  
[[File:H3ODST-Highway.jpg|thumb|right|A ''CCS''-class battlecruiser and Type-52 Phantoms in Mombasa.|250px]]
As Reach was being glassed, several ''CCS''-class battlecruisers from the [[Fleet of Particular Justice]] pursued the ''Pillar of Autumn'' to [[Halo Array|Halo]] [[Installation 04]]; after arriving at Halo on [[2552#September|September 19]], ''Pillar of Autumn'' disabled several battlecruisers, most notably ''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]''. UNSC forces [[Battle for the Truth and Reconciliation|raided]] the ship three times, first to rescue [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[Jacob Keyes]],{{Ref/Reuse|T&R}} then to recover the captain's [[command neural interface]], and finally to recover the ship and use it to escape to [[Earth]]. However, [[First Lieutenant]] [[Melissa McKay]] understood that doing so would allow [[the Flood]] to infest Earth; she thus severed the fiber-optic link between the engines and the [[bridge]], causing the ship to crash and killing everyone aboard.<ref name="McKay">'''Halo: The Flood''', ''page 332''</ref>


On [[2552#October|October 20, 2552]], thirteen battlecruisers of the [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration]] participated in the [[Prophet of Regret|High Prophet of Regret's]] [[Battle for Earth|botched invasion]] of Earth; only few of these vessels, such as ''[[Pious Inquisitor]]'', survived and later coalesced over New Mombasa during the [[Battle of Mombasa|battle]] on the city.<ref name="lootcrate2">''[[Halo Legendary Crate]]'', [[Halo Legendary Crate/Data Drops|Data Drop #2]]</ref> An even much larger number of battlecruisers would be deployed to Earth during the Covenant's continuation of the invasion, likely comparable to the cruiser deployments during the Fall of Reach.{{Ref/Comic|Id=HUI4|Comic=Halo: Uprising|Issue=[[Halo: Uprising Issue 4|4]]}} Several, along with at least three {{Class|CAS|assault carrier}}s, part of a [[Truth's fleet|support fleet]] sent by the [[Prophet of Truth]] were used to excavate the [[Portal at Voi]].<ref>'''Halo 3: ODST'''</ref> During the [[Battle of Cleveland]], [[Ruwan Ackerson]] was brought aboard the battlecruiser ''[[Harbinger of Piety]]'' to be interrogated about his knowledge about the [[Key of Osanalan]]. Injected with [[Tykos 30]], Ruwan acted as a targeting vector for ''[[Nassau Station]]''{{'}}s Super MAC to destroy the vessel.<ref>'''[[Halo: Uprising]]'''</ref> Later, a battlecruiser took part in the [[Attack on Crow's Nest|attack]] on the [[Crow's Nest (location)|Crow's Nest]] base, hovering nearby and sending in Phantoms carrying reinforcements while [[AV-14 Hornet|Hornets]] and [[Type-26 Banshee|Banshees]] battled nearby. The cruiser's dropships eventually retreated after the Master Chief retook the Crow's Nest hanger.<ref>'''[[Halo 3]]''', campaign level ''[[Crow's Nest]]''</ref>
During the [[Battle over Installation 04]], a particular ''Ket''-pattern battlecruiser ''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]'' was damaged in combat with ''Pillar of Autumn'' and set down on the ringworld's surface to become the ground headquarters for Covenant forces in the ensuing [[Battle of Installation 04|groud campaign]].{{Ref/Level|HCE|Halo (Halo: Combat Evolved level)|Halo}}{{Ref/Reuse|T&R}} The ship would serve as the headquarters for [[Zuka 'Zamamee]] and later, the [[Prophet of Stewardship]], during the campaign before ultimately being beset upon by [[Flood]] forces and finally captured and destroyed by a force of [[Orbital Drop Shock Troopers]].


After the [[Great Schism]] erupted on [[2552#November|November 3]], ''CCS''-class battlecruisers played crucial roles on both sides. A [[Indulgence of Conviction|Flood-infected battlecruiser]] broke through the [[Sangheili]]'s blockade of [[Installation 05]] and arrived at [[Voi]], [[Kenya]] on November 17; the Flood forms released by this vessel were glassed by the Sangheili [[Fleet of Retribution]], which arrived moments later.{{Ref/Reuse|ReferenceA}} At the [[Battle of Installation 00]] on [[2552#December|December 11]], both sides made use of several ''CCS''-class battlecruisers; though the Brute-led Covenant forces outnumbered the [[Covenant separatists|Sangheili-led Covenant]] three-to-one, the Fleet of Retribution triumphed, turning the tide of the last battle of the Human-Covenant War.
In the final months of the war, ''Ket''-pattern battlecruisers saw significant usage in the Covenant invasion of the [[Sol system]]. Thirteen battlecruisers served as escorts for the carrier ''[[Solemn Penance]]'' in the [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration]] during the High [[Prophet of Regret]]'s inadvertent [[Battle for Earth|attack on]] the human homeworld [[Earth]].{{Ref/Level|H2|Cairo Station}}, with the [[Prophet of Truth]]'s reinforcement fleet sent in the following days also largely consisting of battlecruisers.{{Ref/Level|H3ODST|Coastal Highway}} Battlecruisers took a final role for the empire in the [[Great Schism|civil war]] that saw the empire's collapse, with both [[Sangheili]] and [[Jiralhanae]] crews commandeering the vessels for use against one another.{{Ref/Level|H3|The Ark (level)|The Ark}}


===Post-war===
===Post-war===
As the [[Sangheili-Jiralhanae war|Sangheili and Jiralhanae feuds]] continued throughout at least the [[2559|following seven years]], the Sangheili and the [[Jiralhanae]]-led remnants of the Covenant continued to make use of ''CCS''-class battlecruisers.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', '''The Return''', ''page 506''</ref> Several ships of the class were present during the [[Battle of Ealen IV]], serving within the [[Swords of Sanghelios|Sangheili]] and [[Lydus' clan|Jiralhanae]] fleets tasked with protecting the delegates alongside the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}}. The [[Vata 'Gajat's mercenary group|mercenary group]] under the command of [[Vata 'Gajat]] also possessed a number of these ships during the [[Attack on Ealen IV]].<ref>'''Halo: Escalation''', '''Issue 1'''</ref> Many other ''CCS''-battlecruisers fell into the hands of Kig-Yar scavengers and independent Sangheili factions.<ref>'''[[Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 195''</ref>
As the [[Sangheili-Jiralhanae war|Sangheili and Jiralhanae feuds]] continued throughout at least the [[2559|following seven years]], the Sangheili and the [[Jiralhanae]]-led remnants of the Covenant continued to make use of ''CCS''-class battlecruisers.{{Ref/Reuse|Return}} Several ships of the class were present during the [[Battle of Ealen IV]], serving within the [[Swords of Sanghelios|Sangheili]] and [[Lydus' clan|Jiralhanae]] fleets tasked with protecting the delegates alongside the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}}. The [[Vata 'Gajat's mercenary group|mercenary group]] under the command of [[Vata 'Gajat]] also possessed a number of these ships during the [[Attack on Ealen IV]].{{Ref/Comic|HE|Issue=1}} Many other ''CCS''-battlecruisers fell into the hands of Kig-Yar scavengers and independent Sangheili factions.{{Ref/Book|H4EVG|Page=195}}


==''Halo: Fleet Battles''==
==''Halo: Fleet Battles''==

Revision as of 15:52, September 6, 2022

Ket-pattern battlecruiser
Cropped version of the Dark Horse Truth and Reconciliation.
Production information

Manufacturer:

Assembly Forges[1]

Class:

Cruiser[2][3]

Role:

  • Ship-to-ship combat
  • Fleet command
  • Air and ground warfare[4]
  • Planetary occupation[4]
  • Infantry and matériel deployment
  • Glassing operations
Technical specifications

Length:

1,782 meters (5,850 ft)[2][4][5][6]

Width:

862 meters (2,830 ft)[5][6][4]

Mass:

90.7 million metric tons[2][3]

Power plant:

2 pinch fusion reactors[3]

Engine(s):

2 Gablien-pattern repulsor engines[3]

Slipspace drive:

Ophon-pattern borer[3]

Hull:

Nanolaminate hull plating

Shielding:

Corvex-pattern dispersal field generators[3]

Armament:

Complement:

Crew:

Chronological and affiliation

Era:

Introduced:

Seventh Age of Reclamation[2]

Affiliation:

 

"Mother of God... I'd never thought I'd get close to one of these things. How the hell are we supposed to get inside that monster?"
— UNSC Marine during the first raid on Truth and Reconciliation.[7]

The Ket-pattern battlecruiser[3] (UNSC three-letter classification: CCS-class battlecruiser)[8][9] is a Covenant capital warship. It is one of several cruiser types used by the Covenant, each of which is similar in design but differs in size and function.[5][6][4] The Ket-pattern served as one of the empire's most prominent warship classes alongside the Elefen-pattern battlecruiser, succeeded the aging Maugen-pattern armored cruisers, and has since become a workhorse of the empire's various successor states.

Overview

Battlecruisers have consistently served in the Covenant's starfleet in some capacity throughout the empire's long existence[8], replacing the older Maugen-pattern armored cruisers between the Fifth and Seventh Age of Reclamation. Since then, battlecruisers have proliferated to be produced in vast quantities - moreso than any other Covenant starship[9] - across dozens of shipyards in a litany of design patterns and other modifications - with the Ket and Elefen dominating the battlecruiser classifications as a whole.[2]

Battlecruisers primarily serve in attack and occupation roles[9], though their workhorse nature sees them frequently serving in a wider variety of functions outside of this.[2] Their offensive and defensive capabilities, combined with a large troop and equipment payload, make them ideal for deployment of ground forces during ground campaigns, or serving as middle-weight combatants (relative to other Covenant ships) in space warfare.[6] This is contrasted with more aggressive executioners such as the Sinaris-pattern heavy destroyer and large carriers such as the Kerel-pattern assault carrier.[8][4]

The overall characteristics of the Ket; numerous and highly-capable in multiple roles as to form the core of the Covenant fleet, indicate it is likely classed as an advocate within Covenant naval schema.

Design details

Battlecruisers are shaped to allow for mobility in atmospheric flight and agility when fighting in space.[6] Their hulls are shaped with sweeping contours and almost-perfect symmetry, visually reminiscent of marine life found on Sangheili colonies.[8][9][2] Battlecruisers, as with other Covenant cruisers, feature internal modular bays that can be configured as engineering, medical, armory, barracks and religious facilities.[9]

Battlecruisers are best recognised for their distinctive fins, located on the underside of the ship's nose. These fins serve as sensor arrays, the number of which can differ between designs - though the configuration of the fits themselves is not an indicator of design pattern variation.[10] The battlecruiser's ubiquitous nature has seen them influence many other cruiser designs produced since, with the Zanar-pattern light cruiser produced as a stable mutation of the Ket and Elefen design.[11]

Armament

A CCS-class Battlecruiser from The Package.
A battlecruiser firing its pulse lasers and torpedoes.

While specific pattern models and custom variations can vary, battlecruisers typically follow a fairly consistent suite of armaments. Their primary weapon system usually consists of a ventral energy projector, with plasma cannons and pulse laser turrets for secondary and tertiary weapons, respectively.[9][1] They may also be fitted with plasma torpedos.[12] The '

For the Ket-pattern ships in the design style of the Truth and Reconciliation, these armaments consisted of the following, respectively;

The primary pinch fusion reactor located in the ship's core provides the power needed to operate the excavation beam and plasma lance, alongside igniting the plasma torpedoes. The inert plasma torpedo cores themselves are stocked in the "wings" of the ship, and can be fired out of the sixteen silos located on the top of the ship's ventral surface.[3]

Defenses

The Ket-pattern battlecruiser is outfitted with an Corvex-pattern dispersal field generator, which provides the ship with energy shielding defences. The hull is formed of layers of shield-reinforced nanolaminate plating, capable of withstanding the force of even a nearby nuclear detonation.[3] Fifty Gon-pattern pulse laser turrets are equipped on the ship for point-defence.[2][3]

Internal layout

A cross-section of a Ket-pattern battlecruiser.

Control center

Buried deep within the vessel's heart is the control center, also known as the bridge and the Combat Information Center (CIC), from where the entire ship's operations are coordinated.[6] Typically occupied by only the highest-ranking officers, the control center is a large room with a centralized bridge platform overlooking the rest of the room. Holographic controls line the outer perimeter of the raised dais. The viewscreens are also holographic projections, visible at the forward end of the room near the ceiling. The viewscreens can either display exterior views of the ship's surroundings or can display tactical data. They can also be synchronized to the onboard security cameras and can display ship schematics.[8]

Hangar bays

The CCS-class battlecruiser contains four bisected hangar bays; two to starboard and two to port. They are each three-tiered, with a large amount of space between the floors and ceilings of each level. Each three-tier bay has two retracting metal doors. The bays feature energy barriers over the openings to allow ships to pass through them while retaining atmosphere and pressure inside the ship. These barriers deny the movement of all forms of matter attempting to enter or leave the hangar bays. Each launch area in the bay is capable of housing dropships and Banshee attack craft. Retracting elevators in the decking of each bay are used to ship Covenant ground and air craft into the bays for launching or for gravity connection to a waiting dropship. These elevators lower into holding areas adjacent to cargo bays.[8]

Gravity lift

Like most Covenant warships, the CCS-class battlecruiser is equipped with a single ventrally mounted gravity lift, enabling quick and easy transportation of personnel, vehicles, equipment and supplies to a planet's surface. A large, circular platform can be detached and lowered to the ground to provide a stable surface for disembarking and embarking troops, vehicles, and matériel. The platform has six interlocking hinges and is carried with the ship; when the cruiser is in position over a planet's surface, the six interlocks retract and the beam repels the platform at a controlled descent to the surface. Once on the ground the platform acts as an anchor for the ship. The ship can make use of the gravity lift without the platform, but it must remain in position.[8] When attached to the ship, the central gravity platform doubles as the firing port for the energy projector,[4] in a similar fashion to those of the Covenant assault carriers and the Sh'wada-pattern supercarrier.

Ships of the line

Ket-pattern

The only specifically-identified Ket-pattern battlecruiser has a relatively unique design, consisting of a nearly-entirely smooth hull and two sensor fins.

Unknown pattern

The following vessels share a broadly similar design, indicating they may belong to a different design pattern to the Ket-pattern. These include a more segmented hull and variable number (typically 3-4) sensor fins.

Misc

The following battlecruisers cannot be identified to belong to a specific design pattern.

Operational history

The Ket-pattern battlecruiser entered service in the Seventh Age of Reclamation, succeeding the aging Maugen-pattern armored cruisers.[2] The vessel was produced by dozens of shipyards in huge numbers, leading it to become a mainstay workhorse of the Covenant fleet alongside the Elefen-pattern battlecruiser.[2][3] In service, they served a huge range of functions for the naval forces of the Covenant, allowing it to dominate other cruiser designs such as the later Zanar-pattern light cruiser.[2][3] As such, they fulfilled a key role during the Human-Covenant War, and were so ubiquitous that their silhouettes were recognisable to even the most inexperienced United Nations Space Command cadets.[3]

CCS-class vessels contributed to many of the war's most significant battles including the Battle of Harvest[13], Alpha Corvi II[14], Battle for Arcadia[15], the battles of Psi Serpentis[16], Kholo[17] and Algolis.[18] In the war's final year, CCS-class ships participated in the battles of Fumirole[19], Beta Eridani[20][21] and the culminative Fall of Reach. CCS-class battlecruisers formed the core of Covenant fleets battling over Reach, with several part of the Fleet of Particular Justice pursuing UNSC Pillar of Autumn to Installation 04.[22]

During the Battle over Installation 04, a particular Ket-pattern battlecruiser Truth and Reconciliation was damaged in combat with Pillar of Autumn and set down on the ringworld's surface to become the ground headquarters for Covenant forces in the ensuing groud campaign.[23][7] The ship would serve as the headquarters for Zuka 'Zamamee and later, the Prophet of Stewardship, during the campaign before ultimately being beset upon by Flood forces and finally captured and destroyed by a force of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers.

In the final months of the war, Ket-pattern battlecruisers saw significant usage in the Covenant invasion of the Sol system. Thirteen battlecruisers served as escorts for the carrier Solemn Penance in the Fleet of Sacred Consecration during the High Prophet of Regret's inadvertent attack on the human homeworld Earth.[24], with the Prophet of Truth's reinforcement fleet sent in the following days also largely consisting of battlecruisers.[25] Battlecruisers took a final role for the empire in the civil war that saw the empire's collapse, with both Sangheili and Jiralhanae crews commandeering the vessels for use against one another.[26]

Post-war

As the Sangheili and Jiralhanae feuds continued throughout at least the following seven years, the Sangheili and the Jiralhanae-led remnants of the Covenant continued to make use of CCS-class battlecruisers.[17] Several ships of the class were present during the Battle of Ealen IV, serving within the Sangheili and Jiralhanae fleets tasked with protecting the delegates alongside the UNSC Infinity. The mercenary group under the command of Vata 'Gajat also possessed a number of these ships during the Attack on Ealen IV.[27] Many other CCS-battlecruisers fell into the hands of Kig-Yar scavengers and independent Sangheili factions.[28]

Halo: Fleet Battles

Covenant CCS Battlecruiser

This element includes a single CCS-class battlecruiser.

  • Cost: 150 points
  • Movement: 8"
  • Damage Track: 8 • 7 • 3
  • Build rating: 3
  • Hangers: 2
  • Boarding Craft: 2
  • Security detail: 4
  • System loadouts:
    • Carrier action (1)
    • Defense array (4)
    • Glide (4")
    • Point defense (3)
  • Primary weapon: Plasma lance
    • Range: 18/32"
    • Weapon loadouts: Plasma
    • Firing arc: Forward/Port/Starboard
    • Dice: 12
  • Secondary Weapon: Plasma cannon arrays
    • Range: 10/20"
    • Weapon loadouts: Plasma
    • Firing arc: Forward/Port/Starboard
    • Dice: 9

Covenant Supported CCS Battlecruiser

This element includes a CCS-class battlecruiser and one SDV-class heavy corvette.

  • Cost: 170 points
  • Movement: 7"
  • Damage Track: 8 • 7 • 4
  • Build rating: 4
  • Hangers: 3
  • Boarding Craft: 2
  • Security detail: 5
  • System loadouts:
    • Carrier action (1)
    • Defense array (5)
    • Glide (4")
    • Point defense (4)
  • Primary weapon: Plasma lance
    • Range: 18/32"
    • Weapon loadouts: Plasma
    • Firing arc: Forward/Port/Starboard
    • Dice: 12
  • Secondary Weapon: Plasma cannon arrays
    • Range: 10/20"
    • Weapon loadouts: Plasma
    • Firing arc: Forward/Port/Starboard
    • Dice: 10
  • Additional secondary weapon: Plasma torpedos
    • Range: 10/24"
    • Weapon loadouts: Missiles/Plasma
    • Firing arc: Forward
    • Dice: 5

Covenant Reinforced CCS Battlecruiser

This element includes a CCS-class battlecruiser and two SDV-class heavy corvettes.

  • Cost: 200 points
  • Movement: 7"
  • Damage: 8 • 7 • 5
  • Build Rating: 5
  • Hangars: 5
  • Boarding Craft: 4
  • Security Detail: 6
  • System loadouts:
    • Carrier action (1)
    • Defense array (6)
    • Glide (4")
    • Point defense (6)
  • Primary weapon: Plasma lance
    • Range: 18/32"
    • Weapon loadouts: Plasma
    • Firing arc: Forward/Port/Starboard
    • Dice: 12
  • Secondary Weapon: Plasma cannon arrays
    • Range: 10/20"
    • Weapon loadouts: Plasma
    • Firing arc: Forward/Port/Starboard
    • Dice: 12
  • Additional secondary weapon: plasma torpedos
    • Range: 10/24"
    • Weapon loadouts: Missiles/Plasma
    • Firing arc: Forward
    • Dice: 6

Covenant Escorted CCS Battlecruiser

This element includes a CCS-class battlecruiser and one ADP-class escort.

  • Cost: 170 points
  • Movement: 8"
  • Damage: 8 • 7 • 4
  • Build Rating: 4
  • Hangars: 2
  • Boarding Craft: 2
  • Security Detail: 5
  • System loadouts:
    • Carrier action (1)
    • Defense array (5)
    • Glide (4")
    • Point defense (5)
  • Primary weapon: Plasma lance
    • Range: 18/32"
    • Weapon loadouts: Plasma
    • Firing arc: Forward/Port/Starboard
    • Dice: 12
  • Secondary Weapon: Plasma cannon arrays
    • Range: 10/20"
    • Weapon loadouts: Plasma
    • Firing arc: Forward/Port/Starboard
    • Dice: 9
  • Additional secondary weapon: plasma torpedos
    • Range: 10/24"
    • Weapon loadouts: Missiles/Plasma
    • Firing arc: Forward
    • Dice: 5

Covenant Defended CCS Battlecruiser

This element includes a CCS-class battlecruiser and two ADP-class escorts.

  • Cost: 190 points
  • Movement: 8"
  • Damage: 8 • 7 • 5
  • Build Rating: 4
  • Hangars: 2
  • Boarding Craft: 2
  • Security Detail: 5
  • System loadouts:
    • Cloaking system
    • Carrier action (1)
    • Defense array (5)
    • Glide (4")
    • Point defense (5)
  • Primary weapon: Plasma lance
    • Range: 18/32"
    • Weapon loadouts: Plasma
    • Firing arc: Forward/Port/Starboard
    • Dice: 12
  • Secondary Weapon: Plasma cannon arrays
    • Range: 10/20"
    • Weapon loadouts: Plasma
    • Firing arc: Forward/Port/Starboard
    • Dice: 9
  • Additional secondary weapon: plasma torpedos
    • Range: 10/24"
    • Weapon loadouts: Missiles/Plasma
    • Firing arc: Forward
    • Dice: 7

Covenant Paired CCS Battlecruisers

This element includes two CCS-class battlecruisers.

  • Cost: 260 points
  • Movement: 7"
  • Damage: 11 • 11 • 4
  • Build Rating: 8
  • Hangars: 4
  • Boarding Craft: 4
  • Security Detail: 8
  • System loadouts:
    • Carrier action (2)
    • Defense array (7)
    • Glide (4")
    • Point defense (6)
  • Primary weapon: Plasma lance
    • Range: 18/32"
    • Weapon loadouts: Plasma
    • Firing arc: Forward/Port/Starboard
    • Dice: 18
  • Secondary Weapon: Plasma cannon arrays
    • Range: 10/20"
    • Weapon loadouts: Plasma
    • Firing arc: Forward/Port/Starboard
    • Dice: 15

Non-canon and dubious canon appearances

Silver Timeline

Main article: Silver Timeline

CCS-class battlecruisers are used by the Covenant against humanity.[29]

Trivia

Main-Superintendent.png Browse more images in this article's gallery page.
  • Battlecruisers were a ship class used by European, American and Japanese navies during the First and Second World Wars, developed as an evolution of the armored cruiser, being faster and better-armed than their predecessors, often featuring armaments equivalent to a larger battleship but with lighter armor. By the 1930s, only the Royal navy was using the term "battlecruiser" for its older ships, as other navies replaced battlecruisers with battleships.
  • In the level New Alexandria in Halo: Reach, if the player performs the flyable Pelican and Phantom Easter egg and flies inside one of the CCS-class battlecruisers outside of the map, they will find a small cube in the center of either ship. It is a cube map, which contains the texture for the vessel.
  • If the Mythic skull is turned on while playing Halo: Reach, the CCS-class battlecruiser at the end of the level The Pillar of Autumn requires two shots from the Onager to be destroyed.

Production notes

  • During the development of Halo 2, Solemn Penance was originally going to be a CCS-class battlecruiser, as seen in the E3 2003 demo.
  • The battlecruisers featured in Halo 3 and most later media have four fins instead of two, like those of the Truth and Reconciliation. These battlecruisers also feature the Marathon logo on their launch bays.

Gallery

  • Concept art of the cruiser's front for Halo: Combat Evolved.

    Concept art of the cruiser's front for Halo: Combat Evolved.

  • Concept art of the cruiser's bottom.

    Concept art of the cruiser's bottom.

  • Finalized concept art by Eddie Smith.

    Finalized concept art by Eddie Smith.

  • The CCS in Halo: Combat Evolved.

    The CCS in Halo: Combat Evolved.

  • The gravity lift disc on the underbelly of a CCS-class battlecruiser in Halo: Combat Evolved.

    The gravity lift disc on the underbelly of a CCS-class battlecruiser in Halo: Combat Evolved.

  • The Truth and Reconciliation projecting its gravity lift.

    The Truth and Reconciliation projecting its gravity lift.

  • One of Truth and Reconciliation's hangar bays.

    One of Truth and Reconciliation's hangar bays.

  • Another look of a hanger bay in the Truth and Reconciliation.

    Another look of a hanger bay in the Truth and Reconciliation.

  • An external view of the Truth and Reconciliation's hangar bays.

    An external view of the Truth and Reconciliation's hangar bays.

  • An internal corridor within the Truth and Reconciliation, with a proximity-operated sliding door at the end.

    An internal corridor within the Truth and Reconciliation, with a proximity-operated sliding door at the end.

  • An overlay of the interior of the ship.

    An overlay of the interior of the ship.

  • An underbelly view of a CCS-class battlecruiser from Halo 2. Note the design similarities to the Truth and Reconciliation.

    An underbelly view of a CCS-class battlecruiser from Halo 2. Note the design similarities to the Truth and Reconciliation.

  • Dorsal, starboard, and ventral views of the CCS-class battlecruiser from Halo 3.

    Dorsal, starboard, and ventral views of the CCS-class battlecruiser from Halo 3.

  • A profile view of the CCS-class battlecruiser from Halo 3.

    A profile view of the CCS-class battlecruiser from Halo 3.

  • A side view of the CCS-class battlecruiser from Halo 3.

    A side view of the CCS-class battlecruiser from Halo 3.

  • Concept art of a battlecruiser for The Package.

    Concept art of a battlecruiser for The Package.

  • A CCS-class battlecruiser firing its plasma torpedo and pulse laser turrets in The Package.

    A CCS-class battlecruiser firing its plasma torpedo and pulse laser turrets in The Package.

  • A CCS-class battlecruiser entering slipspace in Origins.

    A CCS-class battlecruiser entering slipspace in Origins.

  • Covenant forces boarding Phantoms in a hangar bay on a CCS-class battlecruiser from Deliver Hope.

    Covenant forces boarding Phantoms in a hangar bay on a CCS-class battlecruiser from Deliver Hope.

  • A CCS-class battlecruiser hovering over a ruined city during the Battle of Fumirole.

    A CCS-class battlecruiser hovering over a ruined city during the Battle of Fumirole.

  • Sanctity of Purification's shield collapsing by the explosion of an MFDD.

    Sanctity of Purification's shield collapsing by the explosion of an MFDD.

  • Early concept art of CCS-class battlecruisers glassing New Alexandria in Halo: Reach.

    Early concept art of CCS-class battlecruisers glassing New Alexandria in Halo: Reach.

  • Finalized concept art of CCS-class battlecruisers glassing Asźod in Halo: Reach.

    Finalized concept art of CCS-class battlecruisers glassing Asźod in Halo: Reach.

  • A sideview of the CCS-class battlecruiser from Halo: Reach.

    A sideview of the CCS-class battlecruiser from Halo: Reach.

  • CCS in Halo: Reach.

    CCS in Halo: Reach.

  • Turnaround reference of the CCS-class battlecruiser.

    Turnaround reference of the CCS-class battlecruiser.

  • Layout reference of the CCS-class battlecruiser.[Note 1]

    Layout reference of the CCS-class battlecruiser.[Note 1]

  • CCS-class battlecruiser statistics compiled by Stephen Loftus.

    CCS-class battlecruiser statistics compiled by Stephen Loftus.

  • Concept art of the battlecruiser Truth and Reconciliation's gravity lift in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

    Concept art of the battlecruiser Truth and Reconciliation's gravity lift in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

  • Concept art of John-117 fighting alongside Marines in the Reconciliation's hangar bay.

    Concept art of John-117 fighting alongside Marines in the Reconciliation's hangar bay.

  • The gravity lift disc on the underbelly of the Truth and Reconciliation in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

    The gravity lift disc on the underbelly of the Truth and Reconciliation in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

  • External view of the Truth and Reconciliation's hangar bays.

    External view of the Truth and Reconciliation's hangar bays.

  • A holographic rendering of a CCS-class battlecruiser in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary's terminals.

    A holographic rendering of a CCS-class battlecruiser in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary's terminals.

  • CCS-class battlecruisers around Installation 04 in Halo 2: Anniversary.

    CCS-class battlecruisers around Installation 04 in Halo 2: Anniversary.

  • CCS-class battlecruisers engaging the UNSC Home Fleet during the Battle of Earth.

    CCS-class battlecruisers engaging the UNSC Home Fleet during the Battle of Earth.

  • A CCS-class battlecruiser in Installation 05's atmosphere.

    A CCS-class battlecruiser in Installation 05's atmosphere.

  • CCS-class battlecruisers in Halo: Fleet Battles.

    CCS-class battlecruisers in Halo: Fleet Battles.

  • Battlecruisers over the Ark in concept art for Halo Wars 2.

    Battlecruisers over the Ark in concept art for Halo Wars 2.

  • A CCS-class battlecruiser in Halo: The Television Series.

    A CCS-class battlecruiser in Halo: The Television Series.

List of appearances

Notes

  1. ^ The layout reference image is compiled based on both all the canonical information as viewed in Halo: Combat Evolved, the novels, the latest reference guides, and the Halo Legends episode The Package. If new information contradicts this information, the image will be updated accordingly.

Sources

  1. ^ a b Halo Waypoint, Indulgence of Conviction (Retrieved on Oct 20, 2020) [archive]
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 264
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak Halo: Warfleet, page 62-63
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 41
  5. ^ a b c Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition), page 265
  6. ^ a b c d e f Halo Encyclopedia (2011 edition), page 277
  7. ^ a b Halo: Combat Evolved, campaign level The Truth and Reconciliation
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Halo Waypoint, Battlecruiser (Retrieved on Apr 28, 2012) [local archive] [external archive]
  9. ^ a b c d e f Halo Waypoint, Covenant Cruiser (Retrieved on Oct 28, 2020) [archive]
  10. ^ Halo Waypoint, Canon Fodder - Calm in the Storm: "No, although the sensor vane layout is often a way of helping to differentiate between different patterns. For example, if you look closely most of the battlecruisers you see in Halo 3 are actually different from than the Ket-pattern Truth and Reconciliation described in Halo: Warfleet (pp. 62-63), despite their similar fin arrangement." - Kenneth Peters (Retrieved on Aug 4, 2021) [local archive] [external archive]
  11. ^ Halo: Warfleet, page 73
  12. ^ Halo Legends, episode The Package
  13. ^ Halo Wars: Genesis
  14. ^ Halo: Collateral Damage, issue 1
  15. ^ Halo Wars, campaign level Arcadia City
  16. ^ Halo: Evolutions - The Impossible Life and Possible Death of Preston J. Cole
  17. ^ a b Halo: Evolutions - The Return
  18. ^ Halo: Evolutions - Midnight in the Heart of the Midlothian
  19. ^ Deliver Hope
  20. ^ Halo: Fleet Battles, campaign level Scenario One: Flight!
  21. ^ Halo: Fleet Battles, campaign level Scenario Two: Contact
  22. ^ Halo: Fireteam Raven, campaign level Escape
  23. ^ Halo: Combat Evolved, campaign level Halo
  24. ^ Halo 2, campaign level Cairo Station
  25. ^ Halo 3: ODST, campaign level Coastal Highway
  26. ^ Halo 3, campaign level The Ark
  27. ^ Halo: Escalation, issue 1
  28. ^ Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide, page 195
  29. ^ YouTube - Paramount+, Halo The Series (2022) Official Trailer (Retrieved on Mar 14, 2022)

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Ship classifications of the Covenant and its remnants
Light warships
Jiralhanae ships
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