Marathon-class heavy cruiser

File:Marathon Cruiser Outline.JPG

Silhouette of a Marathon Cruiser.

A Marathon-class Cruiser is a classification of UNSC Navy warships.

Description

These warships replaced the aging Halcyon-class Cruisers. These behemoths, ranking in at 1,500 meters (approx. 3,910 ft.), are over two times the length of a UNSC Frigate. They are also known for their heavy armour; they can survive multiple plasma impacts, being able to sustain far greater damage than any UNSC Frigate or UNSC Destroyer. Due to their size, durability and firepower (1 heavy MAC as well as dozens of oversized Archer missile pods) these massive vessels are commanded by UNSC Admirals and primarily serve as command/capital ships. The Marathon-Class cruiser is the most powerful warship ever built by the hands of Humanity.

Appearances

Due to their diminishing numbers and the onslaught of the genocidal Covenant, further numbers of these great cruisers have been reassigned to the defence of the Inner Colonies. Marathons were present at the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV and the Battle of Reach. Twelve saw action at the First Battle of Earth under Fleet Admiral Harper and another was part of Battle Group Stalingrad during the Battle of Onyx. It's likely that some were also engaged at the Second Battle of Earth, though, maybe only one survived.

Ships of the Line

• UNSC Leviathan
• UNSC Hannibal
• The Cruiser in the Battle Group Stalingrad
• Presumably there is a ship named Marathon that the class was named for. However, that ship's fate is currently unknown.

Images

File:UNSC Marathon-Class Cruisers.jpg

UNSC Marathon-Class Cruisers.

Trivia

• In Halo: The Fall of Reach, the Marathon classification is erroneously labelled as a Carrier.
• The name Marathon comes from the Battle of Marathon, fought in 490 BC where heavily outnumbered Athenians defeated an army of Persians who were trying to conquer Greece, this battle was also simulated by Wellsley while he was unoccupied in Halo: The Flood, this battle also gave its name to Bungie's Marathon series.
• They bear a resemblance to the older, Halcyon-class cruisers.
• In Halo: The Fall of Reach, it mentions that the Leviathan was one of twenty UNSC Cruisers left in the Fleet, which were being slowly pulled back to protect the Inner Colonies.
• The name of this classification of ships is yet another reference to Bungie's previous series, Marathon.
• It is thought by some that the the Marathon has 3 MAC's. However, this is highly unlikely, as the Marathon isn't large enough to mount 3 MAC's and there aren't any visible "bumps" on the ship that would indicate more than one MAC. It is far more likely that the Marathon has only one MAC, but a more powerful one than a Frigate. It may be possible that the Marathon can fire several shots from its MAC gun, similar to Pillar of Autumn. However this is not yet confirmed.
• The Marathon can be seen in Halo 2 during the first cutscene.