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UNSC Forward Unto Dawn: Difference between revisions

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{{era|HCW|Post}}
{{era|HCW|Post}}
{{New Content}}
{{New Content}}
{{References}}
<center>'''''Forward Unto Dawn''' redirects here. For the web series, see [[Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn]].''</center>
<center>'''''Forward Unto Dawn''' redirects here. For the web series, see [[Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn]].''</center>
{{Individual ship infobox
{{Individual ship infobox
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|image          = [[File:H3-UNSCForwardUntoDawnFrigate.png|350px]]
|image          = [[File:H3-UNSCForwardUntoDawnFrigate.png|350px]]
|class          = {{Class|Charon|light frigate}}
|class          = {{Class|Charon|light frigate}}
|length          = {{Convert|478|m|ftin}}
|length          = {{Convert|478|m|ftin}}<ref name="changes" group="note"/>
|width          = {{Convert|155.2|m|ftin}}
|width          = {{Convert|155.2|m|ftin}}
|height          = {{Convert|139.2|m|ftin}}
|height          = {{Convert|139.2|m|ftin}}
|engine          = [[Fusion drive]] - 2 primary/2 secondary
|engine          = [[Fusion drive]] - two primary, two secondary<ref name="changes" group="note"/>
|slipspace drive = [[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine]]
|slipspace drive = [[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine]]
|hull            = 60 centimeters [[Titanium-A armor|titanium-A battleplate]]
|hull            = 60 centimeters [[Titanium-A armor|titanium-A battleplate]]
|armament        =
|armament        =
*[[MAC|MAC Gun]] (1)
*[[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]] (1)
*[[Archer missile]] pods (50)
*[[M58 Archer missile]] pods (50)
**30 missiles/pod
**30 missiles/pod
*2x [[50mm point defense gun]]s (4)
*2x [[50mm point defense gun]]s (4)<ref name="changes" group="note">Despite maintaining a generally similar profile, ''Halo 4''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s incarnation of ''Forward Unto Dawn'' is quite different from its appearance in ''Halo 3''. The ship is far larger, with more of the forward half remaining and the aft half alone appearing to be as large as the entire ship in ''Halo 3''. The number of engines has been reduced; rather than having two primaries on the main hull and two secondaries on the "wings", there are two larger primary engines on the main hull and no secondaries. The port and starboard hangar bays have been reduced from three smaller bays on either side to one larger bay on either side; they lack doors and are moved much farther back, remaining with the aft section. The enlarged cargo bay, a defining feature of the ''Charon'' class, is conspicuously absent or is at least greatly reduced in size. The point defense guns have been redesigned and moved to different areas on the hull. The ship's cryo tubes have also been remodeled. From a production standpoint, the ship was enlarged to create a more dynamic and exciting playspace; the original model would have been very small and cramped, limiting the [[Dawn (level)|first level's]] gameplay potential. The more superficial changes, as to the cryo tubes and the point defense guns, were made to reflect ''Halo 4'''s grittier, more realistic art style.</ref>
*Nuclear missiles (3)
|capacity        = 782 maximum crew and complement<ref>'''Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn''', ''Part 1''</ref>
|capacity        =
*[[M808 Main Battle Tank]]s (4+)
*[[M808B Scorpion Main Battle Tank|Scorpion tanks]] (4+)
*[[M12 Force Application Vehicle]]s (~12+)
*[[M831 Troop Transport Warthog]] (1+)
*[[AV-14 Hornet]]s
*[[Gauss Warthog]]s (3+)
*[[D77-TC Pelican]]s (7+)  
*[[Warthog]]s (9+)
*[[Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle]]s (12+)
*[[Mongoose]]s (3+)
*[[Hornet]]s (25+)
*[[Pelican]]s (7+)  
*[[HEV]] (12+)
*[[Cryo chamber]]s
*Escape pods (12)         
*Escape pods (12)         
|consumables    = Food, ammunition, fuel
|consumables    = Food, ammunition, fuel
|role            = Support for heavier ships, transport, command vessel
|role            = Support for heavier ships, transport, command vessel <small>(in absence of larger vessels)</small>
|first sighting  = [[2552|November 2552]]
|first sighting  =  
|destroyed      = 2552, entire vessel was split in half, one piece returning to [[Earth]], another drifting to [[Requiem]] along with [[John-117]] and [[Cortana]].
|destroyed      = 2552 - split in half, forward half crashed in Indian Ocean; [[2557]] - aft half crashed on [[Requiem]]
|battles        =
|battles        =
*[[Battle of Earth]]
*[[Battle of Earth]]
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*[[Battle of Installation 00]]
*[[Battle of Installation 00]]
*[[Raid on Installation 04B]]
*[[Raid on Installation 04B]]
|affiliation    = [[UNSC]] [[UNSC Navy|Navy]]
|affiliation    = [[UNSC Navy]]
|fleet          = [[Seventh Fleet]] <ref name="guide">'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 74''</ref>
|fleet          = [[Seventh Fleet]]<ref name="guide">'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 74''</ref>
|named crew      =
|named crew      =
*[[Fleet Admiral]] [[Sir Terrence Hood]]
*[[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Miranda Keyes]]
|captains        =  
|captains        =  
*[[Commander (UNSC)|Commander]] [[Miranda Keyes]]
*[[Commander (UNSC)|Commander]] [[Miranda Keyes]]
*[[Fleet Admiral]] [[Terrence Hood]]
*[[Fleet Admiral]] [[Terrence Hood]]
*[[Sergeant Major]] [[Avery J. Johnson]] (technicality)
}}
}}


The '''UNSC ''Forward Unto Dawn''''' ([[Hull classification symbol|FFG-201]]) was a [[United Nations Space Command]] {{Class|Charon|light frigate}}.<ref name="guide"/> The ship was affectionately known by her crew as "The ''Dawn''".<ref>'''[[Halo 3: Official Strategy Guide]]''', ''page 109''</ref><ref>'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[The Ark]]''</ref>
'''UNSC ''Forward Unto Dawn''''' ([[Hull classification symbol|FFG-201]]) was a {{Class|Charon|light frigate}} in the [[UNSC Navy]].<ref name="guide"/> Affectionately known by her crew as "The ''Dawn''",<ref>'''[[Halo 3: Official Strategy Guide]]''', ''page 109''</ref><ref>'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[The Ark]]''</ref> the ship's name is taken from a poem about humanity's interstellar expansion.<ref>'''Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn''', ''Part 1''</ref>


==History==
==History==
===Battle of Earth===
===Battle of Voi===
{{Main|Battle of Earth}}
{{Main|Battle of Voi}}
The ''Forward Unto Dawn'' was part of the UNSC's [[Seventh Fleet]], which served in the front lines of the [[Human-Covenant War]], most notably at the battle of Earth. The ''Dawn'' was recalled to reinforce the [[UNSC Home Fleet]].<ref name="guide"/>
In November [[2552]], ''Forward Unto Dawn'' was part of the UNSC's [[Seventh Fleet]]. The ''Dawn'' was recalled to reinforce the [[UNSC Home Fleet]] during the [[Battle of Earth]].<ref name="guide"/> The UNSC suffered heavy casualties during the Covenant's assault. By the time [[SPARTAN-II Program|Spartan]] [[John-117]] arrived from [[Installation 05]] aboard the [[Prophet of Truth]]'s [[Forerunner Dreadnought]], ''Forward Unto Dawn'' was one of the few ships remaining under [[Fleet Admiral]] [[Terrence Hood]]'s command. Due to the lack of larger, more powerful vessels, Hood used the ''Dawn'' as his flagship during the Battle of Voi. He agreed to commit ''Forward Unto Dawn'' and two other frigates, (including [[UNSC Aegis Fate|''Aegis Fate'']]), against the grounded Dreadnought, which had begun interfacing with the [[Forerunner]] [[The Portal|structure]] the [[Covenant]] had unearthed between the cities of [[Mombasa]] and [[Voi]]. After the Spartan destroyed the Covenant's local anti-air defenses, the frigates and several [[GA-TL1 Longsword]]s assaulted the Dreadnought.


The UNSC suffered heavy casualties during the Covenant's assault. By the time [[John-117]] arrived from [[Installation 05]] aboard the [[Prophet of Truth]]'s [[Forerunner Dreadnought]], ''Forward Unto Dawn'' was one of the few ships remaining to [[Fleet Admiral]] [[Terrence Hood]]. Hood agreed to commit ''Forward Unto Dawn'' and three other frigates against the grounded Dreadnought on [[the Portal]] once the SPARTAN destroyed the enemy's local air defenses.
Despite firing nearly a dozen MAC slugs at Truth's ship, the Dreadnought remained unharmed. Immediately afterward, a slipspace portal was activated and [[Truth's fleet]] passed through it. Unbeknownst to the UNSC, who assumed that the excavated complex was itself the Ark, the real Ark, [[Installation 00]], lay beyond the portal.<ref>'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[The Storm (level)|The Storm]]''</ref>


The frigate squadron and accompanying [[GA-TL1 Longsword|Longsword]] fighters attacked the primary target at the conclusion of the [[Battle of Voi]]. Multiple [[MAC]] rounds and close-in fire from the fighters failed to make any impression on the ancient ship. The Portal to [[Installation 00|the Ark]] was activated and the remnants of the Covenant fleet departed.<ref>'''[[Halo 3]]''', campaign level ''[[The Storm (level)|The Storm]]''</ref>
[[The Flood]] arrived in Voi shortly after the opening of the slipspace portal; the parasite was pursued by a [[Covenant separatists|Covenant separatist]] [[Fleet of Retribution]], led by the [[assault carrier]] ''[[Shadow of Intent]]''. The Flood threat forced the UNSC into an alliance with the [[Sangheili]]-led separatists, commanded by [[Shipmaster]] [[Rtas 'Vadum]]. Both the humans and the Sangheili hoped to find a solution to the Flood beyond the portal. At least two UNSC vessels, ''Forward Unto Dawn'' and ''Aegis Fate'', were deployed alongside the Fleet of Retribution; elements of the [[11th Marine Force Reconnaissance/ODST]] were tasked with gathering intelligence on whatever lay beyond the portal. Hood gave [[Miranda Keyes|Commander Miranda Keyes]] command of ''Forward Unto Dawn'' while he remained behind to coordinate Earth's remaining defenses; the ship was docked inside ''Shadow of Intent'''s massive hangar bay and the task force set off through the portal.<ref>'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[Floodgate]]''</ref>


===Battle of Installation 00===
===Operation: BLIND FAITH===
{{Main|Battle of Installation 00}}
{{Main|Battle of Installation 00}}
{{Quote|I'm giving the [[Brutes]] all I've got...but this is a heavy-weight fight! The Dawn's only got the tonnage to last a few rounds.|[[Miranda Keyes]] on The Ark.}}
{{Quote|I'm giving the [[Jiralhanae|Brutes]] all I've got, but this is a heavy-weight fight! The Dawn's only got the tonnage to last a few rounds.|Commander Miranda Keyes during the battle over the Ark.}}
[[The Flood]] arrived shortly after the opening of the slipspace portal; the parasite was pursued by a [[Covenant separatists|Covenant separatist]] fleet led by the [[assault carrier]] ''[[Shadow of Intent]]''. The Flood threat forced the UNSC into an alliance with the Separatists. They hoped to find a solution to the Flood beyond the portal at the Ark.
Once at the Ark, the opposing Covenant fleets engaged one another. The UNSC frigates were ill-equipped to fight against such large opponents, but were able to engage the enemy cruisers for a short time. ''Forward Unto Dawn'' deployed troops to the surface, with John-117's team disabling an [[Type-27 Anti-Aircraft Cannon|Mantis AA gun]]. Once a landing zone was cleared, ''Forward Unto Dawn'' set down near the [[Cartographer]] and directly offloaded several [[M808 Main Battle Tank]]s and [[M12 Force Application Vehicle]]s.


The UNSC task force accompanying the Sangheili separatists included the frigates ''Forward Unto Dawn'' and {{UNSCShip|Aegis Fate}}. [[Commander]] [[Miranda Keyes]] commanded the UNSC component from ''Forward Unto Dawn''.
As the human-Sangheili alliance pushed toward the installation's control center, [[Sergeant Major]] [[Avery Johnson]] was captured so that Truth could force him to activate the [[Halo Array]]. Around this time, the Flood arrived at the Ark via the now-infested [[High Charity]] and began attacking both sides. Commander Keyes attempted a daring rescue, though she was killed personally by the Prophet of Truth. Shortly thereafter, John-117, [[Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadam]], and [[monitor]] [[343 Guilty Spark]] discovered that the Ark was manufacturing a [[Installation 04B|replacement]] for [[Installation 04]];<ref>'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[The Covenant]]''</ref> it was then determined that igniting the ring could destroy both the Flood and the Covenant with a single, decisive blow. With the rest of ''Forward Unto Dawn'''s crew and complement dead or aboard the remaining separatist vessels, Johnson brought the ship a few kilometers from the incomplete ring's [[Control Room]] and closed the distance in a Warthog.<ref name="Halo">'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[Halo (Halo 3 level)|Halo]]''</ref>
 
Once at the Ark, the opposing Covenant fleets engaged one another. The UNSC frigates were ill-equipped to fight against such large opponents, but were able to engage the enemy cruisers for a short time. ''Forward Unto Dawn'' deployed troops in five [[D77H-TCI Pelican]] dropships, including [[John-117]], to secure a landing zone on the surface. ''Forward Unto Dawn'' landed near the [[Cartographer]] and directly offloaded additional heavy equipment. As the operation to activate the [[Installation 04B|replacement]] for [[Installation 04]] was underway, [[Sergeant Major]] [[Avery Junior Johnson]] brought ''Forward Unto Dawn'' close to the incomplete ring's [[Control Room]], before disembarking in a [[Warthog]].


===Escape from Installation 00===
===Escape from Installation 00===
{{Quote|Well...some of us made it.|Cortana, after escaping the [[Installation 04B|second Installation 04]].}}  
{{Quote|Well, some of us made it.|Cortana, after escaping Installation 04B.}}  
The ship was deserted when [[John-117]] and [[Thel 'Vadam]] boarded to escape the ring's impending activation. Thel 'Vadam headed for the bridge while the Spartan uploaded [[Cortana]] in the hanger to activate the engines.<ref name="level">'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[Halo (Halo 3 Level)|Halo]]''</ref> The ship entered the slipspace portal, but it collapsed as the ring's energy pulse hit. ''Forward Unto Dawn'' was cut in half as a result.
Ultimately, Johnson was betrayed and killed by Guilty Spark, who was in turn destroyed by the Spartan. With the ring was activated, John and the Arbiter raced to the now-deserted vessel. After crashing Johnson's Warthog into the ship's oversized cargo bay, 'Vadam headed for the bridge while the Spartan uploaded [[Cortana]] into the ship's mainframe to activate the engines.<ref name="Halo"/> The ship entered the slipspace portal, which collapsed as the ring's energy pulse hit. ''Forward Unto Dawn'' was cut in half as a result.


The forward section containing Thel 'Vadam and an unknown number of human survivors returned to [[Earth]] and crashed into the Indian Ocean; they were rescued from the wreck by a UNSC recovery team.<ref name="level"/> The ruin of ''Dawn'' that landed on Earth was later auctioned off sometime after the end of the Human-Covenant war.<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike|Halo: First Strike (2010)]]''', ''bonus content''</ref>
The forward section, containing the Arbiter, returned to [[Earth]] and crashed into the Indian Ocean. They were rescued from the wreckage by a UNSC recovery team.<ref name="Halo"/> The debris from the ship that landed on Earth was auctioned off sometime after the end of the [[Human-Covenant War]].<ref>'''Halo: First Strike (2010)''', ''Adjunct''</ref>


===Adrift in space===
===Adrift in space===
The aft section with John-117 and Cortana emerged in unknown space. The Spartan and AI were left in a drifting hulk without [[artificial gravity]] or working propulsion. The AI dropped a [[emergency locator beacon|distress beacon]], and John-117 entered a [[cryo chamber]] to wait for recovery.<ref name="level"/> During the four-year period that followed, Cortana remained active and alert while the Spartan slept in cryo. She took the opportunity to overhaul and upgrade John's MJOLNIR Mk. VI, making modifications to its layout using [[nanotechnology|nanomachines]] while also re-writing its firmware. In [[2556]], Cortana compiled a history of the [[Forerunner]]s and [[human]]ity while aboard ''Forward Unto Dawn''.<ref>'''[[Halo Legends]]''' - ''[[Origins]]''</ref>
The aft section emerged in unknown space, John and Cortana having survived the Halo's pulse. The Spartan and AI were left in a drifting hulk without [[artificial gravity]] or working propulsion. The AI dropped a [[emergency locator beacon|distress beacon]] John entered a [[cryo chamber]] to wait for recovery.<ref name="Halo"/> During the years that followed, Cortana remained active and alert while the Spartan slept in cryo. In [[2556]], Cortana compiled a history of the [[Forerunner]]s and humanity and shared it with the still-unconscious Spartan.<ref>'''Halo Legends''' - ''Origins''</ref> She later took the opportunity to overhaul and upgrade John's [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark VI|Mark VI MJOLNIR armor]], making modifications to its layout using [[nanotechnology|nanomachines]] while also rewriting its firmware. She also restored artificial gravity at some point during this period.<ref name="Dawn">'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''[[Dawn (level)|Dawn]]''</ref>


===Arrival at Requiem===
===Arrival at Requiem===
On July 20th, [[2557]],<ref name="Game Informer May 2012">'''Game Informer''': ''May 2012''</ref> four years and seven months after the armistice that ended the [[Human-Covenant War]], Cortana, having been silent for years, noticed that the ship's intruder alarms had been activated and attempted to wake John-117 from [[Cryonics|cryo-sleep]].  After being awoken, John fought off the intruders, which turned out to be [[Sangheili]] and [[Unggoy]]. The Chief and Cortana soon realized that a [[Storm|Covenant fleet]] had surrounded the ''Forward Unto Dawn'' while multiple boarding craft docked with the heavily damaged frigate. Shortly after, John and Cortana crashed on the Forerunner Dyson sphere known as [[Requiem]].<ref name="Game Informer May 2012"/><ref>'''Halo 3''', final cut scene</ref>
Around [[2557|July 20th, 2557]],<ref name="Game Informer May 2012">'''Game Informer''': ''May 2012''</ref> four years and seven months after the armistice that ended the Human-Covenant War, Cortana noticed that the ship's intruder alarms had been activated and attempted to wake John-117 from [[Cryonics|cryo-sleep]].  After being awoken, John fought off the intruders, who turned out to be [[Sangheili]] and [[Unggoy]]. The Chief and Cortana soon realized that a [[Storm|Covenant fleet]] had surrounded the ''Forward Unto Dawn''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s remains while multiple boarding craft docked with the heavily damaged frigate. Shortly after, John and Cortana crashed on the Forerunner [[shield world]] as [[Requiem]].<ref>'''Halo 3''', Legendary ending</ref><ref name="Game Informer May 2012"/>


==Trivia==
==Behind the scenes==
*On the lower part of the bow there is a black "7" inside a yellow star with a yellow chevron under it, which shows the ship's assignment to the [[Seventh Fleet]]. This is one of [[Bungie]]'s myriad [[List of "seven" references in the Halo series|references to the number seven]].
*On the lower part of the bow there is a black "7" inside a yellow star with a yellow chevron under it, which shows the ship's assignment to the Seventh Fleet. This is one of [[Bungie]]'s myriad [[List of "seven" references in the Halo series|references to the number seven]].
*All three frigates in the level ''The Storm'', (one of them being ''Aegis Fate''), use the same textures as ''Forward Unto Dawn''.
*All three frigates in the level ''The Storm'', (one of them being ''Aegis Fate''), use the same textures as ''Forward Unto Dawn''.
*Like the main vessels of ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' and ''[[Halo 2]]'', ([[UNSC Pillar of Autumn|''Pillar of Autumn'']] and ''[[UNSC In Amber Clad|In Amber Clad]]'', respectively), ''Forward Unto Dawn'' serves as the main vessel in ''Halo 3''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s campaign and is likewise destroyed near the end of the game.
*Like the main vessels of ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' and ''[[Halo 2]]'', ([[UNSC Pillar of Autumn|''Pillar of Autumn'']] and ''[[UNSC In Amber Clad|In Amber Clad]]'', respectively), ''Forward Unto Dawn'' serves as the main vessel in ''Halo 3''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s campaign and is likewise destroyed near the end of the game.
*In the level ''[[The Ark (level)|The Ark]]'', player characters may be killed by the debris pushed outward by the frigate's approach.
*In the level ''The Ark'', player characters may be killed by the debris pushed outward by the frigate's approach.  
*In ''Halo 4'', ''Forward Unto Dawn'' looks considerably different from its appearance in ''Halo 3'' and ''Origins''. The bridge deck is shorter and wider, the "wings" are more rectangular and closer to the hull,<ref name="Avatar"/> and the ''Charon'' class' distinctively enlarged cargo bay is conspicuously absent.<ref>[[:File:FUD-Poster.jpg|'''Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn''' poster]]</ref> More of the forward half, (perhaps as much as fifty meters), remains than in ''Halo 3''; the port and starboard hangar bays have been reduced to one on either side, lack doors, and are moved much farther back, remaining with the aft section.<ref name="Avatar"> ''Forward Unto Dawn'' Xbox LIVE avatar prop</ref> The ship's cryo tubes have also been redesigned.<ref>[[:File:DawnInterior.jpg|Screenshot of the ''Dawn'''s cryo bay in ''Halo 4'']]</ref> In the game's cover art, the vessel sports the post-war version of the [[:File:UNSC insignia (post-war).png|UNSC emblem]], despite being lost in space before the new emblem was adopted; however, the final-game model correctly features the original emblem.


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
<gallery>
<gallery>
File:H3-UNSCFUDSide.png|An in-game side view of the UNSC ''Forward Unto Dawn'' in ''Halo 3''.
File:H3-UNSCFUDSide.png|A side view of the UNSC ''Forward Unto Dawn''.
File:H3-ForwardUntoDawnSide.png|Another angled in-game side view of the UNSC ''Forward Unto Dawn'' in ''Halo 3''.
File:H3-ForwardUntoDawnSide.png|A three-quarter side view of the UNSC ''Forward Unto Dawn''.
File:Forward into dawn.jpg|The ''Dawn'' arrives over Installation 00.
File:Forward into dawn.jpg|The ''Dawn'' arrives over Installation 00.
File:Forward Unto Dawn.jpg|The ''Dawn'', perched on Installation 00.
File:Forward Unto Dawn.jpg|The ''Dawn'' hovers just above Installation 00's surface.
File:DawnBase.jpg|The ''Dawn'' deploys ground forces onto Installation 00.
File:DawnBase.jpg|The ''Dawn'' deploys ground forces onto Installation 00.
File:FUD-04-00.JPG|The ''Forward Unto Dawn'' hovering over the new Installation 04B with the Ark in the skyline.
File:FUD-04-00.JPG|The ''Forward Unto Dawn'' hovering over the new Installation 04B with the Ark in the skyline.
File:1578651582 4533b47134 b.jpg|The ''Dawn'' escapes.
File:1578651582 4533b47134 b.jpg|The ''Dawn'' escapes.
File:Fud_cutaway.jpg|Rear section of the ''Dawn'' after being split in two as seen at the end of ''[[Halo 3]]''.
File:H4fudback.jpg|The aft half of the ''Forward Unto Dawn''.
File:Mac.jpg|The ''Dawn'' (flanked by two frigates) fires its MAC cannon on the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] in the [[Battle of Voi]].
File:H4FUD Forward Unto Dawn.jpg|The remains of the ''Forward Unto Dawn''.
File:Fud_cutaway.jpg|The aft section of the ''Dawn'' adrift in space as seen in ''Halo 3''.
File:Mac.jpg|The ''Dawn'' fires its MAC on the Forerunner Dreadnought at the Battle of Voi.
File:Forward Unto Dawn Name.jpg|The ''Forward Unto Dawn'''s name plate.
File:Forward Unto Dawn Name.jpg|The ''Forward Unto Dawn'''s name plate.
File:Fud bridge.JPG|The ''Dawn's'' bridge.
File:Fud bridge.JPG|The ''Dawn's'' bridge.
Line 106: Line 96:
File:Planet 1.jpg|The aft half of the ''Forward Unto Dawn'' as seen in the [[Halo 4 announcement trailer|''Halo 4'' announcement trailer]].
File:Planet 1.jpg|The aft half of the ''Forward Unto Dawn'' as seen in the [[Halo 4 announcement trailer|''Halo 4'' announcement trailer]].
File:DawnInterior.jpg|The cryo bay of the ''Dawn''.
File:DawnInterior.jpg|The cryo bay of the ''Dawn''.
File:H4fudback.jpg|The aft half of the ''Forward Unto Dawn'' as it appears in ''Halo 4''.
File:H4FUD Cryo-bay.jpg|''Forward Unto Dawn'''s cryo bay.
File:H4FUD Forward Unto Dawn.jpg|The remains of the ''Forward Unto Dawn'' as seen in ''[[Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn]]''.
File:H4FUD Cryo-bay.jpg|Dawn's cryo bay as seen in ''Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn''.
</gallery>
</gallery>


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*''[[Halo Legends]]''
*''[[Halo Legends]]''
**''[[Origins]]''
**''[[Origins]]''
*''[[Halo: First Strike]]'' (2010) {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn]]''
*''[[Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn]]''
*''[[Halo 4]]''
*''[[Halo 4]]''
==Note==
<references group="note"/>


==Sources==
==Sources==

Revision as of 00:56, October 6, 2012

Template:New Content

Forward Unto Dawn redirects here. For the web series, see Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn.
UNSC Forward Unto Dawn
H3-UNSCForwardUntoDawnFrigate.png
Production information

Class:

Charon-class light frigate

Role:

Support for heavier ships, transport, command vessel (in absence of larger vessels)

Specifications

Length:

478 metres (1568 ft 3 in)[note 1]

Width:

155.2 metres (509 ft 2 in)

Height:

139.2 metres (456 ft 8 in)

Engine:

Fusion drive - two primary, two secondary[note 1]

Slipspace drive:

Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine

Hull:

60 centimeters titanium-A battleplate

Armament:

Service information

Destroyed:

2552 - split in half, forward half crashed in Indian Ocean; 2557 - aft half crashed on Requiem

Participated battles:

Fleet:

Seventh Fleet[1]

Known commanders:

Affiliation:

UNSC Navy

 

UNSC Forward Unto Dawn (FFG-201) was a Charon-class light frigate in the UNSC Navy.[1] Affectionately known by her crew as "The Dawn",[2][3] the ship's name is taken from a poem about humanity's interstellar expansion.[4]

History

Battle of Voi

Main article: Battle of Voi

In November 2552, Forward Unto Dawn was part of the UNSC's Seventh Fleet. The Dawn was recalled to reinforce the UNSC Home Fleet during the Battle of Earth.[1] The UNSC suffered heavy casualties during the Covenant's assault. By the time Spartan John-117 arrived from Installation 05 aboard the Prophet of Truth's Forerunner Dreadnought, Forward Unto Dawn was one of the few ships remaining under Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood's command. Due to the lack of larger, more powerful vessels, Hood used the Dawn as his flagship during the Battle of Voi. He agreed to commit Forward Unto Dawn and two other frigates, (including Aegis Fate), against the grounded Dreadnought, which had begun interfacing with the Forerunner structure the Covenant had unearthed between the cities of Mombasa and Voi. After the Spartan destroyed the Covenant's local anti-air defenses, the frigates and several GA-TL1 Longswords assaulted the Dreadnought.

Despite firing nearly a dozen MAC slugs at Truth's ship, the Dreadnought remained unharmed. Immediately afterward, a slipspace portal was activated and Truth's fleet passed through it. Unbeknownst to the UNSC, who assumed that the excavated complex was itself the Ark, the real Ark, Installation 00, lay beyond the portal.[5]

The Flood arrived in Voi shortly after the opening of the slipspace portal; the parasite was pursued by a Covenant separatist Fleet of Retribution, led by the assault carrier Shadow of Intent. The Flood threat forced the UNSC into an alliance with the Sangheili-led separatists, commanded by Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum. Both the humans and the Sangheili hoped to find a solution to the Flood beyond the portal. At least two UNSC vessels, Forward Unto Dawn and Aegis Fate, were deployed alongside the Fleet of Retribution; elements of the 11th Marine Force Reconnaissance/ODST were tasked with gathering intelligence on whatever lay beyond the portal. Hood gave Commander Miranda Keyes command of Forward Unto Dawn while he remained behind to coordinate Earth's remaining defenses; the ship was docked inside Shadow of Intent's massive hangar bay and the task force set off through the portal.[6]

Operation: BLIND FAITH

Main article: Battle of Installation 00

"I'm giving the Brutes all I've got, but this is a heavy-weight fight! The Dawn's only got the tonnage to last a few rounds."
— Commander Miranda Keyes during the battle over the Ark.

Once at the Ark, the opposing Covenant fleets engaged one another. The UNSC frigates were ill-equipped to fight against such large opponents, but were able to engage the enemy cruisers for a short time. Forward Unto Dawn deployed troops to the surface, with John-117's team disabling an Mantis AA gun. Once a landing zone was cleared, Forward Unto Dawn set down near the Cartographer and directly offloaded several M808 Main Battle Tanks and M12 Force Application Vehicles.

As the human-Sangheili alliance pushed toward the installation's control center, Sergeant Major Avery Johnson was captured so that Truth could force him to activate the Halo Array. Around this time, the Flood arrived at the Ark via the now-infested High Charity and began attacking both sides. Commander Keyes attempted a daring rescue, though she was killed personally by the Prophet of Truth. Shortly thereafter, John-117, Arbiter Thel 'Vadam, and monitor 343 Guilty Spark discovered that the Ark was manufacturing a replacement for Installation 04;[7] it was then determined that igniting the ring could destroy both the Flood and the Covenant with a single, decisive blow. With the rest of Forward Unto Dawn's crew and complement dead or aboard the remaining separatist vessels, Johnson brought the ship a few kilometers from the incomplete ring's Control Room and closed the distance in a Warthog.[8]

Escape from Installation 00

"Well, some of us made it."
— Cortana, after escaping Installation 04B.

Ultimately, Johnson was betrayed and killed by Guilty Spark, who was in turn destroyed by the Spartan. With the ring was activated, John and the Arbiter raced to the now-deserted vessel. After crashing Johnson's Warthog into the ship's oversized cargo bay, 'Vadam headed for the bridge while the Spartan uploaded Cortana into the ship's mainframe to activate the engines.[8] The ship entered the slipspace portal, which collapsed as the ring's energy pulse hit. Forward Unto Dawn was cut in half as a result.

The forward section, containing the Arbiter, returned to Earth and crashed into the Indian Ocean. They were rescued from the wreckage by a UNSC recovery team.[8] The debris from the ship that landed on Earth was auctioned off sometime after the end of the Human-Covenant War.[9]

Adrift in space

The aft section emerged in unknown space, John and Cortana having survived the Halo's pulse. The Spartan and AI were left in a drifting hulk without artificial gravity or working propulsion. The AI dropped a distress beacon John entered a cryo chamber to wait for recovery.[8] During the years that followed, Cortana remained active and alert while the Spartan slept in cryo. In 2556, Cortana compiled a history of the Forerunners and humanity and shared it with the still-unconscious Spartan.[10] She later took the opportunity to overhaul and upgrade John's Mark VI MJOLNIR armor, making modifications to its layout using nanomachines while also rewriting its firmware. She also restored artificial gravity at some point during this period.[11]

Arrival at Requiem

Around July 20th, 2557,[12] four years and seven months after the armistice that ended the Human-Covenant War, Cortana noticed that the ship's intruder alarms had been activated and attempted to wake John-117 from cryo-sleep. After being awoken, John fought off the intruders, who turned out to be Sangheili and Unggoy. The Chief and Cortana soon realized that a Covenant fleet had surrounded the Forward Unto Dawn's remains while multiple boarding craft docked with the heavily damaged frigate. Shortly after, John and Cortana crashed on the Forerunner shield world as Requiem.[13][12]

Behind the scenes

  • On the lower part of the bow there is a black "7" inside a yellow star with a yellow chevron under it, which shows the ship's assignment to the Seventh Fleet. This is one of Bungie's myriad references to the number seven.
  • All three frigates in the level The Storm, (one of them being Aegis Fate), use the same textures as Forward Unto Dawn.
  • Like the main vessels of Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, (Pillar of Autumn and In Amber Clad, respectively), Forward Unto Dawn serves as the main vessel in Halo 3's campaign and is likewise destroyed near the end of the game.
  • In the level The Ark, player characters may be killed by the debris pushed outward by the frigate's approach.

Gallery

List of appearances

Note

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Despite maintaining a generally similar profile, Halo 4's incarnation of Forward Unto Dawn is quite different from its appearance in Halo 3. The ship is far larger, with more of the forward half remaining and the aft half alone appearing to be as large as the entire ship in Halo 3. The number of engines has been reduced; rather than having two primaries on the main hull and two secondaries on the "wings", there are two larger primary engines on the main hull and no secondaries. The port and starboard hangar bays have been reduced from three smaller bays on either side to one larger bay on either side; they lack doors and are moved much farther back, remaining with the aft section. The enlarged cargo bay, a defining feature of the Charon class, is conspicuously absent or is at least greatly reduced in size. The point defense guns have been redesigned and moved to different areas on the hull. The ship's cryo tubes have also been remodeled. From a production standpoint, the ship was enlarged to create a more dynamic and exciting playspace; the original model would have been very small and cramped, limiting the first level's gameplay potential. The more superficial changes, as to the cryo tubes and the point defense guns, were made to reflect Halo 4's grittier, more realistic art style.

Sources

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 74
  2. ^ Halo 3: Official Strategy Guide, page 109
  3. ^ Halo 3, campaign level The Ark
  4. ^ Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, Part 1
  5. ^ Halo 3, campaign level The Storm
  6. ^ Halo 3, campaign level Floodgate
  7. ^ Halo 3, campaign level The Covenant
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Halo 3, campaign level Halo
  9. ^ Halo: First Strike (2010), Adjunct
  10. ^ Halo Legends - Origins
  11. ^ Halo 4, campaign level Dawn
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b Game Informer: May 2012
  13. ^ Halo 3, Legendary ending

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