Flagship

There is more information available on this subject at Flagship on the English Wikipedia.

The UNSC Infinity, experimental flagship of the UNSC Navy.

A flagship is a warship used by the commanding officer of a fleet or battle group. It can be any warship and is not restricted to any particular classification; however, it is typically one of the largest ship types within the fleet, such as a cruiser or a carrier, even an orbital platform. The purpose of a flagship is often for command and control.

Flagships in the UNSC tends to be cruisers or carriers, although, in smaller fleets, a frigate or destroyer may be the flagship. In the post-war period the UNSC's overall flagship is considered to be the UNSC Infinity, an Infinity-class supercarrier and humanity's largest and most powerful ship.

In the Covenant fleet, flagships tend to be CCS-class battlecruisers or CAS-class assault carriers in the typical fleet. However, in battle groups, the flagship may be a cruiser or, rarely, a destroyer. In particularly large and important fleets, the flagship may even be a CSO-class supercarrier. In a couple of smaller flotillas the flagships were Intrusion-class corvettes. In one case, the flotilla, made up entirely of corvettes, belonged to the Silent Shadow and was used for their operations. In the second instance, the flotilla, again made up of corvettes aside from a single Covenant frigate, was a rogue faction.

In the Covenant remnants, the flagships, at least in the smaller groups, tend to be cruisers or in the case of the Kig-Yar pirate queen and Vata 'Gajat's mercenary group, SDV-class heavy corvettes. Only the larger groups such as the Banished, Jul 'Mdama's Covenant and Sali 'Nyon's Covenant have assault carriers as their flagships.

Known flagships

Covenant

Seeker of Truth leading its fleet at Installation 04.

• Ascendant Justice: DDS-class carrier
• Anodyne Spirit: Forerunner keyship (used by the Prophet of Truth as his flagship during the Battle for Earth)
• Unyielding Hierophant: Command-and-control battle station
• Doctrine's Command: Unknown class
• Incorruptible: ORS-class heavy cruiser
• Long Night of Solace: CSO-class supercarrier
• Seeker of Truth: CAS-class assault carrier
• Solemn Penance: CAS-class assault carrier
• Sublime Transcendence: CSO-class supercarrier
• Truth and Reconciliation: CCS-class battlecruiser
• Pious Rampage: CAS-class assault carrier
• Sacred Whisper: Intrusion-class corvette
• Quiet Faith: Intrusion-class corvette

UNSC

• UNSC Everest: Valiant-class super-heavy cruiser
• UNSC Forward Unto Dawn: Charon-class light frigate
• UNSC Trafalgar: Punic-class supercarrier
• UNSC Hopeful: Mobile battlefield hospital
• UNSC Leviathan: Marathon-class heavy cruiser
• UNSC Canberra: Marathon-class heavy cruiser
• UNSC Pillar of Autumn: Halcyon-class light cruiser
• UNSC In Amber Clad: Stalwart-class light frigate
• UNSC Kayenta: Halberd-class destroyer
• UNSC Infinity: Infinity-class supercarrier
• Cairo Station: Orbital defense platform

Forerunner

• Mantle's Approach: Unknown class

Covenant remnants

• Enduring Conviction: CAS-class assault carrier
• Song of Retribution: CAS-class assault carrier
• Shadow of Intent: CAS-class assault carrier
• Unwavering Discipline: ORS-class heavy cruiser
• Foebane: ORS-class heavy cruiser
• Spear of Light: CRS-class light cruiser
• Breath of Annihilation: CAS-class assault carrier