UNSC carrier

UNSC Atlas, a UNSC heavy carrier near the yellow dwarf star Lambda Serpentis.

Carrier is a capital warship classification used by the United Nations Space Command and Colonial Military Authority. They are used for transport and deployment of fighters and ground troops and command and control

Overview

UNSC carriers range from light warships to among the largest ships in service. The smallest light carriers can be lower than a kilometer from stem to stern, smaller than a cruiser, while the largest carriers are multiple kilometers long. Most carriers are crewed by hundreds to thousands and can carry numerous space, air, and ground vehicles. Befitting their role, their primary asset is a large number of space fighters or dropships.

Armament

Despite their size, UNSC carriers depend on their fighter wings for offense, though the heavy carriers are often equipped with at least one Magnetic Accelerator Cannon. Carriers also mount numerous point-defense guns, such as the M910 Rampart point defense network used by the Epoch-class, as well as several nuclear missiles of various types.

Classes

Spacecraft

The Navy operates several carrier classes. In practice, they can be divided into two broad categories: supercarriers and smaller tactical carriers. Supercarriers are massive vessels which form the core of major expeditionary fleets as command ships, while smaller tactical carriers serve as the core of component battle groups and defensive fleets.

Class	Image	Length	Tonnage	Source
Poseidon-class light carrier		719 meters (2,359 ft)	2.8 million tonnes
Orion-class assault carrier		2,563 meters (8,410 ft)	35 million tonnes
Epoch-class heavy carrier		2,220 meters (7,284 ft)	40 million tonnes
Phoenix-class support ship		2,500 meters (8,200 ft)	44 million tonnes
Unidentified carrier		2,900 meters (1.8 mi)	N/A
Punic-class supercarrier		4,000 meters (13,123 ft)	670 million tonnes
Infinity-class supercarrier		5,694 meters (18,682 ft)	970 million tonnes

Maritime craft

The UNSC Army operates a number of ocean-based aircraft carriers, predominantly used on Inner Colony worlds such as Earth and Reach.

Class	Image	Length	Source
Crassus-class supercarrier		498 meters (1,633 ft)

Ships of the line

Class	Fleet or last known tactical grouping	Ship Name	Hull classification symbol	Last known captain	Notes
Epoch-class heavy carrier	Unknown	UNSC Epoch			Lead ship
		UNSC Atlas
Infinity-class supercarrier	Expeditionary Strike Group 1	UNSC Infinity	INF-101	Thomas Lasky	Lead ship. Missing over Installation 07.
	Unknown	UNSC Eternity			Not Completed
Orion-class assault carrier	Unknown	UNSC Fifth Winter
		UNSC Orion			Lead ship
Phoenix-class carrier	Third Fleet	UNSC Spirit of Fire	CFV-88	James Cutter	Active but officially listed as lost with all hands.
Poseidon-class light carrier	Unknown	UNSC Milwaukee
		UNSC Poseidon			Lead ship
Punic-class supercarrier	Unknown	UNSC Punic			Lead ship
	Epsilon Eridani Fleet	UNSC Trafalgar			Flagship of Epsilon Eridani Fleet. Destroyed over Reach
Unknown	UNSC Home Fleet	UNSC Stalingrad		Carl Patterson
		UNSC Witness
	Third Fleet	UNSC Totem Lake	CVA-92
	Unknown	UNSC All Under Heaven
		UNSC Magellan
		UNSC Musashi

List of appearances

• Halo: The Fall of Reach (First appearance)
• Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
• Halo: Legacy of Onyx
• Halo: Evolutions
  • The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole
• Halo: Fall of Reach
  • Boot Camp
  • Invasion
• Halo 4
• Halo: Fleet Battles
• Halo 5: Guardians
• Halo: The Fall of Reach - The Animated Series
• Halo: Legacy of Onyx
• Halo: Bad Blood
• Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual
• Halo: Renegades
• Halo: Outpost Discovery
  • Pelican Training
• Halo: Shadows of Reach
• Halo Infinite