Template:Ship Class Infobox The Marathon-class heavy cruiser is a cruiser classification used by the UNSC Navy.[1] Built as a replacement for the aging Halcyon-class light cruiser, the Marathon class is 1192 meters in length,[2] making it one of the largest warships used by the UNSC. Due to their limited numbers, Marathon-class cruisers are typically commanded by officers of the Rear Admiral rate or higher and are used as flagships for fleets.[2] It is named for the historical Battle of Marathon.
Overview
Design
At 1192 meters long, Marathon-class heavy cruisers are approximately three times the length of a typical frigate. Marathons have 191cm-thick layers of Titanium-A armor, allowing them to sustain far greater damage than any frigate or destroyer. Marathon-class cruisers sport two Magnetic Accelerator Cannons and an unknown number of point defense guns.[2] In addition to their integrated armament, the cruisers have dozens of oversized M58 Archer missile pods containing dozens of missiles each, as well as five fusion rockets.[2]
Marathon-class vessels have a similar profile to their predecessors, the Halcyons, though they appear more skeletal. A large deployment bay containing Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicles, known by Orbital Drop Shock Troopers as "Hell's waiting room", is located amidships.[3] Marathons can carry two dozen GA-TL1 Longswords[2] in addition to numerous D77-TC Pelicans and other ground and air vehicles. Vessels of the class can also carry large Marine complements, likely of battalion strength.[note 1]
Service history
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Several Marathon-class heavy cruisers served in Battle Group X-Ray under Vice Admiral Preston Cole during the Second Battle of Harvest. Throughout the early years of the Human-Covenant War, Cole continued to command Marathons as part of his Third Fleet. Several Marathons from the fleet, including the Template:UNSCship, participated in the Harvest Campaign.[4][5]
As their numbers were diminished by the onslaught of the Covenant, many Marathons were reassigned to the defense of the Inner Colonies during the later years of the Human-Covenant War.[6][note 2] Marathons were present at the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV in July 2552, including Vice Admiral Hieronymus Michael Stanforth's flagship Leviathan, which was severely damaged during the battle. Numerous Marathon-class cruisers participated in the Fall of Reach. Twelve were present at the onset of the Battle of Earth under Fleet Admiral Harper; supported by sixty-seven frigates, these ships formed a defensive perimeter around the planet's orbital defense platforms.[7] Admiral Carl Patterson's battle group was led by the Template:UNSCship during the Battle of Onyx.
Ships of the line
- UNSC Dresden - Destroyed over Biko. Carried a saddle box drive.[8]
- UNSC Prophecy - Destroyed during the Harvest Campaign in 2531.[4][5]
- UNSC Leviathan - Vice Admiral H. M. Stanforth's flagship. Severely damaged during the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV and presumably destroyed during the Fall of Reach.[9][verification needed]
- UNSC Hannibal - Destroyed during the Fall of Reach.[10]
- UNSC Say My Name - Deployed ODSTs to board Solemn Penance during the Battle of Mombasa.[3] Presumably destroyed.[note 3]
Behind the scenes
Though in-universe the class is named for the Battle of Marathon, in reality its name is a reference to Bungie's Marathon series.
Gallery
- UNSC Prophecy.png
The UNSC Prophecy.
- Outcome of Second Battle of Harvest.png
Several Marathon-Class heavy cruisers engaging a Covenant super-destroyer at the Second Battle of Harvest.
- Marathon Cruiser Outline.JPG
The silhouette of a Marathon-class heavy cruiser.
ODSTs gathered around a holo-table inside a Marathon-class cruiser.
List of appearances
Note
- ^ This is based on the Halcyon-class' ability to carry a battalion of Marines. Presumably, the Marathon could support a similarly sized complement.
- ^ According to Halo: The Fall of Reach, as of July 2552 the Leviathan was one of twenty Marathon-class cruisers left in the Fleet, presumably referring to the entire Navy. Even if one assumes that this refers only to FLEETCOM Sector One, this number is clearly retconned in later media.
- ^ As of November 17, 2552, Fleet Admiral Hood appeared to have only three Charon-class light frigates under his command. If any larger ships had survived the initial attack on October 20, he presumably would have used one of those instead. Therefore, it is likely that Say My Name was destroyed.
Sources
- ^ Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 42
- ^ a b c d e Cite error: Invalid
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- ^ a b Halo 3: ODST, campaign level Prepare to Drop
- ^ a b Halo Wars: Genesis
- ^ a b Halo wars in-game timeline
- ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 162
- ^ Halo 2, campaign level Cairo Station
- ^ Halo: First Strike (2010), Tug o' War
- ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach
- ^ Halo: First Strike, page 168