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| UNSC Brilliant Shores | |
|---|---|
| Service information | |
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Noteworthy crewmembers: |
James Gregory Cutter |
The UNSC Brilliant Shores was a ship in service with the UNSC Navy prior to the Human-Covenant War. Then-First Lieutenant James Gregory Cutter served aboard it as a Junior Navigation Officer, piloting a diplomatic attache vessel before being transferred to serve as Navigation Officer aboard the UNSC Final Summit in 2514.[1]
The UNSC Navy is the branch of the United Nations Space Command Defense Force responsible for naval operations in space. Its roles include ship-to-ship combat, orbital bombardment, the deployment of atmospheric and space fighters, and the delivery of UNSC Marines into combat.
The UNSC Navy was created in the wake of the Interplanetary War of the 2160's - precisely during the Argyre Planitia Campaign of 2163, as a result of the UN's need to oversee and monitor Marine deployments from space, thus forming the United Nations Space Command. The UNSC Navy is a direct descendant of the UN Navy. It is led by the UNSC Naval Command.
The UNSC has a large fleet of warships, along with many Longsword fighters, though many valuable assets of the UNSC Navy were destroyed during the Battle of Reach and a very large portion of its ships were lost when Truth occupied Earth; the only combat-capable warships seen were the three UNSC Frigates and UNSC Longsword. UNSC ship production is handled by the Reyes-McLees Martian Shipyards (but that may no longer be true due to the Covenant presence in the Sol System), and numerous other shipyards.
UNSC Navy personnel are given training in self-defense. All crewmen are trained to use the M6D Pistol.[1]
Technology
The UNSC Frigate, the most common of UNSC Navy ships.The primary offensive armament of UNSC spacecraft is the Magnetic Accelerator Cannon (MAC). These are high velocity coil guns that are used to accelerate projectiles ranging in mass from 600 metric tons in the case of smaller warships, and 3,000 tons in the case of Super MAC platforms. These projectiles are composed of Titanium-A, depleted Uranium, and/or Tungsten with a ferrous (iron) core. Super MAC platforms accelerate MAC rounds to over 40% of the speed of light or about 267,840,000 miles per hour with twenty-three linear accelerator coils, while ship-based MACs have a lower velocity.
The UNSC Frigate Gettysburg is quoted as firing a 600 ton shell at 30 kilometers per second. Before Reach fell, the Pillar of Autumn was equipped with a modified MAC that could quickly fire three lighter projectiles in succession instead of just one heavier projectile. It was originally intended to allow the Pillar of Autumn a better chance of disabling a Covenant ship, which was a feature required for a mission that was later scrubbed following the Battle of Reach.
Almost all UNSC warships are equipped with Archer Missile pods for ship-to-ship engagements, which prove most effective against unshielded targets. A common tactic among UNSC ships is to disable the target's shields with MAC rounds and then pummel it with Archer missiles. UNSC ships in 2525 carried Fusion Missiles as an offensive weapon. They seem to have been removed or replaced in later years. UNSC ships may also carry "Shiva" nuclear warheads. In addition, the UNSC mounts 50mm auto-cannons on its ships for defense against enemy fighters and boarding craft, controlled by shipboard AIs.
UNSC warships also carry significant Marine detachments for internal security, boarding actions, and planetary assault, and carry all the equipment and materiel needed by Marine forces. It is implied that a significant portion of the interior of UNSC warships are devoted to this purpose, as there are armories and barracks that hold these supplies.
Ships of the UNSC navy also carry a number of C-709 Longsword Interceptors. These are armed with 110mm Rotary Cannons and ASGM-10 Missiles, and sometimes a Moray Space Mine system or even a single Shiva-class Nuclear Missile. They can also be remotely-operated and used to carry a remotely-detonated Shiva missile, which, when detonated, effectively destroys both the Longsword and its selected target.
Despite all of this firepower, however, UNSC warships have great difficulty defeating Covenant ships even with a numerical advantage. It typically takes multiple hits from a ship-based MAC weapon to disable a Covenant ship's shields, although larger, ODP-based Super MACs can fire a round that can literally shatter Covenant capital ships.[2] Archer Missiles must be used in tremendous amounts to breach Covenant shield systems. Even with their shields down, Covenant ships have been noted to remain operational after multiple direct hits from normal MAC rounds. This advantage in firepower and shielding gives the Covenant an effective 3:1 ratio and better against UNSC ships.