UNSC Pillar of Autumn: Difference between revisions

|fate                =  

|mass            = 9 million metric tons{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

|maneuver drive  = *[[Boglin Fields|Boglin Fields']] Starfire-IV [[Fusion drive|fusion rockets]](2){{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

**'''Pre-refit''': [[Fusion drive#Mark II Hanley-Messer DFR|Mark II Hanley-Messer DFR]] (3)<ref name= "data drop">[http://halo.xbox.com/Content/assets/en-us/ONI/577839090903298928/DDR-A340024-1115-08-27-52.pdf '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Data Drop 5'']</ref>

**'''Post-refit''': Experimental reactor set (1 primary, 2 secondary)<ref name="for274">'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 274''</ref>{{Ref/Note|On page 274 of ''Halo: The Fall of Reach'', it is stated that ''Pillar of Autumn''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s refit power plant consists of a single main reactor linked to two secondary ones; this arrangement is referenced again later on when Cortana gives a damage assessment of the ship to Captain Keyes. However, in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', it is implied that each of the four exhaust manifolds is linked to an individual fusion reactor, each of which is destroyed by John-117 in the [[The Maw|final level]]. This page follows the information given in ''Halo: The Fall of Reach'', as the novel describes the reactor system in more detail.}}

*[[R7 thrust coupling]]s (8)

*[[Emergency thruster]]<ref name="FoRC33">'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''Chapter 33''</ref>

|crew            = *1000 Naval personnel{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

*9+ [[M145D Rhino]]s <small>(previously)</small>  

|hull            = [[Titanium-A armor|Titanium-A battleplate]] <small>(several meters thick)</small>

|armaments      = *1 [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon#Specialized and modified versions|Mark II, Light Coil - 56A2D4/MAC]]<ref name="waypointarticle">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/vehicles/pillar-of-autumn '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Pillar of Autumn'']</ref>

*4 [[Shiva-class nuclear missile]]s mounting 30 megaton [[HAVOK tactical nuclear weapon|HAVOK warhead]]s

*32 [[Archer missile#M58 Archer|M58 Archer missile pods]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

*18 [[M910 Rampart point defense network|M910 Rampart point defense guns]]<ref name= "Warfleet" />

*6 [[M66 Sentry autocannon]] turrets{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

*18+ [[Class-3 Bumblebee]]s

*[[UH-144 Falcon]]s

|air facilities  = <!--Describes hangars and whatnot-->

The cruiser was decommissioned with the remaining {{class|Halcyon|light cruiser}}s, but was reactivated as the war worsened. ''Pillar of Autumn'' was pulled from long-term storage and was refitted in [[2550]] to serve as an emergency support ship in a conflict near [[Zeta Doradus]].{{Ref/Reuse|HCESGuide}}<ref name="for238">'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', page 238</ref>

By [[2552]], it was obvious to the UNSC that the war could not be ended with conventional military action. A desperate plan, known as [[Operation: RED FLAG]] was conceived to end the war by capturing Covenant leaders and forcing the enemy to the negotiating table. [[Reach|A colony world]] would be sacrificed to the Covenant to allow SPARTAN-II commandos to board and disable a Covenant ship, locate the Covenant [[High Charity|homeworld]], and abduct the targets. ''Pillar of Autumn'' was selected on August 25 by the AI Cortana to disable an enemy ship and deliver the Spartans aboard; the ship was selected for the ''Halcyon''-class's durability, despite its class's usual lack-luster offensive capabilities.<ref>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', page 238 (''"...At the time, deemed unnecessarily over massed and costly due to series of cross-bracing and interstitial honeycombs... Halcyon-class ships, however, have a reputation for being virtually indestructible. Reports indicate these ships being operational even after sustaining breaches to all compartments and losing ninety percent of their armor."'')</ref> Command of the ship was given to [[Jacob Keyes|Captain Jacob Keyes]].

The cruiser received another refit designed by Senior Engineer Adam Crokett for the new mission, including a state-of-the-art fusion power plant and improved weaponry.{{Ref/Reuse|for238}} Furthermore, the command bridge was upgraded with a Tier III datacore to house Cortana and the drop pod bays were significantly expanded.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}} After the refit, Cortana was transferred to handle the shakedown.

''Pillar of Autumn'' was roughly 43 years old at the time of its escape from Reach and later destruction on Installation 04. It was a cruiser of the ''Halcyon''-class, the lightest cruisers in the UNSC Fleet.<ref name="page238">'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', page 238, (''"The Pillar of Autumn is forty-three years old," Cortana said. "''Halcyon''-class ships were the smallest vessel ever to receive the cruiser designation. It is approximately one-third the tonnage of the [[Marathon-class heavy cruiser|''Marathon''-class]] cruiser currently in service."''</ref>  

The internal superstructure of ''Pillar of Autumn'' was designed by [[Robert McLees (ship designer)|Doctor Robert McLees]], though it was deemed unnecessarily over-massed and costly due to a series of cross-bracings and interstitial honeycombs. This led to the design being dropped from future models of ''Halcyon''-class ships. ''Pillar of Autumn'' and 10 others out of 50 were built with this type of superstructure. The internal bracing structure allowed the ship to function even after sustaining critical levels of damage.{{Ref/Reuse|HCESGuide}} Furthermore, the ship was fitted with an intraship transit system, which consisted of a network of lifts, stairs, and mag-rail platforms.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

Following a refit in 2552, the ''Autumn'' substantially expanded its [[SOEIV]] launch bays, and expansion to its hangar capabilities was made possible by sacrificing long-term accommodations. The hull was upgraded to the latest Titanium-A ablative armor plating, which resulted in great savings in terms of volume and mass. It also received an Omega-pattern bridge with a Tier-III datacore.{{Ref/Book|Enc22|Id=Enc22|Chapter=Human Ships, Cruisers|Page=119}} Protruding from its front face is a foremast that is equipped with [[slipspace]] navigation sensors and hardened [[proselytization network]] transponders. A planetary scanning array is mounted just below its bridge, which is outfitted with planetary survey sensors and probe/satellite launchers. Four compact auxiliary fusion rockets are installed on either side of the cruiser, and while they are capable of a high-thrust, they are considered inefficient in their design. At the very top of the engine cowling is a multipurpose scan array, which contains tactical sensors and an electronic eavesdropping suite.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

Prior to being refit for the Spartan mission, ''Pillar of Autumn'' was equipped with three Mark II Hanley-Messer deuterium [[Fusion drive|fusion engines]], which supplied only 10% the power of the standard [[2552]] UNSC Navy reactor. ''Pillar of Autumn'' was refitted with a set of improved nuclear fusion engines that featured two smaller reactors around a larger one, which were capable of boosting the overall power output by 300% for a short time if needed.{{Ref/Reuse|for274}}

Fusion reactors generate extreme heat which must be removed in order for them to remain active without overheating. The Autumn's overhauled reactors were an especially severe case of this. Usually, the excess heat was conducted to a chemical agent which would then vent into space. However, the ''Autumn''{{'}}s upgraded specifications also included an upgraded cooling system, which featured a "laser-induced optical slurry of ions chilled to near-absolute zero", which was far more efficient than the typical method and removed the reliance on expendable chemical temperature-control substances. In essence, the amount of excess heat removed by the new system increased as the reactors' output did. This self-regulating and self-cooling power plant was critical in combat since it virtually eliminated a commander's concerns about overheating and slagging a ship's engines.{{Ref/Reuse|for274}}

''Pillar of Autumn's'' reactors were able to be [[Fusion drive#Use as improvised weapons|overloaded by explosives]], either grenades or rockets, destroying the vulnerable vent cores. Once these were destroyed, the reactors began to go critical, resulting in temperatures of over 100,000,000 degrees and a thermonuclear explosion large enough to tear apart a Halo installation.<ref>'''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''', campaign level ''[[The Maw (Level)|The Maw]]''</ref> This explosion was later revealed to be similar in nature to a [[supernova]] and resulted in the creation of [[Element 120.V|a new element]] on [[Alpha Shard|a surviving shard]] of the installation.{{Ref/Reuse|Nightfall}}

Prior to being refit for the Spartan mission, ''Pillar of Autumn'' had just one regular MAC gun and six Archer missile pods.{{Ref/Reuse|page238}} The upgraded ''Pillar of Autumn'' received extensive refits, including several to its weapons systems. Eventually, it was host to a very powerful armament; far in excess of the original ''Halcyon''-class ships.  

*With extra power capacitors and power recycling systems, ''Pillar of Autumn's'' MAC gun could fire three consecutive shots per charge.

*The '''[[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|Mark II, Light Coil - 56A2D4/MAC gun]]'''{{Ref/Reuse|waypointarticle}} that ran two-thirds the length of the cruiser{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}} fired lighter projectiles compared to most ship grade MACs, but these rounds worked much like [[shredder round]]s. Each charge was able to fire 3 rounds.

*Thirty-Two '''[[Archer missile#M58 Archer|M58 Archer missile]] pods'''.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

*Four '''[[Shiva-class nuclear missile]]s''', one loaded onto a remote-controlled Longsword interceptor, and three ship-launched.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', Chapter 29, page 275 (''"In response to [[Captain Keyes]]' question about the small single ships in the launch bay, [[Lieutenant]] [[Aki Hikowa|Hikowa]] states, "Yes Sir. One of the Longswords is equipped with a [[Shiva-class nuclear missile]]; it can be remote piloted. We also have three HAVOC Warheads on board"'').</ref>

*Eighteen '''[[M910 Rampart point defense network|M910 point defense gun]]s''' with overlapping fields of fire for point defense against single ships. These benefitted from a new software updated added as part of the refit.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}} Two of these cannons were later salvaged by the surviving UNSC personnel for [[Alpha Base (Installation 04)|Alpha Base]].{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

*Eight '''[[Spitfire naval coilgun battery#Mark 33 Spitfire|Mark 33 Spitfire naval coilgun batteries]]'''.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

*Six '''[[M66 Sentry autocannon]] turrets'''.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

*[[Fireteam Raven]]<ref>''[[Halo: Fireteam Raven]]''</ref>

*In ''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', the description of ''Pillar of Autumn'' is considerably different from its ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' incarnation. The bridge is described as having a command chair and a curved viewport; in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', this chair is absent and the window consists of several flat sections. The novel also describes the bridge as being extremely cramped, with only a meter of space between the command chair and the other stations,<ref name="for277">'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 277''</ref> while in the game, the bridge is clearly more spacious. According to the novel, there is also an elevator leading directly from the engine room to the bridge.{{Ref/Reuse|for277}} In the game, the engineering and the bridge are on the same level, and there are no doors which may belong to an elevator adjoining the bridge. In addition, the engine room is described as being "hexagonal", while in the game,{{Ref/Reuse|for274}} it consists of two vaguely rectangular chambers with the engine core in the middle. The ship is also described as having rotating centrifuges to generate [[artificial gravity]];{{Ref/Reuse|for274}} no rotating sections are present in the game, unless they are located within the hull.

File:HFR PrepareToDrop.jpg|The SOIEV bay on the ''Autumn''.