Marathon-class heavy cruiser
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Attack, defense |
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1,192 meters (3,910 ft)[1] |
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293 meters (960 ft)[1] |
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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 commonly used as flagships.[2] The class is named for the historical Battle of Marathon.
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[edit] Overview
[edit] 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 their ventral surfaces are concave rather than flat. A large deployment bay containing Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicles, known by Orbital Drop Shock Troopers as "Hell's waiting room", is located amidships.[4] 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 2]
[edit] Service history
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 UNSC Prophecy, participated in the Harvest Campaign.[5][6]
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.[7][note 3] 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.
Eight Marathon-class cruisers assigned to the UNSC Home Fleet were present at the onset of the Battle of Earth. Led by Fleet Admiral Harper and supported by sixty-seven frigates, these ships formed a defensive perimeter around the orbital defense platform cluster over the Mediterranean.[8] Admiral Carl Patterson's battle group, drawn from the Home Fleet, was led by the UNSC Stalingrad during the Battle of Onyx. It seems that most or all of the Marathon-class cruisers in the Home Fleet were eventually destroyed.[note 4]
[edit] Ships of the line
- UNSC Dresden - Destroyed over Biko in 2525 or 2526. Carried a saddle box drive.[9]
- UNSC Prophecy - Destroyed during the Harvest Campaign in February 2531.[5][6]
- UNSC Leviathan - Vice Admiral H. M. Stanforth's flagship. Severely damaged during the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV in July 2552.
- UNSC Hannibal - Destroyed during the Fall of Reach on August 30, 2552.[10]
- UNSC Say My Name - Deployed ODSTs to board Solemn Penance during the Battle of Mombasa on October 20, 2552.[4] Presumably destroyed.[note 4]
[edit] 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 trilogy.
[edit] Gallery
A Marathon-class heavy cruiser orbiting Earth.
The UNSC Leviathan.
The UNSC Prophecy.
Marathon-class heavy cruisers on a video display of the Home Fleet.
Several Marathon-Class heavy cruisers engaging a Covenant super-destroyer at the Second Battle of Harvest.
The silhouette of a Marathon-class heavy cruiser.
The SOEIV drop bay aboard a Marathon; the SOEIV deployment rings can be seen above.
ODSTs gathered around a holo-table inside a Marathon-class cruiser.
A view of the UNSC Say My Name via a glitch.
[edit] List of appearances
- Halo: The Fall of Reach (First appearance)
- Halo: First Strike
- Halo 2
- Halo Graphic Novel
- Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
- Halo Wars: Genesis
- Halo Wars (Mentioned only)
- Halo 3: ODST
- Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
- Halo: Fall of Reach
[edit] Note
- ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx states that the Marathon-class cruiser has a mass of 100,000 tons. However, given that the Marathon-class is over 3.5 times longer than a modern Nimitz class aircraft carrier, which also has a mass of 100,000 tons, as well as being nearly four times wider and many times taller, this tonnage seems unrealistic. Though this mass figure is perhaps a result of future construction materials or weight-saving design, it is more likely an oversight by Eric Nylund.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b As of November 17, 2552, Fleet Admiral Hood appeared to have only three Charon-class light frigates under his command and used Forward Unto Dawn as his flagship. If any larger ships were intact and accessible at the time, he presumably would have used one of those as his flagship instead. Therefore, it is likely that all Marathon-class cruisers and other large vessels in the Home Fleet were destroyed.
[edit] Sources
- ^ a b c Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 42
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Halo Encyclopedia, page 251
- ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, page 53
- ^ 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: First Strike, page 168
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