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UNSC Saturn

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UNSC Saturn
Ship history
The Unified Earth Government logo Unified Earth Government

Name:

Saturn

Class:

Paris-class heavy frigate[1]

Namesake:

Saturn

Operator:

UNSC Navy[1]

Manufacturer:

SinoViet Heavy Machinery[2]

Status:

Active as of 2556[1]

Captain(s):

Pedro Alvarez[1]

Artificial intelligence(s)):

Lycaon[1]

General characteristics

Type:

Frigate[2][3]

Length:

535 meters (1,755 ft)[2][3][4][5][6]

Width:

199 meters (652 ft)[3][4][5]

Mass:

1.3 million tonnes[2]

Power plant:

Fusion reactor[7]

Maneuver drive:

Fusion drive (2 primary, 6 secondary)

Slipspace drive:

Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine[8]

Complement:

Hull:

60cm[7] Titanium-A armor[4][5]

Armaments:

Air facilities:

One primary hangar bay located in the lower mast of the ship[4]

 

UNSC Saturn is a Paris-class heavy frigate serving in the UNSC Navy.[1]

Overview[edit]

Design details[edit]

Main article: Paris-class heavy frigate

UNSC Saturn notably houses the original painting Saturn Devouring His Son, the only surviving Black Painting by artist Francisco Goya. The painting is housed in the ship's ready room inside a protective container, and is the namesake for the ship. When inducting new crew onto the ship, Captain Pedro Alvarez was noted to have a pre-prepared speech about the painting which he used to make conversation - allowing the crewmembers to make interpretations that informed Alvarez about their tactical acumen and way of thinking.[1]

Complement[edit]

At the time of its deployment to Site 22 in 2556, Saturn was outfitted with multiple dropships, alongside a contingent of Hellbringers, Cyclopes, and a Fireteam of four Spartan supersoldiers; Fireteam Leviathan.[1]

Service history[edit]

Outbreak at Site 22[edit]

Main article: Outbreak at Site 22

In 2556, the Saturn was on station near Site 22; the site of a recently-uncovered Forerunner starship being excavated by civilian mining forces. Following the loss of contact with the ground teams, the ship immediately moved to assist, soon coming to realise that the emerging incident on the ground was the result of the Flood. Accordingly, the ship's Smart AI Lycaon prompted the implementation of Emergency Contact Protocol Upsilon - necessitating the withdrawal of ground forces and quarantine measures taken to prevent the Flood from spreading any further. The ship's captain, Pedro Alvarez, countermanded this request, noting the site's value for the reconstruction of the UNSC Home Fleet following its destruction during the Invasion of Earth the previous year and believing that the ship's on-board complement could handle the situation. Lycaon objected and attempted to relieve Alvarez of command, prompting Alvarez to use an emergency override code on Lycaon - then ordering the deployment of Spartan Fireteam Leviathan to the site to assist.[1]

The frigate's deployment of Cyclopes, Hellbringers, and Spartans quickly fell to the Flood on the ground - ultimately resulting in one of the Spartans being infected and converted into an attacker form. As such, Alvarez realised the gravity of what his decision meant and panicked - proceeding to declare the UPSILON and CORRUPTER codes. All remaining ground forces were given seven minutes to evacuate Site 22 before the frigate fired its arsenal of M2475 Shiva nuclear missiles at the site - oblitering it (and the infestation) entirely.[1][11]

After the site's destruction, only a handful of the dropships sent out by Saturn were able to return to the frigate. In the aftermath of the event, Captain Alvarez pondered ordering the final dispensation of Lycaon, and for the crew to desert the Navy with him as to avoid facing court martial for his decision.[1]

Trivia[edit]

UNSC Saturn is named after Saturn, one of the Roman gods who was purported to devour his own children. This act was depicted in the famous painting Saturn Devouring His Son, the namesake for the short story which prominently featured UNSC Saturn, with the ship itself said to host the original painting inside its ready room. In keeping with this theme, the ship's AI Lycaon is named after Lycaon, a mythical king who attempted to cook and feed his own son to Zeus.

List of appearances[edit]

Sources[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Halo: Saturn Devouring His Son
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 120
  3. ^ a b c Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 76
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 162
  5. ^ a b c d e f Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 80
  6. ^ Halo Waypoint, UNSC Frigate (Retrieved on May 13, 2021) [archive]
  7. ^ a b Halo: First Strike, chapter 22
  8. ^ Halo: Reach, campaign level Long Night of Solace
  9. ^ a b c d Halo: The Fall of Reach, chapter 12
  10. ^ Halo: Fleet Battles: Paris-class heavy frigate stats
  11. ^ Halo Waypoint, Infection Intel (Retrieved on Oct 11, 2023) [local archive] [external archive]
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