Editing Battle of Havana

{{Status|Canon}}
{{Battle infobox
|prev=*[[Second Battle of New Mombasa]]
*[[Battle of Ross Island]]
*[[Fall of High Charity]]
|conc=[[Battle of Installation 05]]
|next=[[Battle of Cleveland]]
|name=Battle of Havana
|image=
|conflict=[[Human-Covenant War]]
*[[Battle for Earth]]
|date=[[2552#November|November 3, 2552]]
|place=[[Havana]], [[Wikipedia:Cuba|Cuba]], [[Earth]], [[Sol system]]
|result='''UNSC victory'''
*[[Centennial Orbital Elevator]] destroyed
|side1=*{{Icon|UNSC HCW}} [[United Nations Space Command]]
**{{Icon|Navy}} [[UNSC Navy]]
|side2={{Icon|Covenant FB}} [[Covenant]]
|commanders1=*[[Fleet Admiral|FADM]] [[Terrence Hood]]
*[[Senior Chief Petty Officer|SCPO]] [[Frederic-104]]
|commanders2=Unknown
|forces1=
*1 [[UNSC corvette|corvette]] {{c|late in battle}}
*[[D77 Pelican|Pelicans]]
*3 [[SPARTAN-II Program|SPARTAN-II]] {{c|late in battle}}
*Numerous [[UNSC Navy]] and [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marine]] forces
|forces2=
*5 [[warship]]s
**2 {{Pattern|Sinaris|heavy destroyer}}s
**3 other [[capital ship]]s
*Numerous ground and air forces
**Numerous [[Dextro Xur-pattern Spirit|Spirits]]
**Numerous [[Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft|Banshees]]
**1 [[Scarab]]
**Numerous [[Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraiths]]
**Numerous ground troops
***[[Jiralhanae]]
***[[Kig-Yar]]
***[[Unggoy]]
|casual1=Unconfirmed number of casualties
*[[Station Wayward Rest]]
|casual2=All Covenant forces near the Centennial Orbital Elevator
*1 Scarab
*1 ''CPV''-class destroyer
*''[[Bloodied Spirit]]'' captured
}}
The '''Battle of Havana''' was a major [[Battle|engagement]] during the [[Battle for Earth]] between the [[United Nations Space Command]] and the [[Covenant]] in [[Wikipedia:Cuba|Cuba]]'s capital, [[Havana]]. Numerous [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marine]] forces, and later three [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-IIs]] from [[Blue Team]], were sent to retake Havana and its [[Centennial Orbital Elevator]]. They succeeded in reclaiming the elevator, though it was destroyed shortly afterward.{{Ref/Novel|Id=twentythree|Novel=Halo: Ghosts of Onyx|Chapter=23}}{{Ref/Novel|Id=twentyfour|Novel=Halo: Ghosts of Onyx|Chapter=24}}

==Background==
After the disappearance of [[John-117]] and the [[Battle of Mombasa|Mombasa Slipspace event]] on [[2552#October|October 20]], numerous Covenant occupation [[Covenant fleet|fleets]] continued to arrive at [[Earth]], attacking targets worldwide.{{Ref/Generic|Id=FTH|Heading=[[Halo Legendary Crate]]|Subheading=[[Halo Legendary Crate/Data Drops|Data Drop #2]]|Detail=[[:File:LC 002 Doc 1.jpg|First Twelve Hours]]}} The [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-II]] [[Blue Team]], now consisting of [[Frederic-104]], [[William-043]] and [[Linda-058]], were deployed to repel the invaders and their [[Covenant starship|starships]] in numerous battles on and around the planet during the two weeks after the initial Covenant invasion. In orbit, the Covenant fleets constantly fought the [[UNSC Home Fleet]] during many major skirmishes, including the [[Second Fleet|Second]], [[Seventh Fleet|Seventh]], and [[Sixteenth Fleet]]s.{{Ref/Reuse|twentythree}}

Immediately before the [[Great Schism]] could began and following the [[Assassination of the Prophet of Regret|assasination]] of the [[Prophet of Regret]] during the [[Battle of Installation 05]], the [[Jiralhanae]] would continue to replace many [[Sangheili]] masters on Earth in order to take the total command of Covenant forces and their fleets as it would be the [[Changing of the Guard|same case]] for the [[Sangheili Honor Guardsman]]s in preparation for the eventual Covenant genocidal conflict against them and the rest of Sangheili. This preparation was informed to the [[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae]] [[Tartarus]] by the [[Prophet of Truth]] shortly after Jiralhanae successfully took the control of Covenant forces on Earth.{{Ref/Novel|Novel=Halo: Broken Circle|Page=198-202}} 

The constant fighting had depleted the UNSC [[nuclear weapon]] stockpile, and all that was left were older, low-yield [[FENRIS nuclear warhead]]s originally intended to be converted to peaceful purposes. These nukes had been transported to Havana, Cuba, where the Covenant had recently inserted forces.{{Ref/Reuse|twentythree}}

==Battle==
{{References|section}}
===Ground battle===
There had been scattered reports that the Covenant had invaded the Centennial Orbital Elevator in Havana, before all contact with [[Centennial Orbital Elevator Control|COE Control]] had been lost. [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marines]] had been sent to Havana to retake the elevator, but they had not succeeded.{{Ref/Reuse|twentythree}}

Operating from [[Base Segundo Terra]], Blue Team was deployed to Havana on a [[D77H-TCI Pelican]] piloted by [[Sergeant]] [[Laura Tanner]] with [[Jim Higgins]] as its crew chief.{{Ref/Reuse|twentythree}} Three Covenant [[capital ship]]s hung in low orbit above Havana, and [[Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft|Banshee]] patrols circled around the orbital elevator. Spotting a hole in a Banshee patrol pattern, the Pelican dropped the team down into the jungle. They moved out northeast, towards the space elevator where the jungle ended at the warehouse complex of the COE.

Upon arriving at the edge of the jungle, the team discovered a [[Scarab]] walking through the warehouse complex nearby. Observing the area through her [[SRS99C-S2 AM sniper rifle|sniper rifle]] [[Oracle scope|scope]], Linda spotted a group of dead Marines and a dozen [[Jiralhanae]] moving in groups of four towards the space elevator, carrying cargo pods containing the nukes. The Spartans made a plan; they would part ways, with Will and Fred moving to opposite directions while Linda would provide cover for the team with her sniper rifle. In one of the garages, there was a massive tank truck full of explosive fuel which Will would use to disable the Scarab, while Fred would move to the elevator's base and secure the ascent car.{{Ref/Reuse|twentythree}}

As Fred advanced, Linda provided him cover, killing Jiralhanae patrols headed his way. As Fred sprinted closer to the elevator, he ran into a single Jiralhanae. After Fred had neutralized the alien, he took its [[Type-25 Grenade Launcher|weapon]]. Meanwhile, Will crashed the huge tanker out of a garage, through a gate, and straight to the Scarab. The explosion engulfed the walker, destroyed its core and completely obliterated it.{{Ref/Reuse|twentythree}}

Fred moved towards the orbital elevator, where the Jiralhanae were already loading the nukes into the car and shutting its doors. Fred stormed into the car, engaged the Covenant there with his Brute Shot but was nearly overwhelmed before the rest of the team arrived. They secured the car and the twelve nuclear warheads inside. As soon as they got the car moving, [[Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith]] tanks, Banshees and large amounts of ground forces began to converge on their position.{{Ref/Reuse|twentythree}}

===Orbital battle===
During their way up, [[Fleet Admiral]] [[Terrence Hood]] contacted the team from ''[[Cairo Station (station)|Cairo Station]]''. Hood told them they had a new mission, and a [[UNSC prowler|prowler]] was dispatched to extract them. Hood then relayed a message from [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Halsey]] on [[Onyx]], received by the [[Remote scanning outpost|Remote Scanning Outpost]] ''[[Democritus]]''. As they ascended, the team reviewed the message, which contained information about the [[Battle of Installation 05|recent events]] on [[Installation 05]], the [[Flood]] and that [[John-117]] was on his way to Earth aboard the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]]. Finally, Halsey requested Fleet Command to send Spartans to Onyx in order to retrieve valuable Forerunner technologies.{{Ref/Reuse|twentythree}}

Hood had prepared one of UNSC's fastest ships, the [[Mako-class corvette|corvette]], {{UNSCShip|Pony Express}} to transport the Spartans to Onyx. Fred, however, realized it would still take weeks to reach [[Zeta Doradus system|the system]] with a UNSC ship and that there had to be a faster way.{{Ref/Reuse|twentythree}} Near the elevator, they noticed two [[Covenant]] {{Pattern|Sinaris|heavy destroyer}}s. Fred formulated a plan to hijack and use one of them to get to Onyx. The plan was approved, and the corvette {{UNSCShip|Chalons}} was sent to distract the Covenant ships while the Covenant sent [[Dextro Xur-pattern Spirit|dropships]] to retrieve the nukes from the space elevator. However, the Spartans hid under the hull of one of the dropships and managed to infiltrate the [[Hangar bay|shuttle bay]] of one of the destroyers, the ''[[Bloodied Spirit]]'', undetected.{{Ref/Reuse|twentythree}}

In the bay, there were ten [[Kig-Yar]] and several [[Unggoy]]. The Spartans killed all of them, and Fred sent Linda to defuse the nukes while he would hack a control terminal in the bay. Using an ONI [[data pad]] with new translation and infiltration software, he managed to get in the system. He then depressurized the entire ship, killing all Covenant aboard.{{Ref/Reuse|twentythree}} Meanwhile, Linda and Will managed to defuse the nukes aboard ''Bloodied Spirit'', while the other Covenant dropship took the rest of the nukes to the other destroyer. Unbeknownst to the Covenant, the warheads were still armed.

The Blue Team then got to bridge, where Fred hacked the control system with his ONI datapad. He proceeded to enter the [[Slipstream space|Slipspace]] jump solution and coordinates to Onyx, when the crew of the other destroyer realized that ''Bloodied Spirit'' had been boarded and moved to intercept the human-captured ship. As the destroyer started to charge its weapons, the nukes transported aboard it went off, completely obliterating the ship and [[Station Wayward Rest]] on top of the Centennial Orbital Elevator.{{Ref/Reuse|twentythree}} Simultaneously, the ''Bloodied Spirit'' made a successful jump into Slipspace.{{Ref/Reuse|twentyfour}}

==Aftermath==
With no orbital anchor station, the Centennial Orbital Elevator crumbled down to Earth's surface. Blue Team would make it to Onyx in a few hours and join the [[Onyx Conflict]]. Lord Hood would remain uncertain if Blue Team managed to complete a Slipspace jump or if they were obliterated by the nuclear explosion.{{Ref/Reuse|twentyfour}}

==Participants==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
===UNSC===
===Naval assets===
====Starships====
{| class="wikitable sortable " style="width: 75%;" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" border="0"
|-
! Fleet
! Class
! Name
! Status<!--This refers to their status after the battle, not their overall status-->
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[UNSC Home Fleet|Home Fleet]]
| [[UNSC corvette]]
|{{UNSCShip|Chalons}}
|Unknown
|-
|{{Class|Mako|corvette}}
|{{UNSCShip|Pony Express}}
|Unknown
|}

====Military personnel====
{| class="wikitable sortable " style="width: 75%;" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" border="0"
|-
! Branch
! Rank
! Name
! Status<!--This refers to their status after the battle, not their overall status-->
|-
| rowspan="4" |[[UNSC Navy]]
|[[Fleet Admiral]]
|[[Terrence Hood]]
|Survived
|-
|[[Senior Chief Petty Officer]]
|[[Frederic-104]]
|Survived
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[Petty Officer Second Class]]
|[[Linda-058]]
|Survived
|-
|[[William-043]]
|Survived
|-
| rowspan="3" |[[UNSC Marine Corps]]
|[[Sergeant]]
|[[Laura Tanner]]
|Unknown
|-
|[[Corporal]]
|[[Jim Higgins]]
|Unknown
|}

===Units===
====Ground forces====
*[[UNSC Navy]]
**[[Blue Team]]
====Naval forces====
*[[UNSC Home Fleet|Home Fleet]]

{{col-2}}
===Covenant===
===Naval assets===
====Starships====
{| class="wikitable sortable " style="width: 75%;" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" border="0"
|-
! Fleet
! Class
! Name
! Status<!--This refers to their status after the battle, not their overall status-->
|-
| Unknown
| {{Pattern|Sinaris|heavy destroyer}}
| ''[[Bloodied Spirit]]''
| Survived {{c|captured}}
|}
{{col-end}}

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]'' {{1st}}

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

{{Engagements in the Battle for Earth}}