Editing Naval boarding

{{Status|Canon}}

'''Boarding''' generally refers to the insertion of people onto an enemy or ambiguously affiliated ship. Boarding may be carried out during wartime in an attempt to seize and possibly destroy the vessel, or it may occur in peacetime by pirates and other criminals, or as a means of inspection to prevent piracy and smuggling. A "boarding party" is a group of naval infantry, typically known as "[[UNSC Marine Corps|marines]]", assigned to capture an enemy ship or station by killing or capturing its crew.  

 

Until the [[Great Schism]] in [[2552#November|November 2552]], Covenant boarding parties were generally composed of [[Sangheili]], [[Unggoy]], and sometimes [[Kig-Yar]] and [[Yanme'e]]. The Covenant typically employ [[R'sisho-pattern Tick|designated boarding craft]] launched from larger vessels to cut through the hull of the enemy ship or station and rapidly insert infantry to the interior.<ref>'''Halo 2''' campaign level ''[[Cairo Station (station)|Cairo Station]]''</ref> Vacant airlocks may also be used by boarding craft to latch on and gain entry into an enemy ship.<ref>'''Halo: Combat Evolved''' campaign level ''[[The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Combat Evolved level)|The Pillar of Autumn]]''</ref> Some starships, such as [[Kig-yar privateer ship]]s, are equipped with docking umbilicals with penetrator tips specifically designed to cut into an enemy ship.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 98''</ref>

Spartans in [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor]] are capable of boarding ships through the use of [[Extra-vehicular activity|EVA equipment]], as the MJOLNIR system is vacuum sealed. This was employed often during the war with the Covenant, with one of the first engagements fought seeing the Spartans boarding the Covenant vessel ''[[Unrelenting]]'' at the [[Battle of Chi Ceti]]. Spartans would later employ boarding actions in Operations [[Operation: WARM BLANKET|WARM BLANKET]] and [[Operation: UPPER CUT|UPPER CUT]], using craft such as [[OF92 Booster Frame]]s and [[FSS-1000 Sabre]]s to planet themselves on the exterior hull of an enemy vessel. In the post-war era, Spartans have a range of MJOLNIR [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor (GEN2)|GEN2]] armor variants designed to assist in boarding actions and EVA activity, including [[EVA-class Mjolnir|EVA]] and [[ORBITAL-class Mjolnir|Orbital]]. Spartans have continued to lead the charge in conducting boarding actions, with [[John-117]] using boarding tactics against ''[[Mantle's Approach]]'' during the [[New Phoenix Incident]], and again with [[Blue Team]] against the captured ''[[Argent Moon]]'' in [[Operation: BIRD IN HAND]]. Spartan-IV personnel have also seen use in boarding actions including against the ''[[Pilgrims' Pride]]'' and the [[Station at Oth Lodon]].

In defending against Covenant boarding parties, a tactic sometimes used by the UNSC against Covenant boarders is the depressurization of hull compartments which have been compromised by boarders, suffocating any hostiles not wearing [[vacuum suit]]s. This measure was utilized aboard the {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} during the [[Battle over Installation 04]].<ref>''Halo: The Flood'', chapter 1</ref> If Covenant forces are caught in the airlock, it is possible for UNSC defenders to simply open the airlocks before pressurisation is complete to eject the boarders into space.<ref>''[[Halo 4]]'', campaign level [[Composer (level)|Composer]]</ref> When these options are not available, UNSC ships rely on on-board Marine and ODST complements for ship-board defense. In times of emergency, naval crewmen may also be expected to pick up arms to fend off attackers.