UNSC Leviathan

UNSC Leviathan, affectionately known as the Levi, was a in service with the UNSC Navy, before and throughout the Human-Covenant War. The cruiser served as the flagship of Battlegroup Leviathan and was commanded by Vice Admiral Michael Stanforth, the former head of ONI Section Three and the commander of FLEETCOM Sector Three.

Battle of Sigma Octanus IV
By July of 2552, Leviathan was one of the twenty cruisers remaining within the UNSC fleet. Upon receiving warning of the Covenant's intended attack on Sigma Octanus IV, Stanforth and Battlegroup Leviathan was the first to respond and arrived in the system on July 17, 2552. Leading UNSC naval forces aboard Leviathan, Stanforth moved his fleet into a position between the planet and its moon to combat the oncoming Covenant fleet. Leviathan and the rest of the fleet managed to fire upon the Covenant vessels with a massive volley of MAC slugs. However, the UNSC fleet was unable to avoid the incoming salvo of Covenant plasma torpedoes. The positioned itself between the two fleets and absorbed most of the torpedoes, leading to the refit station's destruction. Stanforth ordered all ships to break formation and attack the Covenant vessels before they recharged their weaponry.

As the engagement continued, the UNSC fleet managed to prevail over the Covenant and succeeded in destroying many hostile vessels. Leviathan was hit with a plasma torpedo, heavily damaging the ship's foredecks. The cruiser took numerous other damages during the battle, moderately injuring Stanforth and several members of its crew. Leviathan and seven other ships later assisted the in combating a Covenant destroyer, upon Captain Jacob Keyes' request. As Leviathan and the other ships attacked the destroyer, the ship disengaged Iroquois and left the system along with the rest of the Covenant fleet. After the battle, several dropships of UNSC Marines returned from Sigma Octanus IV and docked with Leviathan; the cruiser left the system once the Marines were aboard.

Fall of Reach
After the battle, Leviathan returned to Reach on July 18, 2552, where a boatswain determined that repairs would take at least two months. Stanforth then sent a request to FLEETCOM, asking for the ship's crew to be transferred to the while he "made rounds" at HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6 in Sydney, Australia on Earth.

UNSC Leviathan was presumably repaired and operational during the final weeks of the Fall of Reach. Stanforth led Battlegroup Leviathan throughout the Epsilon Eridani system in battle against the Covenant. On August 12, 2552, the battlegroup returned to Reach for emergency repairs and refit. Soon after the arrival of the Covenant's Fleet of Particular Justice, Stanforth organized the remnants of the Epsilon Eridani Fleet over Reach aboard Leviathan on August 30, 2552. However, the Covenant fleet eventually managed to destroy Stanforth's final line of defense and Leviathan was destroyed, resulting in Stanforth's death.

Trivia
The cruiser is named after a leviathan, a mythical sea creature.

List of appearances

 * Halo: The Fall of Reach
 * Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
 * The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole
 * Halo: Reach
 * Dr. Halsey's personal journal
 * Halo: Fall of Reach
 * Halo: Fall of Reach - Covenant
 * Halo: Fleet Battles