UNSC fleet

In the United Nations Space Command, a fleet is a large contingent of warships usually assembled and put in charge of defending a specific area of UNSC space. UNSC fleets likely differ in size, as Covenant fleets do; for example, the Fifth Fleet comprised 75 ships. Often assigned to defend particular systems or to carry out large-scale campaigns, full fleets seldom patrol together and single ships are commonly seen patrolling throughout UNSC space.

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Unlike Covenant fleets, which are dominated by larger vessels such as cruisers and capital ships, the backbone of the UNSC fleet consists of frigates and destroyers. The brass favors this because Covenant ships have better weapons and defenses, thus larger and slower UNSC ships would not have the maneuverability to outrun Covenant weapons; one of few advantages the UNSC had over the Covenant was maneuverability.

UNSC fleets are often divided into two types: system defense fleets and numbered expeditionary fleets. Defense fleets are assigned to a particular system, though they were considered to be little more than glorified revenue police by many. However, they did provide desperately needed training cadres and battle-ready warships to their systems during the Human-Covenant War. The numbered expeditionary fleets traveled to where they were needed from system to system. By late 2552, there was no longer any appreciable difference between fleets, as the Navy was no longer capable of conducting offensive operations without leaving the remaining colonies and Earth vulnerable.

UNSC fleets are usually commanded by a fleet admiral or full admiral. Smaller UNSC ship contingents are called battle groups. The UNSC commonly use naval jargon and ranks.

Defense fleets

 * Home Fleet
 * Epsilon Eridani Fleet
 * Bliss Defense Fleet

Expeditionary fleets

 * Second Fleet
 * Third Fleet
 * Fifth Fleet
 * Seventh Fleet
 * Sixteenth Fleet

List of appearances

 * Halo: The Fall of Reach
 * Halo: First Strike
 * Halo 2
 * Halo Graphic Novel
 * Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
 * Halo 3
 * Halo: Contact Harvest
 * Halo: The Cole Protocol
 * Halo Wars: Genesis
 * Halo Wars
 * Halo 3: ODST
 * Halo Legends
 * Origins


 * Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
 * The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole
 * Halo: Reach
 * Halo: Fall of Reach
 * Boot Camp
 * Covenant
 * Invasion
 * Halo: The Thursday War
 * The Commissioning
 * Halo 4
 * Spartan Ops
 * Halo: Escalation
 * Halo 2: Anniversary
 * Terminals