UNSC Forward Unto Dawn

The UNSC Forward Unto Dawn (FFG-201) was a United Nations Space Command frigate.

It was also more commonly known by UNSC personnel as "The Dawn".

Battle of Earth
The UNSC fleet suffered heavy casualties during the Covenant assault on Earth. By the time John-117 arrived from Installation 05 aboard the Prophet of Truth's Forerunner Dreadnought, Forward Unto Dawn was one of the few ships remaining to Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood who seemed to use this ship as his flagship. Hood agreed to commit Forward Unto Dawn and three other frigates against the grounded Dreadnought on the Portal once the Spartan destroyed the enemy's local air defenses.

The frigate squadron and accompanying Longsword fighters attacked the primary target at the conclusion of the Battle of Voi. Multiple MAC rounds and close-in fire from the fighters failed to make any impression on the Dreadnought. The Portal to the Ark was activated and the Covenant departed.

Battle of Installation 00
"I'm giving the Brutes all I've got...but this is a heavy-weight fight! The Dawn's only got the tonnage to last a few rounds."

- Miranda Keyes on The Ark.

The Flood arrived shortly after the opening of the slipspace portal; the parasite was pursued by a Covenant Separatist fleet led by the assault carrier Shadow of Intent. The Flood threat forced the UNSC into an alliance with the Separatists. They hoped to find a solution to the Flood beyond the portal at the Ark.

The UNSC task force accompanying the Separatists included the frigates Forward Unto Dawn and. Commander Miranda Keyes commanded the UNSC component from Forward Unto Dawn.

Once at the Ark, the opposing Covenent fleets engaged one another. The UNSC frigates were ill-equipped to fight against such large opponents. Forward Unto Dawn deployed troops in five D77H-TCI Pelican dropships, including John-117, to secure a landing zone on the surface. Forward Unto Dawn landed near the Cartographer and directly offloaded additional heavy equipment. As the operation to activate the replacement for Installation 04 got underway, Sergeant Major Avery Junior Johnson brought Forward Unto Dawn close to the incomplete ring's Control Room, before disembarking and completing the journey in a Warthog.

Escape from Installation 00
"Well...some of us made it."

- Cortana, after escaping the second Installation 04. The ship was mostly deserted when John-117 and Thel 'Vadam boarded to escape the ring's impending activation. Thel 'Vadam headed for the bridge while the Spartan uploaded Cortana in the hanger to activate the engines. The ship entered the slipspace portal, but the portal collapsed as the ring's pulse hit and the frigate was cut in half.

The forward section with Thel 'Vadam returned to Earth and crashed into the ocean; he was safely recovered from the wreck.

The aft section with John-117 and Cortana emerged in parts unknown. The Spartan was left in a drifting wreck without artificial gravity. The AI dropped a distress beacon and John-117 entered a cryo-chamber to wait for recovery. In 2556, Cortana compiled a history of the Forerunner and Humanity while aboard Forward Unto Dawn The wreck eventually drifted near an unknown planet.

The other half of the ship that landed on Earth was later auctioned off sometime after the end of the Human-Covenant war.

Trivia

 * On the lower part of the bow there is a black 7 inside a yellow star with a yellow chevron under it, this being one of Bungie's 7 references.
 * All the frigates in the level The Storm use the same textures as Forward Unto Dawn.
 * Forward Unto Dawn has fifty Archer Missile pods: two behind its bay, two in front of its bay, two on both sides of its MAC gun and one on each side of the thrusters. Other source credit frigates with 30 pods.
 * Forward Unto Dawn is the third of three main ships, Pillar of Autumn and In Amber Clad, to be destroyed in or near the end of the game.
 * In the level The Ark players may be killed by the flying debris caused by the frigate's approach (Covenant tanks or other vehicles).
 * The Forward Unto Dawn, along with the Aegis Fate and all other frigates seen in Halo 3, have much larger underside hangar bays than their counterparts seen in Halo 2 and Halo: Reach.

List of appearances

 * Halo 3
 * Halo Legends
 * Origins
 * ''Halo: First Strike (2010) (mentioned only)