UNSC Tharsis (Reach)

The UNSC Tharsis was a UNSC destroyer. Tharsis saw action at the Battle of Reach where it was heavily damaged, although one of its fusion reactors remained intact. The Covenant moved the destroyer's hulk to the "graveyard" they established over Reach's northern pole.

When the UNSC-controlled Ascendant Justice returned to Reach following the Battle of Installation 04, Cortana considered merging the Tharsis with the captured Covenant vessel. However, ultimately the was selected based on that ship's better condition and intact MAC gun. It is unknown why Cortana chose Gettysburg rather than Tharsis since the book fails to list any traits of the Tharsis past the fact that it was a destroyer.

Background
Tharsis is a volcanic plateau on Mars which derived its name from a biblical reference.

This UNSC Tharsis should not be confused with another UNSC ship of the same name which was destroyed at the Second Battle of Harvest.