Marathon-class heavy cruiser

Marathon-class Cruiser

The Marathon-class Cruiser is a classification of UNSC Navy warships. At 1,200 meters, they are one of the largest and most powerful warships ever utilized by humanity, built as a replacement for the s. Their numbers are limited, and they are usually capital ships commanded by high-ranking officers.

Description
These warships replaced the aging s. These behemoths, ranking in at 1,200 meters, are over three times the length of a UNSC frigate. They are also known for their heavy armor; they can survive multiple plasma impacts, being able to sustain far greater damage than any UNSC Frigate or UNSC Destroyer. Due to their size, durability and firepower (Magnetic Accelerator Cannons as well as dozens of oversized Archer missile pods), these massive vessels are commanded by UNSC Admirals and primarily serve as command/capital ships.

Appearances
Due to their diminishing numbers and the onslaught of the genocidal Covenant, further numbers of these great cruisers have been reassigned to the defense of the Inner Colonies. They were considered extremely valuable in terms of fire power and armor, and it was seen to by the UNSC admiralty that they were only used in the most dire and occasional of circumstances. Marathons were present at the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV and the Battle of Reach. Twelve saw action at the First Battle of Earth under Fleet Admiral Harper and another was part of Battle Group Stalingrad during the Battle of Onyx. It's likely that some were also engaged at the Second Battle of Earth.

Ships of the Line

 * - destroyed
 * - the flagship of Admiral Cole
 * - destroyed in 2531
 * The cruiser in the Battle Group Stalingrad (although never specifically called a Marathon)
 * - from the Halo 3: ODST trailer is presumed to be a Marathon-Class Cruiser
 * - from the Halo 3: ODST trailer is presumed to be a Marathon-Class Cruiser

Trivia

 * In Halo: The Fall of Reach, the Marathon classification is erroneously labeled as a Carrier.
 * The name Marathon could possibly be from the Battle of Marathon, fought in 490 BC where heavily outnumbered Athenians defeated an army of Persians who were trying to conquer Greece. This battle was also simulated by Wellsley, Antonio Silva's AI, while he was unoccupied in Halo: The Flood, this battle also gave its name to Bungie's Marathon series. The name of this classification of ships is yet another reference to Bungie's previous series, Marathon.
 * They bear a resemblance to the older Halcyon-class cruisers.
 * In Halo: The Fall of Reach, it mentions that the Leviathan was one of twenty UNSC cruisers left in the Fleet, which were being slowly pulled back to protect the Inner Colonies.
 * It is thought by some that the Marathon has three MAC's. However, this is highly unlikely, as the Marathon isn't large enough to mount three MAC's and there aren't any visible "bumps" on the ship that would indicate more than one MAC. It is far more likely that the Marathon has only one MAC, but a more powerful one than a Frigate. It may be possible that the Marathon can fire several shots from its MAC gun(s), similar to Pillar of Autumn. However, this is not yet confirmed.
 * The Marathon can be seen in Halo 2 during the first cutscene.
 * In Halo 2 on Cairo Station, it shows Marathons continuously coming by, and a tactical display on the bridge showed eight cruisers, along with 67 frigates in the battle group near the Cairo's battle cluster. This may lead to the assumption that there may be dozens of Marathons in the UNSC Home Fleet, due to the Marathon's effectiveness and Earth's high-priority nature.
 * In the cutscene of The Heretic, the Pillar of Autumn is shown fighting along side Marathon cruisers in the battle.