Human starship



Human starships were slipspace-capable vessels built by Humans. Humans have maintained and created numerous starships throughout their existence and numerous factions have controlled them; often with their purposes, designs, and styles of organization.

They are the most complicated and expensive mechanisms built by humanity, and the existence of human interstellar civilization rests on the ubiquity of slipspace-capable vessels.

Organization
Several factions operate Human starships, including the Unified Earth Government and its branches the UNSC and the CAA. The Insurrectionist factions United Rebel Front and the New Colonial Alliance as well operated their own ships. Independent human governments such as the Gao Republic own their own ships also.

Beyond governments and political organizations, human corporations also had ships that they owned or otherwise used, like the Harris-Romner Bank and the Liang-Dortmund Corporation.

In a rare instance of this, the Covenant remnant faction the Keepers of the One Freedom also made use of some human starships.

These ships are differentiated from one another in multiple ways, though the main method is through their names and their prefix. Known prefixes include:
 * UNSC - United Nations Space Command, Example: ,
 * ONI - Office of Naval Intelligence, Example: ONI Acrisius
 * CAA - Colonial Administration Authority, Example: ,
 * CMA - Colonial Military Authority, Example: ,
 * URF - United Rebel Front, Example: URF Origami
 * HRB - Harris-Romner Bank, Example: HRB Flintlock

Other identification methods include the Hull classification symbol, the Crew emblem, the UNSC REG system, the UNc system, and the UNSC Department of Commercial Shipping's Freighter identification codes.

Design and specifications
Numerous companies and organizations using numerous shipyards across human space produced or repaired ships. The companies and organizations include the Oros Trading Company, TanSec AB, Halifax Spacewerx, Aerofabrique SA, Reyes-McLees Shipyards, SinoViet Heavy Machinery, and Rhea Station. While the planets and moons housing the shipyards include Reach, Tribute, Mars, Earth, Luna, Biko, and Skopje. Rion Forge considers the best shipyards in the Outer Colonies by 2557 to be at Komoya, Sverdlovsk system.

In some instances, the design or internal characteristics of a human ship have been modified with the technology of an alien species like with the Ace of Spades and a Design seed or the and Ascendant Justice.

A similar type of crystal based computer memory used in MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor is usually seen in ships.

Armament
Humans have had armed ships since the ancient days with the Fibril cutter. After humanity returned to space, human ships were armed with a variety of weaponry including Archer Missiles, M910 Rampart point defense networks, nuclear weapons, and the Magnetic Accelerator Cannon.

Propulsion and movement
Intrasystem travel is done with Fusion drives. Though efficient and powerful, the travel times to the edge of solar systems are still measured in weeks.

Human ships use a Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine in order to enter slipspace. While in slipspace, ships build up a vast amount of static electricity which is discharged through the Polymerized lithium niobocene.

Ancient history
Humanity was once a highly advanced spacefaring civilization, spanning a number of star systems. They operated a number of ships, including the Prime cruiser. Many human starships fought at the Battle of Charum Hakkor during the Human-Forerunner wars against Forerunner starships. Following which, humanity was fragmented and de-evolved into a variety of subspecies and lost all space travel knowledge in the process.

Rise of humanity
Due to the Great Purification, humanity had to rebuild it's space-based efforts. In 1961, Yuri Gagarin was the first person to be in space, again. Early human starships included rockets and shuttles.

Unfortunately, It wouldn't be until 2291 before humanity relearned the secrets of Slipstream Space, thanks to the efforts of Tobias Shaw and Wallace Fujikawa The viability of the Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine was tested in situ in a starship. In 2362, the first extra-solar colony ship was created, named the Odyssey. This sparked a wave of colonization. Along with the Odyssey, the first known ship of the prolific was built. These colonization ships were built or otherwise serviced above Luna.

Insurrection
By 2490, humans had established 800 colonies, divided by the prospering Inner colonies and the underdeveloped Outer Colonies. Political tension existed because of this division. One of the starting factors of the resulting insurrection was the Callisto Incident which saw the capture of the. Space warfare between the UNSC and insurrectionist factions took place.

Around this time, the CAA Chalybeate touched down on Komoya for repairs in the Sverdlovsk system, but wouldn't take flight again. Instead, over decades more ships would land, forming a ship-based city on the moon.

The UNSC developed a number of ship classes during this period including the, the , and the.

In 2524, the civilian ship National Holiday was destroyed by a bombing from Insurrectionists over Reach.



Human-Covenant war
The first contact between Covenant species and humans took place when a Covenant starship, Minor Transgression attacked the human freighter This End Up.

Following the start of hostilities, the UNSC stripped the Colonial Military Authority of most of its naval resources and gave them to NAVCOM.

The war saw combat losses far outstripped shipyards' abilities to build replacements for both military and commercial ships. Trade restrictions were also put in place to limit the risk that slipspace travel represented to remaining colonies. Construction on the, the largest starship humanity at this point had began in 2544.



Post-war
Following the end of the war, trade restrictions were lifted and new ship classes were planned. However, the focus on rebuilding UNSC naval vessels and limited building capacity meant that merchant ship production was lessened.

After the war, an unprecedented addition of human ships was created, the energy shield. The, the and the  were all added to the UNSC's fleet; all three had built-in shielding.

The various ship battles throughout the war created debris fields over human colonies. One instance of this was over Tribute. Civilians could also scavenge some of these ruined ships and even claim them using loopholes in the maritime salvage law.

Warship
The UNSC has operated most of humanity's post-Great Purification fleets, including their most powerful warships. These include the powerful cruisers, carriers and a battleship class. Smaller vessels include corvettes, frigates, and destroyers.

Insurrectionists as well managed to capture or otherwise procure warships. The Iliad, a United Rebel Front frigate, was known to harass and attack UNSC ships around Eridanus II in 2517. The URF also operated a destroyer, the URF Origami.

Ships of the type
UEG ships For the UEG's warships, see UNSC starship and Colonial Military Authority Insurrectionist ships For the URF's warships, see United Rebel Front Independent government ships

Colony ships
Humanity maintained numerous colony ships, the, the , and an unidentified colony ship.

Ships of the type
UEG ships For the UEG's colony ships, see UNSC starship and Colonial Administration Authority Corporate ships Other

Cargo and transport ships
Several cargo ships and Freighters were created by humans. This includes the, the , the , the Banta-class colony ship, and the.

Ships of the type
UEG ships For the UEG's colony ships, see UNSC starship Civilian ships

Corporate ships Non-human operated ships

Luxury vessels
Among the various human luxury vessels are Yachts; personal craft in use by civilians primarily.