Phoenix-class colony ship

The Phoenix-class is a colony ship classification used by the Unified Earth Government, with a hull classification symbol of CFV. In addition to ferrying colonists to newly settled worlds, they are used to carry equipment such as prefabricated colony starter units, hydroponics and other facilities. Known ships of the Phoenix class include the which colonized Harvest and the  which aided in the colonization of Arcadia and was later converted into a warship.

Design
The Phoenix-class is 2.5 kilometres long, making it one of the largest known ships in the UNSC's naval history to lack the official designation of a carrier-class vessel.

The Phoenix-class ships were designed to transport thousands of colonists from an Inner Colony such as Earth, as well as terraforming equipment necessary to alter the existing atmosphere and/or biosphere to better suit human habitation. Once the terraforming is completed, the colonists settle the planet. On at least one instance, a colony ship was decommissioned to aid in the development of a colony. On Harvest, the Skidbladnir's fusion reactor was used to power the first settlement, Utgard and its data processing storage housing the Agricultural Operations AI, Mack was also utilized. The ship's AI, Loki, became the Planetary Security Intelligence, sharing a core with Mack, and was tasked with covertly monitoring the colony for trouble by the UNSC. Whether this was a common fate for colony ships tasked with settling new worlds is unknown.

Modifications
At least one Phoenix, the UNSC Spirit of Fire, was modified for wartime use by the United Nations Space Command and redesignated a Phoenix-class support vessel. The refitted ships carry vehicles, troops, and supplies as support for ground forces. It also carries the resources necessary to build firebases, with the base structures being repurposed colony starter units.

Once converted, a Phoenix-class ship becomes an extremely effective troop transport and orbital support ship, with the ability to carry large amounts of ground troops and ample supplies to sustain them in the field with little to no external contact for considerable amounts of time. It is also able to utilize its deck guns to rapidly conduct multiple "MAC-blasts" in support of ground troops. The ship plays a vital role in battle by dispatching D82-EST Darter dropships to quickly and efficiently distribute supplies near hostile areas, while D20 Herons deploy prefabricated firebases to reinforce places of interest. However, despite the conversion of the Phoenix-class from a colony transport ship to a warship, it still lacks the capacity to operate as a front-line ship-to-ship combatant; despite the addition of armor plating, the outer edges of Spirit of Fire ' s hull was ripped away when the ship collided with a, with no damage being inflicted on the opposing ship.

Ships of the line

 * - Launched in 2362 to colonise new worlds.
 * - Lead ship of the Phoenix-class.
 * - Active as of 2559; officially lost with all hands in 2534.
 * - Scrapped for materials.

UNSC Phoenix-class colonial support vessel
This element includes a single Phoenix-class colonial support vessel.
 * Cost: 200 points
 * Movement: 6"
 * Damage Track: 10 • 9 • 5
 * Build Rating: 4
 * Hangars: 3
 * Boarding Craft: 6
 * Security Detail: 5
 * System loadouts:
 * Hard Burn (2")
 * Missile Barrage
 * Point Defence (4)
 * Titanium Armour (5)
 * Primary Weapon: Light MAC
 * Range: 10/20"
 * Weapon loadouts: MAC (2)
 * Firing Arc: Forward
 * Dice: 12
 * Additional Primary Weapon: Light MAC
 * Range: 10/20"
 * Weapon loadouts: MAC (1)
 * Firing Arc: Port/Starboard
 * Dice: 8
 * Secondary Weapon: Missile Batteries
 * Range: 12/24"
 * Weapon loadouts: Missiles
 * Firing Arc: Forward or Port+Starboard
 * Dice: 10

UNSC Phoenix (Guardian Spirit formation)
This element includes a Phoenix-class colonial support vessel and one Marathon-class heavy cruiser.
 * Cost: 260 points
 * Movement: 6"
 * Damage Track: 12 • 11 • 6
 * Build Rating: 6
 * Hangars: 5
 * Boarding Craft: 7
 * Security Detail: 7
 * System loadouts:
 * Hard Burn (2")
 * Missile Barrage
 * Point Defence (6)
 * Titanium Armour (7)
 * Primary Weapon: Heavy MAC
 * Range: 15/30"
 * Weapon loadouts: MAC (4)
 * Firing Arc: Forward
 * Dice: 16
 * Additional Primary Weapon: Light MAC
 * Range: 10/20"
 * Weapon loadouts: MAC (1)
 * Firing Arc: Port/Starboard
 * Dice: 8
 * Secondary Weapon: Missile Batteries
 * Range: 12/24"
 * Weapon loadouts: Missiles
 * Firing Arc: Forward or Port+Starboard
 * Dice: 14

Trivia

 * The phoenix was a mythological bird which would be reborn at the end of its lifetime; in a similar fashion, the Phoenix-class colony ship would be decommissioned and stripped down upon colonizing a planet, with the ship's materials "giving birth" to a new colony.
 * The name Phoenix may be a reference to Bungie's canceled game of the same name, or, more likely, the name is derived from an Ensemble prototype which pitched humans against invading Martians in a War of the Worlds style, which was titled Phoenix.
 * The Halo Encyclopedia wrongly claims the Spirit of Fire to be three miles long.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Contact Harvest
 * Halo Wars: Genesis
 * Halo Wars
 * Halo Legends
 * Origins
 * Halo: Fall of Reach
 * Boot Camp
 * Halo: Escalation
 * Halo: Fleet Battles
 * Halo Mythos
 * Halo: Tales from Slipspace
 * Something Has Happened
 * Halo: Smoke and Shadow
 * Halo Wars 2