UNSC Gettysburg

The UNSC Gettysburg was a United Nations Space Command Frigate.

On July 17, 2552, the Gettysburg, along with the, responded to a distress signal sent by Captain Jacob Keyes, who was a Commander at the time, from the Sigma Octanus system. The vessel later fought in the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV.

The vessel then returned to the orbital space dock of Reach, where it was heavily damaged in the Battle of Reach.

Eventually, SPARTAN-117, along with several survivors of Battles of Installation 04 and Reach, used the Gettysburg, fusing it with the Covenant ship Ascendant Justice, thus becoming the first Human-Covenant hybrid vessel in history. It was used because the Ascendant Justice could not do the two Slipspace jumps in and out of a group of Covenant ships fast enough using just it's own reactor.

Eventually, the vessel was unlinked from the Ascendant Justice so that Vice Admiral Whitcomb and First Lieutenant Haverson could use the Ascendant Justice to lure a Covenant battle fleet to the Unyielding Hierophant, which was about to explode. The Gettysburg made it back to Earth with four surviving Spartans and Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson aboard. It is assumed that it has either been repaired or scrapped since then.

The Gettysburg was refitted with the Slipspace engines from the Ascendant Justice prior to unlinking. Since Covenant Slipspace engines had always been faster than UNSC engines, the Gettysburg was the fastest ship in the UNSC Fleet.

Trivia

 * It is likely named after the Battle Of Gettysburg. The American Civil War battle took place on July 1-3 1863, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on Earth.