Zanar-pattern light cruiser: Difference between revisions

{{Title|''Zanar''-pattern light cruiser}}

{{Status|Canon}}

{{Infobox/Ships

|name           = ''Zanar''-pattern

|image           = [[File:H4-CovenantCRSLightCruiser.png|300px]]

|caption        =  

|modules        =  

{{Infobox/Ships/Class

|hide-class          =  

|class identification = UNSC [[Three-letter ship classification system|three-letter code]]: '''CRS'''{{Ref/Reuse|H4EVG}}

|class operator      =  

*[[Covenant fleet]]

*[[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant]]

*[[Vata 'Gajat's mercenary group]]

*[[Tem'Bhetek's faction]]

*[[Swords of Sanghelios]]

|class manufacturer  = [[Assembly Forges|Secondary Assembly Forges]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet72}}

|class architect      =  

|class built          =  

|class in service    = [[Ages of Conflict|Sixth Age of Conflict]]—present{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

*{{Pattern|Gloto'kas|Assault Carapace|}} and {{Pattern|Gloto'kef|Assault Carapace}}s{{Ref/Reuse|Umbrage}}{{Ref/Reuse|WPUmbrage}}

*Two ''Erex''-pattern [[Plasma beam emitter]]s{{Ref/Book|Id=Warfleet72|HWF|Page=72-73}}{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

*Four ''Pok''-pattern [[plasma beam laser]]s{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet72}}{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

*Six ''Sintra''-pattern [[plasma torpedo]] silos{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet72}}{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

|air facilities  = At least one [[hangar bay]]{{Ref/Novel|Id=Umbrage|Halo: Vertical Umbrage}}{{Ref/Site|Id=WPUmbrage|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/halo-4-vertical-umbrage|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Halo 4 - Vertical Umbrage|D=07|M=11|Y=2022|LocalArchive=Archive:Vertical Umbrage}}

The '''''Zanar''-pattern light cruiser'''{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}} {{3Letter|CRS|light cruiser}}{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}}{{Ref/Reuse|WPCruiser}} is a [[Covenant]] light [[attack ship]] classification.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet72}}{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

[[File:FoR TAS - Unrelenting fires.png|thumb|250px|left|''[[Unrelenting]]'' firing its ''Sintra''-pattern plasma torpedoes.{{Ref/Reuse|AS}}]]

===Design details===

Described by UNSC personnel as resembling a "luminous manta ray",{{Ref/Novel|HFS|Chapter=22}}{{Ref/Reuse|Enc09}}{{Ref/Reuse|Enc11}}{{Ref/Reuse|WPCruiser}} the ''Zanar'' is essentially a smaller, weaker version of the {{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}}.{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}} The design originated as a mutation (albeit a stable one) in the [[design pattern]] of the larger {{Pattern|Elefen|battlecruiser|}} and {{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}}s used in a more general role by the Covenant military—resulting in a vessel several times smaller than its forebears though retaining similar proportions and silhouette.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet72}}

The ship's bow contains a cluster of four [[sensor vane]]s, which are prone to exhibiting aberrations during assembly that result in them making the ship appear friendly to [[Forerunner]] systems. This can be used to allow the ship to bypass [[Sentinel]] installations unharmed. The ship's rear contains the two [[repulsor engine]]s and their control coils. The ''Zanar''{{'}}s control coils require careful fine-tuning to prevent disorientation and hallucination when operating at full power.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet72}}

Unlike the blue-purple lighting used on Covenant military vessels, the light cruisers used in [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant]] fleet exhibited green lighting—though whether this was an intentional design choice or a facet of the ''Zanar''-pattern as a whole is unknown.{{Ref/Reuse|H4Zanar}}

The ''Zanar''-pattern is fitted with a relatively modest armament compared to its larger cousins. Despite ostensibly appearing to be a weaker form of its forebears, it is still considered more than a match for most [[UNSC starship]]s.{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}} Its primary weapon systems are a pair of [[Plasma beam emitter|''Erex''-pattern plasma beam emitters]] and six top-mounted [[Plasma torpedo|''Sintra''-pattern plasma torpedo]] silos. The torpedoes are swift in flight but difficult to control, resulting in them being used primarily for [[Orbital bombardment|surface bombardment]]. On the ship's underside lie four [[Plasma beam laser|''Pok''-pattern beam lasers]], with two dedicated [[augur array]]s allowing the weapons to target dozens of targets in rapid succession. Unlike the bombardment-focused plasma torpedoes, the high-energy lasers are primarily used for picking off targets of opportunity when minimal collateral damage is required—primarily a function of the vessel's policing usage among [[Covenant colonies]].{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet72}}{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

===Crew and complement===

The small size of a ''Zanar''-pattern cruiser means that they have minimal crew facilities—including a total lack of permanent crew quarters. Instead, ''Zanar''-pattern ships are intended to rotate fresh crew members aboard between missions. They are crewed by a single [[Superior]] who holds the title of [[Shipmaster]], and eight [[Menial]]s. They additionally typically hold no on-board troop complement due to their intended function as policing vessels.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet72}}

The ''Zanar'' is fitted with a [[hangar bay]] capable of hosting at least a handful of [[Phantom]] dropships or other aircraft, alongside an escape pod bay stocking at least ten pods{{Ref/Reuse|SOIPods}} including {{Pattern|Gloto'kas|Assault Carapace|}} and {{Pattern|Gloto'kef|Assault Carapace}}s. Some ships used by the Covenant's remnants in the post-war era, such as ''[[Panom's Canticle]]'', have additionally demonstrated the capability to host a small on-board troop complement—likely a result of the cruiser's converted use as a mainline warship.{{Ref/SpOps|Memento Mori|Everything Has Gone Wrong}}{{Ref/Reuse|Umbrage}}{{Ref/Reuse|WPUmbrage}} In extreme circumstances, such as those of ''[[Spear of Light]]''{{'}}s guerilla campaign, a light cruiser may even host as many as fifty warriors.{{Ref/Reuse|SOIPods}}

[[File:H4 Landfall Corvette.jpg|thumb|left|250px|A ''Zanar''-pattern light cruiser and a {{Pattern|Ceudar|heavy corvette}} over Casbah City in 2552.{{Ref/Reuse|Landfall}}]]

Within the [[Three-letter ship classification system|hull classifications]] of Covenant ships undertaken by the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]], the ''Zanar'' is designated the CRS-class light cruiser—owing to the vessel's similar shape to the larger battlecruiser classes more commonly seen during the [[Human-Covenant War]] and its origins as a pattern mutation thereof.{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}}{{Ref/Reuse|H4EVG}} Despite this, the ''Zanar'' was never used in the Covenant military in a role analogous to a cruiser, and the term is simply one applied by [[human]]ity.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet72}} The "R", for ''Reverence'', in the cruiser's three-letter classification code indicates that the cruiser is capable of conducting reconnaissance missions and is capable of excavating [[Forerunner]] artifacts. The "S", for ''Salvation'', denotes that the ''CRS''-class light cruiser is a dedicated [[warship]].{{Ref/Site|Id=Have S'moa|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-have-s-moa|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - Have S'moa|D=30|M=10|Y=2021}} ''Zanar''-pattern ships are considered effective when used in interference, attack,{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}} interdiction and support roles.{{Ref/Reuse|WPCruiser}}

Within the Covenant, the ''Zanar'' is considered to be an [[attack ship]]—something beneath the notice of most [[fleetmaster]]s or [[Supreme Commander]]s and rarely considered in the wider schema of naval warfare. They were used to fill a role similar to that of a [[police cutter]]—used for internal patrols and security throughout Covenant space and rarely considered to be a mainline warship. During the empire's reign, ''Zanar''s could be found conducting routine inspections and enforcing travel laws,{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet72}} alongside enforcing the policies and edicts of [[High Charity]].{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}} Their status as an attack ship means that ''Zanar''-pattern ships do not merit a [[shipmaster]]'s chair and associated honors—and they were generally considered unpopular assignments for [[Sangheili]] crews and thus most frequently assigned as vessels for lower-caste species such as the [[Kig-Yar]] and [[Jiralhanae]].{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet72}} Serving aboard a ''Zanar''-pattern cruiser was most often seen as a stepping stone to serving aboard more important ships such as the [[Examiner (ship type)|examiners]], leading to their crews being highly aggressive in combat in order to prove their worth for reassignment to more notable [[capital ship]]s.{{Ref/Book|HWF|Page=64-65}}

During the [[Human-Covenant War]], ''Zanar''s proved themselves surprisingly effective against the [[UNSC Navy]] early in the war, leading to some Covenant commanders reconsidering their status and beginning to add them to their fleets throughout the conflict. These vessels most often served as internal fleet security, or as escorts for larger warships.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}} Despite the lowly status of a ''Zanar''-pattern cruiser, their crews still believed themselves above the "distasteful" assignment of escort of [[executor]]-type ships such as the {{Pattern|Sinaris|heavy destroyer}}. As such, they could rarely be counted on to do little more than basic duties.{{Ref/Book|HWF|Page=60-61}}

[[File:H4 SO S01E10 Palmer watching Covenant fleet.jpg|thumb|250px|''Zanar''-pattern cruisers escorting a ''Maugen''-pattern armored cruiser away from Requiem during the final stages of the Requiem Campaign in 2558.{{Ref/Reuse|Exodus}}]]

''Zanar''-pattern cruisers emerged in the [[Post-Covenant War conflicts|post-war]] era as a particularly common vessel to the [[Covenant remnants|remnant warlords]], due to their versatility and commonality. In many cases, these vessels were picked up and promoted from their policing duties to tools of war. Many ''Zanar''-pattern vessels served as loyal escorts for the [[procurator]]s of the [[San'Shyuum flotilla]] who fled the [[Fall of High Charity]] in [[2552]],{{Ref/Book|HWF|Page=68-69}} while a large stockpile were secured for use by [[Jul 'Mdama]] and [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant|his Covenant]] thanks to their raid of an old imperial stockpile on a moon once orbited by High Charity.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}} Jul's Covenant in particular emphasised the use of ''Zanar''-pattern cruisers for the long-term occupation of [[Requiem]], and were used as escorts for his {{Pattern|Kerel|assault carrier}}s and {{Pattern|Maugen|armored cruiser}}s throughout his campaigns.{{Ref/Reuse|Have S'moa}}

{{Linkbox|gallery=yes}}

 

File:H4-Render-CRS.jpg|Renders of the ''Zanar''-pattern light cruiser for ''[[Halo 4]]''.

File:H4-CRSLightCruiser-ScanRender.png|Alternate extraction of a ''Zanar''-pattern light cruiser.

File:H4-CRSLightCruiser-ScanScreen.jpg|In-game screenshot of a ''Zanar''-pattern light cruiser.

File:H4 campaign dawn.jpeg|''Zanar''-pattern cruisers swarm the remains of the {{UNSCShip|Forward Unto Dawn}}.

File:H4-CovenantRemnant-Cruisers-Fleet.jpg|The [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant|reformed Covenant's]] light cruiser fleet outside of [[Requiem]].

File:H4 ZanarLightCruiser Fleet Screenshot.png|A wider view of the Requiem ''Zanar'' fleet.

File:H4 ZanarLightCruiser Requiem Screenshot 1.png|A closeup shot of one of the light cruisers over Requiem.

File:H4 ZanarLightCruiser Requiem Screenshot 2.png|A closeup shot of one of the light cruisers over Requiem.

File:H4 VerticalUmbrage.jpg|''Panom's Canticle'' over The Refuge.

File:CRS-Corvette size comparison.jpg|Size comparison between the ''Zanar''-pattern cruiser and the {{Pattern|Ceudar|heavy corvette}}.

File:HE19_Fleet_jump.jpg|''Zanar''-pattern light cruisers accompanying the Covenant fleet dispatched to the Absolute Record.

File:HM-CRS.png|''Zanar''-pattern light cruisers attacking the ''Infinity'' during the Battle of Aktis IV in ''[[Halo Mythos]]''.

File:HINF PrismSkyboxBattle 1.png|A [[Swords of Sanghelios]] ''Zanar''-pattern light cruiser being fired upon by a [[Banished]] [[Karve]] during the [[Battle of Suban]] in ''[[Halo Infinite]]''.

File:H5G_FireteamShadow_Compilation.jpg|Fireteam Shadow inside the light cruiser ''Panom's Canticle'' during Operation: VERTICAL UMBRAGE.

*''[[Halo 4]]'' {{1st}}

{{Ref/Sources}}