Kerel-pattern assault carrier
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Template:Ship The Assault Carrier, also known as the Covenant Capital Ship[1], is a heavy warship classification within the Covenant Fleet. The Assault Carrier easily dwarfs the UNSC Marathon-class Cruiser.
Function
From details in Halo 2 and 3 the ship seems primarily designed as a planetary assault ship, with enough shielding and firepower to break through enemy defences then disengorge forces from its mammoth launch bays and can remain in the same place within a planetary atmosphere.
Background
The Covenant Assault Carriers are massive Covenant spacecraft capable of massive destruction. They are armed with energy beam projectors and their gravity lifts can also be used as a planetary siege weapon. Two of these craft, one commanded by the High Prophet of Regret, attacked Earth in October of 2552.
They are larger than CCS-class Battlecruisers, with three primary bulbous sections as opposed to the two on a CCS-class.
Armament
Because of their mammoth bulk, they are believed to be heavily armed. It is known that they are possibly armed with at least one energy projector, (As in Halo: First Strike a Spartan mentioned "Energy Projectors, only the big ships have them."), one or more pulse lasers (an Assault Carrier disabled a UNSC Marathon-class Cruiser over Earth before being itself destroyed by the Master Chief) and a unknown amount of Plasma Torpedoes, one of which is on the nose.
Assault Carriers are also armed with a unique gravity lift able to makeshift as a weapon. Interestingly this gravity lift is speculated to reverse itself and adjust its reversed power to full strength causing it to decimate any object in it's path (This is also what obliterated Regret's temporary temple). However, their assets would most probably lie in their starfighter and troop compliments, as per their classification as carriers. It is known that they possess Seraph singleships, Banshees, Spirits, Phantoms, and even Drop Pods, along with legions of Grunts, Brutes, Jackals, Drones, Elites, Hunters, Ghosts, Spectres, Wraiths, Shadows, and other ground units.
Characteristics
Assault Carriers, like the vast majority of other Covenant ships, are characterized by their bulbous silhouette. However they also tend to be characterized by their unique swollen and bulbous "hook" shaped nose that is similar to that of the head of a whale.
As a dedicated carrier ship, the ship's docking/launch bays are significantly larger than the smaller CCS-class ships. The assault carrier contains at least one bay that is capable of comfortably holding a UNSC Frigate within, with enough room left over for smaller ships to fly through.
They also appear to have a slightly exposed deuterium/tritium fusion reactor (The slit opening that continuously emanates a unique deep violet glow). Assault carriers seem to possess three rather large engines directly beneath the tail of the ship which would be necessary to propel such a massive ship through space or a planetary atmosphere.
Known Carriers
Appearances
- There were two Assault Carriers in the First Battle of Earth - one was the Prophet of Regret's personal starship (which may or may not have been the Pious Inquisitor, and the other was destroyed by SPARTAN-117
- In the Halo 3 preview, the only Covenant capital ships present in the "excavation force" at the site of the Forerunner artifact appear to be Assault Carriers. This is most likely due to the importance of the holy site to the Covenant.
- Assault Carriers appear several times in Halo 3. The first carrier is shown holding position above the Ark excavation site during the levels Tsavo Highway and The Storm. The Elite fleet that arrives at Earth during Floodgate is led by the carrier Shadow of Intent, which later engages a Covenant Loyalist Fleet above the Ark containing at least 2 Assault carriers.
Images
- Covenant Assault Carrier FanArt.jpg
An Assault Carrier entering slipspace
The Prophet of Regret's own Assault Carrier hangs ominously in the clouds over New Mombasa.
Numerous Assault Carriers are seen above the skies around the portal to the Ark in the Halo 3 Announcement Trailer.
Sources
- ^ Halo 2, Cairo Station (Level) opening cutscene
