Phoenix-class colony ship: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 12:02, July 15, 2010

Template:Ratings Template:Ship The Phoenix-class Colony Ship is a ship classification within the United Nations Space Command. The Phoenix-class starship, among others, are often modified into warships such as the UNSC Spirit of Fire, which is a modified Phoenix converted for wartime-use towards the newly encountered Covenant alien alliance. The refitted ships carry vehicles, troops, and supplies as support for ground forces. It also carries the resources necessary to build bases.^[1]

The UNSC Skidbladnir was the Phoenix-class Colony Ship which colonized Harvest^[2].

Function

The ship's bridge.

The Phoenix-class is 2.5 km long^[3], making it one of the largest known UNSC ships in the organization's naval history.

The Phoenix-class ships were designed to transport thousands of colonists from Earth, or one of the other Inner Colonies, as well as terraforming equipment to alter the existing atmosphere and/or biosphere to become compatible with 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, covertly monitoring the colony for trouble for the UNSC.^[2] Whether this was a common fate for colony ships during the colonization of other worlds is unknown.

Once converted, a Phoenix-class ship can become an extremely effective troop transport and orbital support ship, carrying thousands of Marines, significant supplies and equipment, and, if equipped with a Magnetic Accelerator Cannon during conversion, is able to attack ground targets from orbit in support of ground operations. It can also use Pelican and Albatross dropships and Pods to deploy ground forces and establish bases of operation. It is even able to participate in atmosphere to a degree.^[1] However, despite the conversion of the Phoenix-class from a Colony transport ship to a warship, it is still underpowered as far as most warships go; the super-structure of the Spirit of Fire is vulnerable to light pulse laser fire, and despite the addition of armor plating, the outer edges of the hull were ripped away when the ship nearly collided with a Covenant Destroyer of about the same size. The Magnetic Accelerator Cannon can fire multiple times consecutively, but each round is less powerful than the cannons used by other UNSC warships.

These were presumably one of the largest vessels built by the UNSC Navy. However, they were not mainly used for military use, although some were modified for military use like the UNSC Spirit of Fire. Phoenix-class Colony ships were also used for scrap metal when they were greatly disabled or inoperative.

Ships of the Line

UNSC Spirit of Fire -Missing, presumed lost.
UNSC Skidbladnir -Scrapped for materials.

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, 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,^[1] 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^[4].

Gallery

Arcadia colonized by three Phoenix-class colony ships.
Spirit SF room.png

Shaw-Fujikawa drive room of a refit Phoenix-class Colony Ship.
Spirit drop bay bravo.png

Drop Bay Bravo of the Spirit of Fire.
The Spirit of Fire colliding with a Covenant destroyer.
The Spirit faces a Covenant destroyer in the interior of the Shield World.
One of the cryo-chambers on board a Phoenix-class Colony Ship.
The holographic display table on the bridge of a Phoenix-class Colony Ship.
2670110883 f5752efe82.jpg

MAC blast from a Phoenix-class Colony Ship.
Reyes-McLees Shipyard.png

A Phoenix-class colony ship being constructed at Reyes-McLees Shipyards over Mars.

Sources

^ ^a ^b ^c Halo Wars
^ ^a ^b Halo: Contact Harvest, page 183
^ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named HW
^ Ensemble Studios Last Tours

Template:UNSC Ships

[Halo_Wars-1] Halo Wars

[Contact-2] Halo: Contact Harvest, page 183

[HW-3] Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named HW

[4] Ensemble Studios Last Tours

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

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 The Phoenix-class ships were designed to transport thousands of colonists from Earth, or one of the other Inner Colonies, as well as [[terraforming]] equipment to alter the existing atmosphere and/or biosphere to become compatible with 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 [[UNSC Skidbladnir|''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, covertly monitoring the colony for trouble for the UNSC.<ref name="Contact"/> Whether this was a common fate for colony ships during the colonization of other worlds is unknown.
-Once converted, a Phoenix-class ship can become an extremely effective troop transport and orbital support ship, carrying thousands of Marines, significant supplies and equipment, and, if equipped with a [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]] during conversion, is able to attack ground targets from orbit in support of ground operations. It can also use [[D77-TC Pelican|Pelican]] and [[Albatross]] dropships and [[Pod]]s to deploy ground forces and establish bases of operation. It is even able to participate in atmosphere to a degree.<ref name="Halo Wars"/> However, despite the conversion of the Phoenix-class from a Colony transport ship to a warship, it is still underpowered as far as most warships go; the super-structure of the ''Spirit of Fire'' is vulnerable to light pulse laser fire, and despite the addition of armor plating, the outer edges of the hull were ripped away when the ship nearly collided with a [[Covenant Destroyer]] of about the same size. The [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]] can fire multiple times consecutively, but each round is less powerful than the cannons used by other UNSC warships; however, this may simply be because the MAC is only ever seen used against targets on a battlefield and therefore wasn't fired on full power to avoid damaging friendly units.  This is supported by the fact that the cannon appears to do much more damage when deployed against a Covenant stronghold on the level [[Dome of Light]].
+Once converted, a Phoenix-class ship can become an extremely effective troop transport and orbital support ship, carrying thousands of Marines, significant supplies and equipment, and, if equipped with a [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]] during conversion, is able to attack ground targets from orbit in support of ground operations. It can also use [[D77-TC Pelican|Pelican]] and [[Albatross]] dropships and [[Pod]]s to deploy ground forces and establish bases of operation. It is even able to participate in atmosphere to a degree.<ref name="Halo Wars"/> However, despite the conversion of the Phoenix-class from a Colony transport ship to a warship, it is still underpowered as far as most warships go; the super-structure of the ''Spirit of Fire'' is vulnerable to light pulse laser fire, and despite the addition of armor plating, the outer edges of the hull were ripped away when the ship nearly collided with a [[Covenant Destroyer]] of about the same size. The [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]] can fire multiple times consecutively, but each round is less powerful than the cannons used by other UNSC warships.
 These were presumably one of the largest vessels built by the [[UNSC Navy]]. However, they were not mainly used for military use, although some were modified for military use like the [[UNSC Spirit of Fire]]. Phoenix-class Colony ships were also used for scrap metal when they were greatly disabled or inoperative.