UNSC destroyer: Difference between revisions

*8x 50mm Point-Defense Autocannons (Dual-Barreled)

The '''Destroyer''' is a warship classification in the [[UNSC]] [[UNSC Navy|Navy]]. Fast, maneuverable, and designed for long-endurance, destroyers were intended to escort larger vessels, such as the [[Marathon-class Cruiser|''Marathon'']]- and [[Halcyon-class Cruiser|''Halcyon''-class]] cruisers.

Although some vessels of this classification are only seven meters longer than a [[UNSC Frigate]], they are almost double the mass. Unlike most ships in the fleet, destroyers carry no single-ship ([[Longsword]] or [[Shortsword]]) fighters; their large mass comes rather from the one and a half to two meters of [[Titanium A armor]] battle plate covering the ship. [[Catherine Elizabeth Halsey|Dr. Catherine Halsey]] once stated that Destroyers are essentially the same as Frigates except for this additional armor.<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', page 207</ref>

The Destroyer's armament comes in the form of two [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]]s, twenty-six oversized [[Archer Missile]] pods, and three [[Shiva-class Nuclear Missile]]s. For defense against [[starfighter]]s, the Destroyer carries eight point-defense autocannons.<ref name="class"/>

In 2497, the [[Gorgon-class Destroyer|Gorgon-class]] was introduced into service, what was then a Heavy Destroyer class with a single MAC.<ref>'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''' - ''The Impossible Life and Possible Death of Preston J. Cole.''</ref>

Later ships classed would include two MAC's as they became standard armament on UNSC warships.

These warships were used to put down the [[Eridanus Rebels]] during [[Operation: TREBUCHET]], with the loss of several vessels. The destroyer [[UNSC Heracles|''Heracles'']] was the command ship of [[Battlegroup D]] during the disastrous [[First Battle of Harvest|first contact]] with the [[Covenant]].<ref name="class"/><ref>'''[[Halo Wars: Genesis]]'''</ref>

During the [[Human-Covenant War]], Destroyers were looked down upon by many in the Navy. The Destroyer class was initially considered too ineffective against the superior Covenant ships, but in reality, it could receive and dish out a considerable amount of damage for its size, and in groups could prove a match for the larger [[CCS-class Battlecruisers]] used by the Covenant. Senior Naval Commanders estimated that, on average, seven UNSC Destroyers were generally a match for four [[Covenant Frigate]]s. As a result, many were destroyed in the war.<ref name="class"/>

[[Jacob Keyes]] commanded a destroyer, the [[UNSC Iroquois|UNSC ''Iroquois'']] during a [[Battle of Sigma Octanus IV|short skirmish]] over [[Sigma Octanus IV]], where he devised the [[Keyes Loop]] as an act of desperation. The ''Iroquois'' managed to single-handedly destroy two Covenant Frigates and a [[Covenant Destroyer]].<ref name="class"/>

*In the first pages of ''[[Halo Wars: Genesis]]'', a picture of a UNSC Destroyer leaving slipspace is shown, this being the first canon appearance of a UNSC Destroyer. It was previously only described in the novels. After this, different incarnations of the UNSC destroyer have appeared in ''[[The Babysitter]]'' and the animated version of ''[[Midnight in the Heart of Midlothian]]''. This could simply be two different classes of Destroyers or the ones in the Babysitter and Midnight on the Heart of Midlothian could be upgraded versions.

File:Legends ship 1.png|An [[Unnamed Destroyer (The Babysitter)|Unnamed Destroyer]].

File:Heart of the Midlothian Schematic.jpg|A schematic of the {{UNSCShip|Heart of Midlothian}}.