Silent Service-class corvette

The Silent Service-class light prowlers served the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) from 2296 to 2428. The class was originally ordered in the 2270s, but budgetary disputes between the UNSC and the Unified Earth Government delayed actual authorization until 2290. Agreed upon in the Naval Compromise of 2290, the Silent Service prowlers finally began entering service in 2296. The class was supported by four Silent Safeguard-class prowler tenders, with the addition of the prowler tender Silent Chorus in 2325. 
The Silent Service-class remained within the Sol system for the duration of their service. A heavily modified member of the class, the Silent Sovereign was fitted with an experimental Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine, but only ever conducted short jumps within the boundaries of the system. The prowler class introduced the tradition of theme-named flights, with the subsequent Blackfin-class eventually including the fourteen-prowler Silent Flight. 
==History==
===Development===
Interest in stealthy reconnaissance spaceships predated the Interplanetary War by more than fifty years. Despite early interest, no proper stealthy spacecraft were developed before or during the War, save the prototypal scout ship Katana and the small angular cruiser Vigilance. Neither vessel could adequately disguise itself from enemy detection and stealth technology was seen as a superfluous expenditure of resources during the war. Following the end of the War in March 2170 and the founding of the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) in 2178, a new effort at developing stealthy reconnaissance ships was initiated in 2179. The stealth program was centered on the research ship Laconia and steadily grew into a small flotilla; the program ran from 2179 to 2337, ultimately producing real results in 2259 with the research vessel Prowler. The name became synonymous with the role and technology. 
In 2266, the Office of Naval Intelligence commissioned its first prowler: the Vault of Midnight. The Vault of Midnight was based on a heavily modified and shortened Scimitar-class heavy corvette hull. The new prowler was vigorously tested and its capabilities were demonstrated for NAVCOM officers in 2278. The Admiralty, suitably impressed with the prowler's capabilities, sought to build an entire class of such ships as early as 2281. Due to the ongoing budget dispute between HIGHCOM and the Unified Earth Government, the class went unapproved for almost a decade until the Naval Compromise of 2290 finally made funding available for an upgraded design. 
===Operational service===
===Retirement===
==Ships in class==
Prowler 	Commission	Struck	Details
Silent Service 	2296 	2361 	The UNSC Silent Service was commissioned in 2296 and was decommissioned in 2361.
Silent Sentinel 	2296 	2363 	The UNSC Silent Sentinel was commissioned in 2296 and was decommissioned in 2363.
Silent Swordsman 	2297 	2366 	The UNSC Silent Swordsman was commissioned in 2297 and was decommissioned in 2366.
Silent Soldier 	2297 	2365 	The UNSC Silent Soldier was commissioned in 2297 and was decommissioned in 2365.
Silent Scout 	2298 	2370 	The UNSC Silent Scout was commissioned in 2298 and was decommissioned in 2370.
Silent Spy 	2299 	2370 	The UNSC Silent Spy was commissioned in 2299 and was decommissioned in 2370.
Silent Storm 	2303 	2375 	The UNSC Silent Storm was commissioned in 2303 and was decommissioned in 2375.
Silent Surprise 	2304 	2377 	The UNSC Silent Surprise was commissioned in 2304 and was decommissioned in 2377.
Silent Spirit 	2306 	2376 	The UNSC Silent Spirit was commissioned in 2306 and was decommissioned in 2376.
Silent Serpent 	2306 	2382 	The UNSC Silent Serpent was commissioned in 2306 and was decommissioned in 2382.
Silent Seraph 	2307 	2391 	The UNSC Silent Seraph was commissioned in 2307 and was decommissioned in 2391.
Silent Salamander	2308 	2385 	The UNSC Silent Salamander was commissioned in 2308 and was decommissioned in 2385.
Silent Sphinx 	2308 	2386 	The UNSC Silent Sphinx was commissioned in 2308 and was decommissioned in 2386.
Silent Scorpion 	2309 	2390 	The UNSC Silent Scorpion was commissioned in 2309 and was decommissioned in 2390.
Silent Shadow 	2325 	2408 	The UNSC Silent Shadow was commissioned in 2325 and was decommissioned in 2408.
Silent Scream 	2325 	2407 	The UNSC Silent Scream was commissioned in 2325 and was decommissioned in 2407.
Silent Shade 	2326 	2408 	The UNSC Silent Shade was commissioned in 2326 and was decommissioned in 2408.
Silent Sovereign 	2332 	2428 	The UNSC Silent Sovereign was commissioned in 2332 and was decommissioned in 2428.
==Service==
===UNSC Silent Sovereign===
UNSC Silent Sovereign was commissioned in 2332. The prowler underwent significant modifications to its design during its construction, and entered service and an experimental Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine installed aboard. Silent Sovereign conducted a number of highly classified in-system slipspace jumps during the latter half of the 2300s. The Prowler Corps debated sending the Silent Sovereign with reaction forces during the Inner Colony Wars, but ultimately decided against doing so and the prowler remained in the Sol System. Silent Sovereign was the last interplanetary prowler in service after the Wars, and was ultimately decommissioned and scrapped in 2428. 
Category:Corvette classes
Category:Prowler classes