Falling-Star class Escort-Carrier

"After almost a full 15 years of war with the Covenant we have seen the atrocities committed, colonies glassed, men lost, sacrifices made by sons, daughters, brothers and sisters. I can tell you this war is far from over but I ensure you it will be won one way or another and I intend to see it won dead or alive on THIS ship" 
-Rear Admiral Marcus Santiago, At commissioning of UNSC Khorunzhiy
The UNSC Escort Carrier is a classification of starships within the UNSC Navy. Starting its service in 2536,the Falling Star-class was developed from 2531 to 2535 its manufacturers Sol Shipyard called it a "tide changer" in the war and the first of its breed the UNSC Falling Star was commissioned in winter of 2536 proving to be more than efficient in the Battle of Orion II. The Falling-Star class Escort Carrier was extremely effective in destroying vessels of the Covenant Empire, Commanding large or small battlegroups, putting boots on the ground, and getting sword's out there in a seconds notice as a result of this it lead to the UNSC to commission 9 more vessels over the span of 12 years however due to multiple delays such as Sol Shipyards losing 4 of its smaller shipyards near the Outer Colonies it would take much longer to build these war machines and resulted in the UNSC canceling its order for 9 by 2545, however saying any ship already in production will continue resulting in a total of 5 being built. By 2546 the last ship UNSC Heartland was deployed from Sol Shipyards' Luna shipyard. 
==Armament==
Falling-Star class Escort Carriers are armed with one Cruiser Caliber Mk. IV MAC and one Frigate caliber Mk. II MAC at the bow of the ship as primary armament, a single Cruiser caliber MAC round is able to disable or completely destroy most unshielded Covenant ships, one hit being all that is needed to defeat most ships' present shielding, the downside being the reload time,which is where the second MAC comes into use however it is not as fast or powerful as the Cruiser caliber MAC, it is still very effective against Covenant ships. In addition this relatively small cannon could fire three shots on a single charge if the Cruiser caliber' MAC is disabled. Like many other UNSC vessels the Falling-Star class Escort Carrier sported its fair share of archer missiles. It's total consisting of 60 Archer pods, containing 960 missiles. Its' nuclear payload consisting of 4 V-5 HAVOK Tactical Nukes,the V-5 HAVOK is designed to maximize the thermonuclear yield in the vacuum of space being able to achieve a maximum 30 megaton yield or smaller 15 megaton yield when needed, and 6 Shiva Nuclear Warhead Missiles, large and extremely effective against any covenant vessel. In addition they carry a large quantity of Longsword-class interceptors, as well as numerous Pelican-class dropships, as fits their role as carriers. They also transport contingents of Marines and Orbital Drop Shock Troopers and transport vehicles for the UNSC ground forces.
==Human-Covenant War==
The Falling-Star class Escort Carrier remained with Inner Colony defense for the majority of the war, but saw action in most major engagements during the war but only the major engagements for the most part. The class made its' debut at the Battle of Orion II, and participated in battles all across the Inner colonies however losing three of the five ships of the class by late 2550, in addition in the same year the UNSC Falling Star would be assigned to the Epsilon Eridani Defense Fleet and The Khorunzhiy to the Cura Defense Fleet.
==Layout==
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The designers derived their design from a somewhat conventional layout that slightly differed from the standard UNSC ship designs both internally and externally, like the fact that the outer bulkheads were created in a similar honey-comb pattern seen in allowing them to take a bit of abuse but nothing close to the same amount that a could handle the closer to the interior the more the infrastructure took on a traditional carrier look and design. The bridge of the ship sits in a similar place of a frigate. Her eight main hangar bays (four on each side) are located near the aft section of the ship. Directly above the Hangar Doors were retractable cranes to assist in the transfer of cargo between ships. Inside the ship, the hangars contained numerous refueling, munitions, and maintenance systems needed for the spacecraft and aircraft that it housed. Aside from the eight large bays there are a couple of smaller bays in the rear of the vessel to help prevent and manage any over crowding.
==Size==
UNSC Falling-Star class Escort Carriers are a kilometer and a half long, nearly the length of a Covenant CCS Class Cruiser. This makes them one of the larger ships used by the UNSC Navy. It would also mean the Escort Carrier is larger than the w:c:halo:UNSC Pillar of Autumn and a Marathon-class cruiser. 
==2551 Refit==
The remaining two vessels of the class the Falling Star and the Khorunzhiy were due for an upgrade after 15 years of service and were sent to Reach for a three month overhaul. 
*Upgrade to the class' electronic systems to be more energy efficient 
* Upgrade to Communications and navigation systems 
* Modifications to Reactor increase output by 19%
* New Fire Control Systems and Equipment
==Ships of the Line==
*UNSC Falling Star - Status Destroyed in 2552 at the Fall of Reach.
*UNSC Juggernaut- Status Destroyed in 2548.
*UNSC Winter's Night - Status Destroyed in 2550.
*UNSC Khorunzhiy -Status Active.
*UNSC Heartland-Status Damaged beyond repair, scrapped over Reach in 2549.
Category:Carrier classes
Category:UNSC Ship Classes