Vengeance-class destroyer

The Vengeance-class destroyer was a class of guided missile destroyers that served in the UNSC Navy from 2544 onwards. The Vengeance-class was designed to replace or supplement several classes of destroyers already in UNSC service, most of which were both worn out from exhaustive service and outdated in design. The class incorporated many lessons hard learned by the UNSC during the Human-Covenant War, in which warships thoroughly outmatched Humanity's finest vessels at every encounter. Innovative design features included three full sized fusion reactors, extensive automation to reduce crew requirements, redesigned magnetic accelerator cannons and a significantly expanded armament. The Vengeance-class's design also incorporated some of the more cost-effective 'stealth' measures incorporated by the highly successful , including a reduced RADAR cross-section and low-observable reactor exhaust. The class was an attempt to design, as far as was possible, a UNSC ship class that could engage the Covenant on more favourable terms. Although built in small numbers, the success of these design features heavily influenced the subsequent refit of vessels such as . Twenty five examples of the class were built, of which nine remained active following the Battle of Earth. Production was restarted in 2553, following which it gradually replaced all existing destroyer classes during the Remnant War.
At the time of their introduction, the Vengeance-class was the most advanced space combatant in UNSC service, and provided the backbone of the UNSC Navy's strength during the Remnant War. The class itself was finally retired during the postwar period, but its influential design proved the basis for subsequent designs, such as the Warrior-class destroyer.
==History==
===Design and building===
The Vengeance-class destroyer was designed to address the chronic problem of age amongst serving UNSC destroyers. The UNSC Navy operated a large number of outdated destroyers, the majority of which were worn-out after longer and harder service lives than they were designed for. The Navy's surviving destroyers were worn out after seeing hard use without any significant refit, and only hasty, ad-hoc repair. The Vengeance-class destroyer would supplement or replace existing destroyers wherever possible, reducing the UNSC's maintenance requirements and increasing the fleet's effectiveness in combat against the Covenant. It was envisaged that the Vengeance-class would replace the large number of destroyers or heavy frigates in service, including the Halberd-class destroyer, , and . Replacing a large number of elderly classes would both reduce logistical and technical burden on the UNSC and potentially reduce hull losses to enemy action.
It soon became apparent that the expense of completely replacing the Navy's fleet of destroyers, even staggered over more than a decade, posed too large a challenge both economically and practically for the UNSC. Instead a far smaller number of new Vengeance-class destroyers would be produced to supplement continued production of the cheaper and more numerous Pioneer-class destroyer. The Vengeance-class would provide the UNSC Navy with a high capability space combatant, while the Pioneer-class would provide the bulk of the Navy's destroyer strength. Wherever possible, elderly destroyers would be decommissioned and scrapped as newly built vessels became available. In reality, diminishing shipyard capacity as inner colonies were lost, coupled with unsustainable hull losses in combat against the Covenant, meant that older destroyers were kept in service until they were physically unable to be maintained. Production of the Vengeance-class took place above Barrow between 2540 and 2550, with the first example of the class, UNSC Vengeance, being commissioned on May 16, 2544. Far from the originally planned 190 vessels, the funding and shipyard space allocated allowed for just 25 over ten years to be constructed.
The second, crucial reason for a newly designed, newly built destroyer class was the overwhelming superiority of Covenant Navy warships compared to their UNSC counterparts.
===Human-Covenant War===
===Post-war service===
Post-war, as the UNSC stretched its severely diminished resources between rebuilding its empire and and rebuilding the shattered Defence Force, operable destroyers were kept in service until they were physically unable to be, and ships eventually decommissioned would be cannabalised for parts to keep others running. Production of the Vengeance-class had ceased in 2550, and post-war only nine examples of the class remained in service. Production of the Vengeance-class was restarted in 2553, following which it gradually replaced all existing classes in service as these were retired. The Vengeance-class saw a series of incremental upgrades throughout the remainder of the 26th century, the latter of these, like the Remembrance-class frigate's 2561 refit, featuring Sangheili, Theran and Forerunner-derived technology. The class served with distinction through the postwar period, though towards the beginning of the 27th century was in need of either significant refit or replacement. It was not until 2589, amid ongoing defence spending reductions, that the UNSC began funding development of a new class of destroyer to be designed to replace the elderly Vengeance-class. The class itself was extensively refit from 2594, as the oldest examples of the class were approaching forty years' service. This extended the Vengeance-class destroyer's service an additional twenty years, and staved off the issue of a capability gap, as its replacement, the Warrior-class, was not scheduled to enter service until the mid-2610s.
The Vengeance-class was gradually retired, beginning with the oldest ships, from 2612 onwards, as the new Warrior-class destroyer took its place. The last Vengeance-class, UNSC Victory, was decommissioned in August 2622.
==Design features==
==Armament==
==Known ships of the line==
 Name  	 Hull Classification Symbol 	 Commissioned 	 Notes  			
Built 2543- 2550
The following vessels comprised the class's original production of twenty five vessels. Of these, nine survived to serve in the UNSC Navy post-war.	Built 2543- 2550
The following vessels comprised the class's original production of twenty five vessels. Of these, nine survived to serve in the UNSC Navy post-war.	Built 2543- 2550
The following vessels comprised the class's original production of twenty five vessels. Of these, nine survived to serve in the UNSC Navy post-war.	Built 2543- 2550
The following vessels comprised the class's original production of twenty five vessels. Of these, nine survived to serve in the UNSC Navy post-war. 	Built 2543- 2550
The following vessels comprised the class's original production of twenty five vessels. Of these, nine survived to serve in the UNSC Navy post-war.	Built 2543- 2550
The following vessels comprised the class's original production of twenty five vessels. Of these, nine survived to serve in the UNSC Navy post-war.	Built 2543- 2550
The following vessels comprised the class's original production of twenty five vessels. Of these, nine survived to serve in the UNSC Navy post-war.
UNSC Vengeance 	DDG-521 	16th May, 2544 	First vessel of the Vengeance-class, destroyed at the Battle of Reach 			
UNSC Sheffield 	DDG-522 	19th July 2544 	Fought at Miridem while on trials and not yet commissioned. Later saw action at Tribute; survived the Battle of Earth and participated in Operation: REAR GUARD. 			
 	DDG-523 	2545 	ambushed and destroyed three Covenant cruisers simultaneously during the in a spectacular manoeuvre. Later destroyed. 			
UNSC Final Effort 	DDG-524 	2545 	destroyed during the Fall of Reach 			
UNSC Hope 	DDG-525 	2546 	destroyed 			
UNSC Make My Day 	DDG-526 	2546 	destroyed at the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV 			
UNSC Starlit Sky 	DDG-527 	2546 	Survived the war 			
UNSC Dragon 	DDG-528 	2547 	fought at Adrastos, and Earth; survived the war and participated in Operation: REAR GUARD 			
UNSC Valiant 	DDG-529 	2547 	destroyed at the Battle of Reach 			
UNSC Fateful Journey 	DDG-530 	2547 	destroyed at the Battle of Tribute 			
UNSC From the Dust Returned	DDG-531 	2548 	 			
UNSC Final Charge 	DDG-532 	2548 	destroyed at the Battle of Reach 			
UNSC Courageous 	DDG-533 	2548 	Survived the war 			
UNSC Warsaw 	DDG-534 	March 2549 	survived the Fall of New Carthage in November/December 2549, later fought at the Battle of Earth 			
UNSC Conviction 	DDG-535 	2549 	destroyed at the Battle of Earth 			
UNSC Obliterator 	DDG-536 	2549 	destroyed 			
UNSC Out of the Past 	DDG-537 	2549 	destroyed 			
UNSC The Hammer Falls 	DDG-538 	2550 	destroyed above Mars during the Battle of Sol 			
UNSC Inheritance 	DDG-539 	2550 	destroyed 			
UNSC From the Ruins 	DDG-540 	2550 	destroyed 			
UNSC Payback's a Bitch 	DDG-541 	2550 	destroyed 			
UNSC Full Circle 	DDG-542 	January 2551 	destroyed 			
UNSC Howling Dark 	DDG-543 	March 2551 	destroyed 			
UNSC Destiny's Child 	DDG-544 	July 2551 	stationed in the Sol system and first fought at and survived the Battle of Earth. Subsequently fought in the Remnant War, participating in Operations REAR GUARD and LOOSE END 			
UNSC Selborne 	DDG-545 	August 2551 	Last commissioned vessel of the class during the Human-Covenant War. Stationed in the Sol system, along with Destiny's Child, and first fought at and survived the Battle of Earth. Subsequently fought in the Remnant War, participating in Operations REAR GUARD and LOOSE END			
Built 2553- 2572
The following vessels were constructed between 2553, when further ships were ordered as shipyard capacity became available, and 2572.	Built 2553- 2572
The following vessels were constructed between 2553, when further ships were ordered as shipyard capacity became available, and 2572.	Built 2553- 2572
The following vessels were constructed between 2553, when further ships were ordered as shipyard capacity became available, and 2572.	Built 2553- 2572
The following vessels were constructed between 2553, when further ships were ordered as shipyard capacity became available, and 2572. 	Built 2553- 2572
The following vessels were constructed between 2553, when further ships were ordered as shipyard capacity became available, and 2572.	Built 2553- 2572
The following vessels were constructed between 2553, when further ships were ordered as shipyard capacity became available, and 2572.	Built 2553- 2572
The following vessels were constructed between 2553, when further ships were ordered as shipyard capacity became available, and 2572.
UNSC Daring 	DDG-691 	March 17, 2559 	 			
UNSC Victory 	DDG-1170 	March 17, 2572 	Last Vengeance-class destroyer in service, decommissioned August 2622 and scrapped the following May 			
Category:Destroyer classes
Category:UNSC
Category:UNSC Ship Classes