Fleet action of 2165

The fleet action of 2165, known otherwise as "The Jovian Action", was the largest and costliest space battle of the Interplanetary Conflict. Jovian Space had been in open rebellion since late 2163 and in preparation for a massive invasion, the United Nations Space Command massed an enormous fleet near Mars in the spring of 2165. Frieden space forces anticipated the UNSC expedition and gathered in considerable strength within Jovian Space. The UNSC deployed its invasion fleet in late July, approaching Jupiter in early August 2165, and was engaged by the assembled Frieden ships in a bid to delay or prevent entirely the UNSC invasion. 
Frieden forces made repeated attacks on the UNSC invasion fleet throughout August, with engagements lasting anywhere from less than a minute to several hours. Despite the tenacity of their attacks and the staggering losses inflicted on UNSC forces, Frieden space forces were unable to turn back the invasion fleet. Frieden losses in ships and personnel were greater than those of the UNSC, and by September 1, all surviving Frieden fleet elements had withdrawn to the relative safety of the Jovian Trojans. 
==Background==
Following the Jovian Crisis of 2160, the Unified Earth Government established sizable military garrisons on the Jovian Moons and the United Nations Space Authority created a standing Jovian Security Flotilla to protect Jovian shipping. These garrisons were maintained throughout the Inner System Crisis, despite significant political pressure to recall them to reinforce UEG armies across Earth, Luna, and Mars. Frieden and Koslovic forces on the Jovian Moons continued to grow at a rapid rate regardless, with considerable resentment towards Earth Government troops. After Nadia Mielke was assassinated in 2163, the tensions again exploded into open violence as Frieden militias resumed attacks on Koslovic communities and organizations. Garrison troops repeatedly interfered in these attacks with considerable success at discouraging and derailing sizable offensives. By the time of the UNSA assault on Mars, the Jovian Moons had leveled out into a quasi-stalemate of limited skirmishing between the Frieden and the Koslovics. Even the declaration of the new United Nations Space Command and their subsequent bloody attack on Frieden naval forces in 2164 did not upset the apparent "quiet" of the Jovian Moons. 
In late September 2164, however, the UNSC began gathering an enormous fleet near Mars. Combined with their colossal ship construction program and massive recruitment drive, it was painfully clear to the public by early October that the fleet would be directed against Jovian Space. Groundside violence began escalating between Koslovics and Friedens throughout the last months of 2164, expanding into renewed open war by February 2165. UEG garrisons were targeted and besieged by both opposing forces, curtailing any real intervention attempts. Frieden forces particularly targeted UEG/UNSC camps and forts with artillery and airstrikes. If the UNSC was coming in force to Jovian Space, the Frieden movement would give them the hardest start possible. Contrary to the hopes of Frieden commanders of discouraging the UNSC Jovian offensive, the UEG rallied public support for the expedition, and denounced both the Koslovic and Frieden movements in Jovian space; the UNSC for its part simply continued its buildup into early July. When the fleet departed Mars, the UNSC Jupiter Expeditionary Fleet number 315 ships, carriers and battleships among them. 
==Order of battle==
===United Nations Space Command===
The UNSC Jupiter Expeditionary Fleet was the largest assembled force of the war. The fleet comprised twenty carriers, three battleships, thirty-six cruisers, and over one-hundred-fifty destroyers and frigates, with a further ninety-five transports and support ships. 
Carriers
The fleet possessed seven heavy carriers: two of the new Endurance-class, four Empress of Mars-class, and the old Prince of the Solar Seas. 
*Endurance-class: UNSC Courageous and UNSC Endurance
*Empress of Mars-class: UNSC Empress of Callisto, UNSC Empress of Europa, UNSC Empress of Ganymede, and UNSC Empress of Io
*UNSC Prince of the Solar Seas
The fleet possessed eight assault carriers: four of the new Fearless-class, two of the Firestorm-class, and both of the large Typhoon-class. 
*Fearless-class: UNSC Dynamic, UNSC Fearless, UNSC Impetuous, and UNSC Shooting Star
*Firestorm-class: UNSC Blaze and UNSC Firestorm
*Typhoon-class: UNSC Tempest and UNSC Typhoon
A further five light carriers rounded out its complement, all of the newly commissioned Spirit-class. Another four Spirit-class and five of the old Celestial Radiance-class light carriers reinforced the fleet throughout August, though none of these new arrivals saw frontline service. 
Battleships
The UNSC possessed only three unique battleships in 2165, and all three accompanied the fleet: the heavy battleships UNSC Ajax and UNSC Deep Tranquility, and the light battleship UNSC Armstrong.
Cruisers
*UNSC Charlemagne, unique super-heavy cruiser
*UNSC Vanguard, unique super-heavy cruiser
*2 Indomitable-class heavy cruisers
*1 Washington-class heavy cruiser
*UNSC Napoleon
*UNSC Lion
*UNSC Saladin
*UNSC Bolivar
*UNSC Swift
*UNSC Yamato
*UnSC Bagration, unique heavy cruiser †
*UNSC Star Dragon
*UnSC Adventurer, unique heavy cruiser †
*UNSC Enterprise
*UNSC Captain
*UNSC Tiger
*UNSC Archimedes
*UNSC Bonaventure
*11 Accordance-class light cruisers
*UNSC Athena
*UNSC Sentinel
*UnSC Eagle, unique light cruiser †
*UNSC Condor
*UNSC Caesar
*UNSC Prosperity
Destroyers
*UNSC Thus Into Darkness
*4 Reprisal-class super-heavy destroyers
*22 Trondheim-class heavy destroyers
*12 Shanghai-class heavy destroyers
*16 Berlin-class heavy destroyers
*19 New York-class heavy destroyers
*6 Bordeaux-class heavy destroyers
*10 Rio de Janeiro-class light destroyers
*32 Alexandria-class light destroyers
*23 Halifax-class light destroyers
===Frieden space forces===
Frieden forces assembled primarily in the Jovian Trojans in an attempt to conceal their strength ahead of the arrival of the UNSC fleet. Frieden forces included battlecruisers, zerstörers, raiding cruisers, and missile ships. 
*7 battlecruisers
*37 zerstörers
*55 raiding cruisers
*645 missile ships
==Battle==
As the UNSC fleet approached the limits of Jovian space, multiple battle groups of Frieden ships moved to intercept and engage the forward destroyer screen.
Throughout August, Frieden units made daily attacks on the forward screen of the UNSC fleet, usually being met with escorts and cruisers. Larger attacks were usually rebuffed with the immense firepower of a battleship, either the Ajax or Deep Tranquility. As well as these daily actions, additional Frieden operations were aimed at reaching UNSC carriers and troopships, but each of these were countered and fought off. 
While casualties were high on both sides, Frieden commanders made special note of the lethality of UNSC battleships, conducting several offensives aimed solely at putting one of them out of action. These attacks proved especially costly for the Frieden with little realized benefit, with the exception of the destruction of the heavy cruiser UNSC Bagration and some minor damage to the light battleship UNSC Armstrong. 
Another unrealized objective for Frieden forces was the hoped for depletion of UNSC anti-ship ammunition. Despite the availability of intelligence to the contrary, Frieden naval command massively underestimated the logistical capabilities of the UNSC, both for the production of space weapons and the rapid transport and resupply of them to frontline units. The scale of this error of judgment was realized in mid-August, and desperate efforts were made to destroy or damage UNSC support ships. This resulted in a stepping up of daily attacks on the invasion fleet and a rapid increase in Frieden losses. The only real success of these desperation attacks was the crippling of the combat support ship UNSC Janissary, which was subsequently withdrawn from service and scrapped. 
Despite Frieden senior commanders concluding the battle was effectively lost on August 28, the last four days of August witnessed a succession of major strikes on the invasion fleet's forward screen. In just those four days, the UNSC lost the cruisers Adventurer and Eagle and thirty-eight destroyers and frigates damaged beyond repair or destroyed outright. But it was Frieden forces that finally broke. In the same four days, two battlecruisers, seven raiding cruisers, a dozen zerstörers, and seventy-three missile ships were lost in battle, a backbreaking loss that compelled Frieden forces to withdraw entirely. 
Frieden space forces would conduct minor attacks on UNSC forces in Jovian Space and in the belt for the rest of the war, but never again with the same overwhelming force. When the UNSC fleet stormed the Jovian Trojans in January 2170, Frieden forces had still not made good on the losses suffered in August 2165. 
====UNSC losses====
The UNSC Navy lost 99 warships during the Fleet Action: 6 carriers, 8 cruisers, 1 aviso, 53 destroyers, 1 frigate, and 30 sloops. More than a hundred others suffered varying damage but were repaired and returned to service. 
*UNSC Empress of Ceres, Empress of Mars-class heavy carrier (destroyed)
*UNSC Solar Princess, Solar Princess-class heavy carrier (destroyed)
*UNSC Solar Sentinel, Solar Princess-class heavy carrier (irreparably damaged)
*UNSC Blaze, Firestorm-class assault carrier (destroyed)
*UNSC Celestial Potency, Celestial Radiance-class light carrier (destroyed)
*UNSC Celestial Power, Celestial Radiance-class light carrier (destroyed)
*UNSC Adventurer, heavy cruiser (irreparably damaged)
*UNSC Bagration, heavy cruiser (destroyed)
*UNSC Washington, heavy cruiser (destroyed)
*UNSC Above and Beyond, Accordance-class light cruiser (destroyed)
*UNSC Answerable to Honor, Accordance-class light cruiser (destroyed)
*UNSC Heart of Courage, Accordance-class light cruiser (irreparably damaged)
*UNSC Resolve, Accordance-class light cruiser (destroyed)
*UNSC Eagle, light cruiser (destroyed)
*UNSC Forward, aviso (destroyed)
*UNSC Repulse, Reprisal-class super-heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Cairo, Shanghai-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Jerusalem, Shanghai-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Mumbai, Shanghai-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Augsburg, Berlin-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Berlin, Berlin-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Leipzig, Berlin-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Stuttgart, Berlin-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Guangxi, New York-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Illinois, New York-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Jalisco, New York-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Leningrad Oblast, New York-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Mazovia, New York-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC New York, New York-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Texas, New York-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Tigray, New York-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Arkhangelsk, Bordeaux-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Barcelona, Bordeaux-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Brno, Bordeaux-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Brussels, Bordeaux-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Cagliari, Bordeaux-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Copenhagen, Bordeaux-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Istanbul, Bordeaux-class heavy destroyer (irreparably damaged)
*UNSC Kagoshima, Bordeaux-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Lisbon, Bordeaux-class heavy destroyer (irreparably damaged)
*UNSC Malang, Bordeaux-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Murmansk, Bordeaux-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Saint Petersburg, Bordeaux-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC St. George, Bordeaux-class heavy destroyer (irreparably damaged)
*UNSC Toulon, Bordeaux-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Volgograd, Bordeaux-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Colossus, heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Mandalay, Alexandria-class light destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Mbuji-Mayi, Alexandria-class light destroyer (irreparably damaged)
*UNSC Oradea, Alexandria-class light destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Thuan An, Alexandria-class light destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Anchorage, Halifax-class light destroyer (crippled and scuttled)
*UNSC Ciudad Victoria, Halifax-class light destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Corpus Christi, Halifax-class light destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Ljubljana, Halifax-class light destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Los Angeles, Halifax-class light destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Mosul, Halifax-class light destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Newark, Halifax-class light destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Ontario, Halifax-class light destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Orlando, Halifax-class light destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Trento, Halifax-class light destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Brasilia, Kyoto-class light destroyer (irreparably damaged)
*UNSC Garmr Citadel, Kyoto-class light destroyer (irreparably damaged)
*UNSC Ogma, Kyoto-class light destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Port Oppenheimer, Kyoto-class light destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Santiago, Kyoto-class light destroyer (destroyed) 
*UNSC Crusader, light destroyer (irreparably damaged)
*UNSC Endeavor, light destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Aurora, heavy frigate (destroyed)
*UNSC Tanager, T-class heavy sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Tercel, T-class heavy sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Thrasher, T-class heavy sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Thrush, T-class heavy sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Torrent-lark, T-class heavy sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Osprey, O-class heavy sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Megapode, M-class heavy sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Merganser, M-class heavy sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Kiwi, K-class heavy sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Hamerkop, H-class heavy sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Harrier, H-class heavy sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Hawk, H-class heavy sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Hoatzin, H-class heavy sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Bronzewing, B-class heavy sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Butcherbird, B-class heavy sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Albatross, A-class heavy sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Blossomcrown, Hummingbird-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Brilliant, Hummingbird-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Fiery Topaz, Hummingbird-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Gilded Sapphirewing, Hummingbird-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Mountain Avocetbill, Hummingbird-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Sheartail, Hummingbird-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Starfrontlet, Hummingbird-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Sunangel, Hummingbird-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Sungem, Hummingbird-class light sloop (irreparably damaged)
*UNSC Thornbill, Hummingbird-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Visorbearer, Hummingbird-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Beaming, Bright-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Blazing, Bright-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Gleaming, Bright-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Absolute, Delightful-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Gallant, Delightful-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Lighthearted, Delightful-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Lionhearted, Delightful-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Plucky, Delightful-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Poised, Delightful-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Potent, Delightful-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Primed, Delightful-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Protective, Delightful-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Sagacious, Delightful-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Spectacular, Delightful-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Splendid, Delightful-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Stupendous, Delightful-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Substantial, Delightful-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Thrilling, Delightful-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Thriving, Delightful-class light sloop (destroyed)
Category:Battles