Hillsborough-class heavy destroyer (EXverse)

Hillsborough-class heavy destroyer - hull classification symbol: DD - was a destroyer-type class employed by both UNSC Navy and CMA. Built to be the successor of the , it became the backbone of the CMA fleets, having a good firepower and an acceptable armor.
Despite being designed in the midst of a thousand controversies concerning the weakness of CMA against rebel groups, Hillsborough-class became one of the most effective light capital ships ever used by CMA; in addition, with an always lowering budget and the dismantling of CMA's cruisers and carriers fleet, this class became the most powerful ship in CMA's naval arsenal, being feared even by the well-armed United Rebel Front.
As soon as the Great War began, all CMA's assets were transferred to UNSC; differently from other old classes, the Hillsborough wouldn't be upgraded to modern standards, being relegated by the UNSC Navy to be used as patrol ships or as response units against pirates and smugglers; nonetheless many took part against Covenant in defense roles, being tearing apart from overwhelming Covenant firepower. Others, instead, were scrapped, and materials recovered were reused in the war effort. Only six survived the war, and in 2554 were definitively retired, but not scrapped due to the Rise of the Created first, and that of the Banished later, remaining in remote depots.
== History ==
=== The successor of Diligence-class ===
After the start of Insurrection in 2494, CMA found itself having trouble with rebel groups, which stoles several very light ships; these would then used with hit-and-run tactics, using speed to flee beyond Diligences capabilities. As so, CMA's emitted a RFI with precise requests: high speed, long endurance, good firepower and acceptable costs. The newly-estabilished Sinoviet Heavy Machinery, having just obtain the Javelin contract, soon began to design a ship based on the RFI.
To the RFI took part also Aerofabrique SA and Italia Cantieri, as well as Reys-McLees Shipyards. However, these three shipyard companies did not matched the requests, as designs demonstrated that high speeds were surely achivable, but at a high fuel cost. Italia Cantieri proposed then an update model of the Diligence-class, but much more expensive than the latter.
Jin Weiguo took interests in next-generation fusion drives that Hanley-Messer Naval Systems developed for Valiant-class super-heavy cruiser; these had high developing costs and a series of issues that they prevent them to be implemented. Weiguo signed a partnership with Seven Stars Naval Manufacturing in order to modify them and used aboard the future destroyers. In the mean time, CMA modify the RFI after the successful introduction of the Gorgon-class heavy destroyer in the UNSC Navy, which became the first class to be armed with a MAC gun.
The introduction of a heavy destroyer, since then a theorized destroyer-type ship, had a great impact as Weiguo designed a new, heavily armed ship capable of leading small task force. Hillsborough-class was seen with favor also by the UNSC, worried about the rebel's raids and the CMA's inability to stop them. So, CMA awarded Sinoviet eighty-two destroyers in 2496.
=== Insurrection period ===
After UNSC discovered that CMA's was infiltrated by rebel sympathizers in 2497, the Navy decided to commission 381 ships, which became the core of fleet escort. The high speed and good firepower made the class so suitable for ship escort. Frequently, during Insurrection, UNSC Navy deployed small task forces composed by a Valiant cruiser as flagship, four Hillsborough destroyers as escort and at least one Javelin carrier, the latter later replaced by Orion carriers.
By contrast, CMA's initial use foresaw task forces composed of a Punic supercarrier, several Hillsborough destroyers and many Charon frigates; but the always declining budget meant that CMA's was no longer able to employ large ships, as they were carrier and cruisers - in truth CMA never operated many cruisers, as opposed to carriers, preferring smaller and faster destroyers. So, in the 2510s Hillsboroughs became the largest, and most powerful, ships in the CMA's arsenal. Their medium bridge allowed them to operate also as flagship of small task forces, as large fleet were already impracticable for CMA.
The introduction, in 2517, of Halberd-class heavy destroyer meant the end of the Hillsborough-class golden age, as the new class was conceived by Sinoviet as successor not only of Hillsboroughs, but also of Gorgons. However, the Covenant attack eight years later ultimately prevented the Hillsborough-class' scrap, undergoing instead a major refit.
=== Human-Covenant War ===
== Specifications ==
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