Halcyon-class light cruiser Production information Manufacturer Reyes-McLees Shipyards Model Halcyon Class Light cruiser Technical specifications Length 1,170 metres (3,800 ft)[1] Width 352 metres (1,150 ft)[1] Height/depth 414 metres (1,360 ft) Engine unit(s) Primary fusion drives (2) Secondary fusion drives (4) Slipspace Drive Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine Power plant Mk. II Deuterium fusion reactors Shielding None Hull Titanium-A armor Resistant to around 5 Plasma Torpedoes Sensor systems Radar Spectroscopes Targeting systems Equipped Navigation system AI or NAV computer Countermeasures Emergency thrusters Armament 1 Magnetic Accelerator Cannon 4 Shiva-class Nuclear Missiles 6 Archer missile pods 6 Twin 50mm point defense gun turrets Usage Role(s) Naval Engagements Troop Carrier Supply Carrier Escort Era(s) Insurrection Human-Covenant war Post-war era Affiliation United Nations Space Command

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"A dozen Covenant superior battleships against a single Halcyon-class cruiser. Given those odds, I'm content with three… make that four kills."

— Cortana during the Battle of Installation 04

The Halcyon-class light cruiser (Pronounced 'hal-see-on') (known as Human Attack Ship class C-II^[2] by the Covenant) was a United Nations Space Command cruiser starship classification designed by Dr. Robert McLees in 2510, with a Hull classification symbol of SCS. Their service lives were short due to a unique hull design that was costly both to construct and to maintain, lack of speed, poor armament, and concerns about their tactical viability. They were subsequently replaced by the Marathon-class heavy cruiser. Despite the inherent disadvantages of the design, if upgraded appropriately and handled well, they could be among the most effective, and likely the most expensive, ships in the UNSC Navy.

BackgroundEdit

At 1.17 (a reference to the number 117) kilometers in length and one-third the tonnage of the succeeding Marathon-class cruiser, the Halcyons were the smallest of vessels to be designated and structured as cruisers. Compared to later ships, the original Halcyons were sorely underpowered and under gunned. Their Mark II fusion engines provided but a tenth of the output of modern reactors and their armament consisted of a mere six Archer Missile pods and a single MAC gun. According to Cortana they were somewhat of a joke within the fleet. However, with the right upgrades, a Halcyon-class cruiser can be a formidable foe. During the Fall of Reach, the upgraded UNSC Pillar of Autumn' was able to put up a tremendous fight, taking on everything from Covenant frigates to a Covenant carrier and even the Covenant supercruiser, and emerging victorious. In the case of the supercrusier, that was a ship no one had tried to take on and even the Super MACs had failed in destroying, but the Pillar of Autumn was able to destroy, abiet using a lot of ammo just to drop the supercrusier's shields twice and after taking severe damage from two hits from the supercruiser's main weapon which had destroyed ships more powerful than the Pillar of Autumn.

The most noteworthy design feature was a series of internal cross bracings and honeycombs that made the ships surprisingly resistant to battle damage; ships of the class were able to remain operational despite sustaining breaches to all compartments and losing 90% of their armor.^[3] The durability of the design was demonstrated by the UNSC Pillar of Autumn when she survived a crash-landing on Installation 04 after taking a tremendous beating at Reach and over the ring. However, while the cruiser was intact, it was damaged beyond repair and could never fly again, although some systems were still online such as the fusion core, the engines, and the self-destruct.^[4] Another example of the ship's durability was during the Fall of Reach when the ship took on the Covenant supercruiser and took two hits from the ship's main weapon (one of which severely damaged the reactors) and kept going, eventually destroying the supercruiser when just one shot from that ship was able to take out newer and more powerful warships such as a UNSC carrier.

When the Human-Covenant war erupted in 2525 a number of Halcyon-class cruisers were reactivated from storage and refitted.

Around 2557 multiple Halcyon-class cruisers served as escort's for the Infinity, all refitted with Pillar of Autumn style upgrades and most likely energy shielding.

LayoutEdit

Halcyon-class cruisers are composed of five hexagonal sections mounted onto each other. The bridge is slung underneath one of the forward sections and eight docking bays are distributed throughout the ship. There are also slots for eighteen lifepods on the ships' hull. Because of the low number, these were likely used only as a last resort if Pelicans or other modes of transportation were not available. Lastly, the MAC cannon is visible as a bump on the bow. The speculation that the gun is somewhere else on the ship is proved false in the cut scene at the beginning of the mission, The Maw, where the camera circles the ship, showing the obvious barrel in the 'bump'.

Corridors on the Halcyon-class were segmented by several retractable containment bulkheads. In the event of an emergency, these bulkheads could be closed and affected sections sealed from the remainder of the ship. A potential application of this was during a hostile boarding action, whereas the atmosphere in the sealed sections could be vented via commands from the bridge, asphyxiating enemy troops.

Armories were located throughout the ship, holding a selection of weapons and their requisite ammunition. Eight docking bays allowed a number of Pelican dropships, Longsword Interceptors, Warthogs and Scorpion Tanks to be carried.^[5]

A number of service corridors ran the length of the ship. Workers go in and out of the corridors, as seen in Halo: Combat Evolved. Although normally restricted to personnel, they could be accessed by lifts in main engineering or connecting passageways from the docking bays. If necessary, these expansive corridors could permit passage to Warthogs and some sections were large enough to accept Pelicans. The corridors served a secondary purpose of lessening the ship's considerable mass, thereby increasing acceleration.

SpecificationsEdit

ArmamentEdit

Known elements of the Halcyon-classes' original armament consisted of the following;

• One MAC Cannon
• Six Archer Missile Pods which were far below standards at the time. Each pod would have contained several individual missiles.
• Four Shiva Nuclear Warheads
• Numerous 50mm point defense guns

With the outbreak of the Human-Covenant war, Halcyon-class ships were put through extensive refits. At least one ship, the Pillar of Autumn, had the following armament:

• One upgraded MAC Cannon capable of firing 3 rounds in quick succession
• 300 Archer Missile Pods which were arranged in thirty columns and ten rows. Each pod contained 26 individual devices, equaling 7800 missiles.^[6]
• Four Shiva Nuclear Warheads. One of these missiles was disguised as a Longsword fighter, which could be remote controlled.
• Forty 50mm MLA Auto-cannons with overlapping fields of fire for point defense against single ships.

PowerplantEdit

Sublight thrust is provided by nuclear fusion reactions which are channeled to six adjacent exhausts at the ship's exterior stern. There are six exhausts visible, two large and four small (though in Halo: Reach there are fourteen exhausts, two large and twelve small). These engines are likely powered by deuterium-deuterium reactions. The main engine core consists of several underpowered Mark II reactors which provided 10% of modern engine output. The class was also equipped with a standard and typical Slipspace drive for translight speeds. On the refit ships, the reactor system was one of the aspects which was heavily retrofitted.

Ships of the lineEdit

• UNSC Pillar of Autumn- After refitting, it was selected for the mission to capture a Prophet due to its new resilience and firepower. Destroyed by John-117 in Battle of Installation 04 in order to destroy Halo by causing a reaction in the engines.
• UNSC Dawn Under Heaven
• UNSC Constantinople
• Numerous Halcyon-class light cruisers were part of Admiral Preston Cole's fleet.
• A number of Halcyon-class light cruisers were part of the escort fleet for the UNSC Infinity.
  • UNSC Song of the East

GalleryEdit

Profile view of the Halcyon-class Light Cruiser.

The UNSC Pillar of Autumn.

A vertical cross-section of a Halcyon-class ship, showing the honeycombed internal layout.

An overlay of the Pillar of Autumn and its MAC.

A docking bay.

A typical internal corridor.

An armory.

A Halcyon-class using its 50mm PDG against Covenant boarding craft.

Halcyon cruisers sitting in a decommissioning yard on Reach.

A Halcyon Class cruiser on the surface of Reach.

Another view of a Halcyon class cruiser on Reach.

A Halcyon's size compared to that of a CCS.

Several scrapped Halcyons in the Aszod ship breaking yards.

The exterior of a Halcyon's bridge.

Diagram of the Halcyon

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TriviaEdit

• Halcyon is derived from the Greek word Alcyone, which means golden or marked by peace and prosperity.
• Halcyon also a tropical kingfisher of the genus Halcyon, such as the Sacred Kingfisher Halcyon sancta of Australia.
• Scrapped hulls and frames of several Halcyon-class cruisers can be seen on the Halo: Reach multiplayer map, Boneyard, as well as the campaign level Pillar of Autumn.
• Halcyon cruisers may or may not be rated for atmospheric deployment; in Halo: Reach, the Autumn was shown to be docked on the planet's surface, but it required the assistance of several small tugboat-like rockets in order to achieve liftoff.
• The ship is 1170 meters long, which is most likely in reference to John-117's Spartan tag.
• Halcyon cruisers also appear to be quite maneuverable as in the Fall of Reach, Cortana rolls the ship UNSC Pillar of Autumn around to get the majority of the point defense guns to fire on the Seraphs.
• In Halo: Reach, during the mission "The Pillar of Autumn", the ending cutscene depicts the Halcyon-class cruiser Pillar of Autumn leaving Reach via eight atmospheric rocket pods. However, in the book Halo: The Flood (William C. Dietz, page 40), the book mentions that the Halcyon cruiser's tonnage is not suitable for planetary use, as the Autumn was built in a zero-gravity environment.
• In the Halo 4: A Hero Awakens trailer six Halcyons are seen escorting the UNSC Infinity.^[7]
• In the last scene of the live action series Halo 4: Forward unto Dawn a total of 13 Halcyon-class cruisers are seen escorting the UNSC Infinity.
• It is assumed that most, if not all, of the remaining Halcyon-class light cruisers were given the same modifications that the Pillar of Autumn had before its destruction, because they are still in use by the UNSC.

List of appearancesEdit

• Halo: Combat Evolved (First appearance)
• Halo 2
• Halo: Reach
• Halo: The Fall of Reach
• Halo: The Flood
• Halo Wars
• Halo Legends
  • Origins
  • Odd One Out (Non-canon appearance)
• Halo 4
• Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn

SourcesEdit