User:RelentlessRecusant/Oracle-class Prowler

Oracle-class Prowler

The Hermes-class gunship was a gunship hull classification operated by the UNSC Navy during the Galactic Era. Nimble and well-armed, the Hermes-class gunships were designed as aggressive assault gunships, but in alternative contexts, also played the roles of fleet pickets and reconnaissance scouts.

Specifications
The Hermes-class gunship was the modern iteration of the Mako-class corvette of the Human-Covenant War. At 190 meters in length, the Hermes-class vessels were less than half the size of the Mjöllnir-class destroyers and were also smaller than the Aegis-class frigates, and were the smallest capital ships operated by the UNSC Navy during the Galactic Era.

The predominant asset available to the gunship was its size; a capital ship with an extremely low mass, it was highly agile and maneuverable by capital vessel standards, and was the fastest capital ship ever constructed by the UNSC Navy. This, combined with its low radar cross-section and its forwardly-mounted weapon ports, made it an attractive candidate for an assault vessel; fast and armed, the Hermes-class gunships were designed to penetrate enemy fleet lines, scattering enemy formations and preparing enemy forces for assault by the heavier cousins of the gunships, the Mjöllnir-class destroyers and the Cyclops-class main battle cruisers.

Armed with two Mk. 72 Ship-to-Ship Torpedo Tubes and twenty SSM-42 Crossbow-class Missile Pods, the Hermes-class gunships were relatively lightly armed compared to heavier vessels, but for their size class, the gunships were rakishly armed, designed to focus fire upon specific points against enemy capital ships and induce incapacitating damage. Half a dozen Mk. 16 Flurry-class Close-In Weapon Systems were employed for anti-fighter and anti-missile roles.

Ships of the Line
Hermes-class gunships were named after a number of mythological deities as well as virtues:


 * UNSC Hermes (AG-001)
 * UNSC Melpomène (AG-002)
 * UNSC Calliope (AG-003)
 * UNSC Dauntless (AG-004)
 * UNSC Aurora Borealis (AG-005)

Behind the Scenes

 * The Hermes-class gunship classification was named after Hermes, the messenger of the Gods in Greek mythology; this was because Hermes is gifted with golden winged sandals (talaria) that gifted him to "[fly] as swift as any bird", reflecting the agility of the Hermes-class gunships.