Terrence Hood, 23rd Viscount Hood

Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood, 23rd Viscount Hood, Order of the British Empire|OBE, KB, VC, was a British-born UNSC Navy Flag Officer, and the de facto leader of the UNSC during the First Great War.

Born into a prosperous aristocratic family that could trace its ancestry back to the Napoleonic Wars, Hood joined the UNSC Navy at age twenty, after dropping out of the University of Cambridge, much to the chagrin of his father, who wanted him to persue a career in economics. After completing basic training with distinction, Hood served aboard the UNSC Lance Held High for five years before she was destroyed at the First Battle of Harvest. Lieutenant Hood risked his life to pull ten stranded ratings out of the MAC storage room, and after the bridge was destroyed, was the most senior officer aboard and the last man to abandon the vessel. For this show of bravery he was awarded the UNSC Medal of Honour by Preston J. Cole and the Victoria Cross by Queen Victoria III of the United Kingdom. He rose rapidly through the ranks and served with leading naval commanders of the period before obtaining his own command in 2533. He developed a reputation in the service through his personal valour and firm grasp of tactics, as well as an ability to inspire courage and purpose in his men.

Hood distinguished himself commanding the UNSC Nelson during the latter half of Cole's Outer Colonies Campaign, and in the process, was decorated numerous times and lost his left eye, which was replaced by a prosthetic. Promoted to Rear Admiral, Lower Half, he led a Task Group at the Battle of Psi Serpentis, where Cole was killed, and lost his right arm. Kept off the front lines to recover, Hood rose to the rank of Fleet Admiral and was appointed Chairman of the UNSC Security Committee, effectively the leader of the entire United Nations Space Command. He successfully led the [[w:c:halo:Battle of Earth|defence of Earth against the Covenant in 2552, and oversaw the transition of the UNSC back to civilian government after the end of the First Great War. He refused the option of serving as Secretary of Defence under Secretary-General Pierre Plantard, instead serving as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff throughout the War of Vengeance until his death in 2560 in Operation Tartarus. He was accorded a state funeral by the UNSC.

Hood was noted for his ability to inspire and bring out the best in his men, something akin to the 'Nelson touch'. His grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics produced a number of decisive victories. Some aspects of his behaviour were controversial during his lifetime and after: his actions during the Outer Colonies Campaign resulted in allegations of excessive brutality. Hood could at times be vain, insecure and overly anxious for recognition, but he was also zealous, patriotic and dutiful, as well as courageous. He was wounded several times in combat, losing one arm and the sight in one eye. His death at Middengeard secured his position as one of Humanity's most heroic figures, and he is still considered to stand among such military figures as Nelson, Wellington, Nimitz, Cole, and John-117.

Behind the Scenes

 * Hood's depiction in this article is mostly based on the life and naval career of the British naval officer Horatio Nelson. Of particular note are his numerous wounds, and his inspired command style, which were both based on Nelson. However, the two do not share similar fates - Nelson died in his most famous victory, the Battle of Trafalgar, while Hood was assassinated by the Blood Covenant during the War of Vengeance. Though there was a battle, Hood had little to do with its execution. Despite Nelson and Hood's similarities, the image in this article is in fact of Chester Nimitz, United States Navy.


 * Hood's title of Viscount Hood is an attempt to reconcile the various conflicting titles awarded to Hood throughout the Halo series. For this article, Hood was a member of the Order of the Garter, and is therefore known as "Sir Terrence Hood". After the death of his father just after the Battle of Reach, he inherited the title of Viscount Hood, and so it would not be unreasonable to assume that he would be (inaccurately) referred to as "Lord Hood".