CPV-class heavy destroyer

"Fleetmaster, have you ever wondered about the presence of Destroyers in our fleet? That reason is due to the aggressive nature of some of our best Shipmasters, and their undisciplined rage. They would be assigned to the fringes or shamed, but I see potential. And due to my ability to seek out Zealots for my Ministry, I have come to see them as useful assets, which is why I have left them in my care, lest they are disgraced in another fleet for their ambitions."

- Minister of Fervent Succession explaining his choosing of aggressive Shipmasters for CPV-class Heavy Destroyers with Fleetmaster Oru 'Vanuxee.

The CPV-class Heavy Destroyer is the largest and most powerful known model of used by the. Easy to recognize with it's two wing-like protrusions on the sides, it struck fear into the hearts of marines during many battles. It was designed to pummel it's enemies and destroy, but given it's violent nature was only used by disgraced Shipmasters that were too savage for normal duties. Given this, most spent their time exiled on the fringe, and as such were not seen as commonly during the Human-Covenant War as other known ships. With their reputations tarnished, many Shipmasters could never hope to redeem themselves, and remained stuck with their burden. Although, The Minister of Fervent Succession, charged with employing Zealots, saw the true potential of these ships as assets of power, not signs of digrace, and deployed two vicious Shipmasters to command CPVs in his fleet. These ships often serve as heavy support for fleets, with their powerful weaponry, including many plasma bombardment mortars and an excavation beam. CPVs were many times escorted by smaller CRS-class Light Cruisers, albeit with their tarnished standings, they could only count on the Cruisers to perform their basic duties. To humanity, these ships were seen as nothing but another of the Covenant's powerful ships, exterminating lives for a false path.

Before the Human-Covenant War
Before the Covenant's encounter with humanity, CPV-Class Heavy Destroyers were almost exclusively deployed to the fringes, as exiles for their Shipmasters, and to deal with minor threats not important enough for proper fleets. They had two patterns though, with Sinaris used mainly by disgraced Sangheili Shipmasters, and the more recent Gorgut captained by Jiralhanae that were nuisances to their Sangheili commanders. They were not even deemed fit enough to be grouped in fringe fleets, although two Sinaris-pattern Destroyers were employed by the Minister of Fervent Succession.

Human-Covenant War
During the Human-Covenant War, not many CPV-class Heavy Destroyers were deployed throughout the whole of the conflict. Many were used during the early years, though, with many being used and destroyed as suicidal ships during the, and several fought during the , with the being shot down and destroyed by the. They were also used in, and the survived the battle.

In the later years of the war, they were much rarer, with the Covenant finding no use for them, albeit the Minister of Fervent Succession's Fleet of Raging Dominance used two CPVs until the end of the war. During the Great Schism, many Sangheili Shipmasters of Sinaris-pattern Destroyers felt obligated to help their Sangheili breathren, while the recalled all Gorgut-patterns to help overthrow the Council.

Post-War Era
During the Post-War Era, CPVs became more common, being recognized for their power, not for their disgrace. At the Arbiter's command, the started using Sinaris-patterns in their fleets, with the Shipmasters regaining favor for helping them, while the Jiralhanae utilized all remaining Gorgut-patterns, with  taking many under his control. On the other hand, a rogue Sinaris-pattern Destroyer christened Gauntlet of the Ancients terrorized both Sangheili and Jiralhanae alike, commanded by the young Shipmaster Grono 'Yendam. It was eventually destroyed in orbit over the human backwater, Drawn.