Valiant-class large cruiser

This fanfiction article, Valiant-class large cruiser, was written by Falkeno and Sev40. Please do not edit this fiction without the writers' permission.

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This is a fanon expansion of a canon element. To see the original canon article, follow the link to Halopedia: Valiant-class super-heavy cruiser.

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Valiant-class large cruiser
Class Overview
BUILDERS	Halifax Spacewerx (Designer, original manufacturer.) Reyes-McLees Corporation (Primary manufacturer after 2508.)
OPERATORS	UNSC Navy
CLASS AFTER	Athena-class command cruiser
COST	850 Billion cR (per hull)
IN SERVICE	2493-present
PLANNED	49
COMPLETED	20
CANCELLED	29
Technical Specifications
TYPE	Battlecruiser
LENGTH	1,518 metres (4,980 ft)
WIDTH	373 metres (1,220 ft)
HEIGHT	495 metres (1,625 ft)
MASS	17 million metric tons
PROPULSION DRIVES	2 Boglin Fields' Apex-I 482A fusion drives Secondary Mark-III GENESIS fusion drives
SLIPSPACE DRIVE	Starwerx K8ME SFTE (CODEN-III)
SLIPSPACE VELOCITY	1.9 lightyears/day
POWER PLANT	XM-981 heavy Deuterium fusion reactor
HULL	254 centimetres of Titanium-A1 battleplate
NAVIGATION SYSTEMS	UNA-uplinked navigation computer
ARMAMENT	2 Series-5, heavy coil - 73G1R4/MACs 8 twin M66 Sentry 279mm/36 cal autocannons 50 pods of M58 Archer missiles 24 M810 Helix 35mm/99 cal point defence guns 6 tubes of VE-3 nuclear missiles
EMBARKED	~150 UNSC Marines ~40 ODSTs 4 D77-TC pelicans 4 GA-TL1 Longswords 6 F-41C Broadswords (optional)
COMPLEMENT	1,460 sailors
MINIMUM CREW	67 sailors "Smart" AI
Additional Information
ERA	Insurrection Human-Covenant War
ROLE	Assault Command
[Source]

"We are assembled on the bridge of one of the most experienced ships in the fleet, one which has proven with blood and sacrifice that it can take down multiple Covenant warships before being disabled. Her crew are all veterans in one form or another, each one has more than enough reasons for revenge. Anyone who says that all this is not enough to make a difference is lying and deserves to be thrown out the airlock."

―Vice Admiral Roi Olimpia, on the UNSC Chevalier.

The Valiant-class large cruiser (hull classification symbol: CB/CBC), incorrectly dubbed as a super-heavy cruiser and battleship by many, is the heaviest model of battlecruiser utilised by the United Nations Space Command's Navy during the Human-Covenant War. Introduced as a compromise between a Cruiser and a Battleship, it is equipped with incredible amounts of lighter-tier weapons such as missiles rather than battleship-scale guns. Heavily armed, versatile and capable of engaging a group of opponents at once, they became a favourite of admirals and frequently served as flagships for prestigious fleets.

The Valiant was originally launched in 2493, however, excessive production costs and issues with incorporating its next-generation fusion drives meant that only those currently under construction were allowed to be produced. However, a lack of feasibility would see all Valiant-class cruisers stricken from the UNSC Navy rolls and partially scrapped in 2497; however, they would be saved as the Insurrection rapidly increased in escalation. Augmenting battle groups and task forces, a small but famous handful would be converted into fleet command ships, becoming a favourite of admirals who disliked the larger supercarriers but felt existing command ships were too lightly-armed. They would be deployed above the most well-fortified rebel worlds as well as strongholds of the Colonial Military Administration as the UNSC usurped its authority.

Operational History

Development

The origins for the Valiant-class large cruiser lay in the 2450s, more than three decades before the first ships of the class would even be built. Despite the emerging signs of unrest and political tension that would later bring about the Insurrection, for the most part, human space had settled into a wave of peace, and prosperity. The UNSC, continuing to use stagnating equipment and ships even despite some advances being brought out by the Inner Colony Wars some fifty years before, had expanded their dominion to encompass the Inner Colonies. This was against the whims of the Colonial Military Administration (CMA), who were growing increasingly discontent with the UNSC's efforts to usurp them and took to thoroughly modernising their military to oppose future pushes from their rival. Disregarding this, the UNSC saw no need to update their navy or most of their military forces, believing that they could quickly crush the CMA if push came to shove.

Regardless, the need for a small number of heavily-armed modern ships was a necessity they couldn't afford to ignore. After witnessing the success of their Victoria-class armoured cruiser being undercut by the CMA's newly-adopted Mercury-class light cruiser, they decided to unveil the "Special Prototype, hEavy Assault and Rearmament (SPEAR)" program. This project encouraged the Core's shipwrights to work together to create a heavy capital ship that could beat several smaller cruisers. They requested for cutting-edge technology to be used, with the design still be capable of being upgraded over a century to top-of-the-line specifications. Nominations had to be entered by July 4, 2469; unfortunately, this was pushed back 2472 due to the lack of interest from private entities

The Luna-based Halifax Spacewerx was the first company to endorse the program, and allocated a considerable amount of resources to the upcoming warship's design. Headed by Doctor Samuel Tatiana with assistance from a UNSC liaison, Vice Admiral Shauna Glasgow, the Valiant-class would begin development in 2466. The design's unprecedented complexity to allow it to even fulfil the requirements lengthened the predicted time to completion, thanks to both the incorporation of what were then cutting-edge systems and the superstructural strength. Regardless, the team would be able to rise to the challenge, and after extensive in-house testing, was submitted to the UNSC Department of Naval Procurement in 2472.

In addition to Halifax, two other corporations would also later participate in the program:

• PassiGear Manufacturing Company, who offered a modernised, conventional adaptation of the experimental UNSC Blenheim.
• Aerofabrique SA, which developed a sizable battleship that would later inspire the Vindication-class light battleship.

All three would be put through a lengthy examination period which included simulated computers, which saw the UNSC accepting Aerofabrique's submission for a time. It was selected on the grounds for its firepower and ability to outlast both other submissions. Unfortunately, the entire program would be held in jeopardy when the ruling United Earth Government denied the Navy's proposal for funding the construction for twenty battleships. In addition to Aerofabrique's excessive development costs and the price for even a single one of their warships, a debate ruptured over whenever such heavily-armed were even necessary in the UNSC. In the end, the Navy conceded that while they felt a large combat ship was necessary, a ship as well-armed as supercarriers of the day was not. As a result, they cancelled the previous contract and awarded it to Halifax, with only a dozen large cruisers being ordered. By this time, the company's industrial power had largely waned, and while they did still update the designs to meet the cutting-edge technology of the day, they had to bring in the Reyes-McLees Corporation to help fabricate the ships.

Ships of the Line

Name	Hull Classification Symbol	Commissioned	Destroyed	Notes
UNSC Valiant	CB/CBC-1	Febuary 19, 2493	August 30, 2552	Lead ship of the class, destroyed during the Fall of Reach.
UNSC Terra Firma	CB/CBC-2	May 8, 2493		Flagship of Rear Admiral Jeriah Colt. Participated in the Battle of New Tyre.
UNSC Gog	CB-3	August 27, 2493		Participated in the Battle of Rhododendron. Frequently paired up with its twin sister-ship the UNSC Magog.
UNSC Magog	CB-4	November 3, 2493		Participated in the Battle of Rhododendron. Frequently paired up with its twin sister-ship the UNSC Gog.
UNSC Chevalier	CB/CBC-5	January 28, 2494		Flagship of Vice Admiral Roi Olimpia, participated in the Siege of Sol.
UNSC Kilimanjaro	CB/CBC-6	March 19, 2494	2542	Flagship of Vice Admiral Jean Mawikizi, captained by Captain Ashok Raymond, led Strike Group Killamanjaro during the Fall of Alluvion.
UNSC Everest	CB/CBC-7	June 4, 2494	April 18, 2543	Flagship of Vice Admiral Preston Cole, earned the highest kills for its class, went missing during the Battle of Psi Serpentis.
UNSC Kosciuszko	CB/CBC-8	October 14, 2494
UNSC Caspian	CB/CBC-9	January 4, 2495		Flagship of Admiral Lin Zhi, participated in the Imperial War.
UNSC Elbrus	CB-10	April 18, 2495
UNSC Denali	CB-11	May 21, 2495
UNSC Olympus	CB/CBC-12	June 14, 2495	2535	Flagship of Vice Admiral Tera McBay. Destroyed during the Battle of Scorpion Nebula.
UNSC Terminus	CB/CBC-13	July 19, 2499		Attached to the Epsilon Eridani Fleet.
UNSC Paladin	CB/CBC-14	August 8, 2499		Assigned to Battle Group Eclipse. Badly damaged after the Conflict on Utopia. Decommissioned in 2560.
UNSC Aconcagua	CB/CBC-15	December 3, 2499
UNSC Blood of Kings (ex-UNSC Matterhorn	CB/CBC-16	June 25, 2498		Flagship of Vice Admiral Richard 'Basher' Hooker, completed to a heavily modified design.
UNSC Tempest	CB/CBC-19	April 3rd, 2500	N/A	Flagship of Admiral Ansel Thompson.
UNSC Ben Nevis	CB/CBC-20	November 22nd, 2500		Last ship of class to be completed.
UNSC Vinson Massif	N/A	2502 (projected)		Cancelled and scrapped before being completed.

Gallery

Ship pictures

Different views of the Valiant.

A Valiant leading a small but powerful battle group.

The layout of the Valiant.

A Valiant attacking a Covenant staging area.

The painting Admiral Cole's Last Stand.

The UNSC Terminus and escorts orbiting Reach.

Ship Badges

Badge for the UNSC Valiant, following refit.

Badge for the UNSC Terra Firma, following its refit.

Badge for the UNSC Chevalier, following its refit.

Badge for the UNSC Kilimanjaro, following its refit.

Badge for the UNSC Everest, following its refit.

Badge for the UNSC Kosiuszko, following its refit.

Badge for the UNSC Caspian, following its refit.

Badge for the UNSC Olympus, following its refit.

Badge for the UNSC Terminus, following its refit.

Badge for the UNSC Aconcagua, following its refit.

Badge for the UNSC Blood of Kings, following its refit.

Badge for the UNSC Ben Nevis, following its refit.