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This fanfiction article, UNSC Warsaw (DDG-534), was written by StoneGhost. Please do not edit this fiction without the writer's permission. |
- "Spacing rebels since 2548."
- ―unofficial ship's motto
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UNSC Warsaw (DDG-534) was a Vengeance-class destroyer in service with the UNSC Navy during the Human-Covenant War. Warsaw was commissioned in March 2549, and was immediately assigned to the UNSC 6th Fleet. Warsaw first saw combat at the Fall of New Carthage in November- December 2549, and survived the battle with minor damage to her hull. On September 12, 2552, Warsaw, along with Dragon, escorted the severely damaged UNSC Resurgence to Earth from the edge of the Sol system, being required to tow her most of the way. Later, Warsaw fought at the Battle of Earth, and was one of nine vessels of the class to survive the war. She was the fifth ship, and the third destroyer, to carry the name of Warsaw, the capital and largest city of Poland.
Operational history[]
Construction[]
- Main article: Vengeance-class destroyer
Warsaw was the fourteenth vessel of the Vengeance-class to be commissioned, a class which was designed to address the chronic problem of age amongst serving UNSC destroyers. The UNSC Navy operated a large number of outdated destroyers, the majority of which were worn-out after longer and harder service lives than they were designed for. The Navy's surviving destroyers had seeing hard use without any significant refit, and only hasty, ad-hoc repair. The Vengeance-class destroyer would supplement or replace existing destroyers wherever possible, reducing the UNSC's maintenance requirements and increasing the fleet's effectiveness in combat against the Covenant. Replacing a large number of elderly classes would both reduce logistical and technical burden on the UNSC and potentially reduce hull losses to enemy action. It soon became apparent that the expense of completely replacing the Navy's fleet of destroyers, even staggered over more than a decade, posed too large a challenge both economically and practically for the UNSC. Instead a far smaller number of new Vengeance-class destroyers would be produced to supplement continued production of the cheaper and more numerous Halberd-class destroyer. Production of the Vengeance-class took place above Barrow between 2540 and 2550, with the first example of the class, UNSC Vengeance, being commissioned on May 16, 2544. Far from the originally planned 190 vessels, the funding and shipyard space allocated allowed for just 25 over ten years to be constructed.
Construction began on the hull to be named UNSC Warsaw in October 2547, in a construction dock specifically adapted for vessels of the class. Much of the construction was carried out on the world's surface, with orbital elevators carrying components to the dock. Construction of the ship's hull was carried out in blocks, which were then assembled in orbit. Construction had been completed by June 2548, following which the ship was fully manned and commenced space trials. Warsaw was commissioned into the UNSC Navy in March 2549.
Attempted theft[]
Warsaw's construction was not entirely without incident. On May 31, 2548, as she neared completion, three civilian transports laden with URF irregular infantry docked with the almost-complete destroyer. The insurrectionists, in the form of the Eridanus rebels, had experienced the capabilities of the Vengeance-class first-hand when, in July 2547, they attempted to capture UNSC Sheffield. Having previously been caught thoroughly unaware by the as yet-unseen class, this time they intended to capture a ship of the class while still under construction. Modern, powerful and, crucially for the manpower-short rebels, lean manned, capturing just one Vengeance-class destroyer would have boosted the URF's combatant tonnage by a fifth. Having gathered detailed information on the UNSC Navy's force deployments and patrol routes, the rebel strike force evaded interception and reached the dockyards undetected, disgorging troops at 0516. After a brief firefight, the rebels' surprise and concentration of firepower overwhelmed the small Marine contingent, killing thirty and incapacitating fifteen more. The alarm was immediately raised but, at 0539, under rebel control, Warsaw powered up her engines and accelerated out of dock.
Warsaw's shipboard AI, Elias, who had been installed by chance just three days earlier, was activated by the engagement of thrust, and immediately indicated her presence to the responding UNSC warships. In doing so she stood down the six vessels holding MAC firing solutions on Warsaw, saving the vessel from certain destruction. Elias then locked all bulkhead doors open, and opened all external hatches and airlocks, killing all ninety rebels by asphyxiation or outright ejection into space. The only exception was the seniormost onboard, Captain Piotr Starowolski, whom she had identified and locked in the lavatory he occupied. The AI then reversed course and, at 0614, brought Warsaw alongside at drydock, before re-flooding the vessel with atmosphere. The entire incident had taken less than an hour, and resulted in thirty three UNSC and ninety insurrectionist dead, and one captured. Starowolski was later found guilty of treason and sentenced to death, while Warsaw was completed and commissioned on schedule. The incident was, although illustrative of URF ineptitude, not made public by the UNSC, for fear that the ease of enemy penetration of supposedly secure docks would damage morale. Internally, several measures were enacted to ensure that lax security would not allow under construction vessels to be endangered in future. Among these was the increased rate of introduction for the advanced TRIPWIRE slipspace sensor around shipbuilding facilities. Publically, the incident was not listed under Warsaw's service record, though unofficially she had earned a new motto- "Spacing rebels since 2548"- awarded by her crew.
Fall of New Carthage[]
Battle of Earth[]
Post-war[]
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