This new variant is designated as a Phoenix-class carrier. Phoenix-class colony ships were modified into warships, such as with the UNSC Spirit of Fire. On at least one occasion, a colony ship was decommissioned to aid in the development of a colony. Once the terraforming is completed, the colonists settled the planet. The Phoenix-class colony ships were designed to transport thousands of colonists from Earth, or one of the other Inner Colonies, as well as terraforming equipment to alter the existing atmosphere and/or biosphere to become compatible with human habitation. The Phoenix-class is 2.5В km long, making it one of the largest known UNSC ships in the organization's naval history. Дespite their age, Phoenix-class ships were still in use during the post-war period. The ship was converted into a warship and participated in the Harvest Campaign, Battle of Arcadia, Battle of Shield 0459 and finally, after 28 years adrift, the second Battle of Installation 00. One of the most famous of the Phoenix 's was the UNSC Spirit of Fire. Whether this was a common fate for colony ships during the colonization of other worlds is unknown. The ship's AI, Loki, became the Planetary Security Intelligence, sharing a core with Mack, covertly monitoring the colony for trouble for the UNSC. The Skidbladnir 's fusion reactor was used to power the first settlement, Utgard and its data processing storage housing the Agricultural Operations AI, Mack was also utilized. The UNSC Skidbladnir was the Phoenix-class colony ship which colonized Harvest. Arcadia was colonized by three Phoenix-class ships.

Phoenix class colony ship