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Halo Diligence-class Light Destroyer

The Diligence-class Light Destroyer (hull classification symbol: DD) was a warship initially commissioned by the Colonial Military Administration (CMA) and later brought into active service under the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) Navy. Entering service during the 25th century, the Diligence-class was originally classified as a light cruiser. At the time, human warships were comparatively undergunned by modern standards, and the Diligence—while formidable for its era—would eventually be reclassified as a destroyer to better reflect the evolving benchmarks of naval architecture and combat capability.

The class was fielded prior to the outbreak of the major Insurrection in 2494, and notably predated the widespread deployment of the Magnetic Accelerator Cannon (MAC). When its limited firepower became evident, particularly against heavily armed Insurrectionist vessels, efforts began to retrofit the platform with a MAC—despite the ship’s original superstructure being ill-suited to handle the recoil. Early plans proposed mounting a single MAC in the centerline position, replacing the underutilized Spitfire turret (which many variants lacked for cost efficiency). However, it was ultimately determined that a pair of outrigger-mounted MACs offered superior structural stability. This configuration proved effective, with the Diligence-class successfully destroying several Insurrectionist warships and even a handful of Covenant vessels in the early years of the war. As the conflict intensified, many units swapped their older Ares autocannons for Archer missile pods, providing enhanced anti-ship capability. Although a number of Diligence-class ships survived the Human-Covenant War, their advanced age and costly refits led to their retirement. Many were scrapped to aid in the production of newer warships, such as the Strident-class Heavy Frigate and the Nevada-class Heavy Frigate.

This ship is a strange one for me. Initially, I wanted to build both the pre-refit and post-refit versions, but that proved difficult since I’m still unsure what the original model actually looked like. I first stumbled across the Diligence-class when Bacon from Sins of the Prophets made a simple version with a Spitfire slapped underneath—which I thought was hilarious. But looking deeper into it led to a wave of creativity, helping bring a lot of other ships into production. Honestly, it turned out to be one of the best destroyers of its time—even by 2560 standards. The idea of them being cannibalized to build the Strident and Nevada is my own headcanon, but it explains their disappearance in a satisfying way beyond just "forgotten lore." This is also my first upload using my friend Guschado Fring’s Halo mod War of Annihilation, so please support him—he’s doing amazing work with that project.

All that being said, I hope you enjoy this old ship, and more will be on the way soon.