Guardian-class mobile repair barge

"I was told the Cradle took the beating quite well - my dad's friends said had the battle ended sooner, it might have survived. Its efforts before and when it was sacrificed saved the fleet. Turns out it helped save the planet... It's good that he got his chance to go out like a hero."

- Commander Richard Lash, on the UNSC Cradle 's destruction.

The Guardian-class mobile repair barge (hull classification symbol: YRB) is a line of mobile refit station that was utilized by the UNSC Naval Logistics Corps throughout the Human-Covenant War. Technically a form of tender, the Guardian is in actuality a breed apart and is more closely related to service, repair, and refit (SRR) stations. Equipped with a full set of fabrication plants, drydocks, and spare starship parts, the Guardian is the preferred means to bring shipyard-level support to any warship that requires support. Although slow, poorly-armed, and reliant on stable logistics support, the Guardian makes up for this with its heavy-armor and ability to keep the momentum up on UNSC offensives.

Trivia

 * All Guardian-class refit stations share a common naming theme, with all being named after figures and objects which are associated with safety and protection. This includes names historically used for repair ships and tenders.
 * This class is one of the few lines of military ships whose lead ship does not share the same name as the class name. This is why the latter is never italicized.