Cruiser

A cruiser is the smallest classification of capital ship used by human-dominated organisations such as the UNSC Navy, represented by the hull classification symbol C. Cruisers often form the backbone of most naval formations, with their power and surprising versatility for their size allowing them to act as flagships.

Characteristics
Cruisers are a significant jump up from smaller escorts, and symbolise the massive discrepancy between the capabilities of a capital ship and that of a smaller fleet vessel. While the term may be confused with smaller 'merchant cruisers' - armed civilian ships intended to act as both an armed escort and freighter - and 'stealth cruisers,' the smallest true cruisers weigh no less than six million metric tons in mass, and have a total length of close to a kilometre. Indeed, most modern examples have an operational mass of eight to nine million tonnes. They are armed with spinal cannons whose barrels are longer than most frigates, and typically mount weapons too large to be mounted on smaller hulls. They are well-protected with 2 - 2.5 metres of armour, although those with 'all-or-nothing' schemes have somewhat more at strategic places. All cruisers can carry a some sort of fighter wing and ground force, rather than a detachment used solely for security work aboard them.

Uniquely, cruisers have the unique quirk of being able to overspecialise themselves in a way that leaves them with enough armour, weapons, speed, and complement to still suitable for a wide variety of roles. Specialised frigates and destroyers must sacrifice one of these fields to the point of irrelevance, whereas larger ships are too slow to be of use.