This map is oriented around the UNSC "Ghost Ship," one of the last water-based ships in service under the UNSC before they retire their watercraft in favor of the more versatile and capable spacecraft. The map has been thoroughly tested with lobbies of all sizes, and has been tweaked and perfected over time.

The Ghost Ship fires its main cannon at the attacking flood.

The humans will begin the round by grabbing a few weapons from the stockpile below deck, in an area directly next to where the humans spawn. Weapons up for grabs there include basic guns like the standard issue automatics and pistols, but also include some heavier stuff- a saw and a concussion rifle. The weapons room, which is only a portion of the below deck area, is shown below.

After arming themselves, the spartans will then proceed through the chambers to a staircase, where they will rise through an opening in the deck. On the deck, there are several mounted turrets- two machine guns, two plasma turrets, and a high explosive 120mm naval gun. The humans will occupy the turrets and prepare to repel the incoming flood, which will be attacking from the starboard side.

View from behind the vessel. Visible are the two plasma turrets, the main battery, and one of the mounted machine guns. The Flood spawn area is clearly visible to the front and right of the ship. Not the ship's prettiest angle, but the only shot I have that includes the flood spawn area.

The flood will spawn in a separate area within the cave. They will be marked by wayponts until they reach the ship so the humans will know where they are attacking from. Upon spawning, they will run through one of three man cannons, which will launch them through a low gravity zone towards the ship. The flood can maneuver left, right, forward, and backward to avoid incoming projectiles and make themselves harder to hit. The minimum time it takes for the flood to reach the ship after launch is about twelve seconds, giving the humans time to shoot them down on their way with one of the turrets or a handheld weapon.

The ship's crew use a variety of weapons to hold off the incoming flood

The flood damage resistance is 200 percent (normally on flood it's 50 percent), so while it isn't unreasonably powerful, it is still much harder to kill than the traditional flood. This gives them a chance to survive the hail of fire that greets them as they approach the ship, and also discourages players from camping below deck or in one of the buildings the entire round, and instead attempt to shoot them down before they reach the ship, and preferably utilize teamwork like an actual ship crew would. But in the event the flood do reach the ship, it is up to those still on foot to use their weapons to take out the flood before they can infect too many humans. There are also several buildings on the ship, as well as the area below deck, to spice up the onboard combat. If the spartans hide below deck the whole game, the flood will make it to the ship unopposed, and slaughter everyone with their increased health. (Also, the flood can destroy the main turret with one slash, so you're not 100% safe inside of it.) All of this combat unfolds within the six minute time limit for each round.

The humans have suffered heavy losses after the flood bypassed their turret fire several times. The last few spartans must abandon their battle stations and run for their lives to avoid being slaughtered after the ship has been overwhelmed by flood.

This map, Battleship, is best played with at least seven players, with the optimal number being around twelve. Make sure to download the separate gametype, "Battleship," with the map, as it is required to tweak the health, damage, and other traits as necessary.