Nelson-class carrier
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Production information
Manufacturer:	Davo-Hamish Shipyards
Model:	Nelson
Class:	Carrier
Operator(s):	Systems Alliance Navy Systems Coalition Navy
Preceded by:	Columbus-class
Succeeded by:	Ariel Sharon-class carrier
Generation:	Second
Technical information
Length:	902m
Width:	196m
Height/depth:	289m
Max acceleration:	20 kilometers per second
Engine unit(s):	Element Zero Drive Core
Power plant:	2 Element Zero drive cores
Shielding:	Kinetic Barrier
Hull:	122cm of Titanium-A3 Ablative Heavy Armor
Sensor systems:	LIDAR Radar Spectroscope
Targetting system:	Shipwide VI
Armament:	8 GARDIANs 550 Pilum-class anti-ship missiles 275 port side 275 starboard side 21 Scutum CIWS
Crew:	3,000
Skeleton crew:	750
Usage
Commissioned:	15 October 2165 CE
Decommissioned:	4 July 2199 CE
Role(s):	Carry and deploy fighters, bombers and interceptors
Era:	Asari Cycle Pax Galactica Era Human Cycle Reformation Era
Affiliation:	Systems Alliance (2165 CE - 2191 CE) Systems Coalition (2191 CE - 2199 CE)

The Nelson-class carrier was a classification of carrier that served in the Systems Alliance Navy from 2165 CE to 2191 CE, then the Systems Coalition Navy from 2191 CE to 2199 CE, and was the successor to the Columbus-class. The second of three carrier classes that were approved and built for the Alliance Navy, the Nelson-class served as the main carrier of the Alliance's fleets, serving a purely carrier-based support role compared to the lighter escort role of the Lincoln-class escort carrier and the power projection/offensive role of the larger Charles de Gaulle-class supercarriers. The Nelson-class went on to be the Alliance's mainline carrier, existing in far fewer numbers to the Lincoln-class due to being more expensive to produce, but with a far larger aircraft capacity and more elaborate defenses. The Nelson-class first proved itself during the Skyllian Blitz, once again demonstrating the superiority of carriers against dreadnoughts, managing to overwhelm the defenses of batarian dreadnought task forces, which is reflected in win-to-loss ratios in Alliance-Hegemony naval engagements, easily demonstrating the Alliance's naval superiority. The Nelson-class became iconic amongst the Alliance Navy, and is often considered the true successor to the Columbus-class vessels that proved so successful against the turians in the First Contact War. The Nelson-class, alongside its smaller Lincoln-class cousin, would be used heavily during the Theshaca Raids, and then again during both the Battle of Armstrong and Battle of the Citadel during the Eden Prime War, once again to great success against the geth forces, who also lacked their own dedicated aircraft carriers.

The Alliance's fleet of Nelson-class vessels took a substantial hit on 2 June 2186 CE, often called Reaper Day, when a large amount were lost during the Battle of Arcturus and Battle of Luna, and then several more the following day at the Battle of Ontarom. This forced the Alliance to spare what few carriers they had left, using them sparingly and only for high priority engagements where it seems victory is likely: this led to the Nelson being overshadowed by the Lincoln-class, which were not only more numerous but were also cheaper and easier to build. Despite this, the Nelson-class vessels were used to great effect during the war, and would participate in many key engagements, and most were present at the battles of Anadius and Sol at the end of the Reaper War. What few Nelson-class vessels remained following the final battle would continue to serve in the Alliance Navy, although they now paled in number to the Lincoln-class vessels, which temporarily usurped it as the mainline carrier of the fleets. This remained the case well into the transition into the Coalition Navy, until the last Lincoln-class vessel was decommissioned in 2194 CE to be replaced by the newer Ariel Sharon-class carriers. The Nelson-class would out live it for a few more years, going on to serve alongside the Ariel Sharon-class ships during the Border War, although they were rarely seen and largely kept out of major engagements for the purpose of propaganda, with the Coalition wishing to promote their newer and more technologically advanced fleet. The Nelson-class survived until a year after the Border War concluded, when the last ship was decommissioned and the class fully replaced by the Ariel Sharon-class.

The class was named after Horatio Nelson, the famous 18th to 19th Century British vice-admiral who was known for securing numerous decisive naval victories across his career, the most famous of which being the Battle of Trafalgar during the Napoleonic Wars, where he was killed during the engagement.