Battle of the Great Bear

The Battle of Groombridge-1830 was a major battle in the early years of the Human-Covenant War. The human fleet, consisting of 17 ships, engaged 3 enemy warships, destroying the enemy force but losing a total of 11 Destroyers in the process. Two of the ships were destroyed directly in combat, while the third crash-landed in a planets surface. An Elite survivor was recovered and interrogated personally by Admiral Cole himself, allowing the UNSC to finally learn something about their enemy - that they faced the Covenant, and that they were being wiped out because they had been deemed "unclean".

This battle is often known as the "Battle of the Great Bear".