The Type-53 Gunship, better known as the Phantom Gunship is the successor the unsuccessful Phantom Gunboat. To tell the history of the Phantom Gunship, the history of its predecessor must first be explored. The Phantom Gunboat was the despised replacement for the Tarasque Heavy Fighter. This replacement was contested by many Sangheili, who viewed the last true Sangheili war machine as a potent display of their individual power, and the Prophets attempting to slight them. With no viable craft capable of replacing them, the Prophets turned to a recently recovered relic, a Phantom modified with heavier weapons and shielding. The Phantom Gunboat was launched as the slow moving but well defended replacement for the powerful Tarasque, and proved to be utterly useless in this regard. It was simpl