Most chapters comply with these guidelines, their fleets consisting of 7-12 specially-built strike cruisers and 1-3 battle barges. The newly-formed Chapters would be allowed to maintain fleets consisting only of escorts and capital ships configured for planetary assault, thereby enabling the space marines to continue to act independently without encroaching on the Imperial Navy's jurisdiction. This was unsurprisingly unpopular with the Astartes themselves, and eventually a compromise was reached. The division of power was seen as crucial for preventing future large scale rebellion, and as such arguments were made that the space marines should have nothing larger than their gunships. At the cutting edge of the Imperium's expansion, the Legiones Astartes fleets were massive (the Imperial Fists had the largest, with 1500 warships, or approximately 25 times the size of Battlefleet Gothic for comparison).Īfter the Horus Heresy however, a massive debate broke out over Astartes naval capacity. They are rare warships to find outside of Space Marine fleets.ĭuring the Great Crusade, the Space Marine Legions had access to all classifications of vessels, including heavy capital vessels like grand cruisers, battleships, and even the massive Gloriana-Class ships. These ships are normally compact for capital ships (4.5KM long) and relatively lightly armed for a cruiser but possess very heavy armor and good speed as well as being very good in assault operations due to their combination of Marine assault parties, armor and speed.
They are usually the flagships of Chapters, it being rare for a chapter to posses more than one, and are deployed only in times of dire need or to targets of very high threat level to the chapter.Įffectively a cross between a cruiser and a light cruiser with a deadly crew of Marines. Their rarity and the resources required to produce them, however, makes them rare and prized warships in the Imperium. These warships are roughly the same size as an Imperial Navy Battleship, but possess massively heavier armor and are substantially more dangerous in close range brawls due to their assault capacity and heavy armament. Some Space Marine chapters who have particular favor with the Imperial Navy or Inquisition also able to commission and service ships from the Imperial Navy among their formations.īattleship-sized vessels which are exclusive to Space Marine fleets. The Space Marines do, however, employ some lance vessels to allow them to deal with other dedicated fleets more effectively. Their armor preventing losses before a battle is initiated and their carrier capacity/weapons systems allowing for the rapid deployment and effective support of marines on the ground or in boarding actions. The ships effectively being glorified, heavily armed and armored, assault transports for the deliverer of Marines to a target. This entire design philosophy is in place due to the Space Marines themselves being the primary weapon. All Space Marine fleets also have extensive compliments of assault boats and thunder hawks. Space Marine fleet Doctrine also doesn't focus on fleet combat particularly heavily, as such ship-to-ship weapons such as lances are uncommon in Space Marine service: Macro Cannons and Bombardment Cannons being the preference since they are perceived as superior ground-support weapons. This makes them, predictably, very tough targets to destroy with conventional weaponry. The Battlebarge said to have armor up to a mile in thickness across some of its decks.
This makes them a specialized fleet of heavily armed and armored assault transports, when compared to the diverse roster of dedicated warships in service with the much larger Imperial Navy.Īll dedicated Space Marine ships are well known for their heavy armor. Space Marine ships are incredibly tough and primarily designed for the transport and delivery of Space Marines to planets their parent chapter has commanded, as such their combat capabilities are designed heavily around assault actions and ground support. The Space Marine Chapter fleets are a diverse sub faction that serves with the Imperium alongside the Imperial Navy.
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