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Divine Right

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Imperial Navy

The Divine Right is an Emperor Class Battleship which was the flagship of Battlefleet Gothic during the Gothic War under Lord Admiral Cornelius von Ravensburg, and is amongst the oldest ships of that class in Battlefleet Obscurus.[1a]

History

The ancient hull of the Divine Right was recovered from the Space Hulk Inculate Evil after its capture near the Charon system in M36. The majority of power systems were found to be still functioning despite a sojourn in the warp estimated to be not less than ten millennia, indicating that its loss must have occurred before the Great Crusade.[1a] It was named according to custom by the captain who first located the hulk, Captain Jacobus, who fervently believed that visions from the Emperor had led him to the hulk.[1b]

The salvaged vessel was re-commissioned after an extensive refit at the orbital docks at Cypra Mundi[1a] from 234–298.M36. After fleet trials from 300–306.M36 it was made flagship of Battlefleet Artemis from 306.M36 to 457.M37 and flagship of Battlefleet Gothic the next year.[1c] It has patrolled sectors throughout Segmentum Obscurus ever since its recommission,[1a] which has led to it being refitted a number of times: 341–367.M36, 598–607.M37 and 194–197.M39.[1c]

Gothic War

During the Gothic War the Divine Right played its part as the flagship of Battlefleet Gothic, most notably taking part in the Battle of Gethsemane under the direct command of Lord Admiral Ravensburg. Hoping to destroy his attackers by bringing the weight of Battlefleet Gothic to bear against each of the many small Chaos fleets individually, Ravensburg saw his first real chance in mid-151.M41 when scout vessels reported a Chaos fleet moving en masse towards the Gethsemane system. Ordering his task force to get underway with all possible speed, Ravensburg took personal command aboard the Divine Right.[1d][2]

After the destruction of the Taranis star by the three Blackstone Fortresses under Abaddon's command, Lord Admiral Ravensburg firmly believed that Abaddon would try to capture the other three Fortresses. After finding that the Warmaster was preparing to launch an attack on Blackstone V in the Schindlegeist system, Ravensburg and the Eldar raced to Schindlegeist, arriving five days before Abaddon, surprising him in a battle with horrendous casualties on both sides. Outmatched, after the third day Abaddon once more broke the Blackstone Fortresses through the Imperial defence and headed towards the star. Ravensburg ordered all available ships to intercept them, but only the Flame of Purity was close enough to attack, and seeing only one chance, Captain Abridal ordered all power to the shields and drove the Flame of Purity into the middle of the converging energy waves, destroying the ship but expending the Fortresses' power. Running out of time, Abaddon escaped into the warp with two of them, and the Imperial fleet closed in on the third, unleashing all of their weapons, although still to little effect. Finally, two Strike Cruisers from the Angels of Redemption Space Marine Chapter, combined with Shark Assault Boats from the Divine Right, boarded the isolated Blackstone in an attempt to recapture it. Finding it unmanned, empty and clear of all Imperial modification, the boarding party quickly returned to their ships when it began to emit a high pitched whine, escaping only just in time, as the Fortress began to break up, slowly shattering into thousands of fragments. At about the same time that the recaptured Blackstone destroyed itself, the other Fortresses across the Gothic Sector also self-destructed. With Abaddon's fleet gone, the attention of the Imperial Navy was turned on the other Chaos fleets. The warp storms had decreased to almost their normal level and scores of ships poured into the Gothic Sector.[1e]

Noted Engagements

Noted Prizes

Crew

While the posts tend to remain the same, crew members are replaced. The following are the crew of the Divine Right during the Gothic War, with the year of their commission (or other appointment):[1f]

Sources

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