Avenger Grand Cruiser

Avenger Class Grand Cruiser

The Avenger Class Grand Cruiser is a ship built for a single purpose: to take the fight to the enemy at short range, and deliver as much firepower as possible to them. It is well suited to this task, having two decks of weapons batteries that are hugely powerful, but short ranged. ¹

Avenger tactics consist of racing into the heart of the enemy fleet, usually taking significant damage as they do so, and using their superior armament to repay any damage incurred. Incidences of combat damage are high; Avengers lack heavy frontal armour which renders them vulnerable to incoming fire. This vulnerability, and the constant cycle of repairs required because of it, may have led to the development of the classic armoured prow design currently used in Imperial ship design.¹

With two decks of weapons batteries, there are few ships the Avenger cannot out-gun once in range. This tactic of slugging it out at extreme close range caused such disruption in the enemy fleet, that the following ships could pick and destroy their targets with ease. ¹

As the tactical doctrines of the Imperial Navy changed from close range firepower to long range duels, the Avenger lost its only role. This meant that the class was re-assigned to reserve fleets and patrol duties. However, it is sometimes brought back to front-line operations, when the situation dictates, and the guns of the Avengers roar once more.¹

Notable Avenger Class ships:

• Guardian of Aquinas
• The Sword Infernus

Technical Specifications

Dimensions: 7.5 km long, 1.8 km abeam at fins approx.²

Mass: 40 megatonnes approx.²

Crew: 141,000 crew; approx.²

Accel: 2.2 gravities max sustainable acceleration.²

Sources

• ¹:Battlefleet Gothic Armada p. 15
• ²:Rogue Trader: Battlefleet Koronus p. 20,21