Space Marine Fleet
Fleets of the Galaxy : | Imperial Navy • Space Marine Fleet • Adeptus Mechanicus Fleet • Chaos Fleet • Eldar Fleet • Dark Eldar Fleet • Ork Fleet • Tyranid Fleet • Necron Fleet • Tau Fleet • Tau Merchant Fleet • Leagues of Votann Fleet |
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Each Space Marine Chapter maintains a fleet of space vessels used for both transport and combat. The exact composition of these fleets can vary greatly between different Chapters, indeed some chapters are entirely fleet-based having no homeworld.
Contents
History
During the Great Crusade Space Marine vessels served alongside other Imperial forces as combined battlefleets. Space Marine fleets during this time utilized mighty Battleships, Grand Cruisers, Heavy Cruisers, and also heavier vessels.[7] In the wake of the Horus Heresy however, when Roboute Guilliman set about the long and arduous task of preparing the Codex Astartes, the role of space vessels amongst the Adeptus Astartes proved a particular sticking point. For an Imperium still reeling from internecine conflict that almost tore it apart, the division of power was a vitally important consideration. Of the most extreme options on offer, it was ventured by some that the Space Marines should be denied any vessels at all, barring intra-system transports for movement between homeworlds and attendant moons. Corax, amongst others, protested strongly that in fact had the Space Marines been better equipped with fleets of their own his own Legion might not have been so horrendously decimated when trapped on Istvaan V by Horus and the newly revealed traitors. Instead, a compromise was reached which limited the Space Marines to vessels whose primary role was that of transport, delivery and suppression designed to facilitate planetary assault. Only the smallest of vessels would be permitted to act exclusively as gunships, with the larger battlebarges and strike cruisers remaining predominantly as aids to invasion, ensuring the Space Marines would never present a threat to the Imperial Navy proper. Inevitably, the wrangling over interpretation of a ship’s ‘primary role’ leads to some chapters possessing rather more versatile fleets than the Imperial Navy is entirely comfortable with.[1]
Crew
Unlike the vessels of the Imperial Navy, a Space Marine ship has a relatively small crew. A Space Marine is far too valuable to waste in manning a gun or watching a surveyor screen, and so only the officers aboard a vessel are likely to be Space Marines, as well as the few Techmarines who oversee the engines and perform other mechanical duties. Almost all the ship’s systems are run and monitored by servitors; half-human cyborgs who are wired into the vessel’s weapons, engines and communications apparatus. There are also a few hundred Chapter Serfs to attend to other duties, such as routine cleaning and maintenance, serving the Space Marines during meal times and other such honoured tasks. These serfs come from the Chapter’s home planet or the enclave they protect, many of them Novitiates or applicants who have failed some part of the recruiting or training process. These serfs are fanatically loyal to their superhuman masters, and indoctrinated into many of the lesser orders of the Chapter’s Cult. Although human, they still benefit from remarkable training and access to superior weaponry than is usually found on a naval vessel, making them a fearsome prospect in a boarding action – even without the support of their genetically modified lords.[1]
Vessels of the Space Marines
Space Marines utilise various different types of vessel, the numbers and composition of these fleets varies depending on the history and role of each Chapter. Indeed, some Fleet-based Chapters have mobile Fortress Monasteries; such as the Imperial Fist's Phalanx or the Dark Angels base The Rock.
Battleships
Current
- Battle Barge — Large and rare Capital Ships they are very heavily armed and armoured.[1]
Former
- Gloriana Class Battleship — Massive vessels used as flagships by the Legiones Astartes during the Great Crusade
- Furious Abyss Class Super Battleship — Titanic warships secretly built for the Word Bearers during the Horus Heresy
- Emperor Class Battleship - Great Crusade-era[9a]
- Lunar Class Battleship — Great Crusade-era[9]
- Infernus Class Battleship — Great Crusade-era[10]
- Dictatus Class Battleship — Great Crusade-era[15]
- Oberon Class Battleship - Great Crusade-era[25]
Cruisers
Current
- Strike Cruiser — Smaller and very strongly oriented towards planetary assault with large numbers of fighter bays and drop pods as well as a bombardment cannon.[1]
- Vanguard Class Light Cruiser — Scout & escort craft smaller than a Strike Cruiser
Former
- Retribution Class Battlecruiser — Great Crusade-era[9]
- Avenger Class Grand Cruiser — Great Crusade-era[12]
- Vengeance Class Grand Cruiser — Great Crusade-era[12]
- Dominus Class Grand Cruiser - Great Crusade-era
- Infernus Class Heavy Cruiser — Great Crusade-era[12]
- Indrajit Class Heavy Cruiser - Great Crusade-era[16]
- Bulk Cruiser — Great Crusade-era[10]
- Gladius Class Light Cruiser — Great Crusade-era[11]
- Eclipse Class Light Cruiser — Great Crusade-era[14]
- Dauntless Class Light Cruiser - Great Crusade-era[21]
- Triton Class Aegis Cruiser - Great Crusade-era[16]
Escorts
Current
- Gladius Frigate — Similar to the Sword Class Frigate and the standard vessel used by the Space Marines for escort duties.[1]
- Hunter Destroyer — Similar to the Cobra Class Destroyer but mainly used by the Dark Angels even though it is available to all Space Marine forces.[1]
- Nova Frigate — Similar to the Firestorm Class Frigate and controversial as the battle role of the ship impedes on that given to the Imperial Navy, namely space battles and capital ship hunting.[1]
Former
- Sword Class Frigate - Great Crusade-era[19]
- Venom Class Destroyer — Great Crusade-era[13]
- Cobra Class Destroyer - Great Crusade-era[22]
- Wrath Hammer Class Escort - Great Crusade-era. At least one remains in service with the Carcharodons.[17]
- Credo Class Strike Corvette[23]
Assault Craft and Landers
Current
- Thunderhawk Gunship — Attack Craft and transport vehicle used in both planetary assault and space-combat roles.[1]
- Stormraven Gunship — A smaller vessel than the Thunderhawk, primarily used by the Grey Knights and Blood Angels.[2]
- Stormhawk Interceptor — A small one-man aerial superiority aircraft.
- Stormtalon Gunship — A small one-man interceptor and ground attack craft.[6]
- Storm Eagle Gunship — A transport-gunship design
- Fire Raptor Gunship — Attack aircraft design based on the Storm Eagle
- Overlord — A new type of gunship used by Primaris Space Marines
- Nephilim Jetfighter — Atmospheric fighter used by the Unforgiven
- Dark Talon — Atmospheric ground attack aircraft used by the Unforgiven
- Stormfang Gunship — Attack craft used by the Space Wolves
- Stormwolf — Landing craft used by the Space Wolves
- Corvus Blackstar — Gunship used by the Deathwatch
- Caestus Assault Ram — is the primary assault ram of the Space marines. It is mainly used to board enemy ships, but it can also be used as an orbital dropship to land troops directly in the battlefield.[3]
- Landing Craft — Large orbital-assault vehicles designed to quickly deliver tanks and troops to a planets surface.[4]
- Drop Pod — transports used for orbital insertion and one-way rides.[5]
Former
- Stormbird — An aircraft used during the Great Crusade just before the Horus Heresy and the introduction of the Thunderhawk.[7]
- Wrath Starfighter — An older void fighter that was replaced by the end of the Horus Heresy, though it was once the mainstay of the Legio Astartes fleets.[8]
- Xiphon Interceptor — Fighter aircraft used during the Horus Heresy
- Stormhawk — Great Crusade-era assault gunship
- Lotus — Great Crusade-era fighter
- Deathbird Interceptor - Great Crusade-era Fighter[24]
- Corsair — Great Crusade-era Bomber
- Apis — Great Crusade-era bomber
- Castellan Bomber - Great Crusade-era Heavy Bomber[24]
- Lightning Crow — Great Crusade-era Strike Fighter
- Skylance — Unification Wars-era gunship, replaced by the Stormbird.
- Orgus Flyer - Light VTOL craft used during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy.[18]
- Dreadclaw — Large Drop Pod still used by Chaos Space Marines
- Kharybdis Assault Claw — large type of Drop Pod used during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy.
- Purgio Class Boarding Transport - Assault Boat (Great Crusade-era)[20]
- Harbinger Assault Craft - Attack Craft (Great Crusade-era)[24]
Weaponry
- Torpedo
- Lance
- Fusion Beamer
- Macrocannon
- Flak Turret
- Plasma Projector
- Missile Launchers
- Magma Bombs
- Exterminatus weaponry
Related Articles
Modern Space Marine Fleet | |
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Battleships | Battle Barge |
Cruisers | Strike Cruiser • Vanguard Class |
Escorts | Gladius Class • Nova Class • Hunter Class • Rapid Strike Vessel |
Attack Craft | Thunderhawk • Stormraven • Storm Eagle (Fire Raptor) • Storm Talon • Stormhawk • Xiphon • Overlord • Nephilim • Dark Talon • Stormfang • Stormwolf • Corvus Blackstar • Caestus Assault Ram |
Transports | Thunderhawk Transporter • Landing Craft • Drop Pod |
Sources
- 1: Battlefleet Gothic Resources: Imperial Fleets p22 (accessed 16/06/78)
- 2: http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat440196a&prodId=prod900149a
- 3: http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Warhammer-40000/Space_Marines/Space_Marine_Aircraft/CAESTUS-ASSAULT-RAM.html
- 4: http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat490039a&prodId=prod1110041
- 5: http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat440176a&prodId=prod1560026&rootCatGameStyle=
- 6: Stormtalon Gunship
- 7: Horus Rising (Novel) [Needs Citation]
- 8: Prince of Crows (Novella), Chapter VII
- 9: Battle for the Abyss (Novel) Chapters 2–3
- 9a: Chapter 4
- 10: Know No Fear (Novel), Part 2 Chapter 1
- 11: Deathfire (Novel), Chapter 20
- 12: Fallen Angels (Novel), Chapter 3
- 13: Pharos (Novel), Chapter 4
- 14: Prince of Crows (Novella), Chapter 3
- 15: The Path of Heaven (Novel), Chapter 1
- 16: Dreadwing (Novella)
- 17: Carcharodons: Red Tithe (Novel), Chapter 6
- 18: Imperial Armour Volume Two (Second Edition), pg. 151
- 19: Sons of the Forge (Novella), Chapter 22
- 20: Fear to Tread (Novel), Chapter 1
- 21: Old Earth (Novel), Chapter 9
- 22: Old Wounds, New Scars (Short Story)
- 23: Slaves to Darkness (Novel), Chapter 12
- 24: Call of the Lion (Short Story)
- 25: Sons of Selenar (Novella), Chapter 1