Falchion Escort

Imperium Portal Imperial Navy

Falchion Class Escort

The Falchion Class Escort is an Imperial ship design used by the Imperial Navy and Basilikon Astra.^[5] It is loosely based on the Endeavour, Endurance, and Defiant classes of light cruiser.

Overview

The vessel itself is a product of the Voss Forgeworld and was designed to fulfill a similar role as the Sword Class Frigate. It is an escort ship and as such is individually weak and therefore operates paired with three or four ships; sometimes up to six ships are grouped together in a single squadron.^[1]

The Falchion has a small weapons battery and a single torpedo tube. It also has a shield generator and turret array for protection.^[1]

The Falchion design began with a set of plans that were stolen by Chaos traitors from the Imperial shipyards at Monsk. While this design would appear in the Chaos Fleet as the Infidel-class raider, the Imperials' attempt to reconstruct the stolen plans would result in the Falchion class.^[4a] By 261.M41 the first Falchion squadrons were operational, the design for the vessel being slowly distributed throughout the domains of the Adeptus Mechanicus.^[7]

The pattern's operational successes have tended to be in a defensive, rather than offensive, role where it is used to clear ordnance threats to the more ponderous capital ships, however in a stand up fight it simply cannot compete with the damage potential of the much more widespread Sword Class Frigate that are found in most fleets.^[1]

Falchion Class Escort^[6]

Nevertheless, when guided by an able commander, the Falchion can be a surprisingly effective warship. During the Chaos invasion of Adumbria in 938.M41, a pair of Falchions were the only Imperial vessels on station when the Ravagers armada of a dozen or more vessels emerged from the Warp. Though unable to stop the Chaos forces landing their troops, both vessels were able to slip into the null-fire zone to the aft of the Chaos ships, destroying two with torpedo volleys and a third with their weapons batteries, before the Chaos forces returned fire. Again, their superior speed and maneuverability allowed the Falchions to disengage without taking significant damage.^[4a][4b]

Seven months later, the Falchion would confront its erstwhile "sister" ship, the Infidel-class, for the first time in the Sabatine system.^[4a]

Notable Falchion Class Squadrons

• The Initiates of Monglor
• The Rhomphaian Squadron
• Michaelis Fire Squadron
• Torchbearer Patrol

Notable individual Falchions include the Escapade and the Virago.^[4a]

Technical Specifications

• Dimensions: 2.2 km long, 0.3 km abeam at fins approx.^[2]
• Mass: 6.5 megatonnes approx.^[2]
• Crew: 27,000 crew; approx.^[2]
• Accel: 4.6 gravities max sustainable acceleration.^[2]

Miniature

Miniature^[3]

Sources

• 1: Battlefleet Gothic Armada, pg. 19
• 2: Rogue Trader: Battlefleet Koronus, pg. 26
• 3: Games Workshop (last accessed October 4, 2012)
• 4: The Traitor's Hand (Novel) — Ciaphas Cain: Hero of the Imperium (Omnibus) by Sandy Mitchell:
  • 4a: Editorial Note after Chapter Eleven, pgs. 634–635
  • 4b: Editorial Note after Chapter Twelve, pgs. 647–648
• 5: Fanatic Online #92 - Vessels of Mars: Ships of the Adeptus Mechanicus, by Nate Montes, Robert Henderson, and Ray Bell.
• 6: Battlefleet Gothic: Armada II
• 7: The Battle for Armageddon (Background Book), pg. 76