Post by flightoficarus on Oct 12, 2015 18:50:12 GMT -6
-Imperium Escort Ships-
Armed Freighter: Armed Freighters are freighters that have been outfitted with military-grade weapons batteries to help protect them while operating in dangerous areas. This extra firepower comes at a price, however, as the freighter's cargo capacity is drastically reduced in order to make room for the new equipment.
Although Armed Freighters will never be mistaken for true combat ships, they have been known to lend support to outnumbered, isolated, or otherwise desperate fleets.
Carrack class Transport: The Carrack Class Transport is a large transport spacecraft/hauler used by the Imperial Fleet, mostly the Merchant Fleets of the Chartist Captains, but also the Imperial Navy. It is a newer class, less then 1,000 years old, but the design is bold and strong as any transport of their size in the history of the Imperium, and has driven off many pirate raids. It is designed primarily for transporting goods for Merchants and Rogue Traders, but the Imperial Navy may use them as troop transports.
Cetaceus Class Transport: The Cetaceus-Class Transporter or the Whale as it is sometimes referred to, is an Imperial vessel used exclusively by the Imperial Guard to transport manpower and equipment from battlezone to battlezone.
They perform a similar role to that of a Space Marine Battle Barge yet without the heavy firepower or capacity to launch drop pods.
Like other deployment/carrier vessels, whaleships can carry upwards of a single regiment of Imperial Guard units with all associated equipment and vehicles. However, they are unique in that the associated guard units are not actually held within the vessel itself at all, but within specially designed interplanetary dropships that are stored within the hull, ready to be launched when the carrier reaches position. The whaleships; are also capable of carrying all of their own support craft, from Minotaur-class Tug vessels, Devourer Dropships, and strike craft. Deploying them from the a large open launchbay at the fore of the vessel in addition to the dropships. Unlike the launch bay on more common Imperial carriers, the support craft are stored within three massive decks which are exposed to the vacuum of space. Therefore each support craft self-sufficient and is dependent on the carrier only for warp travel from location to location.
The Cetaceus itself is particularly well armoured, and as much of its hull space is taken up by empty storage it is capable of operation even after massive hull damage (up to 75% structural damage has been noted with continued operation)
Defence Monitor: Defence Monitors are dedicated defense ships designed for short-ranged combat. Their lance and massive weapons batteries make them a threat to ships closing in to attack a planet, but at the cost of being too slow to fight effectively in open space.
Escort Carrier: Escort Carriers are freighters whose cargo bays have been converted into makeshift carrier decks for the support and launching of a small number of Attack Craft such as Fury Interceptors. Designed for convoy escort duty, these ships' cramped quarters and make-shift conversion results in frequent accidents.
Fast Clipper: Fast Clippers are extremely swift vessels used by Merchant Fleets of the Imperium. Utilizing improved main drive engines that take up more than half of the vessel's mass, most of the power from these engineering plants is directed to propulsion. However as a result, these ships are virtually unarmed and rely solely on great speed to avoid enemy raiders.
Imperial Navy commanders have commissioned some dockyards to modify Fast Clippers for naval purposes, as with minor modifications they can become suitable for military use.
Fuel Transport: Fuel Transports are a vital part of Imperial supply chains, as they ship fuel and other materials to Industrial Worlds incapable of producing their own raw materials, Imperial Guard army groups, and Imperial Navy fleets. These ships carry many smaller shuttles to ferry the fuel from ground refineries up to the Transports. Such shuttles are at least 500 meters (1640 feet) long, and around twelve land at a time to acquire the fuel.
Q-Ship: "Q-Ship" refers to a freighter that has been outfitted with hidden weaponry and mixed in with a convoy. Such ships can come as a nasty surprise to attackers who suddenly find that their would-be prey has as much firepower as a warship!
Imperial Transport: Imperial Transports are the merchantmen, freighters, and support vessels that ply the space lanes, carrying the trade that is the lifeblood of the Imperium. From the dozen or so transports of a single planetary invasion to the hundreds - or even thousands - that participated in the Gothic War, the humble transport is as vital to victory in a conflict as the mighty Battleships that they supply.
Though slow, ungainly, and poorly-armed, transports are often called upon to defend themselves in battle. Fighting against impossible odds, such battles invariably result in heavy losses to the transports, as they simply cannot match up to a dedicated warship.
Chaos forces often rely on hijacked Imperial transports, as they seem disinclined to build something as mundane as a food-hauler. Crewed primarily by pirates, cultists, and renegades, these captured ships will begin to show signs of the warping influence of Chaos after enough years under their dark new masters.
Cobra Destroyer: The Cobra Class Destroyer is a torpedo boat. It is fast enough, and manoeuvrable enough to get into a position from where its torpedoes will do most damage. However, due to its small size, large engine signature, and relatively poor armour, it does not stand up well to enemy fire. This shouldn't be a problem however, due to the long range of a torpedo. Cobras act in squadrons of between two and six ships, making a torpedo volley from a squadron enough to cripple a large capital ship. It is the smallest independent Imperial warship, the smaller ones being carried aboard larger cruisers.
The Cobra has a pair of torpedo tubes in the prow, and a single weapons battery positioned to fire to the sides, and in front of the ship. The weapons battery is a purely defensive measure, for when the Cobra is attacked by enemy escorts. It is short ranged, and is almost never used to attack a capital ship, it simply is not powerful enough to do any real damage. Cobra Class Destroyers are often seen fighting alongside Space Marine formations.
A Cobra Destroyer was the sole surviving ship during the Yuctan Incident, the Imperium's first encounter with Necron naval forces.
Viper Class Missile Destroyer: The Viper Class Missile Destroyer is a converted Cobra Destroyer. Carrying Boarding Torpedoes over their standard armament by adding more torpedo tubes, the conversion program was pushed by the Gareox Prerogative. The experiment was not a success however, the destroyers could not carry enough crew to man the torpedoes and fight the ship. As a result, most of the Vipers have been converted back to their standard armaments but use the extra Torpedo tubes to carry more offensiev armament. These ships have since been designated as Missile Destroyers and are organized into separate anti-ship flotillas by the Imperial Navy. They are most often employed for mass torpedo attacks, proving ineffective in convoy protection duty.
Claymore Class Corvette: The Claymore Class Corvette is a specialist Imperial Navy escort craft.
Corvettes in general are a bit smaller and less powerful than Frigates, but are better equipped than some other ships, such as light Raider vessels. The Claymore is seen as a standard Corvette: It is rugged and uses a simplistic design which allows easy repairs, making the Claymore an extremely practical vessel to manufacture during wartime.
More than fifty of these ships were built during the Angevin Crusade in the Calixis Sector to help ease losses in the Sword Class Frigate squadrons. Large quantities of these ships can be made with haste by Mechanicus mobile shipyards and small civilian shipyards.
Few Claymore vessels remain in Battlefleet Calixis at present. They were rewarded for their bravery during the Crusade by being sent to reserve fleets almost as soon as the Crusade ended, or sold to Rogue Traders.
Sword Frigate: The Sword Class Frigate is a classic Escort ship.
This class is a very old design, dating back to the earliest days of the Imperium. All its components have been redesigned, refined to a high level, tried and tested in innumerable engagements.
Its laser-based weapons batteries provide equivalent fire power to those of the less reliable plasma-based alternatives, and are able to fire to both sides, or forward with full strength. Its engines are powerful, yet simple enough to be maintained by an artificer with minimal training. They are regarded as reliable even in extreme conditions.
Being an escort, the Sword is expected to come under fire, and so is designed with this in mind. Its bulkheads are thicker than would be expected, and the beams and supports that hold the ship together have redundant copies nearby, that will take the load if the primary beam or support fails. Due to this, the Sword can take more punishment than would be expected for a ship of its diminutive size.
Escort class ships are meant to support heavier vessels during fights and cruises. It is exceptionally rare to see an Imperial battleship without at least two, if not more, Sword class ships by its side. Sword Class Frigates are often seen fighting alongside Space Marine formations. Because of their performances, they are also valued by Rogue Traders who usually convert them in order to have their merchant needs suited. Pirate fleets are known to operate Sword Frigates as well.
Firestorm Frigate: The Firestorm Class Frigate is a variant of the Sword Class Frigate, designed to link the speed and manoeuvrability of an escort, with the bite of a lance vessel. The systems utilized to power the Sword's laser weapons battery have been reconfigured to power the single prow-mounted lance of the Firestorm.
It is not uncommon to see a squadron of Firestorms supporting independent squadrons of Swords and Cobra Class Destroyers. In situations like these, it falls to the Firestorms to deal damage to capital ships, and rival escorts once the other two classes have lowered the enemy's shields. Firestorm Class Frigates are often seen fighting alongside Space Marine formations. Pirate fleets are known to operate Firestorm Frigates as well.
Falchion Escort: The Falchion Class Escort is loosely based on the Endeavour, Endurance, and Defiant classes of light cruiser.
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.
The Falchion has a small weapons battery and a single torpedo tube. It also has a shield generator and turret array for protection.
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.
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.
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.
Seven months later, the Falchion would confront its erstwhile "sister" ship, the Infidel-class, for the first time in the Sabatine system.