Imperial Navy

Imperium Nihilius    Factions      Imperium of Man      Imperial Navy

"If the Adeptus Astartes are the Emperor's wrath, and the Imperial Guard His Hammer, then His Holy Navy is His might shield"

Cardinal Kregory Hestor

Background

The Imperial Navy, known as the Navis Imperialis in High Gothic, is one of the primary armed forces of the Imperium of Man. While the Astra Militarum represents the Imperium's ground forces, the Imperial Navy is responsible for the fleets of starships that maintain order between the stars and planets in the Imperium of Man , for all space and air support provided to the infantry of the Astra Militarum through its Aeronautica Imperialis branch, and for transporting those Guardsmen across the galaxy to the Imperium's myriad warzones.
The battlefleets of the Imperial Navy are constantly engaging threats both inside and outside the Imperium's borders.
In ancient times, during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras, the Imperial Navy was not an independent armed force of its own but was considered a part of the greater Imperial Army and was known as the Armada Imperialis. Its vessels were dedicated to the defense of Imperial space and strategic Warp routes. This was opposed to the fleets of warships assigned to the service of the Legiones Astartes, who were used for the planetary assaults that occupied the bulk of the Great Crusade.
After the horrors of the Horus Heresy, during the Imperial reformation overseen at the start of the Time of Rebirth by the Primarch Roboute Guilliman , the Imperial Army's fleet component was reestablished as a separate and rival service. This was done to weaken the Imperial armed forces in case of the outbreak of a future rebellion against the Emperor's rule.

Organization

The Imperium is divided into five fleet zones known as the Segmentae Majoris. Every starship of the Imperial Navy is assigned to one of these Segmentae, and falls under the command of the respective Lord High Admiral who commands all the Imperial Navy assets of that Segmentum. The naval assets of an entire Segmentum are named after that division of the Imperium; i.e. all of the Imperial fleet assets in the Segmentum Solar

are known as the Battlefleet Solar, all the assets in the Ultima Segmentum are the Battlefleet Ultima, and so on.
There are five Lord High Admirals, one controlling the assembled Battlefleet of each Segmentum. Although all 5 High Admirals are ranked equally, command of the Segmentum Solar is considered the oldest and therefore the most prestigious and senior posting. It is not uncommon for one of these Lord High Admirals to sit on the Senatorum Imperialis as a ruling High Lord of Terra.
All Imperial shipping, civilian or military, is supervised within the jurisdiction of one of the five Segmentae. Each Segmentum has an orbital headquarters called a Segmentum Fortress which forms the base of fleet operations within the Segmentum. The Segmentum Fortress is controlled directly by a high-ranking official of the Adeptus Administratum  known as the Master of the Segmentum, who reports only to the Master of the Administratum.

Sectors

Each Segmentum is divided into sectors, regions of space that are generally cube-shaped and contain 8 million cubic light years of space. These Sectors contain multiple sub-sectors, collections of star systems no more than 20 light years in radius. The Imperial Navy starships of each Segmentum are divided amongst the sectors into further groups called Battlefleets.
These Battlefleets are assigned the task of safeguarding the Sector they are assigned to, and each Battlefleet is generally named after the Sector it protects (Battlefleet Gothic is located in the Gothic Sector, Battlefleet Calixis is in the Calixis Sector, Battlefleet Cadia is located in the Cadian Sector, etc.) and commanded by an officer with the rank of Lord Admiral.

Battlefleets

Each Sector Battlefleet is assigned a number of Cruisers and Battleships, usually between 50 and 75 vessels. Each Sector Battlefleet is also assigned multiple squadrons of Escort starships, and is also in command of a large number of transports, messenger craft, orbital defences, space platforms and system patrol vessels.
The ships of a Battlefleet must constantly patrol their sector and fulfill a variety of roles; protect Imperial merchant shipping from pirates, transport Astra Militarum  regiments to warzones, escort Adeptus Mechanicus  Explorator fleets on their voyages to the Imperial frontier and provide orbital support for invading or defending armies.
Because of the vast volume of space that requires policing, a Sector Battlefleet is normally split into detachments called Battlegroups consisting of one or two Cruisers, accompanied by a squadron of Escorts. If a particular situation is more than one Battlegroup can handle, additional detachments of Battlegroups or squadrons are called in to reinforce.
On occasion, an entire Battlefleet can be formed to operate in a smaller area than an entire Sector. Battlefleet Armageddon is assigned solely to the Armageddon Sub-sector, and, prior to the Third War for Armageddon, was made up of 4 Battleships, 27 Cruisers and 36 squadrons of Escorts. Battlefleet Solar is assigned specifically to the Solar System, and is primarily charged with defending the two sacred worlds of Terra and Mars that lie at the very heart of the Imperium.

Vessels of the Imperium Navy

Battleships

Battleships are truly massive starships, equipped with enormous numbers of weapons and potent Void Shields, and usually serve as the flagship for an Imperial Lord Admiral, though this is not always the case. Although very powerful, Battleships are slow and cumbersome to manoeuvre. The Imperial Navy employs three main classes of Battleship: the Emperor (which can carry an immense amount of Attack Craft in addition to its normal weaponry),

the Victory (known for its heavy Lance batteries) and the Retribution (which is noted for its powerful broadside firepower and its large number of torpedo tubes).
Imperial Battleships can have crews of anywhere between 25,000 to 3,000,000 men or more depending on the source consulted, including large numbers of Imperial Navy armsmen (marines in modern parlance) to defend against enemy boarding assaults.
Battleships can be up to 8 kilometres from prow to stern and displace billions of tons. Because they represent such a vast expenditure of resources to construct and require a fairly advanced technical base to maintain, Battleships are typically constructed only in the largest Imperial shipyards in orbit of the major Adeptus Mechanicus Forge Worlds. These vessels are precious assets of the Imperium and are carefully husbanded, usually employed in only the larger fleet formations and the most critical engagements.
For the Imperial Navy officer class (admirals, captains, commanders, first lieutenants, etc.) on board, an entire section of a large Battleship's command deck may be divided into huge, luxurious staterooms, with vast bedrooms, offices and wardrobes, bathrooms and toilets mirroring those of an Imperial Planetary Governor's palace, and even harems of concubines and handmaidens. Lower-class bridge officers and chief petty officers would have fairly large, moderately luxurious quarters, and the armsmen, mid-class crewmen and petty officers would all have decent accommodation, generally consisting of a sleeping area, chemical toilet and storage locker. However, the bottom-class enlisted conscripts and slave ratings would have little more than a flea-infested sleeping pallet and a single toilet shared between ten ratings

Grand Cruiser

Grand Cruisers are smaller than Battleships, yet larger than Cruisers. These vessels are usually much older in design and do not incorporate many of the features that are typical in the more current classes of Imperial Navy vessels, like the armoured prow, and are not quite compatible with current Imperial Navy tactical doctrine. As such, many are retired from active duty, but are still used by the Imperial Navy's reserve fleets. The Avenger-class, with its powerful broadside firepower, is one such example of a Grand Cruiser. There are also some modernised versions of Grand Cruisers in active service, but since these are much larger and more heavily-armed than their predecessors, they are more often classed at present as Battleships. These kinds of vessels are usually purpose-built or modified from Battlecruiser hulls and are not commonly encountered in the Imperial Navy.

Cruiser

Cruisers make up the majority of an Imperial Navy fleet. Though not as powerful as a Battleship, Cruisers are much faster and can still deliver a deadly blow. There are multiple classes of Cruiser, most based on the same general hull design but incorporating different combinations of broadside batteries, Lance turrets and Attack Craft hangars.
While Cruisers are still particularly technologically complex, it is not uncommon for them to be constructed on smaller Forge Worlds or any Civilised World that has an orbital shipyard suitable for constructing vessels of their large size. Of particular note was the Lunar-class Cruiser Lord Daros, constructed in orbit above the Feral World of Unloth in 11 Terran years by relying on the forced labour of most of that planet’s population for materials.
Note there are also classes of Battlecruisers. Although based on a hull-design that is similar to the regular Cruiser types, these starships are generally somewhat larger and more heavily armed, incorporating more advanced power distribution systems capable of supporting Battleship-grade weaponry in a Cruiser hull. A notable example is the Mars-class Battlecruiser, with its fighter bays, broadside batteries, dorsal Lance turrets and an immense, prow-mounted Nova Cannon capable of attacking targets at extremely long range.
A subset of the Cruiser type is the Light Cruiser. These warships fall in size between Cruisers and Escorts, mixing the firepower and durability of the former with the speed and maneuverability of the latter. The Dauntless-class is a very common Light Cruiser class in the Imperial Navy. Extremely self-sufficient, it is fast and has enough firepower to be a threat to Escorts and larger capital ships alike.

Escort Ships

Escort ships are the smallest type of warship in the Imperial Navy's fleets, found in two distinct sub-classes. The larger of the two sub-classes of Escorts are Frigates, which are better armed and more heavily armored than other Escorts. Destroyers are generally smaller than Frigates, but they are by far the fastest and most maneuverable interstellar warships employed by the Imperial Navy.
They are usually organized in squadrons of 2 to 6 vessels and will always operate as a group or "wolf pack." The main task of Escorts is to serve as a screen for capital starships against enemy torpedoes and Attack Craft so that they can get into position more quickly and safely.

Imperial Navy Ranks

Officers

• Lord High Admiral of the Navy - The most senior rank within the Imperial Navy. Usually is a member of the High Lords of Terra in the Senatorum Imperialis.
• Lord High Admiral - Lord High Admiral or Battlefleet commander commands one of the 5 major segementums.
• Lord Admiral - Commands a Sector's Battlefleet.
• Admiral - Allocated command of a portion of a Sector Battlefleet referred to as a fleet.
• Vice Admiral - Commands the leading division of a fleet
• Rear Admiral - An administrative post in charge of logistics and supply for a fleet as well as high-level planning.
• Commodore- Commands roughly 3-5 ships forming a squadron.
• Lord Captain - In Command of a single ship.
• Commander - A first officer of a larger ship or may be in command of an escort class ship.
• Lieutenant - A junior officer who is in charge of a ships specific systems such as augeries, gunnery or a ships attack craft.
• Midshipman - A junior officer rank more comparable to an officer in training. While often assist Lieutenants in their duties.

Warrant Officers

• Ship's Master - The most senior Warrant Officer and the most experienced voidsman on the ship. Ofter charged with navigation or keeping the ships log.
• Gun Captain - In charge of one of the massive gun crews who man the ships weaponry.1
• Sergeant-at-Arms - In Command of a group of armsman.
• Bosun - Disciplinarians and taskmasters for the enlisted ratings.

Ratings

• Armsman - Crewmembers trusted to carry weapons at all times on board ship and maintain the weapons lockers.
• Voidsmen - Voidsmen or Shipmen are the enlisted crewmen assigned to an area of the ship. They often will never leave this area.

Specialists

• Tech-Priest Majoris - A member of the Adeptus Mechanicus who maintains the ships Enginarium and reactor, while also supervising lower ranking Mechanicus members who repair and maintain the ship.
• Principle Navigator - A member of the Navis Nobilite who charts a path through the warp.
• Chief Astropath - The senior Astropath aboard a ship who is responsible for maintaining the Astropathic Choir for long range communications.
• Ships Surgeon - Also called Chief Chirugeon, the Ships Surgeon is responsible for maintaining the medicae facilities and combating disease and injury.
• Ships Confessor - A member of the Adeptus Ministorum who preaches the Imperial Creed to the crew and ensures no deviancy or heresy takes root.

Weapons Systems

Macro Weaponry

Macro weaponry serves as the baseline starship weapons for Imperial warships. Ranks of large cannons or other weapons destroy their targets through powerful broadsides and volumes of fire.

Lances

Lances are Imperial directed energy weapons of extreme power. A Lance battery is, in essence, a gargantuan Lasgun, usually mounted in a large and

heavily armoured turret. Thanks to the available energy from the ship's Plasma Reactor, a Lance can fire prolonged bursts instead of the short "shots" of man-portable las-weapons. Often, a bright shaft of coherent light connects the weapon to its target, hence the name "Lance". Lances use triple or even quad-arranged energy projectors to focus their energy into a concentrated beam, capable of burning through even the most heavily armoured hulls and cutting smaller vessels in half. Lance batteries can be used to either apply sustained firepower to one precise location of a target, or, by slightly moving the projector, "rake" across its target. Multiple batteries often combine these two firing modes, in the hope of overwhelming their target's Void Shields and inflicting massive damage

Torpedoes

Torpedoes are massive self-propelled ship-to-ship missiles. While expensive to maintain, these weapons possess considerable destructive potential, and many captains use an enemy's tendency to avoid torpedoes to dominate a battle, forcing enemies to move in particular directions.

Nova Cannons

Nova Cannons are a classification of exceptionally powerful weaponry that can only be mounted upon capital ships. These extremely powerful weapons can easily wreak vast destruction upon enemy vessels at great range, but are inaccurate and require a stable vessel to fire effectively. Mounted below the heavily armoured prows of Imperial Navy Cruisers and Battleships, Nova Cannons have few equals in terms of their range or destructive power. While variations exist, a typical Nova Cannon consists of an array of potent gravimetric impellers designed to accelerate a projectile to a fraction of the speed of light. Due to the lethal nature of their warheads, Nova Cannon shells are not armed for a fraction of a second after firing, allowing them to travel many tens of thousands of kilometres through the void before they become truly deadly.
These projectiles vary more than the nature of the cannons themselves, ranging from sophisticated plasma warheads which burn with the ferocity of a small star for a fraction of a second, to implosive devices which exert destructive gravitational forces upon all those caught within several thousand kilometres of the detonation.
In any case, a well-used Nova Cannon is a terrifying thing to face, as much a psychological tool as a weapon. The weapons, however, are often ill-favoured by the Imperial Navy, with most captains preferring to utilise the more traditional torpedoes. Those few who favour the weapon understand that it is difficult to use and often rendered useless at close ranges.

Void Shields

Void Shields are protective barriers of gravitic or electrically-charged energy that allow all starships to survive the hostile environment that is the vacuum of space. Shields form an invisible band of energy around the vessel, a variable layer of force that can absorb radiation, interstellar dust, particle showers and weapons hits. Shields have a maximum tolerance and can be overloaded by sustained weapons fire, forcing the generators to shut down temporarily to vent the excess kinetic or direct energy.

Battle Fleet Euphorian

Battle Fleet Euphorian is the main battlefleet of the Euphorian Sector and as such covers the Concordia Sub-Sector. It is currently headquartered on Androsta Prime with its main rallying point at Port Bonavera.

Type

Navy