Battle Barges

[zxyogi]

Just a quick question, how many battle barges did the Legions have?

Oh....and in what order of size, troop carrying capacity would a Fleet consist of?

Doing some fluff research.

Thanks.

[Kol Saresk]

That is actually a very hard question to answer simply because the number of battle barges is unknown and the makeup of fleets would vary from fleet to fleet. Sorry, best answer I can give. If you look at the "Fleet of the Heresy" thread, you can see what battle barges have been recorded so far in the table on the first page.

[Raven Angel]

In 30k/40k the term Battle Barge is used for any warship Grand Cruiser weight or larger that carries a large force of SM. Troop numbers have ranged in HH books from 1 to more then 10 companies with companies varying from 100 to 500+ SM.

[zxyogi]

Thanks for the prompt replies!

So its feasible to say a Battle barge can carry well over a thousand Marines plus vehicles and all supporting staff?

[Grotsmasha]

I'm fairly certain a typically Battle Barge has a 3 company and support capacity. I'll have search when I get home to give a source for that.

 

Cheers,

Jono

[Demus Ragnok]

And then the "strike cruiser" The iron hands morlocks deployed from at Istvaan V was carrying ten companies of terminators. The legion fleets/ ships varied wildly from from chapter fleets under the codex reforms.

[Kol Saresk]

I'm fairly certain a typically Battle Barge has a 3 company and support capacity. I'll have search when I get home to give a source for that.

 

Cheers,

Jono

In the description for the 40k incarnation of the Battle-Barge, which is an STC Template that complies with the Codex in that Space Marines are only supposed to have Naval vessels capable of high-risk planetary insertions, that is true.

 

In 30k when the Legions themselves were void-battle worthy vessels that didn't need the assistance of other non-Astartes vessels, it varies. For example, in Betrayer, there is a battle-barge that I believe was called the Dominus class that was capable of landing 3,000 troops. And then you have the Conqueror which had a shipboard contingent of 500 Astartes plus Khârn's 8th Assault Company plus the Devourers, however many they numbered. Going by the numbers suggested in the book(The Triarii were said to be five companies' worth strong and then says "500"), there was at least 600 World Eaters(not counting the Devourers). At least twice as much as the 40k Battle Barge was able/supposed to carry. Plus at the beginning, Argel Tal's Vakrah Jal were also onboard and they are an entire Chapter, although it is unknown if some of the Chapter or the entire 1,000 Marines were onboard.

 

But there are definitely some difference between the 40k Battle Barge and the 30k Battle Barge. The number one difference is that in 40k, there is just one standard class of battle barge unless it is in the Space Wolves or the Black Templars due to both Chapters basically flippin' the bird to the Codex. In 30k, as Raven Angel pointed out, it could be anything. And the number in a Company really varies from Legion to Legion. For example, the entire Death Guard Legion was only split into 7 Companies. Since they were one of the average-size to bigger-size Legions, that's a lot of Marines in one Company. And I seem to remember that just Loken's Company had a rather large number of Marines itself. And judging by what was said in Prince of Crows, they didn't have "Chapters" but instead they had companies that were split into sub-companies. Of course, after that was implied, Sevatar reorganized the Legion into Six "Great Companies" IIRC. As a compromise, I'd say on average about 1,000 Marines. But still, that easily beats the cake on any 40k battle barge.

[Octavulg]

Even the 40K Strike Cruisers and Battle Barges are variable. The Flesh Tearers have a battle barge which can transport "the entire Chapter" (though their numbers are reduced). They also have rapid strike vessels that can transport a company each. Ships are, after all, BIG.

[Kol Saresk]

True enough. I guessvit would be better that the 40k vessels are supposed to be more limited than their 30k counterparts, but it all depends on the Chapter and how strict it is in following the Codex.

[Seahawk]

See info on modern marine fleets here: Link.

 

As for 30k stuff, it's extremely variable. 

 

"A battle barge is not a class of vessel, but rather it is the name given to any vessel configured to fulfill the role of battle barge. Because of this, it is theoretically possible for any large capital ship to fulfill this role, although the battle barges specially designed for the Space Marines by the Adeptus Mechanics are the most common example. Some older Chapters, particularly those dating back to the First Founding, maintain much more ancient and revered vessels dating back to a time when the Adeptus Astartes and the Imperial Navy were more closely united than they now are and commonly employed reconfigured Navy vessels as battle barges."

 

"Some Chapters rely on truly unique vessels imparted upon them for a specific role or to meet some dire threat. Others simply retain vessels they received millenia ago or gained through other means. The Space Wolves, a traditionally minded Chapter, is more immersed in the customs of its homeworld of Fenris than most Chapters and has access to only the most rudimentary of shipyards, and they are perhaps the best known example of this, relying as they do on an Emperor-class battleship to fulfill the role of battle barge."