Imperial Escorts
Sword Class Frigate
Size: 1.6 KM long, 0.3 KM abeam at the wings
Crew: 26,000
Max Acceleration: 4.5 g
Defences: Double-armoured adamantium prow, faramite-alloy armour plating, 1 Escort class Void shield.
Standard Main Armament: 1 double-barrelled laser-based sub-macro turret (dorsal/prow mounted), 8 laser-based sub-macro cannons (4 per broadside)
Standard secondary Armament: Turbo lasers, missile banks and autocannons (belly and spine mounted, undetermined numbers)
Auxiliary craft: 2 Arvus lighters
Lore: The Sword Class is one of the oldest Imperial ship design still in service, dating back to the Age of Strife, its design refined to a very fine level: being battle tested across many millennia and an uncountable number of battles. The sword, like all escorts, is very small and fast by Imperial Navy standards. They are also extremely numerous, any space faring planet being easily capable of constructing the simple and well known vessel either on the ground or in orbital shipyards.
The Sword's combat capabilities, despite being common as dirt, are nothing to turn your nose up at. The rather large array of laser-based weapons are excellent for chewing apart opposing escorts and civilian shipping, massed volleys from squadrons of these frigates even cable of presenting a major threat to larger capital ships. The Sword Class also stands out among escorts for her armour.
She is still poorly armoured, being only able to withstand the stray light macro cannon shell or two, and still vulnerable to any form of enemy lance: but her thicker than average bulkheads and prow armour make her difficult for other escorts to deal with.
The Sword Class has seen extensive service across the Imperium, and with Pirates, being one of the most heavily mass produced vessels in Imperial History. Sword Class vessels have been found raiding convoys, escorting convoys, hunting down stragglers and enemy escorts after a major fleet engagement; and escorting larger Imperial capital ships into the line of battle (a Battleship without at least 2 or 3 Sword Class escorts being a rare sight indeed in the Imperium).
Her versatile armament, high speed, respectable armour for her size and cheap construction making her perfectly adjusted for nearly any duty an escort could be expected to fulfil: her armour and firepower proving just enough to present a very difficult adversary for any opposing escorts to deal with.
Firestorm Class Frigate
Size: 1.8 KM long, 0.3 KM abeam at the wings
Crew: 25,000
Max Acceleration: 4.4 g
Defences: Double-armoured adamantium prow, faramite-alloy armour plating, 1 Escort class Void shield.
Standard Main Armament: 1 double-barrelled laser-based sub-macro turret (dorsal/prow mounted), 4 laser-based sub-macro cannons (2 per broadside), 1 Light Lance (prow mounted)
Standard secondary Armament: Turbo lasers, missile banks and autocannons (belly and spine mounted, undetermined numbers)
Auxiliary craft: 2 Arvus lighters
Lore: Firestorm Class is a modification of the Sword Class made by the Gareox 'Young School' fleet lords in M35. Much of the Firestorm remains unchanged from the Sword Class in appearance and interior, although there is one major difference: her armament. Firestorm has fewer broadside weapons batteries, and less powerful engines, but that excess power goes into supporting a Prow-mounted lance. This Lance is deadly to other escorts: having the accuracy to hit them even while manoeuvring and the power to overwhelm their thin shielding and flimsy armour and cause massive damage to their systems. The Lance also has double the range of the more conventional weapon batteries found on the Sword Class, the Firestorm's firepower is also enough to present a devastating threat to fleeing and damaged capital ships: a pack Firestorms able to quickly close the distance and volley-fire Lance bolts into the stricken adversary.
These small and dangerous vessels have seen extensive service, much like the Sword class, by the side of convoy operations, supporting larger capital ships and hunting stragglers/survivors after a major fleet engagement. The Firestorm also has a darker side: being a personal favourite among many pirates. Fast, cheap, and enough firepower to quickly cripple a target vessel: swarms of these ships have been seen assaulting convoy operations across the Imperium to devastating effect, the little terrors able to quickly get the prize and scarper before an Imperial retaliation fleet can get into place.
Cobra Class Destroyer
Size: 1.5 KM long, 3 KM abeam at the wings
Crew: 21,000
Max Acceleration: 7.6 g
Defences: singular-armoured adamantium prow, faramite-alloy armour plating, 1 Escort class Void shield.
Standard Main Armament: 4 light torpedo launch tubes (prow mounted), 3 Sub-Macro Mass Driver turrets (one dorsal/prow mounted, 2 flanking the prow)
Standard secondary Armament: Turbo lasers, missile banks and autocannons (belly and spine mounted, undetermined numbers)
Auxiliary craft: 2 Arvus lighters
Lore: In the competition for most numerous warship in the Imperium, the Cobra is a serious contender, roving swarms of the destroyers being found in service with every fleet in the Imperium and with pirates.
The cobra class is designed around being a fast torpedo boat: which make a squadron of these dangerous warships a lethal threat to even the largest capital ships. The warship is also very poorly armoured (like all escorts), and the fastest warship in Imperial Navy service (fast even among other escorts), making the warship incredibly hard to hit with anything other than a lance as they make their torpedo runs and a nightmare to try and catch as they run for the cover of their home fleet/base. A single Cobra destroyer being the only ship able to escape the Yuctan incident in M40 (The Imperial navy's first encounter with a Necron fleet).
The Cobra Class is however extremely weak for attacking other escorts, her three tiny weapons batteries being simply too small to do any real damage and too short range to contest the laser-based weapons batteries, making the Cobra purely a torpedo boat with batteries for self-defence.
A variant known as the Viper Class exists that has another set of torpedo launchers, and a variant known as the Widow Maker trades its dorsal sub-macro cannon for more powerful augur arrays.
Tempest Class Frigate
Size: 2.1 KM long, 0.4 KM abeam at the wings
Crew: 36,000
Max Acceleration: 4.8 g
Defences: Tripple-armoured adamantium prow, faramite-alloy armour plating, 1 Escort class Void shield.
Standard Main Armament: 3 double-barrelled laser-based sub-macro turret (dorsal and dorsal/prow mounted), 8 Melta-pulsar cannons (4 per broadside)
Standard secondary Armament: Turbo lasers, missile banks and autocannons (belly and spine mounted, undetermined numbers)
Auxiliary craft: 2 Arvus lighters, 4 Shark Assault boats
Lore: Tempest is a strange escort in a few way. For one she is huge, about a third larger than the Sword Class, and has prow Armor that wouldn't be out of place on a light cruiser: being triple-armoured and heavily reinforced for an escort. She is armed with a battery of short range melta pulsar Weapon Batteries on each side of the ship, as well as three of the fairly typical laser based Weapon batteries mounted dorsally in turrets. She is also unique among escorts for having limited carrier capacity in the form of a single squadron of assault boats, as well as boarding equipment and a full complement of ratings and boarding personnel.
The ship was designed by Battle fleet Calixis to combat pirate operation. The idea was that the weaker weapons normally found on pirate vessels (like on the Iconoclast-Class Destroyer and, to a lesser extent, the Havoc Class Frigate) would be unable to kill the frigate due to her heavier Armor, and unable to shake off the ship in a straight line, firing her dorsal laser batteries while in pursuit. Then the ship could be left crippled burning after a single broadside form the melta pulsars or, if the cargo was sufficiently large or important, board the criminal ship and retake any cargo that may have been stolen.
This ship proved so effective in this role that the ship began seeing use against large threats to the Imperium. Although the ship was mostly useless in defensive operations, due to her incredibly short range and poor broadside and rear Armor, she proved very deadly in any offence. Able to close the distance quickly and do heavy damage, even to ship many times her size, with a mix of boarding actions and Melta pulsar bolts.
Falchion Class Frigate
Size: 1.4 KM long, 0.3 KM abeam at the wings
Crew: 21,000
Max Acceleration: 4.6 g
Defences: Single-armoured adamantium prow, faramite-alloy armour plating, 1 Escort class Void shield.
Standard Main Armament: 2 light torpedo launch tubes (prow mounted), 18 Sub-Macro mass driver cannons (9 per broadside)
Standard secondary Armament: Turbo lasers, missile banks and autocannons (belly and spine mounted, undetermined numbers)
Auxiliary craft: 2 Arvus lighters
Lore: Falchion Class is a warship designed as a smaller and lighter version of the Endeavour-series Light Cruisers, first proposed by Forge World Voss to conserve resources and increase the number of escorts in service with battle fleets. The initial design was stolen by Chaos forces and would become the Infidel Class frigate first seen in M40, but modified design of the Falchion would be see production and service with the Imperial Navy in M41. The Falchion's heavy armament of broadside weapon batteries and a pair of torpedo launchers allow the Falchion to engage both other escorts and larger vessels with a degree of versatility that other frigates and destroyers can't match: the large number of sub-macro weapons making short work of escorts weapons and the torpedoes able to do significant damage to larger ships, making this frigate a sort of hybrid between a destroyer and a frigate.
The class's relatively young age does mean that many in the Imperial Navy question its effectiveness, but the craft has thus far proven itself to be at least a partially competent design. Like all Voss designs, being a very innovative hybrid of existing Imperial Navy designs.
When compared to the more common sword class, the Falchion is better armed for dealing with a variety of targets, but significantly less well armoured, although the Falchion does have more slightly more powerful engines. The class tends to perform better in defensive roles and can be surprisingly effective in the hands of a skilled captain.
The Falchion Class performed well defending against the Chaos invasion of Abumbria in M41, a pair of the vessels being pitted against a small invasion fleet of a dozen vessels: 10 escorts (mostly the Falchion 'sister class' Infidel frigates) and a pair of harbinger light cruisers. The Falchions were able to use their high speed to evade the chaos fleet's initial assault and, although unable to stop the initial landing, strike back with torpedoes and cripple one of the light cruisers. In a running battle lasting several weeks the two were able to destroy the light cruiser and several of the chaos escorts before finally being able to assist in the valiant defence of Imperial ground Forces on the Planet.
Turbulent Class Heavy Frigate
Size: 2.5 KM long, 0.5 KM abeam at the wings
Crew: 35,000
Max Acceleration: 4.1 g
Defences: triple-armoured adamantium prow, faramite-alloy armour plating, 2 Escort class Void shields.
Standard Main Armament: 1 double-barrelled laser-based sub-macro turret (dorsal/prow mounted), 6 Light Macro Cannons (3 per broadside)
Standard secondary Armament: Turbo lasers, missile banks and autocannons (belly and spine mounted, undetermined numbers)
Auxiliary craft: 3 Arvus lighters
Lore: Turbulent Class is rare breed of escort: having armour and firepower to contest a Light cruiser, but in a much smaller escort-sized package.
The Turbulent Class is a warship designed by (and found exclusively within) battlefleet Calixis. The idea was to build a cheap and easily mass produced vessel that was capable of destroying any opposing escorts, and present a devastating threat to larger vessels when deployed in grouped (following the line of thinking of the largely successful Endeavour Class Light cruiser).
This came in the form of a battery of Light Macro Cannons, a single laser-based weapon battery and very thick armour and shielding for an escort.
The problem with the design was that the escort had sacrificed much of the speed an escort would be expected to have, barely keeping up with light cruiser in a straight line and having very poor mobility: this, together with the complicated construction for an escort, meant that the Turbulent was not adopted outside of Battlefleet Calixis; the Firestorm being seen as a superior option for an escort-sized firepower supplement.
Despite this the Turbulent has seen service against various enemies of the Imperium with varying degrees of success, the Macro argument proving as deadly as her designers had hoped when engaging other escorts.
Despite opposition from outside Battlefleet Calixis, and being an unpopular choice with younger Admirals with the Battlefleet, many of the senior Admirals at the top of Battlefleet look upon the Heavy Frigate fondly: many of their successful careers starting at the helm of a Turbulent Class.
Havoc Class Raider Frigate
Size: 1.8 KM long, 0.3 KM abeam at the wings
Crew: 26,000 (in Imperial service, more in pirate service)
Max Acceleration: 4.6 g
Defences (In Imperial service): faramite-alloy armour plating, 1 Escort class Void shields
Standard Main Armament: 6 fixed Prow Sub-Macro mass drivers, 2 Sub-Macro Plasma turrets (dorsal/prow mounted), 4 Sub-Macro plasma cannons (2 per broudside)
Standard secondary Armament: Turbo lasers, missile banks and autocannons (belly and spine mounted, undetermined numbers)
Auxiliary craft: 2 Arvus lighters
Lore: The Havoc was originally created in M36 by the fleet lords of Calixis as a merchant raider and civilian enforcement vessel for the Imperial Navy. While the Havoc performed perfectly well in these roles, being well protected, fast and more than well armed to fulfil these duties: many admirals mistrusted the designs lack of an armoured prow and nasty tendency of suffering damage against even light threats. The trusty Sword: being infinitely more reliable, versatile and durable; was much preferred by the vast majority of fleet admirals.
Eventually the escort found its way into the hands of rogue traders and Pirates where it swiftly became a firm favorite. Relatively fast, easily modified, and cheap to build and maintain while packing a savage array of weapons meant it was perfect for attacking convoy operations in groups and tearing through lighter Imperial shiping and civilian transports. This, of course, being similar to the role it fulfilled with the Imperial Navy.
Despite this, many variants have remained in service or been recaptured by numerous Imperial battlefleets: the ship now seeing service with rogue traders, merchants, pirates, civilians, the Imperial Navy, Chaos war fleets and even some alien empires. The Frigate being one of the most heavily mass produced ships in the known galaxy. Every contractor, stardock and space faring planet producing at least a dozen of these every decade.
Claymore corvette
Size: 0.9 KM long, 0.2 KM abeam at the wings
Crew: 18,000 (in Imperial service, more in pirate service)
Max Acceleration: 7.4 g
Defences: singular-armoured adamantium prow, faramite-alloy armour plating, 1 Escort class Void shield.
Standard Main Armament: 1 Sub-Macro Mass Driver turrets (dorsal/prow mounted)
Standard secondary Armament: Turbo lasers, missile banks and autocannons (belly and spine mounted, undetermined numbers)
Auxiliary craft: 1 Arvus lighter
Lore: The smallest vessel to see use by the Imperial Navy in large scale vessels, the Claymore was another escort creation by battlefleet Calixis. The small and fast ship being well equipped with auspex equipment for its size and more mobile than any other escort in Imperial service.
However, it proved good for little more than scout and patrol duties in the Imperial Navy. Lacking the firepower or armour to compete with any other escort, which meant it was never widely adopted outside of it's native battlefleet of Calixis.
The ship does, however, see plenty of service with pirates. The ship being easy to build and hide away, and well armed enough to rip apart lightly protected transports: large groups of up to 8 of these corvettes rushing the unwary or poorly defended, grabbing their loot, and escaping before most have a hope of catching the corvette. Or, alternatively, hiding away in tight and obscure places in order to transmit information on any potential threats to pirate warlords.
