The Battle Barge is the largest class of warship used by the Adeptus Astartes and most Space Marine Chapters control two or three of these potent vessels. Battle Barges are extremely powerful starships and were designed during the Great Crusade with only one purpose in mind--assaulting other planets. A Battle Barge is primarily configured for the close support of planetary assaults and surface landings and carries numerous bombardment turrets and torpedo tubes. A large amount of the starship's hull space is dedicated to launch bays for intra-system spacecraft like Thunderhawks and Drop Pods and up to three Space Marine companies are capable of deploying simultaneously. A Battle Barge is extremely heavily armoured and possesses heavily reinforced Void Shields so that it can breach planetary defences without harm coming to its precious inhabitants and their lethal cargoes. The Battle Barge is a literal mobile fortress in any situation in which an opponent seeks to board one with hostile intent. A Battle Barge is essentially one of the most potent starships deployed by the Imperium of Man, easily equivalent in power to that of an Imperial Navy Battlecruiser or even a Battleship when the additional power of its Space Marine contingent is added to the equation.

Notable Battle Barges

• The Agony and the Ecstasy of the Emperor's Children
• Absolute of the Fire Hawks
• Angel of Retribution of the Dark Angels
• Armourum Ferrus of the Iron Hands
• Breakspear of the Luna Wolves
• Bellus of the Blood Angels
• Caesar of the Ultramarines
• Callidora of the Emperor's Children
• Carmine Talon of the Imperial Hawks
• Carnivore of the Soul Drinkers
• Cerberus of the Excoriators
• Conqueror of the World Eaters
• Daughter of Tempests of the Lamenters
• Destiny's Hand of the Word Bearers
• Endless Redemption of the Mantis Warriors
• Eternal Crusader of the Black Templars
• Europae of the Blood Angels
• Ferrum of the Iron Hands
• Fist of Iron of the Iron Hands
• Hammer of Nocturne of the Salamanders
• Harbinger of Doom (formerly Magna Tyrannis) of the Black Legion
• The Heart of Sotha (formerly Honour's Might) of the Scythes of the Emperor
• Holmgang of the Space Wolves
• Hunter's Premonition of the Night Lords
• Infidus Imperator of the Word Bearers
• Liberatorii Delictum of the Angels of Absolution
• Light of Purity of the Black Templars
• Litany of Fury of the Blood Ravens
• Manifest Destiny of the Silver Skulls
• Misericorde of the Blood Angels
• Metallus of the Iron Hands (destroyed by the Diasporex)
• Nicor of the Carcharodons
• Night's Hag of the Executioners
• Night's Vigil of the Black Templars
• Octavius of the Ultramarines
• Omnis Arcanum of the Blood Ravens
• Phaeton's Wrath of the Executioners
• Photep of the Thousand Sons
• Pride of the Emperor of the Emperor's Children
• Punisher of the Exorcists
• Raptorus Rex of the Legion of the Damned
• Reapers' Scythe of the Death Guard
• Red Tear of the Blood Angels
• Redeemer of the Exorcists
• Serpentine of the Salamanders
• Severian of the Ultramarines
• Shadow of the Emperor of the Raven Guard
• Spear of Vengeance of the Imperial Fists
• Stalwart of the Death Guard
• Storm of Wrath of the Imperial Fists
• Sword of Truth of the White Consuls
• Temerity of the Iron Snakes
• Ultimate Vengeance of the Dark Angels
• Undying Faith of the Dark Angels
• Unrelenting Fury of the Dark Angels
• Victus of the Flesh Tearers
• Vinco Redemptor of the Dark Angels

Sources

• Battlefleet Gothic: To Cleanse the Stars - p.12
• Codex: Space Marines (3rd Edition)
• Index Astartes I
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War (PC game)
• Codex: Black Templars
• Wolf's Honour (Novel) by Lee Lightner
• Xenocide (Short Story) by Simon Jowett, p. 210
• Imperial Armour Volume Five - The Siege of Vraks - Part One
• Codex: Tyranids (2nd Edition)
• White Dwarf 356 (Australian Edition)
• Helsreach (Novel) by Aaron Dembski-Bowden

Gallery

A Space Marine Battle Barge with Escorts

Two Battle Barges of the Ultramarines

The Black Templars' Eternal Crusader and other Imperial Navy warships for size comparison

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