Gloriana Class Battleship

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The Iron Blood, a Iron Warriors Gloriana Class Battleship

The Gloriana Class Battleship was an ancient and powerful Battleship design used by the Legiones Astartes during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy.

Overview

The Gloriana Class Battleship was an ancient Terran design which alongside similar vessels like the Promethean Class Cruiser and Tiamat Class Destroyer were forgotten technological relics, even by the time of the Great Crusade. They far surpassed the contemporary Imperial designs in capability.^[10]

Officially classified as a type of command Battle Barge, the vessels were around 20 kilometers in length, though their size and appearance varied greatly.^[1] These massive ships were frequently used as flagships for Imperial fleets and even Primarchs. The Gloriana Class vessels are the largest known Imperial warships after the Phalanx and Furious Abyss-class vessels.^[1] Some of the largest known Gloriana-class vessels were the Vengeful Spirit, Conqueror, Hrafnkel, and Iron Blood.^[4]

The Dark Angels had perhaps the greatest fleet of the Space Marine Legions during the time of the Horus Heresy, including many advanced relic ships. These including multiple Gloriana Class vessels.^[10a] Besides the Invincible Reason, the Dark Angels fielded two more Gloriana class vessels at the Battle of Advex-Mors, one of which was destroyed.^[10c] Later two unnamed Dark Angels Gloriana Battleships were seen during the Thramas Crusade.^[10b]

As of M41, the design appears to have fallen out of use. However, a few still serve as flagships. Such as the Invincible Reason (Dark Angels} and Macragge's Honour (Ultramarines). The latter of these currently serving as the Lord Regent Roboute Guilliman's personal flagship.^{[1][2][3][9][11]}

Named Gloriana Class Battleships

Vessel	Fleet	Status
Invincible Reason	Dark Angels	In active service as the flagship of the Dark Angels fleet.[9]
Paradigm of Hate	Dark Angels	Destroyed during the Battle of Advex-Mors[10c]
Truth's Razor	Dark Angels	Unknown
Pride of the Emperor	Emperor's Children	Crippled during the Battle of Thessala
Iron Blood	Iron Warriors	Unknown
Swordstorm	White Scars	Destroyed during the Battle of Catallus during the Horus Heresy
Hrafnkel	Space Wolves	Unknown
Eternal Crusader	Imperial Fists	In active service as flagship of the Black Templars
Nightfall	Night Lords	Unknown
Red Tear	Blood Angels	Unknown
Fist of Iron	Iron Hands	Unknown
Conqueror	World Eaters	In active service in Kossolax's fleet during the 13th Black Crusade
Macragge's Honour	Ultramarines	In active service as the flagship of Roboute Guilliman in M42
Endurance	Death Guard	In active service as the flagship of Mortarion[7]
Photep	Thousand Sons	Unknown
Vengeful Spirit	Luna Wolves/Sons of Horus	In active service as the flagship of Abaddon the Despoiler during the 13th Black Crusade
Magna Tyrannis	Luna Wolves/Sons of Horus	Renamed Harbinger of Doom. In active service with the Black Legion.
Fidelitas Lex	Word Bearers	Destroyed over Nuceria during the Horus Heresy
Chronicle of Ashes	Word Bearers	Captured by the Ultramarines and given to the Nemesis Chapter (as the Lex Talonis)[5]
Flamewrought	Salamanders	Unknown
Shadow of the Emperor	Raven Guard	Destroyed in the Drop Site Massacre
Alpha	Alpha Legion	Unknown
Beta	Alpha Legion	Unknown
Amphion	Imperial Armada	Unknown

Sources

• 1: The Horus Heresy Book One - Betrayal, pg. 96
• 2: Collected Visions, pg. 38
• 3: Betrayer (Novel), Chapter 21
• 4: Wolf King (Novella)
• 5: The Horus Heresy Book Five - Tempest, pg. 20
• 6: Fear to Tread (Novel), Chapter 20
• 7: Dark Imperium (Novel), Chapter 19
• 8: Ruinstorm (Novel)
• 9: Legacy of Russ - Part 8 - Fate Unbound
• 10: The Horus Heresy Book Nine pg.86
  • 10a: pg.111-112
  • 10b: pg.42
  • 10c: pg.120-122
• 11: Dark Imperium (Novel), Chapter Four