Attack on the Pirates' Haven
The Attack on the Pirates' Haven was a fleet action against a massive pirate group during the Gothic War. Removing this threat allowed the Imperial forces to concentrate more fully on their Chaos foes without having to worry about their shipping being savaged by the marauders.[1b]
Prelude
As Imperial forces struggled to hold back the Chaos invaders during the Gothic War, piracy, always a threat even before the conflict, rose to an all-time high[1a]. Among these "Wolf Packs" was a rough coalition of dozens of pirate fleets that had banded together in the Quinrox Sound, and amassed a huge force of over fifty escort-sized vessels, a captured Gothic Class Cruiser, and two salvaged Lunar Class Cruisers.[1b]
Such a threat could not be ignored, but Lord Admiral Ravensburg could not afford to take his attention away from the wider war. So he ordered Fleet Admiral Mourndark to deal with the pirates.[1b]
To this end, Mourndark drew an impressive list of ships from all over the Gothic Sector. His fleet included five capital ships - the Sword of Orion, Havock, Uziel, Fortitude, and Cypra Probatii — as well as three squadrons of escorts.[1b]
First Strike
Mourndark's first move was to lure the pirates into attacking a large convoy made of empty freighters. The trap succeeded: the pirates took the bait and struck at the convoy, only for the Imperial fleet to pounce on them. Only one pirate ship survived, and that was merely because Mourndark had ordered that one ship be allowed to flee so that it could be followed back to its base. Thanks to the help of Master Navigator Absalom Draal, this ploy was a success, and the survivor led the Imperials straight to its lair in the Barbarus Costa System.[1b]
Deathblow
The pirates believed that they were safe in their hidden base of operations, and as such had put little effort into defense. This allowed the Imperial forces to achieve total surprise when they attacked. Mourndark's fleet tore into the pirates with a terrible ferocity, and the pirates could do little more than run, only to be chased down by the Imperial escorts and slain by the attacking cruisers.[1b]
Many of the pirates tried to escape to the near-deserted surface of the nearby Barbarus III, but would find no refuge there. Instead, they found themselves literally burned out when the planet's atmosphere was ignited by Atmospheric incinerator torpedos specially modified by Magos Urilun of the Adeptus Mechanicus.[1b]
With their base destroyed and most of their comrades slain, a handful of pirates tried to surrender. Mourndark's answer came in the form of deadly volleys from his ships' guns.[1b]
Aftermath
When the dust settled, more than thirty pirate ships had been destroyed, fifteen of them at the hands of the mighty Cypra Probatii. With a single blow, the Imperial forces had wiped out a large proportion of the pirates plaguing the Gothic Sector. His shipping lanes now secure, Lord Admiral Ravensburg was finally able to concentrate his forces against the Chaos invaders[1b].
Sources
- 1: Battlefleet Gothic Resources: 41st Millennium (accessed 2010.12.02)
