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[[Image:FleetOfficer.jpg|thumb|130px|right|A '''Navy''' officer]]
[[Image:Imperial-Navy.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Imperial Navy vessels{{Fn|27}}]]
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===Fleet Personnel===
{{Main|Imperial Navy Hierarchy}}
[[Image:FleetOfficer.jpg|thumb|200px|right|A '''Navy''' officer]]
The Imperial Navy is headed by the [[Lord High Admiral of the Imperial Navy]], who is often one of the [[High Lords of Terra]]. He oversees five [[Segmentum]] Lord High Admirals.
[[File:Navy Breachers.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Imperial Navy Breachers]] (voidsmen){{Fn|29}}]]
Below the Lord Admirals are various Sector and Battlefleet commanders, then individual ship [[Imperial Navy Captain|Captain]]s and junior officers, and finally a myriad array of Non-Commissioned Officers. The Imperial Navy has a corps of [[Commissar]]s that oversee the morale and discipline of Naval personnel, known as the [[Fleet Commissariat]].{{Fn|6}}
==Vessels==
{{Main|Imperial Navy Vessels (List)}}
[[Image:NavyImage3Imperial-Navy.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Imperial Navy workers load a [[Torpedo]] into its firing tubevessels{{Fn|1227}}]]
The Imperial Navy consists of millions of heavily armoured and armed spaceships, both warp-capable and system-bound. While the interstellar vessels are the most famous, the Navy also operates sublight [[System Defence Boat|system defence boats]], [[Orbital Defence Platform|orbital defence stations]], [[Star Fort|star forts]] and even planetary-based [[Defence Laser|defence lasers]] and missile silos.{{Fn|26}} The Imperial Navy deploys a vast diversity of vessel types, from one-man attack fighters to kilometers-long Battleships.
Construction of Imperial Navy warships is complicated, obscenely expensive, and often takes place over decades or even centuries. The vast majority of construction is done in orbital shipyards by the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]], but the Navy itself sends specialist technicians to oversee certain critical elements. Other such specialist are sent by the [[Departmento Munitorum]] and [[Administratum]] to give ritual attention to specialized areas. However the [[Tech-Priest]]s do not take part in the construction of two highly classified of the warship: the [[Astropathic Choir]] (which is built by the [[Adeptus Astra Telepathica]]) and the chamber for the ship's [[Navigator]]s (which is built by the [[Navis Nobilite]]).{{Fn|20b}} While most new Imperial Navy vessels are constructed in the Navy's own shipyards, a number are build by planetary shipyards of [[Hive World|hive]], [[Factory World|factory]] or other worlds as part of the [[tithe]].{{Fn|26}}
The larger of the two are [[Frigate]]s, better armed and more heavily armoured.
[[Destroyer]]s are generally smaller, but they are by far the fastest and most manoeuvrable interstellar warships employed by the Imperial Navy. They are usually organised in squadrons of 2 to 6 vessels and will always operate as a group. The main task of the escort ships is to serve as a screen for capital ships against enemy torpedoes [[torpedoe]]s and attack crafts so that they can get into position more quickly and safely. They are also employed behind the gun line to finish off enemy cruisers that have been damaged so that the larger vessels can concentrate on the most important threats in an enemy formation. Most escort classes specialise in a certain role, such as the '''''Cobra''''' class torpedo boat destroyers or the '''''Firestorm''''' class frigate with its armour-piercing prow-mounted Lance. Escort ships are normally not more than 1.5 kilometres in length, with destroyers generally being only 750 metres to 2 kilometres from prow to stern.{{Fn|2}}
*[[Turbulent Class Heavy Frigate]]{{Fn|3b}}
==Images==
<gallery heights="160px300px" widths="220px350px" mode="packed" caption="nolines"> Port Maw Battlefleet Gothic Rulebook pg46.jpg|'''Imperial Navy''' ships at [[Port Maw]].{{Fn|12}}{{Fn|21b}}
NavyArt.jpg|'''Imperial Navy''' ships
Imperial Navy slaves.jpg|Imperial Navy ratings{{Fn|21a}}
NavyImage3.jpg|thumb|[[Torpedo]] being loaded into its firing tube.{{Fn|12}}
</gallery>
**{{Endn|11a}}: Microcontent 1-3
**{{Endn|11b}}: Microcontent 6
*{{Endn|12}}: [[Inquis Exterminatus]], pgpgs. 18~86-87
*{{Endn|13}}: [[Rogue Trader Rulebook]], pgs. 176-177
*{{Endn|14}}: [[Shadow Point (Novel)]], Part 1, Chapter 1
**{{Endn|20b}}: Chapter 3
*{{Endn|21}}: [[Battlefleet Gothic Rulebook]], cover interior
**{{Endn|21a}}: pg. 111
**{{Endn|21b}}: pg. 46
*22: [[The Battle for Armageddon (Background Book)]]:
**{{Endn|22a}}: pg. 74
*{{Endn|27}}: [[Rogue Trader: Battlefleet Koronus]], pg. 111
*{{Endn|28}}: [[Archmagos (Novel)]], Chapter 1
*{{Endn|29}}: [[Sea of Souls (Novel)]], cover art (cropped)
===Uncited===
