Strike Cruiser
Most Space Marine Chapters control only two or three mighty Battle Barges,[1a] however these behemoths are called upon rarely. The Chapter's Strike Cruisers are more common, although still rare compared to Imperial Navy ship classes, but the arrival of a single Strike Cruiser is usually enough to quell a rebellious planet; the same cannot be said of an Imperial Navy Cruiser.
Overview
Strike Cruisers can carry up to one full company of Space Marines and their equipment. They are primarily used for rapid deployment and are often the first arrive in orbit of a threatened planet and capable of deploying their cargo within twenty minutes of said arrival.[1b]
The armament of a Strike Cruiser is comparable to that of a Imperial Navy Dauntless Light Cruiser, equipped with two Weapons Batteries. However, the Strike Cruiser omits the lance weaponry in exchange for a mighty Bombardment Cannon. Additionally a Strike Cruiser has a flight deck for launching two squadrons of Thunderhawk Gunships.[1b] Strike Cruisers can also be equipped with Exterminatus-class weapons[27] or a Nova Cannon.[29]
Vulkan led the design of the first true Strike Cruisers near the end of the Great Crusade, but the Horus Heresy delayed their rollout. After the first stages of the Scouring and the Second Founding the design was revised by the rebuilding Imperium to arm the Adeptus Astartes.[45a]
Variants
- Mk.I Strike Cruiser - Assault carrier equipped with with Attack Craft launch bays, Drop Pod and Boarding Torpedo launchers, 2 Macrocannon batteries, and 1 Bombardment Cannon.[31]
- Mk.II Strike Cruiser - Torpedo cruiser equipped with 6 Torpedo tubes, 2 Macrocannon batteries, and 1 Bombardment Cannon.[31]
- Mk.III Strike Cruiser - Anti-ship fleet combatant equipped with 1 heavy Lance battery, 2 Macrocannon batteries, and 1 Bombardment Cannon.[31]
- Vanguard Cruiser [13]
- Grey Knights Strike Cruiser
- Punisher Class Strike Cruiser
- Olympia Class Strike Cruiser - Used by the Legiones Astartes during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy.[28]
- Agentha Class Strike Cruiser - A pattern of Strike Cruiser used during the Horus Heresy.[30]
- Excelsior Class Strike Cruiser - A pattern of Strike Cruiser used during the Horus Heresy.[45b]
- Maegaron Class Strike Cruiser - A pattern of Strike Cruiser used during the Horus Heresy.[30]
Famous Strike Cruisers
- Andronius - Famous Emperor's Children Strike Cruiser from the Horus Heresy.[38]
- Atreides - Scythes of the Emperor[47]
- Blade of the Seventh Son - Flagship of the Celestial Lions.[34]
- Bronze Minos - Sons of Malice[48]
- Claw of Russ - Space Wolves.[49]
- Death's Cowl - Flesh Tearers Strike Cruiser which holds the majority of their Death Company.[39]
- Defiance of Calth - Served as the flagship of Aeonid Thiel after the Battle of Calth in the Horus Heresy.[50]
- Ebon Drake - Experimental Strike Cruiser variant of the Salamanders from the Horus Heresy.[45a]
- Echo of Damnation - Flagship of the Night Lords warband under Talos Valcoran.[43]
- Emperor's Will - Flagship of Ultramarines Captain Cato Sicarius.[51]
- Infidus Diabolus - Flagship of Word Bearers Dark Apostle Marduk.[33]
- Light of Inwit - Famous Imperial Fists Strike Cruiser from the Horus Heresy.[41]
- Lord of Vespator - Flagship of Ultramarines Tetrarch Decimus Felix.[53]
- Northwind - Used by the White Scars 4th Brotherhood.[55]
- Sacrum Finem - Grey Knights Strike Cruiser used by the Purifiers.[40]
- Shield of Valour - Imperial Fists[42]
- Sisypheum - Famous Iron Hands Strike Cruiser from the Horus Heresy.[32]
- Skulltaker - Flagship of World Eaters warlord Khârn.[56]
- Sword of Caliban - Dark Angels[37]
- Vae Victus - Famous Ultramarines Strike Cruiser under the command of Lazlo Tiberius.[54]
- Veritas Ferrum - Iron Hands Strike Cruiser that became heavily corrupted during the Horus Heresy.[46]
- Wolf of Fenris - Space Wolves, captured by the Red Corsairs.[44]
Miniatures
See also
Sources
 |
- 1: Battlefleet Gothic: Armada (Book):
- 2: Warhammer 40,000 5th Edition Rulebook
[Help] - 3: Codex: Chaos Space Marines (4th Edition)[Help]
- 4: Codex: Sisters of Battle (2nd Edition)[Help]
- 5: Imperial Armour Volume Five: The Siege of Vraks, pg. 54
- 6: Dawn of War II
- 7: Grey Knights (Novel)[Help]
- 8: Nightbringer (Novel), Chapter Four
- 9: Warriors of Ultramar (Novel) — The Ultramarines Omnibus, Chapter Five, pg. 342
- 10: The Chapter's Due (Novel), Chapters Four, Six, and Eight
- 11: Phalanx (Novel), Chapter 2
- 12: The Emperor's Finest (Novel), Chapter 1, pg. 10
- 13: Imperial Armour Volume Ten - The Badab War - Part Two, pg. 201
- 14: Wolf's Honour (Novel), Prologue
- 15: Imperial Armour Volume Two (First Edition):
- 16: The Ghost Halls (Short Story)
- 17: Index Astartes II, pgs. 44–55
- 18: The Ascension of Balthasar (Audio Drama)
- 19: Codex: Space Wolves (7th Edition) — The Disappearance of Russ
- 20: White Dwarf 288 (US), pg. 115
- 21: Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition), pg. 17
- 22: Dark Apostle (Novel)[Help]
- 23: Battle for the Abyss (Novel)[Help]
- 24: The First Heretic (Novel)[Help]
- 25: Imperial Armour Volume Eight - Raid on Kastorel-Novem, pg. 112
- 26: The Serpent Beneath (Novella)
- 27: The Alien Hunters (Short Story) - Xenos Hunters (Anthology)
- 28: The Horus Heresy Book Three - Extermination, pg. 15
- 29: Eclipse of Hope (Short Story)
- 30: Slaves to Darkness (Novel), Chapter Twelve
- 31: Battlefleet Gothic: Armada II - Space Marine Fleet Customization
- 32: Sons of the Selenar (Novella), Chapter 1
- 33: Dark Apostle (Novel), Chapter 1
- 34: Spear of the Emperor (Novel), Chapter 17
- 36: [[Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War
- 37: The Eye of Ezekiel (Novel), Chapter 3
- 38: Fulgrim (Novel), Chapter 13
- 39: White Dwarf December 2019, pg. 72
- 40: Warden of the Blade (Novel), Prologue
- 41: Tallarn: Siren (Short Story)
- 42: Malodrax (Novel), Chapter 2
- 43: Blood Reaver (Novel) - Chapter XI
- 44: Codex: Chaos Space Marines (4th Edition), pgs. 58–59
- 45: The Horus Heresy Book Six - Retribution:
- 46: Veritas Ferrum (Audio Drama)
- 47: Daedalus (Short Story)
- 48: Cadia Stands (Novel, Part 4, Chapter 3
- 49: White Dwarf 279 (UK), pg. 64
- 50: Deathfire (Novel), Chapter 6
- 51: Codex: Space Marines (8th Edition), pg. 98
- 53: Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work (Novel), Chapter 2
- 54: White Dwarf 284 (UK), pg. 56
- 55: Storm of Damocles (Novel), Chapter 8
- 56: The Red Path (Novel), Chapter 6
| Modern Space Marine Fleet | |
|---|---|
| Battleships | Battle Barge |
| Cruisers | Strike Cruiser • Vanguard Class |
| Escorts | Gladius Class • Nova Class • Hunter Class • Rapid Strike Vessel |
| Attack Craft | Thunderhawk • Stormraven • Storm Eagle (Fire Raptor) • Storm Talon • Stormhawk • Xiphon • Overlord • Nephilim • Dark Talon • Stormfang • Stormwolf • Corvus Blackstar • Caestus Assault Ram |
| Transports | Thunderhawk Transporter • Landing Craft • Thunderbolt • Drop Pod |
