The ships effectively being glorified, heavily armed and armored, assault transports for the deliverer of Marines to a target. This entire design philosophy is in place due to the Space Marines themselves being the primary weapon. All Space Marine fleets also have extensive compliments of assault boats and thunder hawks. Space Marine fleet Doctrine also doesn't focus on fleet combat particularly heavily, as such ship-to-ship weapons such as lances are uncommon in Space Marine service: Macro Cannons and Bombardment Cannons being the preference since they are perceived as superior ground-support weapons.

This makes them, predictably, very tough targets to destroy with conventional weaponry. The Battlebarge said to have armor up to a mile in thickness across some of its decks. This makes them a specialized fleet of heavily armed and armored assault transports, when compared to the diverse roster of dedicated warships in service with the much larger Imperial Navy.Īll dedicated Space Marine ships are well known for their heavy armor. Space Marine ships are incredibly tough and primarily designed for the transport and delivery of Space Marines to planets their parent chapter has commanded, as such their combat capabilities are designed heavily around assault actions and ground support. The Space Marine Chapter fleets are a diverse sub faction that serves with the Imperium alongside the Imperial Navy.

Battle fleet space marines