Space Marine Battle-barge

A battle-barge is a large capital ship employed by Space Marine fleets. With the exception of the mobile fortress-monasteries employed by some Chapters, they are the largest capital ships available to the Space Marines. A Chapter will generally have two or three, though some have more (e.g. the Ultramarines have five and the Space Wolves have EIGHT).

The term itself is more of a ship type than a specific pattern; the Adeptus Mechanicus does produce a special pattern of ship just for Space Marines, but any ship can be used as a battle barge so long as it has enough capacity to launch vast quantities of Thunderhawks and Drop Pods and enough weapons and armor to protect them. A standard battle-barge has the facilities for three entire companies to operate out of, including support staff and logistics, such as vehicle repair.

No matter what they start as, or what they look like, battle-barges (like all Space Marine starships) are specialized for planetary assault. They have relatively little long-range firepower, but instead have enough hangar and torpedo bay capacity to launch three full companies of Space Marines at once, perform an orbital bombardment, or even commit Exterminatus.

The Horus Heresy books explain that for Imperial accounts battle-barges are basically battleships upgraded for Space Marines operations, which indeed explain their capabilities.

Notable Battle Barges

Daughter of Tempests A Lamenters Battle Barge deployed during the Corinth Crusade. While crusading the glorious motha-fukas of the chapter learned of an Ork Slave World cheerily named Slaughter House III. When The Lamenters were told that no other forces could be spared to free the world from the green skin menace, they took it upon themselves to do so. When Daughter of Tempests jumped to the system, she intentionally emerged from the warp absurdly close to the Orkish defenses of the planet. Taken by surprise, the green skins didn't get a shot off before the Battle Barge had disabled the orbital guns and deployed 300 yellow armored Sons of Sanguineous to the surface.

Daughter of Tempests

Boldly going where no one has crusaded before.