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, in support of the Ultramarines.
While crusading the glorious motha-fukas of the most put upon Chapter in imperial history 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 Sanguinious to the surface.
Daughter of Tempests then assisted in the evacuation of 3 million survivors of the planet as the Lamenters declared Exterminatus to deny the Orks access to the Planet's resources.
She was destroyed during the Badab War when the Minotaur's Ambushed the Lamenters Chapter Fleet and forcibly boarded their ships.
Vulkan's Wrath A Ship from the Salamanders that took part in the Commorragh Raid.
When "Those Knife Eared Assholes" swiped the Salamander Strike Cruiser Forgehammer from Real Space and stashed it in their City, Vulcans Wrath lead a Fleet Of Salamanders, Howling Griffons, and Silver Skulls into the Commorragh to rescue their brothers. With the forces of 3 Chapters of Space Marines wreaking havoc in the streets, the missing cruiser was located, held down by an Electric Spire. Terminators deployed from Vulkan's Wrath teleported to Forgehammer's decks and loosed the cruisers missile battery on the spire. With Forgehammer free, Vulkan's Wrath lead the strike group out of the Dark City and into the Safety of Imperial Space.
Tempestus: The Flag Ship of the Astral Knights.
Tempestus was the battering ram on which the Astral Knights rode to their Glorious Destiny in the battles against the World Engine.
After the destruction of the World Engine and the entire chapter, Tempestus was salvaged and converted into an Imperial Shrine dedicated to the 772 Heroes of the Astral Knights on the world of Safehold, the last planet scoured by the World Engine.
