Battlefleet Europa

Battlefleet Europa is the primary naval fighting force of the Europan Planetary Federation, with its main base at the Torus orbital ring station, that circumvents the capital planet, Europa Prime. Their task is to patrol the borders of the Federation, guards its' holds and all it stands for. Most of the vessels are Imperial designs, usually retrofitted and upgraded with new, better weapons, protective measures, and support systems. Reason for this is the combined industrial output of the whole Federation that, despite being able to raise and supply ground armies with no major issue, is still not sufficient enough to produce warp-capable warships at a viable rate. Thus, every single vessel is upgraded, modernized and automated to maximalize its' fighting potential. It is also because of the Europans themselves, as large portion of them were decensants of starship crewmembers, one of the first laws passed was that no man will be a slave ever again.

History
Since the solar system was colonized and intended as a rear naval resupply and maintenance base and a future gateway into the sector, naval assets always had a strong presence. Ships were pouring in and out for resupply or repairs and the Torus ring station was built by the collective effort by a vast legion of workers and servitors.

Things weren't always so bright, however. A big push into the nebula was planned and fleets were mustering. Soon the order to set sail was given and most vessels departed, leaving behind only a small defense fleet and ships that were too damaged to function effectively. Things fell silent for some time. The Torus ring station was still under construction with only the circumventing superstructure finished along with several sections that worked mostly as repair docks and cargo hubs. Here and there a supply convoy appeared, unloaded their cargo and departed, but reinforcements, ships returning for resupply or even no astropathic communications appeared. Months and years passed, but one day, space-time fluctuations were registered, as unknown vessel just breached the Materium and emerged from the Warp. Defense fleet was immediately mobilized, but it turned out it was for nothing, as the unknown vessel sent a hail in High Ghotic that followed all communication protocols and call signs. It was the Spear of Orion, along with several cruisers and escort ships it gathered along the way. The whole situation was quickly explained. After a few initial successes, the crusading fleets were ambushed or overwhelmed by the forces of Chaos, a general retreat was ordered and Imperial forces hastily left the area, leaving everything behind to its fate.

Feeling betrayed and forgotten by the Imperium, the Europan Planetary Federation was formed and all the ships present in the system became part of the Battlefleet Europa, a force dedicated primarily to defending the only known human enclave inside this hostile part of the galaxy.

Command Organization
Battlefleet Europa is commanded from the Central Naval Command (CNC) located on the Europa Prime, although the Central Naval Command is more political entity rather than naval, yet they still deal with strategic and defensive operations. With ships on offensive operations, the high admiral takes command of the strike group and follows the directives given by the Central Naval Command, although any strategic and tactical decisions are on the High Admiral or subordinate Naval Officers.

Ships are usually organized into a fleet, that contains all military vessels sailing under the Europan flag, which is furtherly divided groups with two or more at least frigate-class vessels, along with escort and support ships, and squadrons with a single cruiser-class vessel along with escort and support ships, that operate as a single strategic entity. Ships rarely operate out of their usual composition, yet in case of need, it can be done. All ships use the EFS (Europan Federal Ship) prefix for identification.

Fleet Organization

 * Battleship Group
 * Spear of Orion - Battleship
 * 6 Carrier Fighter Wings
 * 2 Carrier Bomber Wing
 * 2 Frigates
 * 12 Cobra-class escort vessels


 * 1st Cruiser Group
 * Thunderstrike - Battlecruiser
 * Pride of Europa - Cruiser
 * Protector - Cruiser
 * 12 Cobra-class Escort vessels


 * 2nd Cruiser Group
 * Terrigon - Cruiser
 * Avadora - Cruiser
 * 8 Cobra-class Escort vessels


 * 3rd Cruiser Group
 * Hammerhead - Cruiser
 * Dragon's tooth - Cruiser
 * 8 Cobra-class Escort vessels


 * Carrier Squadron
 * Britannica - Carrier Cruiser
 * 6 Carrier Fighter Wings
 * 2 Carrier Bomber Wing
 * 8 Cobra-class Escort vessels


 * 1st Cruiser Squadron
 * Dawnlight - Cruiser
 * 4 Cobra-class Escort vessels


 * 2nd Cruiser Squadron
 * Barisan - Cruiser
 * 2 Carrier Fighter Wings
 * 1 Carrier Bomber Wing
 * 4 Cobra-class Escort vessels


 * 3rd Cruiser Squadron
 * Angel of Astrea - Cruiser
 * 4 Cobra-class Escort vessels


 * 4th Cruiser Squadron
 * Irulaan - Cruiser
 * 1 Carrier Fighter Wing
 * 4 Cobra-class Escort vessels

Deployments
Space Hulk - 1st Cruiser Group provided support when the Space Hulk was boarded.

Battle of the Foehn Station - 1st & 3rd Cruiser Group fought the defense drones when Foehn was found.

Battle of the Pirate's Den - 1st Cruiser group, Carrier Squadron, 2nd & 3rd Cruiser Squadron fought against the pirate fleet.

Second Battle of Nidalos - Battleship Group, 1st, and 2nd Cruiser group, Carrier group, 2nd, and 3rd Cruiser squadron were deployed to repel the Chaos invasion at Nidalos

Spear of Orion - Flagship
An old, Oberon-class battleship that once was the leading vessel of one of the many crusading fleets. It had nearly flawless service record, participating in dozens of battles, most of which were victorious and never suffering any significant damage. This changed just before the call for the general retreat, as the ship was attacked by several Chaos cruisers, receiving crippling damage, but she was still able to fend off the attackers (with a little help) before the Captain engaged the warp drive.

When the mighty battleship returned, she was immediately scheduled for repairs, but the repair works were soon halted and suspended indefinitely, as no more supply convoys were arriving and the industrial output of the planet below was severely insufficient, at least for now. The vessel was then left in the docks with only the most necessary systems running and with the absolute minimum of the crew aboard. Repair works were started anew about 2 centuries later and the entire ship got rebuilt and retrofitted with more advanced systems, along with extensive automatization in order to decrease the crew needed to operate the ship, eventually lowering the number by 40%.

Macro cannons were replaced by new, turret-mounted Lance batteries, additional weapons turrets were installed, ranging from anti-capital ship Lances, through twin-linked rapid-fire Lance turret to hundreds of Point-Defence emplacements. Forward-facing Macro laser cannons were installed on the flanks, along with two thermonuclear missile launchers and a Nova cannon.

Thunderstrike
This Armageddon-class Battlecruiser was one of the ships that returned back to Europa Prime along with Spear of Orion. The ship was relatively undamaged, with all critical systems running but there was a scorch-mark or an impact crater on her hull here and there. It was specifically this vessel, whose captain disobeyed the Grand Admiral's orders to retreat and instead issued 'All ahead full', rushing to help the dying battleship, that already had several decks on fire and was being clawed on by the Chaos cruisers like a cornered and gravely wounded beast. Flanked by her two wingman ships, the Protector and Lincoln Osiris, the Thunderstrike arrived just in time and all three ships greeted the enemy with devastating Lance fire and torpedo salvos, sending one of the already damaged Chaos cruisers down in flames. A fierce battle followed, in which two more enemy Cruisers were taken down but also Lincoln Osiris took a penetrating hit and suffered critical reactor breach, resulting in a ship-wide inferno. Captain had her evacuated and the empty, burned-out carcass was left in the void.

After arrival, Thunderstrike was kept in active service, patrolling the immediate vicinity of the solar system, but when freshly repaired and modified ships were launched, she was taken into the docks as well, gutted and rebuilt from inside out. Macro cannons replaced with Lance turrets, along with newly installed plasma batteries, thermonuclear missile launchers, and a Nova cannon were added as well, increasing the overall firepower.

Britannica
Not much is known about the history of this golden-plated Dictator-class cruiser. Service logs show she had been launched in the mid M39, then there is an empty gap (presumably erased as hints show it may have been in service of the Inquisition) for about 600 years and the following entry speaks about general maintenance in preparation for the crusade. During the crusade, the ship saw some action, mostly against marauding pirates and Chaos raiders, but spent most of the time stationed at the Torus ring station as a part of the defense fleet.

After the change of command, Britannica was the very first ship to be rebuilt, as the changes were relatively easy to perform. The bow Macro cannon broadside batteries were removed and replaced by yet even more flight decks and hangars, making this vessel a dedicated carrier. Additional weapons were installed, namely two Lance turrets and two additional forward-facing Lance cannons, along with, new, more powerful Augur scanners and Vox antennas. Also, partially automated fighter and bomber assembly forge was set up down below the waterline, able to replace at least some combat losses while out in the void.

Dawnlight
This Gothic-class cruiser was severely damaged during one of the battles with the Archenemy, suffering multiple hull breaches, disastrous engine damage, and many critical support system failures, the lifeless wreck was brought back to Europa Prime and left sitting in the orbital dry docks, awaiting either her final demise in the smelters, or return to glory if the Tech-priests deem her worthy of salvaging. Since there were more pressing matters to deal with, the ship was more or less ignored for decades and centuries, until one of the Naval officers got an idea, to use the Aurora Heliobeam Network (system-wide focused sunlight distribution array) as a weapon and the Dawnlight could carry a mobile Heliobeam relay. And so the Dawnlight's return to glory began.

The vessel was rebuilt over several decades, but the bow of the ship was modified to carry the array of mirrors and lenses, along with powerful cogitators and support mechanisms required for smooth and precise operation. The hull was fitted with light dispersers, additional thermal insulation, and maneuvering thrusters to prevent damage of the hull, while the main weapon is in use. The Heliobeam relay directs and further focuses the sunlight it receives from the routing stations around the system. Despite the fact, that the weapon uses only a tiny fraction of the sun's energy output, it is still able to melt, burn and vaporize almost anything from a distance most common weapons are still ineffective. A significant drawback is the dependence on the routing stations, immense computing power required to calculate trajectories, dispersions, and reflection arcs in real-time, along with the need for extensive cooperation between the routing stations and accurate predictions that only grows with distance, making the weapon not suitable for fast, long-range, maneuver combat or for use against fast targets. It is more of a long-range anti-capital ship or anti-everything short-range weapon.

Pride of Europa
Pride of Europa, based on Gothic-class cruiser, was the very first warship built at the Torus ring station's shipyards, so her service record began mere two centuries ago. The ship was built from salvaged parts taken from other vessels that were beyond repair and marked for scrap, making her a unique mix of multiple classes and patterns. Some parts had to be forged anew, such as the bridge, engines and combat decks. Those were built with the planned modifications in mind, so the automatization went smoothly with no major redesigns.

Pride of Europa serves as a close-range warship, utilizing her turreted Lance turret, powerful broadside Macro cannon turrets or even taking her powered battering ram to bear if necessary. She was fitted with additional small thrusters, Void shield capacitors, and ablative armour plating to give her an advantage in the war of attrition she was built for.

Protector
This formidable Tyrant-class cruiser has a long service history, dating from early M40 to this very day. Most of the time she spent sailing as a loyal companion on the flank (along with another vessel and often a destroyer squadron as well) of the Thunderstrike battlecruiser, forming a deadly wolf-pack, daring to assault any but the most powerful of the enemy's ship and sending them down in flames. Their biggest gamble was lone Chaos Desolator-class battleship Merciless Blade, hiding in planetary rings of Oriaan, undergoing repairs, but the battleship got ambushed by the wolf-pack. Being out-gunned by the battleship, the trio of cruisers wouldn't stand a chance head-on, but with masterful coordination, the battleship was lured out by a premise of easy prey of a lone cruiser. The rest of the wolf-pack then attacked, tackled into the desired position and after damaging her engines, planets' gravity caught the now uncontrollable battleship and she met her demise in the planet's atmosphere, with the final killing blow being the impact against the lifeless planets' surface.

Protector is outfitted in a very similar way as the Pride of Europa, serving as a close-range warship, built to take as much punishment as possible while returning the same pleasure to the enemy. In fact, the armament of these two ships is nearly identical. Turreted Macro lasers, broadside Plasma cannon turrets, powered battering ram, along with hundreds of point-defense emplacements, and electronic warfare equipment.

Barisan
Formerly a ship of the Basilikon Astra, taking part in several Explorator fleets that venture beyond the known space, searching for new and forgotten knowledge. Considering the Mechanicus' nature, the ship has been rebuilt and retrofitted many times in the past, changing her armament to suit the needs of the Technomagii she currently served under.

Barisan arrived at Europa Prime along with the rest of the colonization fleet and served as a mobile command center for all orbital construction projects that were happening at the time, namely the superstructure of the Torus ring station and later the individual section, often helping to move the parts with her E-Mag tether. Once the Federation was formed, the Adeptus Mechanicus representatives accepted the offer of a becoming part of the governmental structure and that the Barisan will remain under the command of the Adeptus Mechanicus, but can be requested to join and cooperate with the rest of the fleet.

This Adeptus Mechanicus was rebuilt countless times throughout her existence, but, surprisingly, she did not undergo any major reconstructions. It already had a quad of Lance cannon turrets, a Lance turret, and a forward-facing Hellgrace-pattern Neutron laser, a weapon devastating against both shields and armor alike. The thing that was added, however, are four, forward-facing, Straxos-pattern accelerator Macro cannon. It is basically a bastard child of a Nova cannon and a regular Macro cannon. It electromagnetically accelerates a projectile to a couple of thousandths of the speed of light, exactly as a Nova cannon, but the projectile lacks the plasma warhead of a Nova cannon but instead has regular, delayed explosive warhead. The weapon is hard to aim as the entire ship has to be steered, but the sheer force of the projectile puts against the shields and hulls is devastating, overloading most of the void shield in a single salvo and once they are down, the accelerator Macrocannon is able to pierce through smaller ships astern, ripping chunks of their hull out with sheer force.

Angel of Astraea
This ancient Hellfire-class heavy cruiser with her service log counting hundreds of battles and dozen campaigns across the whole Imperium, such as the 12th Black Crusade, Sabbat World crusade, Battle for Macragge in the 1st Tyrannic war, Battle of Betalis III, The Promethium War and The Third War for Armageddon and many more. At the time the 'Promethium War' happened, the ship was already sailing under the flag of the Ecclesiarchy and renamed to her current name, Angel of Astraea, after an ancient goddess of justice and purity.

Later the ship found herself on an Imperial industrial world known as Vakaria, where a new Sororitas order was just founded to guard the local covent, only to find herself at war years later when a Chaos fleet invaded the system and made a planetfall. The Angel of Astraea, the only Imperial warship in the solar system, meanwhile lied in wait, using her Reflex shield to remain hidden and undetected. Later she helped with the hastily organized evacuation of the order and everyone who happened to be around off the planet. The ship took several hits, having her warp-drive damaged, but still managed to escape the system, with the course plotted to nearest known Imperial space, Europa Prime.

Upon the arrival, the Angel of Astraea became a part of the battlefleet and was scheduled for necessary repairs and some modifications, aimed primarily at the well-known drawback of the Hellfire class, that being the cramped interior, lack of Void shields and low maneuverability. Macro cannon turrets were replaced with new, Ostrakan-pattern Plasma cannons, while the already installed Missile launchers and the ancient Incaladion-pattern Rotary Lance batteries went through general maintenance check. Further automatization helped to widen the crew compartment, making the ship much more comfortable to serve on. Auxillary Void shields and capacitor arrays were installed and maneuvering thrusters tweaked, solving, or at least improving most of the previously mentioned problems.

Terrigon
Terrigon is the first vessel of her own class based on the Lunar-class cruiser, forged from scratch in the orbital docks on the Torus Ring station, exactly three centuries ago, with her keel laid fifteen years prior to her launch. Despite her relatively young age, Terrigon saw action during the Battle of the Pirate Den, where she has proven her worth by taking down two light cruisers and crippling a cruiser by ramming before she had to disengage.

With her main armament consisting of both turreted Macrocannons and the new Ostrakan-pattern Pulse Lance cannons on sides and heavy Lance turret on top of the prow, along with missile launchers, torpedo tubes and a powered ram that is slung underneath the armored prow, making it a vessel able to deal with almost any kind of threat at any range. Its strong armor plating and powerful void shields make it a formidable opponent, although, in a duel with a specialized ship, her combined armament gives her a considerable disadvantage, yet the Lunar class creates a backbone of any fleet. Her internal systems are mostly automated and crew requirements were lowered by 42% at the cost of reliability, although the ship is not expected to ever sail out of the Europan borders and if, not for a prolonged time periods.

Other Terrigon-class vessels:
 * Avadora
 * Hammerhead
 * Destiny (declared missing on patrol duty)
 * Artemis (destroyed during the Battle of Nidalos)
 * Dragon's tooth
 * Chronos (under construction)
 * Cleopatra (under construction)
 * Minotaur (under construction)

Irulaan
Presumably a custom-built vessel for a wealthy rogue trader and later stolen by the pirates, although this information is not exactly clear. The Irulaan is sized roughly as a cruiser, yet significantly lighter, faster and more agile than a regular cruiser of Imperial design. This comes at the expense of only light armor plating and the overall durability of the ship. It has, however, exceptional sensor array and augur scanners, along with strong void shields.

Her service record can be divided into several sections. First, it served to a Rogue-trader as a fast transport ship or a convoy escort, able to perform hit & run attacks if necessary. Later, she spends some time in docks on some obscure, unaffiliated deep-space trading hub and ran some errands around. Further records are corrupted, likely purposefully, making them unreadable and the final section is her service with the pirate fleet. During the battle with the Europan battlefleet, Irulaan was boarded by several companies of Europan 2nd Voidborne regiment, that fought they way through the vessel and captured the bridge, turning her potent weapons against their former allies. The crew was largely compliant and helpful in the effort to capture the ship, as it consisted mostly of ill-treated serfs and slaves. They formed themselves into ad-hoc militias, collecting weapons from their fallen oppressors and joining the Voidborne in the fight. Their combat effectiveness was, however, abysmal and they acted mostly as a distraction and nuisance to the battle-hardened pirates.

After the battle, the captured vessel departed along with the battlefleet back to orbital docks for examination, repairs, repaint and other necessary procedures. Irulaan is equipped with a myriad of various weapons, mostly of human origin, but some of them were undeniably made by Xeno races. The most peculiar one is the forward-facing Graviton Pulsar, which is a very powerful weapon, but also ancient and extremely rare. How it ended up on a private ship still remains a mystery. The ship also has a small hangar bay, too small to hold more than one fighter squadron. Both external and internal missile launcher systems are present, along with twelve, single-use torpedo tubes. Another weapon system present is two pairs plasma cannons located on each side of the ship, along with several Lance and Macro cannon turrets placed all around the vessel.

Vanguard Squadron
The Vanguard Squadron is one of the many destroyer squadrons in the battlefleet, but this one is considered an elite squadron, reserved only for the best of the best captains and crews the whole federation has to offer. Being a part of the squadron grants not only the privilege to wear the red, winged skull with a sword patch, but also the honor of flying one of the finest and deadliest escort-class vessels available. Despite that, cruiser crews tend to look down upon them, as they seem them more as gung-ho cowboys and show-offs than elite pilots and crews, but on the other hand, the Vanguard Squadron will gladly show their skill in simulated combat and not once they managed to take down a cruiser without suffering a single casualty. Their skills were only proven in the Battle of the Pirate's Den, where they wreaked havoc among one of the pirates' cruiser group, taking down one cruiser, crippling one light cruiser, and seven escort ships while suffering five losses in total, out of which only three were ships lost with all hands.

All ships are fitted with additional thrusters as the Vanguard Squadron specializes in coordinated, high-speed maneuver combat and hit & run tactics. Additionally, each of the ships is equipped with advanced electronic warfare equipment, both with defensive and offensive capabilities to further increase their combat effectiveness. There were experiments with Reflex shielding and Teleporters, but the cost and the technological requirement were far too high to be used on a destroyer.

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caption: From left to right: Starlight, Taurus, Lady Moon, Bandit, Trenchant

Commonly used armament variants of the Cobra-class destroyer