So I had an idea for an IN/Chaos Fleet Carrier in the form of a Grand Cruiser. Sure there is the Nemesis Fleet Carrier in the additional ships commendium, but I felt this was a very large and expensive platform, and the Jovian is just a support cruiser, not a full on fleet carrier. Plus, with 4 hardpoints, the GC is perfectly set up for this role.
I generated the basic form using the smotherman formula, but that seemed very undercosted, so I pumped it up a little, let me know what you think:
Annihilator Class Grand Cruiser
The Annihilator Class is quite possibly the earliest Imperial design of a fleet support vessel in existence. Few of these aging warships remain in service, and the few that do mostly find themselves on garrison duty, stationed at the far flung outposts of the Imperium. Given their age and typical remote posting, it comes as no surprise to fleet commands that several have gone missing and have since been sighted operating with piratical raiders and within the ranks of the Great Enemy.
On occassion however, Annihilators have been put to great use supporting explorator fleets and battlefleets alike, typically when the more common Emperor Battleships and Mars Battlecruisers are unavailable. Their vast launch bay capacity far exceeds any other known hull type, but leaves them greatly vulnerable at close range, requiring the vessels to rely on cruiser escorts for defence.
Battlefleet Agripinna has two such vessels, and both saw heavy fighting during the 13th Black Crusade. For majority of the conflict, they provided fighter cover for orbital defence platforms or ships of the line in the many fleet engagements of the war. Most famously, the two vessels,
Eternity Grand and
Saint Euphrati, were instrumental in the evacution of Imperial foces on Agrippina to the Naval Way Station at Aurent. The Battle of Ilthirium Belt saw the two ships, escorted only by a Dauntless Light Cruiser, the Cobra's of the 14th Destroyer Squadron and Firestorms of the Ilthirium Belt Patrol, face off against a Chaos fleet four times their size. Using the asteroid belt to their advantage, the smaller Imperial force launched wave after wave of attack craft, striking from deep within the maze of rock and ice. These tactics allowed the beleagured Imperial fleet to remain elusive to their enemies for three days and left five enemy escorts destroyed and at least one capital ship crippled. More importantly, their heroic efforts bought sufficient time for the remainder of Battlefleet Agrippina to arrive, forcing the Chaos fleet back long enough to complete the retreat from Agrippina.
Annihilator Class Grand Cruiser- 290
Type/Hits Speed Turns Shields Armour Turrets
Grand Cruiser/10 20cm 45* 3 5+ 3
Armament Range/Speed Firepower/Strength Fire Arc
Port LB Fighters: 30cm 5 squadrons -
Bombers: 20cm
(Assault Boats: 30cm)
Stbd LB Fighters: 30cm 5 squadrons -
Bombers: 20cm
(Assault Boats: 30cm)
Famous Ships:
Eternity Grand,
Saint Euphrati,
PraetorianSpecial Rules: For +10 points, the launch bays may take assault boats (as listed in the profile above). Annihilators are such rare vessels, only one may be taken in an Imperial/Chaos fleet.
