The Cetaceus-class Transport
A Cetaceus-class Transport, often simply called the "whale," or a "whaleship," is a massive class of Imperial Transport and carrier voidship used exclusively by the Navis Imperialis to transport large numbers of military personnel, vehicles and materiel from warzone to warzone.
The ship carries its personnel and cargo in interior "dropships" which can operate independently of the larger transport and make a combat drop on a hostile planetary surface during a planetary assault mission.
Role[]
Cetaceus-class Transports perform a similar transport role to that of an Adeptus Astartes battle barge, yet without the heavy firepower, capacity to launch Drop Pods or ability to really engage in void warfare as a capital ship.
Like other transports intended to serve a role in planetary combat deployments, whaleships can carry upwards of a single regiment of the Astra Militarum with all of its associated wargear and vehicles. However, Cetaceus-class Transports are unique in that the associated units are not actually held within the vessel itself at all, but within specially-designed, interplanetary dropships that are stored within the hull, ready to be launched when the carrier reaches its deployment location.
A whaleship is also capable of carrying all of its own needed support voidcraft, from Minotaur-class tugs, Devourer Dropships, and attack craft, deploying them from a large open launch bay at the bow of the vessel in addition to the internal dropships. Unlike the launch bay on more common Imperial carriers, the support craft are stored on three large hangar decks that are exposed to the vacuum of space. Therefore each support craft is self-sufficient and only dependent on the carrier for FTL travel through the Warp from system to system.
The Cetaceus itself is very well-armoured for a transport, and, since much of its hull space is taken up by empty storage after it has deployed its cargo of troops and vehicles, it is capable of operation even after suffering massive hull damage. In some cases, the vessel has remained operational after taking 75% structural damage.
Sources[]
- Inferno!, "The Conquest of Obzidion" by David Pugh