An Imperial Heavy Transport
A Heavy Transport is an Imperial voidship of vast size used as a freighter to carry extremely large cargoes through interstellar space. Not all Imperial merchant ships fall into the standard small "Imperial transport" category. Some of the larger trading galleons and ore carracks approach the size of the Navis Imperialis' warships, though most commonly these accompany Rogue Trader fleets exploring beyond known space or ply the major trading routes used by the merchant fleets of the Segmentum Solar.
The Imperium swarms with transport vessels. Millions of these civilian voidcraft plough the space lanes, ferrying pilgrims, ore, fuel, foodstuffs, weapons, materiel, machine parts and luxury goods to untold billions of eager consumers across the galaxy.
An Imperial Heavy Transport serving as a fuel tanker for Imperial military forces.
Across the million worlds of the Imperium, there are far more merchant vessels and heavy transports than there ever will be warships of the Navis Imperialis. Heavy transports in particular are of almost every size and shape, and they are typically constructed so that form follows function.
For example, transports designed to carry bulk ores or foodstuffs will appear noticeably different from those designed to carry compartmentalized, containerized cargo, ammunition or spare attack craft for fleets operating near war zones. Even tankers need not necessarily wield dangerous or flammable cargoes; on desert worlds, water is as precious and valuable a commodity as any rare gems.
Despite their size, these heavy transports mount relatively little weaponry and remain substantially more vulnerable to a void assault than a true warship.
Role[]
An Imperial Heavy Transport serving as a troop transport for the Astra Militarum.
Across the Imperium there are a vast array of different space faring vessels, any of which can be pressed into service of the Navis Imperialis at need. Typically, heavy transports are used by the merchant fleets as bulk ore, promethium and/or hydrogen fuel or grain carriers that support bulk goods transport between Imperial producer and consumer worlds. Damaged vessels of this type have been converted into supply bases, hospital vessels and forward repair facilities for fleets operating in isolated or primitive star systems.
Every Imperial battlefleet is supported by hundreds of chartered or commandeered merchant vessels used to transport supplies between embattled systems. While heavy transports not normally used in this role, each heavy transport is capable of carrying tens of thousands of troops and thousands of armoured vehicles. They are also used by the Adeptus Mechanicus' Titan Legions for moving their huge war machines or enough munitions to supply an entire army, though these vast voidships are usually called "mass conveyors."
Most battlefleet commanders assign dedicated escort vessels to a squadron of heavy transports, as the loss of one of these vessels during a planetary assault can have huge long–term effects on a campaign.
Notable Heavy Transports[]
The Ordo Hereticus heavy prison transport Tancred Bastion as seen in Warhammer 40,000: Darktide.
- Tancred Bastion - The Tancred Bastion was a heavy prison transport used by the Ordo Hereticus of the Moebian Domain to transport its prisoners across the region that was crewed by personnel of the Navis Imperialis. It was assaulted by elements of the Nurglite Cult of Admonition and the Traitoris Militarum troops of the Moebian 6th Regiment, who were seeking to rescue their commander, Captain Wolfer, from Inquisition captivity and return him to Hive Tertium on the Moebian capital Hive World of Atoma Prime. The Heretics succeeded in freeing their leader but also inadvertently freed a prisoner who saved the life of Explicator Orgustine Zola, an Acolyte of the Ordo Hereticus' Inquisitor Grendyl. Offered a position with Grendyl's retinue of Acolytes aboard the requisitioned Rogue Trader frigate Mourningstar by a grateful Zola, this prisoner would go on to play a crucial role in the Inquisition's fight to free Hive Tertium from the grip of the Plague God.
See Also[]
Sources[]
- Battlefleet Gothic Resources: Armada, pg. 160 (Specialist Game)
- Battlefleet Gothic 2010 Compendium, pg. 85 (Specialist Game)
- Warhammer 40,000: Darktide (Video Game), Prologue