A Shark Assault Boat in flight towards a boarding target.
The Shark Assault Boat, also known as the Lathe Pattern Shark Assault Boat, is the Imperial Navy's standard Assault Boat for carrying out ship-to-ship boarding operations. Typically about fifty-five metres in length, these Shark-class Assault Boats are dedicated to delivering troops through a voidship's defences directly into combat. The Shark Assault Boat consists primarily of a large Plasma Drive and an armoured troop compartment that is studded with magnetic clamps and Melta charges. When the Shark reaches an enemy ship, the clamps latch on to the enemy hull as the charges, in concert with las-breachers, blast a hole through which assault troops can storm the vessel. Much like a torpedo, their cargo is their weapon.
Consequently, virtually all patterns of the Shark carry only defensive weapons, with every cubic metre of space dedicated to engines, armour, or troop-carrying. Shark Assault Boats are never seen on anything smaller than a Battleship-sized carrier vessel, and even then only at significant cost.
Tactically, Assault Boats are often accompanied by fighters to aid these craft in overcoming an enemy vessel's defences. To better enable this tactic, Assault Boats will usually have engines that are nearly capable of matching a starfghter's acceleration. However, they seldom handle as well. In the Calixis Sector, the local Battlefleet typically organises its Shark Assault Boats into squadrons of eight craft.
Dimensions
- Type: Spacecraft
- Length: 55 metres
- Cruising Speed: 2,400 kilometres per hour
- Crew: Pilot, Co-Pilot, Gunner/Crew Chief, Tech-priest Enginseer
- Carrying Capacity: 50 Naval Armsmen
Armament
- 1 Co-pilot operated Twin-linked Las-breacher
- 1 Gunner-operated Autocannon
Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications
No technical specifications for this voidcraft are available from the Adeptus Mechanicus at this time.
Sources
- Rogue Trader: Battlefleet Koronus (RPG), pg. 140
- Battlefleet Gothic Resources: Ships of the Gothic Sector
- Battlefleet Gothic Resources: Imperial Fleets