Imperial Naval Organization Notes

Imperial Navy

Introduction

The Imperial Navy, or Imperial Starfleet as it was sometimes known, was the branch of the Galactic Empire that specifically dealt with control of space. At its height, it achieved this mission with millions of warships, tactical brilliance, and top-notch training of its pilots, crews, and officers. The death of the Emperor and the defeat at the Battle of Endor, however, caused the once-fearsome Fleet to split into numerous warring factions lead by warlords, and the superb organization that had allowed the Fleet to subjugate entire sectors was lost. However, a knowledge of the fleet protecting our systems and conquering new ones is imperative for a member of the Directorate.

Starship

The most integral unit of the Navy was obviously the starship. Without single starships, there could be no Fleet, and as such, command of a vessel was a great honor to an officer. In many cases, officers would pass on prestigious staff promotions in hope of soon getting command of their own ship.

Lines of Battle

If single starships were the building blocks of the fleet, "lines of battle," or simply lines, were the most basic organizational unit used. Lines were comprised of anywhere between four and twenty ships, depending on the mission, and were so called because the ships were physically arrayed into lines. Each line was commanded by a captain of the line. The Imperial Starfleet Order of Battle outlined five line configurations, each fairly self-explanatory:

  • attack
  • heavy attack
  • reconnaissance
  • pursuit
  • skirmish
In addition to each of the five line configurations, Imperial-Class Star Destroyers were considered an entire line unto themselves. However, this was more due to political reasons than sound tactics, and this doctrine was quickly discarded.

Squadron

The next organizational unit of the fleet was the squadron. Where a fighter squadron was comprised of multiple flights of fighters, the squadron unit in the Starfleet was comprised of multiple lines. Commanded by an admiral, a squadron contained anywhere from fourteen to sixty ships. The Imperial Starfleet Order of Battle that outlined line configurations also contained information on four different types of squadrons:

  • light
  • heavy
  • battle
  • bombard
A light squadron was made up of two attack lines, a skirmish line and a reconnaissance line, and was used to patrol areas that were already secure. A heavy squadron engaged planetary systems that contained an enemy presence and contained either two heavy attack lines, an attack line and a reconnaissance line (for situations where the enemy's position and composition were unknown), or with three heavy attack lines and a skirmish line (for situations where the enemy was known to be defending a fixed asset). Battle squadrons contained an Imperial-Class Star Destroyer, as well as at least three lines (two attack lines and one pursuit line), for an average of 18 ships. It is said that the mere arrival of a battle squadron, and specifically the Star Destroyer it contained, was enough to squelch most any force. Finally, a bombard squadron was used to suppress and destroy any planet that had grown in strong and open rebellion of the Empire (by building planetary defenses such as planetary turbolasers or shields) with four torpedo spheres, a skirmish line, and a pursuit line.

Force

The next larger unit in the fleet was the force. Lines and squadrons were mainly a single system resource; that is, they dealt with issues in their particular system and not really much else. Forces, however, operated on a multiple-system-wide scale. Lead by a commodore (an admiral that had been placed in charge of a force), the Order of Battle outlined three types of forces, while allowing some leeway for specific make-up:

  • force superiority
  • force escort
  • force system
Superiority forces were deployed to sectors to achieve space superiority, which was defined as, "...the complete absence of hostile craft within the orbital space of controlled worlds, and no chronic enemy ship activity within the entire system." To achieve this goal, superiority forces were usually comprised of three battle squadrons and a light squadron. Escort forces were designed to protect valuable cargo or installations, and were made up normally of two heavy squadrons and two light squadrons. Finally, a system force was sent to deal with issues superiority forces couldn't handle. As such, they dropped the light squadron and added in its place a fourth battle squadron.

Fleet

The next organizational unit of the Navy above a force was the fleet. Fleets operated across an entire sector, and were so flexible in make-up that the Order of Battle contained no specific configurations for their use. Three oft-used types, however, were:

  • superiority fleet
  • assault fleet
  • bombard fleet
The superiority fleet, comprised of six Imperial-Class Star Destroyers and over four-hundred other vessels, were used in sectors with "four or fewer worlds confirmed hostile to the New Order, and no more than 16 additional worlds with confirmed significant hostile elements." Imperial doctrine established that these fleets were more than enough to control such a relatively peaceful sector. Assault fleets, comprised of two transport forces and two escort forces, transported huge numbers of Imperial Army and Navy personnel and coordinated both ground assaults and space superiority above contested planets. Finally, bombard fleets were made up of, on average, over four-hundred vessels split evenly between two bombard forces and two force escorts. These fleets were deployed for the sole purpose of completely destroying a world; the doctrine was that bombard fleets were used only when this was preferable to losing a planet to the Rebels.

Sector Group

The final organizational unit of the Navy was the sector group. "Sector group" refers to all of the Navy units within a sector, and was commanded by a High Admiral. The High Admiral of a sector also served as its Moff, or sector governor; in highly active and contested areas, though, the Moff and the High Admiral might be separate positions. A sector group was indeed a fearsome unit, comprised of at least 2,400 ships, 24 of which were Star Destroyers (Imperial-Class being the norm).

Credits:

Sources: Wookieepedia entry on the Imperial Navy.
Created by Farrin Xies.