How Space Marines Strengthen their Fleets

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**Grey Templar**

Space Marines, and the Imperium in general, often keep vessels that the chapter captures in space battles.

Most Space Marine ships are modified Imperial Navy ships, there isn't a specific class of ship that is a Battle Barge or a Strike Cruiser. Thats a descriptor of what it does.

The Space Marines will certainly retrofit the vessel to have Bombardment cannons and Drop Pod launchers, as well as Hanger bays and boarding torpedo tubes.

**Grey Templar**

Yes. Although the Ad Mech does make vessels purpose built as Battle Barges, most will be retrofitted ships of varying classifications.

Plus the limitation on Space Marine navel forces is more of an unwritten guideline than actual rules. The written document is very vague regarding what Space Marines can actually be equipped with.

**Grey Templar**

Keep wrote:
IIRC, a Space Marine Chapter's techmarines maintain all the Chapter's equipment by themselves without having to run to the AdMech for help on everything. SM Chapters are supposed to be fully autonomous, the only part where the AdMech comes in is in the training of the Techmarines.

And the production of vehicles and replacement parts etc ...
You know, you can't have super awesomous ships with forges that produce all the things SM need, and yet they are only regular boarded ships
In Legion the Strike Cruiser was specifically said to be stronger then the two imperial ships (dont remember exactly, just that the SM ship was outclassing them completely, compared to the size).
Also, if they are only ex imperial navy ships all a naval force needs is to keep them from launching boarding operations and they are completely doomed, because they are not stronger. This doesnt add up.

Grey Templar wrote:
Most Space Marine ships are modified Imperial Navy ships, there isn't a specific class of ship that is a Battle Barge or a Strike Cruiser. Thats a descriptor of what it does.

Where did you read that? I'm curious. In the Battlefleet Gothic Imperium rule section it is only mentioned that Battle barges (the largest and rarest in SM fleet arsenal) may be of other origin then Mars SM Battlebarge - any large capital might do. However, that only applies to battlebarges.
Not to strike cruisers, not to frigates or destroyers either.

The most up to date rules for Space Marines mentions this in the Strike Cruiser section.

https://docs.google.com/folderview?id=0Bw_dULEfC3rbYzUyNjQzZTAtMDZiMS00ZjRlLWJjNzMtYTE5YmNjZjdjODQ1&usp=drive_web&num=50&sort=name&layout=list