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How do the tyranids make more hive ships?

I currently have three theories that I feel are viable. With the assumption one, more, or none are correct.

One: Mitosis.
Once a ship gains enough mass. It will split sections off to form separate ships. These will share any inhabitants.

Two: Birthed.
Larger ships birth smaller ships, that will then grow their own inhabitants.

Three: Infection.
If enough tyranids, or the right kind of Tyranid, gets aboard a ship, the ship can be converted into a full hive ship given enough biomass and time.

I would like to use option three for my personal tyranids lore. But if it's not feesable then other options are needed.

I think I prefer option one over option two. The imagery of hive ships behaving like single celled organism makes them appear as an invading virus.

There are precedents for option three. Genestealers regularly invade escaping ships and space hulks, using them as 'seed ships'. It allows them to slip into systems undetected and minimises
resources instead of sending their own ships. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch for a hive fleet to fill an enemy ship with a hive and throw it at the enemy. Perhaps a first wave scenario?

when one daddy hive ship loves a mommy hive ship.....

From the BFG sources, they are born, initially as escort sized vessels and grow bigger over time. The existing ships calve after consumption of a planet's biosphere.

I guess my next question would be, can tyranids infect an Imperial ship to the point where it is effectively be a fully functioning Hive Fleet ship? Where it could create its own Fleet.

 Igenstilch wrote:
I guess my next question would be, can tyranids infect an Imperial ship to the point where it is effectively be a fully functioning Hive Fleet ship? Where it could create its own Fleet.

Why not? They're evolution on steroids! I love the idea

Option two.

Motherships in the literal sense

They're birthed. Orphans of the Kraken (a short story found in Legends of the Space Marines) has a Scythes of the Emperor infiltration team enter a derelict Bioship to kill the baby ship inside that is about to be born.

The Hive Mind is really a grind based MMORPG played by beings residing in the reality a level above our universe.

The 40k Galaxy is the most hard core expansion released so far, but subscriptions are at an all time high, as evidenced by the swelling number of 'nids swarming in to the galaxy!

Players start as a lowly ripper swarmling, but can eventually level up to become gaunts, warriors, biotitans or even hive ships!

This is my current head cannon on Tyranids.

nareik wrote:
The Hive Mind is really a grind based MMORPG played by beings residing in the reality a level above our universe.

The 40k Galaxy is the most hard core expansion released so far, but subscriptions are at an all time high, as evidenced by the swelling number of 'nids swarming in to the galaxy!

Players start as a lowly ripper swarmling, but can eventually level up to become gaunts, warriors, biotitans or even hive ships!

This is my current head cannon on Tyranids.

LOL,
A while ago I was thinking how could Tyranids be added to a 40k MMO. Have their character "level" instead represent "bio mass." A level 50 Tyranid player could, from a hive node. Spawn a Carnafex with a few upgrades, or spawn a Genestealer swarm. Your bio mass determining the size of the Tyranids you can control, numbers, and their upgrades. Instead of equipment, you would obtain DNA (rare creature / boss drops). Instead of a skill tree, develop hive fleet traits. Dragon fleet trait gives you cheaper Lictors. Behemoth trait a bonus to swarm damage. Etc.

It's #2. Large ships "birth" small ones which grow into larger ones and the cycle continues.

nareik wrote:
The Hive Mind is really a grind based MMORPG played by beings residing in the reality a level above our universe.

The 40k Galaxy is the most hard core expansion released so far, but subscriptions are at an all time high, as evidenced by the swelling number of 'nids swarming in to the galaxy!

Players start as a lowly ripper swarmling, but can eventually level up to become gaunts, warriors, biotitans or even hive ships!

This is my current head cannon on Tyranids.

I would play the hell out of that game!

I'm trying to find wher I dead it, but I remember some wher that the hive ships start as escorts "birthed" by a hive ship, and stay that way until evolved into something else or the hive ship dies. When a hive ship dies it sends out a phsycic screen through the warp that triggers any nearby ships to runnin into hiding and begin the process of evolving its self into a new hive ship. So every time a hive ship dies you trigger the creation of more that given time form more and more splinter fleets