Thousands of Tau ships

High Admiral Y’eldi’s fleet operates out of a deep space
facility spinward of Krrk’tikit, a vast conglomeration of
cold-core way stations and sidereal-locked void-wharfs
known simply as Anchorage 12. This location fulfills many
roles, including fleet headquarters, primary staging zone,
logistics hub, and training centre, and it guards the rimward
terminus of the Landfall-Black Reef passage. At any one
time, thousands of star ships are to be found at anchor there,
from the mighty Hero-class to the ubiquitous Defenders
and Messengers. Anchorage 12 is equipped with substantial
void-docking facilities and is able to repair and refit vessels
damaged in battle against the Imperial Navy, and its spinward
zones are utilised as training and proving grounds for new
crews and vessels.
The mainstay star ship of the Mal’caor Shi Tau fleet is the
Kir’qath, or “Hero” class, a vessel developed in the aftermath
of the Defence of the Damocles Gulf as a match for the
Imperium’s Lunar-class Cruiser, the most common war ship
of its type in the Imperial Navy. Under Y’eldi’s leadership,
the Hero class vessels of the Mal’caor have undergone a
series of upgrades designed to increase their effectiveness
in the battlegrounds of the Jericho Reach. Many of these
improvements relate to the vessel’s gravimetric handling
capabilities, deemed essential given the unpredictable
conditions in the vicinity of the Black Reef. Other upgrades
have been made in an effort to gain a range of advantages
against specific Imperial classes, and involve the balancing of
defensive, offensive, speed and manoeuvrability factors.
The greatest challenge facing High Admiral Y’eldi is not
any one class of Imperial war ship, but the sheer number of
vessels the Imperium can bring to bear against his forces. It is
Y’eldi’s belief that the Imperium’s approach to naval warfare
relies more on quantity, firepower, and attrition than the
quality and expertise of its vessels and its crews, yet this is
complicated by the presence of the Space Marines and their
fleets.


Deathwatch: The Achilus Assault