Goliath

by Dan Hussey & Bob DeAnglelis

The Goliaths are transport ships of incredible size, their vast holds are able to carry more cargo than an entire Merchant fleet. When they were built is a mystery, as is the method of their construction, the monstrous size of the Goliaths render modern ship building techniques useless. At over three times the length of a Retribution Class Battleship, the Goliath Transports are easily the largest spacecraft in the Imperium and quite probably the largest ships in existence. It is thought the Goliaths were orginally built as colony ships, with their vast holds able to transport enough equipment and workers to fully colonise a planet in a single voyage. Almost all of the Goliaths were destroyed in the Horus Heresay, the two that remain are owned by the powerfull Ardent Merchant House. If more exist is at present unknown, with the unpredictable nature of the warp you can never be too sure. There have been sightings of a massive craft near the Eye of Terror, but if this is a lost Goliath or some foul mimic construction of Chaos is not known. Ardent's Goliaths are normally on hire to the the Imperial Guard, the ability to transport an entire army complete with Titan Legions is a considerable benefit. Goliaths are not unarmed, however for it's size their weapon systems are not very powerfull and it's launch bays only hold fighters. For this reason Goliaths always have a considerable escort of Imperial Navy cruisers.