The Imperial Navy, also known as the Imperial Starfleet or the Imperial fleet, was the naval branch of the Galactic Empire's military. It was created in the wake of the Clone Wars, when Chancellor Sheev Palpatine transformed the Galactic Republic he led into an authoritarian Empire. Consisting mainly of Star Destroyers and TIE fighters, the Imperial Navy was tasked with maintaining order in the galaxy.
The Imperial Navy originated from the Galactic Republic's naval branch, the Republic Navy, and came to have its ships patrol the vast majority of Imperial space throughout the reign of Emperor Palpatine's New Order.
With the rise of the New Order, the massive military buildup that became synonymous with the late Galactic Republic in an effort to combat the Separatist Alliance in the Clone Wars was continued and expanded in the now Galactic Empire. When the Separatist leadership was defeated at Mustafar by Darth Vader; then Supreme Chancellor Palpatine announced his plans for the galaxy since the beginning. Officially wiping away the thousand year old Republic by announcing the creation of the Galactic Empire, with himself as Galactic Emperor.
The Imperial Navy was commanded by Galactic Emperor Palpatine and the Joint Chiefs of the Empire, while Admirals and Captains assumed responsibility for their respective craft and would be informed of any long-term plans. The Admiralty and Naval Command and Control oversaw the tactical strategy of the Navy, and reassigned ships to trouble spots and plotted long-term strategy under the oversight of both the Emperor and Joint Chiefs. The Imperial Starfighter Corps also aided in overall naval operations, and disliked the Admiralty's push towards Kuat Drive Yards near monopoly on capital ship production due to a belief that TIE/LN fighters were purposely weakened to ensure continued production and purchases from the company would continue.
It was highly unusual for officers to receive captaincy of a Star Destroyer until middle age, while being assigned captaincy of smaller craft was considered to be ignominious. It was common practice for the Imperial Starfleet to often amass ships in an attempt to intimidate various worlds, officers sometimes gathered their respective ships in an attempt to display their power and impress superiors, with the more ships and men under ones command the more important that person was considered. With the Emperor commanding the most ships and men, he was easily considered the most important. The Navy also worked in conjunction with the Imperial Security Bureau, who installed an internal affairs officer aboard every Imperial-class Star Destroyer and Executor-class Star Dreadnought, while the Naval Intelligence Agency and its oversight by Imperial Intelligence provided vital information for the armada.
The vastness of the Imperial Navy allowed admirals and sector governors to assign and dispatch ships at will, giving a very fluid organization. At the basic level, Star Destroyers operated in groups of four or six, which were interchangeably called squadrons or fleets. TIE Fighters typically operated in groups of four for sentry or pursuit duty. Larger battles often involved squadrons involving twelve or more fighters. In order to patrol the vast expanses of Imperial space, the Empire would split up varying amounts of Naval forces into sector fleets. By the height of the Galactic Empire, approximately 25,000 Imperial-class Star Destroyers would have been in use, while 20% of the Empire's starfighter fleet would be made up of the TIE/IN interceptor and other newer models in direct response to the Alliance's faster vessels such as the RZ-1 A-wing interceptor coming into production.
Fleet (Admiral):
Type I: 520,000
Type IV: 400,000
16,000 Picket Class: 400,000 Crew
3,600 Estiliev: 3,600,000 Crew
3,000 Mistova: 15,000,000 Crew
1,500 Vislograv: 9,000,000 Crew
Total Crew: 28,920,000
Ranks:
Officers-
High Admiral
Fleet Admiral
Admiral
Vice Admiral
Rear Admiral
Commadore
Commander Senior Grade
NCOs- Commander
Lt Commander
Vice Commander Senior Grade
Vice Commander
Lieutenant
Enlisted- Sub Lieutenant
Ensign
Midshipman
The Imperial Navy originated from the Galactic Republic's naval branch, the Republic Navy, and came to have its ships patrol the vast majority of Imperial space throughout the reign of Emperor Palpatine's New Order.
With the rise of the New Order, the massive military buildup that became synonymous with the late Galactic Republic in an effort to combat the Separatist Alliance in the Clone Wars was continued and expanded in the now Galactic Empire. When the Separatist leadership was defeated at Mustafar by Darth Vader; then Supreme Chancellor Palpatine announced his plans for the galaxy since the beginning. Officially wiping away the thousand year old Republic by announcing the creation of the Galactic Empire, with himself as Galactic Emperor.
The Imperial Navy was commanded by Galactic Emperor Palpatine and the Joint Chiefs of the Empire, while Admirals and Captains assumed responsibility for their respective craft and would be informed of any long-term plans. The Admiralty and Naval Command and Control oversaw the tactical strategy of the Navy, and reassigned ships to trouble spots and plotted long-term strategy under the oversight of both the Emperor and Joint Chiefs. The Imperial Starfighter Corps also aided in overall naval operations, and disliked the Admiralty's push towards Kuat Drive Yards near monopoly on capital ship production due to a belief that TIE/LN fighters were purposely weakened to ensure continued production and purchases from the company would continue.
It was highly unusual for officers to receive captaincy of a Star Destroyer until middle age, while being assigned captaincy of smaller craft was considered to be ignominious. It was common practice for the Imperial Starfleet to often amass ships in an attempt to intimidate various worlds, officers sometimes gathered their respective ships in an attempt to display their power and impress superiors, with the more ships and men under ones command the more important that person was considered. With the Emperor commanding the most ships and men, he was easily considered the most important. The Navy also worked in conjunction with the Imperial Security Bureau, who installed an internal affairs officer aboard every Imperial-class Star Destroyer and Executor-class Star Dreadnought, while the Naval Intelligence Agency and its oversight by Imperial Intelligence provided vital information for the armada.
The vastness of the Imperial Navy allowed admirals and sector governors to assign and dispatch ships at will, giving a very fluid organization. At the basic level, Star Destroyers operated in groups of four or six, which were interchangeably called squadrons or fleets. TIE Fighters typically operated in groups of four for sentry or pursuit duty. Larger battles often involved squadrons involving twelve or more fighters. In order to patrol the vast expanses of Imperial space, the Empire would split up varying amounts of Naval forces into sector fleets. By the height of the Galactic Empire, approximately 25,000 Imperial-class Star Destroyers would have been in use, while 20% of the Empire's starfighter fleet would be made up of the TIE/IN interceptor and other newer models in direct response to the Alliance's faster vessels such as the RZ-1 A-wing interceptor coming into production.
Fleet (Admiral):
Type I: 520,000
Type IV: 400,000
16,000 Picket Class: 400,000 Crew
3,600 Estiliev: 3,600,000 Crew
3,000 Mistova: 15,000,000 Crew
1,500 Vislograv: 9,000,000 Crew
Total Crew: 28,920,000
Ranks:
Officers-
High Admiral
Fleet Admiral
Admiral
Vice Admiral
Rear Admiral
Commadore
Commander Senior Grade
NCOs- Commander
Lt Commander
Vice Commander Senior Grade
Vice Commander
Lieutenant
Enlisted- Sub Lieutenant
Ensign
Midshipman