Our problem is simple—the Separatist navy has four times the number of ships we do. We must slow down their ship production or this war will end quickly, and not in our favor.Mace Windu
The Confederate Navy, also known as the Separatist fleet, was a large collection of warships and other starships provided for the Separatists' armed forces by the contributing members of the Confederacy of Independent Systems.
History
The navy was organized around flotillas of destroyers and frigates built by hundreds of aggressively independent star systems, who often donated them to the various commercial organizations frontlining the war. The main battleships were donated by the Trade Federation.[3]
During the early days of the Separatist Alliance, the fledgling Confederate Navy was complemented by Sabaoth Squadron, pledged to the Separatist cause by Cavik Toth just prior to the Clone Wars. Toth led his squadron during the First Battle of Geonosis.[4]
Although the ships were often commanded by droid officers, many fleets and blockades were placed under the command of organic Captains and Admirals. While Dooku's most trusted Commanders, such as Durge and Asajj Ventress, retained leadership positions even within the Navy, Admirals like Pors Tonith, Kirst, and Trench were responsible for leading entire fleets and were important tacticians during the war. Trench in particular was a feared admiral whose tactics tore apart Republic fleets. The famed Admiral was presumed to have perished during the Battle of Malastare Narrows prior to the Clone Wars but had survived the battle and joined the Separatist Alliance at the outset of the Clone Wars. Trench was defeated and again believed to have been killed during the Battle of Christophsis in the second year of the Clone Wars.[5] Trench actually survived the battle thanks to cybernetics which were used to replace much of the left side of his body.
At the beginning of the war, the Subjugator-class heavy cruiser Malevolence used its deadly ion cannons to great effect, terrorizing Republic supply lines and making short work of multiple naval task forces, such as Plo Koon's fleet whilst stationed in the Abregado system.[6] The ship was destroyed by a Jedi strike team, who reprogrammed the ship to collide with the Dead Moon of Antar.[7] The separatists did not give up on the Malevolence, however, and it was succeeded by its sister ship, the Devastation, which Dooku placed under the command of Nightsister Sai Sircu.[8] Grievous later attempted to rebuild his fallen flagship, dubbed the Malevolence II.[9]
The navy depended on large shipyards administered by Overseers who watched over the slaves whom they depended on to build the massive warships quickly. They made use of organic workers rather than droids so that the Republic could not bomb their shipyards without immense civilian casualties. In an effort to halt production, a team consisting of Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka Tano infiltrated the Gwori shipyards and liberated the facility's slaves, allowing a strike team to bomb the shipyards. The destruction of the shipyard tipped the balance of the war away from the Separatists, allowing the Clone Wars to rage on.[2]
During the course of the war, Separatist warships participated in various engagements, notably during the Quell,[10] Kamino,[11] and Umbara.[12] Other times, such at Ryloth,[13] Lola Sayu,[14] and Serenno,[15] Confederate ships served defensive purposes or blockades.
One of General Grievous's flagships, the Invisible Hand, led the navy on a hit-and-fade campaign that disrupted travel, communication, and commerce in the Outer Rim regions, as well as mass invasions on vulnerable Outer Rim worlds.
Towards the end of the war, while millions of Separatist warships battled the Republic in vast Outer Rim campaigns, a task force led personally by General Grievous and amounting to several thousand ships made a fast snatch at Coruscant in an attempt to capture Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.[3] This task force was defeated in the Battle of Coruscant, and its remnants retreated into hyperspace.
Aftermath
At the end of the war, the Confederacy still had many more armadas of ships in its holdings in the Outer Rim Territories, but these were made redundant after the deactivation of most of the droid armies.[3]
Years later, some remaining ships appeared in Gizor Dellso's Remnant Navy, a starfleet created by Gizor Dellso for his Separatist holdout on Mustafar. This fleet was destroyed in the 501st Legion's conquest of the volcanic world.[16]
Organization
Throughout its existence, the Confederate Navy was composed of six levels to its command structures.[17] The structure was as follows:
Section
The section was the smallest group in the Separatist admiralty. It was commanded by a captain and was composed of two to four vessels, as well as maintenance and support crews.[17]
Flight
The flight was composed of two to four sections, and by extension, four to 16 vessels. It was commanded by a commodore.[17]
Squadron
The squadron was made up of three or four flights, and by extension, 12 to 64 vessels. It was commanded by a commodore.[17]
Task group
The task group was composed of three to 10 squadrons, comprising 36 to 640 vessels. It was commanded by a rear admiral.[17]
Task force
The task force was composed of two task groups, with 72 to 1,280 vessels for each task force. It was commanded by a vice admiral.[17]
Fleet
The highest of the levels, the fleet, was composed of three task groups, and 200 to 4,000 vessels among them. It was commanded by an admiral. The Confederate Navy comprised at least a hundred fleets.[17]
Appearances
- Lahara Patrol Attacked, Jedi to Send Aid — HoloNet News Vol. 531 #56 (content now obsolete; backup link)
- Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones (First appearance)
- Star Wars: Battlefront II
- Star Wars: Republic Commando
- Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds: Clone Campaigns
- Star Wars: Clone Wars Cine-Manga
- Star Wars: Clone Wars — "Chapter 7"
- Star Wars: Clone Wars — "Chapter 10"
- Star Wars: Clone Wars — "Chapter 11"
- Star Wars: Clone Wars — "Chapter 20"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Cat and Mouse"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars film
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars novelization (and audiobook)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Clone Cadets" (Appears in Newsreel)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Supply Lines"
- The Clone Wars: Shakedown
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Rising Malevolence"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Shadow of Malevolence"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Destroy Malevolence"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Jedi Alliance
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Rookies"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Downfall of a Droid"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Duel of the Droids"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Cloak of Darkness"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Jedi Crash"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Storm Over Ryloth"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Innocents of Ryloth" (In flashback(s))
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Liberty on Ryloth" (In flashback(s))
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes
- The Clone Wars: Act on Instinct
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Cargo of Doom"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Grievous Intrigue"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "The Deserter" (In flashback(s))
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Duchess of Mandalore"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "ARC Troopers"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Sphere of Influence" (In flashback(s))
- The Clone Wars: Hunting the Hunters (Part I)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Heroes on Both Sides"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Nightsisters"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "The Citadel"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Citadel Rescue"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Water War"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Nomad Droids"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Darkness on Umbara"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Plan of Dissent"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Massacre"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Bound for Rescue"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Secret Weapons"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Sabotage"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "The Unknown"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Crisis at the Heart"
- Star Wars: Clone Wars — "Chapter 22"
- ° Star Wars: Obsession
- Reversal of Fortune (Appears in hologram)
- Labyrinth of Evil
- Star Wars: Clone Wars — "Chapter 23"
- Star Wars: Clone Wars — "Chapter 25"
- Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
- Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith junior novelization
- ° Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith
- Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron
- Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader (and unabridged audiobook)
- Dark Times 6
- Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron (Non-canonical appearance)
- ° Star Wars: Rebellion: My Brother, My Enemy
- Beyond the Rim
- The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader
Non-canon appearances
- LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game
- LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
- LEGO Star Wars: The Quest for R2-D2 film
- LEGO Star Wars: The Quest for R2-D2 game
Sources
- Star Wars: Attack of the Clones Incredible Cross-Sections
- The New Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels
- Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Incredible Cross-Sections
- The New Essential Chronology
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Visual Guide
- The Clone Wars Episode Guide: Rising Malevolence on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- The Clone Wars Episode Guide: Duel of the Droids on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- The Essential Guide to Warfare
- Separatist dreadnought in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link) (as "Separatist fleet")
- Trident drill assault craft in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link) (as "Separatist fleet")
- Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Core Rulebook (Picture only)
Notes and references
- ↑ Labyrinth of Evil
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Clone Wars: Shipyards of Doom
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Incredible Cross-Sections
- ↑ Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter
- ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Cat and Mouse"
- ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Rising Malevolence"
- ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Destroy Malevolence"
- ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Jedi Alliance
- ↑ Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures — "Card Commander"
- ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Jedi Crash"
- ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "ARC Troopers"
- ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Plan of Dissent"
- ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Storm Over Ryloth"
- ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Citadel Rescue"
- ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Massacre"
- ↑ Star Wars: Battlefront II
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 17.6 The Essential Guide to Warfare