[Stubber]

150-151.M41 – THE IMPERIUM RESURGENT
For the first seven years of the Gothic War, the Imperium had been fighting defensively across an extended battlefront.
As 150.M41 passed into the year 151.M41, Lord Admiral Ravensburg decided to take the fight to the enemy and claw back what had been taken.

THE BATTLE OF GETHSEMANE
Knowing that although the Chaos ships were more numerous overall, they were divided into many smaller fleets, it was Lord Ravensburg’s hope that he could destroy his attackers if he could bring the weight of Battlefleet Gothic to bear against each of the Chaos fleets individually. This was a very risky ploy, because to amass the battlefleet in any strength meant weakening convoy escorts, system patrols and squadrons on anti-pirate duties. Ravensburg stated his reasons in a missive to Inquisitor Horst, saying:
”These are troubled times that require resolute action.
If we do not act boldly and with the confidence of the
Emperor we will be bled dry within ten years and we will
have lost the whole sector to our enemies. Not only will
a decisive blow eliminate enemy vessels, it will send a
message to the Chaos fleets and the Imperial forces alike
– the Imperium is not going to give up without a fight.“

After numerous aborted attacks and false starts, Ravensburg saw his first real chance in mid 151.M41, when scout vessels reported a Chaos fleet moving en masse towards the Gethsemane system. Ordering his task force to get underway with all possible speed, Ravensburg took personal command aboard the Divine Right. With seventeen capital ships (including two battleships and two battlecruisers) and twenty escorts under his command, Ravensburg pursued the enemy fleet into the Gethsemane region. Suddenly becoming aware of their plight, the Chaos forces headed out- system again to try to get far enough from Gethsemane’s star to make a warp jump.
Ravensburg detached the fastest vessels in his fleet to pursue and a week-long stern chase ensued. What happened next was recorded in the memoirs of Captain Blythe of the Guardian
The Imperial battlegroup had been lured into a trap. The Chaos fleet was bolstered by another twelve ships. The Imperials lost three destroyers and four frigates in a series of small skirmishes as they attempted to evade the Chaos fleet. Chaos losses numbered between five and ten escorts but with all the Battleships and Cruisers in Ravensburg command the battlegroup had little choice but to run.

Blythe and his battlegroup headed back towards the vicinity of Ravensburg’s main fleet, but even with Ravensburg’s capital ships, the Imperial forces were still outgunned to a serious degree. For three days the two fleets circled and dodged each other through the system, neither fleet commander prepared to commit the bulk of his ships against an enemy whose exact position was unknown. Three weeks after arriving in the system, Ravensburg’s fleet and the Chaos ships clashed. Six Firestorm class frigates located the Chaos fleet near to Gethsemane II, using the cover of several dust clouds to avoid being detected themselves. Seizing the opportunity, the Lord Admiral moved his whole fleet in on the attack. Ravensburg’s Cobra destroyers launched several torpedo salvoes at extreme range – although they had little hope of inflicting damage, the torpedo attacks forced the Chaos ships to alter their heading so that they were moving towards the Imperium’s capital ships. Flag-Lieutenant Martyrn, aboard the Divine Right, related the battle’s events.
The Chaos ships were forced into a head-on clash with the Imperial fleet. Torpedo salvoes crippled several traitor ships while the Imperials armored prows ensured they suffered little damage in the return fire. Imperial escorts kept the Chaos fleet herded in a compact mass as the capital ships passed between the Chaos ships, firing a continuous fusillade into the enemy ships.

The Imperial fleet tore through their adversaries, crippling four capital ships and destroying eleven escorts in the initial pass. Rather than turning to fight, which with hindsight would have given him the greater chance of victory, the Chaos Warmaster ordered his fleet to continue on their course in a bid to escape.