Death Squadron/Legends

"Deploy the fleet so that nothing gets off that system."

- Darth Vader to Admiral Piett

Death Squadron was the codename applied to Darth Vader's personal fleet of Star Destroyers following the Battle of Yavin, led by the Super Star Destroyer Executor. Because of it being led by the Executor, their fleet insignia also bore an image of the Executor on it. The fleet, designed to instill terror in dissidents of the Empire's New Order, was in fact tasked with locating and destroying the Rebel Alliance headquarters. Moreover, Vader used his fleet in a more personal mission to find and capture his son, Luke Skywalker.

Though Death Squadron initially consisted of only six ships&mdash;the Executor and five Star Destroyers&mdash;it earned a fearsome reputation as the personal armada of Darth Vader, who also had the authority to assign additional ships from other sectors as he saw fit. As of the Battle of Endor, Death Squadron had grown to include the Executor, two battlecruisers, three Tector-class Star Destroyers, and thirty-three Imperial Star Destroyers&mdash;representing the largest fleet of warships ever gathered in the history of the galaxy.

Composition


About half a dozen or so Imperial-class Star Destroyers comprised Death Squadron at any one time, while Vader or the fleet's admiral could reassign ships from other fleets to Death Squadron whenever needed. Likewise, ships assigned to Death Squadron could be sent off from the main fleet on reconnaissance missions when appropriate.

The centerpiece of Death Squadron was Vader's flagship, the Super Star Destroyer Executor, while a number of smaller vessels routinely acted as support ships. Together, Death Squadron was the most powerful assemblage of warships in galactic history.

Famed units attached to the fleet included Baron Soontir Fel's 181st Imperial Fighter Wing, Major General Maximilian Veers' Blizzard Force and elements of Stormtrooper Commander Bow's 501st Legion.

Ships
Death Squadron permanent composition consisted of the Executor and five Star Destroyers (the Avenger, Stalker, Conquest, Tyrant and Devastator), though Vader had authority to temporarily attach other fleets' ships when it was necessary. As of the Battle of Endor, the squadron had swelled to include dozens of capital ships.

Executor-class Star Dreadnoughts

 * Executor

Battlecruisers

 * Ilthmar's Fist
 * Pride of Tarlandia

Imperial-class Star Destroyers

 * Accuser
 * Adjudicator
 * Avarice
 * Avenger
 * Chimaera
 * Conquest
 * Devastator
 * Stalker
 * Tyrant
 * Thunderflare
 * Vengeance II
 * 25 unidentified Imperial Star Destroyers
 * 1 unidentified Imperial II Star Destroyer

Tector-class Star Destroyers

 * 3 unidentified Tector-class Star Destroyers

Victory-class Star Destroyers

 * Firewind

Hunting the Alliance


Darth Vader formed Death Squadron after the Imperial defeat at the Battle of Yavin. For three years, Death Squadron hunted the Rebel Alliance from system to system under the command of Admiral Kendal Ozzel, mercilessly crushing any Rebel forces it encountered. At some point during this time, it rendevouzed with a fleet of Allegiance-class battlecruisers, Imperial-class Star Destroyers, Procursator-class Star Destroyers, Bellator-class dreadnoughts, and various squadrons of TIE Advanced x1 starfighters, the x1s being present among the fleet due to the fleet in question being a high-mobility fleet. Eventually, a probe droid launched by the Stalker succeeded in locating the Rebel Alliance base of operations on the ice world of Hoth.

After participating in the space and ground battles at Hoth, Death Squadron pursued the Millennium Falcon, which was lost in the Hoth asteroid belt. The squadron also lost at least two of its Star Destroyers, including one Imperial II-class Star Destroyer, to asteroid collisions during their pursuit of the Millennium Falcon.

Battle of Endor and fragmentation
One year later, Death Squadron, under the command of Admiral Firmus Piett, served as the core of the Imperial fleet at the Battle of Endor, its ranks having swelled to include dozens of Star Destroyers. During the battle, the flagship Executor was destroyed, along with the battlecruiser Pride of Tarlandia and sixteen Star Destroyers.

With the two lead ships of the squadron destroyed, leadership fell to the commanding officer of the Chimaera, Captain Gilad Pellaeon. When the Death Star was destroyed shortly thereafter, and the assumed deaths of both Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader were apparent, Pellaeon ordered a retreat to the Moddell sector capital Annaj.

Upon arrival, Pellaeon was relieved of command by superior officer Admiral Adye Prittick and a summit of the surviving Captains and Admirals was convened to determine their next move. Dissension resulted in the fracturing of the unit, with some taking their ships and going their own way, while the Death Squadron title officially remained with Prittick and a mere dozen Star Destroyers. Prittick ordered the remnants of Death Squadron to withdraw once more to Yag'Dhul.

Known officers

 * Supreme Commander Darth Vader
 * Admiral Amise Griff
 * Admiral Kendal Ozzel
 * Captain/Admiral Firmus Piett
 * Admiral Ledre Okins
 * Captain Lorth Needa
 * Captain Xamuel Lennox
 * Captain Venka
 * Lieutenant Cabbel
 * Major General Maximilian Veers
 * Brigadier Nevar
 * Colonel Freja Covell
 * Colonel Starck
 * Colonel Evir Derricote
 * Colonel Soontir Fel
 * Major Turr Phennir
 * Lieutenant Arnet