Confederacy navy

The Confederacy navy, also referred to as the Separatist navy, the Separatist fleet and the CIS navy, was the naval branch of the Confederacy military of the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars. It was created during the height of the Separatist Crisis to bring a means of defense against the Galactic Republic.

Origins
In 22 BBY, growing dissatisfaction with the Galactic Republic created unrest in the Galactic Senate and led thousands of systems to secede from the Republic. The Separatist movement rallied under the leadership of Count Dooku, a former Jedi Master. Following a failed assassination attempt on Senator Padmé Amidala, the Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi discovered that the Republic was secretly building a clone Grand Army of the Republic on Kamino. While pursuing the clones' template Jango Fett to Geonosis, Kenobi discovered that the Separatists were secretly building a Droid Army. Shortly later, the Republic launched an attack on Geonosis, sparking the Clone Wars.

22 BBY
During the early stages of the Clone Wars, a Separatist fleet under Admiral Trench, a veteran of the Battle of Malastare Narrows, lay siege to the planet Christophsis. The Republic and Jedi Order dispatched reinforcements including Jedi Generals Kenobi and Skywalker, Admiral Wullf Yularen, and Clone Commander Cody to liberate Christophsis. Admiral Yularen and General Skywalker used a stealth ship to cripple Trench's Providence-class dreadnought Invincible, allowing Kenobi and Cody's fleet to attack the now leaderless Separatist fleet. Despite this, fighting on the ground continued on Christophsis. Later, a Separatist fleet blockaded and invaded the Twi'lek homeworld of Ryloth. This blockade cut off any support for the dwindling Republic defenses and starving population. Republic Senator Bail Organa and Junior Representative Jar Jar Binks managed to convince King Katuunko of Toydaria to secretly ship supplies to Ryloth.

The Separatists then deployed the Malevolence, a powerful Subjugator-class heavy cruiser equipped with deadly Mega-ion cannons that could disable the power systems of entire Republic Navy fleets. The Malevolence used its powerful ion cannons to destroy dozens of Republic ships, leaving no survivors. The Jedi High Council dispatched Jedi Master Plo Koon and the Venator-class Star Destroyer Triumphant to hunt down the mysterious Separatist ship. However, the Malevolence ambushed the Triumphant, killing most of the crew. Plo Koon and several Clone troopers including Clone Commander Wolffe managed to escape due to the intervention of Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka Tano.

The Malevolence continued its attacks on Republic military ships. Count Dooku then tasked General Grievous with attacking the Kaliida Shoals Medical Center, which was housing 60,000 wounded Republic clone troopers. In response, General Skywalker and Commander Tano attacked the Malevolence with the Y-wing Shadow Squadron. Despite taking casualties, Shadow Squadron managed to damage the Malevolence mega-ion cannon. With Republic ships in pursuit and the ship's hyperdrive damaged, Grievous retreated with the Malevolence back to Separatist Space.

With Republic ships in pursuit, Darth Sidious and Count Dooku arranged for Senator Amidala's ship to rendezvous with the Malevolence. Grievous tried to take Amidala and C-3PO hostage but they managed to escape into the Malevolence. Anakin, Kenobi, and R2-D2 mounted a rescue mission and infiltrated the Malevolence. While aboard the Malevolent, Anakin rigged the Malevolence to crash into the Dead Moon of Antar. The destruction of the Malevolence dealt a blow to Grievous' credibility. In addition, Jedi General Luminara Unduli's forces intercepted a Separatist fleet being sent to reinforce Grievous.

Later, Separatist droid forces attempted to capture Rishi Station so that a Separatist fleet could attack the Republic cloning factories on Kamino but were repelled by Clone troopers, who managed to warn the Republic. As a result, the Separatists were forced to withdraw their fleet from the orbit of Rishi moon. Republic forces under General Skywalker and Admiral Yularen later destroyed a Separatist fleet commanded by Grievous during the Battle of Bothawui. Grievous escaped on his personal starfighter Soulless One. Skywalker and R2-D2 gave chase but their Delta-7B Aethersprite-class light interceptor was damaged in a meteor storm.

A fleet of Separatist Munificent-class star frigates under the T-series tactical droid TF-1726 later clashed with three Venator-class Star Destroyers under Jedi General Aayla Secura above the planet Quell. Republic reinforcements under General Skywalker came to General Secura's rescue and rescued Secura from her stricken Star Destroyer. They escaped to the planet Maridun where they encountered a Lurmen village.

21 BBY
In 21 BBY, the Separatist navy blockaded the planet Felucia, trapping Republic forces under Jedi Generals Kenobi and Skywalker. Republic reinforcements under Jedi General Plo Koon managed to break through the blockade and evacuate Republic forces on Felucia. After stealing a holocron from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, the Separatist-aligned bounty hunter Cad Bane's fleet of Munificent-class star frigates attacked the Republic outpost on Devaron, capturing Jedi Master Bolla Ropal. Bane wanted to use Ropal to unlock the holocron he had stolen and access its secrets. Republic reinforcements under General Skywalker and Admiral Yularen boarded Bane's flagship and destroyed his fleet. However, Bane was able to escape with the holocron and a kyber memory crystal containing a list of all the Force-sensitive children in the galaxy.

Later, a fleet led General Grievous attacked Jedi Master Eeth Koth's Venator-class Star Destroyer and captured him. In response, Jedi Generals Kenobi and Adi Gallia led a fleet of Republic warships which destroyed most of Grievous' fleet. Republic and Jedi forces then pursued Grievous on Saleucami but the Separatist droid general managed to escape off-world.

General Grievous later commanded a Separatist fleet which assaulted the planet Kamino, which produced Clone troopers for the Grand Army of the Republic. During the battle, Grievous sacrificed his transports in order to protect his flagship. Grievous and his second-in-command Commander Asajj Ventress also arranged for the parts of Trident-class assault ships to be deployed into Kamino's oceans in the guise of debris. Upon landing, they were reassembled by Aqua droids and used to attack the Clone factories on Tipoca City. Ventress attempted to steal a DNA sample of Jango Fett but was thwarted by Skywalker. The Clone troopers succeeded in repelling the Separatist invaders.

20 BBY
A Separatist fleet under the command of Asajj Ventress and the tactical droid TJ-912 later fought against a Republic fleet led by Generals Kenobi and Skywalker, and Admiral Yularen above the planet Sullust. During the battle, the droid tri-fighter squadrons Trident Group One and Trident Group Two destroyed the Venator-class Star Destroyer Resolute. In the midst of the battle, Darth Sidious contacted Count Dooku and ordered him to eliminate Ventress, believing that Dooku was training her as a Sith apprentice. To prove his allegiance, Dooku complied and ordered TJ-912 to bombard Ventress' Providence-class dreadnought. Despite the bombardment, Ventress survived and became a formidable enemy of the Sith. Dooku then ordered TJ-912 to retreat from Sullust.

Later, Separatist forces ambushed Jedi General Even Piell's Venator-class Star Destroyer along the Nexus Route, which straddled the heart of both Separatist and Republic space. In response to Piell's capture, the Jedi Order and Republic mounted a mission to rescue him from the Citadel prison on Lola Sayu. Separatist warships under General Grievous later ambushed Jedi General Adi Gallia and the 91st Mobile Reconnaissance Corps's Venator-class Star Destroyer near the planet Patitite Pattuna. Grievous' forces boarded Gallia's ship and captured the Jedi Master. Gallia was later rescued from Grievous' flagship by a Republic fleet under Koon and Wolffe.

During the Battle of Umbara, a Separatist fleet supported the Umbaran Militia against Republic forces. The Umbarans were being supplied by a DH-Omni Support Vessel that was being protected by the Separatist fleet. The clone troopers Fives, Jesse, and Hardcase destroyed the Separatist supply ship using stolen Zenuas 33 Umbaran starfighters. This help turn the tide of the battle in favor of the Republic. During the Battle of Dathomir, a Separatist fleet transported Separatist droid forces under Count Dooku and General Grievous to the planet Dathomir, the homeworld of the Nightsisters. All the Nightsisters with the exception of Ventress and Mother Talzin were killed during the Separatist assault.

Later, Separatist warships under General Grievous attacked General Kenobi's fleet, inflicting numerous casualties. General Kenobi managed to activate the self-destruct mechanism on the Venator-class Star Destroyer Negotiator. The explosion wiped out Grievous' landing party and at least one Munificent-class star frigate. The Republic Colonel Meebur Gascon and the droid D-Squad including R2-D2 later undertook a successful mission to steal an encryption module from the tactical droid Aut-O's flagship in Separatist space.

During a mission, Skywalker steered the T-6 shuttle that he, Senator Amidala, and Tano were traveling on into the path of a Separatist fleet. Following a brief skirmish, the trio managed to escape due to a combination of Skywalker's piloting skills and Amidala and Tano manning the shuttle's cannons.

War of attrition
During the last stages of the Clone Wars, the planet Cato Neimoidia, which housed the headquarters of the Trade Federation, was invaded by a Separatist fleet. Despite the planet's ties to the Separatists, the Galactic Republic authorized a defense of the Neimoidian purse-world and dispatched reinforcements under General Skywalker and Commander Tano. While the Separatist fleet clashed with Republic warships in orbit, Skywalker and Tano clashed with Separatist droid tri-fighters before being recalled to Coruscant to investigate the Bombing of the Jedi Temple hangar. Republic and Separatist forces would continue fighting until the last days of the Clone Wars.

Later, Separatist naval forces under Admiral Trench defended a space station above the planet Ringo Vinda against Jedi and Republic forces led by General Skywalker, and Masters Tiplar and Tiplee. During the battle, the Clone trooper Tup's inhibitor chip malfunctioned and he killed Master Tiplar. Upon seeing footage of "Tup" killing Tiplar, Trench attempted to kidnap the Clone trooper but Skywalker and the Clone troopers Rex and Fives managed to evacuate Tup to Kamino for medical examination.

After, Rush Clovis assumed control of the InterGalactic Banking Clan, Count Dooku pressured him to raise interest rates on the Republic's loans to keep the bank afloat. Shortly later, a Separatist fleet attacked the Banking Clan's headquarters on the planet Scipio, wiping out a small Republic contingent led by Commander Thorn that had been assigned to guard Senator Amidala. In response, the Galactic Republic dispatched a fleet to take over the financial sector. Following the events on Scipio, the banks were placed under the authority of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Unknown to everyone else but Sidious' apprentice Count Dooku, the events on Scipio were part of a Sith plot for Palpatine's alter ego Darth Sidious to consolidate his control over the galaxy.

Following a mission to Utapau to excavate a large kyber crystal, a Separatist fleet escorted the Separatist supply ship that was to transport the kyber crystal back to Serenno. However, Generals Kenobi and Skywalker managed to infiltrate the Separatist supply ship and destroy the kyber crystal; creating an explosion that destroyed much of the Separatist fleet above Utapau. The Jedi escaped aboard a Neimoidian shuttle while Grievous escaped aboard his Belbullab-22 starfighter Soulless One.

Separatist space and ground forces under Admiral Trench subsequently besieged the Republic world of Anaxes, which was the site of main production facility for the Republic Navy. Trench was aided by the captured, unconscious Republic Clone trooper Echo, who was used by Techno Union Foreman Wat Tambor to relay Rex's strategy algorithm to the Separatist commander. This enabled Separatist forces to make inroads against the Republic defenders. After General Skywalker, Rex, and Clone Force 99 rescued Echo from Wat Tambor, the clones managed to infiltrate Trench's flagship and shut down the droid army while General Skywalker killed Admiral Trench. After escaping, the Clone trooper Wrecker destroyed Trench's flagship and the surrounding Separatist fleet with a remote detonator; turning the Anaxes campaign in favor of the Republic.

Tools of the Sith
Later, Separatist forces under Count Dooku attacked the Mahran homeworld of Mahranee, overwhelming Republic reinforcements led by Jedi General Chubor. Separatist and Republic warships clashed in space. To punish the Mahranee for siding with the Republic, Dooku ordered his fleet to bombard General Chubor's Republic frigate and several ships carrying Mahran refugees. In addition, the Separatist leader initiated a genocide against the Mahran species. Dooku's actions led the Jedi High Council to send Master Quinlan Vos and the former Sith assassin on a mission to assassinate the Separatist leader. However, Dooku proved too powerful for the two assassins and captured Vos.

After the Death Watch rescued Darth Maul from the Spire prison on Stygeon Prime, General Grievous led a Separatist fleet in pursuit of Maul and tracked him down to the planet Zanbar. During the battle above and on Ord Mantell's surface, Maul's Shadow Collective forces ambushed the Separatist fleet and captured both Dooku and General Grievous. However, Dooku and Grievous escaped Maul's captivity due to the intervention of Darth Sidious. Grievous killed Maul's mentor Mother Talzin. Maul managed to escape but his Shadow Collective forces were scattered and eliminated as a threat to Sidious' plans for galactic domination.

Following a period of prolonged torture, Dooku managed to turn Quinlan to the dark side of the Force by revealing that Ventress had murdered his late Master Tholme. For the next several months, Vos became Dooku's new right-hand man in the Separatist hierarchy and gained the nickname "Admiral" Enigma. The Jedi Order enlisted Ventress' help in rescuing Quinlan in exchange for a pardon for her crimes against the Jedi and Republic. However, Vos had become a secret Separatist double agent as part of his quest to uncover the identity of Dooku's Sith master Darth Sidious. Despite the efforts of Vos and Ventress, Dooku escaped from Christophis without revealing Sidious' identity; allowing the Sith Lord's plans for galactic domination to continue unhindered.

During the Outer Rim Sieges, the Separatists had been pushed back to the Outer Rim, but this kept the Republic bogged down in battles across the outer spirals. With the Jedi and Republic military scattered across the galaxy on various fronts, a large Separatist fleet led by General Grievous and Count Dooku assaulted the Republic capital of Coruscant and kidnapped Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. The Separatist fleet fought against the Republic's Open Circle Fleet. Palpatine was imprisoned aboard the Separatist flagship, the Providence-class dreadnought Invisible Hand but was rescued by Jedi Generals Skywalker and Kenobi with the help of R2-D2. At the urging of Palpatine, Skywalker slew Count Dooku, drawing the young Jedi closer to the dark side. However, Grievous escaped to Utapau. The Battle of Coruscant would see the destruction of a third of the Separatist fleet.

Dissolution and legacy
Following the execution of the Separatist Council at the hands of Anakin Skywalker, who had embraced the persona of Darth Vader, the Separatist navy, along with the Separatist Droid Army, was presumably deactivated and demobilized. The Galactic Republic was transformed into the Galactic Empire under the leadership of the self-appointed Emperor Palpatine. With the collapse of the Separatist leadership, Imperial forces took over many former Separatist worlds including Antar 4, Raxus, Kooriva, and Murkhana.

Many former Separatist warships including the Providence-class dreadnought Lucid Voice were dismantled at shipyards such as Bilbringi shipyards. Despite this, former Separatist warships and weapons occasionally surfaced. In 14 BBY, the former Republic Intelligence Agent Berch Teller's rebel cell utilized a modified Providence-class dreadnought and numerous Vulture droids and droid tri-fighters. In an attempt to undermine his rival Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, Vice Admiral Dodd Rancit had used his position as Director of the Naval Intelligence Agency and underworld connections to supply Teller's insurgents with former Separatist weapons and equipment. Tarkin and Darth Vader defeated Teller's insurgents following a brief campaign and exposed Rancit's duplicity. Other insurgent groups such as Cham Syndulla's Free Ryloth movement and Nightswan also utilized former Separatist vulture droids and buzz droids.

As late as 2 BBY, wrecked Separatist ships could still be found in deep space. While waiting to rendezvous with former Senator Mon Mothma, the Spectres hid their starship Ghost near the wreckage of a Recusant-class warship and Munificent-class star frigate.

Capital ships
The Separatist navy made use of several classes of capital ships, including frigates, heavy cruisers, dreadnoughts, destroyers, and battleships. Vessels included the Subjugator-class heavy cruiser, battlespheres, Lucrehulk-class Battleships, Providence-class dreadnoughts, Recusant-class Commerce Guild destroyers, and Munificent-class star frigates.

Smaller craft
The Separatist navy also used an array of smaller craft, such as Trident-class assault ships, Commerce Guild Starships, and Gozanti-class cruisers.

Freighters and transports
The CIS navy utilized freighters and transports, including Lucrehulk-class LH-3210 cargo freighters, at least one Aurore-class freighter, Umbaran support ships, DH-Omni Support Vessels, C-9979 landing craft, Hardcell-class interstellar transports. and core ships

Shuttles and troop transports
The Separatist navy's complement of shuttles and other transports was vast and various. The navy made use of HMP droid gunships, Settie-class drop ships, Separatist drop ships, Droch-class boarding ships, H-2 executive shuttles, Maxillipede shuttles, Separatist command shuttles, Sheathipede-class transport shuttles and Sheathipede-class Type B shuttles.

Space stations
The Separatist navy deployed automated vulture droid deployment stations during the Clone Wars.

Starfighters
The Separatist navy had various starfighter and bomber craft in its fleet. Such vessels included the Belbullab-22 starfighter, droid tri-fighters the Ginivex-class fanblade starfighter, Nantex-class territorial starfighters, Rogue-class starfighters, Zenuas 33 Umbaran starfighters, Variable Geometry Self-Propelled Battle Droid, Mark Is (commonly referred to as vulture droids), Hyena-class bombers. and at least one Star Courier, the Scimitar, was used.

Behind the scenes
The Separatist navy debuted in the 2005 episodic film, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, and was first identified as the Separatist navy in the reference book, Ultimate Star Wars.