Alliance Fleet / Legends The Alliance Fleet , also called the Rebel Fleet , referred to the various spacecraft operated jointly by the Rebel Alliance in their struggle against the Galactic Empire . Although it was minuscule in size compared to the Imperial Navy , and in many cases its ships were of non - military design , the fleet proved to be a thorn in the Empire ' s side throughout the Galactic Civil War . Following the Battle of Endor and the creation of the New Republic , the Rebel fleet was renamed into the New Republic Defense Fleet . Overview . Early history . The Rebel Alliance fleet was originally quite small , composed of small to mid sized cruisers , converted freighters , and outdated starfighters . Much war material had been scavenged from fleets of the former Confederacy of Independent Systems . In terms of organization , the Rebel fleet was scattered and under various command structures . All ships in service of the Rebel Alliance in the early years before the Battle of Yavin were owned and operated by each individual Alliance member , such as the Sullustans , Corellians or Chandrilans . These scattered units would work with each other from time to time , like during the Battle of Ylesia , but overall the space forces of the Alliance were not properly organized and equipped to seriously oppose the Imperial Navy . A proper fleet . As the Galactic Civil War wore on , the ragtag fleet began to grow , as disaffected Imperials switched sides and numerous planets declared their support for the Alliance . When the Mon Calamari chose to join the Rebel Alliance , they brought with them their Star Cruisers , giving the Alliance the firepower needed to contend with Imperial warships . Mon Mothma realized the need for a single and organized Rebel armada , and decided to appoint the Mon Calamari Gial Ackbar to the rank of Admiral . With the rank came the position of Supreme Commander of the Alliance Fleet . Father of the Alliance Navy . Under Ackbar , the once scattered Rebel space forces organized and assembled into an actual fleet , broken down into battle lines and task forces . Ackbar standardized training and created new line rear admirals to help command the elements of the fleet . With Ackbar came the Mon Calamari ' s sizable shipyards , which began producing new Star Cruisers , frigates , and corvettes . Mon Mothma gave Ackbar seven orders : the first was ' Avoid Battle . ' The second was ' Send a Detailed Report on the State of the Fleet . ' The third was ' Complete the Training of the Fleet . ' The fourth ' Reorganize Fleet Replenishment . ' The fifth ' Maintain a High Level of Morale in Your Command . ' The sixth was ' Organize Raiding Forces ' . The seventh , and final order was ' Be Prepared to go to Battle within a Month ' s Notice ' . While the fleet was never committed to full battle , elements and battle lines of the fleet were regularly detached from the main fleet to raid Imperial installations , attack isolated convoys , and ambush small detachments of the Imperial fleet . This tactic of seasoning a fleet through many small engagements served Ackbar well . Years later during the Yuuzhan Vong War , a retired and ailing Ackbar organized a similar plan to train the newer units of the New Republic fleet before they had to commit to a major engagement . Yavin to Hoth . A considerable bulk of the Rebel fleet was ambushed nine months after the Battle of Yavin by a large contingent of the Imperial Navy under the command of Darth Vader . Vader had hoped to end the Galactic Civil War in a single , decisive battle . Although several transports and smaller capital ships were quickly destroyed , starfighters commanded by Wedge Antilles , including Rogue Squadron , were able to hold off the Imperials long enough to allow the Rebel fleet to scatter into hyperspace . Between Hoth and Endor . To keep the location of the Rebel base a secret from the searching Lord Vader , the Alliance fleet was ordered away from Hoth , dispersed around the galaxy , prior to the evacuation , though some isolated and detached units did aid in the evacuation or create diversions . This conformed to a tactical doctrine that Ackbar and the High Command had adopted — that the Alliance High Command should remain separated from the Alliance Fleet , since the Alliance could probably withstand the loss of either the Fleet or High Command , but not both . After the defeat at the Battle of Hoth , Alliance High Command and a portion of the Rebel fleet regrouped at the secret rendezvous point beyond the rim of the galaxy . Later , when the Alliance had established itself on Arbra , the fleet was kept hidden within the corona of Arbra ' s sun . For much of the following year , the Rebel fleet remained hidden from the Empire , slowly building itself up and preparing for the inevitable conflict with a full Imperial fleet . Such a conflict would happen over the forest moon of Endor . Battle of Endor . Following the discovery of the Death Star II , the majority of the fleet gathered at Sullust . Following a summit on the Rebel flagship " Home One " , the fleet launched towards Endor , intent on destroying the superweapon before it was completed . In what became known as the Battle of Endor , the Rebel fleet distinguished itself in facing down a sizable Imperial battle fleet , consisting of the Star Dreadnought " Executor " and around forty Star Destroyers . The fleet prevailed at Endor , largely due to the fact that the Imperial fleet had become dependent on the emperor ' s battle meditation , and their organization and resolve disappeared after he was killed . After the battle , one - fifth of the fleet was destroyed , but was able to rebuild itself when more worlds left the Galactic Empire once word of Emperor Palpatine ' s death had spread . Organization . Headquarters . The fleet was controlled under the auspices of Fleet Command , the branch of the Alliance military that oversaw all fleet operations . Fleet Command was headed by the admiral of the fleet , which was Ackbar for the entire history of the Rebellion . While Ackbar was head of the fleet , he was assisted in command by a series of line admirals , who each were responsible for components of the fleet . Due to the importance of the fleet to the Alliance , Fleet Command was considered one of the most important Supreme Allied Commands . When the Alliance became the New Republic , the Rebel Alliance Fleet became the New Republic Defense Fleet . Also under the New Republic military structure , starfighters were under Starfighter Command . Tactical organization . The Fleet ' s starships were organized into lines of battle . Each line of battle was composed of four elements : heavy cruisers , support ships , picket craft , and starfighter squadrons . A battle line ' s size and composition differed depending on available units or the mission . In practice , the standard line consisted of three heavy warships like MC80 Star Cruiser s , supported by several escort frigates , corvettes and starfighter wings . Yet , battle lines ranged in size from as few as one and as many as ten heavy warships . By direct order from Mon Mothma , the Rebel fleet was never to have more than one quarter of its forces deployed as roving battle lines , such as the 14th Roving Line . All lines were commanded by line admiral appointed directly by Admiral Ackbar , though in reality there were few Alliance admirals . To remedy this , battle lines not possessing of an admiral were commanded by the senior captain of the line ' s cruisers . The Fleet also maintained Fleet Regiments to assist in ship security , boarding actions and supplement Alliance and Sector Forces in ground actions . Fleet Regiments wore gray coveralls , black vests and white streamlined blast helmets . The Fleet also maintained marines for ship - to - ship defense and assault when two ships engaged in one - on - one combat or for tactical assault on a key ship . Elements are a force encompassing a single starship , commanded by a captain . Sections are a force encompassing a small number of starships , typically light capital ships working alongside and commanded by the senior captain in the section . Sections that are made up of capital ships and close support vessels as " flotillas " in reference to ancient seagoing tradition . Squadrons are the most typical Alliance fleet detachment , and are made up of three to four sections working in a concert , including a line of capital ships supported by a section of escort ships and a flotilla acting as a picket line . Squadrons are commanded by either a senior captain , a commodore , or a line admiral . Battle groups consist of two to four squadrons , and were mostly theoretical due to the Alliance being rarely spare as large of a single detachment . In practice , battle groups were maintained by a few Allied Commands , and were commanded by line admirals . Fleets were composed of three to six battle groups and were led by a line admiral . Battle tactics . The Alliance Fleet was known for its use of several battle tactics , many of which were very different than those of their Imperial counterparts . For instance , while the Empire stressed quantity over quality , preferring to use weak unshielded craft to beat down opposition through sheer numbers , the Rebels used strong , multi - purpose , shield - and hyperdrive - equipped craft . Ackbar Slash . The Ackbar Slash was a space warfare tactical maneuver devised by Admiral Ackbar . It involved a fleet ' s ships forcing their way into the middle of an enemy formation . The desired result was that , with enemy gunners running a high risk of shooting their own forces , they would be hesitant to fire . The ships in the middle would have no such risk , and be able to cause higher damage to their enemy . If the enemy ships did choose to fire , the risk of friendly fire still worked to the advantage of the attacking fleet . Rogue Doctrine . Rogue Doctrine was the name given to the three battle tactics designed by Luke Skywalker and Rebel Alliance tactician Beryl Chiffonage , with help from Risiev Credal , for use by the T - 47 airspeeders stationed at Echo Base on the planet Hoth . Attack Pattern Delta . The first tactic involved a group of snowspeeders attacking an AT - AT in a single - file formation in order to give the enemy gunners a single target . After reaching optimal firing range , the lead speeder would fire before breaking off . With the AT - AT only able to track one target at a time , the remaining speeders would have a clear shot at the walker . Bantha Decoy . The second tactic was a variant of a trick used once used by Luke Skywalker to target banthas in his T - 16 skyhopper on his homeworld of Tatooine . Two speeders would approach a walker from behind while flanking it . The lead speeder would cut across the walker ' s line of sight to draw its fire , while simultaneously veering across the second speeder ' s flight vector , which would then expose the vulnerable neck of the AT - AT to the second speeder Harpoon and Tow Cables . The third and final method used the harpoons and tow cables of the T - 47 to entangle the walker ' s legs , which would trip the massive AT - AT , bringing its own weight crashing down upon itself . This plan of attack worked most effectively during the Battle of Hoth , during which several AT - ATs were brought down using this method . Space Denial . Due to the expense of keeping starfighters operational and the lack of resources available to the Alliance in comparison to their enemies , space denial was the only viable alternative to wresting control of space from the Empire . Space denial was a means by which the Rebellion could deny the free movement of Imperial forces within Imperial - controlled space without significant protection , thus it was never meant to take and hold territory . The strategy behind space denial focused on small units of starfighters , usually at the squadron level , operating from hidden bases established near known Imperial supply routes and employing hit - and - run tactics and convoy harassment . Scissors Technique . The scissors was a very difficult , timed maneuver aimed at bringing an attacking starfighter into the sights of the defending craft during a dogfight . The move , consisting of sharp , twisting turns , was generally executed immediately after the attacker overshot during a head - to - head engagement or following a successful break ing maneuver . Trench Run Defense . Trench Run Defense ( TRD ) was an anti - capital ship tactic modeled after the success of Rebel Alliance starfighters against the First Death Star known as the trench run . Rebel pilots colloquially referred to targets vulnerable to the tactic as being susceptible to " Trench Run Disease " . Pilots facing large starships would fly very close to the surface of a ship ' s outer hull , using trenches to avoid enemy fire . Starfighters could thus deliver their payload with impunity to sensitive ship segments , assuming a successful escort against enemy starfighters . Ships . Capital ship classes . Space stations . Although the Alliance Fleet was small , it did possess some space stations . Throughout the Galactic Civil War , it utilized Alliance Space Station s , of which it had five levels of design . They also had some Deep Space Manufacturing Facilities . In addition , they also utilized Rebel Platform s and Repair Yard s . They also utilized Telgorn shipyard s . They also used the XQ1 , XQ2 , XQ3 , XQ4 , XQ5 , and XQ6 Platform s . By 7 ABY , the Rebel Alliance managed to procure their own " Empress " - class space station . Battleships . The Alliance fleet made use of several battleships . The most notable is the MC80 " Home One " type Star Cruiser , of which its most well known model was the flagship , the " Home One " . It also utilized " Lucrehulk " - class battleships . Battlecruisers . The Alliance Fleet utilized " Bulwark " - class battle cruisers for their Battlecruisers .