Line of battle A line of battle , also called battle line or simply line , was a level of organization for capital ships within a fleet . Usually it was the lowest unit above a single starship and beneath the squadron . Old Republic . During the Clone Wars , the level above a single ship was a called a section . Sections were commanded by the most senior ship captain present , unless there was a Jedi Commander . A section was called a line when it was made up of larger and heavier armed ships , so - called " ships of the line " . These lines were organized in groups of 3 - 4 ships . Flotillas were composed of smaller ships like corvettes or patrol craft operated in sections of 6 - 12 ships . Galactic Empire . Under the Galactic Empire , the Imperial Navy had several kinds of " lines " , each suited for a different task . Each line had four ships , but in reality , these number varied . At 3 ABY , the lines actually consisting of four ships made up around seven percent of the Imperial Navy . A line usually had 1 - 20 ships , commanded by a Captain of the Line . An attack line was composed of either six light cruisers and frigates or three heavy cruisers . Its mission profile was to engage other capital ships of similar size or to draw away enemy fire from Star Destroyer A heavy attack line consisted of four to eight ships , none smaller than a light cruiser , sometimes even a " Victory " - class Star Destroyer . On the battlefield , this line was able to come even against the same number of enemy capital ships and could operate independently from central command . Pursuit lines were made up of light cruisers and sometimes corvettes and even frigates , operating in numbers of 4 - 10 ships . On the battlefield , pursuit lines engaged retreating ships and followed them to their base . A popular tactic employed by the these lines was Beambaiting . A recon line had two or four ships , often light cruiser with improved sublight speed and improved Hyperwave signal interceptor s . These ships operated alone or in pairs , tracking down Rebel bases . Often recon lines are sent into enemy territory to actively look for hostile bases and fleets . However , their mission is not to actively engage the enemy , but to retreat and report their findings . Skirmish lines engage enemy capital ship or starfighters . This role was later mostly taken over by the increasing number of TIE fighters , however these lines now serve as cover and provide cover fire for them . Skirmish lines consist of 4 - 20 ships , mostly corvettes , but also Skipray blastboats and frigates . These lines were sometimes used as a convoy escort . The torpedo line consisted of only two Torpedo Spheres and was used for planetary bombardment . A troop line had only four ships , two Evakmar - KDY transport or " Delta " - class troop transports and two " Strike " - class medium cruisers . Due to the strict level of organization within the Imperial Army , this line was the most consistent within the Navy . The Star Destroyer line consisted of only a single " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer , but also a " Super " - class Star Destroyer . At the beginning of the expansion of the Navy , a study concluded that an " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer was equivalent to a Squadron . However , to acquire more Star Destroyers , the Admiralty classified the Star Destroyer as a line , since there were more lines than squadrons . Rebel Alliance . Due to the nature of the Rebellion , an organized fleet structure was nearly impossible to keep . Single sector force s differed too much to form a single unified stricture . When the Mon Calamari joined the Rebellion and donated their Mon Calamari Star Cruiser s , the new Supreme Commander , Admiral Gial Ackbar formed so - called " Roving Battle Lines " . A line consisted of 3 - 10 cruisers plus any number of escorts , close support vessels and starfighters . The lines were mobile and engaged the Empire only when necessary , sometimes drawing forces from the local sector . If necessary , a line disbanded for a while in order to avoid detection by the Empire . A Battle Line was commanded by the most senior ship captain or a Line Admiral . A battle line had several sub - elements , but these seldom operated alone : The Cruiser element formed the backbone of the line and had the most firepower . They engaged similar - sized ships of the enemy . The Close Support element was made up of frigates and corvettes and had the duty to protect the cruisers from enemy close support ships . While their role was defensive , these ships would launch offensives as well , depending on the battlefield situation . Picket elements were Fast - attack patrol ship and other picket ship , for example Light freighters . These ships were responsible for detecting approaching enemies and early engagements to force the enemy into battle formation . The Starfighter element had two roles : Starfighter escort stayed close to the capital ships and engaged attacking enemy fighters , while Attack Starfighters penetrated the enemy ' s close support line to attack the cruisers . New Republic . The New Republic ' s basic level of organization above a single ship was the task force . From their structure , they were similar to the Roving Battle Lines of the Rebellion . A task force consisted of a single Star Destroyer or Carrier as flagship , two heavy cruisers , two transports or carrier , three frigates and four gunships . Additional support ships brought the average number of ships in a task force up to 21 . A task force was usually commanded by a Commodore or an Admiral .