TLDR: post-campaign analysis of the Twelfth Black Crusade revealed that the Gothic Class Cruiser was a painfully mediocre ship, and consequently, their production has slowed. Few such vessels now remain with the original Mars class configuration, much to the chagrin of the rather conservatively minded members of the Adeptus Mechanicus. The fearsome reputation earned by the Mars class battlecruiser, Imperious, was such that the order was given to refit all returning battlecruisers of the same class with the same targeting matrix that the Imperious had adopted after the battle of Orar, as and when their re-commissioning became necessary. Few were ever properly recommissioned and fewer still actually constructed, so that the last few centuries have seen a marked drop in the number of Gothic class cruisers present in most fleets.
![top view of battle fleet gothic ships top view of battle fleet gothic ships](https://static1.therichestimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/4fvwSbX.jpg)
In other battlefleets across the Imperium it remained a stalwart, but with repair time at a premium in the Gothic sector, many such vessels found themselves languishing in poor condition for many years after the war. The Gothic class cruiser, perhaps ironically for such an eponymous vessel, came out of the war with less than flying colours, its performance being viewed as average at best by most admirals.
![top view of battle fleet gothic ships top view of battle fleet gothic ships](https://media.moddb.com/images/mods/1/44/43642/20190824163224_1.jpg)
Meta context: a lot of people ask questions like 'does the Imperial Navy refit their vessels', etc Lore context: the Gothic War, also known as the Twelfth Black Crusade took place in early M41.