Hyperion (Legend of the Galactic Heroes)
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| Hyperion-class battleship | |
|---|---|
| BB-144M Hyperion | |
| Fast Facts | |
| Ship Type: | Battleship/Flagship |
| Class: | Hyperion |
| Launched: | Dec. U.C. 795 |
| Manufacturer: | Free Planets Alliance Heinessen Shipyard No. 1 |
| Operator: | Free Planets Alliance Star Fleet |
| Ships of Class: | Hyperion |
| General characteristics | |
| Length: | 911 meters |
| Width: | 70 meters |
| Height: | 284 meters |
| Crew: | 915 meters |
| Registry: | 144M |
| Armament: | 25cm Forward Facing Neutron Cannon x 32 25cm Side Cannon x 16 Multiple Missile Launchers x 8 Rail gun x 4 Fusion Bomb Launcher x many |
| Fighter Complement: | 42 Spartanian fighters, 4 shuttles |
The Hyperion is the flagship of Admiral Yang Wen-li within the fictional Legend of the Galactic Heroes Universe.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
The Hyperion makes its first appearance in Episode 6 of the first season of Legend of the Galactic Heroes. It was most likely named after the Titan of the same name from Greek myth. It was part of the 13th Fleet assigned to newly promoted Admiral Yang Wen-li, and became his flagship throughout the series. It was not stated whether the ship itself was a veteran of the Astate Encounter as most of the fleet was, or if it was a new ship along with the remainder of the fleet. The Hyperion is visually distinguished by its teal blue hull color and its large antennae protruding from its midsection, as most Alliance battleships are drab green in color and do not possess antennae. It possesses a large and spread out multi-level bridge with a large conference table commonly used for meetings by Admiral Yang and his staff, as well as a large tactical viewscreen used during battle to display fleet movements. As with most Free Planets Alliance vessels, it had a larger bridge and larger viewscreen than its Imperial counterparts, including Reinhard von Musel's flagship Brunhild. Her bridge does not appear to possess the large support cables commonly seen in other Alliance battleships, which are prone to snapping during combat and injuring the bridge crew.
The ship was the first of a new class of command battleships, and initial plans were for a first construction run of 3 ships. After the weakening of the Alliance's military strength following the Battle of Amritsar, this plan was abandoned in favor of quicker and more easily constructed standard battleships
Compared to other battleships within the Alliance Star Fleet, the Hyperion is lightly armed, possessing only 32 forward cannons which comprise its main armament, while the battleship Triglav carries 80 cannons and the battleship Shiva carries 108. She also appears to be smaller than most other battleships, being less than a kilometer in length while the battleship Rio Grande and her sisters are more than 1,200 meters in length. Nonetheless, she proves herself in battle under the command of Yang Wen-li and survives every engagement she is present in.
[edit] Service History
[edit] Season 1
The Hyperion first appears in Episode 6 as Admiral Yang and the rest of his crews depart from Heinessen to board their ships. In her first action, she participated in the capture of Iserlohn Fortress from the Empire, although she fired no shots during the battle. She was the first Free Planets Alliance vessel to enter the fortress, and was quickly followed by the rest of the 13th Fleet as it escaped the returning Iserlohn garrison fleet. After the battle, she carried Admrial Yang on his trimphant return to Heinessen, where he was greeted as a hero and eventually decided to remain in the military instead of retiring. The 13th Fleet is increased to a full-sized fleet (approximately 13,000 ships) and the Hyperion remained its flagship.
With the Alliance now planning an invasion of Imperial space, the 13th Fleet was called upon to take part in the first offensive. The Hyperion and the 13th Fleet penetrateed deep into the Galactic Empire, eventually stopping in the Jawanhahr system. While in the system, the fleet was ambushed by Imperial forces under the command of Admiral Karl Gustav Kempf. However, Admiral Yang was expecting an ambush and had his escape already planned. Even though his senior officers were spread throughout the fleet, the Hyperion remained as Yang's command ship. The 13th Fleet was able to withdraw with few casualties, and retreated to the Amritsar system. After a running battle from the Amritsar system, the fleet finally managed to regroup at Iserlohn Fortress. Once Yang was appointed as the new commander of the fortress and its station fleet, the Hyperion became the flagship of the Iserlohn garrison fleet.
Following the overthrow of the democratic Alliance government by a military junta, the Hyperion once again went into action along with the rest of the 13th Fleet as Admiral Yang departs to restore the government. The Hyperion participated in the Battle of the Doria Starzone, where she led the fleet into battle against the Alliance's 11th Fleet under the command of Admiral Lublanju, who had orders to stop the 13th Fleet from reaching Heinessen. Yang's superior tactics and judgement allowed the 13th Fleet to easily win the battle, annihilating the 11th Fleet to less than ten percent of its original force. After shattering the Necklace of Artemis with large blocks of ice, the military government surrendered and the Hyperion and the 13th Fleet returned to Iserlohn Fortress.
[edit] Season 2
While Admiral Yang away from the fortress for a board of inquiry, Iserlohn Fortress was attacked by a now-mobile Geiersburg Fortress and its station fleet. The Hyperion was placed under the command of former Imperial Admiral Willibald Joachim von Merkatz, the next most experienced fleet commander. It lead the station fleet in a valiant defense of the fortress until Admiral Yang returned with reinforcements and Geiersburg Fortress was eventually destroyed.
