| Archangel-class assault ship | |
|---|---|
| LCAM-01XA Archangel | |
| LCAM-02XD Dominion | |
| Fast facts | |
| Ship type | Assault ship[1] and submarine[2] |
| Class: | Archangel |
| Launched: | Archangel – 25 January, CE 71 Dominion – June CE 71 |
| Manufacturer: | Earth Alliance/Orb Union |
| Operator: | Earth Alliance (Atlantic Federation), Three Ships Alliance/Terminal, Orb Union |
| Ships of class: | LCAM-01XA Archangel, LCAM-02XD Dominion |
| General characteristics | |
| Length: | 420 meters (Archangel)[1][2] 345 meters (Dominion)[3] |
| Propulsion: | unknown |
| Armor: | Laminated armor,[1] unknown thickness |
| Armament: |
|
| Mobile weapon complement: |
Archangel, early CE 71 Archangel, mid to late CE 71 Dominion, CE 71 Archangel, CE 73 Archangel, CE 74 |
| Linear catapults: | Two |
The Archangel-class assault ship is a fictional ship class from the Cosmic Era (CE) timeline of the Gundam anime metaseries. They are functionally equivalent to the current day aircraft carriers; their primary mission being to launch and recover mobile suits and mobile armors. However, based in part on the Orb Union's Izumo-class battleship design, she is also a very heavily armed battleship (more heavily armed than either the Nelson-class battleship or Agamemnon-class carrier). The design is based on the White Base of the Universal Century Mobile Suit Gundam mothership of the protagonists. It was originally intended to be different, but the mechanical design of this ship received order before completion to specifically design this ship to match the designs of the first protagonist ship of the metaseries.[4]
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The Archangel-class assault ship was developed to support the mobile suits developed under the G Project. The G Project, which was initiated by Earth Alliance with support of Morgenroete Inc., developed the base unit GAT-X102 Duel, heavy assault unit GAT-X103 Buster, stealth unit GAT-X207 Blitz, high-powered commander unit GAT-X303 Aegis and most famous of the five, the multi-mode GAT-X105 Strike. For this intent, she is equipped with two linear catapults for supporting launches of mobile suits.
Her design is based on the Orb Union's Izumo-class battleship. Some elements of Izumo's design which was also used in the construction of the Archangel-class assault ships include the "Lohengrin" positron blaster cannon and "Gottfried" Mk.71 dual high-energy beam cannon. She is also equipped with laminated armor, which provides protection against beam weaponry by dispersing them across the entire surface of the armor. Due to extensive automation, the Archangel-class can be operated even by a small crew.[1]
Two Archangel-class ships were built during the war: the Archangel and the Dominion. In addition, the Archangel-class had a special tender vessel designed for it, called the Cornelius-class. The prototype for the Archangel's tender would later be acquired by the Junk Guild and modified into the ReHOME. The production vessels of Cornelius-class were seen with the Dominion when she was at the Earth Alliance Ptolemaeus lunar base.
Later, after the Bloody Valentine War ended, the Archangel was refitted with underwater operation capabilities, making her almost invincible underwater because most beam weapons (which is the main armament of mobile suits and ships) do not work underwater while she can use her "Valiant" Mk.8 110 cm linear cannon, a projectile based railgun, underwater. This is proven in underwater battles during the Second Bloody Valentine War. In addition, this capability makes the Archangel difficult to detect. After being refitted, the Archangel also had improved control systems that allowed it to be operated by an even smaller crew.[2]
The Archangel is a trans-atmospheric ship. She is able to enter and operate in an atmosphere and launch back to outer space without the help of a mass driver. In Earth's atmosphere, she can fly low. Later upgrades on Archangel after the Bloody Valentine War's end enable her to submerge underwater, as well as operate in slightly higher altitudes.
At the time it launched, the Archangel-class ship was the largest warship in the Cosmic Era universe, armed with two large-bore "Gottfried" Mk.71 beam cannons in forward turrets, two "Valiant" Mk.8 110 cm linear cannons in aft mounts, sixteen 75 mm "Igelstellung" CIWS turrets, 24 multi-purpose missile launchers (missiles include "Sledgehammer" anti-ship missiles, "Korinthos" M114 surface-to-air missiles, and "Wombat" atmospheric missiles), and a 16-cell "Helldart" surface-to-air missile launcher (located at the back of the bridge tower); however, the Archangel's most powerful weapons are her two "Lohengrin" bow-mounted positron blaster cannons.[1][2][3]
The heavy defensive and offensive armament of the Archangel-class, combined with the ship's laminated armor, made it almost impenetrable to all but the most determined assault. The firepower of the Archangel-class ship exceeds most warships in its era, making it difficult to be equalized as a pure aircraft carrier, as it features the hybrid of a battleship and an aircraft carrier.
The Dominion is similar in appearance to the Archangel, except that the Dominion is dark and has improved sensors.[3]
Since its launch, the Archangel is commanded by Murrue Ramius. Her impressive capability, mobile weapon complements, and crews, made her survive all major battles in both the Bloody Valentine War and the Second Bloody Valentine War. Although launched as an Earth Alliance ship, she later became part of the Three Ships Alliance (which would later align themselves with Terminal). After the Second Battle of Orb, the Archangel is formally commissioned to the Orb Union's space fleet. The Archangel is known to ZAFT as the "Legged Ship." until it communicates its name to the ship under the command of Rau Le Creuset and the stolen Gundams, indicating that Lacus Clyne is aboard the vessel in an attempt to get them to stop their pursuit. In the translated novelization of Gundam SEED, ZAFT also refers to the Archangel as "The Paw." This remains the case until the same incident depicted within the anime takes place, at which point ZAFT uses the ship's actual name in both the anime and novels. In the Manga, the ship is referred to as the "Legged Ship" as in the anime up until the incident with Lacus Clyne.
The Archangel's first combat action was on 25 January, Cosmic Era 71, when ZAFT was attacking the Heliopolis space colony, where she was stationed. Due to ZAFT's sudden attack, her original captain was killed. Natarle Badgiruel, one of her officers, then managed to gather the surviving crew to activate and launch the Archangel and put her into action. Soon later, the Archangel's command was transferred to Lieutenant Murrue Ramius, after Lieutenant Mu La Flaga rejected the captain role because he is inexperienced in commanding a vessel (and also because only he and Kira Yamato were the ship's only mobile weapon pilots), despite his seniority.
With ZAFT stealing four of the five G Project prototypes, Archangel was left with only the GAT-X105 Strike and Mu's TS-MA2mod.00 Moebius Zero to defend herself. After the assault ship linked up with Admiral Halberton's 8th Fleet, she took on board two FX-550 Skygraspers, which were compatible with the Strike's striker packs. En route to the JOSH-A base in Alaska, the Archangel lost the Strike and one Skygrasper in combat and recaptured the GAT-X103 Buster.
During the Battle of JOSH-A, the Archangel was saved from destruction by Kira. The event made the Archangel's crew decide to desert the Earth Alliance and joined the Orb Union later. In addition, it added the stolen ZAFT mobile suit ZGMF-X10A Freedom to its complement, piloted by former Strike pilot Kira.
During the Battle of Orb, Athrun Zala, with his ZGMF-X09A Justice, joined the Archangel. Both the Justice and Freedom later transferred to the Eternal, after the Eternal joined the Archangel and Orb's Kusanagi, forming the Three Ships Alliance. In the war's final days, Archangel's mobile weapon complements were the repaired Strike, piloted by Mu, and the Buster, piloted by Dearka Elsman.
The Archangel was severely damaged on the war's last day, 26 September, at the Second Battle of Jachin Due. During the course of the battle, however, she destroyed the Dominion.
After the Bloody Valentine War ended, the Archangel went into hiding for two years.[2]
After the war, the Archangel was repaired, upgraded with submarine-esque capability, an indoor hot spring, and hidden in a secret hangar at Orb.[2] After ZAFT commandos failed in an attempt to kill Lacus Clyne in CE 73, the Archangel left this facility. Its mobile suit complements at this point was the Freedom piloted by Kira, the MBF-02 Strike Rouge piloted by Cagalli Yula Athha, and a newly customized MVF-M11C Murasame transformable mobile suit piloted by Andrew Waltfeld in his desert tiger color scheme.
Later that year, the Archangel intervened in battles between the ZAFT battleship Minerva and a joint Earth Alliance and Orb Union task force near Dardanelles and again off the coast of Crete. After the second battle, six more Murasames from the Orb aircraft carrier Takemikazuchi were transferred to the Archangel.
However, shortly after the release of the information on the shady group Logos being the true warmongers of human civilization, ZAFT issued orders to destroy the Archangel. Being pursued by a team under Commander Willard and ultimately the Minerva, its mainstay mobile suit the Freedom was destroyed by the ZGMF-X56S Impulse, and its outer hull was damaged by the Minerva's "Tannhäuser" positron blaster cannon.
The Archangel managed to reach Orb, and was repaired at a secret Morgenroete facility before ZAFT's attack on Orb (codenamed "Operation Fury"). Soon after she was repaired, she engaged the Minerva once again, but with the support of Neo Roanoke and his Skygrasper. During the invasion of Orb by ZAFT, the Archangel was forced to engage Minerva head on in order to defend Orb against ZAFT's attacks. With both ships fairly evenly matched, Captain Murrue Ramius decided to submerge the Archangel into the ocean to break free from the Minerva's relentless pursuit (realizing that once the ship was underwater, the Archangel was virtually unchallenged in terms of firepower because all the beam weapons from the Minerva cannot hit targets underwater). The Archangel then proceeded to fire the "Valiant" linear cannons (projectile based) against the Minerva, which was still hovering above the ocean's surface. Afterwards, the Archangel destroyed ZAFT support ships and submarines one by one with the "Valiant" and torpedoes, including Operation Fury's flagship, the Vosgulov-class submarine St. Helens, and forced a total retreat of all ZAFT forces.
After the Second Battle of Orb, the Archangel was assigned to Orb's 2nd Space Fleet under command of Kira Yamato, who was appointed as the commander of the Orb Space Fleet, and makes its way to the moon for an intelligence mission. After the mission is completed, the Archangel is joined by three Izumo-class battleships, including the Kusanagi and headed for ZAFT's mobile fortress Messiah.
During the last battle of the Second Bloody Valentine War, The Battle of Messiah, the Archangel was able to severely damage the Minerva by disabling the majority of the Minerva's weaponry. Shortly afterwards, Athrun Zala disabled Minerva's engines with the ZGMF-X19A Infinite Justice's Fatum-01 subflight lifter.
The Earth Alliance/Blue Cosmos flagship Dominion is commanded by Lieutenant Commander Natarle Badgiruel (formerly Archangel's Executive Officer). Relatively short-living, the Dominion was destroyed by the Archangel on the last day of the Bloody Valentine War, 27 September, at the Second Battle of Jachin Due.
The Dominion carried the GAT-X131 Calamity, piloted by Orga Sabnak, the GAT-X252 Forbidden, piloted by Shani Andras, the GAT-X370 Raider, piloted by Clotho Buer, and a squadron of GAT-01 Strike Daggers. All of which were destroyed during the final battle.
The Dominion's first action was at the Battle of Mendel, where she also battled the Archangel. The Earth Alliance's objective was to capture either the ZGMF-X09A Justice or ZGMF-X10A Freedom as well as to destroy the Archangel, but failed both objectives. Increasing disadvantage of their forces made the Earth Alliance forces retreat. In this battle, the Dominion managed to retrieve a life pod, released by ZAFT's Vesalius, where Flay Allster was inside, holding data about the Neutron Jammer Canceller.
During the Battle of Boaz, the Dominion is assigned to defend the nuclear missile-equipped TS-MA2 Moebiuses and their support units. In the battle, Boaz was destroyed.
During the Second Battle of Jachin Due, the Dominion was assigned to the large scale assault on the PLANTs. During this battle, the Dominion was destroyed by the Archangel.
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