The anime series Mobile Suit Gundam, set in the fictional Universal Century timeline, is centered around the conflict known as the One Year War between two military factions: the earthbound Earth Federation Forces and the spacebound Principality of Zeon, each utilizing different machines of war. Although the series is famous for its mobile suits, there are other military units like space battleships, carriers, tanks and fighters as well. This is a major break-through in the robot anime at the time where other robot anime preceding this are of the Super Robot genre which introduces robots owned by individual research centres fighting against evil,[1] yet Mobile Suit Gundam introduces robots as weapons of the military units like main battle tanks and fighters.[2] It is also interesting watching the difference between the designs of the weapons, which also tend to represent the context in which the weapons were created, specially in the case of the Zeon, which deploys many designs that were tested in space colonies, which ultimately prove incapable of providing the adequate conditions to test aircraft and other vehicles, and therefore tend to have unusual designs that seem faulty at first glance. On the other hand, the weapons of the EFF, specially the ones for the ground, aerial and naval combat, seem outdated compared with ones deployed by Zeon. This is mainly result of the EFF focusing on fortifying their space forces, which other than mobile suits, are more up to date with Zeon own space forces. Basically, the different types of vehicles can be classified according to their role, whether this is as a spaceship, a landship, aircraft, boat, submarine, tank, etc. Furthermore, not all of them are battleships. Many vehicles are designed for specific functions such as supply transport units, recon units, and in some cases, even as units that work together with mobile suits, providing additional firepower or even the atmospheric flight capacity.
As previously mentioned, the series focus on the use of both mobile weapons, specially mobile suits, and as military weapons, mobile suits also need maintenance, and while this can be provided without a ship, it proves useful to provide it while allowing transportation for them.
| General characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Length | 145 metres (476 ft) |
The Columbus class transport is the Federation's fleet of resupply ships that were created to keep the space fleets resupplied while they were not in action. Columbus class was successful in this role, but many of the vessels were commandeered by the space fleet commanders for use as makeshift mobile suit carriers during the One Year War.
Like most ships in the Federation's space fleet, the Columbus class was refitted between UC 0079 and UC 0083, resulting in the Columbus Kai class. Unlike earlier Columbus class vessels, the Columbus Kai class was not used to ferry mobile suits.
| Launched | October UC 0070 |
|---|---|
| References | Mobile Suit Gundam |
| General characteristics | |
| Armaments | Dual main cannons Dual anti-aircraft machine guns[3] |
| Mass | 62,900 tons |
| Length | 327 metres (1,073 ft) |
| Width | 102 metres (335 ft) |
| Height | 96 metres (315 ft) |
The Magellan class battleship was a battleship type that was commissioned in UC 0070 as part of the Federation's "'70s Armament Reinforcement Plan." Developed alongside with the Salamis class cruiser, the Magellan class had only one refitted design in UC 0083 that stemmed from the original shipline.
The Magellan class battleship is named after the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan.
Developed in conjunction with the Salamis class cruiser as part of the Earth Federation's "'70s Armament Reinforcement Plan", the Magellan class battleship was the most powerful warship the Federation had at the time. The first Magellans had no mega particle cannons but were later refitted before the One Year War with the Principality of Zeon. All Magellan classes featured seven twin turret mega particle cannons in all, along with 20 anti-aircraft machine guns, which would later be used to help defend the ships against mobile suit attacks.
Magellan class battleships mostly served as flagships for the Earth Federal Space Force. During the Battle of Loum, Fleet Admiral Revil, more commonly known as General Revil, personally commanded his own Magellan class battleship, the Ananke, which was destroyed in the battle. Revil later returned to command the Phoebe, another Magellan class, which was also destroyed with him aboard when Zeon Supreme Commander Gihren Zabi fired his Solar Ray (in the novel version, he commanded the Drog). Admiral Watkins and Admiral Tianem also personally commanded Magellan warships.
While very powerful, the Magellan class was hopelessly outmatched against mobile suit equipped Zeon warships, such as the Musai class light cruiser. Many of the battleships were destroyed during the One Year War. They could, however, take more damage than any Salamis class cruiser due to their superior armor protection. Despite their overall better performance in armament, speed, and armor, the newer and better-equipped warships such as the Pegasus class assault carrier began replacing the old Magellans, becoming the prime striking arm of the Earth Federal Forces. These powerful ships could not be produced quickly though, which meant the EFSF had to make do with their Salamis class cruisers and Magellan class battleships as makeshift mobile suit carriers during the last few battles of the war, including the Battle of Solomon and the Battle of A Baoa Qu.
After the One Year War, just a handful of Magellan class battleships remained in active service. Those that survived were overhauled and refitted prior to the Federation's naval review at Konpei Island. With most of the remaining Magellan class battleships destroyed or damaged beyond repair during the surprise Zeon attack, the Federation phased out the Magellan class from UC 0083 to UC 0088, replacing it with the Irish class battleship.
| Launched | UC 0070 |
|---|---|
| References | Mobile Suit Gundam Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam |
| General characteristics | |
| Armaments | Main cannons Dual anti-aircraft machine guns Missile launchers[4] |
| Mass | 12,100 tons |
| Length | 288 metres (945 ft) |
| Width | 68.5 metres (225 ft) |
| Height | 61.5 metres (202 ft) |
The Salamis class cruiser is the workhorse ship of Earth Federal Space Force's naval fleet. It was introduced in UC 0060, and subsequently modernized as part of the "'70s Armament Reinforcement Plan". The ship's design was upgraded and improved on multiple occasions, resulting in many variants. Major redesigns of the ship included once after the One Year War and a second during the years between UC 0083 and UC 0088.
The Salamis class was first upstaged by the Alexandria class cruiser during the Gryps Conflict but still continued to play a major role as a major warship for the Earth Federation, AEUG, and the Titan task force. But the Salamis model would not be discontinued until UC 0093, in favor of the newer and greatly superior Clop class cruisers. However, the Salamis Kai class cruiser would continue to see service in the Earth Federation's Space Force fleet until UC 0153, despite the fact that it was practically almost useless against mobile suits at short range of that time.
The Salamis class is named after the Salamis Island in Greece, the site of the Battle of Salamis in September, 480 BC.
| First appearance | "Gundam Rising" |
|---|---|
| Launched | UC 0079 |
| References | Mobile Suit Gundam Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory |
| General characteristics | |
| Auxiliary craft | 6 to 8 mobile suits |
| Armaments | varies |
| Mass | varies |
| Length | varies |
| Width | varies |
The Pegasus class assault carrier is the first ship of the Earth Federation to be designed around a capacity to carry mobile suits. These assault carriers are functionally equivalent to an aircraft carrier, as their primary function is to launch and recover mobile suits.
Since Pegasus class ships carry their own mobile suits with them at all times they are somewhat less dependent on their main guns and anti-aircraft guns for protection and they enjoy more freedom on the battlefield, as they do not have operate in close consort with other ships for mutual protection against enemy mobile suits. All Pegasus class ships are also equipped with a Minovsky craft system which enable ships in this class to enter and exit the Earth's atmosphere. Additionally, the craft system allows for these assault carriers to float by creating a barrier between the carrier and the ground.
Unlike the other Federation ship classes of the time, the Pegasus class is not so much a single class as a concept. Rapidly advancing technology swiftly changed both the internal arrangement and external appearance of the Pegasus class ships. Only the first three units (SCV-69 Pegasus, SCV-70 White Base, and SCV-71 White Base Jr.) were completed to the original plans. After White Base Jr., technology advanced so quickly that each subsequent Pegasus class cruiser looked significantly different, though each had the same general arrangement of a central hull with two large aft thruster blocks, two wings, and two forward mobile suit launching "legs." The overall design looked like a sphinx or a winged horse, giving the class its name.
After the One Year War, every ship was redesignated as mobile suit carrier whether it had survived the war or not. In the novels, the class is White Base class and the flagship is called the Pegasus.
| Launched | UC 0079 |
|---|---|
| General characteristics | |
| Armaments | Missiles Beam dispersion smoke missiles |
The Earth Federation's Earth Federal Space Force came face to face with the Principality of Zeon's Zaku I and Zaku II mobile suits, which were unlike any threat the Federation fleets had ever faced before. The mobile suits were fast, maneuverable, and highly agile. Within in the opening weeks of the war, these mobile suits sank most of the Federation's Salamis class cruiser and Magellan class battleship spaceships. Without a strong naval force to counter the Zeon warships, the Federation needed a way to rapidly increase the size of their navy. Thus, they developed the Public class assault ship.
The Public class is basically a simple space vehicle, such as a shuttle, that was crudely refitted to include room for a pair of capital ship-grade torpedoes. The idea behind these assault ships were to get in fast with hit-and-run strikes, drop both weapons, then leave quickly, much like the World War II era gunboats. However, while extremely fast, the ships were poorly armored and could not easily maneuver.
The Public class was useful during the Battle of Solomon, when these ships deployed beam dispersion smoke, allowing some of the Federation's dedicated fighting vessels to close in on the space fortress. The Public class was also utilized during the Battle of A Baoa Qu, although they were far less successful in their ploy to use the beam disruption smoke.
Because of their overall weakness to do any sort of real damage, the Public class assault ships were retired at the end of the One Year War.
| First appearance | "Black Gundam" |
|---|---|
| Launched | UC 0087 |
| References | Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ |
| General characteristics | |
| Auxiliary craft | 6 mobile suits |
| Armaments | Main cannons Mega particle cannons Missile launchers[5] |
| Mass | 54,031 tons |
| Length | 341.7 metres (1,121 ft) |
| Width | 124.1 metres (407 ft) |
| Height | 76.5 metres (251 ft) |
The Argama class carrier is a successor to the original Pegasus class assault carrier. The Argama class entered service in UC 0087, as the war between the Titans and the Anti Earth Union Group (AEUG) began to pick up. They were designed as successors to the Pegasus class, incorporating firepower and mobile suit capacity into one ship. The Argama class carries five main guns, a heavy Mega Beam Cannon and two twin beam guns, as well as six mobile suits which launched on two catapults. Two Argama class vessels are known to have been built, the Argama and the Pegasus III, named in tribute to the Pegasus class.
The most famous ship of this class is the class leader, the Argama, which became the flagship for Bright Noa, and Kamille Bidan's Zeta Gundam. The Argama saw much action during the Gryps Conflict, and survived into ZZ Gundam, where the mission for the AEUG shifted from fighting the Titans to fighting the Axis Zeon, now under the name Neo Zeon. During this new conflict, the Argama was upgraded with an extremely powerful hyper mega particle cannon, which was used in a failed attempt to destroy the asteroid base Axis.
| Launched | UC 0087 |
|---|---|
| References | Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ |
| General characteristics | |
| Auxiliary craft | 8 mobile suits |
| Armaments | Dual main guns Main guns |
The Irish class battleship is one of the successful design introduced to combine traditional firepower and mobile warfare capacity. The Irish class sports two two-barrel main beam turrets, and five secondary single-barrel beam turrets, giving the ship considerable firepower in ship-to-ship battle. The ship also sports three launch catapults—two on the bow and one in the aft, which gives the Irish class a clear relation to the Argama class carrier, which were under construction around the same time as the Irish class. The Irish class was designed and equipped with twelve rear thruster, giving it a speed advantage against enemy ships.
At the outbreak of the Gryps Conflict, the Anti-Earth Union Group realized that it would require more than just the mediocre Salamis Kai class cruisers to effectively fight against the Titans fleet. The Irish class battleship was developed for that purpose, designed and built by Anaheim Electronics with funding from several private investment groups, making it one of the few non-military developed combat vessels in the Universal Century. At least eight battleships were built.
| First appearance | "Inside the Capsule" |
|---|---|
| Launched | UC 0083 |
| References | Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam |
| General characteristics | |
| Auxiliary craft | 10 mobile suits |
| Armaments | Dual main guns Main guns Dual secondary guns Secondary guns |
| Length | 354 metres (1,161 ft) |
| Width | 98 metres (322 ft) |
The Federation originally commissioned the Alexandria class shortly after the One Year War, and the ships were set to be delivered in time for the Federation's naval review in UC 0083. However, setbacks during the outfitting pushed back their launch date. The Alexandria class is equipped with four two-barrel main beam turrets and two single-barrel beam turrets, and had two launch platforms for its mobile suit contingent, which were stored in the bow below the bridge. These vessels became command ships for various Titans task force commanders.
These ships originally went into service for the Federation's elite "Titan" task force, a group formed in the wake of the Delaz Conflict whose sole purpose was to eliminate threats to the Federation. The Titans were utterly ruthless in their pursuit of dissidents, taking up Zeon-style tactics including the wholesale nerve-gassing of entire colony cylinders, and brought about a full scale civil war between the Federation and the dissident Anti-Earth Union Group. After the defeat of the Titans, the Alexandria class became an uncomfortable reminder of them, and the class was quickly and quietly decommissioned, the last unit mothballed before the second Neo Zeon movement in UC 0093.
Two ships of the Alexandria class were refitted. One was the Hario, a ship that was used by the Federation, which was modified to include addition aft firepower. Decades after the retirement of the last Alexandria-class cruiser from the Earth Federation Space Force, the Gaunland, a ship of that class, was recommissioned and refitted by the League Militaire to act as their flagship against the invading Zanscare Empire. Included in the Gaunland refit were two additional mobile suit catapults in the aft, as well as addition beam turrets.
| References | Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam |
|---|---|
| General characteristics | |
| Propulsion | Thermonuclear pulse engines |
| Length | 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) |
The Jupritris class is designed exclusively for the movement of large quantities of Helium-3 between the Earth Sphere and Jupiter. While the class makes no mark in or on major battlefields, they have bred interesting characters, most notably Paptimus Scirocco, one of the main antagonists in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. Scirocco is captain of the lead ship Jupitris, and joined with the Titans when he returns to the Earth Sphere in UC 0087. Even though the Jupitris was an unarmed freighter, Scirocco continued to use it as his base of operations. While the huge ship stayed well away from combat, its huge cargo bays were used to carry Scirocco's immensely powerful custom-made mobile suits.
The Jupitris class would continue to see service throughout the Universal Century, despite its namesake's fate. The Jupitris II appears at the end of Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, and the Thousandth Jupiter appears in Mobile Suit Gundam F91. In manga side stories, Mobile Suit Gundam F90 features the Kobayashi Maru, which is destroyed by the Mars Zeon in the prologue to the story. The Jupitris 9 appears in the popular manga Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam, where it is Crux Dogatie's personal ship and carries his arsenal of EMA-10 Divinidad mobile armors to Earth.
| First appearance | Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack |
|---|---|
| Launched | UC 0093 |
| General characteristics | |
| Auxiliary craft | 8 mobile suits |
| Armaments | Double-barrel main guns Secondary anti-aircraft guns Missile launchers |
| Length | 487 metres (1,598 ft) |
| Width | 165 metres (541 ft) |
The Ra Cailum class battleship (sometimes spelled Lar Kairum, both pronounced Rock-eye-loom, first of its eponymous class) is the last battleship line commissioned by the Earth Federation. The class was designed to both excel in conventional ship-to-ship battles and support mobile warfare, incorporating 2 launch catapults for a maximum of 8 mobile suits. The class has 4 duel-barrel main beam turrets, 22 secondary anti-aircraft guns, and six missile launcher tubes. The class also has eight engines and a pair of cooling fins to help improve fuel consumption and increase speed.
In design, the Ra Cailum class owes a great deal to the previous Irish class and Alexandria class. Very little design legacy remains from the old, mothballed Magellan class. The Ra Cailum class also served as a model for the Federation's Clop class of cruisers, which were constructed around the same time. The Ra Cailum class battleship is one of the largest and most powerful warships ever launched by the Earth Federation Space Forces, and remains in service until the last days of the Federation.
The first Ra Cailum class battleship, the Ra Cailum, debuted in UC 0093 as the flagship of the Londo Bell task force. The Ra Cailum was commanded by Captain Bright Noa, and played a major role in the second Neo Zeon movement, by first rescuing a disabled civilian shuttle carrying important government officials, then later launching an impressive nuclear barrage against the asteroid Axis, and lastly by infiltrating a team of mini-moble suits to destroy Axis from the inside with nuclear explosives.
Decades later, during the League Militaire's struggle against the Zanscare Empire, the League Militaire leader Hangelg Ebbing managed to persuade support from a regular Federation fleet under the command of Admiral Mubarak Stern, who used a Ra Calium class ship named Jeanne d'Arc as a flagship. The Jeanne d'Arc was fitted with a beam shield, which reduced the damage done by an enemy ship's beam weaponry.
| First appearance | Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack |
|---|---|
| Launched | UC 0093 |
| General characteristics | |
| Auxiliary craft | 4 mobile suits |
| Armaments | Double-barrel main guns Double-barrel secondary guns machineguns missile launchers |
| Length | 292 metres (958 ft) |
| Width | 133 metres (436 ft) |
The Clop class cruiser (also called the Ra Clop class cruiser) was introduced in UC 0093 as a replacement for the Salamis class cruiser. These ships are light cruisers, and resemble the Ra Cailum class battleship in design. Three of these are assigned to the Londo Bell task force, and saw action in the second Neo Zeon movement.
The first ship of the class, Clop, was commissioned in UC 0093 at the same time as the new battleship and Londo Bell flagship Ra Cailum. This scaled down version of the Ra Cailum is equipped with two, two-barrel main turrets, two twin secondary turrets, six internal missile launchers and twelve anti-aircraft guns mounted in the aft, below the bridge. The Clop class sports six engines, but only one mobile suit hangar.
The ship's design superficially resembles the Zeon Musai class cruiser used during the One Year War. The Clop lacks the ability to shoot directly to port and starboard, as its main weapons are mounted on vertical walls of the ship rather than horizontally. Unlike its predecessor, the Salamis class, the Clop class's hangar deck is somewhat more exposed, especially during mobile suit operations. Because of its greater firepower and better-protected mobile suit deck (despite myriad disadvantages), the Salamis class remained in service alongside the Clop class for much of the Second Universal Century.
The Fat Uncle transport aircraft was the primary non-combat transport aircraft for the Principality of Zeon during the One Year War. The Fat Uncle's ungainly belied it's true effectiveness, as it was a highly efficient aircraft, able to carry nearly twice its weight in cargo, including Zaku-type mobile suits standing in the massive cargo bay. This was in part due to the powerful thermonuclear jet engines used for thrust, and the large VTOL rotors used for lift. Despite the similarities between the thermonuclear jet engines of the Fat Uncle and Gaw class assault carrier, it's unknown if they use the same type of engines, but it's certainly a possibility. The Fat Uncle could roughly carry three mobile suits, but the exact capacity it can carry is difficult to estimate, as it was not originally designed to carry mobile suits, but rather a more general range of cargo. A Fat Uncle is seen next to Ramba Ral's Gallop, after providing them with a Zaku II. Another is seen transporting a Zock and Z'Gok mobile suit to Char Aznable's Mad Angler submarine.
| Launched | UC 0079 |
|---|---|
| General characteristics | |
| Armaments |
Mega particle cannons |
| Mass | 690.4 tons |
| Length | 147.4 metres (484 ft) |
| Width | 159.4 metres (523 ft) |
| Height | 72.4 metres (238 ft) |
The Gaw atmospheric attack carrier, known very simple as the Gaw, is a flying fortress that was sent in to attack and obliterate its target. The Gaw also sported three double-barreled mega particle cannons for attacking bases and other large-scale aircraft. It also had several machine guns for point defense.
The Gaw's eight Dopps and three mobile suit units made them very effective in their ship-type as carriers. The Gaw could also hold six vehicles on its rear hangar, such as the Cui personal carrier or Magella attack tank. In some cases these vehicles could be replaced by three additional mobile suit units which would be parachuted in a similar way Medeas eject their mobile suits. It also has a large number of gravity bombs which made them extremely effective as carpet bombers.
Several Gaws were used in the unsuccessful Zeon offensive in their attempt to take the Earth Federation's General Headquarters in Jaburo, in which they dropped off their payloads of mobile suits to take the attack to the ground and to try to force their way inside.
| Launched | UC 0075 |
|---|---|
| General characteristics | |
| Auxiliary craft | 5 mobile suits |
| Armaments | Dual main cannons Large missile launchers Small missile launchers[6] |
| Length | 234 metres (768 ft) |
| Width | 140 metres (460 ft) |
| Height | 62 metres (203 ft) |
The Musai class light cruiser was the first warship designed to carry mobile suits. Char Aznable commanded a modified Musai class cruiser with a helmet-shaped command bridge, the Falmel. The original Musai light cruisers carried five Zaku I or Zaku II mobile suits and supported them with a battery of three mega particle cannon turrets. However, they lacked any type of anti-aircraft/anti-mobile suit defense systems, which haunt Zeon forces in the latter half of the One Year War, when the Federal Forces deployed their own mobile suits. Towards the end of the One Year War, the Zeon engineers remodeled the Musai class to carry three of the bulkier Rick Dom moblie suits. Late production types could carry four Rick Doms and featured anti-air and anti-mobile suit machine gun turret defenses. However, due to operational setbacks, few of these were produced.
The Musai class of all variants acquitted themselves well in the One Year War and afterwards during Operation Stardust. Examples of the Musai class continued to fly in the postwar Republic of Zeon fleet until Zeon rejoined the Earth Federation in UC 0099. Afterwards, all remaining ships were mothballed in UC 0100 and were sold and scrapped after that, with the last ship leaving for the breakers by UC 0120.
| Launched | UC 0076 |
|---|---|
| General characteristics | |
| Auxiliary craft | 6 mobile suits |
| Armaments | Dual main cannon Mega particle cannons Dual anti-aircraft machine guns Large missile launchers[7] |
| Length | 255 metres (837 ft) |
| Width | 221.8 metres (728 ft) |
| Height | 70.5 metres (231 ft) |
The Zanzibar class mobile carrier is a carrier utilized by the Principality of Zeon. These ships are functionally equivalent to the Federation's Pegasus class assault carriers, and fill a similar role in the battlefield.
The Zanzibar class is designed for mobile suit transportation, and as such the ship relies on its mobile suits for most of its offensive and defensive power. This is also the only Zeon ship that can undergo atmospheric re-entry and return to space. Unlike the Federation's Pegasus class, the Zanzibar class doesn't have an integrated Minovsky craft system, so it must depend on sustained thrust to operate. These ships have appeared several times, usually in support of major operations. Some were even used as flagships by high ranking Zeon members (like Rear Admiral Kycilia Zabi) when a battleship was unavailable or ill-suited for the role. Perhaps the most creative use of a Zanzibar class carrier was in Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team, when Ginias Sahalin used one as a powerplant for his Southeast Asia base. Some of the Zanzibar class carriers were modified to replace the hangar space of four of their mobile suits with launch and support facilities for a mobile armor. While the Zanzibar class was more balanced in terms of weapons than the Musai class, since it was equipped with machine gun turrets for point defense, Zeon space commanders were not as eager to use the class. The Zeon space navy had been built around both mobile suit transportation and ship-to-ship combat. Although the Zanzibar class carried double the mobile suit complement of a Musai class, the Musai class heavily outgunned the Zanzibar class. Furthermore, after Zeon's retreat from Odessa, and the subsequent failure of the Jaburo operation, the war moved into space, and the Zanzibar class took a back seat to the Musai class cruiser, since its greatest advantage, transatmospheric capability, was now meaningless.
In the strategy game series Gihren's Greed, the Zanzibar class is one of the most expensive vessels the Zeon forces can build, but on the other hand it is arguably the most useful as well. As it can enter the Earth's atmosphere independently, it can be used to spearhead land-drop operations and function as a supplier for the mobile suit forces (as opposed to relying solely on HLVs which, in addition to being defenseless, do not resupply units.
The Chivvay class is a ship developed by the Zeon to help protect convoys and perform miscellaneous tasks. It was often used to serve as a flagship in a battle group. It is equipped with two triple barreled beam turrets, multiple twin barreled anti-air batteries and several missile launchers, but originally was not designed to carry mobile suits. However, its size was sufficient that its cargo bays could be, and usually were, easily converted to mobile suit hangars. A handful of these vessels were remade into Tivvay class heavy cruisers, and some of the Chivvay class vessels were refitted for use by Zeon/Neo Zeon space attack commanders. The class proved itself useful, but in the end the Zeon drive for ships with mobile suit capacity resulted in the discontinuation of the class.
| Launched | UC 0070 |
|---|---|
| General characteristics | |
| Auxiliary craft | 182 mobile suits |
| Armaments |
Double-barrel main guns |
| Mass | 144,000 tons |
| Length | 492 metres (1,614 ft) |
| Width | 351.5 metres (1,153 ft) |
| Height | 123.7 metres (406 ft) |
The Dolos class heavy carrier are the product of the Principality of Zeon Supreme Commander Gihren Zabi and are the biggest ship of the One Year War and also the largest mobile suit carrier.
Designed and built by Zeon to be the ultimate ace-in-the-hole space weapon, this ship has eight massive two-barrel mega particle cannon turrets, all of which are bigger than the ones mounted by the Gwazine class battleships. They also mount two double-barreled machine guns. However, its true purpose was to serve as a mobile launch pad for 182 mobile suits.
Some of the drawbacks of these vessels are that they so large and cumbersome to maneuver that they were often used as semi-movable defensive structures during the One Year War. In addition, while their mobile suit capacity was tremendous, with only 7 launch bays it was time-consuming to launch them all. At least two of these vessels were built and both saw action in defense of the Zeon's space fortress A Baoa Qu. One of these ships, the Dorowa, was the mothership of Zeon ace pilot, Anavel Gato, and served at both the Battle of Solomon and the Battle of A Baoa Qu, before it was destroyed. The Dolos class warships were both sunk during the Battle of A Baoa Qu in less than an hour after the start of the battle. It has been often mentioned that a third Dolos class ship was completed, however its fate remains a mystery.
In the strategy game series Gihren's Greed, the Dolos class are almost indestructible vessels with the largest mobile suit capacity and powerful beam cannons that enable it to attack foes from huge distances. However, true to their origin they are incredibly slow and almost ridiculously expensive. The amount of resources needed to build one Dolos class could be used to build a small fleet.
| Launched | UC 0076 |
|---|---|
| General characteristics | |
| Auxiliary craft | 20 mobile suits |
| Armaments |
Double-barrel main guns |
| Length | 440 metres (1,440 ft) |
| Width | 320 metres (1,050 ft) |
| Height | 103 metres (338 ft) |
The Gwazine class battleship were constructed by the Principality of Zeon to be flagships for the various space fleet admirals. Although they filled a role similar to that of the Federation's Magellan class battleships, the Gwazine class completely outclassed the competition in several ways.
The Gwazine class were built to be the most powerful space warships during One Year War. They were also the second largest after the Dolos class heavy carrier. The Gwazine class is equipped with three massive double-barreled mega particle cannon turrets mounted on the topside and ten smaller double-barreled mega particle cannon turrets (on par with the main cannons on the Musai class light cruisers). Anti-air defense was also top-notch with 155 mm double-barreled machine guns layered all over.
Yet the deadliest arsenal on the Gwazine class is the mobile suit troop on board—each vessel could carry up to twenty mobile suits, more than triple of what the Federation's Pegasus class could hold.
In addition, the Gwazine class is one of the few vessels that could travel between the Earth Sphere and the Asteroid Belt without mid-way supplies. The thrust of its engine block was also ranked top among contemporaries, making it one of the faster vessels at the time.
However, the Gwazine class was so large and costly that less than ten would have been constructed before the One Year War concluded. Nonetheless, several Gwazine class vessels witnessed important events during the war. Degwin Sodo Zabi, sovereign of the Principality of Zeon, was on board his Gwazine class, the Great Degwin, when assassinated by his eldest son using the giant laser, Solar Ray. The Gwaden, commanded by Admiral Aiguille Delaz's during the battle at A Baoa Qu, retreated to a junk colony in Side 5 along with several Musai class cruisers. The battalion would later be known as the Delaz Fleet which executed Operation Stardust as a primer of the second wave of Zeon resistance. During the final stages of Operation Stardust, however, Gwaden was sunk by traitor, Cima Garahau. As the curtain fell on the battle at A Baoa Qu, Char Aznable, led the retreat of the bulk of Zeon's remnant forces to the asteroid base, Axis, on board the Asarum. Also on board was the sole survivor of the Zabi family, Minerva Zabi. In the Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam episode, "Ghosts of the War," the crew of the AEUG vessel Argama would chance upon the decrepit wreck of one Gwazine before the Axis Fleet arrives.
The main resupply vessel of the Principality of Zeon was the Papua class. These strange-looking ships were designed to operate independently to resupply Zeon's space navy, and are frequently seen throughout the One Year War. The Zeon usually used these ships to move supplies and weapons to and from the frontlines. These ships also carried many of the Zeon Zaku units, though these ships were not utilized as mobile suit carriers because the Zeon navy was designed around mobile suit combat. A single Papua class ship can supply two Musai class cruisers. The class performed exceptionally well, but was eventually phased out in favor of the Pazock class.
The Pazock class was introduced in UC 0079 as a successor to the Papua class ships for the Zeon navy. These ships fill a similar role on the battlefield, maintaining and supply the Zeon navy with the latest mobile suits, weapons, and other necessities. A single Pazock class can carry the supplies of two Papua class ships.
| First appearance | Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket |
|---|---|
| Launched | UC 0079? |
| General characteristics | |
| Auxiliary craft | 10 mobile suits |
| Armaments | Main guns Missile launchers |
Designed around mobile suit transportation and light combat, the Tivvay class is lightly armed when compared to other Zeon warships equipped with beam turrets and a handful of missile launchers. The Tivvay class is designed with speed as its main feature in order to use hit and run tactics. The class also has a large mobile suit capacity, between eight and ten mobile suits, a number that the Earth Federation would not have until the Alexandria class.
The only known Tivvay-class cruiser is the Graf Zeppelin, which appeared in Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket. This vessel serves as a flagship for Captain Von Helsing and his small Zeon task force, who are dispatched to launch a diversionary attack on Side 6 to allow the Cyclops team entry. Later, this vessel and two Musai-class cruisers were used to ferry nuclear arms to Side 6. However, the Graf Zeppelin and its escorts were intercepted by a Federation patrol and surrendered.
| Affiliation | Axis Zeon/Neo Zeon |
|---|---|
| Launched | UC 0080-0083 |
| General characteristics | |
| Auxiliary craft | Mobile suits |
| Armaments | Main cannon Mega particle cannons |
| Length | 415 metres (1,362 ft) |
| Width | 524 metres (1,719 ft) |
After the One Year War, the Zeon's engineers were asked to upgrade the Gwanzine-class battleships, resulting in the creation of the Gwanban class. Although more compact and sharing little external resemblance to its predecessor, the Gwanvan class is a technological refinement that repackages and updates all of Gwazine class's capabilities, such as the provision of an MS launcher in the fore and hyper mega particle cannons. As with all Gwazine-class vessels, the Gwanvan class is capable of sailing between the Earth sphere and Jupiter without resupplies.
At least two vessels of the Gwanvan class were confirmed to exist: the Gwanzan and the Gwanvan. The Gwanzan served as the flagship of the Axis Advance Fleet that supported the Delaz Fleet in Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory. The Gwanvan served as the flagship of the entire Axis Zeon fleet after the previous flagship, the Gwadan, was destroyed. It would later be succeeded by the Sadalahn in the first Neo Zeon movement until a renegade Neo Zeon faction led by Glemmy Toto seized it for their flagship. The Gwanvan was presumed to be destroyed as the renegades were quelled.
| Affiliation | Axis Zeon/Neo Zeon |
|---|---|
| General characteristics | |
| Auxiliary craft | Mobile suits |
| Armaments | Dual mega particle cannons Mega particle cannons |
The Gwadan class was constructed by Zeon renegades during their years in exile after the One Year War. The Gwadan class is an upgrade to the Gwazine class and sports a crimson hull and gigantic external tanks near the stern. One major upgrade is the addition of mobile suit catapults, in particular the mobile suit launcher in the bottom hull that can project mobile suits in any angle of its 270-degree fore sweep. The lead ship of the class, the Gwadan, serves as the flagship of the Axis Fleet until its destruction.
The Gwadan class is the largest of all warships ever constructed in the Universal Century era, with unsurpassed firepower and mobile suit capacity. Its primary guns pack enough power to decimate the thermonuclear engines of the super structure, Gryps Colony Laser. Although few details are known about this vessel class, its cavernous mobile suit hangar is thought to hold up to 100 mobile suits. Such capabilities allow Haman Karn's forces to operate the vessel like a mobile fortress and command center for the entire fleet.
Apart from the Gwadan, a second Gwadan-class vessel named Gwaley appears in Gundam Sentinel.
| Affiliation | Axis Zeon/Neo Zeon |
|---|---|
| Launched | UC 0087 |
| General characteristics | |
| Auxiliary craft | Mega particle cannons Twin mega particle cannons Hyper mega particle cannons |
| Length | 410 metres (1,350 ft) |
The Endra class cruiser is the mainstay of the Axis Zeon, later Neo Zeon, fleet. In line with the Zeon tradition of capital vessels, the Endra class is designed to carry and field mobile suits. These ships routinely served as flagships for ranking members of the Axis/Neo Zeon military.
The Endra class takes influence from the Musai class in its compartmental design and the provision of a Komusai launch ship in the rear of the bridge. The Endra class sports two internal launch catapults in the fore for its mobile suit contingent, five single-barrel main gun turrets, one main two-barrel turret, and two hyper mega particle guns. Besides its noted efficiency in fielding mobile suits, the Endra class also features a hangar large enough to carry oversized units such as the Psyco Gundam Mk-II in the stern. This and the abundance of arsenal is a likely explanation for the ship's size, which is considered rather large for cruisers (it is even longer than the AEUG's largest battleship, the Nahel Argama).
The Endra class was utilized throughout the Gryps Conflict and the second Neo Zeon movement. The lead ship, Endra, was lost in battle near the Moon Moon colony, while the exact fate of the rest of the class is unknown.
| Affiliation | Axis Zeon/Neo Zeon |
|---|---|
| Launched | UC 0087-0088 |
| References | Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ |
| General characteristics | |
| Auxiliary craft | 10 mobile suits |
| Armaments | Mega particle cannons Hyper mega particle cannons Missile launchers Anti-aircraft guns |
The Sadalahn class is commissioned by Axis Zeon leader Haman Karn to serve as a platform from which she can personally supervise Axis Zeon's invasion of Earth Federation's stronghold on Earth.
Sadalahn class is armed with six twin mega particle cannons, two hyper mega particle cannons, six large missile launchers, and a state-of-the-art anti-air defense system comprising 31 laser guns making the Sadalahn class one of the most heavily armed battleship of its time. The class also is fast and mobile thanks to an array of powerful engines and verniers. The Sadalahn class is also equipped with Minovsky craft system for atmospheric flight. There feature puts the Sadalahn class in the same league as its predecessors, the Gwadan class and the Gwanvan class. Only one Sadalahn-class battleship was ever produced, which served with the Axis Zeon and later Neo Zeon fleets.
| First appearance | Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Neo Zeon |
| Launched | UC 0093? |
| General characteristics | |
| Auxiliary craft | Mobile suits |
| Armaments | Dual main guns Anti-aircraft guns Missile launchers |
The Rewloola class battleship appeared in UC 0093 with Char Aznable's re-emergence as a Neo Zeon movement leader as his flagship. The Rewloola (pronounced "Rail-lu-la") class was Neo Zeon's answer to the Federation's Ra Cailum class of battleships. The Rewloola class sports seven twin beam gun turrets and twelve rear thrusters, giving the ship plenty of propulsion. The Rewloola class also sported mobile suit hangars. Only one Rewloola-class battleship is known to be constructed, the class leader Rewloola.
The Rewloola saw heavy action in the film Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack, first coming under fire while capturing the asteroid base, Fifth Luna, then again at the battle for Axis. The Rewloola performed exceptionally well during both conflicts, proving that battleships equipped with mobile suit hangars could still be formidable opponents in the age of the mobile suit.
| First appearance | Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Neo Zeon |
| Launched | UC 0093? |
| General characteristics | |
| Auxiliary craft | 4 mobile suits |
| Armaments | Dual main guns Dual secondary guns Missile launchers |
| Length | 410 metres (1,350 ft) |
At the outbreak of the second Neo Zeon movement in UC 0093, the fleet under Char Aznable's command was almost exclusively composed of Musaka class cruisers. Fast and agile, these ships served the Neo Zeon cause well, seeing action in all major conflict during the second Neo Zeon movement.
The Musaka class has ten thrusters, mounted on two rear fins, cooling fins to help improve fuel consumption, dual launch catapults for its mobile suit units, and at least 12 secondary anti-aircraft gun mounted on the main body of the ship, beginning about midway down the ship and continuing to the aft. Unlike other designs, Musaka class's catapults are tilted at an angle.
The Neo Zeon fleet was composed of eleven Musaka class vessels and Char's flagship, the Rewloola. These ships performed exceptionally well in the fight against the Federation's Londo Bell task force, but they lacked the fire power and numbers to be effective against the Federation as a whole. Those ships that survived the fight were ultimately scrapped when the Republic of Zeon rejoined the Earth Federation in UC 0099.
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