Spengler-class

The Spengler-class is a naval carrier in the Cosmic Era timeline.

Combat Abilities
Since this ship class is designed mainly to act as a carrier, it is only lightly armed with a single dual anti-air beam system. Its main weaponry is its large number of mobile suits or fighters, which the Spengler-class can carry.

History
The Spengler-class mobile assault ship is the largest navel vessel used by the Earth Alliance. The Spengler-class is designed for amphibious invasion, but also serves as a highly effective aircraft carrier, using the Earth Alliance's F-7D Spearhead VTOL (vertical take off and landing) fighters and Kingfisher 33SP helicopters. In CE 71, the Spengler-class was converted to support mobile suits, with two large gates on each side for the six mobile suits to exit. The flight deck and rear fighter hanger could also be used to carry additional mobile suits in the place of some or all of the fighter complement. The refitted ships are effective, but cramped, mobile suit carriers.

Several Spengler-class assault ships participated in the invasion of Orb in CE 71, supervised by Blue Cosmos leader Muruta Azrael aboard the flagship Powell. The Powell replaced 3 of the standard GAT-01 Strike Daggers with Azrael's prototype GAT-X131 Calamity, GAT-X252 Forbidden, and GAT-X370 Raider.

In CE 73, 81st Independent Mobile Battallion commander Neo Roanoke took command of the John Paul Jones, which carried his customized GAT-04 Windam and the captured ZGMF-X24S Chaos, ZGMF-X31S Abyss and ZGMF-X88S Gaia. The John Paul Jones was used to ambush the ZAFT battleship Minerva in the Indian Ocean, and later attacked it again near the Dardanelles as part of a joint task force with the Orb Union aircraft carrier Takemikazuchi and several Orb and Earth Alliance cruisers. Later, a large number of Spengler-class carriers were among the Earth Alliance forces that joined with ZAFT to attack Heaven's Base in Iceland, after the LOGOS's manipulation of the Alliance is revealed.

Trivia

 * The Spengler might be named for German historian and philosopher Oswald Spengler.
 * The Tarawa is named for the Battle of Tarawa in World War II.
 * The Powell is possibly named for US General and former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
 * The John Paul Jones is named for the naval hero of the American Revolutionary War.
 * The Spengler-class is also known as the Tarawa-class. It is possible that these are different class name used by Atlantic Federation and Eurasian Federation forces, or that one class name represents ships refitted as mobile suit carriers. In CE 73, the ZAFT battleship Minerva's sensor console labels the vessels as Tarawa-class, but the ship's sensor operator verbally identifies them as Spengler class. Since GundamOfficial states this ship-class to be Spengler-class ships, this seems to be the official name.