Tarawa-class carrier

The Tarawa-class mobile assault ship is the largest navel vessel used by the Earth Alliance. The Tarawa 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 Tarawa 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 Tarawa-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 Gundam, GAT-X252 Forbidden Gundam, and GAT-X370 Raider Gundam.

In CE 73, 81st Independent Mobile Battallion commander Neo Lorrnoke took command of the John Paul Jones, which carried his customized GAT-04 Windam and the captured ZGMF-X24S Chaos Gundam, ZGMF-X31S Abyss Gundam, and ZGMF-X88S Gaia Gundam. The John Paul Jones is used to ambush the ZAFT battleship Minerva in the Indian Ocean, and later attacks 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 Tarawa-class carriers are among the Earth Alliance forces that join with ZAFT to attack Heaven's Base in Iceland, after the LOGOS's manipulation of the Alliance is revealed.

The Tarawa class is also known as the Spengler 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.

The Tarawa is named for the Battle of Tarawa in World War II, and the Spengler might be named for German historian and philosopher Oswald Spengler. The Powell is possibly named for US General and former Secretary of State Colin Powell, and the John Paul Jones is named for the naval hero of the American Revolutionary War.