Archangel-class

In the Cosmic Era timeline of Gundam SEED, the Archangel class mobile assault ship (the "White Base" of the series) was developed to support the mobile suits developed under the G Project. The Archangel class mobile assault ships are functionally equivilant to the modern day aircraft carrier; their primary mission being to launch and recover mobile suits and mobile armors. Based in part on the Orb Union's Izumo-class battleship design, it was a very heavily armed battleship (more powerfully armed than either the Nelson-class Warship or Agamemnon-class carrier) with two large-bore "Gottfried Mk. 71" beam cannons in forward turrets, two "Valiant Mk. 8" 110cm linear cannons in aft mounts, 16 75mm "Igelstellung" CIWS turrets, 24 multi-purpose missile launchers (missiles include Sledgehammer anti-ship missiles and Korinthos and Wombat heavy anti-aircraft missiles) and a 16-cell Helldart anti-aircraft missile launcher(located at the back of the bridge tower).However, the Archangel ' s most powerful weapon was her two "Lohengrin" (named after Richard Wagner's opera of the same name) bow-mounted positron cannons. The heavy defensive armament of the Archangel class combined with the ship's laminated armor made it almost impregnable to all but the most determined assault. The true power of Archangel was hidden in the ship's cavernous hangar bay: Room for up to eight mobile suits or mobile armors. Combined with the G-series prototypes, Archangel was intended to be very nearly invincible. In operations, she was intended to hold the GAT-X102 Duel and GAT-X103 Buster, Lieutenant Mu La Flaga's TS-MA2mod.00 Moebius Zero mobile armor, and two TS-MA2 Moebius mobile armors back for defense while the GAT-X105 Strike, GAT-X303 Aegis, and GAT-X207 Blitz took the battle to the enemy. With ZAFT stealing four of the five prototypes and destroying the two Moebius mobile armors, on 25 January CE 71, Archangel was left with only the Strike mobile suit and Lieutenant La Flaga's Moebius Zero to defend herself. After the battleship linked up with Admiral Halburton's 8th Fleet, she took on-board two FX-550 Skygrasper fighters, which were compatible with the Strike's Striker Packs. En route to the JOSH-A base in Alaska, Archangel lost the Strike and one Skygrasper in combat, and recaptured the Buster. In the aftermath of the Battle of Alaska, Archangel added the stolen ZAFT mobile suit ZGMF-X10A Freedom to its complement, piloted by former Strike pilot Kira Yamato. Two Archangel-class ships were built during the war: Archangel, commanded by Lieutenant (later Lt. Commander) Murrue Ramius and the Earth Alliance/Blue Cosmos flagship, Dominion commanded by Lt. Commander Natarle Badgiruel (formerly Archangel ' s XO). Dominion was destroyed and Archangel severely damaged on the war's last day, 26 September, at the Second Battle of Jachin Due. In addition, the Archangel class had a special tender vessel designed for it, however, only one was constructed before the destruction of Heliopolis - the prototype would later be acquired by the Junk Guild and modified into the ReHOME. At the end of the war, Archangel ' s mobile weapon complement was the Strike, piloted by Mu La Flaga and the Buster, piloted by Dearka Elsman. 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. After the war, Archangel was repaired, upgraded with submarine-esque capability, and hidden in a secret hanger at Orb. After a failed attack by ZAFT commandos in CE 73, Archangel left this facility. Its mobile suit complement at this point was the Freedom gundam piloted by Kira Yamato, the MBF-02 Strike Rouge piloted by Cagalli Yula Athha, and a new MVF-M11C Murasame transformable mobile suit piloted by Andrew Waltfeld. Later that year, Archangel intervened in battles between the ZAFT battleship Minerva and a joint Earth Alliance/Orb Union task force near the Dardanelles and again off the coast of Crete. After the second battle, six more Murasames from the Orb aircraft carrier Takemikazuchi defected to 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 Impulse gundam, and its outer hull was damaged by Minerva's Tannhäuser main cannon.

The Archangel did arrive at 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 Lorrnoke and his Skygrasper unit.

During the invasion of Orb by ZAFT, Archangel was forced to engage Minerva head on in order to defend Orb against ZAFT attacks.With both ships fairly evenly matched, Capt. Murrue Ramius decided to submerge the Archangel into the water to break free from Minerva's relentless pursuit (realizing that once the ship was under water, the Archangel was virtually unchallenged in terms of firepower because all the beam weapons from Minerva cannot hit targets underwater). The Archangel then proceeded to fire the Valiant linear cannons (projectile based) against Minerva which was still hovering above the water's surface. Afterwards, the Archangel destroyed ZAFT support ships and submarines one by one with torpedoes and forced a total retreat of all ZAFT forces.

After the Battle of Onogoro, the Archangel is assigned to Orb's 2nd 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 head for ZAFT's mobile fortress Messiah.

The Archangel and Dominion are named after angelic ranks in Christian cosmology. If other Archangel-class vessels had been produced, they most likely would have been named after the other angelic ranks, such as the seraphim, cherubim, etc.

See also (Similar MS carriers)
SCV-70 White Base (Mobile Suit Gundam)

MSC-07 Albion (Gundam 0083)

Argama (Zeta Gundam)

LHM-BB01 Minerva (Gundam SEED Destiny)