Technology & Combat Characteristics
A second generation space warship based on the former Principality of Zeon's Musai-class,[1] the Alexandria-class heavy cruiser was designed with the use of mobile suits in mind. It is a large ship equipped with four catapults, two at the top and bottom of the bow. The rear block of the bow is an MS deck, which is divided into operational sequences by dividing it from the catapult, so that work can be performed efficiently. The front and rear of the upper block is a bridge, the engine section is separated into the center and left and right blocks, and the side of the engine block is equipped with a heat dissipating plate. It is equipped with a large number of mega particle guns and anti-aircraft guns, and has good firepower as a strike ship. The on-board equipment is no different from the general ships of the time, but it is designed with plenty of room and consideration for living comfort. One of them is a private room for officers, equipped with a shower room.
Armaments
- Twin Mega Particle Gun
- The primary armament of the Alexandria-class was her four two-barrel main beam cannons. Two on each side of the mobile suit hangar. In an effort to boost rear defenses, the Hario refit incorporated two more of these guns on the left and right sides of the main bridge module.
- Mega Particle Gun
- These weapons are located on the outboard sides of the engine pods on the original class, Hario refit, and Aswan refit. They are placed in such a manner so as to allow for coverage of the dorsal, forward, and ventral approaches.
- Twin Anti-Aircraft Gun
- The standard defensive armament on the original and Hario refit, these two-barreled machine guns were designated for AA/AMS defense. The ship is equipped with a total of four, two at the top of the bridge and two at the top of the engine blocks. The Hario refit omits the anti-aircraft guns on the bridge for addtional twin mega particle cannons, and the Aswan refit is equipped with an additional two twin anti-aircraft guns on the engine blocks.
- Anti-Aircraft Gun
- A single-barreled machine gun designated for AA/AMS defense, two of these guns are mounted on top of the mobile suit hangar and another two on the sides of the ventral hull on the original design, Hario refit, and Aswan refit.
- Triple Anti-Aircraft Gun
- An upgraded defensive turret equipped on the Gaunland refit, these weapons replaced the two-barrel and single-barrel variant and the overall number of turrets was increased to ten to provide greater AA/AMS capability.
- Missile Launcher
- An addition placed on the Gaunland refit, these missile launchers were added to provide greater anti-ship and anti-mobile ship capabilities. The launchers are arranged in an array on the centerline of the ship below the bridge.
- Beam Shield
- A protective device placed on the Gaunland refit, it was first used by the mobile suits of the U.C. 0120 era and was eventually equipped on battleships during the Zanscare War in U.C. 0153.
History
The Alexandria-class first entered service following Operation Stardust and the subsequent founding of the Titans on December 4, U.C. 0083. The Al Giza, one of the first completed ships of the class, was mostly crewed by former crew members of the Albion, who have joined the Titans.[2][3]
During the Gryps War, the Alexandria-class served as the main ship of the Titans. During which, three ships of the Alexandria-class were refitted. One was the Hario, a ship that was used by the Titans, which was modified to include additional aft firepower (the aft quarter being a traditional weak fire zone in space warships), which was the personal ship of Paptimus Scirocco during the early stages of the Gryps Conflict. Another vessel modified for the Titans Test Team was the Aswan, which had its aft bridge section modified to contain a secondary mobile suit bay.
After the defeat of the Titans, the Alexandria-class became an uncomfortable reminder of the former private army, eventually leading them to be decommissioned and replaced by the AEUG's Irish-class as the Federation's mainstay battleship. Decades after the retirement of the last Alexandria-class ship 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 additional beam turrets and a set of missile launchers. The Gaunland gave honorable service to the League Militaire while acting as the flagship and later as a decoy vessel that assisted in the defeat of the Keilas Guilie fleet, redeeming at long last the honor of the class.
Gallery
Notes and Trivia
References
- ↑ MS Encyclopedia Part 2: Gryps War, p.67
- ↑ A Storm Raging Through
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory (Novel)
External Links
