The Alexandria is a class of space cruiser introduced in the anime Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam.
Technology & Combat Characteristics[]
A second generation space warship based on the former Principality of Zeon's Musai-class,[1] and incorporating technology from the Pegasus-class, the Alexandria-class heavy cruiser was the first in a new series of Earth Federation space cruisers specifically designed with the use of mobile suits in mind. Developed after the One Year War, it was deployed preferentially by the Titans. Its operation capabilities are equivalent to four Salamis Kai-class space cruisers, and has a total of four catapults, two on the dorsal hull of the bow, and two more on the ventral hull. The ship's interior facilities are no different from most ships of the time, but they are designed to be spacious and habitable. One of them was a private room for officers, which was also equipped with a shower room.
Like the Musai-class, the engine and other parts of the Alexandria-class are made of blocks. The block at the rear of the bow is the MS deck, and by separating it from the catapult, the operation sequence can be separated and maintenance work can be performed more efficiently. The engine section is divided into a central block and a left and right block. The structure of the left and right engine blocks is also influenced by the Musai-class, but it also has its own unique structure, such as the heat dissipation radiator plates on the side of the engine blocks. It is armed with a large number of mega particle guns and anti-aircraft guns, and has the firepower of a strike ship.
Armaments[]
- Twin Mega Particle Gun
- The primary armament of the Alexandria-class are four twin mega particle guns. Two were mounted on each side of the mobile suit hangars in dorsal and ventral mounts. These guns allowed the Alexandria-class to cover her flanks as well as focus firepower on a single target off the cruiser's bow, while also being able to aim upwards, or downwards for the ventral guns. The Hario refit incorporated two more of these guns on the left and right sides of the main bridge module. The Gaunland refit sports six of these twin mega particle guns, four in the original locations on either side of the ship's primary hangar - with one on each side of the engine blocks, where the mega particle guns were.
- Mega Particle Gun
- These weapons are located on the outboard sides of the engine pods on the original class, Hario refit, and Aswan refit. These weapons can fire forwards, as well as point in the dorsal and ventral direction while articulating enough to cover the ship's port and starboard angles, though the radiator fins behind the guns prevent it from firing behind the vessel. On the Hario refit, these fins are removed, allowing for the guns to aim backwards. On the Gaunland refit, these guns are moved to the dorsal hull of the bridge.
- 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 additional twin mega particle cannons, and the Aswan refit is equipped with an additional four twin anti-aircraft guns, an additional one on each of the engine blocks and one underneath them, as seen in the references.
- Anti-Aircraft Gun
- The Alexandria-class is armed with four single-barreled machine guns designated for AA/AMS defense, with two of these guns mounted on top of the mobile suit hangar and another two on the sides of the ventral hull on the original design, the Hario refit, and the Aswan refit. These guns cover angles that the twin anti-aircraft guns wouldn't be able to reach.
- Triple Anti-Aircraft Gun
- An upgraded defensive armament equipped on the Gaunland refit, they replaced the two-barrel and single-barrel variant and the overall number of anti-aircraft guns was increased to ten for greater AA/AMS capability, three on each side of the dorsal hangar bay and two on each side of the bridge tower. These guns are mounted on ball mounts, allowing for more articulation and a wider firing arc to maximize defensive coverage.
- Missile Launcher
- The Alexandria-class is armed with an unknown number of missile launchers, which enhance the ship's anti-ship and anti-mobile ship capabilities. The Gaunland refit is shown to have eight missile launchers, four located in each protrusion on either side of the catapults.
- Beam Shield
- A protective device placed on the Gaunland refit, it generates a membrane-like beam to defend against attacks.
Special Equipment & Features[]
- External Fuel Tank
- The Aswan Kai variants can mount up to four large spherical fuel tanks to increase its operational range, two attached to each engine block.
History[]
The Al Giza, one of the first Alexandria-class cruisers, in a dock in Luna II
The Alexandria-class heavy cruiser was constructed specifically for the newly founded Titans following Operation Stardust. On December 4, U.C. 0083, on the same day Bask Om made a speech declaring the foundation of the Titans, the Al Giza, one of the first completed ships of the class, was preparing to leave port from a specialized dock in Luna II. Many among the ship's bridge crew and mobile suit team were former crew members and pilots of the MSC-07 Albion, who 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 War. Another vessel modified for the Titans Test Team was the Aswan, which had its aft shuttle bay behind the bridge modified to contain a secondary mobile suit bay.
Most of the ships in this class were operated by the Titans and did not go to the regular Federation forces, so the Alexandria-class did not become a mainstay, but production itself continued. Later, after the 0090s, the Clop-class became the mainstay of the cruiser class, and this class was treated as a reserve auxiliary ship, although it had undergone some modernization as the years went by. Overall, the class of ship never saw much action given its association with the Titans.
Decades later in 0153 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 MS 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.
Gallery[]
Lineart[]
Anime[]
Zeta Gundam[]
.png "Alexandria-Class Top View 01 (Zeta Ep30).png (7.72 MB)")
.png "Alexandria-Class Underside 01 (Zeta Ep26).png (6.32 MB)")
.png "Alexandria-Class Rear 01 (Zeta Ep25).png (3.96 MB)")
.png "Alexandria-Class Bridge Exterior 01 (Zeta Ep43).png (3.62 MB)")
.png "Alexandria-Class Bridge 01 (Zeta Ep38).png (3.56 MB)")
.png "Alexandria-Class Hangar 01 (Zeta NT1).png (2.46 MB)")
.png "Alexandria-Class Twin Mega Particle Gun 01 (Zeta Ep30).png (2.57 MB)")
.png "Alexandria-Class Twin Mega Particle Gun Firing 01 (Zeta Ep30).png (2.68 MB)")
.png "Alexandria-Class Weapons Firing 01 (Zeta Ep25).png (4.56 MB)")
.png "Alexandria-Class Missiles Firing 01 (Zeta Ep10).png (3.89 MB)")
.png "Alexandria-Class Shuttle Hatch 01 (Zeta Ep6).png (2.31 MB)")
.png "Alexandria-Class Bridge Destroyed 01 (Zeta Ep26).png (4.03 MB)")
.png "Alexandria-Class Bridge Destroyed 02 (Zeta Ep26).png (4.6 MB)")
.png "Alexandria-Class \"Haro\" 04 (Zeta Ep46).png (2.82 MB)")
Zeta Gundam: A New Translation[]
Victory Gundam[]
Manga[]
Illustrations & Artwork[]
.jpg "Titans Ships (Gundam Perfect Files).jpg (138 KB)")
Games[]
Appearances[]
- Television Series
- Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
- Episode 3, Inside the Capsule
- First Appearance
- Episode 4, Emma's Decision
- Episode 5, Father and Son
- Episode 7, Escape from Side 1
- Episode 8, The Dark Side of the Moon
- Episode 9, A New Bond
- Episode 10, Reunion
- Episode 11, Entering the Atmosphere
- Episode 43, Haman's Victory
- Episode 45, Coming From the Heavens
- Episode 50, Riders in the Skies
- Episode 3, Inside the Capsule
- OVAs and ONAs
- Movies
References[]
- ↑ MS Encyclopedia Part 2: Gryps War, p.67
- ↑ A Storm Raging Through
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory (Novel)
External links[]