The SCVA-72 Thoroughbred was a Pegasus-class assault carrier first mentioned in the Mobile Suit Gundam II (1980) novel and later, the Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story: Space, To the End of a Flash manga.
Technology & Combat Characteristics[]
Unlike the White Base, the Thoroughbred was designed for covert operations. As such, it was equipped with specialized warheads that could deploy anti-laser chaff jam laser communications unusable, as well as equipment that could quickly disperse Minovsky particles through a wide area. Its blue-gray coloration was also intended to lower its visibility in space.
Armaments[]
- 580mm 2-Barrel Main Gun
- Similar to White Base, the Thoroughbred mounted a single 580mm two-barrel cannon mounted on a retractable turret just in front of the bridge.
- Twin Mega Particle Cannon
- The Thoroughbred mounted two retractable twin mega particle cannons in the circular "shields" towards the middle of the ship. These cannons were twin barreled with the guns mounted side by side. These cannons were mounted on a extendable platform and could rotate 180 degrees from front to back. The guns could output firepower of much higher output and range than a battleship, though the charge time of these weapons was much longer.
- Front Missile Launcher
- Eight 3-tube missile launchers are mounted at the front of the Thoroughbred, with a pair on each side of the two arm-like struts.
- Rear Missile Launcher
- The Thoroughbred is equipped with a rear facing 6-tube missile launcher for fending off pursuing ships or mobile suits. The missile launcher is mounted aft of the bridge.
- Twin Anti-Aircraft Gun
- Thirty six retractable twin anti-aircraft turrets are mounted across the hull of the White Base to defend against enemy fighters and mobile suits. Like White Base, the turrets are open top and directly manned by gunnery crews.
Special Equipment & Features[]
- Minovsky Craft System
- A lift-generating system in use by all Pegasus-class ships, it allows a ship to resist the pull of Earth's gravity without the need of expending additional fuel. When Minovsky particles are released into the air, the positive and negative particles spontaneously align themselves into a three-dimensional cubic lattice. Because of the repulsive and electrostatic forces between the particles, this lattice resists compression, and the Minovsky Craft System uses this phenomenon to push the underside of the vessel away from the planet's surface, allowing it to fly like a standard aircraft or hover in place.
History[]
The Thoroughbred first saw service when it was launched from Jaburo in November of UC 0079. Assigned to the 16th Autonomous Corps it was launched as one of 4 decoy ships in order to guard the rear of the Earth Federation Forces main fleet. To accomplish this, the Thoroughbred was given two Gundams, RX-78-5 Gundam Unit 5 "G05" and RX-78-4 Gundam Unit 4 "G04", piloted by ace pilots Ford Romfellow and veteran Luce Cassel. Three RX-77-2 Guncannons were also assigned to the ship. Once in space the Thoroughbred was asked to intercept a Zeon supply route behind the Moon that leads to Space Fortress Solomon in preparation for "Operation Star One".
Throughout much of the rest of the war, the ship spent its time attacking Zeon supply ships and reinforcements. Originally, it was planned to participate in the Battle of A Baoa Qu. However, due to the loss of G04 and its pilot, it was instead tasked with escorting prime minister Darcia Bakharo of the Principality of Zeon to Granada in order to hold the final peace negotiations aimed at ending the war. Although the ship was attacked by Zeon forces who were unwilling to let the war end, the Thoroughbred was able to reach Granada safely and accomplish its mission.
In Mobile Suit Gundam: Battlefield Record U.C. 0081, the Thoroughbred is refitted and assigned to Hugues Courand's special anti-Zeon remnant squad the Phantom Sweep Corps.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
The green ship in the original series
The Thoroughbred docked next to the White Base
- In the 29th episode of Mobile Suit Gundam, a green ship can be seen docked beside the White Base in Jaburo, though it was never actually referred to in the episode. In the Lost War Chronicles manga, that ship is retroactively identified as the Thoroughbred.
- In the PS2 game Mobile Suit Gundam: The One Year War, during the Jaburo stage, the green ship from the TV series can be seen in the Jaburo hangar, next to the White Base. The Thoroughbred's bow section is seen in the same hangar, implying that the green ship was the Thoroughbred prior to its bows being installed.
External links[]
| Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space / Space, To the End of A Flash Original Mechanics | |||||||||||
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