Izumo-class

Izumo-class
Izumo-class
Unit Type
Limited Production Modular Carrier Space Battleship
Profile
Developed Into	Archangel-class
Ships of the Line	Izumo, Kusanagi, Tsukyomi, Susanoo
Manufacturer	Morgenröte
Operator	Three Ships Alliance Athha family Sahaku family Orb National Defense Force Second Space Fleet Kusanagi Corps
Known Captains	Cagalli Yula Athha Ledonir Kisaka Soga Amagi
General Characteristics
Overall Length	290 meters
MS Hangars	1
MS Catapults	1
MS Capacity	10+
Armor	Laminated Armor
Equipment
Standard	Modular Design
Optional	Plasma Booster Camouflage Cloak
Standard Armaments
Fixed	2 x "Gottfried" Mk 71 225cm Dual High-energy Beam Cannon 4 x "Lohengrin" Positron Blaster Cannon ? x "Igelstellung" 75mm Automatic Multi-barrel CIWS 12 x Missile Launcher
Mobile Weapons
Kusanagi: ? x MBF-M1 M1 Astray ZGMF-X09A Justice Gundam ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam MBF-02 Strike Rouge MBF-M1A M1A Astray ? x STTS/F-400 Murasame Kai (GSF) Izumo: MBF-P01-ReAMATU Gundam Astray Gold Frame Amatsu GAT-X133 Sword Calamity Gundam Other ships: ? x MVF-M11C Murasame ? x MVF-M12A Ootsukigata
Real World
Mechanical Designer	Kimitoshi Yamane
Appearances*
Television	SEED: #40 - Episode #50 GSD: #48 - Episode #50
Movie	Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom

The Izumo-class is a class of battleship introduced in the anime Mobile Suit Gundam SEED.

Technology & Combat Characteristics

The Izumo-class was a class of battleship produced by Morgenröte Inc. and used by the Orb National Defense Force. The Izumo's design later served as the basis for the Earth Alliance's new Archangel-class assault ship, and thus both classes have similar bridge layouts and weaponry. However, the Izumo-class has fewer weapons, featuring only four "Lohengrin" Positron Blaster Cannons, two Dual High-energy "Gottfried" Beam Cannons, twelve missile launchers, and at least sixteen CIWS. On the other hand, the Izumo-class has a larger mobile suit carrying capacity, capable of carrying a complement of 10+ mobile suits. Additionally, the Izumo-class can split into five modules that form three different parts: A, B, and C. Part B is the ship's main body, while Part A forms the ship's forward sections and contains the rails of the linear catapult, and Part C forms the two side sections at the rear.

Armaments

• "Lohengrin" Positron Blaster Cannon

The strongest weapon of the Izumo-class is its four "Lohengrin" positron blaster cannons, which are retractable and mounted in the side sections at the rear. The cannons' beams can punch through enemy warships like the Nazca-class easily. Each cannon can fire individual blasts, or the two cannons on each side can fire a combined blast.

• "Gottfried" Mk 71 225cm Dual High-energy Beam Cannon

Two "Gottfried" Mk 71 225cm Dual High-energy Beam Cannons are installed on rotating mounts, allowing them to cover a wide firing angle. Mounted on the top and bottom of the battleship, the Izumo-class' Gottfrieds are retractable like the the Archangel-class'.

• "Igelstellung" 75mm Automatic Multi-barrel CIWS

At least 16 "Igelstellung" 75mm Automatic Multi-barrel CIWS guns are spread over the ship's hull. These shell-firing weapons are used to shoot down incoming missiles or enemy units.

• Missile Launcher

The Izumo-class ships were shown to have 12 missile launchers located at the rear of the bridge tower.

Special Equipment & Features

• Modular Design

The Izumo-class has the ability to split into three parts: Part A (the combination of the two flat front modules), Part B (the central module), and Part C (the combination of the two side modules at the rear). Only Part B is used for atmospheric entry and launches back into space, and once in orbit, it docks with the other parts to form the whole ship. During atmospheric exit, Part B is fitted with a special cover. Due to its lower mass compared to the whole ship, Part B can easily be sent up into space using a Mass Driver, making transport between planet and space much more cost-efficient.

• Laminated Armor

The outer hull of the Izumo-class ship is made of laminated armor, which protects the ship from beam shots by dissipating their energy across the entire surface of the ship. This enables the ship to survive several direct hits from beam weapons, but because the beam energy is converted to heat, the armor can be fatally damaged when the accumulated energy overloads the ship's heat management systems.

• Plasma Booster

A reusable external booster designed to help the Izumo-class launch into space without use of a Mass Driver. Once the vessel has reached the desired velocity, the plasma boosters detach and return independently to Earth. These boosters were used by the Archangel in C.E. 71 when it launched into space from the Orb Union.

• Camouflage Cloak

The Izumo-class can be enveloped in an optional camouflage cloak, enabling the ship to hide itself from visual detection. The cloak is ejected before the ship enters combat.

History

The Izumo-class battleships were powerful warships of the Orb Union created some time before C.E. 71. When the Earth Alliance started their G Project, they also planned to create a mobile suit carrier ship, for which the Izumo-class became the basis. The result was the Archangel-class. At least four Izumo-class ships were built.

Izumo

The first ship and namesake of the class belongs to Orb's Sahaku family. It was first used by Rondo Gina Sahaku as his base of operations. Gina planned to strengthen Orb's position by playing the Earth Alliance and ZAFT against each other. He was, however, later killed by Gai Murakumo. Afterward, Gina's twin sister - Rondo Mina Sahaku took control of the Izumo.

Kusanagi

This ship belonged to the Athha family and was used in C.E. 71 by Cagalli Yula Athha and Ledonir Kisaka to escape the Invasion of Orb by the Earth Alliance. The ship, together with the Archangel and FFMH-Y101 Eternal, formed the Three Ships Alliance to end the First Alliance-PLANT War. The Kusanagi took part in the Battle of Mendel, where it and the Eternal destroyed the Nazca-class destroyer Vesalius, and the Second Battle of Jachin Due, the final battle of the war, in which it attempted to destroy the GENESIS super weapon.

During the Second Alliance-PLANT War, the Kusanagi, commanded by Captain Soga, and two other Izumo-class ships departed from Copernicus City on the Moon to join up with the other ships of the Three Ships Alliance, as well as renegade units of the Earth Alliance and ZAFT to stop ZAFT forces, who had just fired the Requiem at the Earth Alliance's Arzachel lunar base. The Kusanagi fired its Lohengrin cannons at the Requiem, only to have the blasts be blocked by multiple Positron Reflector shields deployed over the mouth of the moon-based superweapon. The Kusanagi survived the final battle around the Mobile Space Fortress Messiah despite being targeted twice by the Neo-GENESIS laser system aboard the fortress.

In C.E.75, the Kusanagi participated in the battle against the Kingdom of Foundation in support of Compass, having been stationed at the Terminal asteroid base the Factory in anticipation of the conflict. It then travelled to the far side of the Moon near Daedalus Lunar Base underneath a detachable camouflage cloak, before de-cloaking to engage in combat along with its mobile suit contingent.

Other Ships

Two more ships of the Izumo-class were seen during the Second Alliance-PLANT War, known as the Susanoo and Tsukyomi. The two ships, together with the Kusanagi, were used to attack the Requiem. However, their "Lohengrin" Positron Blaster Cannons proved ineffective against the positron reflectors around the Requiem. All Izumo-class, along with the Archangel and the Eternal, were able to avoid the blast from Neo-GENESIS.

Gallery

Anime

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

M1 Astrays standing before the Kusanagi's Part B

Rear of the Kusanagi's Part B

Front of the Kusanagi's Part B with special cover for atmospheric exit

Kusanagi's Part B with special cover for atmospheric exit on the Mass Driver

Kusanagi's Part B with special cover for atmospheric exit moving on the Mass Driver

Kusanagi's Part B with special cover for atmospheric exit flying off into space

Kusanagi assembling in space

Rear of the Kusanagi's Part C

Front of the Kusanagi's Part C

Kusanagi's Part C separating

Kusanagi's Part B (center) docking with Part A (front) and Part C (rear)

Kusanagi fully assembled

Kusanagi Side View

Kusanagi's bridge exterior

Kusanagi's bridge interior (1)

Kusanagi's bridge interio (2)

Kusanagi's hangar

Kusanagi's catapult

"Igelstellung" 75mm Automatic Multi-barrel CIWS on Kusanagi's top surface

Gottfried" Mk 71 225cm Dual High-energy Beam Cannon (Stored)

"Gottfried" Mk 71 225cm Dual High-energy Beam Cannon (Deployed)

Firing Gottfrieds

"Lohengrin" Positron Blaster Cannon charging

Firing Lohengrin

Kusanagi fighting alongside Eternal

Kusanagi and Eternal firing their beam weapons

As part of the Three Ships Alliance

Approching GENESIS with Eternal

Damaged

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny

An Izumo-class in hangar with Archangel

The Susanoo and Tsukyomi

Kusanagi, Susanoo, and Tsukyomi with other new ships of the Three Ships Alliance

Rear

Firing CIWS

Susanoo and Tsukyomi preparing to fire their "Lohengrin" Positron Blaster Cannon

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom

Kusanagi hidden within the Factory

Kusanagi being invisible due to the equipped Camouflage Cloak

Kusanagi purging the Camouflage Cloak

Kusanagi fighting alongside another Izumo class

Kusanagi's laminated armor nullifying a beam shot

Illustrations & Artwork

Artwork from Gundam Perfect Files

Games

Fan Art

"Kusanagi" by AdamKop

Notes & Trivia

• The name "Izumo" comes from a region of Japan, which is believed to be the place where the Storm god Susanowo descended to Earth when banished from heaven. Coincidentally, Izumo is a name used several times in the Japanese Navy, with a class of 19th-century armored cruiser and a class of modern helicopter carrier bearing this name.
• Kusanagi is the second name of the sword, the Ame-no-Murakumo, which Susanoo pulled from the tail of the slain Yamato no Orochi and presented to his sister, the Sun goddess Amaterasu, as a reconciliation gift. Kusanagi is the sword of the Japanese Imperial regalia.
• Susanoo is the Shinto god of the sea and storms.
• Tsukyomi, also spelled Tsukuyomi, is the god of the moon in Shinto mythology.
• Kusanagi never appeared in any Super Robot Wars series. It is usually replaced by a ship from another series (such as the Nadesico from Martian Successor Nadesico series in Super Robot Wars J and Super Robot Wars W) as part of the Three Ships Alliance.

Appearances

Television Series

• Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
  • PHASE-40, Into the Dawn Skies
    • First Appearance
  • PHASE-41, Trembling World
  • PHASE-42, Lacus Strikes
  • PHASE-43, What Stands in the Way
  • PHASE-44, Spiral of Encounters
  • PHASE-45, The Opening Door
  • PHASE-46, A Place for the Soul
  • PHASE-47, The Nightmare Reborn
  • PHASE-48, Day of Wrath
  • PHASE-49, The Final Light
  • PHASE-50, To a Future that Never Ends
• Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny
  • PHASE-48, To a New World

OVAs and ONAs

• Mobile Suit Gundam SEED MSV Astray
  • Episode 2, Blue Frame

Games

• Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Never Ending Tomorrow

References

Eternal and Kusanagi File 01 (Official Gundam Fact File, Issue 54, Pg 29)

Eternal and Kusanagi File 01 (Official Gundam Fact File, Issue 54, Pg 30)

Kusanagi File 01 (Gundam Perfect Files, Issue 58, Pg 5)

Kusanagi File 02 (Gundam Perfect Files, Issue 58, Pg 6)

External links

• Kusanagi on MAHQ.com

This article is part of Project: SEED

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Please read the linked project page before editing this article.

Project Leader: User:CD298