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The Magellan-class was a Earth Federation Forces' space battleship introduced in the anime Mobile Suit Gundam.
Technology & Combat Characteristics[]
The Magellan-class was primarily intended to act as fleet flagships, and was equipped with the same type of fire-control system as the Salamis-class.[1] Symbolizing the EFF's "big guns, big ship" philosophy, it was equipped with seven gun turrets,[1] which were originally solid shell cannons, but later replaced with twin barreled mega particle cannons during the first modernization operation.[2] Since the Magellan-class was expected to engage enemy ships and fleets, it was specialized for anti-ship combat and featured exceptional armor and firepower for its time.[2] However, its fire-control system was unusable under Minovsky particle interference, rendering it defenseless against the far more nimble mobile suits.[1] This, coupled with its lack of mobile suit carrying capacity, greatly reduced its usefulness.[3] Though this changed in the middle and late stages of the One Year War, when they were modified and equipped with mobile suit carrying capacity, allowing them to fight the Principality of Zeon's vessels on equal footing.[4] The mobile suits were carried inside converted cargo bays and/or on the ship's hulls.
Armaments[]
- Twin Mega Particle Gun
- The Magellan-class mounts seven 2-barrel mega particle gun turrets as its primary weapons, two on the dorsal and ventral sides of the bow, one in front of the main bridge, and two starboard and port of the engine block forward and aft of the sub-bridges. The Magellan-class seen in the Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam Define manga is armed with nine 2-barrel mega particle turrets, with the additional guns mounted on the dorsal hull and the ventral hull.
- Twin Machine Gun
- The Magellan-class is equipped with fourteen to twenty-two 2-barrel machine gun turrets for defense. The turrets were placed so that they concentrated around the mid-section of the ship where the bridge was, with five or six on each side of the ship (depending on the model) and two on each side of the main bridge. In MS Igloo, the Magellan is portrayed as the model with twenty-two machine gun turrets, with two on the bridge tower, two on each side of the base of the bridge tower, six on each side of the ship, and four on the underside of the ship. The Magellan-class seen in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam Define manga is armed with twelve twin machine guns, with four on each side and two on each side of the bridge tower.
- Missile Launcher
- The Magellan-class has an unknown number of missile launchers. Four such launchers are known to be located in the bow, two on each side of the ship.
Special Equipment & Features[]
- Re-Entry Capsule
- A small shuttle capable of making atmospheric re-entry is located underneath the bow of the Magellan-class. The Ananke used its capsule as an attempted escape craft during the Battle of Loum.
- Supplemental Rocket Booster
- A supplemental rocket booster system can be attached to the main engine thrusters of the Magellan-class to enable it to leaver Earth's atmosphere, including from the underground Jaburo base.
History[]
Along with the Salamis-class, the Magellan-class entered service in September, U.C. 0070, as part of the EFF's 0070s Military Enhancement Plan.[4] It was designed during the cold war with Zeon Zum Deikun's Republic of Zeon and constructed in preparation for war with the Principality of Zeon under Degwin Sodo Zabi.[2] It was produced in fewer number than the Salamis-class and mainly served as flagships.[5]
On January 3, U.C. 0079, the Magellan-class saw their first major action when the Federation Fleet attempted to stop Operation British, the Zeon plan to drop a colony onto the Federation headquarters at Jaburo. Twenty-two Magellan and other class battleships participated in the battle. However, the Federation Fleet proved no match for Zeon's mobile suits and was defeated.[6]
Char Aznable's MS-06S Zaku II Commander Type destroying a Magellan-class's bridge during the Battle of Loum
Forty-eight Magellan and other class battleships participated in the Battle of Loum on January 15, U.C. 0079. During this battle, they once again suffered devastating losses against Zeon's mobile suits. During the battle, Zeon ace pilot Char Aznable famously sank five Magellan-class battleships, earning him the nickname "Red Comet". General Johann Abraham Revil's flagship, Ananke, was also sunk during the battle, leading to his capture by the Black Tri-Stars.[7]
According to one account, when Luna II was attacked by Char, Commandant Wakkein attempted to respond by launching the Magellan. However, Char's team had planted mines in Luna II's hangar, knocking the ship off-course and causing it to block the hangar door. Wakkein later gave the order to destroy the Magellan using the White Base's mega particle cannons, clearing the hangar door and causing a massive explosion that ended up destroying one of the MS-06F Zaku II in Char's squadron.[8]
A Magellan-class being sliced apart by the "Kuhblume" beam cannon during launch
Having suffered heavy losses to its fleets, the Federation began the Vinson Plan, a plan to rebuild its fleet at the Jaburo factory. In December, U.C. 0079, in preparation for the space counterattack, the Federation began launching the constructed ships into space using external boosters.[9][10] On December 3,[11] four Salamis-class and one Magellan-class launched from Jaburo. However, they were all destroyed by a MSM-07Di Ze'Gok using the scattering beam cannon "Kuhblume".[9]
Twenty-four Magellan and other class battleships participated in Operation Cemballo, the Federation attack on the Zeon space fortress Solomon. Among them was the flagship of Captain Wakkein, which had been refitted with converted cargo bays for RB-79 Balls and the RGM-79 GMs. During the battle, the flagship of Vice Admiral Tianem, the Titan, served as the control ship of the anti-fortress super weapon Solar System. The Solar System devastated Solomon, allowing Federation forces to enter. However, the Titan and several other battleships were later sunk by the MA-08 Big Zam piloted by Dozle Zabi.[12][13][14]
The destruction of the Phoebe and the Great Degwin
Prior to the Battle of A Baoa Qu, Zeon Sovereign Degwin Sodo Zabi rendezvoused with General Revil's fleet aboard the Gwazine-class battleship Great Degwin in order to discuss a peace treaty. However, Zeon Supreme Commander Gihren Zabi, displeased with the idea of a peace treaty, ordered the superweapon Solar Ray to be fired at Revil's fleet. The massive laser cannon vaporized the Great Degwin, the Phoebe, and a third of the Federation attack force.[15][16] The remainder of the attack force then assaulted the asteroid base and successfully defeated the Principality of Zeon with heavy casualties.
After the One Year War, the Federation initiated a rearmament and modernization program, with the main focus being the reconstruction of its space fleets. One of the outcomes of this program is a successor for the Magellan-class.
Ships of the Line[]
- Ananke
- General Revil's flagship during the Battle of Loum. It was sunk by the Black Tri-Stars during the battle, leading to the capture of Revil.[7][17]
- Nereid
- The ship of Rodney Cunninghan, Revil's second-in-command during the Battle of Loum. It was sunk while covering the retreat of the Federation fleets.[7]
- Titan
- The flagship of Tianem during Operation Cemballo, it also served as the control ship for the Solar System.[13][12] It was sunk by the Big Zam.[14][12]
- Phoebe
- General Revil's flagship during Operation Star One. It was destroyed by the Solar Ray prior to the Battle of A Baoa Qu.[15][18]
- Magellan
- Lead ship of her class, it was the ship of Luna II Commandant Wakkein. When Char attacked Luna II, Wakkein attempted to launch the ship, only for it to be derailed by explosives planted by Char's team, causing it to block the hangar gate. It was later destroyed by the White Base's mega particle cannons.[8]
- Renown
- Used by Commandant Wakkein after the destruction of the Magellan, the Renown deployed to support White Base, making its way to Texas Colony and successfully sinking a Chivvay-class Cruiser. It was later destroyed by Char Aznable's Zanzibar-class in an attempt to intercept its escape.
- Luzal
- Hull number: SBB-17.[2] After one third of the Federation fleet was destroyed by the Solar Ray, the Luzal served as the flagship of one of the fleets attacking A Baoa Qu's S point. The White Base was notably among this fleet. It would be destroyed in the successful push to penetrate S-field.[19]
Variants[]
Gallery[]
Lineart[]
Anime[]
.png "Magellan-Class in Orbit 01 (MSG Ep32).png (2.99 MB)")
.png "Magellan-Class Bridge 01 (MSG Ep4).png (4.84 MB)")
.png "Magellan-Class Bridge Exterior 01 (MSG Ep42).png (3.08 MB)")
.png "Magellan-Class Hangar Hatch 01 (MSG Ep35).png (2.65 MB)")
.png "Magellan-Class Hangar Hatch 02 (MSG Ep35).png (3.3 MB)")
.png "Magellan-Class Twin Mega Particle Guns 01 (MSG Ep35).png (2.32 MB)")
.png "Magellan-Class Twin Mega Particle Guns Firing 01 (MSG Ep42).png (4.28 MB)")
.png "Magellan-Class Twin Machine Guns Firing 01 (MSG Ep42).png (3.67 MB)")
Manga[]
Illustrations & Artwork[]
Gunpla[]
Notes & Trivia[]
- There were two different types of Magellan-class seen in Mobile Suit Gundam, a green type and a dark blue type. Both of Wakkein's Magellan were green. The reason for the different colors is unknown.
- Magellan-class seems to be based on World War II-era battleships, which were expected to be the decisive factors in naval battles before the war but ultimately lost against carrier-launched aircraft. Similarly, the Magellan-class was expected to be the decisive factor in space battles but lost out against the mobile suit.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO Complete Settings Collection (2007), p.150
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Mobile Suit Gundam MSV Collection File - Space Edition (1999)
- ↑ MS Encyclopedia No.14 - Mechanic Encyclopedia, p.50
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Entertainment Bible 39 - Mobile Suit Gundam - Big Book of Tactics and Strategy (1991), p.20-24
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO Mission Complete (2009), p.27
- ↑ Entertainment Bible 39 - Mobile Suit Gundam - Big Book of Tactics and Strategy (1991), p.40-47
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Entertainment Bible 39 - Mobile Suit Gundam - Big Book of Tactics and Strategy (1991), p.48-55
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Mobile Suit Gundam Episode 4, Escape From Luna II
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO: Apocalypse 0079 Episode 1, In the Skies of Jaburo, I Saw the Sea
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO Mission Complete (2009), p.59
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO Mission Complete (2009), p.57
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Entertainment Bible 39 - Mobile Suit Gundam - Big Book of Tactics and Strategy (1991), p.104-110
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Mobile Suit Gundam Episode 35, The Glory of Solomon
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Mobile Suit Gundam Episode 36, Big Zam's Last Stand
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Mobile Suit Gundam Episode 41, A Cosmic Glow
- ↑ Entertainment Bible 39 - Mobile Suit Gundam - Big Book of Tactics and Strategy (1991), p.118-122
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam MSV-R Legend of the Universal Century Heroes: The Fabulous Shin Matsunaga Fabulous B-007 Both Sides
- ↑ Entertainment Bible 39 - Mobile Suit Gundam - Big Book of Tactics and Strategy (1991), p.123-125
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam Episode 42, Space Fortress: A Baoa Qu
External links[]