The SCVA-76 Nahel Argama (ネェル・アーガマ Ne~eru Āgama?) is a carrier/assault landing ship introduced in Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ. First operated by the AEUG, it was later refitted and served under Londo Bell.
Technology & Combat Characteristics[]
Built by Anaheim Electronics for the AEUG, the Nahel Argama was meant to be the AEUG's new flagship, replacing the Argama. This battleship was developed using the Argama as a reference, and it inherited the latter's ability to carry and support mobile suits, but has a higher mobile suit carrying capacity, more catapults from which to launch them, and an added recovery deck at the rear. The pair of main wings that extend from the center of the ship to the left and right are foldable, and they also have built-in solar panels that can supply energy to the ship's main engine and weaponry.
One of the Argama's weaknesses was that it was relatively lightly armed, and the Nahel Argama overcome this by having a large number of mega particle cannons and beam cannons. The ship also possesses one of the strongest ship-based weapons, the Hyper Mega Particle Cannon, which was field tested on the Argama before being perfected for mounting on the Nahel Argama. Placed under the primary catapult, this weapon is not commonly used in battle due to its lengthy charge build-up, but because of its immense power and range (which extends beyond conventional sensors) it can play a large role in the right situation.
Between the end of the First Neo Zeon War and the beginning of the Third Neo Zeon War, the ship was transferred to Londo Bell and was extensively upgraded. Its firepower was enhanced with the addition of anti-air machine guns and vertical launch tubes that can fire various projectiles, as well as the replacement of the pair of secondary beam cannons with more powerful twin beam cannons. Its engine blocks were also overhauled to be more similar to that of the Ra Cailum-class and Clop-class, and its mobile suit carrying capacity was also increased as the hangars have been enlarged.
Armaments[]
- Twin Beam Cannon
- The main weapon of the Nahel Argama are the pair of twin beam cannons situated on the dorsal hull, in front of the bridge, and on the ventral hull, behind the Hyper Mega Particle Cannon. On the Londo Bell refit version, this number is increased to four, with the two added twin beam cannons located on the rear dorsal and ventral hull.
- Single-Barrel Beam Cannon
- Mounted on the outboard tips of the port and starboard catapults, the pair of single-barrel beam cannons are smaller than the other beam cannons on the ship.
- Secondary Beam Cannon
- The Nahel Argama has two of these single-barrel beam cannon mounted on the ship's rear dorsal and ventral hull. They are similar to the single barrel cannons of the Argama-class and the secondary mega particle guns of the Irish-class. On the Londo Bell refit version, they are replaced by the twin beam cannons.
- Sub Mega Particle Cannon
- A sub mega particle cannon is situated inside each of the "shutter"-like section on the left and right side of the ship, for a total of two such cannons. These cannons are similar to the mega particle cannons of the Pegasus-class, and are deployed when the "shutters" open.
- Hyper Mega Particle Cannon
- The Hyper Mega Particle Cannon is the Nahel Argama's largest and most destructive weapon and is fixed in a forward position below the central mobile suit catapult and hangar. First tested on the Argama, it has been shown that the Hyper Mega Particle Cannon is powerful enough to sever the docking arm of a space colony, as well as vaporize anything in close proximity to the beam. The Hyper Mega Particle Cannon requires all power from the Nahel Argama to charge up, during which time the ship will not able to use any of the other weapons or even move on its own. After the weapon is fired, it takes a substantial amount of time to cool down before it can be used again.
- Following its refit, the Nahel Argama is equipped with three VLS cells, one located behind the bridge, and one behind each of the lateral catapults. Each cell consists of 24 individual launch tubes, grouped in four rows of six tubes, and they can fire a variety of projectiles.
- Anti-Air Machine Gun
- Following the refit, 28 two-barrel machine gun emplacements dotted the surface of the ship for defending against incoming mobile suits and fighters. They have extremely high rate of fire and are able to damage a mobile suit, but skilled mobile suit pilots are more than capable of dodging these guns' fire. Four are mounted on the outward-facing side of each engine block, six are mounted near each sub mega particle cannon, another six surround the bridge, and the last two are mounted on the bridge tower.
History[]
First Neo Zeon War[]
The Nahel Argama was constructed during the First Neo Zeon War for the Anti-Earth Union Group (AEUG). Unlike the Argama-class, this ship had significantly heavier armaments and a higher mobile suit capacity. After the Argama was damaged beyond use in the Dublin colony drop, the Nahel Argama saw its first action in space when the Neo Zeon ship Endra attacked the La Vie en Rose, where the former was initially docked. Although it managed to successfully withdraw from the battle, the Nahel Argama was forced to escape without its assigned captain Bright Noa, who was forced to disembark in the chaos. With Beecha Oleg serving as captain and Torres as backup, the Nahel Argama makes a stop at the Tigerbaum colony, picking up an incognito Haman on its way to Core 3. The Nahel Argama, as the only representative of the AEUG, was caught in the crossfire of Glemy Toto's rebellion against Haman's Neo Zeon forces. Eventually the rebellon ended with the deaths of Haman and Glemy.
Laplace Conflict/Third Neo Zeon War[]
Three years after the Second Neo Zeon movement, the Nahel Argama, now part of the Londo Bell task force after the AEUG had been absorbed back into the Federation's main forces, is captained by Otto Mitas. Its rear engines had been modified to resemble those of the Ra Cailum and its hull has been extensively upgraded, causing the ship to be reclassified as an assault landing ship. As its handling is poor and its compatibility is low due to it being a unique vessel, the Nahel Argama mainly operates alone.
The Nahel Argama is assigned to intercept the Neo Zeon remnants known as "The Sleeves" at the Industrial 7 space colony. After a battle erupts in and outside the colony, the ship launches its remaining RGZ-95 ReZEL units to prevent the opening of "Laplace's Box". After most of the Nahel Argama's mobile suits are destroyed by the NZ-666 Kshatriya, it received support from the ECOAS special forces unit and the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam which single handedly drove the Kshatriya back. Upon retrieval of the Unicorn Gundam, the Nahel Argama fell back to a nearby colony remnant debris field to analyze the systems of the Gundam and determine its next move. While planning their next destination, the Nahel Argama came under attack by the Rewloola and Full Frontal in his MSN-06S Sinanju. Realizing that the mobile suits of the Nahel Argama are outmatched, Banagher Links sorties in the Unicorn Gundam in an attempt to destroy the Sinanju. During this battle, the Sinanju is backed up by the Kshatriya and the Unicorn is disabled due to the incapacitation of Banagher, leaving the Gundam in the hands of Neo Zeon.
After the retreat of the Neo Zeon forces in possession of the Unicorn Gundam, the Nahel Argama is resupplied by the Earth Federation Forces and receives reinforcements in the form of four additional RGM-89D Jegan D Type, one modified RGM-89S Stark Jegan, and the MSN-001A1 Delta Plus. Once the asteroid mining facility of Palau had been determined to be the location of the escaped Neo Zeon forces, the Nahel Argama headed out to conduct a hostage rescue operation in order to free Banagher and re-acquire the Unicorn Gundam. After firing its Hyper Mega Particle Cannon at Palau so as to not damage the residential blocks, the Nahel Argama deploys its MS contingent to intercept Palau's suits. While the mission to recover the Unicorn was successful, along with the capture of the Kshatriya, it came at the cost of the Delta Plus (which had escaped to Earth with its pilot and Mineva Lao Zabi) as well as two D-50C Loto units.
Following the attack on Torrington Base by the Zeon Remnants, the Nahel Argama recovered the Unicorn Gundam along with the Sleeves freighter, the Garencieres, in low Earth orbit. After exiting Earth's orbit, the ship was attacked by the Dogosse Giar-class vessel, the General Revil, and was subsequently rescued by the Sleeves led by Full Frontal. After escaping, the Nahel Argama and the Sleeves formed a temporary truce, however, during their voyage to Industrial 7, tensions erupted and the Sleeves were forced off the Nahel Argama, save for the crew of the Garencieres. During the Battle of Industrial 7, the Nahel Argama fought against the attacking Sleeves' mobile suits, and after the initial assault, used its Hyper Mega Particle Cannon to destroy three Sleeves vessles.
Gallery[]
Lineart[]
Anime[]
Gundam ZZ[]
.png "Nahel Argama Bridge 01 (ZZ Ep45).png (9.7 MB)")
.png "Nahel Argama Beam Cannons Firing 02 (ZZ Ep38).png (5.13 MB)")
.png "Nahel Argama Beam Cannons Firing 01 (ZZ Ep38).png (5.13 MB)")
_Hyper_Mega_Particle_Cannon_01_(ZZ_Ep43).png "Nahel Argama (ZZ) Hyper Mega Particle Cannon 01 (ZZ Ep43).png (3.96 MB)")
_Hyper_Mega_Particle_Cannon_Firing_01_(ZZ_Ep43).png "Nahel Argama (ZZ) Hyper Mega Particle Cannon Firing 01 (ZZ Ep43).png (3.1 MB)")
Gundam Unicorn[]
.png "Nahel Argama Front 01 (Unicorn 0096 Ep15).png (2.17 MB)")
.png "Nahel Argama Rear 01 (Unicorn 0096 Ep19).png (2.48 MB)")
.png "Nahel Argama Underside 02 (Unicorn 0096 Ep19).png (3.1 MB)")
_01_(Unicorn_0096_Ep3).png "Nahel Argama Bridge Exterior (UC) 01 (Unicorn 0096 Ep3).png (1.73 MB)")
_01_(Unicorn_0096_Ep3).png "Nahel Argama Bridge Exterior Close-Up (UC) 01 (Unicorn 0096 Ep3).png (2.33 MB)")
_01_(Unicorn_0096_Ep15).png "Nahel Argama Bridge (UC) 01 (Unicorn 0096 Ep15).png (3.83 MB)")
_05_(Unicorn_0096_Ep5).png "Nahel Argama Bridge (UC) 05 (Unicorn 0096 Ep5).png (3.69 MB)")
_01_(Unicorn_0096_Ep7).png "Nahel Argama Bridge Exterior Shielded (UC) 01 (Unicorn 0096 Ep7).png (2.31 MB)")
.png "Nahel Argama Hangar 01 (Unicorn 0096 Ep16).png (4.28 MB)")
.png "Nahel Argama Anti-Air Machine Guns 01 (Unicorn 0096 Ep18).png (1.94 MB)")
.png "Nahel Argama Anti-Air Machine Guns Firing 03 (Unicorn 0096 Ep18).png (2.51 MB)")
.png "Nahel Argama Twin Beam Cannons 01 (Unicorn 0096 Ep4).png (2.12 MB)")
.png "Nahel Argama Twin Beam Cannon Firing 01 (Unicorn 0096 Ep19).png (2.43 MB)")
_Vertical_Launch_Systems_Firing_01_(Unicorn_0096_Ep18).png "Nahel Argama (UC) Vertical Launch Systems Firing 01 (Unicorn 0096 Ep18).png (4.17 MB)")
.png "Nahel Argama Hyper Mega Particle Cannon 01 (Unicorn 0096 Ep7).png (3.16 MB)")
.png "Nahel Argama Hyper Mega Particle Cannon Charging 01 (Unicorn 0096 Ep7).png (3.74 MB)")
.png "Nahel Argama Hyper Mega Particle Cannon Charging 02 (Unicorn 0096 Ep7).png (3.03 MB)")
.png "Nahel Argama Hyper Mega Particle Cannon Firing 01 (Unicorn 0096 Ep7).png (2.4 MB)")
.png "Nahel Argama Ballute Deployed 01 (Unicorn 0096 Ep15).png (2.55 MB)")
Illustrations & Artwork[]
Games[]
Action Figures[]
Cosmo Fleet Special (CFSP)[]
Cosmo Fleet Collection (CFC) Mini-Figure[]
Notes & Trivia[]
- The hull number "SCVA-76" was originally added to the Japanese Wikipedia page of Nahel Argama by an IP user on September 25, 2008. Prior to this addition, the Nahel Argama was not stated to have a hull number in any official media. On October 30, 2010, Episode 2 of Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn was screened theatrically. The episode featured the hull number on the Nahel Argamas monitor screens, making it official in a case of citogenesis.
- Some early translations romanize the ship's name as the "Near Argama".
Appearances[]
- Television Series
- Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
- Episode 37, Nahel Argama
- First Appearance
- Episode 37, Nahel Argama
References[]
External links[]