The Zanzibar-class Mobile Cruiser is a carrier utilized by the Principality of Zeon during the Universal Century timeline. These ships are functionally equivalent to the Earth Federal Space Force's Pegasus-class assault carriers, and fill a similar role in the battlefield. It first appears in the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam.
Technology & Combat Characteristics[]
The Zanzibar-class aims to maintain a long supply line between Side 3 and the Earth, and is the only Zeon ship that can undergo atmospheric re-entry and return to space. It is designed more like an aircraft than a ship, and is not equipped with a Minovsky Craft System, and in the atmosphere it flies with wings and a lifting body using conventional thermonuclear power. When leaving the atmosphere, it was necessary to wear a booster and use a catapult. In addition, the "Kergeren" of this class has a gravity block installed. A mobile suit catapult is not equipped, so the MS launch on their own from a hatch on the side or bottom of the hull. The mega particle guns are fixed forward, but the main gun and anti-aircraft guns are retractable. A super-large missile "J missile" is deployed on each side of the bow one by one. In addition, there are ships that were equipped with huge floodlights instead of mega-particle guns, and the weapons differ depending on the ship.
In the manga Portrait Of Young Comet, the Ingolstadt, which is named after a city in the Free State of Bavaria, is a Zanzibar-class cruiser refitted with additional booster propellant tanks.
Armaments[]
- Twin Mega Particle Gun
- The Zanzibar-class is armed with a twin barreled mega particle gun positioned forward on the ship's dorsal hull aft of the bridge. The turret is retractable and can swivel around 360 degrees, though it has little to no ability to aim up or down. When not in use, the turret is lowered into the ship's hull and sealed with an armored hatch, either for protection or for atmospheric entry.
- Mega Particle Gun
- The Zanzibar-class is armed with four mega particle guns, two on each side of the ship. They are locked in a forward firing position, requiring the ship to constantly face the enemy if it needs to use them. They are retractable and can be locked in armored hatches for protection.
- J-Missile Launch Tube
- The Zanzibar-class is armed with two large launch tubes with one on each side of the vessel, each capable of firing a large J-missile, which was capable of seriously crippling or even destroying a ship in a single attack. The missile is large and powerful enough to use sophisticated target lock even under Minovsky Particle interference - though these missiles are expensive and very few in number. Unlike the Zanzibar's other weapons, these tubes aren't closed - leaving the missile vulnerable to enemy fire from up close.
- 2-Barrel Anti-Aircraft Gun
- The Zanzibar-class is armed with five 2-barrel anti-aircraft guns used for defending against enemy fighters and mobile suits and are unsuitable for anti-ship combat purposes. There is one under the nose of the ship, two on each side near the front, and one atop each of its large engine intakes. When not in use, these guns can be retracted into the hull - either for protection or for atmospheric entry.
History[]
The Zanzibar-class ship is a Zeon battleship that was introduced during the One Year War as a multi-environment mobile suit carrier. Despite being produced in limited numbers the Zanzibar-class performed in several important operations. Notably the Zanzibar was placed under command of Char Aznable during his pursuit of the Earth Federation ship White Base.[1] Another important use for the Zanzibar-class was to act as escape craft for Zeon forces on Earth after Operation Odessa. Some were even used as flagships by high ranking Zeon members (like Rear Admiral Kycilia Zabi) when a battleship was unavailable or ill-suited for the role. Perhaps the most creative use of a Zanzibar class ship was in Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team, when Ginias Sahalin used one as a power plant for his Southeast Asia base. This Zanzibar, the Kergeren, was later used as a medical evacuation ship for thousands of wounded Zeon soldiers until it was destroyed by a GM Sniper following Ginias Sahalin's attack on Federation Forces during a declared ceasefire meant to allow the ship to safely escape.
Another Zanzibar named Sangre Azul, was used by Chimera corps, which equipped it with a calculations system "Delphi" allowing it to estimate the travel coordinates of the concealed plant ship "Minaret", a giant space-based plant ship housing Astaroth, a devastating bioweapon. It seems that at the end of the One Year War the Federation captured the Sangre Azul and concealed it in Jaburo, where it is maintained in moderately working condition until UC 0090, when it was launched in space to avoid use by Federation and Zeon Remnants conspiracy.
Near the end of the One Year War, Zeon launched its United Maintenance Plan in an attempt to increase the performance of existing machines while streamlining construction to make construction and maintenance cheaper and easier. The Zanzibar-class was one of the ships classes put through the Plan, leading to the development of the Zanzibar II-class mobile cruiser.
Descendants[]
- CCM-91 Chimaira
- Zanzibar II-class
- Zanzibar-class Task Force Battle Cruiser (Keraunos)
- Zanzibar-class Interplanetary Type (Ingolstadt)
Gallery[]
Lineart[]
Anime[]
.png "Zanzibar-Class Front 01 (MSG Ep31).png (3.98 MB)")
.png "Zanzibar-Class Underside 01 (MSG Ep31).png (3.01 MB)")
.png "Zanzibar-Class Anti-Aircraft Guns 01 (MSG Ep31).png (2.97 MB)")
.png "Zanzibar-Class Anti-Aircraft Guns 02 (MSG Ep31).png (2.05 MB)")
.png "Zanzibar-Class Mega Particle Guns 01 (MSG Ep31).png (3.6 MB)")
.png "Zanzibar-Class Mega Particle Guns Firing 01 (MSG Ep31).png (3.25 MB)")
Illustrations & Artwork[]
Manga[]
Games[]
Gunpla[]
Notes and Trivia[]
- In the strategy game series Gihren's Greed, the Zanzibar-class is one of the most expensive vessels the Zeon forces can build, but on the other hand it is arguably the most useful as well. As it can enter the Earth's atmosphere independently, it can be used to spearhead land-drop operations and function as a supplier for the mobile suit forces (as opposed to relying solely on HLVs which, in addition to being defenseless, do not resupply units).
- In the final episode of Mobile Suit Gundam, Kycilia Zabi’s Zanzibar was shown to house four 2-barrel mega particle turrets in place of the standard forward facing guns. It’s unknown if this is an animation error, if it’s a modified Zanzibar-class of sorts, or if this is an early Zanzibar II-class.
References[]
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam Episode 31, A Decoy in Space
External links[]