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 is designed for mobile suit transportation, and as such the ship relies on its mobile suits for most of its offensive and defensive power. This is also the only Zeon ship that can undergo atmospheric re-entry and return to space. Unlike the Federation's Pegasus-class ships, the Zanzibar class does not have an integrated Minovsky Craft System, so it must depend on sustained thrust to operate. These ships have appeared several times, usually in support of major operations. Some were even used as flagships by high ranking Zeon members (like Rear Admiral Kycilia Zabi) when a battleship was unavaible 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. Some of the Zanzibar's had also been modified to replace the hangar space of four of their mobile suits by a mobile armor. It was more balanced in terms of weapons, since it was equipped with machine gun turrets for point defense. But Zeon space commanders were not as eager to use the class since the Zeon space navy had been built around mobile suit transportation and combat. Additionally, the Zanzibar's were more expensive, so the Zanzibar-class ships took a back seat to the Musai-class.
One detail that is easily overlooked are the Zanzibar's two large missiles tubes which are probably used for anti-ship work. They are removed in the Zanzibar II refit to allow for more Armor Plating and additional mountings of two-barrel beam turrets.
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 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
- 2-barrel Main Gun
- Mega Particle Cannon
- Large Missile Launcher
- 2-barrel Machine Gun
Special Equipment & Features
- Supplemental Boosters
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. Another important use for the Zanzibar-class was to act as escape craft for Zeon forces on Earth after Operation Odessa.
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
Gunpla
Notes and Trivia
References
External Links
