The Andromeda-class Space Battleship is an Earth Federation Cosmo Navy ship class. Named after its lead ship Andromeda and originally classified as an Armed Vanguard Starship,[6] the class is the immediate follow-up to the space battleship Yamato, further developing wave-motion energy and other technologies that were used on its predecessor. The first vessels of the Andromeda-class were designated as part of the AAA-class,[9] standing for Advanced Ability Armament, but later recieved various new designations as more advanced and specialized models were produced. The Andromeda-class represented the Earth Federation‘s policy of presenting a robust response to alien threats, and led Earth’s defense against the Gatlantis Empire’s invasion of the solar system.
The Andromeda-class spearheaded the Earth's attempts at creating a fully automated space navy, but following the abandonment of the time fault and the implementation of the Fourth Defense Plan, the Earth Federation began focusing on repairing early manned Andromedas and rebranded the class as a space battleship.
Armament and Technical Specifications[]
Initial Specifications[]
Forward side view of Andromeda AAA-01.
Andromeda-class ships are the most heavily armed vessels in the Cosmo Navy fleet when they entered service in 2202. Their most prominent and devastating weapon is the dual barrel wave motion gun located in the ship’s bow. Unlike the wave motion gun designed for Yamato years earlier, the Andromeda-class’s gun can be fired in a dispersion pattern at dozens of smaller targets spread across a wide area of space, and not just single large objects.[1] For more conventional combat, battleships in the class are armed with a broad array of energy and projectile weapons in various sizes for offensive and defensive use. Among these are triple-barrel convergent compression-type shock turrets, somewhat smaller than Yamato’s shock cannons but capable of firing at a much higher rate.[2][10] These guns are equipped with positron concetrators inside of the barrels, which also functions as an extra chamber when firing live ammunition, and have larger beam generators. The Andromeda-class is also characterised by a completely new concept of anti-aircraft armament, based on Yamato's struggles against Garmillas' short-warp assault tactics.[5]
Antares and Apollo Norm, two Andromeda-class carriers
A carrier variant of the Andromeda class was developed after taking into consideration the successes obtained by the Yamato Squadron during the Garmillas War.[5] It sacrifices some conventional weaponry to accommodate up to one hundred eighty Cosmo Falcon fighters, Cosmo Tiger II fighters, or a mix of the two. These carriers are usually equipped with 36 of either planes, the equivalent of two squadrons.[5] Fighters launch and land from enlarged hangars inside of the hull and from the launch and landing facility located behind the conning tower. Six double-deck launch ramps on each side, which are pointed diagonally forward. Inside are linear catapult launchers, which can launch two aircraft per port, up to a maximum of 24 aircrafts. The structure has a landing area on the upper surface and a landing port at the stern. The landing ports are designed to be extended outward, giving the ship an extremely high level of aircraft deployment capability. The structure Another hangar is located on the undersid of the stern. As a replacement for the lost firepower, 10 large torpedo tubes were installed on both sides of the below-deck structure.[5]
Defenses on Andromeda-class ships include wave motion shields. These shields are comparable to those deployed by Yamato, and are strong enough to stop and deflect objects of roughly the same size in head-on collisions.[10]
Ships of the Andromeda class are capable of long-distance warps, giving them operational capability well beyond the outermost fringe of the Milky Way Galaxy.[1] Warps can be performed inside planetary atmospheres. Flight within atmospheres is also possible, assisted by fixed wing-like structures on the bow. Ships can be launched vertically from ground positions on long rails.[11]
A view of AAA-01 Andromeda's bridge
Despite being the largest vessels in the UNCN fleet and having two bridge sections, Andromeda-class ships require relatively smaller crews due to an increase in automation.[2] Equipment takes up a significant portion of the main bridge, and seats are provided for only four individuals: the commanding officer’s station at the back of the bridge, the executive officer’s station immediately forward beneath the window and main viewscreen, and two support stations on the port and starboard sides, crewed by the tactical officer (who also serves as chief navigator) and the communications chief.[12] The total number of crewmembers needed to operate the ship is around 200 people.[10][13] The carrier variant has a increased number of crewmembers at about 800 people. This is likely due to the addition of pilots and maintenance personnel for onboard aircraft. In addition, their bridge are slightly modified to accommodate two operator seats. These operators are tasked with controlling the carrier strike group. This includes coordinating with the escort fleet, and controlling the ship's air force.[5]
The streamlined shape of the Andromeda-class differs from previous UNCN vessels, and incorporates elements taken from Garmillan warships.[5]
Modifications[]
A fleet of BBB Andromedas departing from the Earth in preparation for the Decisive Battle off Mars
Following the Battle of Saturn, new variants of the Andromeda-class were swiftly built and sent into combat. Chief among these was the Black-Berserk-Battalion (BBB) battleship series, operated almost entirely with automation except for a single human crew member serving as captain; life support is eliminated, forcing the captain to wear a space suit. Additional thruster nozzles are placed around the hull to give the series dramatically increased speed and maneuverability, the hull is painted black. The Andromeda, which was heavily damaged at Saturn, was mostly rebuilt according to BBB specifications and given a new registry number. Both Andromeda and the BBB series can be further enhanced by mooring Dreadnought-class Vanguard Starships to the port and starboard sides.[2][14][15]
The four Crimson-Camaraderie-Carrier Andromedas
Four Battleship-carrier Andromedas were licensed to the Greater Garmillan Empire and its fight with the Earth Federation against Gatlantis. These CCC (Crimson-Camaraderie-Carrier[16])-designated vessels carriers are essentially identical to those built for the Cosmo Navy, but are equipped with Garmillan electronics and are painted red and black with Garmillan script on the hull. Instead of Cosmo Navy fighters, launch bays are reconfigured for Garmillas fighter types. Larger support craft, such as 3 armed DBG.88 Garont planes and 8 FWG.97 Doshira Torpedo Bombers, can be moored to the external flight deck.[2][15][17]
A Garmillas Made Andromeda
In addition, a new series of “Advanced Ability Armament Advanced Stage” ships underwent development. These included the Amaterasu and Aquarius, with them, a new Garmillan variant of the Andromeda-class, the L'Andromede-class was developed. The Aquarius and Laboratory Aquarius were experimental versions of the Andromeda-class with a superstructure style similar to the Ginga. The Amaterasu was an independent assault battleship that carried an increased armament of ten turrets to carry out hit-and-run attacks. She also came equipped with a thrust point to reinforce its wave motion shields to allow the ship to ram into opponents. L'Andromede-class ships featured the same layout of a standard Cosmo Navy Andromeda, but the style of the ship such as the plating and weaponry were reminiscent of Garmillian ships such as the Gaiderol-class battleship. They were initially equipped with Reflective Satellite Cannons but these were replaced with wave motion guns.[18]
History[]
First deployement[]
First firing of an Andromeda class' wave motion gun.
Following the near-total devastation of Earth caused by the Garmillas War, the Earth Federation recognized the need to secure its position against any potentially hostile civilizations, beyond simply upgrading its existing ship designs. The Andromeda class became the first in a new and more powerful generation of warships. By equipping the class with wave motion weaponry, Earth gained a dramatic military advantage, but at the cost of breaking the treaty with Iscandar that banned such weapons. The Andromeda (AAA-01) became the first to demonstrate this military potential, by almost completely wiping out enemy Gatlantis ships in a single blast of its dispersion wave motion gun at the 8th Floating Continent Recapture Operation.[1]
Yamato and Andromeda clash
On December 8, 2202, two additional battleships and two carriers were unveiled at a public ceremony.[11] These four and Andromeda participated in a live fire exercise near Jupiter days later, alongside more than a dozen Dreadnought-class Vanguard Starships. During the exercise, Andromeda was re-routed to confront the space battleship Yamato, which had been taken on a rogue mission. Yamato was able to successfully defend herself against Andromeda‘s intense shock cannon fire, and both vessels left unharmed after a head-on collision, protected by their wave motion shields.[10]
Defending the Solar System[]
5 Andromedas during the Battle of Saturn
The five Andromeda-class ships led the Cosmo Navy’s initially successful defense against the Gatlantis Empire’s invasion at the Battle of Saturn months later, fighting back the enemy fleet until the appearance of the empire’s Ark of Destruction space fortress. The carrier Apollo Norm was sunk in an act of self-sacrifice saving the heavily damaged Andromeda.[14] Antares transported evacuees from Yamato to safety after the battle.[19] Seeking to more heavily reinforce the Cosmo Navy and to compensate for the loss of so many of its own personnel, production was stepped up considerably. The AAA Advanced Stage was created to bridge the gap between the first Andromedas and the next generation of ships, the fully-automated BBB type.[20] Additionally, 4 carriers of the CCC-series and four L'Andromède type, also known as Garmillas Made type, battleships were created and entrusted to Garmillas.[15][18][21] The shipyard was located inside a time fault, which allowed months of full-capacity manufacturing to take place in a much shorter span of time. Led by the repaired and modified Andromeda, the allies launched their next assault against the Ark of Destruction.[22]
New horizons[]
Alpheratz in operation near the eleventh planet in late 2205
Following the end of the conflict, the time fault was sacrificed and the automation of entire fleets became impossible without having to massively modify already built automated battleships. Instead, the Earth Federation adopted the Fourth Defense Plan and focused on repairing and refurbishing early Andromeda-class ships. The class was also rebranded from "Armed Vanguard Starship" to "Space Battleship", returning to the naming convention used under the United Nations.[23] One of the newly repaired Andromeda was the Alpheratz AAA-21.[24]
The debris of Andromeda-class ships.
After the Rescue Operation for Leader Desler in late 2205, the debris of at least two Andromeda-class ships (one of which named Arcturus CXCI) simingly built in the future, were found inside Autoplanet Golba by the 65th Escort Corps.[3]
Around 2207, following recurring incursions into the Earth Federation's territory by the Bolar Federation, the peaceful policy of the Cosmo Navy became threatened.[25] Numerous Andromeda-class Space Battleships are currently being developed to serve as fleet command ships.[23]
Dezariam Invasion of Earth[]
At the start of the Invasion of the Ground Reverse in October of 2207, the Alpheratz, the twenty-first Andromeda-class Battleship, encountered the Ground Reverse and was hit by its hyperon bomb, leading all of its crew members to brain death.[26] Later, the battleship was taken over by the crew of the space battleship Yamato, which used its Wave-motion Guns to hit the invisbile Dezarian battleship Grodez to smoke it out.[27]
Named Ships of the Class[]
AAA-class battleship types:[]
- Andromeda (AAA-0001-2202, later ZZZ-0001 YF-2203)
- Aldebaran (AAA-0002 2202)[28]
- Achilles (AAA-0004 2202)[28]
- Alpheratz (AAA-21)[29]
AAA-class carrier types:[]
- Apollo Norm (AAA-0003 2202)[28]
- Antares (AAA-0005 2202)[28]
AAA Advanced Stage types:[]
L'Andromède-class types:[]
- L'Andromède (AAA-009)[20]
- Vem Heidern (AAA-010)[20]
- Dels Gardola (AAA-011)[20]
- Zeylagion[18]
Black-Berserk-Battalion types:[]
- Andromeda Black (BBB)[2]
Crimson-Camaraderie-Carrier types:[]
- Neu Balgray (CCC-1-2203)[2]
- Neu Lamvea[2]
- Neu Schderg[2]
- Neu Darold (CCC-4-2203)[2]
Dezariam-controlled ships:[]
- Arcturus CXCI (AAA-9207-2339)[3]
- Other unknown Andromeda Class ship[3]
Gallery[]
Behind the scenes[]
Given the extreme perspective used to draw Andromeda in the original Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato and Space Battleship Yamato 2, the balance of details in the Space Battleship Yamato 2202 version of the design needed to be changed to maintain the same feeling of the original version in a 3D model. During 2202's, designer Junichiro Tamamori specifically asked director Nobuyoshi Habara whether he was aiming for a 3D-view drawing or a recreation of the original perspective drawing, and he chose the latter. For this reason, the Wave-motion Gun muzzle is sloped when viewed from the side. This is because, in the old design, the weapon line in the bottom view was thicker than in the top view.[30][31]
To emphasize the differences between the various countries of the Earth, the imperial system is used instead of the metric system for detailed measuring, such as the spacing between panel lines.
Writer Harutoshi Fukui stated he portrayed Andromeda with an emphasis on "dreadfulness" and "scariness" instead of "coolness".[32]
Notes[]
- Almost all Andromeda class ships operated by the UNCF are named after different stars and constellations, with some exceptions such as the Apollo Norm, Achilles, Amaterasu, the BBB Andromeda line, and the ships under the control of the Greater Garmillan Empire.
- The term 宇宙 (uchū) in the Andromeda-class's original designation is usually translated as "Cosmo" or "Space", however the official English designation for the Andromeda-class present in the Space battleship Yamato 2202 Complete Works translates 宇宙艦 (uchū-kan) with "starship".[33]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "AD 2202 - Revive, Space Battleship Yamato”
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 2.26 Official Space Battleship Yamato 2202 website data on Andromeda and Andromeda-class ships
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Hello, Sasha"
- ↑ "The Era of Space Battleship Yamato: Choice of 2202"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Andromeda class taken from Hachette Collections Japan magazine
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Space Battleship Yamato 2202 Complete Works Vol.1 pp.6-8
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2202 Complete Works Vol.2 p.10
- ↑ Document Andromeda 2202 DX
- ↑ U.N.C.F. AAA-class DX bandai model kit
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 “Clash! Yamato vs. Andromeda”
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 “Tension – Reach the Embassy on the Moon”
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2202 Newspaper p. 7 on Sankei Sports Special Edition March 24, 2017
- ↑ Interview with director Nobuyoshi Habara on V-STORAGE online
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 “Yamato in Crisis - The Devil's Alternative Once More”
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 “Escape from the Nightmare!"
- ↑ Twitter post from Assistant Director Makoto Kobayashi, February 19, 2018
- ↑ “Yamato, Attack the Comet Empire!"
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 All about L'Andromede
- ↑ “Heir to the Yamato, Her Name is Ginga”
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.5 20.6 Andromeda DX book
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2202 Complete Works Vol.2 p.17
- ↑ “Heir to the Yamato, Her Name is Ginga”
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 starblazers-yamato MECHANIC Be Forever Yamato: REBEL 3199 entry for Alpheratz
- ↑ "Yamato! A New Departure!!"
- ↑ starblazers-yamato MECHANIC Be Forever Yamato: REBEL 3199 entry for Hyuga
- ↑ "Begin the Secret Operation! Head for the New Yamato!"
- ↑ "Fierce Clash! Destroy the Invisible Battleship!"
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 Names and registry numbers visible on ship hulls in "Tension – Reach the Embassy on the Moon"
- ↑ 2205 mecha guide
- ↑ Model Graphics March 2017 Vol. 388 p. 80.
- ↑ Interview with Junichiro Tamamori on Model Graphics June 2017 issue Vol. 391 pp. 12-13.
- ↑ Monthly New Type March 2017 p. 113.
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2202 Complete Works Vol.1 p.86
Japanese language information[]
- アンドロメダ級 Andoromeda-kyū (andromeda-class)
- 前衛武装宇宙艦 Zen'ei busō uchū-kan (armed vanunguard starship)
- アンドロメダ級宇宙戦艦 Andoromeda-kyū uchū senkan (andromeda-class space battleship)