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The Andromeda-class Space Battleship is an Earth Federation Cosmo Navy ship class. Initially designated as Advanced Ability Armament (AAA) ships, the class is named after Andromeda, its lead ship. Originally classified as an Armed Vanguard Spaceship,[4] 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 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.

Initially, the Andromeda-class spearheaded the E.F.'s attempts at creating a fully automated space naby, but following the abandonement of the time fault and the implementation of the Fourth National 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[]

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.[2] 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 positron shock cannon turrets, somewhat smaller than Yamatos shock cannons but capable of firing at a much higher rate.[1][6]

A carrier variant of the Andromeda class sacrifices some conventional weaponry to accommodate up to one hundred eighty Cosmo Falcon fighters, Cosmo Tiger II fighters, or a mix of the two. Fighters are catapulted from four rows of launch and landing bays on a large flat top superstructure mounted on the back of the bridge tower, with each row capable of launching six fighters at a time; a similar series of bays is mounted on starboard and port side bulges in the main hull. At full capacity, twenty-four fighters can be launched at one time from each side, allowing the carriers to rapidly deploy a complete fighter force.[1][6]

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.[6]

Andromeda 2202 port forward

Forward side view of Andromeda AAA-01.

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.[2] 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.[7]

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.[1] 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.[8] The total number of crewmembers needed to operate the ship is around 200 people.[6][9]

Modifications[]

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 battleships to the port and starboard sides.[1][10][11]

At least four carrier-type Andromedas were licensed to the Great Garmillas Empire and its fight with the Earth Federation against Gatlantis. These CCC (Crimson Camaraderie Carrier[12])-designated 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.[1][11][13]

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 reflection satellite cannons but these were replaced with wave motion guns.[14]

History[]

First deployement[]

Dispersion wave motion blast Eighth Floating Continent

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.[2]

On December 8, 2202, two additional battleships and two carriers were unveiled at a public ceremony.[7] These four and Andromeda participated in a live fire exercise near Jupiter days later, alongside more than a dozen Dreadnought-class battleships. 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.[6]

Defending the Solar System[]

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.[10] Antares transported evacuees from Yamato to safety after the battle.[15] 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.[16] 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.[11][17][18] 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.[19]

New horizons[]

At least one Andromeda-class ship, Alpheratz (AAA-21), survived the Gatlantis War.[20] Following the end of the conflict, the time fault was sacrificed and the automation of entire fleets became impossible withous having to massively modify already built automated battleships. Instead, the Earth Federation adopted the Fourth National Defense Plan and focused on repairing and refurbishing early Andromeda-class ships. The class was also rebranded from "Armed Vanguard Spaceship" to "Space Battleship", returning to the naming convention used under the United Nations.[21]

Arcturus CXCI 01

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 Gorba by the 65th Escort Corps.[22]

Named Ships of the Class[]

Battleship types:[]

Carrier types:[]

AAA Advanced stage types:[]

L'Andromede types:[]

Black Berserk Battalion types:[]

Crimson Camraderie Carrier types:[]

Dezarium-controlled ships:[]

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.[25][26]

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".[27]

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 Great Garmillas Empire.

References[]

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 Official Space Battleship Yamato 2202 website data on Andromeda and Andromeda-class ships
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "AD 2202 - Revive, Space Battleship Yamato
  3. "The Era of Space Battleship Yamato: Choice of 2202"
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Space Battleship Yamato 2202 Complete Works Vol.1 pp.6-8
  5. Document Andromeda 2202 DX
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Clash! Yamato vs. Andromeda
  7. 7.0 7.1 Tension – Reach the Embassy on the Moon
  8. Space Battleship Yamato 2202 Newspaper p. 7 on Sankei Sports Special Edition March 24, 2017
  9. Interview with director Nobuyoshi Habara on V-STORAGE online
  10. 10.0 10.1 Yamato in Crisis - The Devil's Alternative Once More
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 Escape from the Nightmare!"
  12. Twitter post from Assistant Director Makoto Kobayashi, February 19, 2018
  13. Yamato, Attack the Comet Empire!"
  14. 14.0 14.1 All about L'Andromede
  15. Heir to the Yamato, Her Name is Ginga
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 Andromeda DX book
  17. All about L'Andromede
  18. Space Battleship Yamato 2202 Complete Works Vol.2 p.17
  19. Heir to the Yamato, Her Name is Ginga
  20. "Yamato! A New Departure!!"
  21. starblazers-yamato MECHANIC Be Forever Yamato: REBEL 3199 entry for Alpheratz
  22. 22.0 22.1 "Hello, Sasha"
  23. 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 Names and registry numbers visible on ship hulls in "Tension – Reach the Embassy on the Moon"
  24. 2205 mecha guide
  25. Model Graphics March 2017 Vol. 388 p. 80.
  26. Interview with Junichiro Tamamori on Model Graphics June 2017 issue Vol. 391 pp. 12-13.
  27. Monthly New Type March 2017 p. 113.

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 spaceship)
  • アンドロメダ級宇宙戦艦 Andoromeda-kyū uchū senkan (andromeda-class space battleship)
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