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This article is about the Kirishima as depicted in Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199. For its counterpart in the original Space Battleship Yamato, see Okita's Ship.



The Kirishima (BBS-555) (きりしま, Kirishima) is the decommissioned fifth Kongo-class Space Battleship, that served as the flagship of the First Fleet of the United Nations Cosmo Navy at the end of the twenty-second century. Under the command of fleet commander Admiral Juzo Okita and captained by Osamu Yamanami, it was the only UNCN vessel to survive the First Battle of Pluto.

History[]

Early history[]

AU Ship series Kirishima

The Kirishima as a ship of the AU ship series

Kirishima entered service in 2071 as one of the first battleships of the United Nations Cosmo Navy,[6] the ship was originally classified as a battlecruiser of the AU ship series, and had a grey paintjob.[7]

It was soon refitted into a Kongo-class Space Battleship, with the addition of a new turret, a bridge unit, and weaponry identical to that of the Murasame-class. It also received a red, yellow and white paintjob. In this shape, it saw its first deployements during the Inner Planetary Wars.[6][7][8]

The Garmillas War[]

Following the Inner Planetary Wars, the battleship became the flagship of the Japanese Fleet of the UNCN under the command of Admiral Okita, by April 2191. it had been further modified by mounting the main bridge over a turret.[9] This was done in order to increase firing efficiency, since the modification centralized the process of acquiring targets, aiming and firing.[10]

In April, the battleship was sent together with its fleet to intercept alien forces which had entered the solar system. The situation escalated into a battle between the Japanese fleet and the aliens, which lead to the start of the Great Garmillas War.[6]

Kirishima direct hit Operation M

Kirishima during Operation M

The vessel also took part in the first[6] and second Battles of Mars. Under the command of Okita, and with Mamoru Kodai as the artillery chief, the UNCN was able to halt the Great Garmillas Empire's advance towards Earth.[11] Kirishima underwent successive repairs utilizing salvaged Garmillas technology, giving the ship a Migobueza coating.[12] By January 17, 2199, the Kirishima became the flagship of the UNCN and led the disastrous First Battle of Pluto (also known as Operation M) in which it was the only survivor. Three weeks later, the ship picked up Lieutenants Susumu Kodai and Daisuke Shima from Mars, bringing with them a wave motion core delivered by the late Sasha Iscandar.[2]

HijikataKirishimaSalute

The Kirishima crew salutes the Yamato

After landing on Earth and the announcement of the Yamato's departure, the ship was given to Admiral Ryu Hijikata. Still bearing some of the scars of Operation M, Kirishima briefly rendezvoused with the new space battleship Yamato in orbit as Yamato left for the planet Iscandar. The crew saluted Yamato and transmitted, "We pray for your safe return".[13] Shortly after the sendoff, the ship traveled to the Moon to rescue a Cosmo Marine battalion that had come under Garmillas attack.[14]

2202[]

Kirishima2202

The Kirishima, in December 2202.

In 2202,[4] the Kirishima was decommissioned and stored at the Bōsō District spaceport with its guns' ports sealed. The ship was reactivated by Hajime Hirata, Yamato's Chief Accountant who had been stationed at the same facility, to aid his fellow crew members during the Yamato Revolt.[15] The group used the Kirishima to deploy boats and reach the underground dock from where Yamato was preparing to take off.[16]

Notable Crew[]

Manga[]

In the manga, the Kirishima was deployed during Yamato's launch in an attempt to divert an incoming interplanetary ballistic missile, using both its beam cannons and missile armaments. Despite initially altering the course of the missile, the attempt was rendered useless by the missile's engines re-aligning its course.[17]

Gallery[]

Notes[]

  • In the original Space Battleship Yamato, the counterpart of Kirishima was not given an official name.
  • The ship may have been named after the Imperial Japanese Navy battleship Kirishima, one of the IJN's four Kongō class warships launched before World War I and serving through World War II. It may also have been named after Mount Kirishima, an active volcano in southern Kyushu.

References[]

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