The Andromeda-class is a United Nations Cosmo Navy warship class. Designated as Advanced Armament Ability (AAA) ships, the class shares its name with Andromeda, the first of its kind to enter service. 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 represents the Earth Federation's policy of developing a robust response to future alien threats.
Armament and Technical Specifications
Andromeda-class ships are the most heavily armed vessels in the Cosmo Navy fleet when they enter service in 2202. Their most prominent and devastating weapon is the dual barrel wave motion gun 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 volume of space, and not just single large objects ("AD 2202 - Revive, Space Battleship Yamato"). For more conventional combat, battleship types 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 Yamato's shock cannons but capable of firing at a much faster rate[1] ("Clash! Yamato Versus Andromeda").
A modified 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 onto 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] ("Clash! Yamato Versus Andromeda").
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 ("Clash! Yamato Versus Andromeda").
Forward side view of Andromeda AAA-01.
Ships of the Andromeda class are capable of long-distance warp flights, giving them operational capability well beyond the outermost fringe of the Milky Way Galaxy ("AD 2202 - Revive, Space Battleship Yamato"). Warps can be performed inside planetary atmospheres. Flight within atmospheres is also possible, assisted by fixed wing-like structures on the forward bow. Ships can be launched vertically from ground positions on long rails ("Tension – Reach the Embassy on the Moon").
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 ("Clash! Yamato Versus Andromeda").
History
First firing of an Andromeda class' wave motion gun.
Following the near-total devastation of Earth caused by the Garmillas-Earth 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 Battle of the Eighth Floating Continent ("AD 2202 - Revive, Space Battleship Yamato").
On December 8, 2202, four additional Andromeda-class vessels were unveiled at a public ceremony ("Tension – Reach the Embassy on the Moon"). All five ships participated in a live fire exercise near Jupiter days later, alongside more than a dozen Dreadnought-class battleships. During the exercise, Andromeda was dispatched to confront the space battleship Yamato, which had been taken on a rogue mission. Yamato was able to successfully defend itself against Andromeda's intense shock cannon fire, and both vessels left unharmed after a head-on collision, protected by their wave motion shields ("Clash! Yamato Versus Andromeda")
Ships of the Class
Battleship types:
- Andromeda (AAA-01)
- Aldebaran (AAA-02)
- Achilles (AAA-04)
Carrier types:
- Apollo Norm (AAA-03)
- Antares (AAA-05)
Unfinished sixth and seventh vessels in the dimensional time fault shipyard ("Impact--Legacy of the Cosmo Reverser")
Gallery
Notes and References
Japanese language information
アンドロメダ級 Andoromeda-kyū