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[]
The first appearance of Kirishima as depicted by conceptual advisor Junichiro Tamamori
Early history[]
Kirishima entered service in 2071 as one of the first battleships of the UNCN[6], the ship originally had a grey paintjob. Like all original UNCN ships it was developed using reverse engineered technology from the Mars Autonomous Government Space Navy[6]
It was later refitted during the Inner Planetary Wars adding a new turret, a bridge unit and weaponry identical to that of the Murasame-class and its iconic red, white and yellow paintjob.[7]
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 was further modified by mounting the main bridge over a turret.[8] This was done in order to increase firing efficiency, since the modification centralized the process of acquiring targets, aiming and firing.[9]
In April, he 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 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 tactical officer, the UNCN was able to halt the Great Garmillas Empire's advance towards Earth.[10] Kirishima underwent successive repairs utilizing salvaged Garmillas technology, giving the ship a Migobueza coating.[11] 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]
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".[12] Shortly after the sendoff, the ship traveled to the Moon to rescue a Cosmo Marine battalion that had come under Garmillas attack.[13]
2202[]
The Kirishima, in December 2202.
In 2202,[4] the Kirishima was decommissioned and stored underwater with its guns' ports sealed. The ship was reactivated by Yamato crew members during the Yamato Revolt. They used the Kirishima to deploy boats and reach the underground dock from where Yamato was preparing to take off.[14]
Notable Crew[]
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.
- The ship's original name Hero was taken from a novelisation of the original Space Battleship Yamato where Okita's ship was named that way
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 The Era of Space Battleship Yamato: Choice of 2202
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Messenger of Iscandar"
- ↑ "Departure to the Unknown!"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "The Era of Space Battleship Yamato: Choice of 2202" Blue ray booklet p.16
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 yamato 2199 mecha data
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "The Era of Space Battleship Yamato: Choice of 2202"
- ↑ Rough draft by Junichiro Tamamori
- ↑ "A World I Once Saw"
- ↑ Hyper Hobby June 2013
- ↑ "Memories of the Blue Planet"
- ↑ Great Mechanics DX magazine #23
- ↑ Escape from the Jupiter Sphere
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark
- ↑ Departure to the Unknown!