Atlas-class

General and Technical Data

 * Class: Atlas Class
 * Ships of the line: Atlas, Oceanus, Hyperion, Coeus, Cronus, Crius, Iapetus, Helios, Selene, Eos, Leto, Asteria, Astraios, Pallas, Perses, Prometheus, Epimetheus, Menoetius, Metis, Themis, Rhea, Tethys, Theia, Phoebe (Atlas Main Class) Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Amaterasu (Zeus Sub-Class) Gorgon, Cerberus, Gigantes, Hydra, Chimera, Minotar, Charybdis, Manticore (Gorgon Class)
 * Unit type: Battleship
 * Classification: BB
 * Manufacturer: Vulcan Shipyards
 * Operator(s): Atlantic Federation – Federal Space Forces; Republic of East Asia – Republican Space Defense Forces; Earth Alliance – Combined Orbital Fleet,
 * First deployment: April 25, CE60
 * Dimensions: 395 Meters Long
 * Wingspan: 170 Meters Wide
 * Weight: 89,220 Metric Tons (98,225 Metric Tons, fully loaded)
 * Propulsion: Three Banks of Three Thermonuclear Engines
 * Equipment and design features: sensors, range unknown; 2 x flare launchers; Type I-A1 Laminated Armor, with double 10 inch layers of titanium armor underneath
 * Fixed armaments: 6 x Type IX 225cm High-Energy Duel-Barrel Beam Cannons; 8 x Type VII-B 120cm High-Energy Single-Barrel Beam Cannons; 3 x Twelve-Tube Missile Launchers, one on the back of the command tower, and the other two on either side of the tower; 12 x Torpedo Launchers; 14 x Type IV-C 45mm 40mm Anti-Air Machine Cannons
 * Mobile weapons: 10
 * Launch catapults: One

Technical and Historical Notes
Measuring at three hundred ninety five meters long, the Atlas Class Battleship was the largest military ship to be built for many years, till the introduction of the Archangel Class ship during the Bloody Valentine War. Built by the Vulcan Yards before they where annexed and taken over by the Atlantic Federation in early CE68. It is one of the first ships to be equipped with new high energy beam cannons which form the majority of the armament of this ship. To this day the Atlas Class Battleship is still one of most powerful, and strongest class of warships ever to be produced in the Earth Sphere.

The Atlas Class Battleship was designed by a combined effort of Vulcan Yards, a noted ship developer for the Federal Space Forces in the past, and a team drawn from the Atlantic Federation. This new design was to be the main battleship of the FSF for several years, and was designed to the largest and most powerful ship of its time. The designers would give this new battleship several new weapons, not seen on any past space warship. The main weapon of the battleship would be the new Type IX 225cm High-Energy Duel-Barrel Beam Cannon, which later see the development of the “Gottfried” Cannon, a high energy beam cannon design developed almost entirely by the team from the Federation, next its supporting weapons would be eight single beam cannons. The new battleship would sport six main beam cannon turrets, and eight smaller supporting turrets. Finishing up the ships main weapons would be three twelve-tube missile launchers, and twelve torpedo tubes giving the battleship some heavy long-range firepower to add to its heavy weapons. The battleship would then sport fourteen anti-air machine cannons to protect the ship from attacking mobile armors, or aging space fighters. The armor of the battleship sports two layers of 10-inch titanium armor making it tough and durable compared to opposing designs. Later during the Bloody Valentine War, the remaining Battleships would receive a newly designed Laminated Armor on top of its regular armor making it even more superior then ever before.

Unlike previous designs by Vulcan, the new battleship would sport a hanger so it can carry its own mobile armors. This hanger is located along the front-ventral section of the ship and is equipped with a electromagnetic catapult which would be upgraded to a full linear catapult during its first refit. The hanger is able to fully support ten mobile armors, about two or three less theb a fleet carrier’s capacity but still allows the battleship to carry its own mobile armor screen. While being about ten years old by the time of the Bloody Valentine War, it is still one tough ship to fight. Many of these ships would be used by the newly organized Earth Alliance Combined Orbital Fleet during the war, and would go toe-to-toe with enemy ZAFT ships often with good results. One major action during the war that the Atlas Class Battleship prove its worth and made it into a legend by itself would be the nine-day long Battle of Nova were about sixty percent of the ZAFT fleet would be damaged or destroyed by Atlas Class Battleships alone. It is thanks to East Asian Admiral Hirato Yamaguchi properly supporting his battleships that made the Battle of Nova such a limited success for the Earth Alliance. Even then ZAFT managed to win the day in the end and Admiral Yamaguchi retired in disgrace, but ZAFT losses were still heavy and gave the Alliance a few months of uninterrupted peace to start developing their own mobile suits to counter ZAFTs. However the Battle of Nova showed that even being over a decade old the Atlas Class could still fight with the best of them given the proper support. As shown with nine of the twelve Atlas class battleships at the battle surviving, including Admiral Yamaguchi's flagship the EAS Amaterasu thanks in part to a large escort of Drake Class Escorts and Halsey Class Tactical Destroyers.

After the Battle of Nova, a few in the Alliance Admiralty wanted to finally retire the old Atlas Class Battleship, but thanks in part to others in the Admiralty the battleships would be kept in service due to how well they managed to do in the battles so far. Even then during the downtime after Nova, the remaining ships of the class would receive a much needed refit. This refit would give the battleships far tougher armor, adding the newly developed Laminated Armor System on top of its already durable armor and updating both its close-in weapons and missile launchers. This refit would make the Atlas Class battleships far more lethal, better than ever before.

All in all the Atlas Class is a lethal and tough ship of war one that goes to serve in the Earth Alliance all the way through the Bloody Valentine War and through the Second War as well. While it is old it is still one of the more powerful ships of war in service and is a legend onto itself.

Notable Ships and Crew
EAS Amaterasu (Fleet Captain Geero Shiin)

The Amaerasu the last of the Zeus Sub-Class Command Battleships, was the flagship of Admiral Hirato Yamaguchi during the Battle of Nova, and would later become the flagship of the remaining Republic of East Asia Space Fleet. During the Battle of Nova this ship alone would destroy seven Laurasia Class ships, and twenty mobile suits over the course of the battle.

AFS Zeus (Fleet Captain Gerald Wilson)

The Zeus would be the first of the dedicated Zeus Class Command Battleships, and would see it becoming the Flagship of the Earth Allaince First Fleet for much of the war often becoming one of the few ships to survive some of the earlier battles of the war. By the time of the Second Battle of Jachin Due it become the flagship for the entire operation and end up destroyed by the first Genesis Cannon shot.

Miscellaneous Information

 * Variants/Subclasses: 4
 * Zeus Sub-Class, a variant of the main class that gives the battleship dedicated fleet command capabilities. Only four ever produced due to plans to develop a dedicated flagship design which would evolve into the Agamemnon Class Flagship. One of the most famous of this class would be the East Asian registered Amaterasu which lead the Fifth Orbital Fleet and its supporting forces during the Battle of Nova.
 * Atlas (refit), the first refit of the class during the downtime that happens after the end of the Battle of Nova. Gives the class Laminated Armor, and upgrades some of its weapons. A second refit is added before the Earth Allaince’s new Space Offensive and adds various new additions of the Gorgon Class including equipment needed to carry mobile suits.
 * Gorgon Sub-Class, a new sub-class built during the build-up to Operation Elvis updates the ships hanger to be able to carry and support mobile suits. The hull is also extended to fit in a larger hanger allowing ships of this class to carry twelve mobile suits. Eight ships built during the build-up and are assigned to the Heavy Assault Groups of the Alliance Fleet which along with the Mobile Assault Groups made up the Fleet’s armored fist.
 * Atlas Kai Class, a newly developed version of the battleship during the Second War which allows the class to extend its life-span another several years. Also sports the extended hanger of the Gorgon Class.
 * Design Notes: Originally the Atlas Class was to be an old aging design for the Federal Space Forces, while it is still a bit old in this version; still having it being retained by the Alliance throughout the war due to how powerful I am making it. Original was also based on the Magellan Class battleship from UC Gundam, but this new one is being based on the newer Birmingham Class Battleship from Gundam 0083.