Chicago-class

The Eurymedon-class cruiser is the Earth Federation's primary cruiser line in Mobile Suit Gundam Alpha.

Appearance
This one's based on the refitted Clop-class cruiser from Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn. Aside from the change in color scheme to standard grey and dark blue, as well as an overall sleeker design, there isn't really much other difference.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
Essentially a scaled down version of the Actium-class battlecruiser, the Eurymedon-class was designed to be the newest backbone of the Earth Federation Star Force. Well armed, it possesses two dual beam cannons, sixteen dual beam phalanx and twelve internal missile launchers, granting enough firepower to take on virtually any modern cruiser class. The Eurymedon-class also sports six engines, granting it exceptional mobility as well, and one mobile suit hangar and catapult. It could carry up to six mobile suits in said hangar.

Armaments

 * Mark XXIV Dual Beam Cannon
 * Main armament. As one can see from the name, these cannons are more powerful than standard beam weapons, such that they hold enough destructive force to obliterate an enemy cruiser in a single barrage. Alongside, that same power also allows them to be used against targets well beyond visual range. However, this is offset by their slower rate of fire, which makes them highly ineffective in the point defense role. As a special note, though the Eurymedon-class only carries two beam cannon turrets, they are powerful enough to destroy or heavily damage any opposition the Eurymedon is expected to face.


 * Mark XXIII Dual Beam Phalanx
 * Secondary armament. While far less powerful than beam cannons, these smaller guns have a greater rate of fire, making them especially suited for point defense against enemy mobile suits, missiles and other small craft, as well as against other warships at close-ranges. The Eurymedon-class in particular carriers sixteen of these around its hull.


 * Mark XXVII Missile Launcher
 * Secondary armament. The Eurymedon-class carries twelve missile tubes in its bow, allowing it to enact full on missile barrages against enemy fleets. As well, these tubes can hold and launch a wide number of missile types, from standard high explosive weapons to beam diffusion warheads to even nuclear missiles. Its targeting system is also particularly advanced, such that very few unit types are able to evade a lock on.

System Features

 * Mk. IX Warp Drive
 * The Eurymedon-class carries a Mk. IX rated warp drive, one of the higher rated, thereby allowing it to travel along entire stellar routes in only a matter of days' time.

History
The workhorse of Star Force. Designed and manufactured several years before the First Galactic War as a cruiser derivative of the larger Actium-class battlecruiser, the Eurymedon-class cruiser has now become the most commonly seen ship in the Earth Federation space fleets. By the time the war had begun, the Federal Forces already had thousands of these ships in operation and ready to meet the Zeon onslaught with equal force.

Designed to be a jack of all trades, the Eurymedon-class was capable of performing any kind of given role, such as long-range patrolling, homeworld and star system defense, interdiction, commerce raiding, deep infiltration into enemy territory and of course full on assaults against enemy fleets and fortifications. For whatever role they may perform, these ships were armed with twin beam cannons for long-range bombardments, sixteen beam phalanx for point-defense and twelve missile launchers for heavy duty firepower. As well, these ships were equipped with hangars and catapult decks for mobile suits, of which it could carry six (two teams) at a time.

At the beginning of the First Galactic War, the Eurymedon-class suffered heavy casualties due to the combination of the Zeon's surprise attacks and, as with many other Federation units, the superiority of Zeon mobile suits. Though the Eurymedon-class possessed enough firepower to ward off enemy capital ships, its onboard Guncannons were inadequate against Imperial Zakus; as such Zeon units would have no trouble breaking through the cruisers' defense lines. For this and a combination of other reasons, fleet commanders would deploy Eurymedons in large numbers to make up for their weaknesses, usually in tight formations in order to coordinate their firepower and mobile suit units. Later on however, with the deployment of the new GM series of mobile suit, Eurymedons were more capable of warding off Zeon attacks, and as such were often deployed deeper into enemy territory than ever before. Although the Eurymedon-class would suffer even more causalities throughout the remainder of the war, they proved to be greatly effective ships, and so the Federation would continue to service them for many years to come.

The Eurymedon-class was named after the Eurymedon River and the two battles that were fought there: one between the Delian League and the Achaemenid Empire in 466 BC, and the other between the Roman Republic and the Seleucid Empire in 190 BC.