Archangel

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Archangel
Original Name	大天使号
Alias(es)	“Legged Ship” (ZAFT designation) 220
Affiliation	Earth Alliance (formerly); later operates alongside Orb, the Dominion, and the Kusanagi after the crew breaks with the Alliance 401 557
Occupation/Role	Archangel-class assault mobile special-purpose warship and mobile-suit carrier
Status	Active; undergoing replenishment and repairs with allied ships amid spaceborne debris 736
First Appearance	12

Design and Capabilities

The Archangel is a white, high-performance warship developed through the G Project alongside the Strike Gundam and Blaze Gundam. Brigadier General Halberton was among the key figures responsible for its development. 86

• Mobile-suit operations — Carries mobile suits and launch craft through twin forward catapult decks; its hangar supports repairs, equipment changes, and sortie preparation. 333 508
• Striker support — Can supply the Strike Gundam with external power for sustained Launcher Striker fire and carry Skygraspers capable of transporting or operating Striker Packs. 105 221
• Atmospheric and space operations — Operates in space, atmospheric flight, maritime combat, and emergency ground landings. 97 105 465
• Laminated armor — Withstands heavy beam and conventional bombardment, but sustained fire strips armor, overloads cooling systems, and can compromise propulsion. 159 196 199
• Exceptional handling — Helmsman Arnold Neumann repeatedly performs extreme evasive maneuvers, including a high-speed sea “drift” against a missile barrage. 351

Armaments and Defensive Systems

System	Function
Gottfried Mk-71 225 cm High-Energy Convergent Beam Cannons	Twin main beam cannons mounted along the hull; used against warships and mobile suits. 159 629
Lohengrin Positron Blasters	Heavy positron cannons concealed behind bow armor; capable of severely damaging a Nazca-class battleship. 33
Valiant Beam Cannons	Beam armament prepared during space operations. 619
Hedgehog Array / Igelstellung 75 mm CIWS	Automatic close-in defense turrets used to intercept missiles and approaching mobile suits. 351 629
Hell Dart Anti-Air Missiles	Anti-missile interceptors launched alongside the Hedgehog Array. 629
Korinthos M11 Missiles	Can be deployed in Autonomous Control Mode B as concealed missile traps. 630
Vombat Missiles and anti-beam depth charges	Defensive ordnance prepared during naval engagements. 236
Variant, Eggsdust, and Herald turrets	Additional intercept weapons deployed against atmospheric mobile suits. 173
ECM and smoke grenades	Conceal the ship and its mobile suits from visual and radar targeting; proved effective alongside Neutron Jammer interference. 221

Command and Crew

• Captain Murrue Ramius — Commands the Archangel through its flight from Heliopolis, its break with the Earth Alliance, and later operations with Orb-aligned forces. 23 401
• Lieutenant Natarle Badgiruel — Former executive officer whose tactical precision and strict discipline are central to the ship’s combat operations; later transfers to command the Dominion. 159 557
• Arnold Neumann — Helmsman noted for extraordinary evasive maneuvers and efforts to keep the damaged ship operational. 160 351
• Mu La Flaga — Veteran pilot and field leader who repeatedly sorties to defend the ship in Moebius Zero, Skygrasper, and Strike Gundam. 28 161 620
• Heliopolis survivors and civilian personnel — Much of the crew begins as inexperienced civilians or irregular personnel, forced into military responsibilities after Heliopolis. 23 87

History

Escape from Heliopolis

The Archangel departs Heliopolis without proper registration, identification codes, or its intended resupply. Hidden by the colony’s debris field, it cannot locate pursuing ZAFT forces, but also lacks fuel, ammunition, food, and medical supplies. The bridge determines that Artemis Fortress is its only practical destination. 23

At Artemis, the Eurasian Federation detains and investigates the crew, seeking information on the ship’s new mobile suits and their personnel. The fortress’s hostility, combined with the anticipated ZAFT infiltration, turns the attempted resupply into another escape crisis. 36 41

Eighth Fleet and the Descent to Earth

The ship reunites with the Earth Alliance Eighth Fleet and docks beside its flagship, the Menelaus. Halberton’s personal visit reflects both the Archangel’s strategic importance and his attachment to the G Project technology. 86

The Archangel later endures repeated ZAFT attacks while attempting atmospheric entry. It reaches northern Africa at 29°N, 18°E—inside ZAFT-controlled territory—and becomes embroiled in Andrew Waltfeld’s desert campaign. 97 105

During the desert battle, the ship is struck, loses most of its power, and crashes into an abandoned factory complex. Immobilized by the ruins and bombarded by the Lesseps, escort vessels, Buster Gundam, and Blitz Gundam, it survives only through desperate defense and Mu’s counterattack. 159 160 161

Orb and Alaska

After further naval combat, the heavily damaged Archangel is rescued by Orb and guided into a concealed military–Morgenroete dock inaccessible to satellite detection. 199 200

Leaving Orb for Alaska, it is ambushed by Athrun Zala’s unit and suffers severe combat damage before eventually reaching JOSH-A’s underground docks. 220 236 278

JOSH-A soon comes under attack. The Archangel sorties to defend the base, then escapes after Mu reveals that the Cyclops System is set to annihilate everything within a ten-kilometer radius. 333 342 351

Break with the Earth Alliance

Following Alaska, the crew concludes that returning to Earth Alliance control would result in court-martial and execution, having been treated as expendable pawns. The Archangel rejects further Alliance loyalty and seeks refuge in Orb. 401

It subsequently becomes part of a three-ship force with the Orb Kusanagi and the Archangel-class Dominion. 557

Space Operations

The Archangel, Dominion, and Kusanagi travel from Orb to Heavenly Pillar, where all three vessels dock at House Sahak’s orbital base. 572

During later space engagements, the Archangel fights alongside the Dominion against Earth Alliance formations, relying on its main guns, close-defense systems, and escorting mobile suits to survive massed attacks. 629 630

Notable Engagements

• Artemis Fortress escape — Escapes a hostile Eurasian Federation detention and ZAFT attack. 36 41
• Eighth Fleet battles — Defends allied fleet elements while facing the Creuset Team’s Gundams. 56 97
• Battle against Waltfeld’s forces — Survives a desert ambush, bombardment, and entrapment in factory ruins. 159 160 161
• Orb territorial battle — Reaches Orb after losing engines and altitude under sustained Gundam attack. 196 199 200
• Battle of JOSH-A — Sorties during the attack on Alaska and escapes the Cyclops System’s destruction zone. 333 342 351
• Earth Forces pursuit — Fights in coordinated operations with the Dominion and Orb forces against Earth Alliance fleets and mobile-suit swarms. 620 629 630