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Aqua Verde

Disguised civilian transport ship used by the Principality of Zeon.
Jenxi Seow Published 24 Jun 2025 Updated 24 Jun 2025
*Aqua Verde*

The Aqua Verde was a disguised civilian transport ship used by the Principality of Zeon during Operation Rubicon in December UC 0079. The vessel played a crucial role in the Cyclops Team’s infiltration of Side 6’s Libot Colony.

History

Operation Rubicon

In December UC 0079, the Cyclops Team was tasked with infiltrating Side 6’s Libot Colony on a mission to capture or destroy the Earth Federation Forces’ secretly developed RX-78NT-1 Gundam NT-1 Alex. The mission required a covert approach due to Side 6’s neutral status in the One Year War.

To accomplish this infiltration, team member Bernard Wiseman piloted the Aqua Verde with a corpse serving as his co-pilot as part of an elaborate ruse. The plan was designed to create the impression of a Zeon attack on the ship, allowing Wiseman to appear as a refugee or survivor rather than an infiltrator.

Cargo mission

The Aqua Verde’s cargo containers held the disassembled components of the MS-18E Kämpfer, which was later assembled in secret in a warehouse within the colony. This arrangement allowed Zeon forces to introduce a powerful mobile suit into the neutral colony without detection during the initial infiltration phase.

The use of a civilian transport ship was critical to the mission’s success, as military vessels would have attracted unwanted attention from both Federation and colonial authorities. The Aqua Verde’s civilian appearance provided the perfect cover for the covert operation.

Design

The Aqua Verde was based on a standard civilian transport ship design, modified only minimally to serve its covert purpose. The vessel maintained all the external characteristics of a typical civilian cargo hauler to avoid suspicion during routine inspections or encounters with patrol vessels.

Cargo capacity

The ship’s cargo containers were configured to transport the disassembled components of a mobile suit whilst maintaining the appearance of standard civilian freight. This required careful planning to ensure that the mobile suit parts could be concealed within normal cargo configurations.

Crew accommodation

The vessel was designed for a standard crew of two: a pilot and co-pilot. For the infiltration mission, the arrangement was modified with Bernard Wiseman serving as the pilot whilst a corpse was positioned as the co-pilot to support the cover story of a Zeon attack on the vessel.

Ships and captains

Behind the scenes

Yutaka Izubuchi was the original mechanical designer for the Aqua Verde. The ship’s design reflected the practical needs of covert operations whilst maintaining the realistic aesthetic that characterised Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket.

The vessel’s name, “Aqua Verde” (Spanish/Italian for “Green Water”), may have been chosen to reinforce its civilian merchant vessel identity through the use of a commercial-sounding name rather than a military designation.

Appearances

See also