Pegasus-class

The Pegasus-class was a line of assault carriers produced by the Earth Federation. Notable ships of the line were the White Base, the Thoroughbred, the Blanc Rival, the Albion, and the Spartan.

The Pegasus-class carriers were designated with a few model numbers. For example, the White Base was designated as LMSD-71 / MSC-02 / SCV-70. The carriers were initially designated as SCV (Space Carrier Vessel) but they were later on re-designated as LMSD (Landing Mobile Suit Deck). After the war, the ships were reassigned as MSC (Mobile Suit Carrier).

History

When the One Year War started, the Principality of Zeon surprised the Earth Federation with their use of mobile suits. The Federation realised the importance of mobile suits and started Project V to develop mobile weapons. The Federation scientists also had to develop a line of carriers to transport the mobile weapons in to battle.

The White Base was the most notable vessel from the Pegasus-class. Later models ships of the line had improvements made based on the feedback and data collected from White Base.

The Federation based the designs of the Argama-class and Nahel Argama off the White Base.

Refer to the articles for the history of individual ships of the line.

Design

Unlike traditional spaceships that had to stay in groups to defend against mobile suit attacks, Pegasus-class ships were designed to carry mobile suits and these provided protection against enemy mobile suits.

Due to the design concept of this class of ships, the different ships of the lined looked very different from each other. The ships used an advanced blocks system that divided the ship into seven modules: the bridge, the living quarters, the central bow hangar, the engine room, the stern landing port, and the two launch catapults.

The launch catapults on either side of the ship were used for launching and landing the mobile weapons. The proximity of the catapults to the central hangars allowed fast emergency sorties and to facilitate repair and resupply during battle.

The hangars of the carriers were able to fit up ten mobile weapons. They had six mobile suit bays and space for four mobile weapons. The mobile weapons were usually support units or mobile armours.

The carriers had a rotating section in its main body to generate artificial gravity when in space.

Each Pegasus-class carrier had a Minovsky craft system that allowed it to make atmospheric re-entry and to fly on Earth.

Bridge of a Pegasus-class assault carrier

Armaments

The battleships had a main turret, two mega particle turrets and eight anti-aircraft turrets. This weapon load meant that it had firepower to match Zeon’s Musai-class light cruisers.

Main guns

Pegasus-class carriers had a main turret with two 580 mm guns. This main turret delivered the most firepower among the carriers’ armaments.

Secondary guns

The assault carriers had two secondary turrets that had two mega particle guns each.

Anti-aircraft guns

Eight twin machine gun turrets provided anti-aircraft and anti-mobile suit defense.

Missile launchers

The Pegasus-class carriers had eight three-tube missile launchers that could use a variety of missiles.

Notable ships

• LMSD-70 / MSC-01 / SCV-69 Pegasus
• LMSD-71 / MSC-02 / SCV-70 White Base
• LMSD-72 / —————— / SCV-71 White Base II
• LMSD-73 / MSC-03 / SCVA-72 Thoroughbred
• LMSD-74 / MSC-04 / SCV-73 Blanc Rival
• LMSD-75 / —————— / SCVA-73 Troy Horse
• LMSD-76 / MSC-05 / —————— Gray Phantom
• LMSD-77 / MSC-06 / SCVA-74 Stallion
• LMSD-78 / MSC-07 / —————— Albion
• LMSD-79 / MSC-08 / —————— Spartan

SCV-69 (LMSD-70/MSC-01) Pegasus

The namesake of this class of ships, the Pegasus was the first of the line. However, it was the second to be completed after White Base. The Federation assigned it to Luna II near the end of the One Year War.

SCV-70 (LMSD-71/MSC-02) White Base

The White Base was the first Pegasus-class ship deployed by the Federation and the most famous of the line. The second ship from the line, It served as the mothership for the Federation’s prototype mobile suits such as the RX-78-2 Gundam during the One Year War. The ship was destroyed in the battle of A Baoa Qu near the end of the war.

SCV-71 (LMSD-72) White Base II

Initially named White Base Jr, it was commissioned as the White Base II. It was the third ship of the line and was completed just before the end of the One Year War.

SCV-72 (LMSD-73/MSC-03) Thoroughbred

The Thoroughbred served as the flagship of the 16th Autonomous Corps during the One Year War. The Federation assigned it to the Phantom Sweep Corps in UC 0081. It was the fourth ship of the Pegasus-class.

SCV-73 (LMSD-74/MSC-04) Blanc Rival

The Blanc Rival was the fifth ship of the line. The Midnight Fenrir Corps damaged it when Zeon forces infiltrated Jaburo. After it was repaired, the ship participated in the Operation Star One during Battle of A Baoa Qu and carried the RX-78-3 G-3 Gundam.

SCVA-73 (LMSD-75) Troy Horse

The Troy Horse was often confused with the Gray Phantom as the latter was named “Troy Horse” in early drafts. The sixth ship of the line, it carried out supplies transport duty during Operation Star One during the Battle of A Baoa Qu, but did not participate in combat.

SCV-74 (LMSD-75/MSC-04)

This unnamed Pegasus-class ship was around 40% complete when it was disassembled to repair the White Base. It would have been the seventh ship of the line.

MSC-05 (LMSD-76) Gray Phantom

The Federation dispatched the Gray Phantom at the Side 6 Ribo Colony near the end of the One Year War in response to an attack by Zeon’s Cyclops team. It was the seventh ship of the Pegasus-class. It participated in the naval review at Solomon in November UC 0083 and survived Zeon’s nuclear attack. It later crashed on Earth due to unknown reasons and its wreckage served as a base for Zeon remnants.

SCV-74 (LMSD-77/MSC-06) Stallion

The Stallion was the eighth Pegasus-class ship. It participated in the naval review at Solomon with Gray Phantom in November UC 0083. While the latter survived Zeon’s nuclear attack, the Stallion unfortunately did not.

MSC-07 (LMSD-78) Albion

The Federation started construction of the Albion at the same time as the Gundam Development Project to serve as the mothership for the new Gundams RX-78GP01 Gundam “Zephyranthes” and RX-78GP02A Gundam GP02A “Physalis”. The ninth ship of the line, it survived Zeon’s nuclear attack on the naval review at Solomon in November UC 0083. The Albion then hijacked the RX-78GP03 “Dendrobium Orchis” and its Stamen components to stop a Zeon colony drop. Its fate thereafter remained unknown.

MSC-08 (LMSD-79) Spartan

The Spartan was the tenth Pegasus-class ship. Unlike the other ships of the line, it had four landing hovercrafts docked on its landing catapults. The Federation tasked the Spartan with the investigation of the South Seas Alliance, and later fought the Alliance’s forces.

Behind the scenes

Kunio Okawara was the original mechanical designer. Other designers were involved in the different Pegasus-class ships. Refer to the individual ship articles for more information about their designers.

Naming

Mobile Suit Variations 3 stated that the White Base from the White Base-class, since the Pegasus was completed second despite being the first ship of the class to be built. The three SCVA ships, the Thoroughbred, the Troy Horse, and the unnamed SCVA-74, had the label “quasi White Base-class” (準ホワイトベース級).

However, the class name for this line of ship had been retconned to Pegasus-class starting from Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory. Data Gundam gave an in-universe explanation that all White Base-class and quasi White Base-class ships were renamed Pegasus-class after the war for standardisation.

Zeon forces gave White Base the nickname of “Trojan Horse” in Mobile Suit Gundam as its launch catapults and thrusters looked like four legs. This established a pattern of using a horse motif for names related to this line of ship, such as the class name Pegasus itself and the ship names Thoroughbred, Troy Horse, and Stallion.

Appearances

Refer to the individual ship articles for the respective ship’s appearance information.