Columbus class

Class: Columbus
Ships of the line: Beehive
Unit type: transport ship
Manufacturer: Earth Federation Forces
Operator: Earth Federation Forces
First deployment: unknown
Dimensions: overall length 145.0 meters
Weight: unknown
Propulsion: 8 x rocket engine
Equipment and design features: sensors, range unknown
Fixed armaments: unknown

The Columbus class was the standard Earth Federation Forces supply ship and tender at the outbreak of the One Year War, and many were also converted for use as fighter carriers for the FF-4 Toriares and FF-S3 Saberfish type spacecraft. A small number of modified Columbus class (Trafalgar– and Antietam-class) saw use in the EFF fleet through the One Year War. Late in the war, many were converted to carry the GM-type mobile suits and Ball-type support units, and still others were converted to ferry the Public class gunships into battle. However, these converted transports performed poorly in their assigned tasks, as they lacked adequate support and launching facilities for these types of weapons. The Columbus class was later used as a mobile suit transport during the New Desides rebellion of UC 0088, where both the EFF’s Taskforce Alpha and the forces of New Desides made use of improved versions of the ships to carry mobile suits. Columbus class ships remained in service with the EFF as late as UC 0096 during the Laplace Incident.

First appearance: Mobile Suit Gundam
Original mechanical designer(s): Yoshiyuki Tomino (principal design), Kunio Okawara (cleanup)

Rear view (Version 1)