Rio Grande

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The flagship Rio Grande (800 UC (2 NIC / 491 IC / 3600 CE))
Affiliation:	Free Planets Alliance
Flag officer:	Fleet Admiral Bewcock
Type:	Ajax class flagship
Purpose:	Supreme Flagship Flagship (5th Fleet- former)
Pennant number:	0501
Length:	1260 metres(FFC4)
Width:	72 metres(FFC4)
Height:	358 metres(FFC4)
Armament:	40 forward cannons 79 port cannons 79 starboard cannons
Crew:	1216(FFC4)
Status:	Destroyed in combat
Destroyed:	16 January 800 UC (2 NIC / 491 IC / 3600 CE)

The Rio Grande (Japanese: リオ･グランデ) was the Alliance flagship of Alexandre Bewcock.

Contents 1 Service history 1.1 The Alliance–Imperial War 1.2 Final Battle 2 Gallery 3 Appendices 3.1 Appearances 3.2 Name variations 3.3 Background information 3.3.1 Licensed Sources 3.4 Apocrypha 3.4.1 Fleet File Collection 3.4.2 DVD features

Service history

The Alliance–Imperial War

Originally the flagship of the 5th Fleet when Bewcock was a Vice Admiral, the Rio Grande led its fleet at the Battle of Van-Fleet Starzone in 794 UC (485 IC / 3594 CE). It was also dispatched against an Imperial expedition with the 10th Fleet and 11th Fleet at the Third Battle of Tiamat in 795 UC (486 IC / 3595 CE). (HBSHBL: 'The Battle of Van-Fleet Starzone', TBT: 'Part One')

In 796 UC (487 IC / 3596 CE), the Rio Grande participated in the Alliance invasion of Imperial territory. With Alliance supply lines cut off, the 5th Fleet was engaged by the Reuenthal Fleet in the Bilrost System and was forced to retreat. It would engage the Imperial fleet under Fleet Admiral Lohengramm shortly after at the Battle of Amritsar, where it managed to escape destruction and return to Alliance space. (LOGH: 'The Battle of Amritsar Starzone')

The Rio Grande remained newly-promoted Fleet Admiral Bewcock's flagship when he commanded the Alliance fleet at the Battle of Rantemario in 799 UC (1 NIC / 490 IC / 3599 CE). Though the majority of the Alliance fleet was destroyed by Fleet Admiral Lohengramm's forces, the Rio Grande survived, but did not further participate in the war. (LOGH: 'The Two-Headed Snake: The Battle of Rantemario')

Final Battle

As a battleship, the Rio Grande was required to be scrapped under the Treaty of Ba‘alat. However, the ship had not yet been dismantled when hostilities resumed - the Rio Grande therefore again led the Alliance fleet against the New Imperial forces of Fleet Admiral Lohengramm at the Battle of Marr-Adetta Starzone on 16 January 800 UC (2 NIC / 491 IC / 3600 CE). Facing complete defeat, Bewcock ordered the battered Rio Grande to remain behind as a rearguard and cover the escape of as many Alliance ships as possible. Encircled and cut off from escape, Bewcock rejected Kaiser Reinhard's offer of magnanimous treatment, and the Rio Grande was destroyed late on 16 January 800 UC (2 NIC / 491 IC / 3600 CE). (LOGH: 'The Battle of Marr-Adetta Starzone (Part One)', 'The Battle of Marr-Adetta Starzone (Part Two)')

Gallery

Starboard (799 UC (1 NIC / 490 IC / 3599 CE))

Battle Damage (800 UC (2 NIC / 491 IC / 3600 CE))

Appendices

Appearances

Name variations

• Rio Grande (LD/DVD subtitles)
• リオ･グランデ (LD/DVD subtitles- Japanese)

Background information

The Rio Grande is a river in North America.

Licensed Sources

The Rio Grande was one of the Ajax class of flagships and was one of the later units constructed. It benefited from modular construction and common parts with other ships of the class, which lowered the total construction cost. Whenever a new flagship was to be built, a shipbuilding committee was formed with members from the shipyard, Technology Division of the Joint Operations Heqadquarters, and the command staff of the fleet for whom the flagship was intended. The committee took into consideration the specific tactical and operational needs of the fleet as well as the operational costs of the ship before drawing up the final specifications of the flagship.

Its appearance had similarities with other later constructed Ajax class flagships such as the Achilleus and Diomedes. This was due to a large inflow of technology and knowledge from the Dominion of Fezzan during that time period.

The Rio Grande had been designed with a focus on firepower and long range. Its frontal weapon section was longer to accommodate the mechanisms of the high efficiency long range neutron beam cannons. These cannons had high destructive power and had a long effective range. The downside was a reduced rate of fire due to the limitations of the power generation systems and to avoid overheating of the cannons' beam convergence mechanisms. (Fleet File Collection Vol.4)

Apocrypha

Fleet File Collection

The Rio Grande is included as a model in Fleet File Collection Vol.4.

DVD features

A Production sketch of the Rio Grande appears in the extra features of the DVD box set.

Front and side

v•d•e Alliance/EFRG/IR flagships

Abai Geser • Achilleus • Airget lamh • Ajax • Bang-goo • Belenus • Brigitte • Cu Chulainn • Diomedes • Epimetheus • Gora-Daileng • Grand Canal • Gumeiya • Hard Luck • Hyperion • Krishna • Leonidas • Leonidas II • Lugeilan • Marduk • Masasoite • Maurya • Muffuese • Palamedes • Patoroklos • Pergamonn • Perun • Quetzalcoatl • Rio Grande • RK-387 • Rustam • Santa Isabel • Shiva • Tlahuixcalpantecuhtli • Triglav • Ulysses • Vivasvat