The Aegir Fleet was the largest and most powerful fleet division in the Erusean Navy. It earned the nickname "Invincible Fleet" due to its massive firepower. The fleet's flagship was the battleship Tanager. The ISAF decimated the fleet on November 23, 2004 during the Continental War.
The Aegir Fleet is the player's first major adversary in Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
Etymology[]
The fleet's name is a reference to the sea giant Ægir of Norse mythology. The names of individual ships contain additional references: Kólga is Ægir's daughter; Fenris is an alternate spelling of Fenrir (which also later appeared as the XFA-33 Fenrir aircraft); Thiassi is a frost giant; and Beowulf is an epic hero of Anglo-Saxon folklore.
History[]
In 1997, during the Usean coup d'état, the Herne engaged an enemy ship while in stormy weather.[1] Apart from that, the fleet's deployment history before the Continental War is mostly unknown. By the time the war began, the fleet already gained its "invincible" reputation. After the ISAF's retreat to North Point, the Aegir Fleet made port in Comberth Harbor and saw less action in the war.[2]
Erusea attempted many times to destroy the ISAF at North Point and end the war. The final such attempt was a full deployment of the Aegir Fleet. If the Aegir Fleet had set sail, North Point would not be able to defend against it. In response, the ISAF began a multi-operation campaign to immobilize and destroy the Aegir Fleet.[2]
Operation Hunting Hawk[]
On November 7, 2004, the ISAF dispatched fighters to secure the airspace around Comberth and intercept Erusean transport planes that were attempting to resupply the Aegir Fleet. A small ISAF squadron made contact with a convoy of three transport planes supported by E-767s providing ECM coverage. The ISAF fighters shot down all the Erusean jammer aircraft and transport planes. The mission was not a decisive victory, but it managed to forestall the Aegir Fleet's resupply operations.[2]
Operation Early Bird[]
On November 19, at 0550hrs, an ISAF fighter squadron was deployed to destroy a petrochemical complex northeast of Comberth that was the primary fuel source for the Aegir Fleet. The facility had stockpiled over five million barrels of crude oil by the time of the ISAF air raid. The operation was a major success for ISAF, which managed to deprive the Erusean war effort of one of its key oil refineries and left the Aegir Fleet stranded without fuel in Comberth Harbor.[3]
Together, the success of Operations Hunting Hawk and Early Bird gave ISAF the upper hand it needed if the threat of the "Invincible" Aegir Fleet was to be eliminated.
Operation Rough Seas[]
Beluga crewmen salute the sinking Tanager
On November 23, at 1200hrs, ISAF fighter squadrons entered Comberth Harbor airspace, successfully sank every Aegir vessel, and inflicted significant damage on various enemy facilities throughout the harbor area. The Erusean forces were caught flat-footed, with some of them believing the air raid was merely a drill. The Aegir Fleet suffered immense losses in terms of both vessels and personnel; many ships were sunk as they sat at anchor. Some of the fleet's capital ships, including the flagship battleship Tanager and the aircraft carrier Geofon, managed to exit the harbor itself but were intercepted by ISAF fighters before they could escape to open waters.[4]
The operation was a resounding success for the ISAF. Erusea abandoned the planned assault on North Point with the Aegir Fleet's destruction.
As commander of the Battleship Tanager, Matias Torres became known as the "Hero of Comberth Harbor" for his rescue of Erusean sailors.[5]
Flagship[]
The Aegir Fleet's chosen flagship, the battleship Tanager, is an unconventional choice. Most flagships in modern navies are aircraft carriers, making the Geofon a preferred choice. Erusea instead chose the Tanager as the Aegir Fleet's flagship for demonstrative purposes because of its intimidating appearance.[6]
Another Strangereal fleet that made a similar choice is the Emmerian 2nd Fleet, whose flagship—the Marigold—is a battle cruiser.
Vessels[]
Official[]
- Aegis cruiser Raven (Ticonderoga-class)
- Aircraft carrier Geofon (Kitty Hawk-class)
- Battleship Tanager (Iowa-class)
- Destroyers[note 1] (Hatakaze-class)
- Beluga
- Fenris
- Kolga
- Lazuli
- Frigates[note 1]
- Cassard-class
- Herne
- Taisch
- Thiassi
- Unnamed La Fayette-class
- Cassard-class
- Missile boat (Pegasus-class)
- Landing ship (San Giorgio-class)
- Submarines (Los Angeles-class)
- Supply ship (Towada-class)
- Container ship
Removed[]
Within audio files for Ace Combat 04, AWACS SkyEye has dialogue for several more ships that do not appear in the final game. They are as follows:
- Aegis-class Condor
- Aegis-class Magpie
- Aegis-class Sparrow
- Aegis-class Finch
Gallery[]
Aegis Raven
Aircraft carrier Geofon
Battleship Tanager
Destroyer Beluga
Destroyer Fenris
Destroyer Kolga
Destroyer Lazuli
Hydrofoil
Frigate Herne
Frigate Taisch
Frigate Thiassi
Landing ship
Submarine Beowulf ν
Submarine Beowulf π
Footnotes[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ace Combat 04 incorrectly classified all destroyers as "cruisers", and all frigates as "destroyers". These incorrect classifications were reused in Ace Combat 7 only when referring to the Aegir Fleet in the briefing for "Anchorhead Raid".
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 When engaging the fleet's submarines, the HUD does not display the Greek characters in their names ("Beowulf π" and "Beowulf ν"). Instead, it displays the letters phonetically ("Beowulf-pi" and "Beowulf-nu", respectively). AWACS SkyEye's subtitles, however, display the Greek characters.
References[]
- ↑ Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown - Season Pass Mission Trailer - PS4/XB1/PC
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Mission 04: "Blockade", Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
- ↑ Mission 05: "Lifeline", Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
- ↑ Mission 06: "Invincible Fleet", Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
- ↑ SP Mission 02: "Anchorhead Raid", Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.
- ↑ Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies - Official Guide Book, page 16.