UFE Deucalion

The UFE Deucalion (デューカリオン) is a vessel featured in the ALDNOAH.ZERO television series. While the Deucalion is of Terran design, the vessel is powered by an Aldnoah Drive, as its construction involved reverse engineering the Martian Kataphrakt Deucalion from which the vessel got its name and materials. Its designation is UFE Deucalion.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
A large flying battleship armed with missiles and cannons. It is equipped with an Aldnoah Drive taken from the original Martian Kataphrakt Deucalion, excavated from Tanegashima. The Aldnoah Drive is housed in a room within the ship. An activation transmitter is located on the bridge, but is secured underneath it's bulkhead after its activation.

The UFE Deucalion 's flight ability is achieved through the use of the Deucalion 's Aldnoah Drive. However, if the Aldnoah Drive is deactivated within any means, the Deucalion will cease all power and systems and potentially crash.

The bridge's windows have been shown to have metal shutters in case they break while flying at high altitude.

After it got damaged during its encounter with multiple Vers Kataphrakts it got retrofitted with a Kataphrakt launch device which included a cluster of 2x5 small hangar bays on its side arms which could hold UFE kataphrakts. Additionally, it was equipped with a third arm which would start turning around clockwise and the UFE kataphrakts could grapple on to it and use it as a catapult to launch themselves towards their objectives. Despite the asymmetrical design, the Deucalion doesn't seem to have problems with stability despite the arms being as long as the ship itself.

Armaments

 * 4 × Main cannons
 * The Deucalion has four three-barreled main cannons, which can fire shells at distant targets. Their range was later proven to reach over-the-horizon.


 * Missile Launchers
 * The ship houses several large missile silos along the bow. The missile launchers are covered by thick armor when not in use.


 * Air-Defense Machine Guns
 * The machine guns mounted on both sides are for repelling anti-air and ground forces.


 * 10 × Decoy Kataphrakt Launch Silos
 * On the bow of the Deucalion, there are ten silos that can launch decoy Kataphrakts (nicknamed "scarecrows"), which disperse chaff/flares when shot down and confuse enemy targeting systems.

History
Following the battle of Tanegashima the crew of the United Earth Ship Wadatsumi saw the ship right under the Kataphrakt Deucalion that fell to Earth after the events of Heavens Fall. The Deucalion was abandoned after not being able to be used because the Aldnoah Drive couldn't be activated. Princess Asseylum Vers Allusia reveals herself to the entire bridge crew to activate the Aldnoah Drive, so that they could escape. After they escaped, Rayet Areash in a KG-7 Areion, snipes the Hellas, killing Countess Femieanne who had been attacking Mustang Platoon. Afterwards they head to United Forces of Earth Headquarters. While on there everyone converses with one another, and starts to deal with their inward struggles. Koichiro Marito slowly starts to overcome his PTSD with the help of Dr. Soma Yagarai. whereas Rayet is still dealing with the nightmare of losing her father. It reaches the point where she becomes delusional while taking a shower and strangles Princess Asseylum by her necklace. Princess Asseylum losses consciousness, then Rayet comes to and is afraid of what she had just done, all while the Deucalion falls out of the air after the Aldnoah Drive shuts down. After the commotion, Inaho Kaizuka, Eddelrittuo, and Darzana Magbaredge arrive at the scene. Inaho checks if Princess Asseylum is breathing, dries her off with a towel, then starts giving her CPR. As she comes to, everyone is relieved until Rayet goes for Captain Magbaredege's gun. She points it at Princess Asseylum and blames her for everything after she reveals that she is a Martian. Princess Asseylum takes responsibility and blames herself. Inaho stops her from taking her own life when she puts the gun to her own head. After she is confined, Princess Asseylum is checked out of the care of Dr. Soma to reactivate the Aldnoah Drive. They finally reach the U.E. HQ The Deucalion while in its hangar comes under attack by infantry of the Vers Empire under Count Saazbaums command during the attack on the U.E. HQ. After throwing off soldiers who were trying to board the ship by rotating it, they take on the incoming Princess Asseylum via Humvee. After blowing the hatch to the hangar open, they ascend to the stratosphere to perform an air drop by using the Kataphrakt. While still up in the air, Saazbaum arrives unnoticed in his Dioscuria to attack the Deucalion. While the crew tries to come to onto the bridge after the missile barrage, Captain Magbaredge decides to have the ship ram into Castle Saazbaum. The Deucalion was later reactivated upon the discovery of Inaho's possession of the Aldnoah activation factor, and the vessel spent the next 19 months undergoing repairs before being launched into space.

Trivia

 * The "Deucalion" is named after Deucalion, the son of Prometheus from Greek Mythology.


 * The rocket engines on the back of the Deucalion have never been in use in the first season, even when they ascended into the stratosphere to perform a HALO jump with Kataphrakts. They were used to ascent into orbit in the second season, however.


 * It is unknown why the Deucalion, which was built for direct combat, has a conventional bridge rather than one inside the ship. A visible and easily identifiable external bridge is an obvious target and the windows are fatal structural weaknesses.
 * This, and the fact that the UFE Deucalion was constructed BEFORE testing if they could even use the Aldnoah Drive implies that whoever was in charge of that project got priority issues. The same goes to whoever provided the exorbitant funds that project consumed.
 * Speaking of which, shouldn't the fact that only people with an activation factor being able to activate an Aldnoah Drive be public knowledge long before Heaven's Fall? Prior to the establishment of the Vers Empire, even Terran scientists studied the Aldnoah as well. The idea that none of these scientists noticed that only Rayvers and his descendants and those chosen by him can activate Aldnoah is quite ridiculous. Or it could be that Rayvers' son, Gilzeria, neglected to include that fact in his pre-war propaganda speeches to rub in the idea of "Vers superiority"


 * The concept of a flying battleship is a homage to the classic science fiction anime Space Battleship Yamato.
 * The UFE Deucalion is also analogous to the White Base from the original Mobile Suit Gundam.