Technology & Combat Characteristics
It is a civilian ship owned by Anaheim Electronics, and is a remodeled Space Ark-class ship. It is even smaller than the original Space Ark-class, with a total length of about 160 meters. It has been disguised as the Federation transport Columbus-class, and is equipped with catapults for MS at the front and rear, as well as retractable catapults on either side of the bridge. The front catapult has been shortened, but the hangar has been extended instead. Since it is privately owned, it is an unarmed ship with no armament, but it was later discovered that it has a hidden armament of three twin mega particle cannons.
History
The Bladewood is a ship used by Anaheim Electronics in the year UC 0122 as a base of operations for testing mobile suits out in the field. It has been modified significantly to resemble a freighter in terms of appearance and performance, while still maintaining its ability to accommodate mobile suits. As such its freighter components give the ship greater cargo capacity, but its armaments have been reduced to a single two-barrel beam cannon, that may not be entirely legal since it was hidden until needed.
From November of UC 0122 to February of the next year the Bladewood was located in the Zebra Zone of Side 3, a fairly remote location where it served as the base of operations for the performance tests of the RGM-111 Hardygun, F71B G-Cannon Magna, and RXF-91 Silhouette Gundam. By February the tests were entering their final stages, but during a mock battle between the Silhouette Gundam and the Hardygun the two mobile suits encountered a XM-01 Den'an Zon from Crossbone Vanguard's Dark Tiger Squadron that were also conducting tests. However, Tokio Randall in the Silhouette Gundam drove off the Den'an Zon.
Because the Crossbone Vanguard was not ready to reveal itself the Dark Tiger Squadron launched an attack against the Bladewood. Though their force was driven off, the Bladewood had sustained damage and took refuge in an officially abandoned colony. There it encountered an Earth Federation Forces' Ra Cailum-class, the Ajax, whose crew worked to repair the Bladewood.