United Nations Pacific Fleet
Over the Rainbow is a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, "pride of the United Nations Forces". It served as the command ship for the massive naval convoy formed from the UN Pacific Fleet which escorted Evangelion Unit-02 as it was being transported from Germany to Japan in Episode 08. According to Kensuke, it was built before Second Impact in 2000.
The United Nations Pacific Fleet is seen escorting Eva-02 (And secretly transporting the Adam embryo as well) from Sasebo to New Odawara in Episode 08, where it suffers severe losses during the attack of the Sixth Angel, Gaghiel.
While real-world United Nations forces are actually under the control of their member nations and not directly under the U.N., it is not clear if this is the case in Neon Genesis Evangelion post-Second Impact. Although the warships of the Pacific Fleet are referred to by the countries that built them, as evidenced in Episode 14, the Fleet as a whole appears to be in the command of the U.N. itself. The Commanding Officer of the Aircraft Carrier Over the Rainbow refers to the fleet as the "U.N. Navy".
Several large warships are present, including four American Iowa-class Battleships, at least one Kirov-class Battlecruiser, an Admiral Kuznetsov-class Aircraft Carrier and multiple Nimitz-class Aircraft Carriers. Smaller vessels include Oliver Hazard Perry class Frigates and Alreigh Burke/Kongo class Guided Missile Destroyers. Although some vessels carry their old names (Kirov is unusual in retaining its Soviet name, considering it had been renamed Admiral Ushakov after the fall of the Soviet Union), most have been renamed, such as the Over the Rainbow itself (Formerly USS Harry S. Truman-see notes) and several other ships named after Shakespeare's plays.
Notes
- The computer display of the UN Pacific Fleet designates the aircraft carrier as "CVN 075 Over the Rainbow". "CVN-75" is the real world designation of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, and thus it would appear that in the timeline of Neon Genesis Evangelion, when the militaries of the world's nations were placed under the unified command of the United Nations after Second Impact, USS Harry S. Truman was incorporated into the United Nation's fleet as their flagship and renamed "Over the Rainbow". Harry S. Truman was actually the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier under construction from November 1993 through September 1996, while Neon Genesis Evangelion was being produced. Kensuke describes Over the Rainbow as "the pride of the United Nations forces", so it is possible that no later i.e. more advanced aircraft carriers were built after Second Impact occurred in 2000, due to the resulting global economic shortfalls, etc. Harry S. Truman was indeed the last Nimitz-class aircraft carrier completed before 2000; the following ship in the line, USS Ronald Reagan, was not completed until after 2000.
- Over the Rainbow is, of course, a reference to the song from The Wizard of Oz. In addition, in episode 133 of Urusei Yatsura, "Operation Over the Rainbow" is launched from a secret underground base belonging to a character named Asuka Mizunokouji. Having Asuka arrive on a ship of this name is probably a reference.
