Ark (G1)
The Ark is the name given to the Autobot Spaceship that, in most versions of the Generation 1 story, originally carried Optimus Prime and Megatron's troops to Earth.
The Ark is a Vanguard-class Deep Space Interceptor. It has 5 Decks and houses a full crew compliment of 300 Transformers. (Although it can be flown by only a handful if necessary.) Its environment is fully-automated and self-sufficiant.
It is armed with 16 particle-combustion canons (port), 16 laser emitters (starboard), a primary starfield missile launcher, and an Overshock sonic battery.
G1 Cartoon Continuity
The Autobot ship in the G1 cartoon is never actually named. Fans have generally called it the Ark however, borrowing the name from its Comic counterpart.
The Cartoon version of the ship tends to have a more rounded ovoid look to it and has a main computer designated Teletraan 1.
Other Vanguard-class ships, pretty much identical to the Ark are seen taking refugees from Cybertron on a history tape in Desertion of the Dinobots. It is suspected that the setlers of known Autobot colonies such as Paradron and Junk were possibly among these.
The Ark was launched to search for fuel and accidentally ran afoul of two coliding meteors after the Decepticons had ambushed it. Out of control, the Ark crashed into a volcano in what would eventually become a desert. The exact location is unknown, but closely resembled the American southwest. There it rested until a volcanic erruption four million years later reactivated it and its inhabitants. From that point (1984 AD) on the Ark served as the Autobots base of operations until the construction of Autobot City sometime before 2005 AD.
The Ark's crew consisted of all the 1984 Autobots. A vehicle resemling Grapple's alt-mode and called Hauler is also seen shortly after the Autobots revived on Earth and may represent another crew member. (It is speculated by some fans that a number of the 1985 Autobots may have been aboard the Ark as well, as they suffer the effects of Cybertronium depletion at the exact same time as those that left the planet aboard her. It is possible they were crew members of the ship as well but were not recovered or repaired until later on in the show.)
In 2006/2010 the Ark and Teletraan I are destroyed by Trypticon, much to the chargin of the minibots who were assinged to protect it.
Marvel Comic Continuity
The Comic version of the ship tends to have a more squared-off look to it and has a main computer designated Auntie.
In the Comic the Ark crashes into a volcano named Mt. Saint Hillary a small distance outside of Portland, Oregon.
