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Krasny Kavkaz

2022-08-18T08:37:23Z

U6591054:

{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_cruiser_krasnyi_kavkaz
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet light cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update 1.79 "Project X"]] when the Soviet fleet was implemented into the game.

The Krasny Kavkaz's unusual configuration reflects her complicated history. Originally named Admiral Lazarev, she was originally designed as an improved [[Krasny Krym|Svetlana]]-class cruiser for the Imperial Russian Navy and armed similarly with 130 mm guns. After the October Revolution, she was renamed Hetman Petro Doroshenko before being completed by the Soviets under her final name. Unable to fit the intended four twin 180 mm gun turrets into her small hull, the Soviets settled for four single 180 mm gun turrets.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

Originally designed as a light cruiser, Krasny Kavkaz has relatively thin armour, capable of keeping out destroyer guns but not much more. The lower 75 mm main belt extends along the length of the entire ship at the waterline. The upper belt is only 25 mm thick, as is the protection of the main gun turrets and their barbettes.

The main armoured deck consists of only 20 mm of anti-fragmentation armour. There is a second upper 25 mm anti-fragmentation deck armour plate over the machinery space, as well as some 20 mm armour protecting the base of the funnels. Finally, another 20 mm anti-fragmentation plate divides the machinery space lengthwise, which helps prevent both sides of the machinery space from being disabled at the same time.

The bridge is fairly well-protected by 125 mm of vertical armour and 75 mm on the roof and floor. The secondary 100 mm guns and anti-aircraft machine guns have 8 mm anti-fragmentation protection but are not fully enclosed.

The main gun magazines are located at the waterline directly underneath the turrets. Combined with the thin deck protection and unimpressive lower belt thickness, these are vulnerable to penetrations by cruiser main guns.

Krasny Kavkaz has a large crew complement of 878, which makes her relatively resilient to crew attrition.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

Krasny Kavkaz has relatively mediocre mobility for a cruiser. Her acceleration and turning are fairly sluggish, but her top speed is about average.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}
{{main|180 mm/60 B-1-K (180 mm)}}


Krasny Kavkaz's main armament consists of four 180 mm B-1-K guns in four single turrets. They have a maximum rate-of-fire of 4 rounds/minute, which is faster than the heavier 203 mm/8-inch guns found on most contemporary heavy cruisers but slower than almost all light cruisers. While quite powerful thanks to their high muzzle velocity and potent shells, the relatively slow reload and small number of guns mean that the results of each broadside are heavily affected by the guns' dispersion, especially at longer ranges. They also mean that her damage output using only the main guns is quite underwhelming.

The 180 mm gun has four available shell types: OF-32 (HE), PB-32 (SAP), B-32 (AP), and ZS-32R (HE-TF). While smaller than 203 mm HE shells, the 180 mm HE/HE-TF shell actually has more TNT equivalent (12.17 kg) in its filler thanks to the multiplier of the A-IX-2 explosive type. It is thus more powerful than the HE from the larger guns of heavy cruisers. Furthermore, the SAP contains 10.78 kg TNT equivalent, which is also more than the HE shells of other nations' heavy cruisers. Its penetration is also more than enough against most contemporary cruisers the Krasny Kavkaz will face. The AP shell has considerably more penetration, but only a 2.8 kg TNT equivalent filler. The HE-TF shell has slightly less filler than the basic HE shell. Given the low rate-of-fire, using the main guns in the anti-aircraft role is questionable at best.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}
{{main|Minizini (100 mm)|34-K (76 mm)|45 mm/46 21-K (45 mm)}}


The secondary armament consists of six twin 100 mm "Minizini" gun turrets, three on each side of the ship, and two single 76 mm 34-K guns, one on each side of the ship at the stern. The 100 mm "Minizini" gun has only two choices of shell: HE and HE-TF (AAC). The HE-TF shell has slightly more TNT equivalent (2.06 kg) than the basic HE shell (1.91 kg). They have a maximum rate-of-fire of 12 rounds/minute. Given the low damage output of the main guns, these guns can be very useful in supplementing the main guns, especially against destroyers. They are also the primary long-range anti-aircraft armament.

The 76 mm 34-K gun has a maximum rate-of-fire of 27 rounds/minute and does not get any choice of shell. It is therefore relatively limited in use, though can be useful against patrol boats that get too close.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}
{{main|37 mm/67 70-K (37 mm)|DShK (12.7 mm)|Vickers Mk.V (12.7 mm)}}


The Krasny Kavkaz has a rather diverse mix of anti-aircraft armament, consisting of two 45 mm 21-K guns, ten 37 mm 70-K automatic guns, two quadruple .50-inch Vickers heavy machine guns, and two 12.7 mm DShK heavy machine guns. Of these, the 37 mm guns are the most effective against aircraft, as the 45 mm gun has far too low a rate-of-fire (30 rounds/minute), and the heavy machine guns are only really effective at close range. Collectively, they can be quite dangerous against coastal boats that dare to approach too closely, however.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|45-36NU (450 mm)}}

The Krasny Kavkaz has four triple torpedo tubes, two on each side of the ship. These fire the 45-36NU torpedo. Despite its small diametre (457 mm), it carries a much larger warhead than typical at 284 kg. It has a base range of only 3 km and a base speed of 76 km/h. With the torpedo mode installed, the range is extended to 6 km at the cost of the speed being reduced to only 59 km/h.

== Usage in battles ==

Krasny Kavkaz plays like no other cruiser in the game. Due to the low number of main gun barrels, the main gun battery is quite unreliable and inconsistent because of the inherent dispersion of the guns. Her numerous fast-firing secondary guns are very helpful in improving her damage output. It is highly recommended to enable the "Main and auxiliary caliber shooting with one button" option in the Controls menu for the Krasny Kavkaz, thus eliminating the need to switch between the main and secondary guns while the main guns are reloading. Due to the very different ballistics of the main and secondary guns, it can be very difficult to hit moving targets consistently with both batteries at long range, although this can be negated by closing the distance.

The Krasny Kavkaz has relatively good anti-aircraft armament, although it requires manually aiming the guns in order to be most effective, especially the 37 mm guns.

Her armour protection is relatively decent against destroyer fire, but is not sufficient against even light cruiser AP shells due to the thin deck and belt armour. Her main gun magazines are fairly large and situated close to the waterline, and are therefore vulnerable to even moderately plunging fire. The main gun turrets are only thinly protected, and multiple unenclosed secondary guns can be disabled with even a single HE shell due to their placement. She has a very large crew complement relative to her contemporaries, but due to the poor protection she suffers a lot of crew attrition.

The torpedoes are too short-ranged and the ship is too cumbersome for them to be a viable offensive weapon. However, they can be used as a last ditch defence, though it is always important to keep in mind that torpedo tubes can detonate when hit if they are not empty, which causes a considerable amount of damage to the ship.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Above average main gun muzzle velocity.
* Main gun HE and SAP shells have more explosive filler than those of larger 203 mm guns.
* Large secondary gun battery.
* Large anti-aircraft battery.
* Heavily armoured bridge.
* Above average crew complement.

'''Cons:'''

* Below average main gun damage output due to small broadside and long reload.
* Below average manoeuvrability.
* Below average torpedo range and speed.
* Vulnerable main gun magazine placement.
* Vulnerable to crew attrition from HE shells disabling unenclosed secondary and anti-aircraft guns.
* Secondary guns do not have AP or SAP ammunition.

== History ==

The Krasny Kavkaz or as it was initially named, the Admiral Lazarev, was a ship of the Svetlana-class light cruisers, laid down in 1913 for the Imperial Russian Navy at the Russud dockyard. The ship's construction went according to plan through the duration of The Great War(WW1) until the outbreak of the October Revolution in Russia in late 1917 caused construction to cease, with the ship being just above halfway completed.

After capturing the mostly intact ship, the Soviets decided to complete its construction and renamed it to Krasny Kavkaz in late 1926. The ship was completed to a modernized design, changing its initial layout and armaments significantly, in order to meet modern requirements. After more than two decades, the Krasny Kavkaz was finally commissioned into service with the Navy in January 1932 as the most advanced Soviet cruiser of the time.

The ship's career was already off to a bad start however, as only months after leaving the drydock, she suffered severe damages to the bow after colliding with another light cruiser. After her bow was extensively rebuilt, she made several visits to ports in Greece, Turkey and Italy in 1933. Prior to the German invasion of the USSR, she underwent one more retrofit, which greatly increased her anti-aircraft armament.

The service life of the Krasny Kavkaz during WW2 was defined by her involvements in numerous Black Sea operations, most notably around the coastal cities of Odessa, Sevastopol, Novorossiysk and the Kerch peninsula. However, she also took part in various other missions, including convoy escorts, troop transport, fire support and many more. After Stalin forbade the use of large naval vessels without his personal consent in 1943, Krasny Kavkaz saw no further action, marking the end of her wartime service.

After WW2, Krasny Kavkaz was converted to a training ship in 1947 and was later used as a target ship in 1952, before being sunk by an anti-ship cruise missile.

''- From [[wt:en/news/5685-fleet-development-krasny-kavkaz-the-guardian-of-the-black-sea-en|Devblog]]''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ussr_cruiser_krasnyi_kavkaz Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==
''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/5685-fleet-development-krasny-kavkaz-the-guardian-of-the-black-sea-en|[Devblog] Krasny Kavkaz: The Guardian of The Black Sea]]

{{ShipManufacturer 61 Communards}}
{{USSR light cruisers}}

HMS Tiger

2022-08-06T23:50:20Z

U6591054: /* Usage in battles */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_cruiser_tiger
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|market=HMS Tiger (Britain)
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a gift rank {{Specs|rank}} British light cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.87 "Locked On"]] as a reward for the [[wt:en/news/6145-special-battlefield-engineer-en|"Battlefield Engineer"]] event.

The Tiger is a Tiger-class cruiser, the last British ship with all-gun armament and also the last British cruiser to enter service with the Royal Navy. Her design places a strong emphasis on dual-purpose capability, being equally effective against surface targets and aircraft, as a result of British experiences during the war.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}


==== Armour ====
The Tiger's main belt consists of a 89 mm RHA over the magazines, thinning out to 85 mm over the machinery space. There is also the second section of 51 mm RHA that extends above the main belt to provide additional protection to the engine compartment. The citadel ends are protected by only 51 mm of RHA.

The main gun turrets are lightly armoured, with 55 mm RHA on the front turret face and 20 mm on the rest of the turret. The deck armour plating consists of 50 mm RHA that covers the entire length of the ship. Unlike the majority of its tech tree equivalents, this armour is situated on the weather deck, effectively protecting not just the engines rooms but all systems below the bridge and turrets. This provides effective protection against plunging fire from light cruiser AP shells and smaller.

The main battery magazines are located below the waterline and protected by the main belt. However, the main gun shells rooms are only protected by the 25 mm barbette armour, and are thus quite vulnerable. Destroying these will not instantly destroy the ship, but will still cause heavy damage and eliminate all ammunition for the associated turret, rendering it unable to fire. The secondary gun magazines are situated entirely behind the main armour belt.

The bridge and radio room are completely unprotected. This makes them extremely vulnerable to getting disabled from even small calibre hits.

The Tiger has a reasonably sized crew count of 880, which is above average for a British cruiser although smaller than that of the [[HMS Belfast|Belfast]].

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Tiger has a slower top speed than the other contemporary British light cruisers, with mobility comparable to that of the [[HMS Arethusa|Arethusa]]. She is considerably larger than the Arethusa, and thus is a bit less manoeuvrable.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|6 inch/50 QF Mark N5 (152 mm)}}

The main armament consists of four [[6 inch/50 QF Mark N5 (152 mm)|QF 6 in Mark N5]] guns mounted in two turrets, one forward and one aft. These guns are able to fire HE, AP, and HE-VT. These guns have a maximum rate-of-fire of 20 rounds/minute with the best possible crew, by far the quickest reload of a gun this calibre. Her quick reload allows her to rapidly switch ammunition types to best suit the current situation. Despite the fast reload, because she only has four guns the Tiger's maximum shell output (4 x 20 = 80 rounds/minute) is still significantly lower than that of the other contemporary British light cruisers, Belfast and Southampton (12 x 8 = 96 rounds/minute).

The Tiger is the only British light cruiser with proper AP shells. These have significantly more penetration than the CPBC SAP shells normally found on British light cruisers at the cost of having only half the explosive filler. Her HE shells are significantly more powerful than the standard British 6 in HE shell, having nearly twice the explosive filler.

The main gun turrets are true dual purpose mounts, featuring a fast turret traverse (17°/second), high gun elevation (80°), and wide firing arcs of ±150°. Both turrets can also traverse through 360°, allowing the Tiger to keep track of targets (especially air targets) no matter their position relative to the ship. The HE-VT shell is also highly effective against aircraft.

As a postwar ship, the Tiger is also one of the few British ships equipped with radar fire-control, allowing her to obtain firing solutions at much higher speeds than traditional optical rangefinders, and to maintain target tracking through smoke. She can also use the radar to obtain firing solutions against aircraft, greatly enhancing the usefulness of both her main and secondary guns against aircraft.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of<br>warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 1,000 m !! 2,500 m !! 5,000 m !! 7,500 m !! 10,000 m !! 15,000 m
|-
| 6 inch HE || HE || 59 || 59 || 59 || 59 || 59 || 59
|-
| 6 inch AP || APCBC || 271 || 242 || 207 || 184 || 167 || 147
|-
| 6 inch HE-VT || HE-VT || 59 || 59 || 59 || 59 || 59 || 59
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of<br>warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity<br>(m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile<br>Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay<br>(m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity<br>(mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass<br>(TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| 6 inch HE || HE || 768 || 59.9 || 0.03 || 0.1 || 7,810 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| 6 inch AP || APCBC || 768 || 58.9 || 6 || 7 || 972.4 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| 6 inch HE-VT || HE-VT || 768 || 59.9 || 0.03 || 0.1 || 7,810 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|3 inch/70 Mark 6 (76 mm)}}

The secondary armament consists of a six the [[3 inch/70 Mark 6 (76 mm)|QF 3 in Mark N1]] dual-purpose guns in three twin turrets, one ahead of the bridge and one on either side of the superstructure. These guns have very high rate-of-fire of 90 rounds/minute until the 322 ready-use rounds for each turret are depleted, whereupon it will drop to a still-respectable 75 rounds/minute. All turrets can rotate through 360° and can elevate up to 89°, although for obvious reasons they cannot fire through the superstructure of the ship. They are highly accurate even out to the maximum range of around 9.8 km

These turrets only fire one type of ammunition, the NC101 HE-VT proximity fused shell. This shell is highly effective against aircraft and coastal boats, and can even be used to knock out the open main gun mounts of some destroyers.

The Tiger's secondary guns also benefit from the use of the radar fire control, allowing them to potentially be used to engage aircraft at long range.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of<br>warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 100 m !! 1,000 m !! 2,000 m !! 3,000 m !! 4,000 m !! 5,000 m
|-
| 3 inch NC101 HE-VT || HE-VT || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of<br>warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity<br>(m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile<br>Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay<br>(m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity<br>(mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass<br>(TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| 3 inch NC101 HE-VT || HE-VT || 1,036 || 6.8 || 0 || 0.1 || 528 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The Tiger is a rather unusual cruiser. She has only four guns in two turrets, thus she lacks the first strike punch of most contemporary light cruisers (which have anywhere between 9 to 12 guns). Losing one turret will also effectively cut her firepower in half. However, this is somewhat compensated for by her very high rate-of-fire, thus if the situation permits she can still rack up a considerable amount of damage over time, helped by the large explosive filler of her HE shells. She also has access to AP, and is thus able to penetrate the main belts of other cruisers at ranges where the CPBC SAP shell of other British 6 in gun cruisers will struggle. Her access to radar fire control makes her a very dangerous threat to destroyers because it can compute firing solutions at a much faster rate than traditional optical rangefinders and can continue functioning through smoke. Her fast rate-of-fire also allows her to adjust her fire much more quickly in reaction to destroyer movements, making it harder to consistently evade her shells.

It is in the anti-aircraft role that the Tiger excels in particular, with all her armament consisting of dual-purpose guns capable of firing HE-VT. Her radar fire control system also works against aircraft, allowing her to compute firing solutions against aircraft and further enhancing the effectiveness of her dual--purpose guns.

The Tiger is, however, less well-protected than the other contemporary British light cruisers, especially [[HMS Belfast|Belfast]], having a thinner main belt, worse turret protection, and exposed shell rooms. She tends to fare poorly in slugging matches, as it is relatively easy to disable her main gun turrets (often permanently by detonating the shell rooms, removing their ammunition). She also has no torpedoes, and thus has no real answer to battleships.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Very high rate-of-fire on both main and secondary guns.
* All guns can traverse 360° and elevate enough to fire on aircraft and have access to HE-VT shells.
* Access to high-penetration main gun AP shells
* Above average explosive filler for HE/HE-VT shells.
* Above average crew count for a British cruiser.
* Radar fire control.

'''Cons:'''

* Below average broadside shell count (four shells) with mediocre accuracy.
* Has only two lightly armoured main gun turrets.
* Shell room is above the main armoured belt.
* Relatively low top speed.
* Unarmoured bridge.
* Can be matched against battleships.

== History ==


[[File:HMS Tiger 1963.jpg|left|thumb|500x500px|HMS Tiger shortly before her conversion in 1963.]]
HMS Tiger (C20) was the lead ship of the Tiger-class, a set of three light cruisers built for the Royal Navy following the end of the Second World War. Initially laid down as a Minotaur-class light cruiser (a smaller derivative of the Crown Colony and Town class cruisers), she was completely redesigned while being built and eventually launched as a completely new design. Featuring an advanced semi-automatic main battery and fully-automatic anti-aircraft armament, she was the last “gun cruiser” built for the Royal Navy.

HMS Tiger was launched in 1945, but inefficiencies in her construction resulted in her being completed almost 15 years later in 1959. She served as the flagship of the Mediterranean fleet from 1959 to 1960, and later participated in the Indonesian confrontation. In 1968, she began a lengthy conversion into a command helicopter cruiser. This resulted in the removal of her aft guns and the installation of a massive hangar and deck complex, from which she could operate multiple Westland Wessex antisubmarine helicopters. HMS Tiger was subsequently used as a flagship. Due to her high crew complement and high operating costs, HMS Tiger was decommissioned in the late 1970s and placed in reserve, ultimately being scrapped in the late 1980s.

=== Design and development ===
During the Second World War, the British navy conducted a massive cruiser-building program, building many vessels of the Dido, Arethusa, Town, Crown Colony and Minotaur (Swiftsure) classes. The last of these classes, the Minotaur / Swiftsure class, was under construction in 1944 when the British navy realized that there was neither the budget, nor the manpower, to operate those ships. As a result, the British naval command decided to barter with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) to get them to purchase two Minotaur-class cruisers for the cost of 9 million British pounds. However, this deal failed to materialize, and as a result, the last three ships of the Minotaur-class were suspended. They sat in drydock, possibly waiting to be disposed of. However, a dramatic change in British naval construction plans saved them from the breaker’s yard.

==== Cruiser vs destroyer debate ====
In 1945, it was hoped that the Battle-class destroyers could accomplish most of the roles that cruisers could, thereby eliminating the need for cruisers. However, British First Sea Lord Andrew Cunningham realized that there wasn’t enough budget for the construction of new, 3-turreted destroyers (later the Daring-class) that could truly accomplish the roles of cruisers. As a result, the Royal Navy decided that they would need to build a new class of cruisers. The only hulls available for this purpose were the three unfinished Minotaur-class hulls: Bellerophon (renamed Tiger), Defence (renamed Lio'), and Blake (retained her name). As a result, the Tiger was launched, albeit in an unfinished state, in late 1945.

Meanwhile, the argument about cruisers persisted. Several designs were considered and argued, while the choice of main armament (mainly the choice between 5-inch, 5.25-inch or 6-inch guns) was contested as well. By 1948, a new Minotaur-class design had been developed (otherwise known as Design Z), mounting ten 6-inch guns in five automatic dual turrets and displacing almost 18000 tons fully loaded. However, with the reelection of Winston Churchill in 1951, the British naval budget was reduced, and the Design Z ‘Minotaurs’ were cancelled. Between 1945 and 1954, no work was done on the Tiger-class cruisers. However, in 1954, it was decided that the Tigers would be completed, albeit to a completely new design, using completely new armament.

==== Hull, sensors and armament ====
[[File:HMS Tiger forward view.jpg|thumb|HMS Tiger from the bow, taken at the Portsmouth Navy Day of 1980. Note the prominent dual 6-inch turret located fore of her superstructure.]]
The redesigned Tiger-class was designed with a main battery of four 6-inch QF Mk N5 guns in two double semi-automatic dual-purpose (DP) guns. These weapons had initially been developed as a faster-firing version of the BL Mk 23 guns mounted on the preceding cruiser classes. HMS Tiger received the weapon with a brand-new semi-automatic turret, allowing fire rates of up to 20 rounds per minute (RPM). As well, the Tiger’s main armament was capable of 360-degree rotation. In practice, the Mk N5 guns were extremely unreliable and jammed after just 30 seconds of continuous fire; however, RN command found this to be irrelevant, as the response speed after enemy detection was believed to be the determining factor in future naval engagements; this was especially true for dealing with the fast-flying jet aircraft of the Tiger’s time.

HMS Tiger was armed with an anti-aircraft armament of six 3-inch QF Mk N1 guns in three dual turrets. These guns had an extremely high fire rate of 90-120 RPM, but were prone to jamming after short bursts, similar to her primary armament.

The Tiger’s hull was retained from her original 1945 design, but was widened substantially to accommodate her new equipment. She also received a completely new, modernized superstructure that was much wider than the superstructures fitted to her WWII counterparts; thus, she is easily distinguished from ships such as HMS Swiftsure, her half-sister.

HMS Tiger carried a Type 992Q surface radar with a range of 56 km, a Type 960 air warning radar with a range of 310 km, a Type 277Q surface/air radar with a range of 220 km, and five MRS 3 fire directors for each 6-inch and 3-inch turret. Her peacetime crew complement would’ve been 698 officers and men, while her wartime crew complement would’ve been almost 900 crew members. The implementation of these changes took nearly four years; as a result, HMS Tiger was fully commissioned on March 18th, 1959.

=== Operational history ===
Following her launch, the HMS Tiger spent most of 1959 and 1960 in trials testing her highly-advanced armament. It was during this time that the navy realized the true extent of her armament’s unreliability - her 3-inch guns experienced teething troubles that resulted in severe unreliability, while her 6-inch guns were prone to jamming after short periods of firing. The 3-inch gun issues were mostly fixed by late 1960, but her 6-inch guns remained unreliable and were never fully fixed. During this time, she sailed to visit several Baltic ports, and deployed to the Mediterranean as the flagship of the British Mediterranean fleet.

In the earlier part of the 1960s, HMS Tiger deployed to the eastern theatre to serve during the Indonesian Confrontation. However, her operational capabilities were hindered by a lack of crew members, due to the Navy manpower shortages of the ‘60s. She was known by the public to be “only partly operational”, and the Glasgow Herald went as far as calling the Tiger a “floating office”. In 1966, she hosted talks between the British government and the new Rhodesian leadership under Ian Smith, who had unilaterally declared independence from the United Kingdom.

==== Later career and conversion ====
HMS Tiger was placed in reserve in 1966, being extremely obsolete due to the introduction of new guided-missile surface combatants. However, the decision was made to convert her, along with her sister ships, into guided helicopter cruisers. At the time, the British parliament had found that this would’ve been the cheapest option, costing 5 million pounds per vessel. The conversion took until 1972; the Tiger’s rear armament was removed, and replaced with a massive flight deck and hangar to support the operation of four Westland Wessex helicopters. The rear pair of 3-inch mounts were removed and replaced with a pair of Sea Cat missile launchers for launching Sea Cat Surface-to-air missiles.

By 1972, the Tiger was operational again, and the government wasn’t happy about it; the conversion had cost 12.8 million, rather than the 5 million it was supposed to cost. As a result, the Lion’s conversion was cancelled, and she was placed into reserve; Lion ended up as a spare parts ship, providing parts for the Tiger and Blake. This was done to such an extent that the Tiger’s crew members began calling her the ‘Liger’, due to the massive amount of Lion’s parts used to keep her operational.
[[File:HMS Tiger (1945) Helicopter deck.jpg|thumb|500x500px|HMS Tiger after her conversion, showing the massive rear helicopter deck and hangar.]]
HMS Tiger saw little service as a helicopter cruiser, being decommissioned in 1978. Her only major event during this time was the 1977 Silver Jubilee fleet review for Queen Elizabeth II. Being an extremely large vessel, she was costly to operate compared to the guided missile destroyers that the Royal Navy had invested itself into. Thus, she was placed on the “awaiting disposal” list in early 1979, along with her sister Blake.

In early 1982, the Falklands war broke out, and HMS Tiger was immediately reactivated, along Blake. The Royal navy had seriously considered sending the Tigers to the Falklands for several reasons; firstly, their large 6-inch main artillery guns could be used for shore bombardment, but more importantly, they had the third-largest helicopter decks in the Royal Navy (after the carriers Hermes and Invincible). In fact, the decks were large enough to operate the Sea Harrier S/VTOL aircraft, and this capability had been tested by Blake in the early 70s. However, at the end, the ship’s large operating costs doomed them, and both were inactivated again once the Falklands conflict came to a close. HMS Tiger remained in reserve until 1986, when she was sold for scrap.

=== [[wt:en/news/6141-development-hms-tiger-the-annihilator-en|Devblog]] ===
The three Tiger-class cruisers were initially laid down as Minotaur-class cruisers early on in WW2. However, their construction priority was considered low as British naval warfare at the time centred a lot around anti-submarine warfare - a role which ships of this class weren't intended to fill. Thus, the ships would only be partially completed by the end of WW2, with their design being acknowledged as outdated.

After WW2, the decision was made to complete the ships' construction, but to a different design. Work on completing the new Tiger-class light cruiser began in the early 1950s with the ships seeing completion by the end of the decade. The ships were refitted and modernized extensively, however, they remained outdated designs due to rapid advancements in technology and the changing nature of warfare. As a result, the class was soon afterwards converted into helicopter cruisers and went on to serve with the Royal Navy until the late 1970s. Tiger-class light cruisers were the final British 6-inch gun armed cruisers and the world's last large-calibre artillery ships, no one else has built such ships.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_cruiser_tiger Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="200">
File:HMS Tiger WTWallpaper001.jpg
File:HMS Tiger WTWallpaper002.jpg
File:HMS Tiger WTWallpaper003.jpg
File:HMS Tiger WTWallpaper004.jpg
File:HMS Tiger WTWallpaper005.jpg
File:HMS Tiger WTWallpaper006.jpg
File:HMS Tiger WTWallpaper007.jpg
File:HMS Tiger WTWallpaper008.jpg
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|yWWFv8qY5rQ|'''Battlefield Engineer: all new vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 7:46 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|Lw9HPGCdSYA|'''{{PAGENAME}} - Ship Review - Not a S(t)inker!''' - ''Napalmratte''|JUizHkj9gl4|'''The {{PAGENAME}} In Game''' - ''TheEuropeanCanadian''}}

== See also ==
''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6141-development-hms-tiger-the-annihilator-en|[Devblog] HMS Tiger: The Annihilator]]

=== References ===

* Academic. (2010). HMS Tiger (C20). Retrieved January 04, 2021, from <nowiki>https://enacademic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/296347</nowiki>
* Sharma, R. (2018, January 23). HMS Tiger (C20) - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 04, 2021, from <nowiki>https://alchetron.com/HMS-Tiger-(C20)</nowiki>

{{ShipManufacturer John Brown and Company}}
{{Britain light cruisers}}

HMS Belfast

2022-07-20T03:08:13Z

U6591054:

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_cruiser_belfast
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{Specs|rank}} British light cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.93 "Shark Attack"]].

The Belfast is a modified Southampton-class (more popularly known as theTown class) light cruiser, and is a sister-ship of the [[HMS Southampton|Southampton]] and [[HMS Liverpool|Liverpool]]. She is depicted in her post-war reconstruction form, as the ship appears in the present day, moored on the River Thames as a museum ship. As such, she does not have the torpedo armament originally fitted to all Southampton-class cruisers, but has much improved anti-aircraft armament and a distinctive modified bridge and lattice masts.

== General info ==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left" width="70%"
! rowspan="1" | Specification 
! rowspan="1" | Information 
|-
|Crew (Complement):
|956
|-
|Displacement:
|14,900 tons
|-
|Length:
|613 ft 6 in (186.99 m) overall
|-
|Beam:
|63 ft 4 in (19.3 m)
|-
|Draught:
|
* 18 ft 3 in (5.56 m) forward
* 19 ft 9 in (6.02 m) aft
|-
|Armour:
|
* Main belt: 4.5 inches (114 mm)
* Main turrets: Up to 4 inches (102 mm)
* Decks over magazines: 3 inches (76 mm)
* Decks over machinery: 2 inches (51 mm)
* Bulkheads: 2.5 inches (63.5 mm)
|-
|Installed power:
|80,000 shp (60,000 kW)
|-
|Propulsion:
|
* 4 × Admiralty oil-fired 3-drum boilers
* 4 × Parsons single reduction geared steam turbines
|-
|Speed:
|32 knots (59 km/h)
|-
|Other:
|Flagship of 10th Cruiser Squadron
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
The Belfast's basic armour protection is almost identical to that of the Liverpool. She has a 114.5 mm belt protecting her engine citadel, 63.5 mm on the bow and stern ends, and 36.5 mm on the deck. The Liverpool's machinery space is thus fairly well-protected against destroyers and most light cruisers when angled. The magazine protection is also identical, which serves to prevent magazine detonations from other cruisers' AP shells. It is important to note, however, that the Belfast has to expose a lot of her broadside in order to unmask the rear turrets, essentially negating the Belfast's belt armour if all main guns are to be used.

Like the Liverpool, the Belfast's main gun turrets are also decently armoured, with 102 mm of armour at the front and 50.8 mm elsewhere. This mostly protects them against light cruiser HE shells and weaker AP shells from the front. However, she retains the same weakpoint shared by almost all British cruisers: the open bridge. This has some 12 mm protection around parts, but is still essentially unarmoured and very vulnerable to nearby explosions and any sizeable shell hits.

The Belfast has a respectably sized crew complement at 956. However, the crew compartments were almost entirely located near the deck, which means the ship will lose a lot of crew when a sizeable HE shell hits them and from any subsequent fires. The close proximity of the crew compartments and the shell rooms can also help the fire to spread to them, possibly causing ammunition detonations.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}


{{NavalMobility}}

The HMS Belfast has 80,000 shaft horsepower on its screws. This power is provided by four Admiralty oil-fired 3-drum boilers. The four propellers are driven by four Parsons single reduction geared steam turbines. This gives the Belfast a maximum forward speed of 32 knots (60 km/h) in RB, and 38 knots (70 km/h) in AB. Her acceleration and maneuverability are quite good and she answers the helm fairly quickly for a cruiser.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|6 inch/50 BL Mark XXIII (152 mm)}}

The HMS Belfast comes with twelve Ordnance BL 6-inch Mark XXIII guns in four triple turrets. These turrets are housed in an A-B-X-Y layout, with two at each end, one superfiring over the other. This gives te Belfast a broadside of 12 guns, and a forward and rear salvo of 6. Each gun has a maximum rate-of-fire of 8 rounds/minute, for a maximum theoretical shell output of 96 rounds/minute with a fully upgraded crew.

The Liverpool has four shell choices: a basic HE shell with 3.96 kg of TNT equivalent, the CPBC semi-AP shell with a large filler (1.87 kg TNT equivalent) that can deal significant damage against cruisers within 7 km, but loses its effectiveness at longer ranges, and HE-TF and HE-VT shells for long-range anti-aircraft purposes (these have the same filler as the basic HE shell).

It is important to note that the Belfast's 'X' and 'Y' turret have fairly poor turret traverse arcs, which means it is difficult to use her firepower to its fullest without exposing a lot of the ship to damage.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|4 inch/45 Mark XVI (102 mm)}}

The Liverpool has eight QF 4-inch Mark XVI cannons, mounted in four dual mounts behind her second funnel, two on each side of the ship. It mainly serves as a long-range anti-aircraft battery, and can be quite effective once the HE-VT shell is unlocked. An SAP shell is also available for use against surface targets.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|QF Mark V (40 mm)}}The Belfast carries a fairly potent anti-aircraft battery consisting of twelve QF 40 mm Bofors guns in dual mounts. These guns have a greater effective range than the QF 2-pounder 'pom-pom' gun found on most British cruisers and are highly effective against aircraft thanks to their high sustained rate-of-fire of 120 rounds/barrel. They can also be deadly to small coastal craft that get within range.

== Usage in battles ==


The Belfast plays similarly to her sister-ships in the British naval tech tree, the Southampton and Liverpool. As a light cruiser, she relies on her fast rate-of-fire to overwhelm enemies, especially destroyers and slower-firing cruisers. The CPBC round combines reasonably good penetration with a much larger filler than the AP rounds found on most contemporary light cruisers. It is highly effective against other light cruisers and larger destroyers, inflicting serious damage on internal components. At close ranges, it is even capable of penetrating heavy cruiser belt armour. With HE-VT shells on her secondary and main guns and the twelve Bofors 40 mm guns, the Belfast is also quite effective at providing anti-aircraft cover to allied ships.

Her thick belt armour and magazine protection, conversely, mean that she is quite hard to knock out quickly by other light cruisers, and destroyers will struggle to inflict much damage beyond knocking out the open bridge, especially at range. Unlike most British cruisers, the Belfast also has a reasonable amount of turret armour, which allows her to more comfortably engage at closer ranges than other British cruisers without worrying too much about getting her turrets knocked out. The Belfast also has a relatively large crew complement for a British cruiser, and can thus take a bit more crew attrition.

All of these features, combined with the rather low penetration and long shell flight time at longer ranges, mean that the Belfast is most effective at medium/close ranges, where the main guns are most effective. However, unlike her sister ships, she does not have any torpedo tubes, so she is completely helpless against battleships.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Above average citadel and magazine protection for a light cruiser.
* High main gun rate-of-fire.
* Access to HE-VT shells for both main and secondary guns.
* Effective anti-aircraft battery.
* Above average explosive filler in the CPBC SAP round, with reasonable penetration.
* Above average turret protection for a British cruiser.

'''Cons:'''

* No proper armour-piercing round.
* Restricted turret traverse arcs.
* No torpedo armament.
* Unarmoured bridge, fire control room, and crew compartments, prone to taking crew damage.
* Can be matched against battleships.

== History ==


[[File:HMS Belfast (C35) in Japan 1950.jpg|thumb|450x450px|HMS Belfast (C35) at Kure in 1950.]]
HMS Belfast (C35) was a Town-class cruiser of the Royal Navy built just before the Second World War. Designed as a counter to the Japanese [[Mogami (Family)|Mogami]] class, Belfast carried a substantial main armament and had an improved anti-aircraft armament compared to the previous Town-class cruisers. Belfast had a storied service career, almost sunk by a naval mine in 1939 but returned to service later in the Second World War after a three-year refit. This upgrade resulted in her being the heaviest and best armoured of all the Town-class cruisers. She served in the Arctic theatre, where she escorted convoys and assisted in the destruction of the battleship Scharnhorst. Belfast later participated in the Korean War and received numerous refits to her armament and sensors. She was retired in 1963, and is now a museum ship moored on the Thames in London, UK.

=== Design and development ===
After the construction of the Japanese Mogami class, the British urgently needed a modern light cruiser to complement their older Arethusa and Leander-class cruisers. As such, they designed a new class of light cruiser, which would become the Town class, named after various towns and cities in the United Kingdom. A total of three subclasses would be designed - the [[HMS Southampton|Southampton]], Gloucester and Edinburgh subclasses. Belfast was the second of two Edinburgh - class cruisers, the other being HMS Edinburgh herself. Compared to the other Towns, they had a longer hull, which was intended to house a new quadruple turret allowing for a total of sixteen main guns. However, this idea was eventually shelved due to difficulties in producing an effective turret. As a result, Belfast retained the twelve-gun main armament scheme of the previous Towns, but carried an additional pair of 4-inch dual AA guns as well as several more 40 mm Pom Pom guns.

Belfast displaced 11 550 tons standard and almost 15 000 tons full. Her crew complement initially consisted of 881 crewmembers, though this number varied depending on time. Belfast carried a main armament of twelve 6-inch (152) mm guns in four triple turrets, two fore and two aft; firing at up to 8 rounds per minute (RPM) each, the ship was capable of firing 96 RPM using all main guns. Belfast was initially equipped with twelve 4-inch (102 mm) secondary DP guns, sixteen 40 mm Pom Pom guns in two octuple mountings along with two quadruple vickers machine guns for anti-aircraft defence - this armament was improved over the course of her service career. Belfast also carried two triple 533 mm torpedo tubes. Powered by steam turbines developing 80 000 shaft horsepower, she was capable of 32 knots (59 km/h).

=== Operational history ===
After her commissioning on August 5th 1939, Belfast joined the Home Fleet, and was soon involved with the naval blockade of Germany following the start of the Second World War. She intercepted two German blockade runners, earning her crew members a substantial amount of prize money. However, on November 10th 1939, Belfast struck a mine during exercises in the Firth of Forth. The explosion killed one crewmember and wounded 20, and caused serious damage to the ship itself. Most importantly, her keel had been severely damaged and bent upwards. The massive repairs would take almost two and a half years to complete; during this time, Belfast had her anti-aircraft armament strengthened with 18 20 mm Oerlikon cannons, and received additional armour plating.

Following her recommissioning in November of 1942, Belfast was made the Flagship of the 10th Cruiser Squadron, tasked with escorting Arctic convoys to the Soviet Union. In December of 1943, Belfast was escorting convoy JW 55B when they encountered the battlecruiser Scharnhorst. After a long night engagement, Scharnhorst was sunk by gunfire from the battleship Duke of York. Belfast played an important role in this engagement, shadowing the Scharnhorst using her radar to allow for her interception and eventual destruction by the British task force.
[[File:HMS Belfast (C35) and HMS Ocean (R68) off Korea 1952.jpg|thumb|450x450px|HMS Belfast with HMS Ocean in 1952.]]
In 1944, Belfast participated in the D-Day landings, providing artillery support at Gold and Juno beaches. She received a refit in April of 1945, with two of her dual 4-inch turrets removed in exchange for more anti-aircraft guns and advanced radar systems. She sailed to the Pacific to join the British Pacific Fleet, and was serving as the flagship of the British 2nd Cruiser Squadron when the Japanese surrendered. After the war, Belfast remained in the Pacific with the British Far East squadron at Hong Kong, and was visiting Hakodate, Japan when the Korean War broke out.

With the outbreak of war on the Korean peninsula, Belfast joined the Allied forces and provided fire support as well as carrier escort abilities. By the end of the Korean war in 1953, she had fired over 8000 rounds from her 6-inch guns and steamed 130 000 km within the Korean combat zone. After returning home from the Korean conflict, Belfast was modernized one final time, revising her anti-aircraft armament to twelve 40 mm bofors guns in six dual mounts. Serving with the East Indies fleet until 1963, Belfast was expected to be scrapped, but was saved by the HMS Belfast Trust, an organization composed of former crewmembers and other individuals. On Trafalgar Day, October 21st 1971, she was formally opened to the public; she was purchased by the Imperial War Museum in 1978, and remains a museum ship today, anchored on the Thames in London near Tower Bridge.

=== [[wt:en/news/6461-development-belfast-the-guardian-of-the-thames-en|Devblog]] ===
The light cruiser 'Belfast' was the next big step in shipbuilding design, following the Manchester cruisers, and, according to experts, this vessel (tied together with her sister ship, the cruiser Edinburgh) was the most advanced light cruiser in the Royal Navy of Great Britain during WWII. Belfast was laid down in 1938, and a year later, the cruiser came into service. The ship initially played a part in the British naval blockade against the German forces during WWII, however, in November 1939, the Belfast struck a mine and spent three years undergoing repairs, during which she also received a number of upgrades.

The modernised light cruiser was then deployed to escort Arctic convoys heading to the USSR, where she fought the German fleet for the first time. In June 1944, the Belfast provided cover for the US landing troops on the well-known D-Day, which took place in Normandy. At the end of World War II, Belfast was sent to the Pacific Ocean, where she joined the British Pacific Fleet. The next combat action the light cruiser saw was the Korean War, in which she participated from 1950 to 1952.

After taking part in a number of military operations and missions in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean, the old war dog finally retired from the battlefield in 1963. The era of those ships was over and it seemed that the Belfast was essentially doomed to become scrap metal. However, fortune favoured the cruiser, as a group of enthusiastic war historians, among whom was a former Belfast commander, persuaded the British government to use the ship as a museum of war history. Since 1978, light cruiser Belfast has served as a branch of the Imperial War Museum and is permanently moored on the Thames in London.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_cruiser_belfast Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|lIgoj8bT0H4|'''The Shooting Range #196''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 04:16 discusses the last voyage of HMS Edinburgh, the sister ship of HMS Belfast.}}

== See also ==
''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6461-development-belfast-the-guardian-of-the-thames-en|[Devblog] Belfast: The Guardian of the Thames]]

=== References ===

* Dday.center. (2020). Historic Ships. Retrieved January 26, 2021, from <nowiki>http://www.dday.center/preserving-history-historic-ships-hms-belfast.html</nowiki>
* Mason, G. B., RN. (2004). HMS Belfast, British Light Cruiser. Retrieved January 26, 2021, from <nowiki>https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-06CL-Belfast.htm</nowiki>

{{ShipManufacturer Harland and Wolff}}
{{Britain light cruisers}}
{{Britain premium ships}}

RN Attilio Regolo

2022-02-24T09:00:19Z

U6591054:

{{Specs-Card
|code=it_cruiser_capitani_romani_class_attilio_regolo
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian light cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Starfighters"]].

The Attilio Regolo is a Capitani Romani-class scout cruiser that blurs the line between cruisers and destroyers. She is very large and heavily armed compared to destroyers, and at the same time is significantly faster than but lacks the armour protection of most cruisers.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

The Attilio Regolo's hull lacks any substantial armour, with the design emphasizing speed instead. This leaves areas such as the engines, ammunition magazines, and the bridge susceptible to damage from even destroyers' shells. However, the front of the turrets are protected by 20 mm of armour, while the sides and roof are protected by 6 mm of armour. This protects the turrets from nearby explosions from destroyers' high explosive rounds, but direct hits will disable the ship's armament. The bridge is also surrounded by 15 mm of armour, which is not reliable in protecting the module.

The greatest threats to the survivability of the ship are the exposed torpedo tubes and spare torpedoes amidships and the highly exposed ammunition magazine under the 'X' turret. The former can detonate when hit and quickly incapacitate the ship, removing the use of almost every module past the bridge. However, this can be avoided by either firing off the torpedoes as soon as possible or not bringing them at all. The ammunition magazine will also detonate when hit, which will immediately destroy the ship. It is not possible to empty or redistribute the ammunition held here, and thus the only protection is to avoid getting hit there at all.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}


Thanks to its four Thornycroft boilers and four Parsons turbines which together deliver 110,000 hp, the Attilio Regolo can reach a top speed of 72 km/h forward and a maximum reverse speed of 25 km/h. With these powerful engines the acceleration is also very good: it can reach top speed in about 30 seconds. Unfortunately, due to its length it does not excel in manoeuvrability, completing a full circle in 1 minute 25 seconds.

{{NavalMobility
|SpeedForwardStockAB = 62
|SpeedBackStockAB = 22
|TurnTimeStockAB = 95.066
|TurnSpeedStockAB = 43

|SpeedForwardStockRB = 62
|SpeedBackStockRB = 22
|TurnTimeStockRB = 95.066
|TurnSpeedStockRB = 43
}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|135 mm/45 O.T.O. Mod. 1938 (135 mm)}}

The 8 x 135 mm/45 O.T.O Mod. 1938 are divided into 4 turrets allowing the ship to use at least half of its armament at any angle. The HE Dirompente is underwhelming with only 23 mm of pen at any angle, and an explosive mass of 1.8 kg. This shell is unreliable and should be avoided after the APHEBC Perforante and the HE-TF Contro-aerea shells are unlocked. The APHEBC Perforante is the most reliable shell used on the Attilio Regolo with a penetration of 174 mm at 1,000 m, and an explosive mass of 1.47 kg. The HE-TF Contro-aerea shell shares almost all of its characteristics with the HE Dirompente, but has a time fuse added to it for use as an AA shell; with its versatility as an anti-air shell and as a normal HE shell, this is the second most reliable shell to have.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|37 mm/54 Breda Mod.39 (37 mm)|20 mm/70 Scotti-Isotta Fraschini mod.1939 (20 mm)}}

For secondary armament the Attilio Regolo is armed with 8 x 37 mm/54 Breda Mod.39 autocannons, and 4 x 20 mm/70 Scotti-Isotta Fraschini Mod.1939 autocannons in double mounts. These secondary autocannons are effective as anti-air under control of the AI, but will need to be used by the player if they want to be used to destroy torpedo boats effectively.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|S.I. 270/533,4X7,2 Tipo M (533 mm)|Bollo P.200/1936 mine}}

The 533 mm steam-turbined S.I. 270/533,4X7,2 Tipo M torpedoes have an explosive mass of 270 kg, and a range of 12 km at 74 km/h with torpedo mode enabled, while it goes 4 km at a speed of 93 km/h when the torpedo mode is disabled. The torpedoes are best used as a tool to force opponents to avoid areas such as channels. If the player does not use torpedoes often then it is recommended to not bring them as they can be destroyed as an external ammo rack causing catastrophic damage.

== Usage in battles ==

The general game play of the Attilio Regolo is most similar to a destroyer then a light cruiser. The lack of meaningful armour means that it is fairly weak in a head-on engagement, but they can easily be avoided thanks to its incredible top speed. The ship has two general play styles that fit it well, the first being a light brawler fighting for caps, and the second being a flanking support ship. The main threats to the Attilio Regolo are heavier cruisers than itself, such as the [[Emden]] and [[USS Trenton (CL-11)|Trenton]], as well as destroyers with higher fire rates such as the [[Sumner (DD-692)|Sumner]] or [[Tashkent (leader)|Tashkent]]. The best way to counter cruisers such as the Emden is by simply avoiding the conflict using the ships high speed and smoke, or by using the ship's decent torpedo loadout to destroy them when they are unaware of you. Destroyers can best be dealt with by using terrain to your advantage to protect yourself from incoming fire, and retaliate while in safety of islands. The most vulnerable spot of the Attilio Regolo is its extra torpedo storage in the middle of the ship, this can best be protected by keeping the bow of the ship centred on an enemy you are fighting. While being in a broadside allows the ship to bring more of its firepower to use, it also exposes the external torpedoes that can quickly be set off destroying the ship.

Basically, the RN Attilio Regolo is an excellent light support cruiser. It can provide an excellent anti-aircraft barrage with its effective 20 and 37 mm turrets. The Attilio Regolo can also provide support fire against small and medium-sized vessels making life easier for ships with longer reloading times. It is recommended to use this ship in the second and third line, supporting heavy cruisers and dreadnoughts, and even with good survivability the ship alone will not be as effective as when in a group.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* High top speed.
* Large number of torpedoes.
* Effective turret layout with firing angles
* Mine-laying capability.
* Effective anti-aircraft armament.

'''Cons:'''

* Low survivability.
* Lowest crew count of any cruiser.
* Highly exposed ammunition magazines.
* Below average main gun rate-of-fire.
* Low shell explosive fillers for the main guns' calibre.

== History ==

[[File:RN Attilio Regolo History 1.png|thumb|Historical Photo of RN Attilio Regolo]]
The Attilio Regolo was a Capitani Romani class light cruiser designed to counter and catch the Mogador, and Le Fantasque class French destroyers in 1939. On November 7th 1942 the ship was torpedoed by the British sub HMS Unruffled, which caused the ship to be dry docked until the armistice with a shattered bow. After the war the Regolo was transferred to the French navy and renamed the Chateaurenault (D 606) as a war reparation, before finally being decommissioned in 1961.

=== [[wt:en/news/6732-development-attilio-regolo-the-upsized-destroyer-en|Devblog]] ===
During the 1930's, the Regia Marina was looking into building a type of 'ocean scout' vessel. Initially, the design work took inspiration from the Condottieri-class cruisers, but was soon abandoned in favor of a more compact and modern design. By the end of the decade however, the need for 'scout' vessels became somewhat redundant thanks to the advances in aviation and radar technology. As a result, the design was reclassified as a light cruiser and would serve as a flotilla leader.

Plans were made for the construction of 12 vessels of the 'Capitani Romani' class of light cruisers, all of which were laid down in various Italian shipyards in September and October of 1939. However, only three ships of the class would actually see completion while the others either had their construction cancelled or were later on captured in drydock by German forces.

One of the ships which did see completion is the Attilio Regolo, which entered service with the Regia Marina in May 1942. However, the ship's didn't see extensive service not only due to joining the war late, but also because it was hit by a torpedo from British submarine HMS Unruffled in November of the same year, getting severely crippled.

Postwar, Attilio Regolo was handed over to France in 1948 as war reparations and subsequently entered service with the French Navy as 'Châteaurenault'. The ship went on to serve with the French Navy until the early 1960's, before being decommissioned and sold for scrap in the 1970's.

== Media ==


;Images
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:Attilio Regolo WTWallpaper 01.jpg|
File:Attilio Regolo WTWallpaper 02.jpg|
File:Attilio Regolo WTWallpaper 03.jpg|
File:Attilio Regolo WTWallpaper 04.jpg|
File:Attilio Regolo WTWallpaper 05.jpg|
File:Attilio Regolo WTWallpaper 06.jpg|
File:Attilio Regolo WTWallpaper 07.jpg|
File:RN Attilio Regolo Media 2.png|
File:RN Attilio Regolo Media 1.png|
</gallery>

== See also ==


* [[RN Trento]]
* [[RN Etna]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6732-development-attilio-regolo-the-upsized-destroyer-en|[Devblog] Attilio Regolo - The Upsized Destroyer]]

{{ShipManufacturer OTO}}
{{Italy light cruisers}}

HMS Marlborough

2022-02-20T08:14:01Z

U6591054:

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_battleship_marlborough
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British battleship {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Ground Breaking"]].

The Marlborough is an Iron Duke-class battleship, the last of the British so-called 'super dreadnoughts' to be armed with the 13.5 inch gun. They were the most advanced battleships in service with the Royal Navy at the outbreak of World War I, featuring significantly larger guns than contemporary German dreadnoughts.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

''Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary armaments separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Save tips on preserving survivability for the "Usage in battles" section. If necessary, use a graphical template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armour.''

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

''Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.''

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|13.5 inch/45 Mark 5(H) (343 mm)}}

The Marlborough is armed with ten BL 13.5 inch Mark V (H) guns distributed in five twin turrets. Four of these located in the bow and stern, two each, while the fifth turret is located amidships. All are located in the centreline, allowing all main guns to be used in a broadside. They have a maximum rate-of-fire of 2 rounds/minute with an ace crew. All turrets have +/-150 degrees of traverse, although the amidships turret has somewhat more restricted firing arcs because of the superstructure. Unlike the preceding [[HMS Dreadnought|Dreadnought]], the Marlborough has a modern director fire control system that is considerably more accurate and computes firing solutions faster.

The main guns have a choice of four shells: HE, APC Mark Ia, CPC, and APC Mark IIIa. The HE shell has a massive explosive filler of ~88 kg of TNT equivalent. It is capable of inflicting devastating damage against lightly armoured targets such as destroyers and some light cruisers. The APC Mark Ia has a larger explosive filler (~22 kg TNT equivalent) but less penetration, while the later APC Mark IIIa trades a smaller explosive filler (~16.5 kg TNT equivalent) for more penetration. They are most effective against heavier armour such as on battleships or armoured cruisers. The CPC is a semi-armour piercing round combining a respectable amount of penetration with a significantly larger explosive filler (~58 kg TNT equivalent) than the APC ammunition. It is most effective against cruisers, but lacks the penetration to get through battleship belt armour.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|6 inch/45 BL Mark VII (152 mm)}}

The secondary armament of the Marlborough consists of twelve BL 6 inch Mark VII guns located in six casemates on each side of the hull. These have a maximum rate-of-fire of 7 rounds/minute with an ace crew.

The secondary guns can fire HE or CPC shells. Both shells have fairly large fillers of ~6.6 kg and ~3.7 kg of TNT equivalent, respectively. They are effective against destroyers and can even inflict considerable damage on lightly armoured cruisers.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|4 in QF Mark V (102 mm)}}

The anti-aircraft armament of the Marlborough consists of only four QF 4 inch Mark V guns. Two of these are mounted on each side of the bridge conning tower, with another two mounted beneath the aft mast. These do not have a choice of ammunition, firing only HE shells, which severely restricts their effectiveness against aircraft.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|Mk.IV (533 mm)}}

The Marlborough has four 21 inch fixed underwater torpedo tubes. These are located in front of the bow turrets and behind the stern turrets, one facing each side of the ship. These fire the 21 inch Mark IV torpedo, which has a speed and range of 65 km/h and 7.3 km. It is armed with a 234 kg TNT warhead.

== Usage in battles ==

The Marlborough relies on her powerful 13.5 inch main gun battery to inflict heavy damage on enemy vessels from long range. Her HE shells have the largest explosive filler of any shell currently in the game, while the CPC semi-armour piercing round is a lethal threat to cruisers with its blend of decent penetration and potent explosive filler. The AP shells are nothing to sneeze at either, thanks to their good penetration and respectable fillers. The powerful secondary 6 inch guns are also quite capable of defending the Marlborough against most destroyers and smaller craft that get into range. Manually controlling the secondary guns while waiting for the main guns to reload is also helpful for supplementing the damage output of the Marlborough.

The armour protection on the Marlborough is adequate, but can be improved dramatically by taking advantage of her good main gun traverse arcs to angle the armour. This is particularly important when engaging other battleships, as the upper belt armour is fairly thin and she does not have a torpedo belt to help break up enemy shells like on the [[USS Wyoming|Wyoming]] or [[Parizhskaya kommuna|Parizhskaya Kommuna]].

The greatest weakness of the Marlborough is her non-existent anti-aircraft defences. Like almost all World War I era ships, she has nearly no anti-aircraft guns and relatively thin deck armour, making her vulnerable to large bombs. She also completely lacks any torpedo bulges or protection, and is thus also very vulnerable to both ship and air launched torpedoes. She is completely reliant on allied cruisers or more modern battleships such as the [[Scharnhorst]] or Parizhskaya Kommuna to provide anti-aircraft protection.

=== Pros and cons ===
'''Pros:'''

* Thick belt armour.
* Large explosive fillers in HE and CPC shells.
* Heavy 6 inch gun secondary battery.
* Above average crew count.
* Heavily armoured main gun turrets and bridge conning tower

'''Cons:'''

* Below average maneouvrability.
* Fixed torpedo tubes.
* Thickest part of belt armour is submerged below the waterline.
* Non-existent anti-aircraft armament.
* No torpedo protection.

== History ==

''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the ship and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_battleship_marlborough Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/7375-development-hms-marlborough-the-iron-duke-en|[Devblog] HMS Marlborough: The Iron Duke]]

{{ShipManufacturer Devonport}}
{{Britain battleships}}

HMS Dreadnought

2022-02-06T22:24:24Z

U6591054: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_battleship_dreadnought
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British battleship {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "New Power"]].

The Dreadnought is the battleship that launched the dreadnought revolution in 1906. She was the first all-big gun battleship powered by turbines to enter service with any navy, representing a quantum leap in firepower and speed over all previous capital warships and further establishing Britain's position as the leading world naval power at that time. Fittingly, the Dreadnought is also one of the first battleships to be introduced into the game.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

The Dreadnought has a reasonably thick armoured belt for a first-generation dreadnought battleship. It is 279 mm thick below the waterline and 203 mm above the waterline, thinning out to 152 mm towards the bow and 102 mm towards the stern. The Dreadnought also features a "turtleback" citadel, with angled 70 mm and 76 mm plates behind the main belt designed to deflect shells that penetrate the main belt. The bow end of the citadel is protected by an angled 102 mm plate, while the stern end is protected by a 203 mm vertical upper plate and 102 mm angled lower plate. The upper deck plating is 19 mm thick and the lower deck plating is 45 mm thick amidships, 38 mm over the bow, and 51 mm over the stern and steering gear.

The main gun turrets are protected by angled 279.4 mm plating around the front and sides, 330 mm plating on the rear, and 76.2 mm plating on the turret roof and the bottom. The bow, stern, and wing turret barbettes are 279 mm thick facing outwards from the ship and 203 mm facing inwards, while the amidships turret has 203 mm all-round barbette protection.

The main gun magazines are located well below the waterline and are further protected by additional 51 mm and 25 mm plates, with 102 mm plating covering the outward facing sides of the wing turret ammunition magazines.

The bridge is protected by an armoured conning tower with 279 mm thick sides and a 76 mm roof.

The Dreadnought also has additional protection amidships from her coal bunkers, which provide the equivalent of about 40 mm of steel.

The Dreadnought has a small crew complement for a battleship, along with the British [[HMS Colossus|Colossus]].

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Dreadnought has about average mobility for a first-generation dreadnought. As a battleship, she is displaces much more than cruisers and destroyers, and thus her acceleration and top speed are much lower. Her handling and manoeuvrability are about average for a battleship.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|305 mm/45 Mark X (305 mm)}}

The Dreadnought is armed with ten BL 12-inch Mark X main guns located in five twin turrets. Two of these are wing turrets located amidships that can only fire to one side each, thus her actual maximum broadside consists of only eight main guns from four twin turrets. She can also bring six guns to bear directly ahead or astern from the wing turrets (which have 180 degrees of traverse) and the bow/stern turret. The turrets have fairly good traverse arcs towards the bow of the ship (the two rear turrets can traverse up to 150 degrees to each side) and somewhat worse towards the stern (the bow turret can only traverse up to 141 degrees to each side). The guns have a maximum rate of fire of 2 rounds/minute per gun with an aced crew.

Ammunition types consist of HE Mark IIa, APC Mark VIa, and CPC Mark VIIa (semi-armour piercing). The HE shell has the second largest explosive filler of any 12-inch/305 mm shell at ~53 kg of TNT equivalent, with only the SAP shell of the Russian/Soviet 305 mm used by the [[Parizhskaya kommuna|Parizhskaya Kommuna]] and [[Imperatritsa Mariya]] having more explosive (~55 kg TNT). It is capable of causing immense damage to destroyers, most cruisers, and other lightly armoured targets. By contrast, the APC shell is the lightest of the 12-inch AP projectiles, has a relatively small filler of only ~12 kg TNT, and has the lowest penetration of the AP shells its calibre. The CPC SAP shell is a compromise between the explosive power of the HE shell and the penetration of the APC shell. It has enough penetration to go through anything other than thick battleship belt armour, and has ~36 kg of TNT.

Dreadnought's rangefinder is quite poor, having a measurement accuracy of only 86% upgraded, reflecting its age.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|76 mm/50 12pdr 18cwt QF Mark I (76 mm)}}

The Dreadnought's secondary armament consists of 18 QF 12-pounder Mark I in single mounts. These are 76 mm guns, thus the Dreadnought's secondary battery of the smallest of any battleship in the game. Each gun has a rate of fire of 15 rounds/gun with an aced crew. Each main gun turret has two of these on its roof, with the remaining ten guns scattered around the ship's hull and superstructure. These guns can only elevate up to 20 degrees and only fire CP semi-AP shells, thus are only useful against surface targets. The CP shell has a small filler of only 520 g TNT equivalent and low penetration, thus it will struggle to do much damage against anything other than coastal craft.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|76 mm/45 QF 3in 20cwt HA Mark I (76 mm)}}

The Dreadnought has two anti-aircraft QF 12-pounder 20-cwt HA Mark I guns. These have a low rate of fire of only 12 rounds/minute with an aced crew, and there is no option to use time-fused shells, making them less effective against aircraft.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|R.G.F. Mark VI** (450 mm)}}

The Dreadnought has four fixed 18-inch underwater torpedo tubes, two in the bow and two in the stern, with two facing port and two facing starboard. She can carry up to 30 18-inch Mark VI** torpedoes. These are fairly slow (56 km/h) and have a short range of only 5.49 km. The warhead is also quite small, at only 134 kg TNT.

== Usage in battles ==

As the first dreadnought battleship, and therefore the oldest one, the Dreadnought has its strengths but also some prominent weaknesses stemming from being the first of its kind. She has a fairly powerful main battery of ten guns, especially when shooting the powerful HE or SAP, but only eight of these can be used against a target at most thanks to her wing turret configuration. However, with some slight manoeuvring, she can use six guns on targets directly ahead or astern thanks to these wing turrets, while presenting the smallest target possible. The APC shell is weak for a battleship's 12-inch-gun, but this is compensated for with sheer explosive power from the HE and SAP shells along with the fires they cause.

Her secondary battery is the weakest of any battleship in the game, relying exclusively on the 76 mm guns. These are fairly ineffective against even destroyers, and only really effective against small coastal craft. The anti-aircraft armament is about what can be expected for a World War I era battleship: virtually non-existent.

The Dreadnought's survivability is generally quite good against anything other than the most powerful battleship guns. Her overall protection level is quite decent, and can be improved even further with angling. However, her small crew complement is a significant drawback, especially vulnerable towards fires.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Large HE and SAP shell explosive fillers.
* Effective main gun magazine protection.
* Heavily armoured bridge.
* Can angle quite heavily when shooting at targets in the frontal aspect.
* Large coal bunkers providing additional protection amidships.

'''Cons:'''

* Inadequate secondary and non-existent anti-aircraft batteries.
* Inaccurate rangefinder.
* Can only bring 8 out of 10 main guns to bear on a target at most.
* AP shell has relatively low penetration and small filler for its calibre.
* Small crew complement.

== History ==

[[File:Dreadnought, 1906.jpg|thumb|HMS Dreadnought underway in 1906.]]
'''HMS Dreadnought''', sole ship of her class, was a dreadnought battleship of the Royal Navy. Launched in 1906, the Dreadnought was a revolutionary battleship design featuring a large main battery of ten 12-inch (305 mm) guns in five twin turrets. Her name, "Dreadnought", would be used to describe all of the battleships built after her construction and with similar design. Dreadnought's construction led to a global arms race, as countries like Germany, Japan and the United States scrambled to build dreadnoughts of their own. HMS Dreadnought served during the First World War, but saw little service; despite her design as a battleship, her only action was the ramming and sinking of a German U-Boat. The action made Dreadnought the only battleship confirmed to have sunk a submarine. Dreadnought did not participate in the Battle of Jutland (as she was being refitted), and saw little service for the rest of the war. She was reduced to reserve in 1919, and scrapped several years later.<ref name=":0">Suciu, P. (2020)</ref><ref name=":1">Editors of Britannica. (2020)</ref>

=== Design and development ===
In 1905, Sir John "Jackie" Fisher, First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy, began the process of designing a new class of battleship.<ref name=":0" /> This design would become one of the most revolutionary developments in naval history. The new battleship would feature an "all-big-gun" armament; this was a stark contrast to the existing battleship designs, which had a smaller big-gun armament and numerous secondary guns. The vessel was named Dreadnought, meaning "fear-nothing".<ref name=":0" /> The ship was also fitted with steam turbines, a novel engine type that made the ship faster than all existing battleship designs.<ref name=":0" />

The Dreadnought was armed with a main battery of ten 12-inch guns mounted in five twin turrets. It also carried a substantial amount of secondary guns. The ship displaced 18,000 tons, and was 160 metres long.<ref name=":1" /> Powered by the new steam turbines, Dreadnought could make 21 knots, which made it faster than any existing battleship designs. Dreadnought was ordered in October of 1905, and launched in early 1906. It was formally commissioned on December 2nd, 1906.

=== Operational History ===
Dreadnought's construction was a huge shock to the naval community, as the ship far outclassed any existing battleship design. As a result, the ship lent its name to all new battleship designs - these would be collectively known as "dreadnoughts". Any battleships built before dreadnought were known as "Pre-dreadnoughts".<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Dreadnought's construction also triggered a naval arms race, as numerous nations raced to build their own dreadnoughts; these included the German [[SMS Helgoland|Nassau]]-class, Japanese [[IJN Settsu|Kawachi]]-class and American South-Carolina class.

In part because of the arms race it caused, Dreadnought was made obsolete by the rapid progress of naval design.<ref name=":0" /> Before the start of the First World War, super-dreadnoughts emerged; these ships were far more advanced than the Dreadnought, incorporating innovations such as a centerline-mounted main battery. Dreadnought, being relatively obsolete, saw little service during the First World War; it didn't participate in the Battle of Jutland, nor any other surface engagements. Dreadnought's only action occurred in March of 1915, when she rammed and sank a German U-Boat;<ref name=":1" /> this made her the only battleship known to have sunk a submarine. Due to her obsolescence, Dreadnought was relegated to reserve in 1919; she was sold for scrapping, and scrapped in 1923.<ref name=":0" />

=== [[wt:en/news/6914-development-hms-dreadnought-the-face-of-a-new-generation-en|Devblog]] ===
At the turn of the century, notable developments in all aspects of naval warfare could be observed, ranging from gunnery practices over torpedo design to propulsion systems. HMS Dreadnought, as it would become known, was developed to take advantage of these latest developments, in particular, by incorporating a steam turbine propulsion system and by adopting a so-called 'all-big-gun' weapons arsenal.

The latter in particular, meant a unified calibre main battery, thus moving away from the common practice of installing multiple calibres of weapons aboard a large warship, which proved increasingly inefficient. In a similar fashion, HMS Dreadnought was to become the first warship to be fitted with steam turbines, giving her a greater speed than any comparable warship at the time.

HMS Dreadnought was laid down in October 1905, launched in February 1906 and, after undergoing sea trials, commissioned into service with the Royal Navy's Home Fleet as its flagship in December - just fifteen months after it was laid down. Immediately after entering service, HMS Dreadnought virtually rendered all older battleships obsolete due to its advanced design, thus also kicking off a naval arms race, most notably between Britain and Germany.

During WWI, HMS Dreadnought saw little action, in fact missing the critical Battle of Jutland in 1916 as the ship was carrying out other duties. Although designed to defeat other battleships, HMS Dreadnought's most famous encounter with hostile forces was the sinking of the German U-Boat U-29 by ramming it in 1915!

After the war, HMS Dreadnought became surplus to requirements as more and more modern battleships took her place. After a brief postwar service, HMS Dreadnought was sold for scrap in May 1921. Although the mighty warship was ultimately broken apart, its construction represented such a milestone in naval development that history remembers it as nothing short of a naval legend.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_battleship_dreadnought Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed" caption="HMS Dreadnought Devblog Images" heights="150">
File:HMS Dreadnought WTWallpaper 001.jpg|
File:HMS Dreadnought WTWallpaper 002.jpg|
File:HMS Dreadnought WTWallpaper 003.jpg|
File:HMS Dreadnought WTWallpaper 004.jpg|
File:HMS Dreadnought WTWallpaper 005.jpg|
File:HMS Dreadnought WTWallpaper 006.jpg|
File:HMS Dreadnought WTWallpaper 007.jpg|
</gallery>

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6914-development-hms-dreadnought-the-face-of-a-new-generation-en|[Devblog] HMS Dreadnought: The Face of a New Generation]]

=== References ===

;Citations
<references />

;Bibliography

* Suciu, P. (2020, April 07). HMS Dreadnought Made All Other Battleships Obsolete. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from <nowiki>https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/hms-dreadnought-made-all-other-battleships-obsolete-141337</nowiki>
* Editors of Britannica. (2020). Dreadnought. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from <nowiki>https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dreadnought-British-battleship</nowiki>

{{ShipManufacturer Portsmouth}}
{{Britain battleships}}

RN Leone

2022-01-31T01:31:12Z

U6591054: /* Primary armament */

{{About
| about = Italian destroyer '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = the other Leone-class destroyer
| link = RN Tigre
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=it_destroyer_leone_class
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Direct Hit"]].

The Leone was originally designed as an "esploratore" (scout cruiser). As such, she is significantly larger than contemporary destroyers of the early 1920s and carries a heavy gun armament at the expense of less torpedoes. Despite her design preceding the [[RN Comandante Margottini|Comandante Margottini]] and [[Corazziere]] by some 20 years, she is a larger and more heavily armed ship, and thus comes after them in the Italian bluewater tech tree.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

The Leone has no armour whatsoever other than 12 mm plating partially protecting her main gun mounts.

Her bow main gun ammunition magazine is partially exposed above the waterline. This makes it more vulnerable to penetrating hits, which will detonate the ammunition magazine with immediately fatal results. The stern magazine is below the waterline, and thus less vulnerable.

The Leone has a crew of 206 men, which is slightly smaller than that of the preceding Corazziere.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Leone is somewhat slower than her immediate predecessor, Corazziere, and also has poorer handling and acceleration characteristics due to her greater length and bulk, although they are still acceptable.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|120 mm/45 Canet-Schneider-Armstrong mod.1918-19 (120 mm)}}

The Leone has a heavy gun armament (for a destroyer) of eight 120/45 Canet-Schneider-Armstrong Mod. 1918/19 main guns. These fire the same shells as the 120/45 OTO Mod. 1926 guns on the Italian reserve destroyer [[RN Turbine|Turbine]] and have generally identical performance to them as well. They are distributed in four twin mounts, one in the bow, one in the stern, and the other two amidships. Three of these mounts have unlimited traverse, but the one sited between the funnels cannot be traversed fully because of the fore funnel blocking the guns. The guns have a fairly low rate of fire of only 7 rounds/minute maximum with an aced crew.

The 120 mm guns fire HE, HE-DF, and APHE shells. The HE (and identical HE-DF) shells have a large filler for a 120 mm shell at 2.39 kg of TNT, which is significantly more than those of the newer 120 mm HE shells used by the [[Dardo]] and Corazziere and even the larger 135 mm HE shells of the [[RN Comandante Margottini|Comandante Margottini]], [[RN Attilio Regolo|Attilio Regolo]], and [[RN Etna|Etna]]. However, her APHE has less filler than the APHE on those other ships. HE-DF explodes at the range set by the rangefinder, primarily for anti-aircraft usage, but the limited gun elevation makes the main guns quite hard to use in the anti-aircraft role.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|40 mm/39 Vickers-Terni mod.1915/1917, Modif.1930 (40 mm)}}

''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.''

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|Breda Model 31 (13.2 mm)}}

''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.''

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|S.I. 250/533,4X7,5 Tipo A (533 mm)}}

''Describe the available additional armaments of the ship: depth charges, mines, torpedoes. Talk about their positions, available ammunition and launch features such as dead zones of torpedoes. If there is no additional armament, remove this section.''

== Usage in battles ==

The Leone sacrifices torpedo armament for heavier main gun armament. With a large salvo of eight fairly powerful HE shells, she can deal a substantial amount of damage to opposing destroyers with a single salvo. However, the low rate of fire of the main guns also mean that she cannot really compete in a prolonged duel against fast-firing destroyers (particular the American ones with 5"/38 main guns), and despite her larger size she actually has a smaller crew count than the Corazziere and Comandante Margottini. Furthermore, her partially exposed bow ammunition magazine is a dangerous weakness, especially in close range fights.

Her torpedo armament is very poor, with only four fairly underwhelming 533 mm torpedoes that are not particularly fast and that have a very short range of only 4 km without the torpedo mode installed. It is worth considering not bringing them at all, especially since they are a potential hazard if hit by enemy fire.

It is also worth noting that the Leone has better firing angles towards the stern of the ship than towards the bow. Angling towards the enemy in such a way that the ship fires towards the stern is worth considering, especially since this also exposes the bow ammunition magazine less.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Large number of main guns
* Large main gun HE shell explosive filler
* Large field-of-fire towards the stern of the ship
* Reasonable penetration and filler for the APHE shell

'''Cons:'''

* Low main gun rate of fire
* Inadequate anti-aircraft armament
* Only four torpedoes with a very short range without torpedo mode installed
* Above-waterline bow ammunition magazine

== History ==

''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the ship and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=it_destroyer_leone_class Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{ShipManufacturer Ansaldo}}
{{Italy destroyers}}

HMS Dreadnought

2022-01-22T03:24:17Z

U6591054: /* Survivability and armour */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_battleship_dreadnought
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British battleship {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "New Power"]].

The Dreadnought is the battleship that launched the dreadnought revolution in 1906. She was the first all-big gun battleship powered by turbines to enter service with any navy, representing a quantum leap in firepower and speed over all previous capital warships and further establishing Britain's position as the leading world naval power at that time. Fittingly, the Dreadnought is also one of the first battleships to be introduced into the game.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

The Dreadnought has a reasonably thick armoured belt for a first-generation dreadnought battleship. It is 279 mm thick below the waterline and 203 mm above the waterline, thinning out to 152 mm towards the bow and 102 mm towards the stern. The Dreadnought also features a "turtleback" citadel, with angled 70 mm and 76 mm plates behind the main belt designed to deflect shells that penetrate the main belt. The bow end of the citadel is protected by an angled 102 mm plate, while the stern end is protected by a 203 mm vertical upper plate and 102 mm angled lower plate. The upper deck plating is 19 mm thick and the lower deck plating is 45 mm thick amidships, 38 mm over the bow, and 51 mm over the stern and steering gear.

The main gun turrets are protected by angled 279.4 mm plating around the front and sides, 330 mm plating on the rear, and 76.2 mm plating on the turret roof and the bottom. The bow, stern, and wing turret barbettes are 279 mm thick facing outwards from the ship and 203 mm facing inwards, while the amidships turret has 203 mm all-round barbette protection.

The main gun magazines are located well below the waterline and are further protected by additional 51 mm and 25 mm plates, with 102 mm plating covering the outward facing sides of the wing turret ammunition magazines.

The bridge is protected by an armoured conning tower with 279 mm thick sides and a 76 mm roof.

The Dreadnought also has additional protection amidships from her coal bunkers, which provide the equivalent of about 40 mm of steel.

The Dreadnought has a small crew complement for a battleship, along with the British [[HMS Colossus|Colossus]].

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Dreadnought has about average mobility for a first-generation dreadnought. As a battleship, she is displaces much more than cruisers and destroyers, and thus her acceleration and top speed are much lower. Her handling and manoeuvrability are about average for a battleship.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|305 mm/45 Mark X (305 mm)}}

The Dreadnought is armed with ten BL 12-inch Mark X main guns located in five twin turrets. Two of these are wing turrets located amidships that can only fire to one side each, thus her actual maximum broadside consists of only eight main guns from four twin turrets. She can also bring six guns to bear directly ahead or astern from the wing turrets (which have 180 degrees of traverse) and the bow/stern turret. The turrets have fairly good traverse arcs towards the bow of the ship (the two rear turrets can traverse up to 150 degrees to each side) and somewhat worse towards the stern (the bow turret can only traverse up to 141 degrees to each side). The guns have a maximum rate of fire of 2 rounds/minute per gun with an aced crew.

Ammunition types consist of HE Mark IIa, APC Mark VIa, and CPC Mark VIIa (semi-armour piercing). The HE shell has the second largest explosive filler of any 12-inch/305 mm shell at ~53 kg of TNT equivalent, with only the SAP shell of the Russian/Soviet 305 mm used by the [[Parizhskaya kommuna|Parizhskaya Kommuna]] and [[Imperatritsa Mariya]] having more explosive (~55 kg TNT). It is capable of causing immense damage to destroyers, most cruisers, and other lightly armoured targets. By contrast, the APC shell is the lightest of the 12-inch AP projectiles, has a relatively small filler of only ~12 kg TNT, and has the lowest penetration of the AP shells its calibre. The CPC SAP shell is a compromise between the explosive power of the HE shell and the penetration of the APC shell. It has enough penetration to go through anything other than thick battleship belt armour, and has ~36 kg of TNT.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|76 mm/50 12pdr 18cwt QF Mark I (76 mm)}}

The Dreadnought's secondary armament consists of 18 QF 12-pounder Mark I in single mounts. These are 76 mm guns, thus the Dreadnought's secondary battery of the smallest of any battleship in the game. Each gun has a rate of fire of 15 rounds/gun with an aced crew. Each main gun turret has two of these on its roof, with the remaining ten guns scattered around the ship's hull and superstructure. These guns can only elevate up to 20 degrees and only fire CP semi-AP shells, thus are only useful against surface targets. The CP shell has a small filler of only 520 g TNT equivalent and low penetration, thus it will struggle to do much damage against anything other than coastal craft.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|76 mm/45 QF 3in 20cwt HA Mark I (76 mm)}}

The Dreadnought has two anti-aircraft QF 12-pounder 20-cwt HA Mark I guns. These have a low rate of fire of only 12 rounds/minute with an aced crew, and there is no option to use time-fused shells, making them less effective against aircraft.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|R.G.F. Mark VI** (450 mm)}}

The Dreadnought has four fixed 18-inch underwater torpedo tubes, two in the bow and two in the stern, with two facing port and two facing starboard. She can carry up to 30 18-inch Mark VI** torpedoes. These are fairly slow (56 km/h) and have a short range of only 5.49 km. The warhead is also quite small, at only 134 kg TNT.

== Usage in battles ==

As the first dreadnought battleship, and therefore the oldest one, the Dreadnought has its strengths but also some prominent weaknesses stemming from being the first of its kind. She has a fairly powerful main battery of ten guns, especially when shooting the powerful HE or SAP, but only eight of these can be used against a target at most thanks to her wing turret configuration. However, with some slight manoeuvring, she can use six guns on targets directly ahead or astern thanks to these wing turrets, while presenting the smallest target possible. The APC shell is weak for a battleship's 12-inch-gun, but this is compensated for with sheer explosive power from the HE and SAP shells along with the fires they cause.

Her secondary battery is the weakest of any battleship in the game, relying exclusively on the 76 mm guns. These are fairly ineffective against even destroyers, and only really effective against small coastal craft. The anti-aircraft armament is about what can be expected for a World War I era battleship: virtually non-existent.

The Dreadnought's survivability is generally quite good against anything other than the most powerful battleship guns. Her overall protection level is quite decent, and can be improved even further with angling. However, her small crew complement is a significant drawback, especially vulnerable towards fires.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Large HE and SAP shell explosive fillers
* Effective main gun magazine protection
* Heavily armoured bridge
* Can angle quite heavily when shooting at targets in the frontal aspect
* Large coal bunkers providing additional protection amidships

'''Cons:'''

* Inadequate secondary battery against anything larger than torpedo boats
* Inadequate anti-aircraft armament
* Can only bring 8 out of 10 main guns to bear on a target at most
* AP shell has relatively low penetration and small filler for its calibre
* Small crew complement

== History ==

[[File:Dreadnought, 1906.jpg|thumb|HMS Dreadnought underway in 1906.]]
'''HMS Dreadnought''', sole ship of her class, was a dreadnought battleship of the Royal Navy. Launched in 1906, the Dreadnought was a revolutionary battleship design featuring a large main battery of ten 12-inch (305 mm) guns in five twin turrets. Her name, "Dreadnought", would be used to describe all of the battleships built after her construction and with similar design. Dreadnought's construction led to a global arms race, as countries like Germany, Japan and the United States scrambled to build dreadnoughts of their own. HMS Dreadnought served during the First World War, but saw little service; despite her design as a battleship, her only action was the ramming and sinking of a German U-Boat. The action made Dreadnought the only battleship confirmed to have sunk a submarine. Dreadnought did not participate in the Battle of Jutland (as she was being refitted), and saw little service for the rest of the war. She was reduced to reserve in 1919, and scrapped several years later.<ref name=":0">Suciu, P. (2020)</ref><ref name=":1">Editors of Britannica. (2020)</ref>

=== Design and development ===
In 1905, Sir John "Jackie" Fisher, First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy, began the process of designing a new class of battleship.<ref name=":0" /> This design would become one of the most revolutionary developments in naval history. The new battleship would feature an "all-big-gun" armament; this was a stark contrast to the existing battleship designs, which had a smaller big-gun armament and numerous secondary guns. The vessel was named Dreadnought, meaning "fear-nothing".<ref name=":0" /> The ship was also fitted with steam turbines, a novel engine type that made the ship faster than all existing battleship designs.<ref name=":0" />

The Dreadnought was armed with a main battery of ten 12-inch guns mounted in five twin turrets. It also carried a substantial amount of secondary guns. The ship displaced 18,000 tons, and was 160 metres long.<ref name=":1" /> Powered by the new steam turbines, Dreadnought could make 21 knots, which made it faster than any existing battleship designs. Dreadnought was ordered in October of 1905, and launched in early 1906. It was formally commissioned on December 2nd, 1906.

=== Operational History ===
Dreadnought's construction was a huge shock to the naval community, as the ship far outclassed any existing battleship design. As a result, the ship lent its name to all new battleship designs - these would be collectively known as "dreadnoughts". Any battleships built before dreadnought were known as "Pre-dreadnoughts".<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Dreadnought's construction also triggered a naval arms race, as numerous nations raced to build their own dreadnoughts; these included the German [[SMS Helgoland|Nassau]]-class, Japanese [[IJN Settsu|Kawachi]]-class and American South-Carolina class.

In part because of the arms race it caused, Dreadnought was made obsolete by the rapid progress of naval design.<ref name=":0" /> Before the start of the First World War, super-dreadnoughts emerged; these ships were far more advanced than the Dreadnought, incorporating innovations such as a centerline-mounted main battery. Dreadnought, being relatively obsolete, saw little service during the First World War; it didn't participate in the Battle of Jutland, nor any other surface engagements. Dreadnought's only action occurred in March of 1915, when she rammed and sank a German U-Boat;<ref name=":1" /> this made her the only battleship known to have sunk a submarine. Due to her obsolescence, Dreadnought was relegated to reserve in 1919; she was sold for scrapping, and scrapped in 1923.<ref name=":0" />

=== [[wt:en/news/6914-development-hms-dreadnought-the-face-of-a-new-generation-en|Devblog]] ===
At the turn of the century, notable developments in all aspects of naval warfare could be observed, ranging from gunnery practices over torpedo design to propulsion systems. HMS Dreadnought, as it would become known, was developed to take advantage of these latest developments, in particular, by incorporating a steam turbine propulsion system and by adopting a so-called 'all-big-gun' weapons arsenal.

The latter in particular, meant a unified calibre main battery, thus moving away from the common practice of installing multiple calibres of weapons aboard a large warship, which proved increasingly inefficient. In a similar fashion, HMS Dreadnought was to become the first warship to be fitted with steam turbines, giving her a greater speed than any comparable warship at the time.

HMS Dreadnought was laid down in October 1905, launched in February 1906 and, after undergoing sea trials, commissioned into service with the Royal Navy's Home Fleet as its flagship in December - just fifteen months after it was laid down. Immediately after entering service, HMS Dreadnought virtually rendered all older battleships obsolete due to its advanced design, thus also kicking off a naval arms race, most notably between Britain and Germany.

During WWI, HMS Dreadnought saw little action, in fact missing the critical Battle of Jutland in 1916 as the ship was carrying out other duties. Although designed to defeat other battleships, HMS Dreadnought's most famous encounter with hostile forces was the sinking of the German U-Boat U-29 by ramming it in 1915!

After the war, HMS Dreadnought became surplus to requirements as more and more modern battleships took her place. After a brief postwar service, HMS Dreadnought was sold for scrap in May 1921. Although the mighty warship was ultimately broken apart, its construction represented such a milestone in naval development that history remembers it as nothing short of a naval legend.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_battleship_dreadnought Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed" caption="HMS Dreadnought Devblog Images" heights="150">
File:HMS Dreadnought WTWallpaper 001.jpg|
File:HMS Dreadnought WTWallpaper 002.jpg|
File:HMS Dreadnought WTWallpaper 003.jpg|
File:HMS Dreadnought WTWallpaper 004.jpg|
File:HMS Dreadnought WTWallpaper 005.jpg|
File:HMS Dreadnought WTWallpaper 006.jpg|
File:HMS Dreadnought WTWallpaper 007.jpg|
</gallery>

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6914-development-hms-dreadnought-the-face-of-a-new-generation-en|[Devblog] HMS Dreadnought: The Face of a New Generation]]

=== References ===

;Citations
<references />

;Bibliography

* Suciu, P. (2020, April 07). HMS Dreadnought Made All Other Battleships Obsolete. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from <nowiki>https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/hms-dreadnought-made-all-other-battleships-obsolete-141337</nowiki>
* Editors of Britannica. (2020). Dreadnought. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from <nowiki>https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dreadnought-British-battleship</nowiki>

{{ShipManufacturer Portsmouth}}
{{Britain battleships}}

HMS Dreadnought

2022-01-21T20:22:28Z

U6591054:

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_battleship_dreadnought
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British battleship {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "New Power"]].

The Dreadnought is the battleship that launched the dreadnought revolution in 1906. She was the first all-big gun battleship powered by turbines to enter service with any navy, representing a quantum leap in firepower and speed over all previous capital warships and further establishing Britain's position as the leading world naval power at that time. Fittingly, the Dreadnought is also one of the first battleships to be introduced into the game.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

The Dreadnought has a reasonably thick armoured belt for a first-generation dreadnought battleship. It is 279 mm thick below the waterline and 203 mm above the waterline, thinning out to 152 mm towards the bow and 102 mm towards the stern. The Dreadnought also features a 'turtleback' citadel, with angled 70 mm amd 76 mm plates behind the main belt designed to deflect shells that penetrate the main belt. The bow end of the citadel is protected by an angled 102 mm plate, while the stern end is protected by a 203 mm vertical upper plate and 102 mm angled lower plate. The upper deck plating is 19 mm thick and the lower deck plating is 45 mm thick amidships, 38 mm over the bow, and 51 mm over the stern and steering gear.

The main gun turrets are protected by angled 279.4 mm plating around the front and sides, 330 mm plating on the rear, and 76.2 mm plating on the turret roof and the bottom. The bow, stern, and wing turret barbettes are 279 mm thick facing outwards from the ship and 203 mm facing inwards, while the amidships turret has 203 mm all-round barbetter protection.

The main gun magazines are located well below the waterline and are further protected by additional 51 mm and 25 mm plates, with 102 mm plating covering the outward facing sides of the wing turret ammunition magazines.

The bridge is protected by an armoured conning tower with 279 mm thick sides and a 76 mm roof.

The Dreadnought also has additional protection amidships from her coal bunkers, which provide the equivalent of about 40 mm of steel.

The Dreadnought has the second smallest crew complement of any battleship currently in the game. with only the British [[HMS Colossus|Colossus]] having a smaller crew count.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Dreadnought has about average mobility for a first-generation dreadnought. As a battleship, she is displaces much more than cruisers and destroyers, and thus her acceleration and top speed are much lower. Her handling and maneouvrability are about average for a battleship.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|305 mm/45 Mark X (305 mm)}}

The Dreadnought is armed with ten BL 12-inch Mark X main guns located in five twin turrets. Two of these are wing turrets located amidships that can only fire to one side each, thus her actual maximum broadside consists of only eight main guns from four twin turrets. She can also bring six guns to bear directly ahead or astern from the wing turrets (which have 180 degrees of traverse) and the bow/stern turret. The turrets have fairly good traverse arcs towards the bow of the ship (the two rear turrets can traverse up to 150 degrees to each side) and somewhat worse towards the stern (the bow turret can only traverse up to 141 degrees to each side). The guns have a maximum rate of fire of 2 rounds/minute per gun with the best possible crew.

Ammunition types consist of HE Mark IIa, APC Mark VIa, and CPC Mark VIIa (semi-armour piercing). The HE shell has the second largest explosive filler of any 12-inch/305 mm shell at ~53 kg of TNT equivalent, with only the SAP shell of the Russian/Soviet 305 mm used by the [[Parizhskaya kommuna|Parizhskaya Kommuna]] and [[Imperatritsa Mariya]] having more explosive (~55 kg TNT). It is capable of causing immense damage to destroyers, most cruisers, and other lightly armoured targets. By contrast, the APC shell is the lightest of the 12-inch AP projectiles, has a relatively small filler of only ~12 kg TNT, and has the lowest penetration of the AP shells its calibre. The CPC SAP shell is a compromise between the explosive power of the HE shell and the penetration of the APC shell. It has enough penetration to go through anything other than thick battleship belt armour, and has ~36 kg of TNT.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|76 mm/50 12pdr 18cwt QF Mark I (76 mm)}}

The Dreadnought's secondary armament consists of 18 QF 12-pounder Mark I in single mounts. These are 76 mm guns, thus the Dreadnought's secondary battery of the smallest of any battleship in the game. Each gun has a rate-of-fire of 15 rounds/gun with the best possible crew. Each main gun turret has two of these on its roof, with the remaining ten guns scattered around the ship's hull and superstructure. These guns can only elevate up to 20 degrees and only fire CP semi-AP shells, thus are only useful against surface targets. The CP shell has a small filler of only 520 g TNT equivalent and low penetration, thus it will struggle to do much damage against anything other than coastal craft.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|76 mm/45 QF 3in 20cwt HA Mark I (76 mm)}}

The Dreadnought has two anti-aircraft QF 12-pounder 20-cwt HA Mark I guns. These have a low rate-of-fire of only 12 rounds/minute with the best possible crew, and there is no option to use time-fused shells, making them less effective against aircraft.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|R.G.F. Mark VI** (450 mm)}}

The Dreadnought has four fixed 18-inch underwater torpedo tubes, two in the bow and two in the stern, with two facing port and two facing starboard. She can carry up to 30 18-inch Mark VI** torpedoes. These are fairly slow (56 km/h) and have a short range of only 5.49 km. The warhead is also quite small, at only 134 kg TNT.

== Usage in battles ==

As the first dreadnought battleship, and therefore the oldest one, the Dreadnought has its strengths but also some prominent weaknesses stemming from being the first of its kind. She has a fairly powerful main battery of ten guns, especially when shooting the powerful HE or SAP, but only eight of these can be used against a target at most thanks to her wing turret configuration. However, with some slight maneouvring, she can use six guns on targets directly ahead or astern thanks to these wing turrets, while presenting the smallest target possible. The APC shell is the weakest among the 12-inch-gun battleships, but this can be compensated for with sheer explosive power from the HE and SAP shells along with the fires they cause.

Her secondary battery is the weakest of any battleship in the game, relying exclusively on the 76 mm guns. These are fairly ineffective against even destroyers, and only really effective against small coastal craft. The anti-aircraft armament is about what can be expected for a World War I era battleship: virtually non-existent.

The Dreadnought's survivability is generally quite good against anything other than the most powerful battleship guns. Her overall protection level is quite decent, and can be improved even further with angling. However, her small crew complement is a significant drawback, especially vulnerable towards fires.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Large HE and SAP shell explosive fillers.
* Effective main gun magazine protection.
* Heavily armoured bridge.
* Can angle quite heavily when shooting at targets in the frontal aspect.
* Large coal bunkers providing additional protection amidships.

'''Cons:'''

* Inadequate secondary battery against anything larger than torpedo boats.
* Inadequate anti-aircraft armament.
* Can only bring 8 out of 10 main guns to bear on a target at most.
* AP shell has relatively low penetration and small filler for its calibre.
* Small crew complement.

== History ==

[[File:Dreadnought, 1906.jpg|thumb|HMS Dreadnought underway in 1906.]]
HMS ''Dreadnought'', sole ship of her class, was a dreadnought battleship of the Royal Navy. Launched in 1906, the ''Dreadnought'' was a revolutionary battleship design featuring a large main battery of ten 12-inch (305 mm) guns in five twin turrets. Her name, "Dreadnought", would be used to describe all of the battleships built after her construction and with similar design. Dreadnought's construction led to a global arms race, as countries like Germany, Japan and the United States scrambled to build dreadnoughts of their own. HMS ''Dreadnought'' served during the First World War, but saw little service; despite her design as a battleship, her only action was the ramming and sinking of a German U-Boat. The action made ''Dreadnought'' the only battleship confirmed to have sunk a submarine. ''Dreadnought'' did not participate in the Battle of Jutland (as she was being refitted), and saw little service for the rest of the war. She was reduced to reserve in 1919, and scrapped several years later.<ref name=":0">Suciu, P. (2020)</ref><ref name=":1">Editors of Britannica. (2020)</ref>

=== Design and development ===
In 1905, Sir John "Jackie" Fisher, First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy, began the process of designing a new class of battleship.<ref name=":0" /> This design would become one of the most revolutionary developments in naval history. The new battleship would feature an "all-big-gun" armament; this was a stark contrast to the existing battleship designs, which had a smaller big-gun armament and numerous secondary guns. The vessel was named ''Dreadnought'', meaning "fear-nothing".<ref name=":0" /> The ship was also fitted with steam turbines, a novel engine type that made the ship faster than all existing battleship designs.<ref name=":0" />

The Dreadnought was armed with a main battery of ten 12-inch guns mounted in five twin turrets. It also carried a substantial amount of secondary guns. The ship displaced 18,000 tons, and was 160 metres long.<ref name=":1" /> Powered by the new steam turbines, Dreadnought could make 21 knots, which made it faster than any existing battleship designs. Dreadnought was ordered in October of 1905, and launched in early 1906. It was formally commissioned on December 2nd, 1906.

=== Operational History ===
Dreadnought's construction was a huge shock to the naval community, as the ship far outclassed any existing battleship design. As a result, the ship lent its name to all new battleship designs - these would be collectively known as "dreadnoughts". Any battleships built before dreadnought were known as "Pre-dreadnoughts".<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> ''Dreadnought''<nowiki/>'s construction also triggered a naval arms race, as numerous nations raced to build their own dreadnoughts; these included the German ''[[SMS Helgoland|Nassau]]''-class, Japanese ''[[IJN Settsu|Kawachi]]''-class and American South-Carolina class.

In part because of the arms race it caused, ''Dreadnought'' was made obsolete by the rapid progress of naval design.<ref name=":0" /> Before the start of the First World War, super-dreadnoughts emerged; these ships were far more advanced than the ''Dreadnought'', incorporating innovations such as a centerline-mounted main battery. ''Dreadnought'', being relatively obsolete, saw little service during the First World War; it didn't participate in the Battle of Jutland, nor any other surface engagements. ''Dreadnought''<nowiki/>'s only action occurred in March of 1915, when she rammed and sank a German U-Boat;<ref name=":1" /> this made her the only battleship known to have sunk a submarine. Due to her obsolescence, ''Dreadnought'' was relegated to reserve in 1919; she was sold for scrapping, and scrapped in 1923.<ref name=":0" />

=== [[wt:en/news/6914-development-hms-dreadnought-the-face-of-a-new-generation-en|Devblog]] ===
At the turn of the century, notable developments in all aspects of naval warfare could be observed, ranging from gunnery practices over torpedo design to propulsion systems. HMS Dreadnought, as it would become known, was developed to take advantage of these latest developments, in particular, by incorporating a steam turbine propulsion system and by adopting a so-called 'all-big-gun' weapons arsenal.

The latter in particular, meant a unified calibre main battery, thus moving away from the common practice of installing multiple calibres of weapons aboard a large warship, which proved increasingly inefficient. In a similar fashion, HMS Dreadnought was to become the first warship to be fitted with steam turbines, giving her a greater speed than any comparable warship at the time.

HMS Dreadnought was laid down in October 1905, launched in February 1906 and, after undergoing sea trials, commissioned into service with the Royal Navy's Home Fleet as its flagship in December - just fifteen months after it was laid down. Immediately after entering service, HMS Dreadnought virtually rendered all older battleships obsolete due to its advanced design, thus also kicking off a naval arms race, most notably between Britain and Germany.

During WWI, HMS Dreadnought saw little action, in fact missing the critical Battle of Jutland in 1916 as the ship was carrying out other duties. Although designed to defeat other battleships, HMS Dreadnought's most famous encounter with hostile forces was the sinking of the German U-Boat U-29 by ramming it in 1915!

After the war, HMS Dreadnought became surplus to requirements as more and more modern battleships took her place. After a brief postwar service, HMS Dreadnought was sold for scrap in May 1921. Although the mighty warship was ultimately broken apart, its construction represented such a milestone in naval development that history remembers it as nothing short of a naval legend.

== Media ==

<gallery mode="packed" caption="HMS Dreadnought Devblog Images" heights="150">
File:HMS Dreadnought WTWallpaper 001.jpg|
File:HMS Dreadnought WTWallpaper 002.jpg|
File:HMS Dreadnought WTWallpaper 003.jpg|
File:HMS Dreadnought WTWallpaper 004.jpg|
File:HMS Dreadnought WTWallpaper 005.jpg|
File:HMS Dreadnought WTWallpaper 006.jpg|
File:HMS Dreadnought WTWallpaper 007.jpg|
</gallery>

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

=== Citations ===
<references />

=== Bibliography ===

* Suciu, P. (2020, April 07). HMS Dreadnought Made All Other Battleships Obsolete. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from <nowiki>https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/hms-dreadnought-made-all-other-battleships-obsolete-141337</nowiki>
* Editors of Britannica. (2020). Dreadnought. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from <nowiki>https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dreadnought-British-battleship</nowiki>

* [[wt:en/news/6914-development-hms-dreadnought-the-face-of-a-new-generation-en|[Devblog] HMS Dreadnought: The Face of a New Generation]]

{{ShipManufacturer Portsmouth}}
{{Britain battleships}}

RN Comandante Margottini

2022-01-21T09:03:07Z

U6591054:

{{Specs-Card
|code=it_destroyer_comandanti_medaglie_doro
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Raining Fire"]].

The Comandante Margottini is one of the Comandanti Medaglie d'Oro class of destroyers, the most modern Italian World War II destroyer design incorporating lessons learned by the Regia Marina during the war. She and the rest of her class were laid down but never completed, thus the Margottini is present in the game in her planned configuration. She features heavier main guns than previous Italian destroyers, much improved anti-aircraft armament, and even an air-search radar.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

The Margottini has no armour whatsover beyond the standard destroyer plating other than 12 mm anti-fragmentation armour partially protecting her main gun mounts. However, she has a similar hull shape to the light cruiser [[RN Etna|Etna]]: a fairly large bow with a lot of empty space that can "eat" AP shells or shrapnel from HE shells hitting the bow without too much damage to the ship. Her main gun ammunition magazines are also located below the waterline, and are thus hard to hit, especially at close range. The engine room is also located in the central part of the ship, slightly below sea level, which gives it a little protection.

However, she does have a fairly large unarmoured bridge, which means she is vulnerable to getting the helm disabled and losing crew from hits to the bridge. The main guns are also only partially protected by gun shields, and are thus also vulnerable to getting knocked out by nearby explosions and shrapnel.

The Margottini has a very large crew complement for a destroyer, at 277, which is second only to the German [[Erich Giese]] at her battle rating.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}


{{NavalMobility}}

The Margottini has a respectable top speed of 65 km/h, driven by two turbines with a total power of 60,000 HP. The rudder shift time is just 5 seconds, which is very useful in combat situations to change trajectory quickly and effectively. The wide hull and shallow draft allow Margottini to remain very stable even during sharp turns. The Margottini can travel at 36 km/h in reverse.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|135 mm/45 O.T.O. Mod. 1938 (135 mm)}}

The Margottini is armed with four 135/45 OTO Mod. 1938 main guns distributed in four single mounts, two in the bow and two in the stern. These fire heavier projectiles than the previous standard Italian destroyer weapon, the 120/50, but at a lower muzzle velocity. They also have a fairly low rate-of-fire of only 7.5 rounds/minute maximum with the best possible crew. They do have greater elevation than previous Italian destroyer gun mounts, thus allowing some limited utility against aircraft.

The main guns can fire HE, HE-TF, and APHE. The HE has 1.8 kg of TNT, while the APHE has 1.4 kg of TNT. The HE-TF shell has the same amount of explosive as the HE but will detonate at the rangefinder's set range, thus allowing it to burst on air targets. In terms of ballistics, the HE, APHE, and HE-TF have a muzzle velocity of 825 m/s, which is slower than the shells of the 120/50 on the [[RN Dardo|Dardo]] and [[RN Corazziere|Corazziere]].

It is important to note that the stern-most turret (Y turret) has very poor traverse arcs because of the superstructure blocking it, requiring a large amount of broadside to be given in order to unmask the gun. The X turret ahead of it, in contrast, has full 360-degree traverse, and it can be brought into action very quickly.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|37 mm/54 Breda Mod.39 (37 mm)}}

This 37 mm cannon was built by Ernesto Breda as an automatic anti-aircraft weapon. The 37 mm/54 Breda cannon proved to be particularly effective at short-medium range and after several tests the Regia Marina decided to use them in twin installations (mod. 32) in 1934. On Comandante Margottini, 12 model 39 cannons were installed. The model 39 was the first of the two individually mounted models.

The 12 x 37 mm cannons are divided into two groups, four are arranged on the sides of the ship immediately behind the control room and the remaining eight are well distributed in the middle and rear of the ship.

The maximum range of the cannons is 5.3 km and the maximum effectiveness is 2.5 km and they are armed with tracer bullets, unfortunately not modifiable. These 12 cannons are very effective to ward off aircraft or to cause superficial damage to other destroyers. If there are small boats trying to get too close, the 37 mm will have no problem sinking them.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|20 mm/65 Breda (20 mm)}}

The Breda 20/65 was built by Ernesto Breda in 1932 as an anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapon. From day one it was immediately compared to the 20 mm guns of Oerlikon, Lübee and Madsen. After long periods to decide on the correct weapon, the Regia Marina finally made its decision in 1935.

It was decided to mount the 20 mm Breda guns on the ships that needed them, including RN Comandante Margottini.

Unfortunately, only two of these cannons were mounted and they were located at the front of the ship, one on the left side and the other on the right side. The 20 mm has three belts available: the Universal belt, HE belt, and AP belt. All three of the various combinations penetrate 38 mm.

The maximum range for these guns is 4 km and the maximum effective range is 2 km. These two 20 mm Breda can also be very effective against small boats that come too close to the ship.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|S.I. 270/533,4X7,2 Tipo M (533 mm)|B TG 100 depth charge}}

The Comandante Margottini is armed with six 533 mm torpedo tubes distributed in two triple tubes on the ship's centreline. These fire the late-war Si 270/533.4 x 7.2 Tipo M torpedo, which has a base range/speed of 4 km/93 km/h and 12 km/56 km/h with the torpedo mode installed. The warhead is a respectable 270 kg of TNT.

The Margottini can also carry ten B TG 100 depth charges stored in the stern, each with 100 kg of TNT. These are located in depth charge racks on each side of the ship next to the upper stern main gun, and are rolled off the side of the ship into the water. They are potentially useful if an enemy ends up beside the ship for whatever reason, but it should also be noted that, if carried, the depth charges stored on the ship can detonate if hit by enemy fire, making them a potential hazard with very situational utility.

== Usage in battles ==

The Comandante Margottini is a destroyer with above average survivability thanks to her large size with a lot of empty space and large crew complement. It is best to have the front of the ship facing the enemy so that the large spacious bow can absorb as many hits as possible. However, one of the most vulnerable parts of the ship is the bridge: it is quite large and often the first to be hit in a firefight, especially when presenting the front towards the enemy. One way to reduce this is to zig-zag the ship or move just after firing or noticing the enemy has fired, taking advantage of the Margottini's good handling and acceleration.

Conversely, the firepower of the ship is rather underwhelming. With only four 135 mm guns and a slow rate-of-fire of only 7.5 rounds/minute at best, the Margottini will struggle to output as much damage as many destroyers at its battle rating. It is recommended to use primarily APHE shells as they have significantly more penetration and almost as much explosive filler as the fairly weak HE shell, although not all targets are suitable for the APHE, such as destroyers or ships with thin armour. Unfortunately, due to the low velocity of the projectiles, it is not recommended to engage enemies beyond 7 km as the 135 mm guns will not do much damage. The Margottini's torpedo armament is standard for Italian destroyers, forcing a choice between 4 km/93 km/h without torpedo mode installed or 12 km/56 km/h with torpedo mode installed. The former setting is potentially useful if the Margottini finds itself in a close range fight, while the latter setting is mostly useful as an area denial weapon.

The Margottini is, however, fairly unique among Italian destroyers in having a fairly strong anti-aircraft armament suite, consisting of numerous 37 mm and some 20 mm guns. She is also, along with the never completed Etna, the only Italian bluewater ship currently in the game with an air search radar.

Beware of German ships and other ships with a high rate-of-fire such as the [[USS Fletcher|Fletcher]], [[IJN Akizuki|Akizuki]], and [[SKR-7]]. With their high rate of fire, they can quickly decimate the crew even without causing major damage to the ship's components.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Large bow that can "eat" shells.
* Large crew complement.
* Above average manoeuvrability at speed.
* Above average stability during turns.
* Effective anti-aircraft armament.
* Has air search radar.

'''Cons:'''

* Low damage output due to low main gun rate-of-fire and only four guns.
* Small main gun HE shell explosive filler for its calibre.
* Bow and stern-most main gun mounts have limited traverse arcs.
* Large unarmoured bridge.
* Slow secondary armament elevation and traverse speed.
* Very short-ranged torpedoes without torpedo mode installed.

== History ==

During World War II, the Regia Marina did not have enough destroyers available. By September 1940, 7 destroyers had been lost in combat, so a decision was initiated to build 7 new destroyers to replace them.

To save development and design time, a new batch of the existing Soldati-class destroyers were ordered.

These new Soldati-class destroyers got an additional 100 tons more in weight because of the new anti-aircraft and anti-submarine armament which was updated, the construction of the first units took place in October 1940 and 5 ships entered service between February and August 1942.

During World War II, the armament of the Soldati-class ships was modified several times and upgraded, eliminating a row of torpedo tubes and replacing them with anti-aircraft armament.

During 1941, while the second series of Soldati-class destroyers were being built, it became clear that more destroyers had to be built, in fact the Navy Ministry decided to incorporate all changes on destroyers, based on the experience gained in the war, so it was understood that a new class of destroyers had to be developed.

The committee assigned the task of designing the new class to General Carlo Sigismondi (Corpo del Genio Navale) who was assisted by Lieutenant Colonel Giuseppe Malagoli (Corpo del Genio Navale). The new class was practically an update of the Soldati class with the addition of more weight, the design of the ship changed in almost all parts except the layout of the engines which did not change, but the engines were upgraded to 60,000 horsepower.

The speed was reduced to 35 knots, a speed considered sufficient for all the missions that the new class of destroyers had to perform.

The first drawings of the projects were made quickly and the first orders were placed in September 1941, the construction of the first two units took place in the Cantieri del Tirreno di Riva Trigoso on 10 September 1941, while other two units were allocated in the Cantieri Navali Riuniti di Ancona and four units were allocated in the Cantieri Navali Odero Terni Orlando (OTO) di Livorno on 27 September 1941.

After these 8 units it was planned to produce a second series of this class of ship, the significant change of this new class was the replacement of the twin 120 mm/50 guns with single 135 mm/45 guns, then as anti-aircraft armament it was composed of 12 Breda mod.39 37 mm/54 cannons, the initial designs of the class when completed showed that the ship would normally be 2,600 tons of weight, 120 m in length, with a smokestack that was clearly inspired by the Soldati class.

During 1942, the project was again modified by eliminating the fifth gun positioned in the center of the ship to accommodate more anti-aircraft armament, in September 1942 the design was blocked in the same month orders were placed for 8 units of the second series (2 in Trigoso, 2 in Livorno and 4 in CRDA Trieste).

Later there was also a modification for the elimination of the stern director to favour the addition of more anti-aircraft armament.

Orders were placed for 8 units of the third series on 7 October 1942 with CRDA Trieste.

The name of the new class was called: Comandante Medaglie d'Oro. This name was chosen to remember the commanders who had received the gold medal (Medaglie d'Oro).

In the end, between May 1944 and January 1945, aerial bombardments were carried out on the shipyards where the ships were being built, as a result of the damage they were demolished.

'''Planned units'''<div style="column-count:3;-moz-column-count:3;-webkit-column-count:3">
* ''Comandante Margottini''
* ''Comandante Baroni''
* ''Comandante Borsini''
* ''Comandante Botti''
* ''Comandante Casana''
* ''Comandante Corsi''
* ''Comandante De Cristofaro''
* ''Comandante Dell'Anno''
* ''Comandante Esposito''
* ''Comandante Fiorelli''
* ''Comandante Fontana''
* ''Comandante Giannattasio''
* ''Comandante Giobbe''
* ''Comandante Giorgis''
* ''Comandante Milano''
* ''Comandante Moccagatta''
* ''Comandante Novaro''
* ''Comandante Rodocanacchi''
* ''Comandante Ruta''
* ''Comandante Toscano''</div>

== Media ==

<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
File:Margottini 1.png
File:Margottini 2.png
</gallery>

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the ship;''
* ''other literature.''

{{ShipManufacturer OTO}}
{{Italy destroyers}}

RN Comandante Margottini

2022-01-21T08:43:51Z

U6591054: /* Usage in battles */

{{Specs-Card
|code=it_destroyer_comandanti_medaglie_doro
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Raining Fire"]].

The Comandante Margottini is one of the Comandanti Medaglie d'Oro class of destroyers, the most modern Italian World War II destroyer design incorporating lessons learned by the Regia Marina during the war. She and the rest of her class were laid down but never completed, thus the Margottini is present in the game in her planned configuration. She features heavier main guns than previous Italian destroyers, much improved anti-aircraft armament, and even an air-search radar.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

The Margottini has no armour whatsover beyond the standard destroyer plating other than 12 mm anti-fragmentation armour partially protecting her main gun mounts. However, she has a similar hull shape to the light cruiser [[RN Etna|Etna]]: a fairly large bow with a lot of empty space that can "eat" AP shells or shrapnel from HE shells hitting the bow without too much damage to the ship. Her main gun ammunition magazines are also located below the waterline, and are thus hard to hit, especially at close range. The engine room is also located in the central part of the ship, slightly below sea level, which gives it a little protection.

However, she does have a fairly large unarmoured bridge, which means she is vulnerable to getting the helm disabled and losing crew from hits to the bridge. The main guns are also only partially protected by gun shields, and are thus also vulnerable to getting knocked out by nearby explosions and shrapnel.

The Margottini has a very large crew complement for a destroyer, at 277, which is second only to the German [[Erich Giese]] at her battle rating.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}


{{NavalMobility}}

The Margottini has a respectable top speed of 65 km/h, driven by two turbines with a total power of 60,000 HP. The rudder shift time is just 5 seconds, which is very useful in combat situations to change trajectory quickly and effectively. The wide hull and shallow draft allow Margottini to remain very stable even during sharp turns. The Margottini can travel at 36 km/h in reverse.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|135 mm/45 O.T.O. Mod. 1938 (135 mm)}}

The Margottini is armed with four 135/45 OTO Mod. 1938 main guns distributed in four single mounts, two in the bow and two in the stern. These fire heavier projectiles than the previous standard Italian destroyer weapon, the 120/50, but at a lower muzzle velocity. They also have a fairly low rate-of-fire of only 7.5 rounds/minute maximum with the best possible crew. They do have greater elevation than previous Italian destroyer gun mounts, thus allowing some limited utility against aircraft.

The main guns can fire HE, HE-TF, and APHE. The HE has 1.8 kg of TNT, while the APHE has 1.4 kg of TNT. The HE-TF shell has the same amount of explosive as the HE but will detonate at the rangefinder's set range, thus allowing it to burst on air targets. In terms of ballistics, the HE, APHE, and HE-TF have a muzzle velocity of 825 m/s, which is slower than the shells of the 120/50 on the [[RN Dardo|Dardo]] and [[RN Corazziere|Corazziere]].

It is important to note that the stern-most turret (Y turret) has very poor traverse arcs because of the superstructure blocking it, requiring a large amount of broadside to be given in order to unmask the gun. The X turret ahead of it, in contrast, has full 360-degree traverse, and it can be brought into action very quickly.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|37 mm/54 Breda Mod.39 (37 mm)}}

This 37 mm cannon was built by Ernesto Breda as an automatic anti-aircraft weapon. The 37 mm/54 Breda cannon proved to be particularly effective at short-medium range and after several tests the Regia Marina decided to use them in twin installations (mod. 32) in 1934. On Comandante Margottini, 12 model 39 cannons were installed. The model 39 was the first of the two individually mounted models.

The 12 x 37 mm cannons are divided into two groups, four are arranged on the sides of the ship immediately behind the control room and the remaining eight are well distributed in the middle and rear of the ship.

The maximum range of the cannons is 5.3 km and the maximum effectiveness is 2.5 km and they are armed with tracer bullets, unfortunately not modifiable. These 12 cannons are very effective to ward off aircraft or to cause superficial damage to other destroyers. If there are small boats trying to get too close, the 37 mm will have no problem sinking them.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|20 mm/65 Breda (20 mm)}}

The Breda 20/65 was built by Ernesto Breda in 1932 as an anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapon. From day one it was immediately compared to the 20 mm guns of Oerlikon, Lübee and Madsen. After long periods to decide on the correct weapon, the Regia Marina finally made its decision in 1935.

It was decided to mount the 20 mm Breda guns on the ships that needed them, including RN Comandante Margottini.

Unfortunately, only two of these cannons were mounted and they were located at the front of the ship, one on the left side and the other on the right side. The 20 mm has three belts available: the Universal belt, HE belt, and AP belt. All three of the various combinations penetrate 38 mm.

The maximum range for these guns is 4 km and the maximum effective range is 2 km. These two 20 mm Breda can also be very effective against small boats that come too close to the ship.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|S.I. 270/533,4X7,2 Tipo M (533 mm)|B TG 100 depth charge}}

The Comandante Margottini is armed with six 533 mm torpedo tubes distributed in two triple tubes on the ship's centreline. These fire the late-war Si 270/533.4 x 7.2 Tipo M torpedo, which has a base range/speed of 4 km/93 km/h and 12 km/56 km/h with the torpedo mode installed. The warhead is a respectable 270 kg of TNT.

The Margottini can also carry ten B TG 100 depth charges stored in the stern, each with 100 kg of TNT. These are located in depth charge racks on each side of the ship next to the upper stern main gun, and are rolled off the side of the ship into the water. They are potentially useful if an enemy ends up beside the ship for whatever reason, but it should also be noted that, if carried, the depth charges stored on the ship can detonate if hit by enemy fire, making them a potential hazard with very situational utility.

== Usage in battles ==

The Comandante Margottini is a destroyer with above average survivability thanks to her large size with a lot of empty space and large crew complement. It is best to have the front of the ship facing the enemy so that the large spacious bow can absorb as many hits as possible. However, one of the most vulnerable parts of the ship is the bridge: it is quite large and often the first to be hit in a firefight, especially when presenting the front towards the enemy. One way to reduce this is to zig-zag the ship or move just after firing or noticing the enemy has fired, taking advantage of the Margottini's good handling and acceleration.

Conversely, the firepower of the ship is rather underwhelming. With only four 135 mm guns and a slow rate-of-fire of only 7.5 rounds/minute at best, the Margottini will struggle to output as much damage as many destroyers at its battle rating. It is recommended to use primarily APHE shells as they have significantly more penetration and almost as much explosive filler as the fairly weak HE shell, although not all targets are suitable for the APHE, such as destroyers or ships with thin armour. Unfortunately, due to the low velocity of the projectiles, it is not recommended to engage enemies beyond 7 km as the 135 mm guns will not do much damage. The Margottini's torpedo armament is standard for Italian destroyers, forcing a choice between 4 km/93 km/h without torpedo mode installed or 12 km/56 km/h with torpedo mode installed. The former setting is potentially useful if the Margottini finds itself in a close range fight, while the latter setting is mostly useful as an area denial weapon.

The Margottini is, however, fairly unique among Italian destroyers in having a fairly strong anti-aircraft armament suite, consisting of numerous 37 mm and some 20 mm guns. She is also the only Italian bluewater ship currently in the game with an air search radar.

Beware of German ships and other ships with a high rate-of-fire such as the [[USS Fletcher|Fletcher]], [[IJN Akizuki|Akizuki]], and [[SKR-7]]. With their high rate of fire, they can quickly decimate the crew even without causing major damage to the ship's components.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Large bow that can "eat" shells.
* Large crew complement.
* Above average manoeuvrability at speed.
* Above average stability during turns.
* Effective anti-aircraft armament.
* Has air search radar.

'''Cons:'''

* Low damage output due to low main gun rate-of-fire and only four guns.
* Small main gun HE shell explosive filler for its calibre.
* Bow and stern-most main gun mounts have limited traverse arcs.
* Large unarmoured bridge.
* Slow secondary armament elevation and traverse speed.
* Very short-ranged torpedoes without torpedo mode installed.

== History ==

During World War II, the Regia Marina did not have enough destroyers available. By September 1940, 7 destroyers had been lost in combat, so a decision was initiated to build 7 new destroyers to replace them.

To save development and design time, a new batch of the existing Soldati-class destroyers were ordered.

These new Soldati-class destroyers got an additional 100 tons more in weight because of the new anti-aircraft and anti-submarine armament which was updated, the construction of the first units took place in October 1940 and 5 ships entered service between February and August 1942.

During World War II, the armament of the Soldati-class ships was modified several times and upgraded, eliminating a row of torpedo tubes and replacing them with anti-aircraft armament.

During 1941, while the second series of Soldati-class destroyers were being built, it became clear that more destroyers had to be built, in fact the Navy Ministry decided to incorporate all changes on destroyers, based on the experience gained in the war, so it was understood that a new class of destroyers had to be developed.

The committee assigned the task of designing the new class to General Carlo Sigismondi (Corpo del Genio Navale) who was assisted by Lieutenant Colonel Giuseppe Malagoli (Corpo del Genio Navale). The new class was practically an update of the Soldati class with the addition of more weight, the design of the ship changed in almost all parts except the layout of the engines which did not change, but the engines were upgraded to 60,000 horsepower.

The speed was reduced to 35 knots, a speed considered sufficient for all the missions that the new class of destroyers had to perform.

The first drawings of the projects were made quickly and the first orders were placed in September 1941, the construction of the first two units took place in the Cantieri del Tirreno di Riva Trigoso on 10 September 1941, while other two units were allocated in the Cantieri Navali Riuniti di Ancona and four units were allocated in the Cantieri Navali Odero Terni Orlando (OTO) di Livorno on 27 September 1941.

After these 8 units it was planned to produce a second series of this class of ship, the significant change of this new class was the replacement of the twin 120 mm/50 guns with single 135 mm/45 guns, then as anti-aircraft armament it was composed of 12 Breda mod.39 37 mm/54 cannons, the initial designs of the class when completed showed that the ship would normally be 2,600 tons of weight, 120 m in length, with a smokestack that was clearly inspired by the Soldati class.

During 1942, the project was again modified by eliminating the fifth gun positioned in the center of the ship to accommodate more anti-aircraft armament, in September 1942 the design was blocked in the same month orders were placed for 8 units of the second series (2 in Trigoso, 2 in Livorno and 4 in CRDA Trieste).

Later there was also a modification for the elimination of the stern director to favour the addition of more anti-aircraft armament.

Orders were placed for 8 units of the third series on 7 October 1942 with CRDA Trieste.

The name of the new class was called: Comandante Medaglie d'Oro. This name was chosen to remember the commanders who had received the gold medal (Medaglie d'Oro).

In the end, between May 1944 and January 1945, aerial bombardments were carried out on the shipyards where the ships were being built, as a result of the damage they were demolished.

'''Planned units'''<div style="column-count:3;-moz-column-count:3;-webkit-column-count:3">
* ''Comandante Margottini''
* ''Comandante Baroni''
* ''Comandante Borsini''
* ''Comandante Botti''
* ''Comandante Casana''
* ''Comandante Corsi''
* ''Comandante De Cristofaro''
* ''Comandante Dell'Anno''
* ''Comandante Esposito''
* ''Comandante Fiorelli''
* ''Comandante Fontana''
* ''Comandante Giannattasio''
* ''Comandante Giobbe''
* ''Comandante Giorgis''
* ''Comandante Milano''
* ''Comandante Moccagatta''
* ''Comandante Novaro''
* ''Comandante Rodocanacchi''
* ''Comandante Ruta''
* ''Comandante Toscano''</div>

== Media ==

<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
File:Margottini 1.png
File:Margottini 2.png
</gallery>

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the ship;''
* ''other literature.''

{{ShipManufacturer OTO}}
{{Italy destroyers}}

RN Comandante Margottini

2022-01-21T08:31:28Z

U6591054: /* Primary armament */

{{Specs-Card
|code=it_destroyer_comandanti_medaglie_doro
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Raining Fire"]].

The Comandante Margottini is one of the Comandanti Medaglie d'Oro class of destroyers, the most modern Italian World War II destroyer design incorporating lessons learned by the Regia Marina during the war. She and the rest of her class were laid down but never completed, thus the Margottini is present in the game in her planned configuration. She features heavier main guns than previous Italian destroyers, much improved anti-aircraft armament, and even an air-search radar.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

The Margottini has no armour whatsover beyond the standard destroyer plating other than 12 mm anti-fragmentation armour partially protecting her main gun mounts. However, she has a similar hull shape to the light cruiser [[RN Etna|Etna]]: a fairly large bow with a lot of empty space that can "eat" AP shells or shrapnel from HE shells hitting the bow without too much damage to the ship. Her main gun ammunition magazines are also located below the waterline, and are thus hard to hit, especially at close range. The engine room is also located in the central part of the ship, slightly below sea level, which gives it a little protection.

However, she does have a fairly large unarmoured bridge, which means she is vulnerable to getting the helm disabled and losing crew from hits to the bridge. The main guns are also only partially protected by gun shields, and are thus also vulnerable to getting knocked out by nearby explosions and shrapnel.

The Margottini has a very large crew complement for a destroyer, at 277, which is second only to the German [[Erich Giese]] at her battle rating.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}


{{NavalMobility}}

The Margottini has a respectable top speed of 65 km/h, driven by two turbines with a total power of 60,000 HP. The rudder shift time is just 5 seconds, which is very useful in combat situations to change trajectory quickly and effectively. The wide hull and shallow draft allow Margottini to remain very stable even during sharp turns. The Margottini can travel at 36 km/h in reverse.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|135 mm/45 O.T.O. Mod. 1938 (135 mm)}}

The Margottini is armed with four 135/45 OTO Mod. 1938 main guns distributed in four single mounts, two in the bow and two in the stern. These fire heavier projectiles than the previous standard Italian destroyer weapon, the 120/50, but at a lower muzzle velocity. They also have a fairly low rate-of-fire of only 7.5 rounds/minute maximum with the best possible crew. They do have greater elevation than previous Italian destroyer gun mounts, thus allowing some limited utility against aircraft.

The main guns can fire HE, HE-TF, and APHE. The HE has 1.8 kg of TNT, while the APHE has 1.4 kg of TNT. The HE-TF shell has the same amount of explosive as the HE but will detonate at the rangefinder's set range, thus allowing it to burst on air targets. In terms of ballistics, the HE, APHE, and HE-TF have a muzzle velocity of 825 m/s, which is slower than the shells of the 120/50 on the [[RN Dardo|Dardo]] and [[RN Corazziere|Corazziere]].

It is important to note that the stern-most turret (Y turret) has very poor traverse arcs because of the superstructure blocking it, requiring a large amount of broadside to be given in order to unmask the gun. The X turret ahead of it, in contrast, has full 360-degree traverse, and it can be brought into action very quickly.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|37 mm/54 Breda Mod.39 (37 mm)}}

This 37 mm cannon was built by Ernesto Breda as an automatic anti-aircraft weapon. The 37 mm/54 Breda cannon proved to be particularly effective at short-medium range and after several tests the Regia Marina decided to use them in twin installations (mod. 32) in 1934. On Comandante Margottini, 12 model 39 cannons were installed. The model 39 was the first of the two individually mounted models.

The 12 x 37 mm cannons are divided into two groups, four are arranged on the sides of the ship immediately behind the control room and the remaining eight are well distributed in the middle and rear of the ship.

The maximum range of the cannons is 5.3 km and the maximum effectiveness is 2.5 km and they are armed with tracer bullets, unfortunately not modifiable. These 12 cannons are very effective to ward off aircraft or to cause superficial damage to other destroyers. If there are small boats trying to get too close, the 37 mm will have no problem sinking them.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|20 mm/65 Breda (20 mm)}}

The Breda 20/65 was built by Ernesto Breda in 1932 as an anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapon. From day one it was immediately compared to the 20 mm guns of Oerlikon, Lübee and Madsen. After long periods to decide on the correct weapon, the Regia Marina finally made its decision in 1935.

It was decided to mount the 20 mm Breda guns on the ships that needed them, including RN Comandante Margottini.

Unfortunately, only two of these cannons were mounted and they were located at the front of the ship, one on the left side and the other on the right side. The 20 mm has three belts available: the Universal belt, HE belt, and AP belt. All three of the various combinations penetrate 38 mm.

The maximum range for these guns is 4 km and the maximum effective range is 2 km. These two 20 mm Breda can also be very effective against small boats that come too close to the ship.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|S.I. 270/533,4X7,2 Tipo M (533 mm)|B TG 100 depth charge}}

In addition to the considerable main and auxiliary armament, Comandante Margottini can also carry up to 10 depth charges and 6 torpedoes.

The depth charges are stored in the rear part of the ship, more precisely at the height of the second main turret.

The charges in question are the B TG 100 with 100 kg of explosives inside them and can be equipped after researching the modification.

The depth charges are super useful when you make very close encounters or when you are followed by a ship. It only takes one charge to eliminate your opponent. In addition to depth charges there is the possibility to carry 6 torpedoes, more precisely the S.I. 270.

These torpedoes without the torpedo mode modification equipped can travel in water up to 93 km/h but only for 4 km, while with the modification the torpedo loses 19 km/h of speed, but gains 8 km of range more. Torpedoes are an effective way to surprise the enemy without them expecting it, either at the beginning of the game or during a firefight.

== Usage in battles ==

The Comandante Margottini is a destroyer with above average survivability thanks to her large size with a lot of empty space and large crew complement. It is best to have the front of the ship facing the enemy so that the large spacious bow can absorb as many hits as possible. However, one of the most vulnerable parts of the ship is the bridge: it is quite large and often the first to be hit in a firefight, especially when presenting the front towards the enemy. One way to reduce this is to zig-zag the ship or move just after firing or noticing the enemy has fired, taking advantage of the Margottini's good handling and acceleration.

Conversely, the firepower of the ship is rather underwhelming. With only four 135 mm guns and a slow rate-of-fire of only 7.5 rounds/minute at best, the Margottini will struggle to output as much damage as many destroyers at its battle rating. It is recommended to use primarily APHE shells as they have significantly more penetration and almost as much explosive filler as the fairly weak HE shell, although not all targets are suitable for the APHE, such as destroyers or ships with thin armour. Unfortunately, due to the low velocity of the projectiles, it is not recommended to engage enemies beyond 7 km as the 135 mm guns will not do much damage. The Margottini's torpedo armament is standard for Italian destroyers, forcing a choice between 4 km/76 km/h without torpedo mode installed or 12 km/56 km/h with torpedo mode installed.

The Margottini is, however, fairly unique among Italian destroyers in having a fairly strong anti-aircraft armament suite, consisting of numerous 37 mm and some 20 mm guns. She is also the only Italian bluewater ship currently in the game with an air search radar.

Beware of German ships and other ships with a high rate-of-fire such as the [[USS Fletcher|Fletcher]], [[IJN Akizuki|Akizuki]], and [[SKR-7]]. With their high rate of fire, they can quickly decimate the crew even without causing major damage to the ship's components.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Large bow that can "eat" shells.
* Large crew complement.
* Above average manoeuvrability at speed.
* Above average stability during turns.
* Effective anti-aircraft armament.
* Has air search radar.

'''Cons:'''

* Low damage output due to low main gun rate-of-fire and only four guns.
* Small main gun HE shell explosive filler for its calibre.
* Bow and stern-most main gun mounts have limited traverse arcs.
* Large unarmoured bridge.
* Slow secondary armament elevation and traverse speed.
* Very short-ranged torpedoes without torpedo mode installed.

== History ==

During World War II, the Regia Marina did not have enough destroyers available. By September 1940, 7 destroyers had been lost in combat, so a decision was initiated to build 7 new destroyers to replace them.

To save development and design time, a new batch of the existing Soldati-class destroyers were ordered.

These new Soldati-class destroyers got an additional 100 tons more in weight because of the new anti-aircraft and anti-submarine armament which was updated, the construction of the first units took place in October 1940 and 5 ships entered service between February and August 1942.

During World War II, the armament of the Soldati-class ships was modified several times and upgraded, eliminating a row of torpedo tubes and replacing them with anti-aircraft armament.

During 1941, while the second series of Soldati-class destroyers were being built, it became clear that more destroyers had to be built, in fact the Navy Ministry decided to incorporate all changes on destroyers, based on the experience gained in the war, so it was understood that a new class of destroyers had to be developed.

The committee assigned the task of designing the new class to General Carlo Sigismondi (Corpo del Genio Navale) who was assisted by Lieutenant Colonel Giuseppe Malagoli (Corpo del Genio Navale). The new class was practically an update of the Soldati class with the addition of more weight, the design of the ship changed in almost all parts except the layout of the engines which did not change, but the engines were upgraded to 60,000 horsepower.

The speed was reduced to 35 knots, a speed considered sufficient for all the missions that the new class of destroyers had to perform.

The first drawings of the projects were made quickly and the first orders were placed in September 1941, the construction of the first two units took place in the Cantieri del Tirreno di Riva Trigoso on 10 September 1941, while other two units were allocated in the Cantieri Navali Riuniti di Ancona and four units were allocated in the Cantieri Navali Odero Terni Orlando (OTO) di Livorno on 27 September 1941.

After these 8 units it was planned to produce a second series of this class of ship, the significant change of this new class was the replacement of the twin 120 mm/50 guns with single 135 mm/45 guns, then as anti-aircraft armament it was composed of 12 Breda mod.39 37 mm/54 cannons, the initial designs of the class when completed showed that the ship would normally be 2,600 tons of weight, 120 m in length, with a smokestack that was clearly inspired by the Soldati class.

During 1942, the project was again modified by eliminating the fifth gun positioned in the center of the ship to accommodate more anti-aircraft armament, in September 1942 the design was blocked in the same month orders were placed for 8 units of the second series (2 in Trigoso, 2 in Livorno and 4 in CRDA Trieste).

Later there was also a modification for the elimination of the stern director to favour the addition of more anti-aircraft armament.

Orders were placed for 8 units of the third series on 7 October 1942 with CRDA Trieste.

The name of the new class was called: Comandante Medaglie d'Oro. This name was chosen to remember the commanders who had received the gold medal (Medaglie d'Oro).

In the end, between May 1944 and January 1945, aerial bombardments were carried out on the shipyards where the ships were being built, as a result of the damage they were demolished.

'''Planned units'''<div style="column-count:3;-moz-column-count:3;-webkit-column-count:3">
* ''Comandante Margottini''
* ''Comandante Baroni''
* ''Comandante Borsini''
* ''Comandante Botti''
* ''Comandante Casana''
* ''Comandante Corsi''
* ''Comandante De Cristofaro''
* ''Comandante Dell'Anno''
* ''Comandante Esposito''
* ''Comandante Fiorelli''
* ''Comandante Fontana''
* ''Comandante Giannattasio''
* ''Comandante Giobbe''
* ''Comandante Giorgis''
* ''Comandante Milano''
* ''Comandante Moccagatta''
* ''Comandante Novaro''
* ''Comandante Rodocanacchi''
* ''Comandante Ruta''
* ''Comandante Toscano''</div>

== Media ==

<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
File:Margottini 1.png
File:Margottini 2.png
</gallery>

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the ship;''
* ''other literature.''

{{ShipManufacturer OTO}}
{{Italy destroyers}}

RN Comandante Margottini

2022-01-21T08:28:32Z

U6591054: /* Description */

{{Specs-Card
|code=it_destroyer_comandanti_medaglie_doro
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Raining Fire"]].

The Comandante Margottini is one of the Comandanti Medaglie d'Oro class of destroyers, the most modern Italian World War II destroyer design incorporating lessons learned by the Regia Marina during the war. She and the rest of her class were laid down but never completed, thus the Margottini is present in the game in her planned configuration. She features heavier main guns than previous Italian destroyers, much improved anti-aircraft armament, and even an air-search radar.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

The Margottini has no armour whatsover beyond the standard destroyer plating other than 12 mm anti-fragmentation armour partially protecting her main gun mounts. However, she has a similar hull shape to the light cruiser [[RN Etna|Etna]]: a fairly large bow with a lot of empty space that can "eat" AP shells or shrapnel from HE shells hitting the bow without too much damage to the ship. Her main gun ammunition magazines are also located below the waterline, and are thus hard to hit, especially at close range. The engine room is also located in the central part of the ship, slightly below sea level, which gives it a little protection.

However, she does have a fairly large unarmoured bridge, which means she is vulnerable to getting the helm disabled and losing crew from hits to the bridge.

The Margottini also has a very large crew complement for a destroyer, at 277, which brings second only to the German [[Erich Giese]] at her battle rating.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}


{{NavalMobility}}

The Margottini has a respectable top speed of 65 km/h, driven by two turbines with a total power of 60,000 HP. The rudder shift time is just 5 seconds, which is very useful in combat situations to change trajectory quickly and effectively. The wide hull and shallow draft allow Margottini to remain very stable even during sharp turns. The Margottini can travel at 36 km/h in reverse.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|135 mm/45 O.T.O. Mod. 1938 (135 mm)}}

The Margottini is armed with four 135/45 OTO Mod. 1938 main guns distributed in four mounts, two in the bow and two in the stern. These fire heavier projectiles than the previous standard Italian destroyer weapon, the 120/50, but at a lower muzzle velocity. They also have a fairly low rate-of-fire of only 7.5 rounds/minute maximum with the best possible crew. They do have greater elevation than previous Italian destroyer gun mounts, thus allowing some limited utility against aircraft.

The main guns can fire HE, HE-TF, and APHE. The HE has 1.8 kg of TNT, while the APHE has 1.4 kg of TNT. The HE-TF shell has the same amount of explosive as the HE but will detonate at the rangefinder's set range, thus allowing it to burst on air targets. In terms of ballistics, the HE, APHE, and HE-TF have a muzzle velocity of 825 m/s, which is slower than the shells of the 120/50 on the [[RN Dardo|Dardo]] and [[RN Corazziere|Corazziere]].

It is important to note that the stern-most turret (Y turret) has very poor traverse arcs because of the superstructure blocking it, requiring a large amount of broadside to be given in order to unmask the gun. The X turret ahead of it, in contrast, has full 360-degree traverse, and it can be brought into action very quickly.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|37 mm/54 Breda Mod.39 (37 mm)}}

This 37 mm cannon was built by Ernesto Breda as an automatic anti-aircraft weapon. The 37 mm/54 Breda cannon proved to be particularly effective at short-medium range and after several tests the Regia Marina decided to use them in twin installations (mod. 32) in 1934. On Comandante Margottini, 12 model 39 cannons were installed. The model 39 was the first of the two individually mounted models.

The 12 x 37 mm cannons are divided into two groups, four are arranged on the sides of the ship immediately behind the control room and the remaining eight are well distributed in the middle and rear of the ship.

The maximum range of the cannons is 5.3 km and the maximum effectiveness is 2.5 km and they are armed with tracer bullets, unfortunately not modifiable. These 12 cannons are very effective to ward off aircraft or to cause superficial damage to other destroyers. If there are small boats trying to get too close, the 37 mm will have no problem sinking them.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|20 mm/65 Breda (20 mm)}}

The Breda 20/65 was built by Ernesto Breda in 1932 as an anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapon. From day one it was immediately compared to the 20 mm guns of Oerlikon, Lübee and Madsen. After long periods to decide on the correct weapon, the Regia Marina finally made its decision in 1935.

It was decided to mount the 20 mm Breda guns on the ships that needed them, including RN Comandante Margottini.

Unfortunately, only two of these cannons were mounted and they were located at the front of the ship, one on the left side and the other on the right side. The 20 mm has three belts available: the Universal belt, HE belt, and AP belt. All three of the various combinations penetrate 38 mm.

The maximum range for these guns is 4 km and the maximum effective range is 2 km. These two 20 mm Breda can also be very effective against small boats that come too close to the ship.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|S.I. 270/533,4X7,2 Tipo M (533 mm)|B TG 100 depth charge}}

In addition to the considerable main and auxiliary armament, Comandante Margottini can also carry up to 10 depth charges and 6 torpedoes.

The depth charges are stored in the rear part of the ship, more precisely at the height of the second main turret.

The charges in question are the B TG 100 with 100 kg of explosives inside them and can be equipped after researching the modification.

The depth charges are super useful when you make very close encounters or when you are followed by a ship. It only takes one charge to eliminate your opponent. In addition to depth charges there is the possibility to carry 6 torpedoes, more precisely the S.I. 270.

These torpedoes without the torpedo mode modification equipped can travel in water up to 93 km/h but only for 4 km, while with the modification the torpedo loses 19 km/h of speed, but gains 8 km of range more. Torpedoes are an effective way to surprise the enemy without them expecting it, either at the beginning of the game or during a firefight.

== Usage in battles ==

The Comandante Margottini is a destroyer with above average survivability thanks to her large size with a lot of empty space and large crew complement. It is best to have the front of the ship facing the enemy so that the large spacious bow can absorb as many hits as possible. However, one of the most vulnerable parts of the ship is the bridge: it is quite large and often the first to be hit in a firefight, especially when presenting the front towards the enemy. One way to reduce this is to zig-zag the ship or move just after firing or noticing the enemy has fired, taking advantage of the Margottini's good handling and acceleration.

Conversely, the firepower of the ship is rather underwhelming. With only four 135 mm guns and a slow rate-of-fire of only 7.5 rounds/minute at best, the Margottini will struggle to output as much damage as many destroyers at its battle rating. It is recommended to use primarily APHE shells as they have significantly more penetration and almost as much explosive filler as the fairly weak HE shell, although not all targets are suitable for the APHE, such as destroyers or ships with thin armour. Unfortunately, due to the low velocity of the projectiles, it is not recommended to engage enemies beyond 7 km as the 135 mm guns will not do much damage. The Margottini's torpedo armament is standard for Italian destroyers, forcing a choice between 4 km/76 km/h without torpedo mode installed or 12 km/56 km/h with torpedo mode installed.

The Margottini is, however, fairly unique among Italian destroyers in having a fairly strong anti-aircraft armament suite, consisting of numerous 37 mm and some 20 mm guns. She is also the only Italian bluewater ship currently in the game with an air search radar.

Beware of German ships and other ships with a high rate-of-fire such as the [[USS Fletcher|Fletcher]], [[IJN Akizuki|Akizuki]], and [[SKR-7]]. With their high rate of fire, they can quickly decimate the crew even without causing major damage to the ship's components.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Large bow that can "eat" shells.
* Large crew complement.
* Above average manoeuvrability at speed.
* Above average stability during turns.
* Effective anti-aircraft armament.
* Has air search radar.

'''Cons:'''

* Low damage output due to low main gun rate-of-fire and only four guns.
* Small main gun HE shell explosive filler for its calibre.
* Bow and stern-most main gun mounts have limited traverse arcs.
* Large unarmoured bridge.
* Slow secondary armament elevation and traverse speed.
* Very short-ranged torpedoes without torpedo mode installed.

== History ==

During World War II, the Regia Marina did not have enough destroyers available. By September 1940, 7 destroyers had been lost in combat, so a decision was initiated to build 7 new destroyers to replace them.

To save development and design time, a new batch of the existing Soldati-class destroyers were ordered.

These new Soldati-class destroyers got an additional 100 tons more in weight because of the new anti-aircraft and anti-submarine armament which was updated, the construction of the first units took place in October 1940 and 5 ships entered service between February and August 1942.

During World War II, the armament of the Soldati-class ships was modified several times and upgraded, eliminating a row of torpedo tubes and replacing them with anti-aircraft armament.

During 1941, while the second series of Soldati-class destroyers were being built, it became clear that more destroyers had to be built, in fact the Navy Ministry decided to incorporate all changes on destroyers, based on the experience gained in the war, so it was understood that a new class of destroyers had to be developed.

The committee assigned the task of designing the new class to General Carlo Sigismondi (Corpo del Genio Navale) who was assisted by Lieutenant Colonel Giuseppe Malagoli (Corpo del Genio Navale). The new class was practically an update of the Soldati class with the addition of more weight, the design of the ship changed in almost all parts except the layout of the engines which did not change, but the engines were upgraded to 60,000 horsepower.

The speed was reduced to 35 knots, a speed considered sufficient for all the missions that the new class of destroyers had to perform.

The first drawings of the projects were made quickly and the first orders were placed in September 1941, the construction of the first two units took place in the Cantieri del Tirreno di Riva Trigoso on 10 September 1941, while other two units were allocated in the Cantieri Navali Riuniti di Ancona and four units were allocated in the Cantieri Navali Odero Terni Orlando (OTO) di Livorno on 27 September 1941.

After these 8 units it was planned to produce a second series of this class of ship, the significant change of this new class was the replacement of the twin 120 mm/50 guns with single 135 mm/45 guns, then as anti-aircraft armament it was composed of 12 Breda mod.39 37 mm/54 cannons, the initial designs of the class when completed showed that the ship would normally be 2,600 tons of weight, 120 m in length, with a smokestack that was clearly inspired by the Soldati class.

During 1942, the project was again modified by eliminating the fifth gun positioned in the center of the ship to accommodate more anti-aircraft armament, in September 1942 the design was blocked in the same month orders were placed for 8 units of the second series (2 in Trigoso, 2 in Livorno and 4 in CRDA Trieste).

Later there was also a modification for the elimination of the stern director to favour the addition of more anti-aircraft armament.

Orders were placed for 8 units of the third series on 7 October 1942 with CRDA Trieste.

The name of the new class was called: Comandante Medaglie d'Oro. This name was chosen to remember the commanders who had received the gold medal (Medaglie d'Oro).

In the end, between May 1944 and January 1945, aerial bombardments were carried out on the shipyards where the ships were being built, as a result of the damage they were demolished.

'''Planned units'''<div style="column-count:3;-moz-column-count:3;-webkit-column-count:3">
* ''Comandante Margottini''
* ''Comandante Baroni''
* ''Comandante Borsini''
* ''Comandante Botti''
* ''Comandante Casana''
* ''Comandante Corsi''
* ''Comandante De Cristofaro''
* ''Comandante Dell'Anno''
* ''Comandante Esposito''
* ''Comandante Fiorelli''
* ''Comandante Fontana''
* ''Comandante Giannattasio''
* ''Comandante Giobbe''
* ''Comandante Giorgis''
* ''Comandante Milano''
* ''Comandante Moccagatta''
* ''Comandante Novaro''
* ''Comandante Rodocanacchi''
* ''Comandante Ruta''
* ''Comandante Toscano''</div>

== Media ==

<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
File:Margottini 1.png
File:Margottini 2.png
</gallery>

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the ship;''
* ''other literature.''

{{ShipManufacturer OTO}}
{{Italy destroyers}}

RN Comandante Margottini

2022-01-21T08:27:32Z

U6591054: /* Survivability and armour */

{{Specs-Card
|code=it_destroyer_comandanti_medaglie_doro
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Raining Fire"]].

The Comandante Margottini one of the Comandanti Medaglie d'Oro class of destroyers incorporating lessons learned by the Regia Marina during World War II. She and the rest of her class were laid down but never completed, thus the Margottini is present in the game in her planned configuration. She features heavier main guns than previous Italian destroyers, much improved anti-aircraft armament, and even an air-search radar.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

The Margottini has no armour whatsover beyond the standard destroyer plating other than 12 mm anti-fragmentation armour partially protecting her main gun mounts. However, she has a similar hull shape to the light cruiser [[RN Etna|Etna]]: a fairly large bow with a lot of empty space that can "eat" AP shells or shrapnel from HE shells hitting the bow without too much damage to the ship. Her main gun ammunition magazines are also located below the waterline, and are thus hard to hit, especially at close range. The engine room is also located in the central part of the ship, slightly below sea level, which gives it a little protection.

However, she does have a fairly large unarmoured bridge, which means she is vulnerable to getting the helm disabled and losing crew from hits to the bridge.

The Margottini also has a very large crew complement for a destroyer, at 277, which brings second only to the German [[Erich Giese]] at her battle rating.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}


{{NavalMobility}}

The Margottini has a respectable top speed of 65 km/h, driven by two turbines with a total power of 60,000 HP. The rudder shift time is just 5 seconds, which is very useful in combat situations to change trajectory quickly and effectively. The wide hull and shallow draft allow Margottini to remain very stable even during sharp turns. The Margottini can travel at 36 km/h in reverse.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|135 mm/45 O.T.O. Mod. 1938 (135 mm)}}

The Margottini is armed with four 135/45 OTO Mod. 1938 main guns distributed in four mounts, two in the bow and two in the stern. These fire heavier projectiles than the previous standard Italian destroyer weapon, the 120/50, but at a lower muzzle velocity. They also have a fairly low rate-of-fire of only 7.5 rounds/minute maximum with the best possible crew. They do have greater elevation than previous Italian destroyer gun mounts, thus allowing some limited utility against aircraft.

The main guns can fire HE, HE-TF, and APHE. The HE has 1.8 kg of TNT, while the APHE has 1.4 kg of TNT. The HE-TF shell has the same amount of explosive as the HE but will detonate at the rangefinder's set range, thus allowing it to burst on air targets. In terms of ballistics, the HE, APHE, and HE-TF have a muzzle velocity of 825 m/s, which is slower than the shells of the 120/50 on the [[RN Dardo|Dardo]] and [[RN Corazziere|Corazziere]].

It is important to note that the stern-most turret (Y turret) has very poor traverse arcs because of the superstructure blocking it, requiring a large amount of broadside to be given in order to unmask the gun. The X turret ahead of it, in contrast, has full 360-degree traverse, and it can be brought into action very quickly.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|37 mm/54 Breda Mod.39 (37 mm)}}

This 37 mm cannon was built by Ernesto Breda as an automatic anti-aircraft weapon. The 37 mm/54 Breda cannon proved to be particularly effective at short-medium range and after several tests the Regia Marina decided to use them in twin installations (mod. 32) in 1934. On Comandante Margottini, 12 model 39 cannons were installed. The model 39 was the first of the two individually mounted models.

The 12 x 37 mm cannons are divided into two groups, four are arranged on the sides of the ship immediately behind the control room and the remaining eight are well distributed in the middle and rear of the ship.

The maximum range of the cannons is 5.3 km and the maximum effectiveness is 2.5 km and they are armed with tracer bullets, unfortunately not modifiable. These 12 cannons are very effective to ward off aircraft or to cause superficial damage to other destroyers. If there are small boats trying to get too close, the 37 mm will have no problem sinking them.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|20 mm/65 Breda (20 mm)}}

The Breda 20/65 was built by Ernesto Breda in 1932 as an anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapon. From day one it was immediately compared to the 20 mm guns of Oerlikon, Lübee and Madsen. After long periods to decide on the correct weapon, the Regia Marina finally made its decision in 1935.

It was decided to mount the 20 mm Breda guns on the ships that needed them, including RN Comandante Margottini.

Unfortunately, only two of these cannons were mounted and they were located at the front of the ship, one on the left side and the other on the right side. The 20 mm has three belts available: the Universal belt, HE belt, and AP belt. All three of the various combinations penetrate 38 mm.

The maximum range for these guns is 4 km and the maximum effective range is 2 km. These two 20 mm Breda can also be very effective against small boats that come too close to the ship.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|S.I. 270/533,4X7,2 Tipo M (533 mm)|B TG 100 depth charge}}

In addition to the considerable main and auxiliary armament, Comandante Margottini can also carry up to 10 depth charges and 6 torpedoes.

The depth charges are stored in the rear part of the ship, more precisely at the height of the second main turret.

The charges in question are the B TG 100 with 100 kg of explosives inside them and can be equipped after researching the modification.

The depth charges are super useful when you make very close encounters or when you are followed by a ship. It only takes one charge to eliminate your opponent. In addition to depth charges there is the possibility to carry 6 torpedoes, more precisely the S.I. 270.

These torpedoes without the torpedo mode modification equipped can travel in water up to 93 km/h but only for 4 km, while with the modification the torpedo loses 19 km/h of speed, but gains 8 km of range more. Torpedoes are an effective way to surprise the enemy without them expecting it, either at the beginning of the game or during a firefight.

== Usage in battles ==

The Comandante Margottini is a destroyer with above average survivability thanks to her large size with a lot of empty space and large crew complement. It is best to have the front of the ship facing the enemy so that the large spacious bow can absorb as many hits as possible. However, one of the most vulnerable parts of the ship is the bridge: it is quite large and often the first to be hit in a firefight, especially when presenting the front towards the enemy. One way to reduce this is to zig-zag the ship or move just after firing or noticing the enemy has fired, taking advantage of the Margottini's good handling and acceleration.

Conversely, the firepower of the ship is rather underwhelming. With only four 135 mm guns and a slow rate-of-fire of only 7.5 rounds/minute at best, the Margottini will struggle to output as much damage as many destroyers at its battle rating. It is recommended to use primarily APHE shells as they have significantly more penetration and almost as much explosive filler as the fairly weak HE shell, although not all targets are suitable for the APHE, such as destroyers or ships with thin armour. Unfortunately, due to the low velocity of the projectiles, it is not recommended to engage enemies beyond 7 km as the 135 mm guns will not do much damage. The Margottini's torpedo armament is standard for Italian destroyers, forcing a choice between 4 km/76 km/h without torpedo mode installed or 12 km/56 km/h with torpedo mode installed.

The Margottini is, however, fairly unique among Italian destroyers in having a fairly strong anti-aircraft armament suite, consisting of numerous 37 mm and some 20 mm guns. She is also the only Italian bluewater ship currently in the game with an air search radar.

Beware of German ships and other ships with a high rate-of-fire such as the [[USS Fletcher|Fletcher]], [[IJN Akizuki|Akizuki]], and [[SKR-7]]. With their high rate of fire, they can quickly decimate the crew even without causing major damage to the ship's components.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Large bow that can "eat" shells.
* Large crew complement.
* Above average manoeuvrability at speed.
* Above average stability during turns.
* Effective anti-aircraft armament.
* Has air search radar.

'''Cons:'''

* Low damage output due to low main gun rate-of-fire and only four guns.
* Small main gun HE shell explosive filler for its calibre.
* Bow and stern-most main gun mounts have limited traverse arcs.
* Large unarmoured bridge.
* Slow secondary armament elevation and traverse speed.
* Very short-ranged torpedoes without torpedo mode installed.

== History ==

During World War II, the Regia Marina did not have enough destroyers available. By September 1940, 7 destroyers had been lost in combat, so a decision was initiated to build 7 new destroyers to replace them.

To save development and design time, a new batch of the existing Soldati-class destroyers were ordered.

These new Soldati-class destroyers got an additional 100 tons more in weight because of the new anti-aircraft and anti-submarine armament which was updated, the construction of the first units took place in October 1940 and 5 ships entered service between February and August 1942.

During World War II, the armament of the Soldati-class ships was modified several times and upgraded, eliminating a row of torpedo tubes and replacing them with anti-aircraft armament.

During 1941, while the second series of Soldati-class destroyers were being built, it became clear that more destroyers had to be built, in fact the Navy Ministry decided to incorporate all changes on destroyers, based on the experience gained in the war, so it was understood that a new class of destroyers had to be developed.

The committee assigned the task of designing the new class to General Carlo Sigismondi (Corpo del Genio Navale) who was assisted by Lieutenant Colonel Giuseppe Malagoli (Corpo del Genio Navale). The new class was practically an update of the Soldati class with the addition of more weight, the design of the ship changed in almost all parts except the layout of the engines which did not change, but the engines were upgraded to 60,000 horsepower.

The speed was reduced to 35 knots, a speed considered sufficient for all the missions that the new class of destroyers had to perform.

The first drawings of the projects were made quickly and the first orders were placed in September 1941, the construction of the first two units took place in the Cantieri del Tirreno di Riva Trigoso on 10 September 1941, while other two units were allocated in the Cantieri Navali Riuniti di Ancona and four units were allocated in the Cantieri Navali Odero Terni Orlando (OTO) di Livorno on 27 September 1941.

After these 8 units it was planned to produce a second series of this class of ship, the significant change of this new class was the replacement of the twin 120 mm/50 guns with single 135 mm/45 guns, then as anti-aircraft armament it was composed of 12 Breda mod.39 37 mm/54 cannons, the initial designs of the class when completed showed that the ship would normally be 2,600 tons of weight, 120 m in length, with a smokestack that was clearly inspired by the Soldati class.

During 1942, the project was again modified by eliminating the fifth gun positioned in the center of the ship to accommodate more anti-aircraft armament, in September 1942 the design was blocked in the same month orders were placed for 8 units of the second series (2 in Trigoso, 2 in Livorno and 4 in CRDA Trieste).

Later there was also a modification for the elimination of the stern director to favour the addition of more anti-aircraft armament.

Orders were placed for 8 units of the third series on 7 October 1942 with CRDA Trieste.

The name of the new class was called: Comandante Medaglie d'Oro. This name was chosen to remember the commanders who had received the gold medal (Medaglie d'Oro).

In the end, between May 1944 and January 1945, aerial bombardments were carried out on the shipyards where the ships were being built, as a result of the damage they were demolished.

'''Planned units'''<div style="column-count:3;-moz-column-count:3;-webkit-column-count:3">
* ''Comandante Margottini''
* ''Comandante Baroni''
* ''Comandante Borsini''
* ''Comandante Botti''
* ''Comandante Casana''
* ''Comandante Corsi''
* ''Comandante De Cristofaro''
* ''Comandante Dell'Anno''
* ''Comandante Esposito''
* ''Comandante Fiorelli''
* ''Comandante Fontana''
* ''Comandante Giannattasio''
* ''Comandante Giobbe''
* ''Comandante Giorgis''
* ''Comandante Milano''
* ''Comandante Moccagatta''
* ''Comandante Novaro''
* ''Comandante Rodocanacchi''
* ''Comandante Ruta''
* ''Comandante Toscano''</div>

== Media ==

<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
File:Margottini 1.png
File:Margottini 2.png
</gallery>

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the ship;''
* ''other literature.''

{{ShipManufacturer OTO}}
{{Italy destroyers}}

RN Comandante Margottini

2022-01-21T08:26:55Z

U6591054:

{{Specs-Card
|code=it_destroyer_comandanti_medaglie_doro
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Raining Fire"]].

The Comandante Margottini one of the Comandanti Medaglie d'Oro class of destroyers incorporating lessons learned by the Regia Marina during World War II. She and the rest of her class were laid down but never completed, thus the Margottini is present in the game in her planned configuration. She features heavier main guns than previous Italian destroyers, much improved anti-aircraft armament, and even an air-search radar.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

The Margottini has no armour whatsover other than 12 mm anti-fragmentation armour partially protecting her main gun mounts. but she has a similar hull shape to the light cruiser [[RN Etna|Etna]]: she has a fairly large bow with a lot of empty space that can "eat" AP shells or shrapnel from HE shells hitting the bow without too much damage to the ship. Her main gun ammunition magazines are also located below the waterline, and are thus hard to hit, especially at close range. The engine room is also located in the central part of the ship, slightly below sea level, which gives it a little protection.

However, she does have a fairly large unarmoured bridge, which means she is vulnerable to getting the helm disabled and losing crew from hits to the bridge.

The Margottini also has a very large crew complement for a destroyer, at 277, which brings second only to the German [[Erich Giese]] at her battle rating.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}


{{NavalMobility}}

The Margottini has a respectable top speed of 65 km/h, driven by two turbines with a total power of 60,000 HP. The rudder shift time is just 5 seconds, which is very useful in combat situations to change trajectory quickly and effectively. The wide hull and shallow draft allow Margottini to remain very stable even during sharp turns. The Margottini can travel at 36 km/h in reverse.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|135 mm/45 O.T.O. Mod. 1938 (135 mm)}}

The Margottini is armed with four 135/45 OTO Mod. 1938 main guns distributed in four mounts, two in the bow and two in the stern. These fire heavier projectiles than the previous standard Italian destroyer weapon, the 120/50, but at a lower muzzle velocity. They also have a fairly low rate-of-fire of only 7.5 rounds/minute maximum with the best possible crew. They do have greater elevation than previous Italian destroyer gun mounts, thus allowing some limited utility against aircraft.

The main guns can fire HE, HE-TF, and APHE. The HE has 1.8 kg of TNT, while the APHE has 1.4 kg of TNT. The HE-TF shell has the same amount of explosive as the HE but will detonate at the rangefinder's set range, thus allowing it to burst on air targets. In terms of ballistics, the HE, APHE, and HE-TF have a muzzle velocity of 825 m/s, which is slower than the shells of the 120/50 on the [[RN Dardo|Dardo]] and [[RN Corazziere|Corazziere]].

It is important to note that the stern-most turret (Y turret) has very poor traverse arcs because of the superstructure blocking it, requiring a large amount of broadside to be given in order to unmask the gun. The X turret ahead of it, in contrast, has full 360-degree traverse, and it can be brought into action very quickly.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|37 mm/54 Breda Mod.39 (37 mm)}}

This 37 mm cannon was built by Ernesto Breda as an automatic anti-aircraft weapon. The 37 mm/54 Breda cannon proved to be particularly effective at short-medium range and after several tests the Regia Marina decided to use them in twin installations (mod. 32) in 1934. On Comandante Margottini, 12 model 39 cannons were installed. The model 39 was the first of the two individually mounted models.

The 12 x 37 mm cannons are divided into two groups, four are arranged on the sides of the ship immediately behind the control room and the remaining eight are well distributed in the middle and rear of the ship.

The maximum range of the cannons is 5.3 km and the maximum effectiveness is 2.5 km and they are armed with tracer bullets, unfortunately not modifiable. These 12 cannons are very effective to ward off aircraft or to cause superficial damage to other destroyers. If there are small boats trying to get too close, the 37 mm will have no problem sinking them.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|20 mm/65 Breda (20 mm)}}

The Breda 20/65 was built by Ernesto Breda in 1932 as an anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapon. From day one it was immediately compared to the 20 mm guns of Oerlikon, Lübee and Madsen. After long periods to decide on the correct weapon, the Regia Marina finally made its decision in 1935.

It was decided to mount the 20 mm Breda guns on the ships that needed them, including RN Comandante Margottini.

Unfortunately, only two of these cannons were mounted and they were located at the front of the ship, one on the left side and the other on the right side. The 20 mm has three belts available: the Universal belt, HE belt, and AP belt. All three of the various combinations penetrate 38 mm.

The maximum range for these guns is 4 km and the maximum effective range is 2 km. These two 20 mm Breda can also be very effective against small boats that come too close to the ship.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|S.I. 270/533,4X7,2 Tipo M (533 mm)|B TG 100 depth charge}}

In addition to the considerable main and auxiliary armament, Comandante Margottini can also carry up to 10 depth charges and 6 torpedoes.

The depth charges are stored in the rear part of the ship, more precisely at the height of the second main turret.

The charges in question are the B TG 100 with 100 kg of explosives inside them and can be equipped after researching the modification.

The depth charges are super useful when you make very close encounters or when you are followed by a ship. It only takes one charge to eliminate your opponent. In addition to depth charges there is the possibility to carry 6 torpedoes, more precisely the S.I. 270.

These torpedoes without the torpedo mode modification equipped can travel in water up to 93 km/h but only for 4 km, while with the modification the torpedo loses 19 km/h of speed, but gains 8 km of range more. Torpedoes are an effective way to surprise the enemy without them expecting it, either at the beginning of the game or during a firefight.

== Usage in battles ==

The Comandante Margottini is a destroyer with above average survivability thanks to her large size with a lot of empty space and large crew complement. It is best to have the front of the ship facing the enemy so that the large spacious bow can absorb as many hits as possible. However, one of the most vulnerable parts of the ship is the bridge: it is quite large and often the first to be hit in a firefight, especially when presenting the front towards the enemy. One way to reduce this is to zig-zag the ship or move just after firing or noticing the enemy has fired, taking advantage of the Margottini's good handling and acceleration.

Conversely, the firepower of the ship is rather underwhelming. With only four 135 mm guns and a slow rate-of-fire of only 7.5 rounds/minute at best, the Margottini will struggle to output as much damage as many destroyers at its battle rating. It is recommended to use primarily APHE shells as they have significantly more penetration and almost as much explosive filler as the fairly weak HE shell, although not all targets are suitable for the APHE, such as destroyers or ships with thin armour. Unfortunately, due to the low velocity of the projectiles, it is not recommended to engage enemies beyond 7 km as the 135 mm guns will not do much damage. The Margottini's torpedo armament is standard for Italian destroyers, forcing a choice between 4 km/76 km/h without torpedo mode installed or 12 km/56 km/h with torpedo mode installed.

The Margottini is, however, fairly unique among Italian destroyers in having a fairly strong anti-aircraft armament suite, consisting of numerous 37 mm and some 20 mm guns. She is also the only Italian bluewater ship currently in the game with an air search radar.

Beware of German ships and other ships with a high rate-of-fire such as the [[USS Fletcher|Fletcher]], [[IJN Akizuki|Akizuki]], and [[SKR-7]]. With their high rate of fire, they can quickly decimate the crew even without causing major damage to the ship's components.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Large bow that can "eat" shells.
* Large crew complement.
* Above average manoeuvrability at speed.
* Above average stability during turns.
* Effective anti-aircraft armament.
* Has air search radar.

'''Cons:'''

* Low damage output due to low main gun rate-of-fire and only four guns.
* Small main gun HE shell explosive filler for its calibre.
* Bow and stern-most main gun mounts have limited traverse arcs.
* Large unarmoured bridge.
* Slow secondary armament elevation and traverse speed.
* Very short-ranged torpedoes without torpedo mode installed.

== History ==

During World War II, the Regia Marina did not have enough destroyers available. By September 1940, 7 destroyers had been lost in combat, so a decision was initiated to build 7 new destroyers to replace them.

To save development and design time, a new batch of the existing Soldati-class destroyers were ordered.

These new Soldati-class destroyers got an additional 100 tons more in weight because of the new anti-aircraft and anti-submarine armament which was updated, the construction of the first units took place in October 1940 and 5 ships entered service between February and August 1942.

During World War II, the armament of the Soldati-class ships was modified several times and upgraded, eliminating a row of torpedo tubes and replacing them with anti-aircraft armament.

During 1941, while the second series of Soldati-class destroyers were being built, it became clear that more destroyers had to be built, in fact the Navy Ministry decided to incorporate all changes on destroyers, based on the experience gained in the war, so it was understood that a new class of destroyers had to be developed.

The committee assigned the task of designing the new class to General Carlo Sigismondi (Corpo del Genio Navale) who was assisted by Lieutenant Colonel Giuseppe Malagoli (Corpo del Genio Navale). The new class was practically an update of the Soldati class with the addition of more weight, the design of the ship changed in almost all parts except the layout of the engines which did not change, but the engines were upgraded to 60,000 horsepower.

The speed was reduced to 35 knots, a speed considered sufficient for all the missions that the new class of destroyers had to perform.

The first drawings of the projects were made quickly and the first orders were placed in September 1941, the construction of the first two units took place in the Cantieri del Tirreno di Riva Trigoso on 10 September 1941, while other two units were allocated in the Cantieri Navali Riuniti di Ancona and four units were allocated in the Cantieri Navali Odero Terni Orlando (OTO) di Livorno on 27 September 1941.

After these 8 units it was planned to produce a second series of this class of ship, the significant change of this new class was the replacement of the twin 120 mm/50 guns with single 135 mm/45 guns, then as anti-aircraft armament it was composed of 12 Breda mod.39 37 mm/54 cannons, the initial designs of the class when completed showed that the ship would normally be 2,600 tons of weight, 120 m in length, with a smokestack that was clearly inspired by the Soldati class.

During 1942, the project was again modified by eliminating the fifth gun positioned in the center of the ship to accommodate more anti-aircraft armament, in September 1942 the design was blocked in the same month orders were placed for 8 units of the second series (2 in Trigoso, 2 in Livorno and 4 in CRDA Trieste).

Later there was also a modification for the elimination of the stern director to favour the addition of more anti-aircraft armament.

Orders were placed for 8 units of the third series on 7 October 1942 with CRDA Trieste.

The name of the new class was called: Comandante Medaglie d'Oro. This name was chosen to remember the commanders who had received the gold medal (Medaglie d'Oro).

In the end, between May 1944 and January 1945, aerial bombardments were carried out on the shipyards where the ships were being built, as a result of the damage they were demolished.

'''Planned units'''<div style="column-count:3;-moz-column-count:3;-webkit-column-count:3">
* ''Comandante Margottini''
* ''Comandante Baroni''
* ''Comandante Borsini''
* ''Comandante Botti''
* ''Comandante Casana''
* ''Comandante Corsi''
* ''Comandante De Cristofaro''
* ''Comandante Dell'Anno''
* ''Comandante Esposito''
* ''Comandante Fiorelli''
* ''Comandante Fontana''
* ''Comandante Giannattasio''
* ''Comandante Giobbe''
* ''Comandante Giorgis''
* ''Comandante Milano''
* ''Comandante Moccagatta''
* ''Comandante Novaro''
* ''Comandante Rodocanacchi''
* ''Comandante Ruta''
* ''Comandante Toscano''</div>

== Media ==

<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
File:Margottini 1.png
File:Margottini 2.png
</gallery>

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the ship;''
* ''other literature.''

{{ShipManufacturer OTO}}
{{Italy destroyers}}

RN Leone

2022-01-21T07:27:42Z

U6591054:

{{About
| about = Italian destroyer '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = the other Leone-class destroyer
| link = RN Tigre
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=it_destroyer_leone_class
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Direct Hit"]].

The Leone was originally designed as an "esporatori" (scout cruiser). As such, she is significantly larger than contemporary destroyers of the early 1920s and carries a heavy gun armament at the expense of less torpedoes. Despite her design preceding the [[RN Comandante Margottini|Comandante Margottini]] and [[Corazziere]] by some 20 years, she is a larger and more heavily armed ship, and thus comes after them in the Italian bluewater tech tree.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

The Leone has no armour whatsover other than 12 mm plating partially protecting her main gun mounts.

Her bow main gun ammunition magazine is partially exposed above the waterline. This makes it more vulnerable to penetrating hits, which will detonate the ammunition magazine with immediately fatal results. The stern magazine is below the waterline, and thus less vulnerable.

The Leone has a crew of 206, which is slightly smaller than that of the preceding Corazziere.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Leone is somewhat slower than her immediate predecessor, Corazziere, and also has poorer handling and acceleration characteristics due to her greater length and bulk, although they are still acceptable.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|120 mm/45 Canet-Schneider-Armstrong mod.1918-19 (120 mm)}}

The Leone has a heavy gun armament (for a destroyer) of eight 120/45 Canet-Schneider-Armstrong Mod. 1918/19 main guns. These fire the same shells as the 120/45 OTO Mod. 1926 guns on the Italian reserve destroyer [[RN Turbine|Turbine]] and have generally identical performance to them as well. They are distributed in four twin mounts, one in the bow, one in the stern, and the other two amidships. Three of these mounts have unlimited traverse, but the one sited between the funnels cannot be traversed fully because of the fore funnel blocking the guns. The guns have a fairly rate-of-fire of only 7 rounds/minute maximum with the best trained crew.

The 120 mm guns fire HE, HE-DF, and APHE shells. The HE (and identical HE-DF) shells have a large filler for a 120 mm shell at 2.39 kg of TNT, which is significantly more than those of the newer 120 mm HE shells used by the [[Dardo]] and Corazziere and even the larger 135 mm HE shells of the [[RN Comandante Margottini|Comandante Margottini]], [[RN Attilio Regolo|Attilio Regolo]], and [[RN Etna|Etna]]. However, her APHE has less filler than the APHE on those other ships. HE-DF explodes at the range set by the rangefinder, primarily for anti-aircraft usage, but the limited gun elevation makes the main guns quite hard to use in the anti-aircraft role.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|40 mm/39 Vickers-Terni mod.1915/1917, Modif.1930 (40 mm)}}

''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.''

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|Breda Model 31 (13.2 mm)}}

''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.''

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|S.I. 250/533,4X7,5 Tipo A (533 mm)}}

''Describe the available additional armaments of the ship: depth charges, mines, torpedoes. Talk about their positions, available ammunition and launch features such as dead zones of torpedoes. If there is no additional armament, remove this section.''

== Usage in battles ==

The Leone sacrifices torpedo armament for heavier main gun armament. With a large salvo of eight fairly powerful HE shells, she can deal a substantial amount of damage to opposing destroyers with a single salvo. However, the low rate-of-fire of the main guns also mean that she cannot really compete in a prolonged duel against fast-firing destroyers (particular the American ones with 5"/38 main guns), and despite her larger size she actually has a smaller crew count than the Corazziere and Comandante Margottini. Furthermore, her partially exposed bow ammunition magazine is a dangerous weakness, especially in close range fights.

Her torpedo armament is very poor, with only four fairly underwhelming 533 mm torpedoes that are not particularly fast and that have a very short range of only 4 km without the torpedo mode installed. It is worth considering not bringing them at all, especially since they are a potential hazard if hit by enemy fire.

It is also worth noting that the Leone has better firing angles towards the stern of the ship than towards the bow. Angling towards the enemy in such a way that the ship fires towards the stern is worth considering, especially since this also exposes the bow ammunition magazine less.

=== Pros and cons ===
'''Pros:'''

* Large number of main guns.
* Large main gun HE shell explosive filler.
* Large field-of-fire towards the stern of the ship.
* Reasonable penetration and filler for the APHE shell.

*

'''Cons:'''

* Low main gun rate-of-fire.
* Inadequate anti-aircraft armament.
* Only four torpedoes with a very short range without torpedo mode installed.
* Above-waterline bow ammunition magazine.

*

== History ==

''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the ship and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==

''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{ShipManufacturer Ansaldo}}
{{Italy destroyers}}

RN Corazziere

2022-01-19T08:37:45Z

U6591054: /* Description */

{{About
| about = Italian destroyer '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other Soldati-class destroyers
| link = Soldati (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=it_destroyer_soldati_serie1_camicianera
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Starfighters"]].

The Corazziere is a Soldati-class destroyer, the last and most modern class of destroyer to enter service with the Regia Marina before the Italian armistice in 1943. Like most Italian destroyers, they were designed with high speed as the primary emphasis.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

The Corazziere has no armour whatsoever other than 12 mm anti-fragmentation shields protecting the main gun mounts. These mounts are, however, open-backed, and can be disabled by nearby explosions if they land behind the gun shield. There are also some large fuel tanks providing some degree of protection to the transmission and the stern and amidships main gun magazines.

The Corazziere has a massive unarmoured bridge that takes up almost the entirety of the forward superstructure, which makes her very vulnerable to getting the bridge disabled.

The Corazziere has a crew complement of 215 men, which is unremarkable for a destroyer at her battle rating.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Corazziere is one of the fastest bluewater ships in the game. She accelerates quickly and handles quite well, allowing her to reach most important locations easily.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|120 mm/50 O.T.O. Mod.1936 (120 mm)}}

The Corazziere's main armament consists of five 120/50 OTO Mod. 1936 guns. Four of these are distributed in twin mounts located on the bow and stern, with the fifth located amidships in a single mount. These mounts have excellent traverse arcs, fast traverse and elevation speeds, but are crippled by their low rate of fire (8 rounds/minute with an aced crew).

The 120 mm guns can fire three types of ammunition: HE, AP, and HE-DF. The HE and HE-DF shells are identical in terms of filler, the primary difference being the HE-DF will burst at the range set by the rangefinder, allowing it to be used against aircraft. Both have weak explosive fillers (~1.6 kg TNT) compared to similar calibre destroyer guns, and are also considerably smaller than the ones of HE shells used by the older Italian destroyers such as the [[RN Leone|Leone]] and [[RN Turbine|Turbine]]. The AP shell has a fairly large filler for its type and calibre, approaching that of the HE shell at 1.3 kg TNT. It has reasonably good penetration capabilities as well, able to get through the belt armour of light cruisers at medium ranges.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|20 mm/65 Breda (20 mm)}}

Like almost all Italian ships, the Corazziere has very weak anti-aircraft armament. It consists of four twin 20/65 Breda Mod. 1935 cannon, two on each side of the ship. These are decent close range anti-aircraft weapons, but are too few to really provide effective protection.

It is also important to note that because of the railings surrounding these weapons, they cannot depress enough to engage surface targets closer than ~1.1 km, making them useless against coastal craft.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|S.I. 270/533,4X7,2 Tipo I (533 mm)|B TG 100 depth charge}}

The Corazziere is armed with two triple 533 mm torpedo tubes located on the centreline. These fire the Si 270/533.2 x 7.2 Tipo I torpedo which has a speed and range of 76 km/h and 4 km (70 km/h and 10 km with torpedo mode installed), respectively. It carries a 270 kg TNT warhead.

She also has access to a depth charge (bomb) thrower, although the utility of this weapon against surface targets is questionable at best.

== Usage in battles ==

The Corazziere has the speed to get to important locations quickly, but unfortunately is really lacking in firepower to make much of an impact. She has only five 120 mm guns that not only have a glacial reload time for a destroyer weapon but also have weak HE shell fillers. Her AP shell is reasonably good, but she simply doesn't have the damage output to fight head-to-head against most other destroyers, especially American ones. The torpedo armament is also fairly unremarkable, if serviceable once the torpedo mode is installed. The ship also has virtually no armour and is highly vulnerable to disabling hits to the massive bridge and the main guns. Her anti-aircraft defences are also quite poor and have a large deadzone against coastal boats.

With all this in mind, the Corazziere tends to fare very poorly in close-range brawls. Even when ambushing a target, her weak shells and low rate of fire can leave her outgunned by the ambushed target. She functions best in a supporting role, where she can rely on teammates to cover her many weaknesses.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Fast ship.
* Fairly large AP shell filler with good penetration.
* Fast main gun traverse and elevation speeds.
* Wide main gun traverse arcs.

'''Cons:'''

* Huge unarmoured bridge.
* Small HE shell filler.
* Low main gun rate-of-fire.
* Inadequate anti-aircraft defences.
* Cannot depress anti-aircraft guns to engage naval targets at close range.
* Torpedoes have a very short range without the torpedo mode installed.

== History ==

''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the ship and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==

''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{ShipManufacturer OTO}}
{{Italy destroyers}}

RN Corazziere

2022-01-19T08:36:06Z

U6591054: /* Anti-aircraft armament */

{{About
| about = Italian destroyer '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other Soldati-class destroyers
| link = Soldati (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=it_destroyer_soldati_serie1_camicianera
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Starfighters"]].

The Corazziere is a Soldati-class destroyer, the last class of destroyer to enter service with the Regia Marina before the Italian armistice in 1943. Like most Italian destroyers, they were designed with high speed as the primary emphasis.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

The Corazziere has no armour whatsoever other than 12 mm anti-fragmentation shields protecting the main gun mounts. These mounts are, however, open-backed, and can be disabled by nearby explosions if they land behind the gun shield. There are also some large fuel tanks providing some degree of protection to the transmission and the stern and amidships main gun magazines.

The Corazziere has a massive unarmoured bridge that takes up almost the entirety of the forward superstructure, which makes her very vulnerable to getting the bridge disabled.

The Corazziere has a crew complement of 215 men, which is unremarkable for a destroyer at her battle rating.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Corazziere is one of the fastest bluewater ships in the game. She accelerates quickly and handles quite well, allowing her to reach most important locations easily.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|120 mm/50 O.T.O. Mod.1936 (120 mm)}}

The Corazziere's main armament consists of five 120/50 OTO Mod. 1936 guns. Four of these are distributed in twin mounts located on the bow and stern, with the fifth located amidships in a single mount. These mounts have excellent traverse arcs, fast traverse and elevation speeds, but are crippled by their low rate of fire (8 rounds/minute with an aced crew).

The 120 mm guns can fire three types of ammunition: HE, AP, and HE-DF. The HE and HE-DF shells are identical in terms of filler, the primary difference being the HE-DF will burst at the range set by the rangefinder, allowing it to be used against aircraft. Both have weak explosive fillers (~1.6 kg TNT) compared to similar calibre destroyer guns, and are also considerably smaller than the ones of HE shells used by the older Italian destroyers such as the [[RN Leone|Leone]] and [[RN Turbine|Turbine]]. The AP shell has a fairly large filler for its type and calibre, approaching that of the HE shell at 1.3 kg TNT. It has reasonably good penetration capabilities as well, able to get through the belt armour of light cruisers at medium ranges.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|20 mm/65 Breda (20 mm)}}

Like almost all Italian ships, the Corazziere has very weak anti-aircraft armament. It consists of four twin 20/65 Breda Mod. 1935 cannon, two on each side of the ship. These are decent close range anti-aircraft weapons, but are too few to really provide effective protection.

It is also important to note that because of the railings surrounding these weapons, they cannot depress enough to engage surface targets closer than ~1.1 km, making them useless against coastal craft.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|S.I. 270/533,4X7,2 Tipo I (533 mm)|B TG 100 depth charge}}

The Corazziere is armed with two triple 533 mm torpedo tubes located on the centreline. These fire the Si 270/533.2 x 7.2 Tipo I torpedo which has a speed and range of 76 km/h and 4 km (70 km/h and 10 km with torpedo mode installed), respectively. It carries a 270 kg TNT warhead.

She also has access to a depth charge (bomb) thrower, although the utility of this weapon against surface targets is questionable at best.

== Usage in battles ==

The Corazziere has the speed to get to important locations quickly, but unfortunately is really lacking in firepower to make much of an impact. She has only five 120 mm guns that not only have a glacial reload time for a destroyer weapon but also have weak HE shell fillers. Her AP shell is reasonably good, but she simply doesn't have the damage output to fight head-to-head against most other destroyers, especially American ones. The torpedo armament is also fairly unremarkable, if serviceable once the torpedo mode is installed. The ship also has virtually no armour and is highly vulnerable to disabling hits to the massive bridge and the main guns. Her anti-aircraft defences are also quite poor and have a large deadzone against coastal boats.

With all this in mind, the Corazziere tends to fare very poorly in close-range brawls. Even when ambushing a target, her weak shells and low rate of fire can leave her outgunned by the ambushed target. She functions best in a supporting role, where she can rely on teammates to cover her many weaknesses.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Fast ship.
* Fairly large AP shell filler with good penetration.
* Fast main gun traverse and elevation speeds.
* Wide main gun traverse arcs.

'''Cons:'''

* Huge unarmoured bridge.
* Small HE shell filler.
* Low main gun rate-of-fire.
* Inadequate anti-aircraft defences.
* Cannot depress anti-aircraft guns to engage naval targets at close range.
* Torpedoes have a very short range without the torpedo mode installed.

== History ==

''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the ship and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==

''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{ShipManufacturer OTO}}
{{Italy destroyers}}

HMS Southampton

2022-01-19T08:27:03Z

U6591054:

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_cruiser_southampton
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British light cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.89 "Imperial Navy"]].

The Southampton is the lead ship of the Southampton-class of light cruisers, a part of what became known as the Town-class that were the most capable light cruisers available to the Royal Navy at the outbreak of World War II. Compared to previous British light cruisers such as the [[HMNZS Leander|Leander]] and [[HMS Arethusa|Arethusa]], the Southampton is a substantial advance in terms of firepower and protection.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

The Southampton has much better overall protection than previous British light cruisers. The machinery is protected by a thick 114 mm citadel belt, with 63.5 mm ends. This provides good protection against even heavy cruiser guns at longer ranges when angled. However, the deck armour over the machinery is only 31 mm thick, which is mostly enough to protect against long range light cruiser fire, but not much more.

The main gun magazines are protected within armoured boxes, with 114 mm upper and 76 mm lower side protection. The roofs of the boxes are protected by 51 mm of armour. Altogether, the magazines are very well protected against light cruiser fire, and are difficult to penetrate even with heavy cruiser guns at range and when angled. The shell rooms adjacent to the magazines are much more lightly protected, at only 25.4 mm anti-fragmentation armour, but a hit there, while causing serious damage, will not be immediately fatal to the ship, unlike a magazine penetration.

The rest of the ship is much more lightly protected. The light turret and barbette protection remains a serious Achilles heel of the ship, like on preceding British light cruisers. It is only 25 mm thick, making even destroyer AP/SAP/Common shells a potential threat. Like almost all British cruisers, the Southampton also has an open bridge with only minimal splinter protection (6-9 mm). This makes her very vulnerable to getting disabled and losing crew to hits to the bridge, especially with HE shells.

The Southampton has a crew complement of 748 men, which is small compared to other light cruisers like the [[USS Cleveland]] or her half-sister-ship [[HMS Belfast|Belfast]].

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Southampton is a little slower compared to the other British cruisers at the same BR, though her speed remains fairly respectable for a ship of her size. Her handling and acceleration are about average.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|6 inch/50 BL Mark XXIII (152 mm)}}
The main armament of the Southampton consists of four turrets with triple BL 6-inch Mark XXIII guns. These guns have a high sustained rate of fire at 8 rounds/minute with the best possible crew. Due to the large number of barrels and high rate of fire, the Southampton is capable of throwing nearly 100 6-inch shells per minute at a target. The gun accuracy at medium ranges is reasonable, although the horizontal dispersion is quite noticeable. These guns can also elevate to 45 degrees, which allows them to be used to reasonable effect against aircraft, especially once HE-VT is available. The turrets all have a below-average traverse arc of only 145 degrees to each side, which means that the Southampton has to show more broadside than most other light cruisers in order to unmask all her guns.

The main guns have a selection of four shells: HE, HE-TF, HE-VT, and CPBC. The explosive fillers for the HE, HE-TF, and HE-VT shells are identical (a respectable ~4 kg TNT), with the HE shell being slightly better at setting fires to ships, while the HE-TF and HE-VT have higher shrapnel counts and can burst on air targets. There is little point in using the HE-TF shell once HE-VT is unlocked, since the latter is not dependent on accurate rangefinding and is therefore a much superior anti-aircraft shell. The CPBC semi-armour piercing shell combines a decent filler for a 6-inch shell (~1.87 kg TNT equivalent) with respectable penetration, and is the shell of choice against enemy cruisers.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|4 inch/45 Mark XVI (102 mm)}}

The Southampton's secondary armament consists of eight QF 4-inch Mark XVI guns in four twin gun mounts, with two mounts on each side of the ship. These guns are most effective against aircraft, especially with HE-VT, although their high rate of fire (20 rounds per minute maximum each) can also make them a threat to coastal craft and even lighter destroyers.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|2pdr QF Mk.VIII (40 mm)|Vickers Mk.V (12.7 mm)}}

Complementing the 4-inch and 6-inch guns in the anti-aircraft role are two quadruple QF 2-pounder Mark VIII "pom-pom" mounts located on each side of the first funnel and two quadruple Vickers .50 cal heavy machine gun mounts on each side of the rear mast. The "pom-poms" can put out a lethal amount of 40 mm shells against aircraft or coastal craft that dare approach within effective range, but they have a substantial reload time once empty. The heavy machine guns are less effective, but can still be a deterrent at close ranges.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|Mk.IX (533 mm)}}

The Southampton has two triple torpedo tubes, one on each side of the ship. These fire the 21-inch Mark IX torpedo which has a speed and range of 67 km/h and 9.6 km, respectively (56 km/h and 12.34 km with the torpedo mode installed). The warhead is a hefty 340 kg TNT, and can be a threat to even battleships.

== Usage in battles ==

The Southampton is a quantum leap over the previous British light cruisers in terms of firepower. She has 50% more main gun firepower than her predecessor, the [[HMNZS Leander|Leander]]. The combination of a large number of barrels, high rate of fire, and decent shell explosive fillers makes her a very deadly opponent at short/medium ranges, especially to destroyers. She also maintains a respectable torpedo armament, allowing her to threaten even battleships if they get within effective torpedo range.

The protection is a bit more of a mixed bag. It is very hard to quickly destroy the Southampton due to her excellent magazine and belt protection, but the thin turret armour and unarmoured bridge mean that she is quite easy to disable and will tend to lose a lot of crew through turret and bridge disables. This is further exacerbated by the small crew complement. The ship itself has quite a large profile, and thus it is harder to take advantage of cover. She also has somewhat poor turret traverse arcs, which means she has to show a lot of broadside in order to use all of her turrets.

As she is depicted in her early-war configuration, the anti-aircraft suite of the Southampton is quite underwhelming, especially compared to the previous British cruisers and her sister-ship [[HMS Liverpool|Liverpool]]. This can be compensated to some extent with the main and secondary guns and good aim, since they have access to effective HE-VT shells, but the close-range anti-aircraft guns should not be relied upon, especially under AI control.

It is important to note that the Southampton can be matched against battleships at its battle rating. The 6-inch guns are mostly ineffective against battleships beyond setting fire to them with HE, so it is best to avoid fighting them head-to-head at all costs. The torpedoes are also an option if a battleship carelessly allows the Southampton to get within effective range.

The Southampton has a hangar, catapult, and handling facilities for aircraft, but is presently not capable of launching seaplanes.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Large broadside of 12 guns
* High rate-of-fire for main guns.
* Large explosive filler in CPBC semi-AP round with effective penetration.
* Thick magazine protection and machinery belt armour.
* Access to HE-VT shells for both main and secondary guns.
* Large torpedo warheads.

'''Cons:'''

* Below average close-range anti-aircraft armament.
* Below average turret traverse arcs.
* Small crew complement.
* Thin turret and non-existent bridge protection.
* Large ship profile, and hence a large target.
* Can face battleships.

== History ==

[[File:HMS Southampton 1937.jpg|thumb|470x470px|HMS Southampton before her refit in 1937.]]
The HMS Southampton, pennant number 83, is a light cruiser of the Town class. Launched in 1936, she went on to see service during the Second World War. She initially served as the flagship of the 2nd Cruiser squadron of the Home Fleet, and later participated in several engagements with German vessels. She was reassigned to the Mediterranean in October of 1940. However, in January 1941, she was bombed by Italian aircraft and suffered crippling damage. As a result, she was scuttled with torpedoes from her escorts.<ref name=":1">Helgason, G. (1995)</ref>

=== Design and development ===
The Southampton was a member of the Town class, a group of light cruisers built in the 1930s. Initially intended to be built as Arethusa-class cruisers, the design was changed after the construction of the American Brooklyn-class and Japanese Mogami-class ships. The vessels were 180 metres long and displaced 11 000 tons, as they weren't regulated by the Washington naval treaty.<ref name=":0">RBJ. (2008)</ref> The ships carried an armament of twelve 152 mm guns in four triple turrets, a big upgrade from the six-gun Arethusas. The ships also carried numerous anti-aircraft defenses, and two triple torpedo launchers. She was capable of 32 knots (59 km/h).<ref name=":0" />

The HMS Southampton was laid down on November 11th 1934, and launched on March 10th 1936.<ref name=":0" /> She was formally commissioned into the Royal Navy in March of 1937.<ref name=":0" />

=== Operational history ===
Following her commissioning, the Southampton entered service with the 2nd Cruiser squadron of the British Home Fleet. After the outbreak of the Second World War, she participated in the hunts for the German merchant Johannes Molkenbuhr and the battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. During this time, she was damaged twice; first by a 500kg bomb while she was laid up at Rosyth, and later by a German air attack off the coast of Norway.<ref name=":1" />

In November of 1940, Southampton sailed for the Mediterranean. She later participated in the Battle of Cape Spartivento and escorted resupply missions to Malta. However, on January 11th of 1941, she was attacked by twelve Stukas of the Luftwaffe. Hit by two bombs, the ship caught fire and suffered severe damage. With 80 sailors dead and no electrical power, the decision was made to scuttle the ship. Thus, she was sunk by four torpedoes from the cruiser Orion and a single torpedo from her sister ship Gloucester.<ref name=":1" />

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_cruiser_southampton Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|hZkupQZmfyc|'''The Shooting Range #163''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:35 discusses the HMS Southampton.}}

== See also ==
''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


=== References ===

;Citations
<references />

;Bibliography

* Helgason, G. (1995). HMS Southampton. Retrieved November 17, 2020, from <nowiki>https://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/1235.html</nowiki>
* RBJ. (2008, January 01). Light cruiser HMS Southampton (C83). Retrieved November 18, 2020, from <nowiki>https://shipshub.com/ships/180-1.html</nowiki>

{{ShipManufacturer John Brown and Company}}
{{Britain light cruisers}}

RN Eugenio di Savoia

2022-01-19T08:16:04Z

U6591054:

{{Specs-Card
|code=it_cruiser_eugenio_di_savoia
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian light cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Winged Lions"]].

The Eugenio di Savoia is a Duca d'Aosta-class cruiser, a member of the fourth group of the so-called 'Condottieri' class of Italian light cruisers. She has improved armour protection compared to her predecessor, the [[RN Raimondo Montecuccoli|Raimondo Montecuccoli]], while still maintaining the same armament and speed.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

''Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary armaments separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Save tips on preserving survivability for the "Usage in battles" section. If necessary, use a graphical template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armour.''

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

''Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.''

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|152/53 mm O.T.O. Mod.1929 (152 mm)}}

''Provide information about the characteristics of the primary armament. Evaluate their efficacy in battle based on their reload speed, ballistics and the capacity of their shells. Add a link to the main article about the weapon: <code><nowiki>{{main|Weapon name (calibre)}}</nowiki></code>. Broadly describe the ammunition available for the primary armament, and provide recommendations on how to use it and which ammunition to choose.''

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|100 mm/47 O.T.O. Mod. 1928 (100 mm)}}

''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.''

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|37 mm/54 Breda Mod.38 (37 mm)|20 mm/70 Oerlikon 3S (20 mm)}}

''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.''

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|S.I. 270/533,4X7,2 Tipo M (533 mm)}}

''Describe the available additional armaments of the ship: depth charges, mines, torpedoes. Talk about their positions, available ammunition and launch features such as dead zones of torpedoes. If there is no additional armament, remove this section.''

== Usage in battles ==

''Describe the technique of using this ship, the characteristics of her use in a team and tips on strategy. Abstain from writing an entire guide – don't try to provide a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought. Talk about the most dangerous opponents for this vehicle and provide recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of playing with this vehicle in various modes (AB, RB, SB).''

=== Pros and cons ===
'''Pros:'''

* Thickest belt and turret armour of any Italian light cruiser.
* High top speed.
* Effective anti-aircraft armament.
* Heavily armoured conning tower/bridge.
* Fast torpedoes (without torpedo mode installed).

*

'''Cons:'''

* Very small explosive filler in the main gun AP shell.
* Below average explosive filler in the main gun HE shell.
* Only two propeller shafts.
* Very short ranged torpedoes without torpedo mode installed.

*

== History ==

''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the ship and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==

''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Italy light cruisers}}

HMS Liverpool

2022-01-17T07:47:26Z

U6591054: /* Anti-aircraft armament */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_cruiser_liverpool
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a squadron rank {{Specs|rank}} British light cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Red Skies"]].

The Liverpool is a member of the Gloucester sub-class of the so-called 'Town' class light cruisers. As such, she features some improvements to her overall protection compared to her sister ship, the [[HMS Southampton|Southampton]]. She is depicted in her late/post-war configuration, where her 'X' turret was removed and, in exchange, her anti-aircraft armament was substantially improved.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

As with the other Town-class light cruisers, the Liverpool's hull is considerably well-protected, especially when compared to the British heavy cruisers that ironically have much worse citadel armour. With 114.5 mm of citadel belt armour on the side, 63.5 mm on the bow and stern, and 36.5 mm on the deck, the Liverpool's machinery space is highly resilient to internal damage, especially when angled. The magazine protection is also identical to that on the Southampton and [[HMS Belfast|Belfast]], which serves to prevent magazine detonations from other cruisers' AP shells. It is important to note, however, that the Liverpool has to expose a lot of her broadside in order to unmask the rear turret, essentially negating the Liverpool's belt armour.

For the first time in a British cruiser, the main gun turrets are also decently armoured, with 102 mm of armour at the front and 50.8 mm elsewhere. This mostly protects them against light cruiser HE shells and weaker AP shells from the front. However, she retains the same weakpoint shared by almost all British cruisers: the open bridge. This has some 12 mm protection around parts, but is still essentially unarmoured and very vulnerable to nearby explosions and any sizeable shell hits.

The Liverpool also does not have a very large crew complement at 748. This is further exacerbated by the fact that the Liverpool's crew compartments were almost entirely located near the deck, which means the ship will lose a lot of crew when a sizeable HE shell hits them and from any subsequent fires. The close proximity of the crew compartments and the shell rooms can also help the fire to spread to them, possibly causing ammunition detonations.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

With one main turret removed, the Liverpool is somewhat lighter and thus marginally faster than her sister ship Southampton, though her mobility and handling remain average.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|6 inch/50 BL Mark XXIII (152 mm)}}

The Liverpool's main armament consists of nine BL 6-inch Mark XXIII guns mounted in three triple turrets, two in the bow, and one in the stern. With one less turret compared to Belfast and Southampton, the Liverpool's burst damage is considerably worse than her sister ships'. However, sitting at a BR where less-protected cruisers and destroyers are common, Liverpool's armaments is a perfect weapon within her range, although easily outclassed by the more advanced cruisers when uptiered. The guns have a very short reload time for their calibre at 7.5 seconds with the best possible crew, which allows her to pump out shells consistently, especially at closer ranges. These guns have a significant amount of horizontal dispersion and are thus quite poor at long range shooting.

The Liverpool has four shell choices: a basic HE shell with 3.96 kg of TNT equivalent, the CPBC semi-AP shell with a large filler (1.87 kg TNT equivalent) that can deal significant damage against cruisers within 7 km, but loses its effectiveness at longer ranges, and HE-TF and HE-VT shells for long-range anti-aircraft purposes. Due to the lack of an AP shell, the Liverpool will struggle to deal damage at longer ranges against well-protected cruisers.

It is important to note that the Liverpool's 'Y' turret has a fairly poor turret traverse arc, which means it is difficult to use her firepower to its fullest without exposing a lot of the ship to damage.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|4 inch/45 Mark XVI (102 mm)}}

The Liverpool has eight QF 4-inch Mark XVI cannons, mounted in four dual mounts behind her second funnel, two on each side of the ship. Since the main gun has a very high rate of fire, her secondary armament will not be needed as much against coastal craft and destroyers. It thus mainly serves as a long-range anti-aircraft battery, and can be quite effective once the HE-VT shell is available.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|QF Mark V (40 mm)|QF Mark VII (40 mm)}}

The Liverpool's anti-aircraft suite is mostly identical to the Belfast's, with twelve 40 mm Bofors Mark V cannon in six twin mounts. However, during her wartime refit, one of her rear turrets was removed in exchange for more space and topweight available to mount four more single 40 mm Bofors Mark VII autocannons. The 40 mm Bofors is one of the best naval medium range anti-aircraft guns, both in real life and in the game, thus the Liverpool can quite effectively defend herself against air attack, especially with good aim under manual control. The Bofors guns can also be deadly to coastal craft that get within range.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|Mk.IX (533 mm)}}

The Liverpool has two triple torpedo tubes mounted on each side of the ship. These fire the 21-inch Mark IX torpedo, which has a range and speed of 9.34 km and 67 km/h (12.35 km and 56 km/h with the torpedo mode installed). It carries a hefty 340 kg warhead.

== Usage in battles ==

The Liverpool relies on her high rate-of-fire and CPBC semi-AP round to damage and overwhelm enemy ships. The CPBC round combines reasonably good penetration with a much larger filler than the AP rounds found on most contemporary light cruisers. It is highly effective against other light cruisers and larger destroyers, inflicting serious damage on internal components. At close ranges, it is even capable of penetrating heavy cruiser belt armour.

Her thick belt armour and magazine protection, conversely, mean that she is quite hard to knock out quickly by other light cruisers, and destroyers will struggle to inflict much damage beyond knocking out the open bridge, especially at range. The Liverpool also has a reasonable amount of turret armour, which allows her to more comfortably engage at closer ranges than other British cruisers without worrying too much about getting her turrets knocked out.

All of these features, combined with the rather poor dispersion of the main guns, mean that the Liverpool is most effective at medium/close ranges, where the dispersion is less of an issue. The Liverpool also carries torpedoes with large warheads, allowing her to pose a threat to even battleships if she can get within effective torpedo range.

=== Pros and cons ===
'''Pros:'''

* Thick belt armour and magazine protection.
* Main guns have a high rate-of-fire for their calibre.
* Large explosive filler and adequate penetration for the CPBC semi-AP shell.
* Reasonable main gun turret protection.
* Highly effective anti-aircraft armament.
* Carries torpedoes with large warheads.

'''Cons:'''

* Restricted rear turret traverse arc.
* Inadequate penetration at longer ranges.
* High horizontal dispersion, especially at long ranges.
* Low crew complement.
* Open bridge with inadequate armour protection.
* Can be matched against battleships.

== History ==

After completing the Leander-class and Arethusa-class cruisers in the early 1930s, the Royal Navy aimed to build more similar cruisers to meet its target of fifty cruisers. The problem was, by 1933, the foreign navies had started developing larger cruisers: Japan was constructing the Mogami class weighing more than 11,000 tons, and the United States had decided to build the 10,000-ton Brooklyn class, putting the smaller Leander and Arethusa at a significant disadvantage.

To counter the new cruisers from other leading fleets, the Admiralty revised the new design to increase displacement for twelve 6-inch guns and extra protection against 8-inch shells.<ref name="GillonoEUUnits">http://www.ww2ships.com/britain/gb-cl-001-b.shtml</ref> The design was crystallized in 1934 as "Town"-class cruisers named after British cities. Ten ships of this class were laid down and completed from 1935 to 1939, including the one original variant class (Southampton class) and two modified variants (1935 Programme cruisers & Edinburgh class).

HMS Liverpool (C11) was one of three 1935 Programme cruisers. The overall configuration of this group is similar to the Southampton class, but extra armour was added to main gun turrets (4 inches, compared to 2 inches on Southampton class) and deck over the machinery to increase deck protection to 1/4 inch (1 inch on Liverpool<nowiki>'</nowiki>s sister ship Gloucester). Furthermore, an additional director control tower was placed aft to separate fire control for the main and secondary armaments.<ref name="GillonoEUUnits2">Brown, David K.. Nelson to Vanguard: Warship Design and Development, 1923–1945 (Chatham's Distinguished Design) (p. 175). Pen & Sword Books.</ref> These modifications increased the total displacement from 9,110 tons to 9,600 tons. To maintain stability, the beam of the cruiser was increased by 0.8 inches to balance the increasing weight. Besides, the propulsion power was raised from 75,000 shp on the Southampton class to 82,000 shp.<ref name="GillonoEUUnits3">https://www.naval-encyclopedia.com/ww2/uk/town-class-cruisers-1936</ref>

Liverpool was ordered on 11 November 1935 at Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. The ship was laid down on 17 February 1936, and launched on 24 March 1937.<ref name="GillonoEUUnits4">https://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/1230.html</ref> During her trials, Liverpool lost all engine power for short periods on two occasions caused by water in the fuel pump,<ref name="GillonoEUUnits2" /> delaying her commission to 2 November 1938.

All three cruisers of the 1935 Programme were initially deployed to East Indies Station. When the war broke out, she escorted British convoys on the Indian Ocean. On 14 November 1939, Liverpool transferred to Hong Kong to join the 5th Cruiser Squadron for trade defense duties and intercepting German blockade runners in Eastern waters. On 21 January 1940, she intercepted Japanese ocean liner Asama Maru, carrying German adults suitable for military service, just 35 nautical miles off the Japanese coast at the southern tip of the Boso Peninsula. The liner refused to stop until Liverpool fired a blank shell by her 3pdr saluting gun and took 21 German nationals onboard. The Japanese government officially protested the action as a violation of Japanese neutrality. As a result, nine of the Germans were returned, while the Japanese government promised not to offer passage as a way home for German citizens overseas.<ref name="TankArchives1stMCBerlin2">https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-06CL-Liverpool.htm</ref>

HMS Liverpool and her sister ship Gloucester transferred to Mediterranean in May 1940. After Italy declared war on 10 June 1940, Liverpool and Gloucester bombarded Tobruk on 12 June, and sunk armed trawler Giovanni Bert.<ref name="GillonoEUUnits5" />

On 27 June 1940, three Italian destroyers - Espero, Zeffiro, and Ostro - departed Taranto with supplies to Tobruk. British scout planes spotted them around noon the next day. HMS Liverpool, part of the 7th Cruiser Squadron (7CS), covering British convoys at the time, was ordered to alter course to intercept. At 18:31 local time, Liverpool spotted the Italian destroyers and engaged with her main guns.<ref name="GillonoEUUnits5">Waters, Conrad. British Town Class Cruisers: Design, Development & Performance: Southampton & Belfast Classes (p. 168).</ref>

These high-speed (credited with 37 knots) destroyers proved challenging targets with smoke screens and falling visibility at dusk. The British cruisers did not score a hit until 19:30, when Espero was damaged and slowed by a 6inch shell. The Italian destroyer bravely turned against the British fleet to cover her fellow ships by sacrificing herself. Espero was immobilized at 20:00 and sunk 40 minutes later. The British only picked up fifty survivors.

The 7CS suffered a minor loss, with no casualties and only Liverpool being hit by one 4.7-inch shell. The shell hit her armour belt, knocking off a chip of armour and causing some splinters.<ref name="GillonoEUUnits" />

On 9 July 1940, HMS Liverpool, together with 7CS, participated the first fleet battle between the Royal Navy and Regia Marina, the Battle of Punta Stilo, which is result of convoy escorts from both sides. However, limited by her main guns' horizontal range, Liverpool hadn't achieved a hit by the time the Italian fleet was forced to retreat.

On 29 July, a single Italian 250 lb bomb hit HMS Liverpool during a high-altitude attack around 14:20. The bomb hit the bridge's front deck, penetrated 'B' gun deck and the forecastle deck, and stopped in the senior petty officer's pantry on the upper deck.<ref name="TankArchives1stMCBerlin">Waters, Conrad. British Town Class Cruisers: Design, Development & Performance: Southampton & Belfast Classes (p. 213). Pen & Sword Books.</ref> Fortunately, the fuse in the bomb's tail was damaged when it penetrated the bridge structure and was not functional. On 30 July, Liverpool reached Alexandria, where her crews fixed up small holes with wood. Then, on 5 August, the cruiser returned to patrol duties.

Liverpool stayed in her station for convoy escort and fleet operations until 14 October 1940. At around 18:55 local time, on her way to Alexandria with the Mediterranean Fleet, Liverpool was attacked by the Italian Air Force and hit by an aircraft torpedo at the fore-end of her starboard side, damaging the aviation fuel tank in the forward section. The volatile aviation fuel leak started to accumulate in the fore storage areas; then, an electrical failure ignited the vapour and detonated the aviation fuel tank containing 5,700 gallons of fuel at 19:20.<ref name="TankArchives1stMCBerlin" /> The explosion caused a huge flame to envelop the forward sections of Liverpool and blow away the 'A' turret roof. Fortunately, the forward magazine had been flooded to prevent further explosion. However, the bow's construction was severely damaged by the blast and beginning to separate from the ship. Two destroyers HMS Decoy and HMS Hereward, came to assist the firefighting efforts, and cruiser HMS Orion, covered by two anti-aircraft cruisers, attempted to tow Liverpool back to Alexandria. On the following day, the fire onboard was under control. The hanging bow of the cruiser acted as a rudder until it broke away at 14:35 on 15 October.<ref name="GillonoEUUnits4" /> On 16 October, Liverpool and her escorts finally reached Alexandria.

The damage to Liverpool was serious. She lost her entire bow in front of the 'A' turret; the 'A' turret itself needed the gunhouse replaced and the turret ring repaired (as well as a new roof); much of the electrical and engineering equipment was also damaged. Resources in Alexandria were far from enough to repair such damage, while the route to Gibraltar or the British Isles was too dangerous for the badly damaged cruiser. Luckily, as the United States agreed to repair British vessels, Liverpool could travel east and receive the permanent repairs at US ports. Even so, Liverpool would need a temporary bow to make the long voyage. Unfortunately, the limited resource and local workforce delayed the application of the bow. In the end, it took six months to collect enough material and install a temporary bow for Liverpool to begin sailing east on 30 April 1941. The cruiser steamed via Aden, Colombo, Singapore, Manila, and Honolulu. Finally, on 16 June 1941, she reached her destination at Mare Island, California, where she would receive repairs in the following four months. Once the work was finished in October, she departed for the British Isles through the Panama Canal. Liverpool arrived in the UK in December 1941, and took a refit to install a series of radar systems, including surface warning radar (Type 273), air warning radar (Type 281), and fire control radar for main guns & secondary armaments (Type 284/285).<ref name="TankArchives1stMCBerlin" /> Liverpool rejoined the Home Fleet in April 1942. In the following two months, she participated escorts for Arctic convoys. In June 1942, she was re-deployed to Mediterranean to reinforce Operation Harpoon for supplying Malta.

On 14 June 1942, when Liverpool was escorting convoys with Force W, the fleet was attacked by Italian torpedo bombers. At 14:20 local time, on the starboard of the convoy, Liverpool was targeted by four bombers. She successfully evaded three torpedoes, but the last one hit her starboard, right in the 'B' engine room beneath the rear mast. The torpedo made a 24 ft x 19 ft hole in the starboard, destroying turbine generators in the 'B' engine room, left two shafts on the starboard out of function. The water soon flooded in the 'B' engine room and kept entering into nearby sections such as the entire 'B' boiler room, therefore making the inner shaft on the port side inoperative as well. The unbalanced power output turned the cruiser 270° to starboard. Before the flooding was under control, it was estimated over 2,600 tons of water entered the ship, creating a list to 7°.<ref name="TankArchives1stMCBerlin3">Waters, Conrad. British Town Class Cruisers: Design, Development & Performance: Southampton & Belfast Classes (p. 216). Pen & Sword Books.</ref>

The situation for Liverpool was critical. She could only maintain 3 to 4 knots with the one remaining shaft while more airstrikes were on their way. The Italian Air Force in Sardinia shifted their focus on Liverpool instead of the convoy. Two destroyers, HMS Antelope and HMS Westcott came to tow Liverpool and support air defense. The small fleet was ordered to return Gibraltar. At 16:40 local time, a wave of Italian fighters dropped bombs on Liverpool. Two bombs nearly hit the starboard side, increasing the list to 9.5° and draught to 27ft 8in (standard draught for Liverpool is 20ft 7in). At 18:00, a coordinated attack of 11 high-altitude bombers and seven torpedo bombers attempted to sink the damaged cruiser. Luckily, the attack scored no hits on Liverpool. The Italians continued their attack for the rest of the day. A group of high-altitude bombers attacked at 20:15, and six torpedo bombers dropped their torpedoes from long range against Liverpool at 22:30. None of the attacks achieved further damage to Liverpool, while she brought down at least one bomber using her main guns.

In the afternoon of the 17th, Liverpool and her guarding destroyers safely reached Gibraltar, where she received some emergency repairs. On 5 August 1942, Liverpool was transferred to Rosyth for permanent repairs. Due to the significant damage, it would require a lot of time and resources to repair Liverpool fully. Therefore, the priority of repairing was lower than patching up slightly damaged ships. In 1944, modifications to adapt Liverpool to the Pacific area was added to the work. An anti-air battery replaced one aft turret, and more advanced radars were applied on the ship. In August 1945, Liverpool was ready for service, but at this time, it was too late for her to gain more Battle Honours. She was the only survivor of the three 1935 Programme cruisers.

Liverpool continued her service as flagship of the 15th Cruiser Squadron in the Mediterranean Fleet after the war. In 1953, she was reduced to Reserve Fleet, where she was kept until 1957 and moved to Disposal List. In 1958, Liverpool was sold for breaking up by P&W MacLellan at Borrowstounness.<ref name="TankArchives1stMCBerlin" />

== Media ==

''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/7159-development-squadron-vehicles-hms-liverpool-en|[Devblog] Squadron Vehicles: HMS Liverpool]]

=== References ===
<references />

{{ShipManufacturer Fairfields}}
{{Britain light cruisers}}
{{Squadron ships}}

HMS Liverpool

2022-01-17T07:46:26Z

U6591054: /* Anti-aircraft armament */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_cruiser_liverpool
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a squadron rank {{Specs|rank}} British light cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Red Skies"]].

The Liverpool is a member of the Gloucester sub-class of the so-called 'Town' class light cruisers. As such, she features some improvements to her overall protection compared to her sister ship, the [[HMS Southampton|Southampton]]. She is depicted in her late/post-war configuration, where her 'X' turret was removed and, in exchange, her anti-aircraft armament was substantially improved.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

As with the other Town-class light cruisers, the Liverpool's hull is considerably well-protected, especially when compared to the British heavy cruisers that ironically have much worse citadel armour. With 114.5 mm of citadel belt armour on the side, 63.5 mm on the bow and stern, and 36.5 mm on the deck, the Liverpool's machinery space is highly resilient to internal damage, especially when angled. The magazine protection is also identical to that on the Southampton and [[HMS Belfast|Belfast]], which serves to prevent magazine detonations from other cruisers' AP shells. It is important to note, however, that the Liverpool has to expose a lot of her broadside in order to unmask the rear turret, essentially negating the Liverpool's belt armour.

For the first time in a British cruiser, the main gun turrets are also decently armoured, with 102 mm of armour at the front and 50.8 mm elsewhere. This mostly protects them against light cruiser HE shells and weaker AP shells from the front. However, she retains the same weakpoint shared by almost all British cruisers: the open bridge. This has some 12 mm protection around parts, but is still essentially unarmoured and very vulnerable to nearby explosions and any sizeable shell hits.

The Liverpool also does not have a very large crew complement at 748. This is further exacerbated by the fact that the Liverpool's crew compartments were almost entirely located near the deck, which means the ship will lose a lot of crew when a sizeable HE shell hits them and from any subsequent fires. The close proximity of the crew compartments and the shell rooms can also help the fire to spread to them, possibly causing ammunition detonations.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

With one main turret removed, the Liverpool is somewhat lighter and thus marginally faster than her sister ship Southampton, though her mobility and handling remain average.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|6 inch/50 BL Mark XXIII (152 mm)}}

The Liverpool's main armament consists of nine BL 6-inch Mark XXIII guns mounted in three triple turrets, two in the bow, and one in the stern. With one less turret compared to Belfast and Southampton, the Liverpool's burst damage is considerably worse than her sister ships'. However, sitting at a BR where less-protected cruisers and destroyers are common, Liverpool's armaments is a perfect weapon within her range, although easily outclassed by the more advanced cruisers when uptiered. The guns have a very short reload time for their calibre at 7.5 seconds with the best possible crew, which allows her to pump out shells consistently, especially at closer ranges. These guns have a significant amount of horizontal dispersion and are thus quite poor at long range shooting.

The Liverpool has four shell choices: a basic HE shell with 3.96 kg of TNT equivalent, the CPBC semi-AP shell with a large filler (1.87 kg TNT equivalent) that can deal significant damage against cruisers within 7 km, but loses its effectiveness at longer ranges, and HE-TF and HE-VT shells for long-range anti-aircraft purposes. Due to the lack of an AP shell, the Liverpool will struggle to deal damage at longer ranges against well-protected cruisers.

It is important to note that the Liverpool's 'Y' turret has a fairly poor turret traverse arc, which means it is difficult to use her firepower to its fullest without exposing a lot of the ship to damage.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|4 inch/45 Mark XVI (102 mm)}}

The Liverpool has eight QF 4-inch Mark XVI cannons, mounted in four dual mounts behind her second funnel, two on each side of the ship. Since the main gun has a very high rate of fire, her secondary armament will not be needed as much against coastal craft and destroyers. It thus mainly serves as a long-range anti-aircraft battery, and can be quite effective once the HE-VT shell is available.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|QF Mark V (40 mm)|QF Mark VII (40 mm)}}

The Liverpool's anti-air suite is mostly identical to the Belfast's, with twelve 40 mm Bofors Mark V cannon in six twin mounts. However, during her wartime refit one of her rear turrets was removed in exchange of more space and topweight available to mount four more single 40 mm Bofors Mark VII autocannons. The 40 mm Bofors is one of the best naval medium range anti-aircraft guns, both in real life and in the game, thus the Liverpool can quite effectively defend herself against air attack, especially with good aim under manual control. The Bofors guns can also be deadly to coastal craft that get within range.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|Mk.IX (533 mm)}}

The Liverpool has two triple torpedo tubes mounted on each side of the ship. These fire the 21-inch Mark IX torpedo, which has a range and speed of 9.34 km and 67 km/h (12.35 km and 56 km/h with the torpedo mode installed). It carries a hefty 340 kg warhead.

== Usage in battles ==

The Liverpool relies on her high rate-of-fire and CPBC semi-AP round to damage and overwhelm enemy ships. The CPBC round combines reasonably good penetration with a much larger filler than the AP rounds found on most contemporary light cruisers. It is highly effective against other light cruisers and larger destroyers, inflicting serious damage on internal components. At close ranges, it is even capable of penetrating heavy cruiser belt armour.

Her thick belt armour and magazine protection, conversely, mean that she is quite hard to knock out quickly by other light cruisers, and destroyers will struggle to inflict much damage beyond knocking out the open bridge, especially at range. The Liverpool also has a reasonable amount of turret armour, which allows her to more comfortably engage at closer ranges than other British cruisers without worrying too much about getting her turrets knocked out.

All of these features, combined with the rather poor dispersion of the main guns, mean that the Liverpool is most effective at medium/close ranges, where the dispersion is less of an issue. The Liverpool also carries torpedoes with large warheads, allowing her to pose a threat to even battleships if she can get within effective torpedo range.

=== Pros and cons ===
'''Pros:'''

* Thick belt armour and magazine protection.
* Main guns have a high rate-of-fire for their calibre.
* Large explosive filler and adequate penetration for the CPBC semi-AP shell.
* Reasonable main gun turret protection.
* Highly effective anti-aircraft armament.
* Carries torpedoes with large warheads.

'''Cons:'''

* Restricted rear turret traverse arc.
* Inadequate penetration at longer ranges.
* High horizontal dispersion, especially at long ranges.
* Low crew complement.
* Open bridge with inadequate armour protection.
* Can be matched against battleships.

== History ==

After completing the Leander-class and Arethusa-class cruisers in the early 1930s, the Royal Navy aimed to build more similar cruisers to meet its target of fifty cruisers. The problem was, by 1933, the foreign navies had started developing larger cruisers: Japan was constructing the Mogami class weighing more than 11,000 tons, and the United States had decided to build the 10,000-ton Brooklyn class, putting the smaller Leander and Arethusa at a significant disadvantage.

To counter the new cruisers from other leading fleets, the Admiralty revised the new design to increase displacement for twelve 6-inch guns and extra protection against 8-inch shells.<ref name="GillonoEUUnits">http://www.ww2ships.com/britain/gb-cl-001-b.shtml</ref> The design was crystallized in 1934 as "Town"-class cruisers named after British cities. Ten ships of this class were laid down and completed from 1935 to 1939, including the one original variant class (Southampton class) and two modified variants (1935 Programme cruisers & Edinburgh class).

HMS Liverpool (C11) was one of three 1935 Programme cruisers. The overall configuration of this group is similar to the Southampton class, but extra armour was added to main gun turrets (4 inches, compared to 2 inches on Southampton class) and deck over the machinery to increase deck protection to 1/4 inch (1 inch on Liverpool<nowiki>'</nowiki>s sister ship Gloucester). Furthermore, an additional director control tower was placed aft to separate fire control for the main and secondary armaments.<ref name="GillonoEUUnits2">Brown, David K.. Nelson to Vanguard: Warship Design and Development, 1923–1945 (Chatham's Distinguished Design) (p. 175). Pen & Sword Books.</ref> These modifications increased the total displacement from 9,110 tons to 9,600 tons. To maintain stability, the beam of the cruiser was increased by 0.8 inches to balance the increasing weight. Besides, the propulsion power was raised from 75,000 shp on the Southampton class to 82,000 shp.<ref name="GillonoEUUnits3">https://www.naval-encyclopedia.com/ww2/uk/town-class-cruisers-1936</ref>

Liverpool was ordered on 11 November 1935 at Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. The ship was laid down on 17 February 1936, and launched on 24 March 1937.<ref name="GillonoEUUnits4">https://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/1230.html</ref> During her trials, Liverpool lost all engine power for short periods on two occasions caused by water in the fuel pump,<ref name="GillonoEUUnits2" /> delaying her commission to 2 November 1938.

All three cruisers of the 1935 Programme were initially deployed to East Indies Station. When the war broke out, she escorted British convoys on the Indian Ocean. On 14 November 1939, Liverpool transferred to Hong Kong to join the 5th Cruiser Squadron for trade defense duties and intercepting German blockade runners in Eastern waters. On 21 January 1940, she intercepted Japanese ocean liner Asama Maru, carrying German adults suitable for military service, just 35 nautical miles off the Japanese coast at the southern tip of the Boso Peninsula. The liner refused to stop until Liverpool fired a blank shell by her 3pdr saluting gun and took 21 German nationals onboard. The Japanese government officially protested the action as a violation of Japanese neutrality. As a result, nine of the Germans were returned, while the Japanese government promised not to offer passage as a way home for German citizens overseas.<ref name="TankArchives1stMCBerlin2">https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-06CL-Liverpool.htm</ref>

HMS Liverpool and her sister ship Gloucester transferred to Mediterranean in May 1940. After Italy declared war on 10 June 1940, Liverpool and Gloucester bombarded Tobruk on 12 June, and sunk armed trawler Giovanni Bert.<ref name="GillonoEUUnits5" />

On 27 June 1940, three Italian destroyers - Espero, Zeffiro, and Ostro - departed Taranto with supplies to Tobruk. British scout planes spotted them around noon the next day. HMS Liverpool, part of the 7th Cruiser Squadron (7CS), covering British convoys at the time, was ordered to alter course to intercept. At 18:31 local time, Liverpool spotted the Italian destroyers and engaged with her main guns.<ref name="GillonoEUUnits5">Waters, Conrad. British Town Class Cruisers: Design, Development & Performance: Southampton & Belfast Classes (p. 168).</ref>

These high-speed (credited with 37 knots) destroyers proved challenging targets with smoke screens and falling visibility at dusk. The British cruisers did not score a hit until 19:30, when Espero was damaged and slowed by a 6inch shell. The Italian destroyer bravely turned against the British fleet to cover her fellow ships by sacrificing herself. Espero was immobilized at 20:00 and sunk 40 minutes later. The British only picked up fifty survivors.

The 7CS suffered a minor loss, with no casualties and only Liverpool being hit by one 4.7-inch shell. The shell hit her armour belt, knocking off a chip of armour and causing some splinters.<ref name="GillonoEUUnits" />

On 9 July 1940, HMS Liverpool, together with 7CS, participated the first fleet battle between the Royal Navy and Regia Marina, the Battle of Punta Stilo, which is result of convoy escorts from both sides. However, limited by her main guns' horizontal range, Liverpool hadn't achieved a hit by the time the Italian fleet was forced to retreat.

On 29 July, a single Italian 250 lb bomb hit HMS Liverpool during a high-altitude attack around 14:20. The bomb hit the bridge's front deck, penetrated 'B' gun deck and the forecastle deck, and stopped in the senior petty officer's pantry on the upper deck.<ref name="TankArchives1stMCBerlin">Waters, Conrad. British Town Class Cruisers: Design, Development & Performance: Southampton & Belfast Classes (p. 213). Pen & Sword Books.</ref> Fortunately, the fuse in the bomb's tail was damaged when it penetrated the bridge structure and was not functional. On 30 July, Liverpool reached Alexandria, where her crews fixed up small holes with wood. Then, on 5 August, the cruiser returned to patrol duties.

Liverpool stayed in her station for convoy escort and fleet operations until 14 October 1940. At around 18:55 local time, on her way to Alexandria with the Mediterranean Fleet, Liverpool was attacked by the Italian Air Force and hit by an aircraft torpedo at the fore-end of her starboard side, damaging the aviation fuel tank in the forward section. The volatile aviation fuel leak started to accumulate in the fore storage areas; then, an electrical failure ignited the vapour and detonated the aviation fuel tank containing 5,700 gallons of fuel at 19:20.<ref name="TankArchives1stMCBerlin" /> The explosion caused a huge flame to envelop the forward sections of Liverpool and blow away the 'A' turret roof. Fortunately, the forward magazine had been flooded to prevent further explosion. However, the bow's construction was severely damaged by the blast and beginning to separate from the ship. Two destroyers HMS Decoy and HMS Hereward, came to assist the firefighting efforts, and cruiser HMS Orion, covered by two anti-aircraft cruisers, attempted to tow Liverpool back to Alexandria. On the following day, the fire onboard was under control. The hanging bow of the cruiser acted as a rudder until it broke away at 14:35 on 15 October.<ref name="GillonoEUUnits4" /> On 16 October, Liverpool and her escorts finally reached Alexandria.

The damage to Liverpool was serious. She lost her entire bow in front of the 'A' turret; the 'A' turret itself needed the gunhouse replaced and the turret ring repaired (as well as a new roof); much of the electrical and engineering equipment was also damaged. Resources in Alexandria were far from enough to repair such damage, while the route to Gibraltar or the British Isles was too dangerous for the badly damaged cruiser. Luckily, as the United States agreed to repair British vessels, Liverpool could travel east and receive the permanent repairs at US ports. Even so, Liverpool would need a temporary bow to make the long voyage. Unfortunately, the limited resource and local workforce delayed the application of the bow. In the end, it took six months to collect enough material and install a temporary bow for Liverpool to begin sailing east on 30 April 1941. The cruiser steamed via Aden, Colombo, Singapore, Manila, and Honolulu. Finally, on 16 June 1941, she reached her destination at Mare Island, California, where she would receive repairs in the following four months. Once the work was finished in October, she departed for the British Isles through the Panama Canal. Liverpool arrived in the UK in December 1941, and took a refit to install a series of radar systems, including surface warning radar (Type 273), air warning radar (Type 281), and fire control radar for main guns & secondary armaments (Type 284/285).<ref name="TankArchives1stMCBerlin" /> Liverpool rejoined the Home Fleet in April 1942. In the following two months, she participated escorts for Arctic convoys. In June 1942, she was re-deployed to Mediterranean to reinforce Operation Harpoon for supplying Malta.

On 14 June 1942, when Liverpool was escorting convoys with Force W, the fleet was attacked by Italian torpedo bombers. At 14:20 local time, on the starboard of the convoy, Liverpool was targeted by four bombers. She successfully evaded three torpedoes, but the last one hit her starboard, right in the 'B' engine room beneath the rear mast. The torpedo made a 24 ft x 19 ft hole in the starboard, destroying turbine generators in the 'B' engine room, left two shafts on the starboard out of function. The water soon flooded in the 'B' engine room and kept entering into nearby sections such as the entire 'B' boiler room, therefore making the inner shaft on the port side inoperative as well. The unbalanced power output turned the cruiser 270° to starboard. Before the flooding was under control, it was estimated over 2,600 tons of water entered the ship, creating a list to 7°.<ref name="TankArchives1stMCBerlin3">Waters, Conrad. British Town Class Cruisers: Design, Development & Performance: Southampton & Belfast Classes (p. 216). Pen & Sword Books.</ref>

The situation for Liverpool was critical. She could only maintain 3 to 4 knots with the one remaining shaft while more airstrikes were on their way. The Italian Air Force in Sardinia shifted their focus on Liverpool instead of the convoy. Two destroyers, HMS Antelope and HMS Westcott came to tow Liverpool and support air defense. The small fleet was ordered to return Gibraltar. At 16:40 local time, a wave of Italian fighters dropped bombs on Liverpool. Two bombs nearly hit the starboard side, increasing the list to 9.5° and draught to 27ft 8in (standard draught for Liverpool is 20ft 7in). At 18:00, a coordinated attack of 11 high-altitude bombers and seven torpedo bombers attempted to sink the damaged cruiser. Luckily, the attack scored no hits on Liverpool. The Italians continued their attack for the rest of the day. A group of high-altitude bombers attacked at 20:15, and six torpedo bombers dropped their torpedoes from long range against Liverpool at 22:30. None of the attacks achieved further damage to Liverpool, while she brought down at least one bomber using her main guns.

In the afternoon of the 17th, Liverpool and her guarding destroyers safely reached Gibraltar, where she received some emergency repairs. On 5 August 1942, Liverpool was transferred to Rosyth for permanent repairs. Due to the significant damage, it would require a lot of time and resources to repair Liverpool fully. Therefore, the priority of repairing was lower than patching up slightly damaged ships. In 1944, modifications to adapt Liverpool to the Pacific area was added to the work. An anti-air battery replaced one aft turret, and more advanced radars were applied on the ship. In August 1945, Liverpool was ready for service, but at this time, it was too late for her to gain more Battle Honours. She was the only survivor of the three 1935 Programme cruisers.

Liverpool continued her service as flagship of the 15th Cruiser Squadron in the Mediterranean Fleet after the war. In 1953, she was reduced to Reserve Fleet, where she was kept until 1957 and moved to Disposal List. In 1958, Liverpool was sold for breaking up by P&W MacLellan at Borrowstounness.<ref name="TankArchives1stMCBerlin" />

== Media ==

''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/7159-development-squadron-vehicles-hms-liverpool-en|[Devblog] Squadron Vehicles: HMS Liverpool]]

=== References ===
<references />

{{ShipManufacturer Fairfields}}
{{Britain light cruisers}}
{{Squadron ships}}

HMS Liverpool

2022-01-17T07:45:41Z

U6591054:

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_cruiser_liverpool
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a squadron rank {{Specs|rank}} British light cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Red Skies"]].

The Liverpool is a member of the Gloucester sub-class of the so-called 'Town' class light cruisers. As such, she features some improvements to her overall protection compared to her sister ship, the [[HMS Southampton|Southampton]]. She is depicted in her late/post-war configuration, where her 'X' turret was removed and, in exchange, her anti-aircraft armament was substantially improved.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

As with the other Town-class light cruisers, the Liverpool's hull is considerably well-protected, especially when compared to the British heavy cruisers that ironically have much worse citadel armour. With 114.5 mm of citadel belt armour on the side, 63.5 mm on the bow and stern, and 36.5 mm on the deck, the Liverpool's machinery space is highly resilient to internal damage, especially when angled. The magazine protection is also identical to that on the Southampton and [[HMS Belfast|Belfast]], which serves to prevent magazine detonations from other cruisers' AP shells. It is important to note, however, that the Liverpool has to expose a lot of her broadside in order to unmask the rear turret, essentially negating the Liverpool's belt armour.

For the first time in a British cruiser, the main gun turrets are also decently armoured, with 102 mm of armour at the front and 50.8 mm elsewhere. This mostly protects them against light cruiser HE shells and weaker AP shells from the front. However, she retains the same weakpoint shared by almost all British cruisers: the open bridge. This has some 12 mm protection around parts, but is still essentially unarmoured and very vulnerable to nearby explosions and any sizeable shell hits.

The Liverpool also does not have a very large crew complement at 748. This is further exacerbated by the fact that the Liverpool's crew compartments were almost entirely located near the deck, which means the ship will lose a lot of crew when a sizeable HE shell hits them and from any subsequent fires. The close proximity of the crew compartments and the shell rooms can also help the fire to spread to them, possibly causing ammunition detonations.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

With one main turret removed, the Liverpool is somewhat lighter and thus marginally faster than her sister ship Southampton, though her mobility and handling remain average.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|6 inch/50 BL Mark XXIII (152 mm)}}

The Liverpool's main armament consists of nine BL 6-inch Mark XXIII guns mounted in three triple turrets, two in the bow, and one in the stern. With one less turret compared to Belfast and Southampton, the Liverpool's burst damage is considerably worse than her sister ships'. However, sitting at a BR where less-protected cruisers and destroyers are common, Liverpool's armaments is a perfect weapon within her range, although easily outclassed by the more advanced cruisers when uptiered. The guns have a very short reload time for their calibre at 7.5 seconds with the best possible crew, which allows her to pump out shells consistently, especially at closer ranges. These guns have a significant amount of horizontal dispersion and are thus quite poor at long range shooting.

The Liverpool has four shell choices: a basic HE shell with 3.96 kg of TNT equivalent, the CPBC semi-AP shell with a large filler (1.87 kg TNT equivalent) that can deal significant damage against cruisers within 7 km, but loses its effectiveness at longer ranges, and HE-TF and HE-VT shells for long-range anti-aircraft purposes. Due to the lack of an AP shell, the Liverpool will struggle to deal damage at longer ranges against well-protected cruisers.

It is important to note that the Liverpool's 'Y' turret has a fairly poor turret traverse arc, which means it is difficult to use her firepower to its fullest without exposing a lot of the ship to damage.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|4 inch/45 Mark XVI (102 mm)}}

The Liverpool has eight QF 4-inch Mark XVI cannons, mounted in four dual mounts behind her second funnel, two on each side of the ship. Since the main gun has a very high rate of fire, her secondary armament will not be needed as much against coastal craft and destroyers. It thus mainly serves as a long-range anti-aircraft battery, and can be quite effective once the HE-VT shell is available.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|QF Mark V (40 mm)|QF Mark VII (40 mm)}}

The Liverpool's anti-air suite is mostly identical to the Belfast's, with twelve 40 mm Bofors Mark V cannon in six twin mounts. However, during her wartime refit one of her rear turrets was removed in exchange of more space and topweight available to mount four more single 40 mm Bofors Mark VII autocannons. The 40 mm Bofors is one of the best naval medium range anti-aircraft guns, both in real life and in the game, thus the Liverpool can quite effectively defend herself against air attack, especially with good aim under manual control.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|Mk.IX (533 mm)}}

The Liverpool has two triple torpedo tubes mounted on each side of the ship. These fire the 21-inch Mark IX torpedo, which has a range and speed of 9.34 km and 67 km/h (12.35 km and 56 km/h with the torpedo mode installed). It carries a hefty 340 kg warhead.

== Usage in battles ==

The Liverpool relies on her high rate-of-fire and CPBC semi-AP round to damage and overwhelm enemy ships. The CPBC round combines reasonably good penetration with a much larger filler than the AP rounds found on most contemporary light cruisers. It is highly effective against other light cruisers and larger destroyers, inflicting serious damage on internal components. At close ranges, it is even capable of penetrating heavy cruiser belt armour.

Her thick belt armour and magazine protection, conversely, mean that she is quite hard to knock out quickly by other light cruisers, and destroyers will struggle to inflict much damage beyond knocking out the open bridge, especially at range. The Liverpool also has a reasonable amount of turret armour, which allows her to more comfortably engage at closer ranges than other British cruisers without worrying too much about getting her turrets knocked out.

All of these features, combined with the rather poor dispersion of the main guns, mean that the Liverpool is most effective at medium/close ranges, where the dispersion is less of an issue. The Liverpool also carries torpedoes with large warheads, allowing her to pose a threat to even battleships if she can get within effective torpedo range.

=== Pros and cons ===
'''Pros:'''

* Thick belt armour and magazine protection.
* Main guns have a high rate-of-fire for their calibre.
* Large explosive filler and adequate penetration for the CPBC semi-AP shell.
* Reasonable main gun turret protection.
* Highly effective anti-aircraft armament.
* Carries torpedoes with large warheads.

'''Cons:'''

* Restricted rear turret traverse arc.
* Inadequate penetration at longer ranges.
* High horizontal dispersion, especially at long ranges.
* Low crew complement.
* Open bridge with inadequate armour protection.
* Can be matched against battleships.

== History ==

After completing the Leander-class and Arethusa-class cruisers in the early 1930s, the Royal Navy aimed to build more similar cruisers to meet its target of fifty cruisers. The problem was, by 1933, the foreign navies had started developing larger cruisers: Japan was constructing the Mogami class weighing more than 11,000 tons, and the United States had decided to build the 10,000-ton Brooklyn class, putting the smaller Leander and Arethusa at a significant disadvantage.

To counter the new cruisers from other leading fleets, the Admiralty revised the new design to increase displacement for twelve 6-inch guns and extra protection against 8-inch shells.<ref name="GillonoEUUnits">http://www.ww2ships.com/britain/gb-cl-001-b.shtml</ref> The design was crystallized in 1934 as "Town"-class cruisers named after British cities. Ten ships of this class were laid down and completed from 1935 to 1939, including the one original variant class (Southampton class) and two modified variants (1935 Programme cruisers & Edinburgh class).

HMS Liverpool (C11) was one of three 1935 Programme cruisers. The overall configuration of this group is similar to the Southampton class, but extra armour was added to main gun turrets (4 inches, compared to 2 inches on Southampton class) and deck over the machinery to increase deck protection to 1/4 inch (1 inch on Liverpool<nowiki>'</nowiki>s sister ship Gloucester). Furthermore, an additional director control tower was placed aft to separate fire control for the main and secondary armaments.<ref name="GillonoEUUnits2">Brown, David K.. Nelson to Vanguard: Warship Design and Development, 1923–1945 (Chatham's Distinguished Design) (p. 175). Pen & Sword Books.</ref> These modifications increased the total displacement from 9,110 tons to 9,600 tons. To maintain stability, the beam of the cruiser was increased by 0.8 inches to balance the increasing weight. Besides, the propulsion power was raised from 75,000 shp on the Southampton class to 82,000 shp.<ref name="GillonoEUUnits3">https://www.naval-encyclopedia.com/ww2/uk/town-class-cruisers-1936</ref>

Liverpool was ordered on 11 November 1935 at Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. The ship was laid down on 17 February 1936, and launched on 24 March 1937.<ref name="GillonoEUUnits4">https://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/1230.html</ref> During her trials, Liverpool lost all engine power for short periods on two occasions caused by water in the fuel pump,<ref name="GillonoEUUnits2" /> delaying her commission to 2 November 1938.

All three cruisers of the 1935 Programme were initially deployed to East Indies Station. When the war broke out, she escorted British convoys on the Indian Ocean. On 14 November 1939, Liverpool transferred to Hong Kong to join the 5th Cruiser Squadron for trade defense duties and intercepting German blockade runners in Eastern waters. On 21 January 1940, she intercepted Japanese ocean liner Asama Maru, carrying German adults suitable for military service, just 35 nautical miles off the Japanese coast at the southern tip of the Boso Peninsula. The liner refused to stop until Liverpool fired a blank shell by her 3pdr saluting gun and took 21 German nationals onboard. The Japanese government officially protested the action as a violation of Japanese neutrality. As a result, nine of the Germans were returned, while the Japanese government promised not to offer passage as a way home for German citizens overseas.<ref name="TankArchives1stMCBerlin2">https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-06CL-Liverpool.htm</ref>

HMS Liverpool and her sister ship Gloucester transferred to Mediterranean in May 1940. After Italy declared war on 10 June 1940, Liverpool and Gloucester bombarded Tobruk on 12 June, and sunk armed trawler Giovanni Bert.<ref name="GillonoEUUnits5" />

On 27 June 1940, three Italian destroyers - Espero, Zeffiro, and Ostro - departed Taranto with supplies to Tobruk. British scout planes spotted them around noon the next day. HMS Liverpool, part of the 7th Cruiser Squadron (7CS), covering British convoys at the time, was ordered to alter course to intercept. At 18:31 local time, Liverpool spotted the Italian destroyers and engaged with her main guns.<ref name="GillonoEUUnits5">Waters, Conrad. British Town Class Cruisers: Design, Development & Performance: Southampton & Belfast Classes (p. 168).</ref>

These high-speed (credited with 37 knots) destroyers proved challenging targets with smoke screens and falling visibility at dusk. The British cruisers did not score a hit until 19:30, when Espero was damaged and slowed by a 6inch shell. The Italian destroyer bravely turned against the British fleet to cover her fellow ships by sacrificing herself. Espero was immobilized at 20:00 and sunk 40 minutes later. The British only picked up fifty survivors.

The 7CS suffered a minor loss, with no casualties and only Liverpool being hit by one 4.7-inch shell. The shell hit her armour belt, knocking off a chip of armour and causing some splinters.<ref name="GillonoEUUnits" />

On 9 July 1940, HMS Liverpool, together with 7CS, participated the first fleet battle between the Royal Navy and Regia Marina, the Battle of Punta Stilo, which is result of convoy escorts from both sides. However, limited by her main guns' horizontal range, Liverpool hadn't achieved a hit by the time the Italian fleet was forced to retreat.

On 29 July, a single Italian 250 lb bomb hit HMS Liverpool during a high-altitude attack around 14:20. The bomb hit the bridge's front deck, penetrated 'B' gun deck and the forecastle deck, and stopped in the senior petty officer's pantry on the upper deck.<ref name="TankArchives1stMCBerlin">Waters, Conrad. British Town Class Cruisers: Design, Development & Performance: Southampton & Belfast Classes (p. 213). Pen & Sword Books.</ref> Fortunately, the fuse in the bomb's tail was damaged when it penetrated the bridge structure and was not functional. On 30 July, Liverpool reached Alexandria, where her crews fixed up small holes with wood. Then, on 5 August, the cruiser returned to patrol duties.

Liverpool stayed in her station for convoy escort and fleet operations until 14 October 1940. At around 18:55 local time, on her way to Alexandria with the Mediterranean Fleet, Liverpool was attacked by the Italian Air Force and hit by an aircraft torpedo at the fore-end of her starboard side, damaging the aviation fuel tank in the forward section. The volatile aviation fuel leak started to accumulate in the fore storage areas; then, an electrical failure ignited the vapour and detonated the aviation fuel tank containing 5,700 gallons of fuel at 19:20.<ref name="TankArchives1stMCBerlin" /> The explosion caused a huge flame to envelop the forward sections of Liverpool and blow away the 'A' turret roof. Fortunately, the forward magazine had been flooded to prevent further explosion. However, the bow's construction was severely damaged by the blast and beginning to separate from the ship. Two destroyers HMS Decoy and HMS Hereward, came to assist the firefighting efforts, and cruiser HMS Orion, covered by two anti-aircraft cruisers, attempted to tow Liverpool back to Alexandria. On the following day, the fire onboard was under control. The hanging bow of the cruiser acted as a rudder until it broke away at 14:35 on 15 October.<ref name="GillonoEUUnits4" /> On 16 October, Liverpool and her escorts finally reached Alexandria.

The damage to Liverpool was serious. She lost her entire bow in front of the 'A' turret; the 'A' turret itself needed the gunhouse replaced and the turret ring repaired (as well as a new roof); much of the electrical and engineering equipment was also damaged. Resources in Alexandria were far from enough to repair such damage, while the route to Gibraltar or the British Isles was too dangerous for the badly damaged cruiser. Luckily, as the United States agreed to repair British vessels, Liverpool could travel east and receive the permanent repairs at US ports. Even so, Liverpool would need a temporary bow to make the long voyage. Unfortunately, the limited resource and local workforce delayed the application of the bow. In the end, it took six months to collect enough material and install a temporary bow for Liverpool to begin sailing east on 30 April 1941. The cruiser steamed via Aden, Colombo, Singapore, Manila, and Honolulu. Finally, on 16 June 1941, she reached her destination at Mare Island, California, where she would receive repairs in the following four months. Once the work was finished in October, she departed for the British Isles through the Panama Canal. Liverpool arrived in the UK in December 1941, and took a refit to install a series of radar systems, including surface warning radar (Type 273), air warning radar (Type 281), and fire control radar for main guns & secondary armaments (Type 284/285).<ref name="TankArchives1stMCBerlin" /> Liverpool rejoined the Home Fleet in April 1942. In the following two months, she participated escorts for Arctic convoys. In June 1942, she was re-deployed to Mediterranean to reinforce Operation Harpoon for supplying Malta.

On 14 June 1942, when Liverpool was escorting convoys with Force W, the fleet was attacked by Italian torpedo bombers. At 14:20 local time, on the starboard of the convoy, Liverpool was targeted by four bombers. She successfully evaded three torpedoes, but the last one hit her starboard, right in the 'B' engine room beneath the rear mast. The torpedo made a 24 ft x 19 ft hole in the starboard, destroying turbine generators in the 'B' engine room, left two shafts on the starboard out of function. The water soon flooded in the 'B' engine room and kept entering into nearby sections such as the entire 'B' boiler room, therefore making the inner shaft on the port side inoperative as well. The unbalanced power output turned the cruiser 270° to starboard. Before the flooding was under control, it was estimated over 2,600 tons of water entered the ship, creating a list to 7°.<ref name="TankArchives1stMCBerlin3">Waters, Conrad. British Town Class Cruisers: Design, Development & Performance: Southampton & Belfast Classes (p. 216). Pen & Sword Books.</ref>

The situation for Liverpool was critical. She could only maintain 3 to 4 knots with the one remaining shaft while more airstrikes were on their way. The Italian Air Force in Sardinia shifted their focus on Liverpool instead of the convoy. Two destroyers, HMS Antelope and HMS Westcott came to tow Liverpool and support air defense. The small fleet was ordered to return Gibraltar. At 16:40 local time, a wave of Italian fighters dropped bombs on Liverpool. Two bombs nearly hit the starboard side, increasing the list to 9.5° and draught to 27ft 8in (standard draught for Liverpool is 20ft 7in). At 18:00, a coordinated attack of 11 high-altitude bombers and seven torpedo bombers attempted to sink the damaged cruiser. Luckily, the attack scored no hits on Liverpool. The Italians continued their attack for the rest of the day. A group of high-altitude bombers attacked at 20:15, and six torpedo bombers dropped their torpedoes from long range against Liverpool at 22:30. None of the attacks achieved further damage to Liverpool, while she brought down at least one bomber using her main guns.

In the afternoon of the 17th, Liverpool and her guarding destroyers safely reached Gibraltar, where she received some emergency repairs. On 5 August 1942, Liverpool was transferred to Rosyth for permanent repairs. Due to the significant damage, it would require a lot of time and resources to repair Liverpool fully. Therefore, the priority of repairing was lower than patching up slightly damaged ships. In 1944, modifications to adapt Liverpool to the Pacific area was added to the work. An anti-air battery replaced one aft turret, and more advanced radars were applied on the ship. In August 1945, Liverpool was ready for service, but at this time, it was too late for her to gain more Battle Honours. She was the only survivor of the three 1935 Programme cruisers.

Liverpool continued her service as flagship of the 15th Cruiser Squadron in the Mediterranean Fleet after the war. In 1953, she was reduced to Reserve Fleet, where she was kept until 1957 and moved to Disposal List. In 1958, Liverpool was sold for breaking up by P&W MacLellan at Borrowstounness.<ref name="TankArchives1stMCBerlin" />

== Media ==

''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/7159-development-squadron-vehicles-hms-liverpool-en|[Devblog] Squadron Vehicles: HMS Liverpool]]

=== References ===
<references />

{{ShipManufacturer Fairfields}}
{{Britain light cruisers}}
{{Squadron ships}}

HMS Hawkins

2022-01-16T08:51:04Z

U6591054: /* Armament */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_cruiser_hawkins
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British heavy cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.93 "Shark Attack"]].

Originally commissioned as 'large light cruisers', the Hawkins-class became the prototype for treaty-era heavy cruisers; as such, the Hawkins can be considered to be the oldest heavy cruiser in the game. Because of this, she features some rather antiquated features more reminiscent of World War I-era cruisers as opposed to other more modern heavy cruisers present in the game.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
The Hawkins has a distributed armour scheme that protects large parts of the hull from HE and light shells, similar to the contemporary British light cruiser [[HMS Enterprise]]. The maximum thickness of the belt is 76 mm surrounding the machinery spaces, thinning out to 63 mm, 50.8 mm, and 38 mm towards the bow, and 63 mm and 57 mm towards the stern. This is enough to protect against most HE shells from destroyers and cruisers, and when angled can also protect against destroyer and light cruiser AP shells. There is also an upper 50.8 mm strake of armour above the machinery main belt, which merges with the 50.8 mm bow belt. The decks are thinly protected by only 13 mm of armour, making the Hawkins quite vulnerable to plunging fire and aircraft weapons.

The ammunition magazines are further protected by armoured boxes with 13 mm sides and 25 mm roofs. However, the ready racks for the main guns are located outside these boxes. Hits to the ready racks may detonate the ready-use ammunition, which is not immediately fatal to the ship but will still cause heavy damage.

Hawkins' main guns are only lightly protected by 25 mm open-backed shields, typical of World War I-era cruisers. These guns can be disabled by nearby explosions if they occur behind the mounting. Unlike most cruisers, the Hawkins' fixed torpedo tubes are protected by armour plating. The underwater torpedo tubes are practically impossible to detonate, but the upper tubes can be vulnerable to shells that land on the 13 mm deck above them.

Unlike almost all British cruisers, the Hawkins has a relatively significant amount of armour protecting the bridge, consisting of 76.2 mm on the front and sides. However, the roof of the bridge is unprotected, so overhead explosions can potentially damage or disable the bridge.

The Hawkins has a crew complement of 749, considerably more than that of the other 5.0 British cruisers, Enterprise, [[HMS Dido|Dido]], and [[HMS Arethusa|Arethusa]], and above average compared to those of other nations, except notably the Soviet cruisers [[Krasny Kavkaz]] and [[Krasny Krym]].

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Hawkins is the slowest British cruiser currently in the game, with a fully upgraded top speed of only 55 km/h. She is also quite long and bulky, making her handling and turning performance very poor, comparable to a battleship's mobility.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}
{{main|7.5 inch/45 BL Mk.VI (190 mm)}}


The Hawkins is armed with seven BL 7.5-inch Mark VI guns distributed in single mounts. Two of these are located amidships besides the second funnel, thus the Hawkins can only bring a maximum of six guns to bear on a broadside. These guns have a fairly high rate-of-fire for their calibre, each main gun mounting capable of up to 6 rounds/minute with the 10-round ready-use ammunition, dropping down to 5 rounds/minute once the ready-use ammunition has been expended. They have quite low horizontal dispersion, but noticeable vertical dispersion, which tends to lead to a lot of straddles even with accurate ranging.

There are two ammunition types available, HE and SAPC. The HE shell has a large explosive filler (8 kg TNTeq), is highly effective against lightly armoured targets such as destroyers, and will break the hulls of light patrol craft with a direct hit. The SAPC shell also has a large 4.29 kg TNTeq explosive filler, and is most effective against armoured targets such as cruisers. However, it has a low penetration power, making it ineffective at long ranges and against heavily armoured targets.

The 'X' mount (second stern-most mount) has significantly worse traverse arcs than the other main gun mounts because of some superstructure in the way. To fully unmask the maximum six-gun broadside requires exposing a lot more of the ship's broadside.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}
{{main|4 in QF Mark V (102 mm)}}


The Hawkins' secondary armament consists of four QF 4-inch Mark V guns. These guns are primarily meant for anti-aircraft defence, although they can also engage surface targets. However, their small number (only two per side), low rate of fire, and relatively weak shells limit their effectiveness against both surface and air targets. They also do not have access to HE-VT shells, unlike most secondary guns on other British cruisers, further restricting their ability against air targets.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}
{{main|2pdr QF Mk.VIII (40 mm)|20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)}}

''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.''

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}
{{main|Mk.V (533 mm)}}


The Hawkins is fitted with a total of six 21-inch torpedo tubes, three on each side of the ship. However, these are fixed torpedo tubes, thus requiring the whole ship to turn in order to aim them and making them very hard to use. Four of these are located under the aft mast and above the main armour belt, while another two are located underwater below the bridge.

These tubes fire 21-inch Mark V torpedoes. Without the torpedo mode installed, they have a range of only 4.57 km, severely restricting their usefulness as anything other than last-ditch close quarters weapons. With torpedo mode installed, the range extends to a more usable 12.34 km, at the cost of much reduced speed.

== Usage in battles ==

The Hawkins' main strength lies in its main guns. The BL 7.5-inch guns are very powerful for the battle rating, doing huge damage compared to the 6-inch (and smaller) guns of light cruisers. She also has the highest rate-of-fire of any of the 4.7–5.0 heavy cruisers (triple that of the [[IJN Kako|Kako]] and 50% more than the [[USS Northampton (CA-26)|USS Northampton]]). Both the HE and SAPC shells have very potent explosive fillers capable of causing lethal damage to destroyers and cruisers. At this battle rating, many cruisers and destroyers do not have fully enclosed main gun mountings, and it is not uncommon for a single HE shell from the Hawkins to disable multiple open gun mounts at a time. However, Hawkins' inefficient World War I-era layout means that she can only bring six guns to bear at most on a target, even though she has seven main guns.

The Hawkins has a fairly adequate AA armament, though it pales in comparison to its German and American rivals. The secondary armament is unremarkable, with just four 4-inch guns, and only two on a broadside. It's best not to rely on them. They also do not have access to HE-VT shells, which considerably limits their anti-aircraft capabilities. The Hawkins also has torpedo tubes, but these are fixed tubes that require the whole ship to turn in order to aim them. This considerably complicates their usage, especially in a close quarters fight, although their high speed (without torpedo mode installed) and powerful warheads somewhat make up for this. With the torpedo mode, they have a 12.34 km range but a much lower speed.

The Hawkins' armour layout is also more reminiscent of a World War I cruiser. The distributed armour can be difficult for destroyers and light cruisers to contend with, especially using HE, but the deck armour is dreadful. Bombs and rockets are especially dangerous. Turret protection is also non-existent and highly vulnerable to HE shells. The ready-use main gun ammunition is also located in exposed positions, and this can be detonated to cause heavy damage to the ship.

The Hawkins is slow, even for a heavy cruiser, doing just 55 km/h even when fully upgraded. This makes repositioning very difficult, and she is thus very unresponsive when facing quickly-changing situations. Her manoeuvrability is also very poor, which makes it very hard to evade shell salvos or torpedoes.

Altogether, the Hawkins tends to perform poorly at close ranges because of her poor handling and weak main armament protection. At medium ranges, she can take advantage of her powerful shells, while her own armour is capable of blocking damage from lighter shells, and it is much harder for enemies to aim at the main guns to disable them. At long ranges (10+ km), the thin deck armour may be an issue, as she will start to receive plunging fire that hits the deck plating more than the belt. Her accuracy and SAP penetration are also quite poor at these ranges.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* High rate of fire for the main gun calibre
* Large explosive filler in shells
* Above average close-range anti-aircraft armament
* Well-distributed hull armour protection against light AP shells and HE
* Fast and powerful close-range torpedoes
* Protected bridge

'''Cons:'''

* Poor speed and manoeuvrability, even for a heavy cruiser
* Thin deck protection and exposed ready-use ammunition
* SAPC shells have low penetration
* Poor secondary armament
* Thin main gun protection in open-backed mountings
* Fixed torpedo tubes

== History ==

HMS Hawkins (D86) was the lead ship of the Hawkins-class of heavy cruisers. Launched in 1917, the ship would go on to serve as the flagship of the 5th Light Cruiser squadron based in the Eastern theatre, as well as the flagship of the 2nd Wing based in the Atlantic. In 1930, she was decommissioned, had her armament removed and became a training ship. However, she was recommissioned in 1939 with the outbreak of the Second World War. Hawkins served as a convoy escort ship and participated in the D-Day naval bombardment. In early 1945, Hawkins was placed in reserve; she served as a cadet training ship and a target ship, and was scrapped in mid-1947.<ref name=":0">D-Day Encyclopedia. (n.d.)</ref>

=== Design and Construction ===
The Hawkins was the lead ship of the Hawkins-class of five heavy cruisers. Designed during the first half of WWI, the ships were designed as a series of fast, lightly-armoured heavy cruisers capable of hunting down similar German cruisers and commerce raiders of its era. By 1915, the design had been finalized, despite there being no need for a cruiser of its configuration due to the eradication of German commerce raiders.<ref name=":1">Alvama. (1970)</ref>

The ship was 184 metres long and displaced 12,190 tons full load.<ref name=":0" /> Main armament consisted of seven 7.5-inch (190 mm) guns in single mounts - five were mounted on the centreline while two were mounted at the sides. The ships initially carried a mix of 76 mm and 2-pounder (40 mm) AA guns, but these were removed in later refits. Hawkins was also initially armed with a pair of triple torpedo tubes, but these were removed in 1937. The ship had light armour protection with a maximum thickness of 3 inches (76 mm), and could make 30 knots (55 km/h).<ref name=":0" />

Five ships of the Hawkins-class were ordered: Hawkins, Raleigh, Frobisher, Effingham and Cavendish. However, Cavendish was reconstructed during construction as an aircraft carrier and entered service as HMS Vindictive. HMS Hawkins was laid down on June 3rd 1916 and launched on October 1st 1917. She was completed and commissioned in July 1919.<ref name=":1" />

=== Operational Service ===
[[File:HMS Hawkins Underway.jpg|thumb|490x490px|HMS Hawkins Underway, circa 1929-1935.]]
Following the completion of sea trials, Hawkins served as the flagship of the 5th Light Cruiser Fleet, based in the China Sea. She served in the Eastern Theatre until 1928, when she was transferred back to the Atlantic as the flagship of the 2nd Wing. In 1930, she was decommissioned and placed in reserve, where she was used by cadets of the Royal Navy for training purposes. In 1937, she had her 7.5-inch guns and torpedo tubes removed, as required by the London Naval Treaty.<ref name=":0" />

Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, Hawkins was recommissioned and had her main guns reinstalled. She was immediately deployed to the southern Atlantic, serving convoy escort duties. She served in the Indian ocean between 1942 and 1944, and captured many Axis merchantmen and freighters. She also served in the naval bombardment preceding the D-Day invasions.<ref name=":0" />

In August of 1944, Hawkins was again relegated to cadet-training units. She was placed into reserve and 1945, and served as a cadet training ship for an additional year. In 1947, she was used as a target ship for RAF bomb-dropping tests<ref name=":1" /> and was scrapped shortly thereafter.<ref name=":0" />

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_cruiser_hawkins Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==
''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


=== References ===

;Citations
<references />

;Bibliography

* D-Day Encyclopedia. (n.d.). HMS Hawkins - Battle of Normandy. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from <nowiki>https://www.dday-overlord.com/en/material/warships/hms-hawkins</nowiki>
* Alvama. (1970, January 01). British heavy cruiser HMS Hawkins (D86) 1916-1947. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from <nowiki>http://warshipsresearch.blogspot.com/2017/05/british-heavy-cruiser-hms-hawkins-d86.html</nowiki>

{{ShipManufacturer Chatham Dockyard}}
{{Britain heavy cruisers}}

RN Corazziere

2022-01-16T08:32:05Z

U6591054: /* Primary armament */

{{About
| about = Italian destroyer '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other Soldati-class destroyers
| link = Soldati (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=it_destroyer_soldati_serie1_camicianera
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Starfighters"]].

The Corazziere is a Soldati-class destroyer, the last class of destroyer to enter service with the Regia Marina before the Italian armistice in 1943. Like most Italian destroyers, they were designed with high speed as the primary emphasis.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

The Corazziere has no armour whatsoever other than 12 mm anti-fragmentation shields protecting the main gun mounts. These mounts are, however, open-backed, and can be disabled by nearby explosions if they land behind the gun shield. There are also some large fuel tanks providing some degree of protection to the transmission and the stern and amidships main gun magazines.

The Corazziere has a massive unarmoured bridge that takes up almost the entirety of the forward superstructure, which makes her very vulnerable to getting the bridge disabled.

The Corazziere has a crew complement of 215 men, which is unremarkable for a destroyer at her battle rating.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Corazziere is one of the fastest bluewater ships in the game. She accelerates quickly and handles quite well, allowing her to reach most important locations easily.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|120 mm/50 O.T.O. Mod.1936 (120 mm)}}

The Corazziere's main armament consists of five 120/50 OTO Mod. 1936 guns. Four of these are distributed in twin mounts located on the bow and stern, with the fifth located amidships in a single mount. These mounts have excellent traverse arcs, fast traverse and elevation speeds, but are crippled by their low rate of fire (8 rounds/minute with an aced crew).

The 120 mm guns can fire three types of ammunition: HE, AP, and HE-DF. The HE and HE-DF shells are identical in terms of filler, the primary difference being the HE-DF will burst at the range set by the rangefinder, allowing it to be used against aircraft. Both have weak explosive fillers (~1.6 kg TNT) compared to similar calibre destroyer guns, and are also considerably smaller than the HE shells used by the older Italian destroyers such as the [[RN Leone|Leone]] and [[RN Turbine|Turbine]]. The AP shell has a fairly large filler for its type and calibre, approaching that of the HE shell at 1.3 kg TNT. It has reasonably good penetration capabilities as well, able to get through the belt armour of light cruisers at medium ranges.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|20 mm/65 Breda (20 mm)}}

Like almost all Italian ships, the Corazziere has very weak anti-aircraft armament. It consists of four twin 20/65 Breda Mod. 1935 cannon, two on each side of the ship. These are decent close range anti-aircraft weapons, but are too few to really provide effective protection.

It is important to note that because of the railings surrounding these weapons, they cannot depress enough to engage surface targets closer than ~1.5 km, making them useless against coastal craft.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|S.I. 270/533,4X7,2 Tipo I (533 mm)|B TG 100 depth charge}}

The Corazziere is armed with two triple 533 mm torpedo tubes located on the centreline. These fire the Si 270/533.2 x 7.2 Tipo I torpedo which has a speed and range of 76 km/h and 4 km (70 km/h and 10 km with torpedo mode installed), respectively. It carries a 270 kg TNT warhead.

She also has access to a depth charge (bomb) thrower, although the utility of this weapon against surface targets is questionable at best.

== Usage in battles ==

The Corazziere has the speed to get to important locations quickly, but unfortunately is really lacking in firepower to make much of an impact. She has only five 120 mm guns that not only have a glacial reload time for a destroyer weapon but also have weak HE shell fillers. Her AP shell is reasonably good, but she simply doesn't have the damage output to fight head-to-head against most other destroyers, especially American ones. The torpedo armament is also fairly unremarkable, if serviceable once the torpedo mode is installed. The ship also has virtually no armour and is highly vulnerable to disabling hits to the massive bridge and the main guns. Her anti-aircraft defences are also quite poor and have a large deadzone against coastal boats.

With all this in mind, the Corazziere tends to fare very poorly in close-range brawls. Even when ambushing a target, her weak shells and low rate of fire can leave her outgunned by the ambushed target. She functions best in a supporting role, where she can rely on teammates to cover her many weaknesses.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Fast ship.
* Fairly large AP shell filler with good penetration.
* Fast main gun traverse and elevation speeds.
* Wide main gun traverse arcs.

'''Cons:'''

* Huge unarmoured bridge.
* Small HE shell filler.
* Low main gun rate-of-fire.
* Inadequate anti-aircraft defences.
* Cannot depress anti-aircraft guns to engage naval targets at close range.
* Very short ranged torpedoes without torpedo mode installed.

== History ==

''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the ship and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==

''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{ShipManufacturer OTO}}
{{Italy destroyers}}

RN Corazziere

2022-01-15T21:00:23Z

U6591054:

{{About
| about = Italian destroyer '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other Soldati-class destroyers
| link = Soldati (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=it_destroyer_soldati_serie1_camicianera
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Starfighters"]].

The Corazziere is a Soldati-class destroyer, the last class of destroyer to enter service with the Regia Marina before the Italian armistice in 1943. Like most Italian destroyers, they were designed with high speed as the primary emphasis.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}


The Corazziere has no armour whatsoever other than 12 mm anti-fragmentation shields protecting the main gun mounts. These mounts are, however, open-backed, and can be disabled by nearby explosions if they land behind the gun shield. There are also some large fuel tanks providing some degree of protection to the transmission and the stern and amidships main gun magazines.

The Corazziere has a massive unarmoured bridge that takes up almost the entirety of the forward superstructure, which makes her very vulnerable to getting the bridge disabled.

The Corazziere has a crew complement of 215, which is unremarkable for a destroyer at her battle rating.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Corazziere is one of the fastest bluewater ships in the game. She accelerates quickly and handles quite well, allowing her to reach most important locations easily.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|120 mm/50 O.T.O. Mod.1936 (120 mm)}}

The Corazziere's main armament consists of five 120/50 OTO Mod. 1936 guns. Four of these are distributed in twin mounts located on the bow and stern, with the fifth is located amidships in a single mount. These mounts have excellent gun arcs, but are crippled by their low rate-of-fire (8 rounds/minute with the best possible crew).

The 120 mm guns can fire three types of ammunition: HE, AP, and HE-DF. The HE and HE-DF shells are identical in terms of filler, the primary difference being the HE-DF will burst at the range set by the rangefinder, allowing it to be used against aircraft. Both have weak explosive fillers (~1.6 kg TNT) compared to similar calibre destroyer guns. The AP shell has a fairly large filler for its type and calibre, approaching that of the HE shell at 1.3 kg TNT. It has reasonably good penetration capabilities as well, able to get through the belt armour of light cruisers at medium ranges.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|20 mm/65 Breda (20 mm)}}

Like almost all Italian ships, the Corazziere has very weak anti-aircraft armament. It consists of four twin 20/65 Breda Mod. 1935 cannon, two on each side of the ship. These are decent close range anti-aircraft weapons, but are too few to really provide effective protection.

It is important to note that because of the railings surrounding these weapons, they cannot depress enough to engage surface targets closer than ~1.5 km, making them useless against coastal craft.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|S.I. 270/533,4X7,2 Tipo I (533 mm)|B TG 100 depth charge}}

The Corazziere is armed with two triple 533 mm torpedo tubes located on the centerline. These fire the Si 270/533.2 x 7.2 Tipo I torpedo which has a speed and range of 76 km/h and 4 km (70 km/h and 10 km with torpedo mode installed), respectively. It carries a 270 kg TNT warhead.

She also has access to a depth charge (bomb) thrower, although the utility of this weapon against surface targets is questionable at best.

== Usage in battles ==

The Corazziere has the speed to get to important locations quickly, but unfortunately is really lacking in firepower to make much of an impact. She has only five 120 mm guns that not only have a glacial reload time for a destroyer weapon but also have weak HE shell fillers. Her AP shell is reasonably good, but she simply doesn't have the damage output to fight head-to-head against most other destroyers, especially American ones. The torpedo armament is also fairly unremarkable, if serviceable. The ship also has virtually no armour and is highly vulnerable to disabling hits to the massive bridge and the main guns. Her anti-aircraft defences are also quite poor and have a large deadzone against coastal boats.

With all this in mind, the Corazziere tends to fare very poorly in close-range brawls. Even when ambushing a target, her weak shells and low rate-of-fire can leave her outgunned by the ambushed target. She functions best in a supporting role, where she can rely on teammates to cover her weaknesses.

=== Pros and cons ===
'''Pros:'''

* One of the fastest ships in the game.
* Fairly large AP shell filler.

*

'''Cons:'''

* Huge unarmoured bridge.
* Small HE shell filler.
* Low main gun rate-of-fire.
* Inadequate anti-aircraft defences.
* Cannot depress anti-aircraft guns to engage close range targets.

*

== History ==

''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the ship and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==

''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the ship;''
* ''other literature.''

{{ShipManufacturer OTO}}
{{Italy destroyers}}

HMS Southampton

2022-01-14T23:50:14Z

U6591054: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_cruiser_southampton
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British light cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.89 "Imperial Navy"]].

The Southampton is the lead ship of the Southampton class of light cruisers, a part of what became known as the 'Town class' that were the most capable light cruisers available to the Royal Navy at the outbreak of World War II. Compared to previous British light cruisers such as the [[HMNZS Leander|Leander]] and [[HMS Arethusa|Arethusa]], the Southampton is substantial advance in terms of firepower and protection.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

The Southampton has much better overall protection than previous British light cruisers. The machinery is protected by a thick 114 mm citadel belt, with 63.5 mm ends. This provides good protection against even heavy cruiser guns at longer ranges when angled. However, the deck armour over the machinery is only 31. mm thick, which is mostly enough to protect against long range light cruiser fire, but not much more.

The main gun magazines are protected within armoured boxes, with 114 mm upper and 76 mm lower side protection. The roofs of the boxes are protected by 51 mm of armour. Altogether, the magazines are very well protected against light cruiser fire, and are difficult to penetrate even with heavy cruiser guns at range and when angled. The shell rooms adjacent to the magazines are much more lightly protected, at only 25.4 mm anti-fragmentation armour, but a hit there, while causing serious damage, will not be immediately fatal to the ship, unlike a magazine penetration.

The rest of the ship is much more lightly protected. The light turret and barbette protection remains a serious Achilles heel of the ship, like on preceding British light cruisers. It is only 25 mm thick, making even destroyer AP/SAP/Common shells a potential threat. Like almost all British cruisers, the Southampton also has an open bridge with only minimal splinter protection (6—9 mm). This makes her very vulnerable to getting disabled and losing crew to bridge-disabling hits, especially with HE shells.

The Southampton has a crew complement of 748, which is small compared to other 5.7 light cruisers like the [[USS Cleveland (CL-55)|USS Cleveland]] or her half-sister-ship [[HMS Belfast|Belfast]].

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}


{{NavalMobility}}

The Southampton is a little slower compared to the other British 5.7 cruisers, though her speed remains fairly respectable for a ship of her size. Her handling and acceleration are about average.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}
{{main|6 inch/50 BL Mark XXIII (152 mm)}}


The main armament of the Southampton consists of four turrets with triple BL 6-inch Mark XXIII guns. These guns have a high sustained rate-of-fire at 8 rounds/minute with the best possible crew. Due to the large number of barrels and high-rate-of-fire, the Southampton is capable of throwing nearly 100 6-inch shells per minute at a target with reasonably good accuracy at medium ranges. These guns can also elevate to 45 degrees, which allows them to be used to reasonable effect against aircraft, especially once HE-VT is available.

The main guns have a selection of four shells: HE, HE-TF, HE-VT, and CPBC. The explosive fillers for the HE, HE-TF, and HE-VT shells are identical (a respectable ~4 kg TNT), with the HE shell being slightly better at setting fires to ships, while the HE-TF and HE-VT have higher shrapnel counts and can burst on air targets. There is little point in using the HE-TF shell once HE-VT is unlocked, since the latter is not dependent on accurate rangefinding and is therefore a much superior anti-aircraft shell. The CPBC semi-armour piercing shell combines a decent filler for a 6-inch shell (~1.87 kg TNT equivalent) with respectable penetration, and is the shell of choice against enemy cruisers.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}
{{main|4 inch/45 Mark XVI (102 mm)}}


The Southampton's secondary armament consists of eight QF 4-inch Mark XVI guns in four twin gun mounts, with two mounts on each side of the ship. These guns are most effective against aircraft, especially with HE-VT, although their high rate-of-fire (20 rounds/minute maximum each) can also make them a threat to coastal craft and even lighter destroyers.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}
{{main|2pdr QF Mk.VIII (40 mm)|Vickers Mk.V (12.7 mm)}}


Complementing the 4-inch and 6-inch guns in the anti-aircraft role are two quadruple QF 2-pounder Mark VIII 'pom-pom' mounts located on each side of the first funnel and two quadruple Vickers .50-inch heavy machine gun mounts on each side of the rear mast. The 'pom-poms' can put out a lethal amount of 40 mm shells against aircraft or coastal craft that dare approach within effective range, but they have a substantial reload time once empty. The heavy machine guns are less effective, but can still be a deterrent at close ranges.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}
{{main|Mk.IX (533 mm)}}


The Southampton has two triple torpedo tubes, one on each side of the ship. These fire the 21-inch Mark IX torpedo which has a speed and range of 67 km/h and 9.6 km, respectively (56 km/h and 12.34 km with the torpedo mode installed). The warhead is a hefty 340 kg TNT, and can be a threat to even battleships.

== Usage in battles ==

The Southampton is a quantum leap over the previous British light cruisers in terms of firepower. She has 50% more main gun firepower than her predecessor, the [[HMNZS Leander|Leander]]. The combination of a large number of barrels, high rate-of-fire, and decent shell explosive fillers makes her a very deadly opponent at short/medium ranges, especially to destroyers. She also maintains a respectable torpedo armament, allowing her to threaten even battleships if they get within effective torpedo range.

The protection is a bit more of a mixed bag. It is very hard to quickly destroy the Southampton due to her excellent magazine and belt protection, but the thin turret armour and unarmoured bridge mean that she is quite easy to disable and will tend to lose a lot of crew through turret and bridge disables. This is further exacerbated by the small crew complement. The ship itself has quite a large profile, and thus it is harder to take advantage of cover.

As she is depicted in her early-war configuration, the anti-aircraft suite of the Southampton is quite underwhelming, especially compared to the previous British cruisers and her sister-ship [[HMS Liverpool|Liverpool]]. This can be compensated to some extent with the main and secondary guns and good aim, since they have access to effective HE-VT shells, but the close-range anti-aircraft guns should not be relied upon, especially under AI control.

It is important to note that the Southampton, as a 5.7 cruiser, can be matched against battleships. The 6-inch guns are mostly ineffective against battleships beyond setting fire to them with HE, so it is best to avoid fighting them head-to-head at all costs. The torpedoes are also an option if a battleship carelessly allows the Southampton to get within effective range.

The Southampton has a hangar, catapult, and handling facilities for aircraft, but is presently not capable of launching seaplanes.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Large broadside of 12 guns with a high rate-of-fire.
* Large explosive filler in CPBC semi-AP round for its calibre.
* Thick magazine protection and machinery belt armour.
* Access to HE-VT shells.
* Respectable torpedoes with large warheads.

'''Cons:'''

* Below average close-range anti-aircraft armament.
* Small crew complement.
* Thin turret and non-existent bridge protection.
* Large ship profile, and hence a large target.
* Can face battleships.

== History ==

[[File:HMS Southampton 1937.jpg|thumb|470x470px|HMS Southampton before her refit in 1937.]]
The ''HMS Southampton'', pennant number 83, is a light cruiser of the Town class. Launched in 1936, she went on to see service during the Second World War. She initially served as the flagship of the 2nd Cruiser squadron of the Home Fleet, and later participated in several engagements with German vessels. She was reassigned to the Mediterranean in October of 1940. However, in January 1941, she was bombed by Italian aircraft and suffered crippling damage. As a result, she was scuttled with torpedoes from her escorts.<ref name=":1">Helgason, G. (1995)</ref>

=== Design and development ===
The ''Southampton'' was a member of the Town class, a group of light cruisers built in the 1930s. Initially intended to be built as Arethusa-class cruisers, the design was changed after the construction of the American Brooklyn-class and Japanese Mogami-class ships. The vessels were 180 metres long and displaced 11 000 tons, as they weren't regulated by the Washington naval treaty.<ref name=":0">RBJ. (2008)</ref> The ships carried an armament of twelve 152 mm guns in four triple turrets, a big upgrade from the six-gun ''Arethusas''. The ships also carried numerous anti-aircraft defenses, and two triple torpedo launchers. She was capable of 32 knots (59 km/h).<ref name=":0" />

The HMS Southampton was laid down on November 11th 1934, and launched on March 10th 1936.<ref name=":0" /> She was formally commissioned into the Royal Navy in March of 1937.<ref name=":0" />

=== Operational history ===
Following her commissioning, the ''Southampton'' entered service with the 2nd Cruiser squadron of the British Home Fleet. After the outbreak of the Second World War, she participated in the hunts for the German merchant ''Johannes Molkenbuhr'' and the battlecruisers ''Scharnhorst'' and ''Gneisenau''. During this time, she was damaged twice; first by a 500kg bomb while she was laid up at Rosyth, and later by a German air attack off the coast of Norway.<ref name=":1" />

In November of 1940, ''Southampto''n sailed for the Mediterranean. She later participated in the Battle of Cape Spartivento and escorted resupply missions to Malta. However, on January 11th of 1941, she was attacked by twelve Stukas of the ''Luffewaffe''. Hit by two bombs, the ship caught fire and suffered severe damage. With 80 sailors dead and no electrical power, the decision was made to scuttle the ship. Thus, she was sunk by four torpedoes from the cruiser ''Orion'' and a single torpedo from her sister ship ''Gloucester''.<ref name=":1" />

== Media ==

{{Youtube-gallery|hZkupQZmfyc|'''The Shooting Range #163''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:35 discusses the HMS Southampton.}}

== See also ==
''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


=== References ===
<references />

=== Works Cited ===

* Helgason, G. (1995). HMS Southampton. Retrieved November 17, 2020, from <nowiki>https://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/1235.html</nowiki>
* RBJ. (2008, January 01). Light cruiser HMS Southampton (C83). Retrieved November 18, 2020, from <nowiki>https://shipshub.com/ships/180-1.html</nowiki>

{{ShipManufacturer John Brown and Company}}
{{Britain light cruisers}}

HMS Southampton

2022-01-14T23:46:07Z

U6591054:

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_cruiser_southampton
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British light cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.89 "Imperial Navy"]].

The Southampton is the lead ship of the Southampton class of light cruisers, a part of what became known as the 'Town class' that were the most capable light cruisers available to the Royal Navy at the outbreak of World War II. Compared to previous British light cruisers such as the [[HMNZS Leander|Leander]] and [[HMS Arethusa|Arethusa]], the Southampton is substantial advance in terms of firepower and protection.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

The Southampton has much better overall protection than previous British light cruisers. The machinery is protected by a thick 114 mm citadel belt, with 63.5 mm ends. This provides good protection against even heavy cruiser guns at longer ranges when angled. However, the deck armour over the machinery is only 31. mm thick, which is mostly enough to protect against long range light cruiser fire, but not much more.

The main gun magazines are protected within armoured boxes, with 114 mm upper and 76 mm lower side protection. The roofs of the boxes are protected by 51 mm of armour. Altogether, the magazines are very well protected against light cruiser fire, and are difficult to penetrate even with heavy cruiser guns at range and when angled. The shell rooms adjacent to the magazines are much more lightly protected, at only 25.4 mm anti-fragmentation armour, but a hit there, while causing serious damage, will not be immediately fatal to the ship, unlike a magazine penetration.

The rest of the ship is much more lightly protected. The light turret and barbette protection remains a serious Achilles heel of the ship, like on preceding British light cruisers. It is only 25 mm thick, making even destroyer AP/SAP/Common shells a potential threat. Like almost all British cruisers, the Southampton also has an open bridge with only minimal splinter protection (6—9 mm). This makes her very vulnerable to getting disabled and losing crew to bridge-disabling hits, especially with HE shells.

The Southampton has a crew complement of 748, which is small compared to other 5.7 light cruisers like the [[USS Cleveland (CL-55)|USS Cleveland]] or her half-sister-ship [[HMS Belfast|Belfast]].

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}


{{NavalMobility}}

The Southampton is a little slower compared to the other British 5.7 cruisers, though her speed remains fairly respectable for a ship of her size. Her handling and acceleration are about average.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}
{{main|6 inch/50 BL Mark XXIII (152 mm)}}


The main armament of the Southampton consists of four turrets with triple BL 6-inch Mark XXIII guns. These guns have a high sustained rate-of-fire at 8 rounds/minute with the best possible crew. Due to the large number of barrels and high-rate-of-fire, the Southampton is capable of throwing nearly 100 6-inch shells per minute at a target with reasonably good accuracy at medium ranges. These guns can also elevate to 45 degrees, which allows them to be used to reasonable effect against aircraft, especially once HE-VT is available.

The main guns have a selection of four shells: HE, HE-TF, HE-VT, and CPBC. The explosive fillers for the HE, HE-TF, and HE-VT shells are identical (a respectable ~4 kg TNT), with the HE shell being slightly better at setting fires to ships, while the HE-TF and HE-VT have higher shrapnel counts and can burst on air targets. There is little point in using the HE-TF shell once HE-VT is unlocked, since the latter is not dependent on accurate rangefinding and is therefore a much superior anti-aircraft shell. The CPBC semi-armour piercing shell combines a decent filler for a 6-inch shell (~1.87 kg TNT equivalent) with respectable penetration, and is the shell of choice against enemy cruisers.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}
{{main|4 inch/45 Mark XVI (102 mm)}}


The Southampton's secondary armament consists of eight QF 4-inch Mark XVI guns in four twin gun mounts, with two mounts on each side of the ship. These guns are most effective against aircraft, especially with HE-VT, although their high rate-of-fire (20 rounds/minute maximum each) can also make them a threat to coastal craft and even lighter destroyers.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}
{{main|2pdr QF Mk.VIII (40 mm)|Vickers Mk.V (12.7 mm)}}


Complementing the 4-inch and 6-inch guns in the anti-aircraft role are two quadruple QF 2-pounder Mark VIII 'pom-pom' mounts located on each side of the first funnel and two quadruple Vickers .50-inch heavy machine gun mounts on each side of the rear mast. The 'pom-poms' can put out a lethal amount of 40 mm shells against aircraft or coastal craft that dare approach within effective range, but they have a substantial reload time once empty. The heavy machine guns are less effective, but can still be a deterrent at close ranges.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}
{{main|Mk.IX (533 mm)}}


The Southampton has two triple torpedo tubes, one on each side of the ship. These fire the 21-inch Mark IX torpedo which has a speed and range of 67 km/h and 9.6 km, respectively (56 km/h and 12.34 km with the torpedo mode installed). The warhead is a hefty 340 kg TNT, and can be a threat to even battleships.

== Usage in battles ==

The Southampton is a quantum leap over the previous British light cruisers in terms of firepower. She has 50% more main gun firepower than her predecessor, the [[HMNZS Leander|Leander]]. The combination of a large number of barrels, high rate-of-fire, and decent shell explosive fillers makes her a very deadly opponent at short/medium ranges, especially to destroyers. She also maintains a respectable torpedo armament, allowing her to threaten even battleships if they get within effective torpedo range.

The protection is a bit more of a mixed bag. It is very hard to quickly destroy the Southampton due to her excellent magazine and belt protection, but the thin turret armour and unarmoured bridge mean that she is quite easy to disable and will tend to lose a lot of crew through turret and bridge disables. This is further exacerbated by the small crew complement.

As she is depicted in her early-war configuration, the anti-aircraft suite of the Southampton is quite underwhelming, especially compared to the previous British cruisers and her sister-ship [[HMS Liverpool|Liverpool]]. This can be compensated to some extent with the main and secondary guns and good aim, since they have access to effective HE-VT shells, but the close-range anti-aircraft guns should not be relied upon, especially under AI control.

It is important to note that the Southampton, as a 5.7 cruiser, can be matched against battleships. The 6-inch guns are mostly ineffective against battleships beyond setting fire to them with HE, so it is best to avoid fighting them head-to-head at all costs. The torpedoes are also an option if a battleship carelessly allows the Southampton to get within effective range.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Large broadside of 12 guns with a high rate-of-fire.
* Large explosive filler in CPBC semi-AP round for its calibre.
* Thick magazine protection and machinery belt armour.
* Access to HE-VT shells.
* Respectable torpedoes with large warheads.

'''Cons:'''

* Below average close-range anti-aircraft armament.
* Small crew complement.
* Thin turret and non-existent bridge protection.
* Low top speed compared to other British light cruisers.
* Can face battleships.

== History ==

[[File:HMS Southampton 1937.jpg|thumb|470x470px|HMS Southampton before her refit in 1937.]]
The ''HMS Southampton'', pennant number 83, is a light cruiser of the Town class. Launched in 1936, she went on to see service during the Second World War. She initially served as the flagship of the 2nd Cruiser squadron of the Home Fleet, and later participated in several engagements with German vessels. She was reassigned to the Mediterranean in October of 1940. However, in January 1941, she was bombed by Italian aircraft and suffered crippling damage. As a result, she was scuttled with torpedoes from her escorts.<ref name=":1">Helgason, G. (1995)</ref>

=== Design and development ===
The ''Southampton'' was a member of the Town class, a group of light cruisers built in the 1930s. Initially intended to be built as Arethusa-class cruisers, the design was changed after the construction of the American Brooklyn-class and Japanese Mogami-class ships. The vessels were 180 metres long and displaced 11 000 tons, as they weren't regulated by the Washington naval treaty.<ref name=":0">RBJ. (2008)</ref> The ships carried an armament of twelve 152 mm guns in four triple turrets, a big upgrade from the six-gun ''Arethusas''. The ships also carried numerous anti-aircraft defenses, and two triple torpedo launchers. She was capable of 32 knots (59 km/h).<ref name=":0" />

The HMS Southampton was laid down on November 11th 1934, and launched on March 10th 1936.<ref name=":0" /> She was formally commissioned into the Royal Navy in March of 1937.<ref name=":0" />

=== Operational history ===
Following her commissioning, the ''Southampton'' entered service with the 2nd Cruiser squadron of the British Home Fleet. After the outbreak of the Second World War, she participated in the hunts for the German merchant ''Johannes Molkenbuhr'' and the battlecruisers ''Scharnhorst'' and ''Gneisenau''. During this time, she was damaged twice; first by a 500kg bomb while she was laid up at Rosyth, and later by a German air attack off the coast of Norway.<ref name=":1" />

In November of 1940, ''Southampto''n sailed for the Mediterranean. She later participated in the Battle of Cape Spartivento and escorted resupply missions to Malta. However, on January 11th of 1941, she was attacked by twelve Stukas of the ''Luffewaffe''. Hit by two bombs, the ship caught fire and suffered severe damage. With 80 sailors dead and no electrical power, the decision was made to scuttle the ship. Thus, she was sunk by four torpedoes from the cruiser ''Orion'' and a single torpedo from her sister ship ''Gloucester''.<ref name=":1" />

== Media ==

{{Youtube-gallery|hZkupQZmfyc|'''The Shooting Range #163''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:35 discusses the HMS Southampton.}}

== See also ==
''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


=== References ===
<references />

=== Works Cited ===

* Helgason, G. (1995). HMS Southampton. Retrieved November 17, 2020, from <nowiki>https://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/1235.html</nowiki>
* RBJ. (2008, January 01). Light cruiser HMS Southampton (C83). Retrieved November 18, 2020, from <nowiki>https://shipshub.com/ships/180-1.html</nowiki>

{{ShipManufacturer John Brown and Company}}
{{Britain light cruisers}}

HMS Norfolk

2022-01-14T22:15:20Z

U6591054: /* Primary armament */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_cruiser_norfolk
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British heavy cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Direct Hit"]].

The Norfolk is a Dorsetshire-class heavy cruiser, subclass of the County-class cruisers built by the British post-Washington Treaty in the late 1920s for ocean power projection and trade protection. As a "treaty cruiser", the Norfolk sacrificed armour protection in favour of heavy 8-inch gun armament and high speed and endurance.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

Due to the displacement limitations imposed on the County-class, the Norfolk does not have much in the way of armour. Most of what little armour she has is concentrated around the main 8-inch gun magazines, which are protected inside an armoured box of 102 mm in the sides, 76 mm on the ends and on the deck. These boxes are located below the waterline, and make her quite resistant to ammunition detonations from destroyer or light cruiser main guns at range.

The machinery is protected by only a thin strip 25 mm of armour on the sides, ends, and deck, and is thus vulnerable to even destroyer main guns. The main gun turrets and barbettes are similarly poorly protected.

The rest of the ship has no armour plating on the hull above the waterline. This means that the ship tends to take a lot of damage from even HE shells. In particular, like most British cruisers, the Norfolk has an open bridge which is highly vulnerable to getting disabled.

The Norfolk has a respectable crew complement of 819 men. However, many of these crew members are located on the exposed anti-aircraft gun positions, which means that she tends to suffer considerable crew attrition from even relatively light HE hits, such as from destroyers.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Norfolk is fairly fast for a heavy cruiser. However, she is still a heavy cruiser, and thus her handling and acceleration/deceleration characteristics are still relatively cumbersome compared to those of lighter ships.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|8 inch/50 Mark VIII (203 mm)}}

The Norfolk's main armament consists of eight 8-inch Mark VIII guns distributed in four twin turrets. These guns have acceptable accuracy, though they will struggle to gain consistent hits at longer ranges. The shortest possible reload time with a fully trained crew is 12 seconds, which is fast for a heavy cruiser. There is no first-stage ammunition stowage, thus the reload is consistent no matter how much ammunition is left in the magazines.

The 8-inch guns have only two types of shell: HE and SAPCBC. The HE shell contains a powerful bursting charge of 10 kg of TNT. The SAPCBC shell is the only other shell present, with no access to a full AP shell. However, the SAPCBC makes up for this by providing a solid blend of penetrating power and explosive filler. Compared to the shells seen on the 8inch/55 on American heavy cruisers, the SAPCBC possesses over twice the penetration of the American Common shells, and twice the explosive filler of the American APCBC shell, with 5.2 kg of TNT, allowing the SAPCBC to be used to great effect against both cruisers and destroyers.

HE is used as the stock shell on the Norfolk, and while its large bursting charge deals heavy damage to light targets, the SAPCBC is more versatile and should immediately be researched following the basic survivability modifications, and SAPCBC should be used in nearly all circumstances.

The main guns have an unusual amount of elevation of 70 degrees: in real life, this was because the guns were expected to engage aircraft. However, as there is no time-fused or VT-fused shell available for the British 8-inch gun currently in the game, the Norfolk is unable to take full advantage of this feature.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|4 inch/45 Mark XVI (102 mm)}}
The Norfolk is fitted with with four twin 4 inch/45 Mark XVI mounts, which were used on several destroyers in the British tech tree, two to a side amidships. These guns are mostly useful against aircraft, as unlike American cruisers with their broadside of eight 5 inch/38 Mk.12 guns, these guns have much poorer damage output. There are four shells available, HE, SAP, HE-TF, and HE-VT. The stock HE performs as can be expected for a gun of the caliber, doing minimal damage to anything it faces. The SAP shell has a reasonable 103mm of penetration at 1000m, and although the penetration rapidly falls off, it can still help defend the ship against surface threats. The HE-TF and HE-VT are both specialized for anti-aircraft, and can deal a reasonable amount of damage against enemy planes. It is recommended to take majority HE-VT, with some SAP as well.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|2pdr QF Mk.VIII (40 mm)|20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)}}

The star of the ship's AA are the two octuple 40mm Pom-Pom mounts located just aft of the torpedoes. These will immediately dispatch aircraft, as well as patrol boats if necessary. Aside from those, and the dual-purpose 4 inch/45 mounts, the only other AA armament are eight single 20mm Oerlikon Mk.IIs. Four are located around the superstructure, one is on the B turret, two are on the X turret, and one more can be found on the stern. These will aid in downing planes, and provide a nice light show at whatever they are shooting at. While the Norfolk's AA is inferior to other cruisers, such as its counterpart the London and other foreign ships, it will sufficient to defend the ship against air attack.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|Mk.IX (533 mm)}}

The Norfolk is equipped with two quadruple torpedo tubes, located on each side of the ship. They fire Mk.IX wet-heater torpedoes, which are superior to the antiquated Mk.V steam turbined torpedoes found on older cruisers in range and explosive mass, but are still unexceptional compared to foreign torpedoes like the Type 93. They will certainly save you if you get into a close-quarters brawl with an enemy ship, but they shouldn't be relied on aside from a last resort weapon

== Usage in battles ==

The Norfolk is a bit of a glass cannon, having excellent firepower but very poor armour protection for a heavy cruiser. Her armour will protect against magazine detonations from most cruiser shells, but the lack of armour elsewhere, especially on critical parts like her turrets and the bridge, mean that she can take crippling damage from even destroyers if they get within effective range. This means that she excels at providing medium range support and should generally avoid drawing too much attention to herself. She has a good turn of speed for a heavy cruiser, allowing her to get to tactically advantageous positions a little bit faster while the large fillers in her HE and SAPCBC shells can inflict heavy damage on destroyers and cruisers. It is recommended to become familiar with the armor schemes of enemy cruisers, and target those which have poor protection, as against them the massive bursting charge will shine, while you won't notice the inferior penetration of the shells.

The Norfolk is also one of the few 5.7 cruisers equipped with air-search radar, giving crucial early warning of any incoming enemy aircraft. She also has a very reasonable anti-aircraft armament suite, allowing her to provide effective air cover to teammates when necessary.

'''Specific enemies worth noting'''

* '''Late destroyers''' '''+''' '''USS Atlanta'''
** Several late destroyers, such as the Porter, Somers, and Spokoinyy can prove to be a dangerous foe, as the Norfolk's general lack of armor protection makes it extremely vulnerable against a hail of small-caliber fire. When encountering them, you should remain calm, as they while they will sting, they will not sink you fast enough. Fire your opening salvo against them under the front turrets, as it will likely destroy the turrets, damage the bridge, and ideally cause an ammunition detonation as well. A larger threat, in both size and danger, is the USS Atlanta, which can rain a 14-gun broadside of 5" shells down on you. It is best to try to engage the Atlanta at range, where the long travel time of the Atlanta's shells proves to be a disadvantage, while your 8" guns are very well suited for engaging cruisers at long range
* '''German 5.7 Cruisers'''
** The German trio of Admiral Hipper, Prinz Eugen, and Admiral Graf Spee are all extremely dangerous enemies, as they possess a blend of both firepower and armor that put the Norfolk to shame. You should never engage them directly, as they will soundly beat you in a duel. Instead, fight them when they are distracted by other people. Specifically, when fighting the Graf Spee, put extra effort into dodging the enemy's fire, as their poor fire rate and high single-shot damage means they rely on making every shell count.
* '''Other County-class cruisers'''
** The Norfolk also happens to fall into the type of thin-skinned cruisers that it most efficiently engages, and thus enemy County-class cruisers should be dealt with immediately. Distribute your fire of SAP around different sections of the enemy ship, and let the excellent bursting charge of the shells do the rest of the work for you. Put effort into dodging enemy shots, as their return fire will hurt quite a bit.
* '''Late light cruisers'''
** Light cruisers such as the Mikuma, Helena, Brooklyn, etc. possess a very high damage output, and their large broadsides and high fire rate will tear through the nonexistent armor of the Norfolk. However, their armor is also generally lacking, and you can defeat them if you are able to hit them more consistently than their return fire. Try to destroy their turrets, or damage their ammunition hoists to decrease their firepower. Ideally, you could immediately kill them with an ammunition detonation, and with a bit of luck one of your hits under the turrets may give you a quick victory.
* '''Battleships''' '''and battlecruisers'''
** The Norfolk's position as a moderately high BR cruiser means it may regularly face battleships. Against them, there is very little that can be done. When fighting battleships, your best bet is to run to cover with your superior speed, dodge their shells, and attempt to deal some damage to their superstructure, while praying that your friendly battleships dispatch them quickly. If you spot an overextended battleship, using island cover to get close and make a suicidal torpedo attack may be viable.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* High rate-of-fire for a heavy cruiser.
* Large shell explosive fillers.
* Heavy anti-aircraft armament.
* Relatively high top speed for a heavy cruiser.
* Equipped with air-search radar.
* Well-protected main gun ammunition magazines.

'''Cons:'''

* Little to no armour protecting the ship outside of the magazines.
* Mediocre main gun accuracy.
* Can be matched against battleships.
* Tends to lose crew quickly due to exposed secondary guns and anti-aircraft mounts and turret/bridge disables.
* Lacks a floatplane

== History ==

The County-class cruisers were the first British cruisers designed under the restrictions of the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty. The treaty, which limited cruiser tonnage to 10,000 tons, clashed with the Royal Navy's need for a cruiser to defend its global trade routes to its colonies. To ensure a blend of firepower and range, the Royal Navy called for a long ship with four twin-turrets as their new heavy cruiser design. This became the County-class cruiser, a conservatively built ship with a very high freeboard, allowing for high directional stability. The superstructure was taken from a design first used on the HMS Enterprise, which transformed the scattered sections of conning towers, wheelhouses, navigating and signaling platforms, and fire control seen on World War I-era cruisers into a neat block at the front of the ship. The two boiler rooms, were ventilated into four uptakes, of which the central one was combined into a larger funnel, giving the Counties their distinctive funnel arrangement. However, the size of the ship left little displacement available to be allowed for armor protection, and thus the side armor was less of an armor belt and more of basic shrapnel protection.

HMS Norfolk was the lead ship of her subclass, which involved minor modifications such as the movement of the 4-inch guns further forward, the slight shortening of the superstructure, and the changing of the primary armament from the Mark I variant to the Mark II variant, with simplified loading. She was initially part of a four ship class, with an additional ship in the talks, but in the end she only received one sister, Dorsetshire, due to budget cuts. Construction started on Norfolk on July 8, 1927. She was launched on December 12, 1928, and entered service on April 30, 1930.

Norfolk became involved in the September 1931 Invergordon Mutiny, where sailors protested an imminent major pay cut. In the end, the sailors only received the minor pay cut the entire armed forces received, and the incident was settled peacefully. Between 1932 and 1934, she served with the America and West Indies Station at Bermuda, cruising around the Americas, engaging in exercises, providing hurricane relief, and protecting British interests in the area. In 1935, she moved to the East Indies Station, where she remained in 1939. Then, she returned back to Britain for a refit, and was in dockyard when the World War II began.

For the first years of the war, Norfolk was engaged with the Home Fleet in hunting German surface raiders, although she saw no success. In November 1939, she was damaged by the submarine U-47, necessitating repairs. Not long after, she was bombed in an air raid, requiring more repairs, where she also had a radar set installed. She was then engaged in several raids off the Norwegian coast, until December 1940, where she operated out of Freetown in the South Atlantic, and attempted to hunt down the raider Kormoran, but again with no success.

By April 1941, Norfolk had returned to Scapa Flow, where intelligence reports suggested the battleship Bismarck was readying for action. On May 20, 1941, Norfolk was patrolling with fellow heavy cruiser Suffolk in the Denmark Strait under the command of Rear Admiral W.F. Wake-Walker, when they received reports from that the Swedish cruiser Gotland had encountered two large warships with heavy escort. Realizing the situation brewing, the Admiralty sent out reconnaissance aircraft, but the Bismarck had already slipped away and was cruising through the North Sea. With the Home Fleet scrambling ships to sea, on May 23, Norfolk and Suffolk encountered Bismarck and Prinz Eugen in the Denmark Strait at a range of only 6 nautical miles, and the cruisers quickly disengaged. After sending out contact reports, the cruisers began shadowing the German ships. The Admiralty had the foresight to predict the Denmark Strait as a likely route for Bismarck to take, and had dispatched a force under Vice Admiral Holland, with HMS Hood, Prince of Wales, and destroyers to aid Wake-Walker. At 0516 the following morning, Holland arrived, with Norfolk and Suffolk still trailing behind the German ships. Shortly after, Holland engaged the Bismarck, but after just 10 minutes of firing, the Hood exploded, killing Holland and nearly the entire crew. After another 10 minutes, Prince of Wales was crippled, and withdrew. Norfolk witnessed the battle from 15 nautical miles away.

Following the spectacular defeat, the Royal Navy's resolve to sink the Bismarck grew. Norfolk joined Prince of Wales shortly after the battle concluded, as the British destroyers tried to find survivors from Hood. Despite the damage sustained to Prince of Wales, she kept pace with Norfolk and Suffolk as the cruisers continued to shadow Bismarck. However, early in the morning on the 25th, the cruisers lost contact with Bismarck. Prince of Wales broke off to refuel, and Norfolk and Suffolk split up. Norfolk was operating independently when Bismarck was spotted on the 26th by a PBY flying boat. She rapidly closed the distance to the contact report until the morning of the 27th, where she made visual contact with the now crippled Bismarck and 0753. Shortly after, she sighted the battleships HMS King George V and Rodney under Admiral John Tovey, who had come to finish the job Norfolk had started four days prior. At 0847, with Norfolk 10 nautical miles away, the final action of the Bismarck began, with Norfolk's sister Dorsetshire joining from the south. Norfolk joined in the shelling, and claimed two torpedo hits on Bismarck. After just over an hour of intense action, the four British ships had fired 2,800 shells at Bismarck, scoring 400 hits, reducing the Bismarck to a wreck. Norfolk also claimed two torpedo hits on Bismarck. At 10:20, Tovey turned for home, and Dorsetshire finished off the Bismarck with torpedoes.

After the action, Norfolk returned to menial duties, now assigned the arduous task of escorting the Arctic convoys to the Soviet Union. She would participate in escorting the convoys through the unending daylight of the summers and the darkness of the arctic winters for the next few years.

On December 20, 1943, eastbound convoy JW 55B departed for the Soviet Union. Norfolk was at sea at the time escorting westbound convoy RA 55A back from Murmansk after an uneventful journey. The eastbound journey had been uneventful. It had been nearly a year since German capital ships had sortied against an Arctic convoy, at the Battle of the Barents Sea, and German battleships had been holed up in port since the loss of Bismarck. However, the two surviving battleships, Scharnhorst and Tirpitz, had proved a formidable fleet-in-being, and were always poised to strike from their Norwegian bases. Bruce Fraser, chief Admiral of the Home Fleet, and in charge of protecting the Arctic convoys, suspected that German surface ships may try to strike at JW 55B. He envisioned a decisive battle around Christmas against British and German battleships, where the threat of German battleships striking a the convoys could be permanently neutralized. On December 22, JW 55B was spotted by the Luftwaffe, and the next day, Fraser put to sea personally commanding his flagship HMS Duke of York, with a light cruiser and four destroyers as escort. Fraser proved to be correct, as on Christmas, Scharnhorst and five destroyers sortied from Norway.

As RA 55A was diverted north. Norfolk, along with light cruisers Belfast and Southampton, joined JW 55B instead. At 0900 on December 26, the cruisers encountered Scharnhorst, and immediately opened fire from 12,000 meters, destroying Scharnhorst's radar. Norfolk, whos guns produced the brightest flashes, was in turn targeted by Scharnhorst, but Scharnhorst soon broke off the battle, misidentifying Norfolk as a battleship. Norfolk and the cruisers pursued Scharnhorst, while struggling to keep pace in the heavy seas. Shortly after noon, the two sides exchanged fire again, disabling X turret on Norfolk and damaging her radar, but again broke off, while the German destroyers fruitlessly searched for JW 55B alone. Norfolk was eventually forced to retreat due to her damage, in addition to Southampton, leaving Belfast alone. However, they escaped undetected due to Scharnhorst's destroyed radar, and Belfast successfully maintained contact until Fraser arrived in Duke of York and sank Scharnhorst.

Following this, Norfolk eventually had her entire X turret removed and replaced with additional AA. These repairs and refits resulted in her being unable to participate in the D-Day landings. The rest of her wartime service was uneventful. On May 4, 1945, she served as the flagship of Operation Judgement, where Norfolk and several other ships escorted escort carriers for a raid on Kilbotn, Norway, where they sank a submarine and two other ships. After the war's conclusion, Norfolk ferried the Norwegian Royal Family back to Oslo, after their five year exile in London.

Norfolk remained in service until 1949, where she was transferred to reserve. In 1950, she sold off for scrapping. She was the third of five ships to bear the name Norfolk, and accounted for 6 of the 11 battle honors the lineage earned.

== Media ==

''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{ShipManufacturer Fairfields}}
{{Britain heavy cruisers}}

HMS Norfolk

2022-01-14T22:14:36Z

U6591054: /* Primary armament */ Norfolk has Mark II turrets which still had the 70 degree elevation. York/Exeter were the ones with the Mark II* turrets that had elevation reduced to 50 degrees.

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_cruiser_norfolk
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British heavy cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Direct Hit"]].

The Norfolk is a Dorsetshire-class heavy cruiser, subclass of the County-class cruisers built by the British post-Washington Treaty in the late 1920s for ocean power projection and trade protection. As a "treaty cruiser", the Norfolk sacrificed armour protection in favour of heavy 8-inch gun armament and high speed and endurance.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

Due to the displacement limitations imposed on the County-class, the Norfolk does not have much in the way of armour. Most of what little armour she has is concentrated around the main 8-inch gun magazines, which are protected inside an armoured box of 102 mm in the sides, 76 mm on the ends and on the deck. These boxes are located below the waterline, and make her quite resistant to ammunition detonations from destroyer or light cruiser main guns at range.

The machinery is protected by only a thin strip 25 mm of armour on the sides, ends, and deck, and is thus vulnerable to even destroyer main guns. The main gun turrets and barbettes are similarly poorly protected.

The rest of the ship has no armour plating on the hull above the waterline. This means that the ship tends to take a lot of damage from even HE shells. In particular, like most British cruisers, the Norfolk has an open bridge which is highly vulnerable to getting disabled.

The Norfolk has a respectable crew complement of 819 men. However, many of these crew members are located on the exposed anti-aircraft gun positions, which means that she tends to suffer considerable crew attrition from even relatively light HE hits, such as from destroyers.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Norfolk is fairly fast for a heavy cruiser. However, she is still a heavy cruiser, and thus her handling and acceleration/deceleration characteristics are still relatively cumbersome compared to those of lighter ships.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|8 inch/50 Mark VIII (203 mm)}}

The Norfolk's main armament consists of eight 8-inch Mark VIII guns distributed in four twin turrets. These guns have acceptable accuracy, though they will struggle to gain consistent hits at longer ranges. The shortest possible reload time with a fully trained crew is 12 seconds, which is fast for a heavy cruiser. There is no first-stage ammunition stowage, thus the reload is consistent no matter how much ammunition is left in the magazines.

The 8-inch guns have only two types of shell: HE and SAPCBC. The HE shell contains a powerful bursting charge of 10 kg of TNT. The SAPCBC shell is the only other shell present, with no access to a full AP shell. However, the SAPCBC makes up for this by providing a solid blend of penetrating power and explosive filler. Compared to the shells seen on the 8inch/55 on American heavy cruisers, the SAPCBC possesses over twice the penetration of the American Common shells, and twice the explosive filler of the American APCBC shell, with 5.2 kg of TNT, allowing the SAPCBC to be used to great effect against both cruisers and destroyers.

HE is used as the stock shell on the Norfolk, and while its large bursting charge deals heavy damage to light targets, the SAPCBC is more versatile and should immediately be researched following the basic survivability modifications, and SAPCBC should be used in nearly all circumstances.

The main guns have an unusual amount of elevation of 70 degrees: In real life, this was because the guns were expected to engage aircraft. In-game however, as there is no time- fused or VT-fused shell available for the British 8-inch gun currently in the game, the Norfolk is unable to take full advantage of this feature.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|4 inch/45 Mark XVI (102 mm)}}
The Norfolk is fitted with with four twin 4 inch/45 Mark XVI mounts, which were used on several destroyers in the British tech tree, two to a side amidships. These guns are mostly useful against aircraft, as unlike American cruisers with their broadside of eight 5 inch/38 Mk.12 guns, these guns have much poorer damage output. There are four shells available, HE, SAP, HE-TF, and HE-VT. The stock HE performs as can be expected for a gun of the caliber, doing minimal damage to anything it faces. The SAP shell has a reasonable 103mm of penetration at 1000m, and although the penetration rapidly falls off, it can still help defend the ship against surface threats. The HE-TF and HE-VT are both specialized for anti-aircraft, and can deal a reasonable amount of damage against enemy planes. It is recommended to take majority HE-VT, with some SAP as well.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|2pdr QF Mk.VIII (40 mm)|20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)}}

The star of the ship's AA are the two octuple 40mm Pom-Pom mounts located just aft of the torpedoes. These will immediately dispatch aircraft, as well as patrol boats if necessary. Aside from those, and the dual-purpose 4 inch/45 mounts, the only other AA armament are eight single 20mm Oerlikon Mk.IIs. Four are located around the superstructure, one is on the B turret, two are on the X turret, and one more can be found on the stern. These will aid in downing planes, and provide a nice light show at whatever they are shooting at. While the Norfolk's AA is inferior to other cruisers, such as its counterpart the London and other foreign ships, it will sufficient to defend the ship against air attack.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|Mk.IX (533 mm)}}

The Norfolk is equipped with two quadruple torpedo tubes, located on each side of the ship. They fire Mk.IX wet-heater torpedoes, which are superior to the antiquated Mk.V steam turbined torpedoes found on older cruisers in range and explosive mass, but are still unexceptional compared to foreign torpedoes like the Type 93. They will certainly save you if you get into a close-quarters brawl with an enemy ship, but they shouldn't be relied on aside from a last resort weapon

== Usage in battles ==

The Norfolk is a bit of a glass cannon, having excellent firepower but very poor armour protection for a heavy cruiser. Her armour will protect against magazine detonations from most cruiser shells, but the lack of armour elsewhere, especially on critical parts like her turrets and the bridge, mean that she can take crippling damage from even destroyers if they get within effective range. This means that she excels at providing medium range support and should generally avoid drawing too much attention to herself. She has a good turn of speed for a heavy cruiser, allowing her to get to tactically advantageous positions a little bit faster while the large fillers in her HE and SAPCBC shells can inflict heavy damage on destroyers and cruisers. It is recommended to become familiar with the armor schemes of enemy cruisers, and target those which have poor protection, as against them the massive bursting charge will shine, while you won't notice the inferior penetration of the shells.

The Norfolk is also one of the few 5.7 cruisers equipped with air-search radar, giving crucial early warning of any incoming enemy aircraft. She also has a very reasonable anti-aircraft armament suite, allowing her to provide effective air cover to teammates when necessary.

'''Specific enemies worth noting'''

* '''Late destroyers''' '''+''' '''USS Atlanta'''
** Several late destroyers, such as the Porter, Somers, and Spokoinyy can prove to be a dangerous foe, as the Norfolk's general lack of armor protection makes it extremely vulnerable against a hail of small-caliber fire. When encountering them, you should remain calm, as they while they will sting, they will not sink you fast enough. Fire your opening salvo against them under the front turrets, as it will likely destroy the turrets, damage the bridge, and ideally cause an ammunition detonation as well. A larger threat, in both size and danger, is the USS Atlanta, which can rain a 14-gun broadside of 5" shells down on you. It is best to try to engage the Atlanta at range, where the long travel time of the Atlanta's shells proves to be a disadvantage, while your 8" guns are very well suited for engaging cruisers at long range
* '''German 5.7 Cruisers'''
** The German trio of Admiral Hipper, Prinz Eugen, and Admiral Graf Spee are all extremely dangerous enemies, as they possess a blend of both firepower and armor that put the Norfolk to shame. You should never engage them directly, as they will soundly beat you in a duel. Instead, fight them when they are distracted by other people. Specifically, when fighting the Graf Spee, put extra effort into dodging the enemy's fire, as their poor fire rate and high single-shot damage means they rely on making every shell count.
* '''Other County-class cruisers'''
** The Norfolk also happens to fall into the type of thin-skinned cruisers that it most efficiently engages, and thus enemy County-class cruisers should be dealt with immediately. Distribute your fire of SAP around different sections of the enemy ship, and let the excellent bursting charge of the shells do the rest of the work for you. Put effort into dodging enemy shots, as their return fire will hurt quite a bit.
* '''Late light cruisers'''
** Light cruisers such as the Mikuma, Helena, Brooklyn, etc. possess a very high damage output, and their large broadsides and high fire rate will tear through the nonexistent armor of the Norfolk. However, their armor is also generally lacking, and you can defeat them if you are able to hit them more consistently than their return fire. Try to destroy their turrets, or damage their ammunition hoists to decrease their firepower. Ideally, you could immediately kill them with an ammunition detonation, and with a bit of luck one of your hits under the turrets may give you a quick victory.
* '''Battleships''' '''and battlecruisers'''
** The Norfolk's position as a moderately high BR cruiser means it may regularly face battleships. Against them, there is very little that can be done. When fighting battleships, your best bet is to run to cover with your superior speed, dodge their shells, and attempt to deal some damage to their superstructure, while praying that your friendly battleships dispatch them quickly. If you spot an overextended battleship, using island cover to get close and make a suicidal torpedo attack may be viable.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* High rate-of-fire for a heavy cruiser.
* Large shell explosive fillers.
* Heavy anti-aircraft armament.
* Relatively high top speed for a heavy cruiser.
* Equipped with air-search radar.
* Well-protected main gun ammunition magazines.

'''Cons:'''

* Little to no armour protecting the ship outside of the magazines.
* Mediocre main gun accuracy.
* Can be matched against battleships.
* Tends to lose crew quickly due to exposed secondary guns and anti-aircraft mounts and turret/bridge disables.
* Lacks a floatplane

== History ==

The County-class cruisers were the first British cruisers designed under the restrictions of the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty. The treaty, which limited cruiser tonnage to 10,000 tons, clashed with the Royal Navy's need for a cruiser to defend its global trade routes to its colonies. To ensure a blend of firepower and range, the Royal Navy called for a long ship with four twin-turrets as their new heavy cruiser design. This became the County-class cruiser, a conservatively built ship with a very high freeboard, allowing for high directional stability. The superstructure was taken from a design first used on the HMS Enterprise, which transformed the scattered sections of conning towers, wheelhouses, navigating and signaling platforms, and fire control seen on World War I-era cruisers into a neat block at the front of the ship. The two boiler rooms, were ventilated into four uptakes, of which the central one was combined into a larger funnel, giving the Counties their distinctive funnel arrangement. However, the size of the ship left little displacement available to be allowed for armor protection, and thus the side armor was less of an armor belt and more of basic shrapnel protection.

HMS Norfolk was the lead ship of her subclass, which involved minor modifications such as the movement of the 4-inch guns further forward, the slight shortening of the superstructure, and the changing of the primary armament from the Mark I variant to the Mark II variant, with simplified loading. She was initially part of a four ship class, with an additional ship in the talks, but in the end she only received one sister, Dorsetshire, due to budget cuts. Construction started on Norfolk on July 8, 1927. She was launched on December 12, 1928, and entered service on April 30, 1930.

Norfolk became involved in the September 1931 Invergordon Mutiny, where sailors protested an imminent major pay cut. In the end, the sailors only received the minor pay cut the entire armed forces received, and the incident was settled peacefully. Between 1932 and 1934, she served with the America and West Indies Station at Bermuda, cruising around the Americas, engaging in exercises, providing hurricane relief, and protecting British interests in the area. In 1935, she moved to the East Indies Station, where she remained in 1939. Then, she returned back to Britain for a refit, and was in dockyard when the World War II began.

For the first years of the war, Norfolk was engaged with the Home Fleet in hunting German surface raiders, although she saw no success. In November 1939, she was damaged by the submarine U-47, necessitating repairs. Not long after, she was bombed in an air raid, requiring more repairs, where she also had a radar set installed. She was then engaged in several raids off the Norwegian coast, until December 1940, where she operated out of Freetown in the South Atlantic, and attempted to hunt down the raider Kormoran, but again with no success.

By April 1941, Norfolk had returned to Scapa Flow, where intelligence reports suggested the battleship Bismarck was readying for action. On May 20, 1941, Norfolk was patrolling with fellow heavy cruiser Suffolk in the Denmark Strait under the command of Rear Admiral W.F. Wake-Walker, when they received reports from that the Swedish cruiser Gotland had encountered two large warships with heavy escort. Realizing the situation brewing, the Admiralty sent out reconnaissance aircraft, but the Bismarck had already slipped away and was cruising through the North Sea. With the Home Fleet scrambling ships to sea, on May 23, Norfolk and Suffolk encountered Bismarck and Prinz Eugen in the Denmark Strait at a range of only 6 nautical miles, and the cruisers quickly disengaged. After sending out contact reports, the cruisers began shadowing the German ships. The Admiralty had the foresight to predict the Denmark Strait as a likely route for Bismarck to take, and had dispatched a force under Vice Admiral Holland, with HMS Hood, Prince of Wales, and destroyers to aid Wake-Walker. At 0516 the following morning, Holland arrived, with Norfolk and Suffolk still trailing behind the German ships. Shortly after, Holland engaged the Bismarck, but after just 10 minutes of firing, the Hood exploded, killing Holland and nearly the entire crew. After another 10 minutes, Prince of Wales was crippled, and withdrew. Norfolk witnessed the battle from 15 nautical miles away.

Following the spectacular defeat, the Royal Navy's resolve to sink the Bismarck grew. Norfolk joined Prince of Wales shortly after the battle concluded, as the British destroyers tried to find survivors from Hood. Despite the damage sustained to Prince of Wales, she kept pace with Norfolk and Suffolk as the cruisers continued to shadow Bismarck. However, early in the morning on the 25th, the cruisers lost contact with Bismarck. Prince of Wales broke off to refuel, and Norfolk and Suffolk split up. Norfolk was operating independently when Bismarck was spotted on the 26th by a PBY flying boat. She rapidly closed the distance to the contact report until the morning of the 27th, where she made visual contact with the now crippled Bismarck and 0753. Shortly after, she sighted the battleships HMS King George V and Rodney under Admiral John Tovey, who had come to finish the job Norfolk had started four days prior. At 0847, with Norfolk 10 nautical miles away, the final action of the Bismarck began, with Norfolk's sister Dorsetshire joining from the south. Norfolk joined in the shelling, and claimed two torpedo hits on Bismarck. After just over an hour of intense action, the four British ships had fired 2,800 shells at Bismarck, scoring 400 hits, reducing the Bismarck to a wreck. Norfolk also claimed two torpedo hits on Bismarck. At 10:20, Tovey turned for home, and Dorsetshire finished off the Bismarck with torpedoes.

After the action, Norfolk returned to menial duties, now assigned the arduous task of escorting the Arctic convoys to the Soviet Union. She would participate in escorting the convoys through the unending daylight of the summers and the darkness of the arctic winters for the next few years.

On December 20, 1943, eastbound convoy JW 55B departed for the Soviet Union. Norfolk was at sea at the time escorting westbound convoy RA 55A back from Murmansk after an uneventful journey. The eastbound journey had been uneventful. It had been nearly a year since German capital ships had sortied against an Arctic convoy, at the Battle of the Barents Sea, and German battleships had been holed up in port since the loss of Bismarck. However, the two surviving battleships, Scharnhorst and Tirpitz, had proved a formidable fleet-in-being, and were always poised to strike from their Norwegian bases. Bruce Fraser, chief Admiral of the Home Fleet, and in charge of protecting the Arctic convoys, suspected that German surface ships may try to strike at JW 55B. He envisioned a decisive battle around Christmas against British and German battleships, where the threat of German battleships striking a the convoys could be permanently neutralized. On December 22, JW 55B was spotted by the Luftwaffe, and the next day, Fraser put to sea personally commanding his flagship HMS Duke of York, with a light cruiser and four destroyers as escort. Fraser proved to be correct, as on Christmas, Scharnhorst and five destroyers sortied from Norway.

As RA 55A was diverted north. Norfolk, along with light cruisers Belfast and Southampton, joined JW 55B instead. At 0900 on December 26, the cruisers encountered Scharnhorst, and immediately opened fire from 12,000 meters, destroying Scharnhorst's radar. Norfolk, whos guns produced the brightest flashes, was in turn targeted by Scharnhorst, but Scharnhorst soon broke off the battle, misidentifying Norfolk as a battleship. Norfolk and the cruisers pursued Scharnhorst, while struggling to keep pace in the heavy seas. Shortly after noon, the two sides exchanged fire again, disabling X turret on Norfolk and damaging her radar, but again broke off, while the German destroyers fruitlessly searched for JW 55B alone. Norfolk was eventually forced to retreat due to her damage, in addition to Southampton, leaving Belfast alone. However, they escaped undetected due to Scharnhorst's destroyed radar, and Belfast successfully maintained contact until Fraser arrived in Duke of York and sank Scharnhorst.

Following this, Norfolk eventually had her entire X turret removed and replaced with additional AA. These repairs and refits resulted in her being unable to participate in the D-Day landings. The rest of her wartime service was uneventful. On May 4, 1945, she served as the flagship of Operation Judgement, where Norfolk and several other ships escorted escort carriers for a raid on Kilbotn, Norway, where they sank a submarine and two other ships. After the war's conclusion, Norfolk ferried the Norwegian Royal Family back to Oslo, after their five year exile in London.

Norfolk remained in service until 1949, where she was transferred to reserve. In 1950, she sold off for scrapping. She was the third of five ships to bear the name Norfolk, and accounted for 6 of the 11 battle honors the lineage earned.

== Media ==

''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{ShipManufacturer Fairfields}}
{{Britain heavy cruisers}}

HMS Norfolk

2022-01-14T22:09:55Z

U6591054: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_cruiser_norfolk
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British heavy cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Direct Hit"]].

The Norfolk is a Dorsetshire-class heavy cruiser, subclass of the County-class cruisers built by the British post-Washington Treaty in the late 1920s for ocean power projection and trade protection. As a "treaty cruiser", the Norfolk sacrificed armour protection in favour of heavy 8-inch gun armament and high speed and endurance.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

Due to the displacement limitations imposed on the County-class, the Norfolk does not have much in the way of armour. Most of what little armour she has is concentrated around the main 8-inch gun magazines, which are protected inside an armoured box of 102 mm in the sides, 76 mm on the ends and on the deck. These boxes are located below the waterline, and make her quite resistant to ammunition detonations from destroyer or light cruiser main guns at range.

The machinery is protected by only a thin strip 25 mm of armour on the sides, ends, and deck, and is thus vulnerable to even destroyer main guns. The main gun turrets and barbettes are similarly poorly protected.

The rest of the ship has no armour plating on the hull above the waterline. This means that the ship tends to take a lot of damage from even HE shells. In particular, like most British cruisers, the Norfolk has an open bridge which is highly vulnerable to getting disabled.

The Norfolk has a respectable crew complement of 819 men. However, many of these crew members are located on the exposed anti-aircraft gun positions, which means that she tends to suffer considerable crew attrition from even relatively light HE hits, such as from destroyers.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Norfolk is fairly fast for a heavy cruiser. However, she is still a heavy cruiser, and thus her handling and acceleration/deceleration characteristics are still relatively cumbersome compared to those of lighter ships.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|8 inch/50 Mark VIII (203 mm)}}

The Norfolk's main armament consists of eight 8-inch Mark VIII guns distributed in four twin turrets. These guns have acceptable accuracy, though they will struggle to gain consistent hits at longer ranges. The shortest possible reload time with a fully trained crew is 12 seconds, which is fast for a heavy cruiser. There is no first-stage ammunition stowage, thus the reload is consistent no matter how much ammunition is left in the magazines.

The 8-inch guns have only two types of shell: HE and SAPCBC. The HE shell contains a powerful bursting charge of 10 kg of TNT. The SAPCBC shell is the only other shell present, with no access to a full AP shell. However, the SAPCBC makes up for this by providing a solid blend of penetrating power and explosive filler. Compared to the shells seen on the 8inch/55 on American heavy cruisers, the SAPCBC possesses over twice the penetration of the American Common shells, and twice the explosive filler of the American APCBC shell, with 5.2 kg of TNT, allowing the SAPCBC to be used to great effect against both cruisers and destroyers.

HE is used as the stock shell on the Norfolk, and while its large bursting charge deals heavy damage to light targets, the SAPCBC is more versatile and should immediately be researched following the basic survivability modifications, and SAPCBC should be used in nearly all circumstances.

The main guns have an unusual amount of elevation of 70 degrees: In real life, this was because the guns were expected to engage aircraft, although in reality the Mark II turrets fitted to the Norfolk were modified with the realization that the hydraulics of heavy cruiser turrets were insufficient for tracking aircraft, and were limited to 50 degrees to improve the loading system. In-game however, as there is no time- fused or VT-fused shell available for the British 8-inch gun currently in the game, the Norfolk is unable to take full advantage of this feature.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|4 inch/45 Mark XVI (102 mm)}}
The Norfolk is fitted with with four twin 4 inch/45 Mark XVI mounts, which were used on several destroyers in the British tech tree, two to a side amidships. These guns are mostly useful against aircraft, as unlike American cruisers with their broadside of eight 5 inch/38 Mk.12 guns, these guns have much poorer damage output. There are four shells available, HE, SAP, HE-TF, and HE-VT. The stock HE performs as can be expected for a gun of the caliber, doing minimal damage to anything it faces. The SAP shell has a reasonable 103mm of penetration at 1000m, and although the penetration rapidly falls off, it can still help defend the ship against surface threats. The HE-TF and HE-VT are both specialized for anti-aircraft, and can deal a reasonable amount of damage against enemy planes. It is recommended to take majority HE-VT, with some SAP as well.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|2pdr QF Mk.VIII (40 mm)|20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)}}

The star of the ship's AA are the two octuple 40mm Pom-Pom mounts located just aft of the torpedoes. These will immediately dispatch aircraft, as well as patrol boats if necessary. Aside from those, and the dual-purpose 4 inch/45 mounts, the only other AA armament are eight single 20mm Oerlikon Mk.IIs. Four are located around the superstructure, one is on the B turret, two are on the X turret, and one more can be found on the stern. These will aid in downing planes, and provide a nice light show at whatever they are shooting at. While the Norfolk's AA is inferior to other cruisers, such as its counterpart the London and other foreign ships, it will sufficient to defend the ship against air attack.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|Mk.IX (533 mm)}}

The Norfolk is equipped with two quadruple torpedo tubes, located on each side of the ship. They fire Mk.IX wet-heater torpedoes, which are superior to the antiquated Mk.V steam turbined torpedoes found on older cruisers in range and explosive mass, but are still unexceptional compared to foreign torpedoes like the Type 93. They will certainly save you if you get into a close-quarters brawl with an enemy ship, but they shouldn't be relied on aside from a last resort weapon

== Usage in battles ==

The Norfolk is a bit of a glass cannon, having excellent firepower but very poor armour protection for a heavy cruiser. Her armour will protect against magazine detonations from most cruiser shells, but the lack of armour elsewhere, especially on critical parts like her turrets and the bridge, mean that she can take crippling damage from even destroyers if they get within effective range. This means that she excels at providing medium range support and should generally avoid drawing too much attention to herself. She has a good turn of speed for a heavy cruiser, allowing her to get to tactically advantageous positions a little bit faster while the large fillers in her HE and SAPCBC shells can inflict heavy damage on destroyers and cruisers. It is recommended to become familiar with the armor schemes of enemy cruisers, and target those which have poor protection, as against them the massive bursting charge will shine, while you won't notice the inferior penetration of the shells.

The Norfolk is also one of the few 5.7 cruisers equipped with air-search radar, giving crucial early warning of any incoming enemy aircraft. She also has a very reasonable anti-aircraft armament suite, allowing her to provide effective air cover to teammates when necessary.

'''Specific enemies worth noting'''

* '''Late destroyers''' '''+''' '''USS Atlanta'''
** Several late destroyers, such as the Porter, Somers, and Spokoinyy can prove to be a dangerous foe, as the Norfolk's general lack of armor protection makes it extremely vulnerable against a hail of small-caliber fire. When encountering them, you should remain calm, as they while they will sting, they will not sink you fast enough. Fire your opening salvo against them under the front turrets, as it will likely destroy the turrets, damage the bridge, and ideally cause an ammunition detonation as well. A larger threat, in both size and danger, is the USS Atlanta, which can rain a 14-gun broadside of 5" shells down on you. It is best to try to engage the Atlanta at range, where the long travel time of the Atlanta's shells proves to be a disadvantage, while your 8" guns are very well suited for engaging cruisers at long range
* '''German 5.7 Cruisers'''
** The German trio of Admiral Hipper, Prinz Eugen, and Admiral Graf Spee are all extremely dangerous enemies, as they possess a blend of both firepower and armor that put the Norfolk to shame. You should never engage them directly, as they will soundly beat you in a duel. Instead, fight them when they are distracted by other people. Specifically, when fighting the Graf Spee, put extra effort into dodging the enemy's fire, as their poor fire rate and high single-shot damage means they rely on making every shell count.
* '''Other County-class cruisers'''
** The Norfolk also happens to fall into the type of thin-skinned cruisers that it most efficiently engages, and thus enemy County-class cruisers should be dealt with immediately. Distribute your fire of SAP around different sections of the enemy ship, and let the excellent bursting charge of the shells do the rest of the work for you. Put effort into dodging enemy shots, as their return fire will hurt quite a bit.
* '''Late light cruisers'''
** Light cruisers such as the Mikuma, Helena, Brooklyn, etc. possess a very high damage output, and their large broadsides and high fire rate will tear through the nonexistent armor of the Norfolk. However, their armor is also generally lacking, and you can defeat them if you are able to hit them more consistently than their return fire. Try to destroy their turrets, or damage their ammunition hoists to decrease their firepower. Ideally, you could immediately kill them with an ammunition detonation, and with a bit of luck one of your hits under the turrets may give you a quick victory.
* '''Battleships''' '''and battlecruisers'''
** The Norfolk's position as a moderately high BR cruiser means it may regularly face battleships. Against them, there is very little that can be done. When fighting battleships, your best bet is to run to cover with your superior speed, dodge their shells, and attempt to deal some damage to their superstructure, while praying that your friendly battleships dispatch them quickly. If you spot an overextended battleship, using island cover to get close and make a suicidal torpedo attack may be viable.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* High rate-of-fire for a heavy cruiser.
* Large shell explosive fillers.
* Heavy anti-aircraft armament.
* Relatively high top speed for a heavy cruiser.
* Equipped with air-search radar.
* Well-protected main gun ammunition magazines.

'''Cons:'''

* Little to no armour protecting the ship outside of the magazines.
* Mediocre main gun accuracy.
* Can be matched against battleships.
* Tends to lose crew quickly due to exposed secondary guns and anti-aircraft mounts and turret/bridge disables.
* Lacks a floatplane

== History ==

The County-class cruisers were the first British cruisers designed under the restrictions of the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty. The treaty, which limited cruiser tonnage to 10,000 tons, clashed with the Royal Navy's need for a cruiser to defend its global trade routes to its colonies. To ensure a blend of firepower and range, the Royal Navy called for a long ship with four twin-turrets as their new heavy cruiser design. This became the County-class cruiser, a conservatively built ship with a very high freeboard, allowing for high directional stability. The superstructure was taken from a design first used on the HMS Enterprise, which transformed the scattered sections of conning towers, wheelhouses, navigating and signaling platforms, and fire control seen on World War I-era cruisers into a neat block at the front of the ship. The two boiler rooms, were ventilated into four uptakes, of which the central one was combined into a larger funnel, giving the Counties their distinctive funnel arrangement. However, the size of the ship left little displacement available to be allowed for armor protection, and thus the side armor was less of an armor belt and more of basic shrapnel protection.

HMS Norfolk was the lead ship of her subclass, which involved minor modifications such as the movement of the 4-inch guns further forward, the slight shortening of the superstructure, and the changing of the primary armament from the Mark I variant to the Mark II variant, with simplified loading. She was initially part of a four ship class, with an additional ship in the talks, but in the end she only received one sister, Dorsetshire, due to budget cuts. Construction started on Norfolk on July 8, 1927. She was launched on December 12, 1928, and entered service on April 30, 1930.

Norfolk became involved in the September 1931 Invergordon Mutiny, where sailors protested an imminent major pay cut. In the end, the sailors only received the minor pay cut the entire armed forces received, and the incident was settled peacefully. Between 1932 and 1934, she served with the America and West Indies Station at Bermuda, cruising around the Americas, engaging in exercises, providing hurricane relief, and protecting British interests in the area. In 1935, she moved to the East Indies Station, where she remained in 1939. Then, she returned back to Britain for a refit, and was in dockyard when the World War II began.

For the first years of the war, Norfolk was engaged with the Home Fleet in hunting German surface raiders, although she saw no success. In November 1939, she was damaged by the submarine U-47, necessitating repairs. Not long after, she was bombed in an air raid, requiring more repairs, where she also had a radar set installed. She was then engaged in several raids off the Norwegian coast, until December 1940, where she operated out of Freetown in the South Atlantic, and attempted to hunt down the raider Kormoran, but again with no success.

By April 1941, Norfolk had returned to Scapa Flow, where intelligence reports suggested the battleship Bismarck was readying for action. On May 20, 1941, Norfolk was patrolling with fellow heavy cruiser Suffolk in the Denmark Strait under the command of Rear Admiral W.F. Wake-Walker, when they received reports from that the Swedish cruiser Gotland had encountered two large warships with heavy escort. Realizing the situation brewing, the Admiralty sent out reconnaissance aircraft, but the Bismarck had already slipped away and was cruising through the North Sea. With the Home Fleet scrambling ships to sea, on May 23, Norfolk and Suffolk encountered Bismarck and Prinz Eugen in the Denmark Strait at a range of only 6 nautical miles, and the cruisers quickly disengaged. After sending out contact reports, the cruisers began shadowing the German ships. The Admiralty had the foresight to predict the Denmark Strait as a likely route for Bismarck to take, and had dispatched a force under Vice Admiral Holland, with HMS Hood, Prince of Wales, and destroyers to aid Wake-Walker. At 0516 the following morning, Holland arrived, with Norfolk and Suffolk still trailing behind the German ships. Shortly after, Holland engaged the Bismarck, but after just 10 minutes of firing, the Hood exploded, killing Holland and nearly the entire crew. After another 10 minutes, Prince of Wales was crippled, and withdrew. Norfolk witnessed the battle from 15 nautical miles away.

Following the spectacular defeat, the Royal Navy's resolve to sink the Bismarck grew. Norfolk joined Prince of Wales shortly after the battle concluded, as the British destroyers tried to find survivors from Hood. Despite the damage sustained to Prince of Wales, she kept pace with Norfolk and Suffolk as the cruisers continued to shadow Bismarck. However, early in the morning on the 25th, the cruisers lost contact with Bismarck. Prince of Wales broke off to refuel, and Norfolk and Suffolk split up. Norfolk was operating independently when Bismarck was spotted on the 26th by a PBY flying boat. She rapidly closed the distance to the contact report until the morning of the 27th, where she made visual contact with the now crippled Bismarck and 0753. Shortly after, she sighted the battleships HMS King George V and Rodney under Admiral John Tovey, who had come to finish the job Norfolk had started four days prior. At 0847, with Norfolk 10 nautical miles away, the final action of the Bismarck began, with Norfolk's sister Dorsetshire joining from the south. Norfolk joined in the shelling, and claimed two torpedo hits on Bismarck. After just over an hour of intense action, the four British ships had fired 2,800 shells at Bismarck, scoring 400 hits, reducing the Bismarck to a wreck. Norfolk also claimed two torpedo hits on Bismarck. At 10:20, Tovey turned for home, and Dorsetshire finished off the Bismarck with torpedoes.

After the action, Norfolk returned to menial duties, now assigned the arduous task of escorting the Arctic convoys to the Soviet Union. She would participate in escorting the convoys through the unending daylight of the summers and the darkness of the arctic winters for the next few years.

On December 20, 1943, eastbound convoy JW 55B departed for the Soviet Union. Norfolk was at sea at the time escorting westbound convoy RA 55A back from Murmansk after an uneventful journey. The eastbound journey had been uneventful. It had been nearly a year since German capital ships had sortied against an Arctic convoy, at the Battle of the Barents Sea, and German battleships had been holed up in port since the loss of Bismarck. However, the two surviving battleships, Scharnhorst and Tirpitz, had proved a formidable fleet-in-being, and were always poised to strike from their Norwegian bases. Bruce Fraser, chief Admiral of the Home Fleet, and in charge of protecting the Arctic convoys, suspected that German surface ships may try to strike at JW 55B. He envisioned a decisive battle around Christmas against British and German battleships, where the threat of German battleships striking a the convoys could be permanently neutralized. On December 22, JW 55B was spotted by the Luftwaffe, and the next day, Fraser put to sea personally commanding his flagship HMS Duke of York, with a light cruiser and four destroyers as escort. Fraser proved to be correct, as on Christmas, Scharnhorst and five destroyers sortied from Norway.

As RA 55A was diverted north. Norfolk, along with light cruisers Belfast and Southampton, joined JW 55B instead. At 0900 on December 26, the cruisers encountered Scharnhorst, and immediately opened fire from 12,000 meters, destroying Scharnhorst's radar. Norfolk, whos guns produced the brightest flashes, was in turn targeted by Scharnhorst, but Scharnhorst soon broke off the battle, misidentifying Norfolk as a battleship. Norfolk and the cruisers pursued Scharnhorst, while struggling to keep pace in the heavy seas. Shortly after noon, the two sides exchanged fire again, disabling X turret on Norfolk and damaging her radar, but again broke off, while the German destroyers fruitlessly searched for JW 55B alone. Norfolk was eventually forced to retreat due to her damage, in addition to Southampton, leaving Belfast alone. However, they escaped undetected due to Scharnhorst's destroyed radar, and Belfast successfully maintained contact until Fraser arrived in Duke of York and sank Scharnhorst.

Following this, Norfolk eventually had her entire X turret removed and replaced with additional AA. These repairs and refits resulted in her being unable to participate in the D-Day landings. The rest of her wartime service was uneventful. On May 4, 1945, she served as the flagship of Operation Judgement, where Norfolk and several other ships escorted escort carriers for a raid on Kilbotn, Norway, where they sank a submarine and two other ships. After the war's conclusion, Norfolk ferried the Norwegian Royal Family back to Oslo, after their five year exile in London.

Norfolk remained in service until 1949, where she was transferred to reserve. In 1950, she sold off for scrapping. She was the third of five ships to bear the name Norfolk, and accounted for 6 of the 11 battle honors the lineage earned.

== Media ==

''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{ShipManufacturer Fairfields}}
{{Britain heavy cruisers}}

HMS Hawkins

2022-01-14T22:01:17Z

U6591054: /* General info */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_cruiser_hawkins
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British heavy cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.93 "Shark Attack"]].

Originally commissioned as 'large light cruisers', the Hawkins-class became the prototype for treaty-era heavy cruisers; as such, the Hawkins can be considered to be the oldest heavy cruiser in the game. Because of this, she features some rather antiquated features more reminiscent of World War I-era cruisers as opposed to other more modern heavy cruisers present in the game.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
The Hawkins has a distributed armour scheme that protects large parts of the hull from HE and light shells, similar to the contemporary British light cruiser [[HMS Enterprise]]. The maximum thickness of the belt is 76 mm surrounding the machinery spaces, thinning out to 63 mm, 50.8 mm, and 38 mm towards the bow, and 63 mm and 57 mm towards the stern. This is enough to protect against most HE shells from destroyers and cruisers, and when angled can also protect against destroyer and light cruiser AP shells. There is also an upper 50.8 mm strake of armour above the machinery main belt, which merges with the 50.8 mm bow belt. The decks are thinly protected by only 13 mm of armour, making the Hawkins quite vulnerable to plunging fire and aircraft weapons.

The ammunition magazines are further protected by armoured boxes with 13 mm sides and 25 mm roofs. However, it is important to note that the ready racks for the main guns are located outside these boxes. Hits to the ready racks may detonate the ready-use ammunition, which is not immediately fatal to the ship but will still cause heavy damage.

Hawkins' main guns are only lightly protected by 25 mm open-backed shields, typical of World War I-era cruisers. These guns can be disabled by nearby explosions if they occur behind the mounting. Unlike most cruisers, the Hawkins' fixed torpedo tubes are protected by armour plating. The underwater torpedo tubes are practically impossible to detonate, but the upper tubes can be vulnerable to shells that land on the 13 mm deck above them.

Unlike almost all British cruisers, the Hawkins has a relatively significant amount of armour protecting the bridge, consisting of 76.2 mm on the front and sides. It is important to note, however, that the roof of the bridge is unprotected, so overhead explosions can potentially damage or disable the bridge.

The Hawkins has a crew complement of 749, considerably more than that of the other 5.0 British cruisers, Enterprise, [[HMS Dido|Dido]], and [[HMS Arethusa|Arethusa]], and above average compared to those of other nations, except notably the Soviet cruisers [[Krasny Kavkaz]] and [[Krasny Krym]].

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Hawkins is the slowest British cruiser currently in the game, with a fully upgraded top speed of only 55 km/h. She is also quite long and bulky, making her handling and turning performance very poor, comparable to a battleship's mobility.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}
{{main|7.5 inch/45 BL Mk.VI (190 mm)}}


The Hawkins is armed with seven BL 7.5-inch Mark VI guns distributed in single mounts. Two of these are located amidships besides the second funnel, thus the Hawkins can only bring a maximum of six guns to bear on a broadside. These guns have a fairly high rate-of-fire for their calibre, each main gun mounting capable of up to 6 rounds/minute with the 10-round ready-use ammunition, dropping down to 5 rounds/minute once the ready-use ammunition has been expended. They have quite low horizontal dispersion, but noticeable vertical dispersion, which tends to lead to a lot of straddles even with accurate ranging.

There are two ammunition types available, HE and SAPC. The HE shell has a large explosive filler (8 kg TNTeq), is highly effective against lightly armoured targets such as destroyers, and will break the hulls of light patrol craft with a direct hit. The SAPC shell also has a large 4.29 kg TNTeq explosive filler, and is most effective against armoured targets such as cruisers. However, it has a low penetration power, making it ineffective at long ranges and against heavily armoured targets.

It is important to note that the 'X' mount (second stern-most mount) has significantly worse traverse arcs than the other main gun mounts because of some superstructure in the way. To fully unmask the maximum six-gun broadside requires exposing a lot more of the ship's broadside.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}
{{main|4 in QF Mark V (102 mm)}}


The Hawkins' secondary armament consists of four QF 4-inch Mark V guns. These guns are primarily meant for anti-aircraft defence, although they can also engage surface targets. However, their small numbers (only two per side), low rate-of-fire, and relatively weak shells limits their effectiveness against both surface and air targets. They also do not have access to HE-VT shells, unlike most secondary guns on other British cruisers, further restricting their ability against air targets.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}
{{main|2pdr QF Mk.VIII (40 mm)|20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)}}

''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.''

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}
{{main|Mk.V (533 mm)}}


The Hawkins is fitted with a total of six 21-inch torpedo tubes, three on each side of the ship. However, these are fixed torpedo tubes, thus requiring the whole ship to turn in order to aim them and making them very hard to use. Four of these are located under the aft mast and above the main armour belt, while another two are located underwater below the bridge.

These tubes fire 21-inch Mark V torpedoes. Without the torpedo mode installed, they have a range of only 4.57 km, severely restricting their usefulness as anything other than last-ditch close quarters weapons. With torpedo mode installed, the range extends to a more usable 12.34 km, at the cost of much reduced speed.

== Usage in battles ==

The Hawkins' main strength lies in its main guns. The BL 7.5-inch guns are very powerful for the battle rating, doing huge damage compared to the 6-inch (and smaller) guns of light cruisers. She also has the highest rate-of-fire of any of the 4.7–5.0 heavy cruisers (triple that of the [[IJN Kako|Kako]] and 50% more than the [[USS Northampton (CA-26)|USS Northampton]]). Both the HE and SAPC shells have very potent explosive fillers capable of causing lethal damage to destroyers and cruisers. At this battle rating, many cruisers and destroyers do not have fully enclosed main gun mountings, and it is not uncommon for a single HE shell from the Hawkins to disable multiple open gun mounts at a time. However, Hawkins' inefficient World War I-era layout means that she can only bring six guns to bear at most on a target, even though she has seven main guns.

The Hawkins has a fairly adequate AA armament, though it pales in comparison to its German and American rivals. The secondary armament is unremarkable, with just four 4-inch guns, and only two on a broadside. It's best not to rely on them. They also do not have access to HE-VT shells, which considerably limits their anti-aircraft capabilities. The Hawkins also has torpedo tubes, but these are fixed tubes that require the whole ship to turn in order to aim them. This considerably complicates their usage, especially in a close quarters fight, although their high speed (without torpedo mode installed) and powerful warheads somewhat make up for this. With the torpedo mode, they have a 12.34 km range but a much lower speed.

The Hawkins' armour layout is also more reminiscent of a World War I cruiser. The distributed armour can be difficult for destroyers and light cruisers to contend with, especially using HE, but the deck armour is dreadful. Bombs and rockets are especially dangerous. Turret protection is also non-existent and highly vulnerable to HE shells. The ready-use main gun ammunition is also located in exposed positions, and this can be detonated to cause heavy damage to the ship.

The Hawkins is slow, even for a heavy cruiser, doing just 55 km/h even when fully upgraded. This makes repositioning very difficult, and she is thus very unresponsive when facing quickly-changing situations. Her manoeuvrability is also very poor, which makes it very hard to evade shell salvos or torpedoes.

Altogether, the Hawkins tends to perform poorly at close ranges because of her poor handling and weak main armament protection. At medium ranges, she can take advantage of her decent accuracy and powerful shells, while her own armour is capable of blocking damage from lighter shells, and it is much harder for enemies to aim at the main guns to disable them. At long ranges (10+ km), the thin deck armour may be an issue, as she will start to receive plunging fire that hits the deck plating more than the belt.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* High rate of fire for the main gun calibre
* Large explosive filler in shells
* Above average close-range anti-aircraft armament
* Well-distributed hull armour protection against light AP shells and HE
* Fast and powerful close-range torpedoes
* Protected bridge

'''Cons:'''

* Poor speed and manoeuvrability, even for a heavy cruiser
* Thin deck protection and exposed ready-use ammunition
* SAPC shells have low penetration
* Poor secondary armament
* Thin main gun protection in open-backed mountings
* Fixed torpedo tubes

== History ==

HMS Hawkins (D86) was the lead ship of the Hawkins-class of heavy cruisers. Launched in 1917, the ship would go on to serve as the flagship of the 5th Light Cruiser squadron based in the Eastern theatre, as well as the flagship of the 2nd Wing based in the Atlantic. In 1930, she was decommissioned, had her armament removed and became a training ship. However, she was recommissioned in 1939 with the outbreak of the Second World War. Hawkins served as a convoy escort ship and participated in the D-Day naval bombardment. In early 1945, Hawkins was placed in reserve; she served as a cadet training ship and a target ship, and was scrapped in mid-1947.<ref name=":0">D-Day Encyclopedia. (n.d.)</ref>

=== Design and Construction ===
The Hawkins was the lead ship of the Hawkins-class of five heavy cruisers. Designed during the first half of WWI, the ships were designed as a series of fast, lightly-armoured heavy cruisers capable of hunting down similar German cruisers and commerce raiders of its era. By 1915, the design had been finalized, despite there being no need for a cruiser of its configuration due to the eradication of German commerce raiders.<ref name=":1">Alvama. (1970)</ref>

The ship was 184 metres long and displaced 12,190 tons full load.<ref name=":0" /> Main armament consisted of seven 7.5-inch (190 mm) guns in single mounts - five were mounted on the centreline while two were mounted at the sides. The ships initially carried a mix of 76 mm and 2-pounder (40 mm) AA guns, but these were removed in later refits. Hawkins was also initially armed with a pair of triple torpedo tubes, but these were removed in 1937. The ship had light armour protection with a maximum thickness of 3 inches (76 mm), and could make 30 knots (55 km/h).<ref name=":0" />

Five ships of the Hawkins-class were ordered: Hawkins, Raleigh, Frobisher, Effingham and Cavendish. However, Cavendish was reconstructed during construction as an aircraft carrier and entered service as HMS Vindictive. HMS Hawkins was laid down on June 3rd 1916 and launched on October 1st 1917. She was completed and commissioned in July 1919.<ref name=":1" />

=== Operational Service ===
[[File:HMS Hawkins Underway.jpg|thumb|490x490px|HMS Hawkins Underway, circa 1929-1935.]]
Following the completion of sea trials, Hawkins served as the flagship of the 5th Light Cruiser Fleet, based in the China Sea. She served in the Eastern Theatre until 1928, when she was transferred back to the Atlantic as the flagship of the 2nd Wing. In 1930, she was decommissioned and placed in reserve, where she was used by cadets of the Royal Navy for training purposes. In 1937, she had her 7.5-inch guns and torpedo tubes removed, as required by the London Naval Treaty.<ref name=":0" />

Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, Hawkins was recommissioned and had her main guns reinstalled. She was immediately deployed to the southern Atlantic, serving convoy escort duties. She served in the Indian ocean between 1942 and 1944, and captured many Axis merchantmen and freighters. She also served in the naval bombardment preceding the D-Day invasions.<ref name=":0" />

In August of 1944, Hawkins was again relegated to cadet-training units. She was placed into reserve and 1945, and served as a cadet training ship for an additional year. In 1947, she was used as a target ship for RAF bomb-dropping tests<ref name=":1" /> and was scrapped shortly thereafter.<ref name=":0" />

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_cruiser_hawkins Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==
''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


=== References ===

;Citations
<references />

;Bibliography

* D-Day Encyclopedia. (n.d.). HMS Hawkins - Battle of Normandy. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from <nowiki>https://www.dday-overlord.com/en/material/warships/hms-hawkins</nowiki>
* Alvama. (1970, January 01). British heavy cruiser HMS Hawkins (D86) 1916-1947. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from <nowiki>http://warshipsresearch.blogspot.com/2017/05/british-heavy-cruiser-hms-hawkins-d86.html</nowiki>

{{ShipManufacturer Chatham Dockyard}}
{{Britain heavy cruisers}}

HMS Hawkins

2022-01-14T21:57:06Z

U6591054: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_cruiser_hawkins
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British heavy cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.93 "Shark Attack"]].

Originally commissioned as 'large light cruisers', the Hawkins-class became the prototype for treaty-era heavy cruisers; as such, the Hawkins can be considered to be the oldest heavy cruiser in the game. Because of this, she features some rather antiquated features more reminiscent of World War I-era cruisers as opposed to other more modern heavy cruisers present in the game.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
The Hawkins has a distributed armour scheme that protects large parts of the hull from HE and light shells, similar to the contemporary British light cruiser [[HMS Enterprise]]. The maximum thickness of the belt is 76 mm surrounding the machinery spaces, thinning out to 63 mm, 50.8 mm, and 38 mm towards the bow, and 63 mm and 57 mm towards the stern. This is enough to protect against most HE shells from destroyers and cruisers, and when angled can also protect against destroyer and light cruiser AP shells. There is also an upper 50.8 mm strake of armour above the machinery main belt, which merges with the 50.8 mm bow belt. The decks are thinly protected by only 13 mm of armour, making the Hawkins quite vulnerable to plunging fire and aircraft weapons.

The ammunition magazines are further protected by armoured boxes with 13 mm sides and 25 mm roofs. However, it is important to note that the ready racks for the main guns are not located outside these boxes. Hits to the ready racks may detonate the ready-use ammunition, which is not immediately fatal to the ship but will still cause heavy damage.

Hawkins' main guns are only lightly protected by 25 mm open-backed shields, typical of World War I-era cruisers. These guns can be disabled by nearby explosions if they occur behind the mounting. Unlike most cruisers, the Hawkins' fixed torpedo tubes are protected by armour plating. The underwater torpedo tubes are practically impossible to detonate, but the upper tubes can be vulnerable to shells that land on the 13 mm deck above them.

Unlike almost all British cruisers, the Hawkins has a relatively significant amount of armour protecting the bridge, consisting of 76.2 mm on the front and sides. It is important to note, however, that the roof of the bridge is unprotected, so overhead explosions can potentially damage or disable the bridge.

The Hawkins has a crew complement of 749, considerably more than that of the other 5.0 British cruisers, Enterprise, [[HMS Dido|Dido]], and [[HMS Arethusa|Arethusa]], and above average compared to those of other nations, except notably the Soviet cruisers [[Krasny Kavkaz]] and [[Krasny Krym]].

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Hawkins is the slowest British cruiser currently in the game, with a fully upgraded top speed of only 55 km/h. She is also quite long and bulky, making her handling and turning performance very poor, comparable to a battleship's mobility.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}
{{main|7.5 inch/45 BL Mk.VI (190 mm)}}


The Hawkins is armed with seven BL 7.5-inch Mark VI guns distributed in single mounts. Two of these are located amidships besides the second funnel, thus the Hawkins can only bring a maximum of six guns to bear on a broadside. These guns have a fairly high rate-of-fire for their calibre, each main gun mounting capable of up to 6 rounds/minute with the 10-round ready-use ammunition, dropping down to 5 rounds/minute once the ready-use ammunition has been expended. They have quite low horizontal dispersion, but noticeable vertical dispersion, which tends to lead to a lot of straddles even with accurate ranging.

There are two ammunition types available, HE and SAPC. The HE shell has a large explosive filler (8 kg TNTeq), is highly effective against lightly armoured targets such as destroyers, and will break the hulls of light patrol craft with a direct hit. The SAPC shell also has a large 4.29 kg TNTeq explosive filler, and is most effective against armoured targets such as cruisers. However, it has a low penetration power, making it ineffective at long ranges and against heavily armoured targets.

It is important to note that the 'X' mount (second stern-most mount) has significantly worse traverse arcs than the other main gun mounts because of some superstructure in the way. To fully unmask the maximum six-gun broadside requires exposing a lot more of the ship's broadside.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}
{{main|4 in QF Mark V (102 mm)}}


The Hawkins' secondary armament consists of four QF 4-inch Mark V guns. These guns are primarily meant for anti-aircraft defence, although they can also engage surface targets. However, their small numbers (only two per side), low rate-of-fire, and relatively weak shells limits their effectiveness against both surface and air targets. They also do not have access to HE-VT shells, unlike most secondary guns on other British cruisers, further restricting their ability against air targets.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}
{{main|2pdr QF Mk.VIII (40 mm)|20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)}}

''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.''

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}
{{main|Mk.V (533 mm)}}


The Hawkins is fitted with a total of six 21-inch torpedo tubes, three on each side of the ship. However, these are fixed torpedo tubes, thus requiring the whole ship to turn in order to aim them and making them very hard to use. Four of these are located under the aft mast and above the main armour belt, while another two are located underwater below the bridge.

These tubes fire 21-inch Mark V torpedoes. Without the torpedo mode installed, they have a range of only 4.57 km, severely restricting their usefulness as anything other than last-ditch close quarters weapons. With torpedo mode installed, the range extends to a more usable 12.34 km, at the cost of much reduced speed.

== Usage in battles ==

The Hawkins' main strength lies in its main guns. The BL 7.5-inch guns are very powerful for the battle rating, doing huge damage compared to the 6-inch (and smaller) guns of light cruisers. She also has the highest rate-of-fire of any of the 4.7–5.0 heavy cruisers (triple that of the [[IJN Kako|Kako]] and 50% more than the [[USS Northampton (CA-26)|USS Northampton]]). Both the HE and SAPC shells have very potent explosive fillers capable of causing lethal damage to destroyers and cruisers. At this battle rating, many cruisers and destroyers do not have fully enclosed main gun mountings, and it is not uncommon for a single HE shell from the Hawkins to disable multiple open gun mounts at a time. However, Hawkins' inefficient World War I-era layout means that she can only bring six guns to bear at most on a target, even though she has seven main guns.

The Hawkins has a fairly adequate AA armament, though it pales in comparison to its German and American rivals. The secondary armament is unremarkable, with just four 4-inch guns, and only two on a broadside. It's best not to rely on them. They also do not have access to HE-VT shells, which considerably limits their anti-aircraft capabilities. The Hawkins also has torpedo tubes, but these are fixed tubes that require the whole ship to turn in order to aim them. This considerably complicates their usage, especially in a close quarters fight, although their high speed (without torpedo mode installed) and powerful warheads somewhat make up for this. With the torpedo mode, they have a 12.34 km range but a much lower speed.

The Hawkins' armour layout is also more reminiscent of a World War I cruiser. The distributed armour can be difficult for destroyers and light cruisers to contend with, especially using HE, but the deck armour is dreadful. Bombs and rockets are especially dangerous. Turret protection is also non-existent and highly vulnerable to HE shells. The ready-use main gun ammunition is also located in exposed positions, and this can be detonated to cause heavy damage to the ship.

The Hawkins is slow, even for a heavy cruiser, doing just 55 km/h even when fully upgraded. This makes repositioning very difficult, and she is thus very unresponsive when facing quickly-changing situations. Her manoeuvrability is also very poor, which makes it very hard to evade shell salvos or torpedoes.

Altogether, the Hawkins tends to perform poorly at close ranges because of her poor handling and weak main armament protection. At medium ranges, she can take advantage of her decent accuracy and powerful shells, while her own armour is capable of blocking damage from lighter shells, and it is much harder for enemies to aim at the main guns to disable them. At long ranges (10+ km), the thin deck armour may be an issue, as she will start to receive plunging fire that hits the deck plating more than the belt.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* High rate of fire for the main gun calibre
* Large explosive filler in shells
* Above average close-range anti-aircraft armament
* Well-distributed hull armour protection against light AP shells and HE
* Fast and powerful close-range torpedoes
* Protected bridge

'''Cons:'''

* Poor speed and manoeuvrability, even for a heavy cruiser
* Thin deck protection and exposed ready-use ammunition
* SAPC shells have low penetration
* Poor secondary armament
* Thin main gun protection in open-backed mountings
* Fixed torpedo tubes

== History ==

HMS Hawkins (D86) was the lead ship of the Hawkins-class of heavy cruisers. Launched in 1917, the ship would go on to serve as the flagship of the 5th Light Cruiser squadron based in the Eastern theatre, as well as the flagship of the 2nd Wing based in the Atlantic. In 1930, she was decommissioned, had her armament removed and became a training ship. However, she was recommissioned in 1939 with the outbreak of the Second World War. Hawkins served as a convoy escort ship and participated in the D-Day naval bombardment. In early 1945, Hawkins was placed in reserve; she served as a cadet training ship and a target ship, and was scrapped in mid-1947.<ref name=":0">D-Day Encyclopedia. (n.d.)</ref>

=== Design and Construction ===
The Hawkins was the lead ship of the Hawkins-class of five heavy cruisers. Designed during the first half of WWI, the ships were designed as a series of fast, lightly-armoured heavy cruisers capable of hunting down similar German cruisers and commerce raiders of its era. By 1915, the design had been finalized, despite there being no need for a cruiser of its configuration due to the eradication of German commerce raiders.<ref name=":1">Alvama. (1970)</ref>

The ship was 184 metres long and displaced 12,190 tons full load.<ref name=":0" /> Main armament consisted of seven 7.5-inch (190 mm) guns in single mounts - five were mounted on the centreline while two were mounted at the sides. The ships initially carried a mix of 76 mm and 2-pounder (40 mm) AA guns, but these were removed in later refits. Hawkins was also initially armed with a pair of triple torpedo tubes, but these were removed in 1937. The ship had light armour protection with a maximum thickness of 3 inches (76 mm), and could make 30 knots (55 km/h).<ref name=":0" />

Five ships of the Hawkins-class were ordered: Hawkins, Raleigh, Frobisher, Effingham and Cavendish. However, Cavendish was reconstructed during construction as an aircraft carrier and entered service as HMS Vindictive. HMS Hawkins was laid down on June 3rd 1916 and launched on October 1st 1917. She was completed and commissioned in July 1919.<ref name=":1" />

=== Operational Service ===
[[File:HMS Hawkins Underway.jpg|thumb|490x490px|HMS Hawkins Underway, circa 1929-1935.]]
Following the completion of sea trials, Hawkins served as the flagship of the 5th Light Cruiser Fleet, based in the China Sea. She served in the Eastern Theatre until 1928, when she was transferred back to the Atlantic as the flagship of the 2nd Wing. In 1930, she was decommissioned and placed in reserve, where she was used by cadets of the Royal Navy for training purposes. In 1937, she had her 7.5-inch guns and torpedo tubes removed, as required by the London Naval Treaty.<ref name=":0" />

Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, Hawkins was recommissioned and had her main guns reinstalled. She was immediately deployed to the southern Atlantic, serving convoy escort duties. She served in the Indian ocean between 1942 and 1944, and captured many Axis merchantmen and freighters. She also served in the naval bombardment preceding the D-Day invasions.<ref name=":0" />

In August of 1944, Hawkins was again relegated to cadet-training units. She was placed into reserve and 1945, and served as a cadet training ship for an additional year. In 1947, she was used as a target ship for RAF bomb-dropping tests<ref name=":1" /> and was scrapped shortly thereafter.<ref name=":0" />

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_cruiser_hawkins Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==
''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


=== References ===

;Citations
<references />

;Bibliography

* D-Day Encyclopedia. (n.d.). HMS Hawkins - Battle of Normandy. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from <nowiki>https://www.dday-overlord.com/en/material/warships/hms-hawkins</nowiki>
* Alvama. (1970, January 01). British heavy cruiser HMS Hawkins (D86) 1916-1947. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from <nowiki>http://warshipsresearch.blogspot.com/2017/05/british-heavy-cruiser-hms-hawkins-d86.html</nowiki>

{{ShipManufacturer Chatham Dockyard}}
{{Britain heavy cruisers}}

HMS Hawkins

2022-01-14T21:55:22Z

U6591054: /* Secondary armament */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_cruiser_hawkins
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British heavy cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.93 "Shark Attack"]].

Originally commissioned as 'large light cruisers', the Hawkins-class became the prototype for treaty-era heavy cruisers; as such, the Hawkins can be considered to be the oldest heavy cruiser in the game. Because of this, she features some rather antiquated features more reminiscent of World War I-era cruisers as opposed to other more modern heavy cruisers present in the game.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
The Hawkins has a distributed armour scheme that protects large parts of the hull from HE and light shells, similar to the contemporary British light cruiser [[HMS Enterprise]]. The maximum thickness of the belt is 76 mm surrounding the machinery spaces, thinning out to 63 mm, 50.8 mm, and 38 mm towards the bow, and 63 mm and 57 mm towards the stern. This is enough to protect against most HE shells from destroyers and cruisers, and when angled can also protect against destroyer and light cruiser AP shells. There is also an upper 50.8 mm strake of armour above the machinery main belt, which merges with the 50.8 mm bow belt. The decks are thinly protected by only 13 mm of armour, making the Hawkins quite vulnerable to plunging fire and aircraft weapons.

The ammunition magazines are further protected by armoured boxes with 13 mm sides and 25 mm roofs. However, it is important to note that the ready racks for the main guns are not located outside these boxes. Hits to the ready racks may detonate the ready-use ammunition, which is not immediately fatal to the ship but will still cause heavy damage.

Hawkins' main guns are only lightly protected by 25 mm open-backed shields, typical of World War I-era cruisers. These guns can be disabled by nearby explosions if they occur behind the mounting. Unlike most cruisers, the Hawkins' fixed torpedo tubes are protected by armour plating. The underwater torpedo tubes are practically impossible to detonate, but the upper tubes can be vulnerable to shells that land on the 13 mm deck above them.

Unlike almost all British cruisers, the Hawkins has a relatively significant amount of armour protecting the bridge, consisting of 76.2 mm on the front and sides. It is important to note, however, that the roof of the bridge is unprotected, so overhead explosions can potentially damage or disable the bridge.

The Hawkins has a crew complement of 749, considerably more than that of the other 5.0 British cruisers, Enterprise, [[HMS Dido|Dido]], and [[HMS Arethusa|Arethusa]], and above average compared to those of other nations, except notably the Soviet cruisers [[Krasny Kavkaz]] and [[Krasny Krym]].

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Hawkins is the slowest British cruiser currently in the game, with a fully upgraded top speed of only 55 km/h. She is also quite long and bulky, making her handling and turning performance very poor, comparable to a battleship's mobility.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}
{{main|7.5 inch/45 BL Mk.VI (190 mm)}}


The Hawkins is armed with seven BL 7.5-inch Mark VI guns distributed in single mounts. Two of these are located amidships besides the second funnel, thus the Hawkins can only bring a maximum of six guns to bear on a broadside. These guns have a fairly high rate-of-fire for their calibre, each main gun mounting capable of up to 6 rounds/minute with the 10-round ready-use ammunition, dropping down to 5 rounds/minute once the ready-use ammunition has been expended. They have quite low horizontal dispersion, but noticeable vertical dispersion, which tends to lead to a lot of straddles even with accurate ranging.

There are two ammunition types available, HE and SAPC. The HE shell has a large explosive filler (8 kg TNTeq), is highly effective against lightly armoured targets such as destroyers, and will break the hulls of light patrol craft with a direct hit. The SAPC shell also has a large 4.29 kg TNTeq explosive filler, and is most effective against armoured targets such as cruisers. However, it has a low penetration power, making it ineffective at long ranges and against heavily armoured targets.

It is important to note that the 'X' mount (second stern-most mount) has significantly worse traverse arcs than the other main gun mounts because of some superstructure in the way. To fully unmask the maximum six-gun broadside requires exposing a lot more of the ship's broadside.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}
{{main|4 in QF Mark V (102 mm)}}


The Hawkins' secondary armament consists of four QF 4-inch Mark V guns. These guns are primarily meant for anti-aircraft defence, although they can also engage surface targets. However, their small numbers (only two per side), low rate-of-fire, and relatively weak shells limits their effectiveness against both surface and air targets. They also do not have access to HE-VT shells, unlike most secondary guns on other British cruisers, further restricting their ability against air targets.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}
{{main|2pdr QF Mk.VIII (40 mm)|20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)}}

''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.''

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}
{{main|Mk.V (533 mm)}}


The Hawkins is fitted with a total of six 21-inch torpedo tubes, three on each side of the ship. However, these are fixed torpedo tubes, thus requiring the whole ship to turn in order to aim them and making them very hard to use. Four of these are located under the aft mast and above the main armour belt, while another two are located underwater below the bridge.

These tubes fire 21-inch Mark V torpedoes. Without the torpedo mode installed, they have a range of only 4.57 km, severely restricting their usefulness as anything other than last-ditch close quarters weapons. With torpedo mode installed, the range extends to a more usable 12.34 km, at the cost of much reduced speed.

== Usage in battles ==

The Hawkins' main strength lies in its main guns. The BL 7.5-inch guns are very powerful for the battle rating, doing huge damage compared to the 6-inch (and smaller) guns of light cruisers. She also has the highest rate-of-fire of any of the 4.7–5.0 heavy cruisers (triple that of the [[IJN Kako|Kako]] and 50% more than the [[USS Northampton (CA-26)|USS Northampton]]). Both the HE and SAPC shells have very potent explosive fillers capable of causing lethal damage to destroyers and cruisers. At this battle rating, many cruisers and destroyers do not have fully enclosed main gun mountings, and it is not uncommon for a single HE shell from the Hawkins to disable multiple open gun mounts at a time. However, Hawkins' inefficient World War I-era layout means that she can only bring six guns to bear at most on a target, even though she has seven main guns.

The Hawkins has a fairly adequate AA armament, though it pales in comparison to its German and American rivals. The secondary armament is unremarkable, with just four 4-inch guns, and only two on a broadside. It's best not to rely on them. They also do not have access to HE-VT shells, which considerably limits their anti-aircraft capabilities. The Hawkins also has torpedo tubes, but these are fixed tubes that require the whole ship to turn in order to aim them. This considerably complicates their usage, especially in a close quarters fight, although their high speed (without torpedo mode installed) and powerful warheads somewhat make up for this. With the torpedo mode, they have a 12.34 km range but a much lower speed.

The Hawkins' armour layout is also more reminiscent of a World War I cruiser. The distributed armour can be difficult for destroyers and light cruisers to contend with, especially using HE, but the deck armour is dreadful. Bombs and rockets are especially dangerous. Turret protection is also non-existent and highly vulnerable to HE shells. The ready-use main gun ammunition is also located in exposed positions, and this can be detonated to cause heavy damage to the ship.

The Hawkins is slow, even for a heavy cruiser, doing just 55 km/h even when fully upgraded. This makes repositioning very difficult, and she is thus very unresponsive when facing quickly-changing situations. Her manoeuvrability is also very poor, which makes it very hard to evade shell salvos or torpedoes.

Altogether, the Hawkins tends to perform poorly at close ranges because of her poor handling and weak main armament protection. At medium ranges, she can take advantage of her decent accuracy and powerful shells, while her own armour is capable of blocking damage from lighter shells, and it is much harder for enemies to aim at the main guns to disable them. At long ranges (10+ km), the thin deck armour may be an issue, as she will start to receive plunging fire that hits the deck plating more than the belt.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* High rate of fire for the main gun calibre
* Large explosive filler in shells
* Above average close-range anti-aircraft armament
* Well-distributed hull armour protection against light AP shells and HE
* Fast and powerful close-range torpedoes
* Protected bridge

'''Cons:'''

* Poor speed and manoeuvrability, even for a heavy cruiser
* Thin deck protection and exposed ready-use ammunition
* SAPC shells have low penetration power
* Poor secondary armament
* Thin turret protection in open-backed mountings
* Fixed torpedo tubes

== History ==

HMS Hawkins (D86) was the lead ship of the Hawkins-class of heavy cruisers. Launched in 1917, the ship would go on to serve as the flagship of the 5th Light Cruiser squadron based in the Eastern theatre, as well as the flagship of the 2nd Wing based in the Atlantic. In 1930, she was decommissioned, had her armament removed and became a training ship. However, she was recommissioned in 1939 with the outbreak of the Second World War. Hawkins served as a convoy escort ship and participated in the D-Day naval bombardment. In early 1945, Hawkins was placed in reserve; she served as a cadet training ship and a target ship, and was scrapped in mid-1947.<ref name=":0">D-Day Encyclopedia. (n.d.)</ref>

=== Design and Construction ===
The Hawkins was the lead ship of the Hawkins-class of five heavy cruisers. Designed during the first half of WWI, the ships were designed as a series of fast, lightly-armoured heavy cruisers capable of hunting down similar German cruisers and commerce raiders of its era. By 1915, the design had been finalized, despite there being no need for a cruiser of its configuration due to the eradication of German commerce raiders.<ref name=":1">Alvama. (1970)</ref>

The ship was 184 metres long and displaced 12,190 tons full load.<ref name=":0" /> Main armament consisted of seven 7.5-inch (190 mm) guns in single mounts - five were mounted on the centreline while two were mounted at the sides. The ships initially carried a mix of 76 mm and 2-pounder (40 mm) AA guns, but these were removed in later refits. Hawkins was also initially armed with a pair of triple torpedo tubes, but these were removed in 1937. The ship had light armour protection with a maximum thickness of 3 inches (76 mm), and could make 30 knots (55 km/h).<ref name=":0" />

Five ships of the Hawkins-class were ordered: Hawkins, Raleigh, Frobisher, Effingham and Cavendish. However, Cavendish was reconstructed during construction as an aircraft carrier and entered service as HMS Vindictive. HMS Hawkins was laid down on June 3rd 1916 and launched on October 1st 1917. She was completed and commissioned in July 1919.<ref name=":1" />

=== Operational Service ===
[[File:HMS Hawkins Underway.jpg|thumb|490x490px|HMS Hawkins Underway, circa 1929-1935.]]
Following the completion of sea trials, Hawkins served as the flagship of the 5th Light Cruiser Fleet, based in the China Sea. She served in the Eastern Theatre until 1928, when she was transferred back to the Atlantic as the flagship of the 2nd Wing. In 1930, she was decommissioned and placed in reserve, where she was used by cadets of the Royal Navy for training purposes. In 1937, she had her 7.5-inch guns and torpedo tubes removed, as required by the London Naval Treaty.<ref name=":0" />

Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, Hawkins was recommissioned and had her main guns reinstalled. She was immediately deployed to the southern Atlantic, serving convoy escort duties. She served in the Indian ocean between 1942 and 1944, and captured many Axis merchantmen and freighters. She also served in the naval bombardment preceding the D-Day invasions.<ref name=":0" />

In August of 1944, Hawkins was again relegated to cadet-training units. She was placed into reserve and 1945, and served as a cadet training ship for an additional year. In 1947, she was used as a target ship for RAF bomb-dropping tests<ref name=":1" /> and was scrapped shortly thereafter.<ref name=":0" />

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_cruiser_hawkins Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==
''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


=== References ===

;Citations
<references />

;Bibliography

* D-Day Encyclopedia. (n.d.). HMS Hawkins - Battle of Normandy. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from <nowiki>https://www.dday-overlord.com/en/material/warships/hms-hawkins</nowiki>
* Alvama. (1970, January 01). British heavy cruiser HMS Hawkins (D86) 1916-1947. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from <nowiki>http://warshipsresearch.blogspot.com/2017/05/british-heavy-cruiser-hms-hawkins-d86.html</nowiki>

{{ShipManufacturer Chatham Dockyard}}
{{Britain heavy cruisers}}

HMS Hawkins

2022-01-14T21:54:40Z

U6591054:

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_cruiser_hawkins
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British heavy cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.93 "Shark Attack"]].

Originally commissioned as 'large light cruisers', the Hawkins-class became the prototype for treaty-era heavy cruisers; as such, the Hawkins can be considered to be the oldest heavy cruiser in the game. Because of this, she features some rather antiquated features more reminiscent of World War I-era cruisers as opposed to other more modern heavy cruisers present in the game.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
The Hawkins has a distributed armour scheme that protects large parts of the hull from HE and light shells, similar to the contemporary British light cruiser [[HMS Enterprise]]. The maximum thickness of the belt is 76 mm surrounding the machinery spaces, thinning out to 63 mm, 50.8 mm, and 38 mm towards the bow, and 63 mm and 57 mm towards the stern. This is enough to protect against most HE shells from destroyers and cruisers, and when angled can also protect against destroyer and light cruiser AP shells. There is also an upper 50.8 mm strake of armour above the machinery main belt, which merges with the 50.8 mm bow belt. The decks are thinly protected by only 13 mm of armour, making the Hawkins quite vulnerable to plunging fire and aircraft weapons.

The ammunition magazines are further protected by armoured boxes with 13 mm sides and 25 mm roofs. However, it is important to note that the ready racks for the main guns are not located outside these boxes. Hits to the ready racks may detonate the ready-use ammunition, which is not immediately fatal to the ship but will still cause heavy damage.

Hawkins' main guns are only lightly protected by 25 mm open-backed shields, typical of World War I-era cruisers. These guns can be disabled by nearby explosions if they occur behind the mounting. Unlike most cruisers, the Hawkins' fixed torpedo tubes are protected by armour plating. The underwater torpedo tubes are practically impossible to detonate, but the upper tubes can be vulnerable to shells that land on the 13 mm deck above them.

Unlike almost all British cruisers, the Hawkins has a relatively significant amount of armour protecting the bridge, consisting of 76.2 mm on the front and sides. It is important to note, however, that the roof of the bridge is unprotected, so overhead explosions can potentially damage or disable the bridge.

The Hawkins has a crew complement of 749, considerably more than that of the other 5.0 British cruisers, Enterprise, [[HMS Dido|Dido]], and [[HMS Arethusa|Arethusa]], and above average compared to those of other nations, except notably the Soviet cruisers [[Krasny Kavkaz]] and [[Krasny Krym]].

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Hawkins is the slowest British cruiser currently in the game, with a fully upgraded top speed of only 55 km/h. She is also quite long and bulky, making her handling and turning performance very poor, comparable to a battleship's mobility.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}
{{main|7.5 inch/45 BL Mk.VI (190 mm)}}


The Hawkins is armed with seven BL 7.5-inch Mark VI guns distributed in single mounts. Two of these are located amidships besides the second funnel, thus the Hawkins can only bring a maximum of six guns to bear on a broadside. These guns have a fairly high rate-of-fire for their calibre, each main gun mounting capable of up to 6 rounds/minute with the 10-round ready-use ammunition, dropping down to 5 rounds/minute once the ready-use ammunition has been expended. They have quite low horizontal dispersion, but noticeable vertical dispersion, which tends to lead to a lot of straddles even with accurate ranging.

There are two ammunition types available, HE and SAPC. The HE shell has a large explosive filler (8 kg TNTeq), is highly effective against lightly armoured targets such as destroyers, and will break the hulls of light patrol craft with a direct hit. The SAPC shell also has a large 4.29 kg TNTeq explosive filler, and is most effective against armoured targets such as cruisers. However, it has a low penetration power, making it ineffective at long ranges and against heavily armoured targets.

It is important to note that the 'X' mount (second stern-most mount) has significantly worse traverse arcs than the other main gun mounts because of some superstructure in the way. To fully unmask the maximum six-gun broadside requires exposing a lot more of the ship's broadside.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}
{{main|4 in QF Mark V (102 mm)}}


The Hawkins' secondary armament consists of four QF 4-inch Mark V guns. These guns are primarily meant for anti-aircraft defence, although they can also engage surface targets. However, their small numbers (only two per side), low rate-of-fire, and relatively weak shells limits their effectiveness against both surface and air targets. They also do not have access to HE-VT shells, unlike most secondary guns on other British cruisers, further restricts their ability against air targets.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}
{{main|2pdr QF Mk.VIII (40 mm)|20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)}}

''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.''

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}
{{main|Mk.V (533 mm)}}


The Hawkins is fitted with a total of six 21-inch torpedo tubes, three on each side of the ship. However, these are fixed torpedo tubes, thus requiring the whole ship to turn in order to aim them and making them very hard to use. Four of these are located under the aft mast and above the main armour belt, while another two are located underwater below the bridge.

These tubes fire 21-inch Mark V torpedoes. Without the torpedo mode installed, they have a range of only 4.57 km, severely restricting their usefulness as anything other than last-ditch close quarters weapons. With torpedo mode installed, the range extends to a more usable 12.34 km, at the cost of much reduced speed.

== Usage in battles ==

The Hawkins' main strength lies in its main guns. The BL 7.5-inch guns are very powerful for the battle rating, doing huge damage compared to the 6-inch (and smaller) guns of light cruisers. She also has the highest rate-of-fire of any of the 4.7–5.0 heavy cruisers (triple that of the [[IJN Kako|Kako]] and 50% more than the [[USS Northampton (CA-26)|USS Northampton]]). Both the HE and SAPC shells have very potent explosive fillers capable of causing lethal damage to destroyers and cruisers. At this battle rating, many cruisers and destroyers do not have fully enclosed main gun mountings, and it is not uncommon for a single HE shell from the Hawkins to disable multiple open gun mounts at a time. However, Hawkins' inefficient World War I-era layout means that she can only bring six guns to bear at most on a target, even though she has seven main guns.

The Hawkins has a fairly adequate AA armament, though it pales in comparison to its German and American rivals. The secondary armament is unremarkable, with just four 4-inch guns, and only two on a broadside. It's best not to rely on them. They also do not have access to HE-VT shells, which considerably limits their anti-aircraft capabilities. The Hawkins also has torpedo tubes, but these are fixed tubes that require the whole ship to turn in order to aim them. This considerably complicates their usage, especially in a close quarters fight, although their high speed (without torpedo mode installed) and powerful warheads somewhat make up for this. With the torpedo mode, they have a 12.34 km range but a much lower speed.

The Hawkins' armour layout is also more reminiscent of a World War I cruiser. The distributed armour can be difficult for destroyers and light cruisers to contend with, especially using HE, but the deck armour is dreadful. Bombs and rockets are especially dangerous. Turret protection is also non-existent and highly vulnerable to HE shells. The ready-use main gun ammunition is also located in exposed positions, and this can be detonated to cause heavy damage to the ship.

The Hawkins is slow, even for a heavy cruiser, doing just 55 km/h even when fully upgraded. This makes repositioning very difficult, and she is thus very unresponsive when facing quickly-changing situations. Her manoeuvrability is also very poor, which makes it very hard to evade shell salvos or torpedoes.

Altogether, the Hawkins tends to perform poorly at close ranges because of her poor handling and weak main armament protection. At medium ranges, she can take advantage of her decent accuracy and powerful shells, while her own armour is capable of blocking damage from lighter shells, and it is much harder for enemies to aim at the main guns to disable them. At long ranges (10+ km), the thin deck armour may be an issue, as she will start to receive plunging fire that hits the deck plating more than the belt.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* High rate of fire for the main gun calibre
* Large explosive filler in shells
* Above average close-range anti-aircraft armament
* Well-distributed hull armour protection against light AP shells and HE
* Fast and powerful close-range torpedoes
* Protected bridge

'''Cons:'''

* Poor speed and manoeuvrability, even for a heavy cruiser
* Thin deck protection and exposed ready-use ammunition
* SAPC shells have low penetration power
* Poor secondary armament
* Thin turret protection in open-backed mountings
* Fixed torpedo tubes

== History ==

HMS Hawkins (D86) was the lead ship of the Hawkins-class of heavy cruisers. Launched in 1917, the ship would go on to serve as the flagship of the 5th Light Cruiser squadron based in the Eastern theatre, as well as the flagship of the 2nd Wing based in the Atlantic. In 1930, she was decommissioned, had her armament removed and became a training ship. However, she was recommissioned in 1939 with the outbreak of the Second World War. Hawkins served as a convoy escort ship and participated in the D-Day naval bombardment. In early 1945, Hawkins was placed in reserve; she served as a cadet training ship and a target ship, and was scrapped in mid-1947.<ref name=":0">D-Day Encyclopedia. (n.d.)</ref>

=== Design and Construction ===
The Hawkins was the lead ship of the Hawkins-class of five heavy cruisers. Designed during the first half of WWI, the ships were designed as a series of fast, lightly-armoured heavy cruisers capable of hunting down similar German cruisers and commerce raiders of its era. By 1915, the design had been finalized, despite there being no need for a cruiser of its configuration due to the eradication of German commerce raiders.<ref name=":1">Alvama. (1970)</ref>

The ship was 184 metres long and displaced 12,190 tons full load.<ref name=":0" /> Main armament consisted of seven 7.5-inch (190 mm) guns in single mounts - five were mounted on the centreline while two were mounted at the sides. The ships initially carried a mix of 76 mm and 2-pounder (40 mm) AA guns, but these were removed in later refits. Hawkins was also initially armed with a pair of triple torpedo tubes, but these were removed in 1937. The ship had light armour protection with a maximum thickness of 3 inches (76 mm), and could make 30 knots (55 km/h).<ref name=":0" />

Five ships of the Hawkins-class were ordered: Hawkins, Raleigh, Frobisher, Effingham and Cavendish. However, Cavendish was reconstructed during construction as an aircraft carrier and entered service as HMS Vindictive. HMS Hawkins was laid down on June 3rd 1916 and launched on October 1st 1917. She was completed and commissioned in July 1919.<ref name=":1" />

=== Operational Service ===
[[File:HMS Hawkins Underway.jpg|thumb|490x490px|HMS Hawkins Underway, circa 1929-1935.]]
Following the completion of sea trials, Hawkins served as the flagship of the 5th Light Cruiser Fleet, based in the China Sea. She served in the Eastern Theatre until 1928, when she was transferred back to the Atlantic as the flagship of the 2nd Wing. In 1930, she was decommissioned and placed in reserve, where she was used by cadets of the Royal Navy for training purposes. In 1937, she had her 7.5-inch guns and torpedo tubes removed, as required by the London Naval Treaty.<ref name=":0" />

Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, Hawkins was recommissioned and had her main guns reinstalled. She was immediately deployed to the southern Atlantic, serving convoy escort duties. She served in the Indian ocean between 1942 and 1944, and captured many Axis merchantmen and freighters. She also served in the naval bombardment preceding the D-Day invasions.<ref name=":0" />

In August of 1944, Hawkins was again relegated to cadet-training units. She was placed into reserve and 1945, and served as a cadet training ship for an additional year. In 1947, she was used as a target ship for RAF bomb-dropping tests<ref name=":1" /> and was scrapped shortly thereafter.<ref name=":0" />

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_cruiser_hawkins Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==
''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


=== References ===

;Citations
<references />

;Bibliography

* D-Day Encyclopedia. (n.d.). HMS Hawkins - Battle of Normandy. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from <nowiki>https://www.dday-overlord.com/en/material/warships/hms-hawkins</nowiki>
* Alvama. (1970, January 01). British heavy cruiser HMS Hawkins (D86) 1916-1947. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from <nowiki>http://warshipsresearch.blogspot.com/2017/05/british-heavy-cruiser-hms-hawkins-d86.html</nowiki>

{{ShipManufacturer Chatham Dockyard}}
{{Britain heavy cruisers}}

HMS Hawkins

2022-01-12T02:39:02Z

U6591054: /* Usage in battles */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_cruiser_hawkins
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British heavy cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.93 "Shark Attack"]].

Originally commissioned as 'large light cruisers', the Hawkins-class became the prototype for treaty-era heavy cruisers; as such, the Hawkins can be considered to be the oldest heavy cruiser in the game. Because of this, she features some rather antiquated features more reminiscent of World War I-era cruisers as opposed to other more modern heavy cruisers present in the game.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
The Hawkins has a distributed armour scheme that protects large parts of the hull from HE and light shells, similar to the contemporary British light cruiser [[HMS Enterprise]]. The maximum thickness of the belt is 76 mm surrounding the machinery spaces, thinning out to 63 mm, 50.8 mm, and 38 mm towards the bow, and 63 mm and 57 mm towards the stern. This is enough to protect against most HE shells from destroyers and cruisers, and when angled can also protect against destroyer and light cruiser AP shells. There is also an upper 50.8 mm strake of armour above the machinery main belt, which merges with the 50.8 mm bow belt. The decks are thinly protected by only 13 mm of armour, making the Hawkins quite vulnerable to plunging fire and aircraft weapons.

The ammunition magazines are further protected by armoured boxes with 13 mm sides and 25 mm roofs. However, it is important to note that the ready racks for the main guns are not located outside these boxes. Hits to the ready racks may detonate the ready-use ammunition, which is not immediately fatal to the ship but will still cause heavy damage.

Hawkins' main guns are only lightly protected by 25 mm open-backed shields, typical of World War I-era cruisers. These guns can be disabled by nearby explosions if they occur behind the mounting. Unlike most cruisers, the Hawkins' fixed torpedo tubes are protected by armour plating. The underwater torpedo tubes are practically impossible to detonate, but the upper tubes can be vulnerable to shells that land on the 13 mm deck above them.

Unlike almost all British cruisers, the Hawkins has a relatively significant amount of armour protecting the bridge, consisting of 76.2 mm on the front and sides. It is important to note, however, that the roof of the bridge is unprotected, so overhead explosions can potentially damage or disable the bridge.

The Hawkins has a crew complement of 749, considerably more than that of the other 5.0 British cruisers, Enterprise, [[HMS Dido|Dido]], and [[HMS Arethusa|Arethusa]], and above average compared to those of other nations, except notably the Soviet cruisers [[Krasny Kavkaz]] and [[Krasny Krym]].

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Hawkins is the slowest British cruiser currently in the game, with a fully upgraded top speed of only 55 km/h. She is also quite long and bulky, making her handling and turning performance very poor (comparable to a battleship).

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}
{{main|7.5 inch/45 BL Mk.VI (190 mm)}}


The Hawkins is armed with seven BL 7.5-inch Mark VI guns distributed in single mounts. Two of these are located amidships besides the second funnel, thus the Hawkins can only bring a maximum of six guns to bear on a broadside. These guns have a fairly high rate-of-fire for their calibre, each main gun mounting capable of up to 6 rounds/minute with the 10-round ready-use ammunition, dropping down to 5 rounds/minute once the ready-use ammunition has been expended. They have quite low horizontal dispersion, but noticeable vertical dispersion, which tends to lead to a lot of straddles even with accurate ranging.

There are two ammunition types available, HE and SAPC. The HE shell has a large explosive filler (8 kg TNT equivalent) and is highly effective against lightly armoured targets such as destroyers, and will break the hulls of light patrol craft with a direct hit. The SAPC shell also has a large 4.29 kg TNT equivalent filler, and is most effective against armoured targets such as cruisers. However, it has a low amount of penetration, making it ineffective at long ranges and against heavily armoured targets.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}
{{main|4 in QF Mark V (102 mm)}}

''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.''

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}
{{main|2pdr QF Mk.VIII (40 mm)|20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)}}

''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.''

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}
{{main|Mk.V (533 mm)}}


The Hawkins is fitted with a total of six 21-inch torpedo tubes, three on each side of the ship. However, these are fixed torpedo tubes, thus requiring the whole ship to turn in order to aim them and making them very hard to use. Four of these are located under the aft mast and above the main armour belt, while another two are located underwater below the bridge.

These tubes fire 21-inch Mark V torpedoes. Without the torpedo mode installed, they have a range of only 4.57 km, severely restricting their usefulness as anything other than last-ditch close quarters weapons. With torpedo mode installed, the range extends to a more usable 12.34 km, at the cost of much reduced speed.

== Usage in battles ==

The Hawkins' main strength lies in its main guns. The BL 7.5-inch guns are very powerful for the battle rating, doing huge damage compared to the 6-inch (and smaller) guns of light cruisers. She also has the highest rate-of-fire of any of the 4.7–5.0 heavy cruisers (triple that of the [[IJN Kako|Kako]] and 50% more than the [[USS Northampton (CA-26)|USS Northampton]]). Both the HE and SAPC shells have very potent explosive fillers capable of causing lethal damage to destroyers and cruisers. At this battle rating, many cruisers and destroyers do not have fully enclosed main gun mountings, and it is not uncommon for a single HE shell from the Hawkins to disable multiple open gun mounts at a time. However, Hawkins' inefficient World War I-era layout means that she can only bring six guns to bear at most on a target, even though she has seven main guns.

The Hawkins has a fairly adequate AA armament, though it pales in comparison to its German and American rivals. The secondary armament is unremarkable, with just four 4-inch guns, and only two on a broadside. It's best not to rely on them. They also do not have access to HE-VT shells, which considerably limits their anti-aircraft capabilities. The Hawkins also has torpedo tubes, but these are fixed tubes that require the whole ship to turn in order to aim them. This considerably complicates their usage, especially in a close quarters fight, although their high speed (without torpedo mode installed) and powerful warheads somewhat make up for this. With the torpedo mode, they have a 12.34 km range but a much lower speed.

The Hawkins' armour layout is also more reminiscent of a World War I cruiser. The distributed armour can be difficult for destroyers and light cruisers to contend with, especially using HE, but the deck armour is dreadful. Bombs and rockets are especially dangerous. Turret protection is also non-existent and highly vulnerable to HE shells. The ready-use main gun ammunition is also located in exposed positions, and this can be detonated to cause heavy damage to the ship.

The Hawkins is slow even for a heavy cruiser, doing just 55 km/h even when fully upgraded. This makes repositioning very difficult, and she is thus very inflexible when responding to changing situations. Her maneouvreability is also very poor, which makes it very hard to evade shells or torpedoes.

Altogether, the Hawkins tends to perform poorly at close ranges because of her poor handling and weak main armament protection. At medium ranges, she can take advantage of her decent accuracy and powerful shells, while her own armour is capable of blocking damage from lighter shells, and it is much harder for enemies to aim at the main guns to disable them. At long ranges (10+ km), the thin deck armour may be an issue, as she will start to receive plunging fire that hits the deck plating more than the belt.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* High rate-of-fire for the main gun calibre.
* Large shell explosive fillers.
* Above average close-range anti-aircraft armament.
* Well-distributed hull armour protection against light AP shells and HE.
* Fast and powerful close-range torpedoes.
* Protected bridge.

'''Cons:'''

* Poor speed and maneouvreability, even for a heavy cruiser.
* Thin deck protection and exposed ready-use ammunition.
* Low penetration with SAPC.
* Poor secondary armament.
* Thin turret protection in open-backed mountings.
* Fixed torpedo tubes.

== History ==

HMS Hawkins (D86) was the lead ship of the Hawkins-class of heavy cruisers. Launched in 1917, the ship would go on to serve as the flagship of the 5th Light Cruiser squadron based in the Eastern theatre, as well as the flagship of the 2nd Wing based in the Atlantic. In 1930, she was decommissioned, had her armament removed and became a training ship. However, she was recommissioned in 1939 with the outbreak of the Second World War. Hawkins served as a convoy escort ship and participated in the D-Day naval bombardment. In early 1945, Hawkins was placed in reserve; she served as a cadet training ship and a target ship, and was scrapped in mid-1947.<ref name=":0">D-Day Encyclopedia. (n.d.)</ref>

=== Design and Construction ===
The Hawkins was the lead ship of the Hawkins-class of five heavy cruisers. Designed during the first half of WWI, the ships were designed as a series of fast, lightly-armoured heavy cruisers capable of hunting down similar German cruisers and commerce raiders of its era. By 1915, the design had been finalized, despite there being no need for a cruiser of its configuration due to the eradication of German commerce raiders.<ref name=":1">Alvama. (1970)</ref>

The ship was 184 metres long and displaced 12,190 tons full load.<ref name=":0" /> Main armament consisted of seven 7.5-inch (190 mm) guns in single mounts - five were mounted on the centreline while two were mounted at the sides. The ships initially carried a mix of 76 mm and 2-pounder (40 mm) AA guns, but these were removed in later refits. Hawkins was also initially armed with a pair of triple torpedo tubes, but these were removed in 1937. The ship had light armour protection with a maximum thickness of 3 inches (76 mm), and could make 30 knots (55 km/h).<ref name=":0" />

Five ships of the Hawkins-class were ordered: Hawkins, Raleigh, Frobisher, Effingham and Cavendish. However, Cavendish was reconstructed during construction as an aircraft carrier and entered service as HMS Vindictive. HMS Hawkins was laid down on June 3rd 1916 and launched on October 1st 1917. She was completed and commissioned in July 1919.<ref name=":1" />

=== Operational Service ===
[[File:HMS Hawkins Underway.jpg|thumb|490x490px|HMS Hawkins Underway, circa 1929-1935.]]
Following the completion of sea trials, Hawkins served as the flagship of the 5th Light Cruiser Fleet, based in the China Sea. She served in the Eastern Theatre until 1928, when she was transferred back to the Atlantic as the flagship of the 2nd Wing. In 1930, she was decommissioned and placed in reserve, where she was used by cadets of the Royal Navy for training purposes. In 1937, she had her 7.5-inch guns and torpedo tubes removed, as required by the London Naval Treaty.<ref name=":0" />

Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, Hawkins was recommissioned and had her main guns reinstalled. She was immediately deployed to the southern Atlantic, serving convoy escort duties. She served in the Indian ocean between 1942 and 1944, and captured many Axis merchantmen and freighters. She also served in the naval bombardment preceding the D-Day invasions.<ref name=":0" />

In August of 1944, Hawkins was again relegated to cadet-training units. She was placed into reserve and 1945, and served as a cadet training ship for an additional year. In 1947, she was used as a target ship for RAF bomb-dropping tests<ref name=":1" /> and was scrapped shortly thereafter.<ref name=":0" />

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_cruiser_hawkins Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==
''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


=== References ===

;Citations
<references />

;Bibliography

* D-Day Encyclopedia. (n.d.). HMS Hawkins - Battle of Normandy. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from <nowiki>https://www.dday-overlord.com/en/material/warships/hms-hawkins</nowiki>
* Alvama. (1970, January 01). British heavy cruiser HMS Hawkins (D86) 1916-1947. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from <nowiki>http://warshipsresearch.blogspot.com/2017/05/british-heavy-cruiser-hms-hawkins-d86.html</nowiki>

{{ShipManufacturer Chatham Dockyard}}
{{Britain heavy cruisers}}

HMS Hawkins

2022-01-12T02:38:03Z

U6591054: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_cruiser_hawkins
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British heavy cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.93 "Shark Attack"]].

Originally commissioned as 'large light cruisers', the Hawkins-class became the prototype for treaty-era heavy cruisers; as such, the Hawkins can be considered to be the oldest heavy cruiser in the game. Because of this, she features some rather antiquated features more reminiscent of World War I-era cruisers as opposed to other more modern heavy cruisers present in the game.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
The Hawkins has a distributed armour scheme that protects large parts of the hull from HE and light shells, similar to the contemporary British light cruiser [[HMS Enterprise]]. The maximum thickness of the belt is 76 mm surrounding the machinery spaces, thinning out to 63 mm, 50.8 mm, and 38 mm towards the bow, and 63 mm and 57 mm towards the stern. This is enough to protect against most HE shells from destroyers and cruisers, and when angled can also protect against destroyer and light cruiser AP shells. There is also an upper 50.8 mm strake of armour above the machinery main belt, which merges with the 50.8 mm bow belt. The decks are thinly protected by only 13 mm of armour, making the Hawkins quite vulnerable to plunging fire and aircraft weapons.

The ammunition magazines are further protected by armoured boxes with 13 mm sides and 25 mm roofs. However, it is important to note that the ready racks for the main guns are not located outside these boxes. Hits to the ready racks may detonate the ready-use ammunition, which is not immediately fatal to the ship but will still cause heavy damage.

Hawkins' main guns are only lightly protected by 25 mm open-backed shields, typical of World War I-era cruisers. These guns can be disabled by nearby explosions if they occur behind the mounting. Unlike most cruisers, the Hawkins' fixed torpedo tubes are protected by armour plating. The underwater torpedo tubes are practically impossible to detonate, but the upper tubes can be vulnerable to shells that land on the 13 mm deck above them.

Unlike almost all British cruisers, the Hawkins has a relatively significant amount of armour protecting the bridge, consisting of 76.2 mm on the front and sides. It is important to note, however, that the roof of the bridge is unprotected, so overhead explosions can potentially damage or disable the bridge.

The Hawkins has a crew complement of 749, considerably more than that of the other 5.0 British cruisers, Enterprise, [[HMS Dido|Dido]], and [[HMS Arethusa|Arethusa]], and above average compared to those of other nations, except notably the Soviet cruisers [[Krasny Kavkaz]] and [[Krasny Krym]].

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Hawkins is the slowest British cruiser currently in the game, with a fully upgraded top speed of only 55 km/h. She is also quite long and bulky, making her handling and turning performance very poor (comparable to a battleship).

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}
{{main|7.5 inch/45 BL Mk.VI (190 mm)}}


The Hawkins is armed with seven BL 7.5-inch Mark VI guns distributed in single mounts. Two of these are located amidships besides the second funnel, thus the Hawkins can only bring a maximum of six guns to bear on a broadside. These guns have a fairly high rate-of-fire for their calibre, each main gun mounting capable of up to 6 rounds/minute with the 10-round ready-use ammunition, dropping down to 5 rounds/minute once the ready-use ammunition has been expended. They have quite low horizontal dispersion, but noticeable vertical dispersion, which tends to lead to a lot of straddles even with accurate ranging.

There are two ammunition types available, HE and SAPC. The HE shell has a large explosive filler (8 kg TNT equivalent) and is highly effective against lightly armoured targets such as destroyers, and will break the hulls of light patrol craft with a direct hit. The SAPC shell also has a large 4.29 kg TNT equivalent filler, and is most effective against armoured targets such as cruisers. However, it has a low amount of penetration, making it ineffective at long ranges and against heavily armoured targets.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}
{{main|4 in QF Mark V (102 mm)}}

''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.''

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}
{{main|2pdr QF Mk.VIII (40 mm)|20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)}}

''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.''

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}
{{main|Mk.V (533 mm)}}


The Hawkins is fitted with a total of six 21-inch torpedo tubes, three on each side of the ship. However, these are fixed torpedo tubes, thus requiring the whole ship to turn in order to aim them and making them very hard to use. Four of these are located under the aft mast and above the main armour belt, while another two are located underwater below the bridge.

These tubes fire 21-inch Mark V torpedoes. Without the torpedo mode installed, they have a range of only 4.57 km, severely restricting their usefulness as anything other than last-ditch close quarters weapons. With torpedo mode installed, the range extends to a more usable 12.34 km, at the cost of much reduced speed.

== Usage in battles ==

The Hawkins' main strength lies in its main guns. The BL 7.5-inch guns are very powerful for the battle rating, doing huge damage compared to the 6-inch (and smaller) guns of light cruisers. She also has the highest rate-of-fire of any of the 4.7–5.0 heavy cruisers (triple that of the [[IJN Kako|Kako]] and 50% more than the [[USS Northampton (CA-26)|USS Northampton]]). Both the HE and SAPC shells have very potent explosive fillers capable of causing lethal damage to destroyers and cruisers. At this battle rating, many cruisers and destroyers do not have fully enclosed main gun mountings, and it is not uncommon for a single HE shell from the Hawkins to disable multiple open gun mounts at a time. However, Hawkins' inefficient World War I-era layout means that she can only bring six guns to bear at most on a target, even though she has seven main guns.

The Hawkins has a fairly adequate AA armament, though it pales in comparison to its German and American rivals. The secondary armament is unremarkable, with just four 4-inch guns, and only two on a broadside. It's best not to rely on them. They also do not have access to HE-VT shells, which considerably limits their anti-aircraft capabilities. The Hawkins also has torpedo tubes, but these are fixed tubes that require the whole ship to turn in order to aim them. This considerably complicates their usage, especially in a close quarters fight, although their high speed (without torpedo mode installed) and powerful warheads somewhat make up for this. With the torpedo mode, they have a 12.34 km range but a much lower speed.

The Hawkins' armour layout is also more reminiscent of a World War I cruiser. The distributed armour can be difficult for destroyers and light cruisers to contend with, especially using HE, but the deck armour is dreadful. Bombs and rockets are especially dangerous. Turret protection is also non-existent and highly vulnerable to HE shells. The ready-use main gun ammunition is also located in exposed positions, and this can be detonated to cause heavy damage to the ship.

The Hawkins is slow even for a heavy cruiser, doing just 55 km/h even when fully upgraded. This makes repositioning very difficult, and she is thus very inflexible when responding to changing situations. Her maneouvreability is also very poor, which makes it very hard to evade shells or torpedoes.

Altogether, the Hawkins tends to perform poorly at close ranges because of her poor handling and weak main armament protection. At medium ranges, she can take advantage of her decent accuracy and powerful shells, while her own armour is capable of blocking damage from lighter shells, and it is much harder for them to aim at the main guns to disable them. At long ranges (10+ km), the thin deck armour may be an issue, as she will start to receive plunging fire that hits the deck plating more than the belt.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* High rate-of-fire for the main gun calibre.
* Large shell explosive fillers.
* Above average close-range anti-aircraft armament.
* Well-distributed hull armour protection against light AP shells and HE.
* Fast and powerful close-range torpedoes.
* Protected bridge.

'''Cons:'''

* Poor speed and maneouvreability, even for a heavy cruiser.
* Thin deck protection and exposed ready-use ammunition.
* Low penetration with SAPC.
* Poor secondary armament.
* Thin turret protection in open-backed mountings.
* Fixed torpedo tubes.

== History ==

HMS Hawkins (D86) was the lead ship of the Hawkins-class of heavy cruisers. Launched in 1917, the ship would go on to serve as the flagship of the 5th Light Cruiser squadron based in the Eastern theatre, as well as the flagship of the 2nd Wing based in the Atlantic. In 1930, she was decommissioned, had her armament removed and became a training ship. However, she was recommissioned in 1939 with the outbreak of the Second World War. Hawkins served as a convoy escort ship and participated in the D-Day naval bombardment. In early 1945, Hawkins was placed in reserve; she served as a cadet training ship and a target ship, and was scrapped in mid-1947.<ref name=":0">D-Day Encyclopedia. (n.d.)</ref>

=== Design and Construction ===
The Hawkins was the lead ship of the Hawkins-class of five heavy cruisers. Designed during the first half of WWI, the ships were designed as a series of fast, lightly-armoured heavy cruisers capable of hunting down similar German cruisers and commerce raiders of its era. By 1915, the design had been finalized, despite there being no need for a cruiser of its configuration due to the eradication of German commerce raiders.<ref name=":1">Alvama. (1970)</ref>

The ship was 184 metres long and displaced 12,190 tons full load.<ref name=":0" /> Main armament consisted of seven 7.5-inch (190 mm) guns in single mounts - five were mounted on the centreline while two were mounted at the sides. The ships initially carried a mix of 76 mm and 2-pounder (40 mm) AA guns, but these were removed in later refits. Hawkins was also initially armed with a pair of triple torpedo tubes, but these were removed in 1937. The ship had light armour protection with a maximum thickness of 3 inches (76 mm), and could make 30 knots (55 km/h).<ref name=":0" />

Five ships of the Hawkins-class were ordered: Hawkins, Raleigh, Frobisher, Effingham and Cavendish. However, Cavendish was reconstructed during construction as an aircraft carrier and entered service as HMS Vindictive. HMS Hawkins was laid down on June 3rd 1916 and launched on October 1st 1917. She was completed and commissioned in July 1919.<ref name=":1" />

=== Operational Service ===
[[File:HMS Hawkins Underway.jpg|thumb|490x490px|HMS Hawkins Underway, circa 1929-1935.]]
Following the completion of sea trials, Hawkins served as the flagship of the 5th Light Cruiser Fleet, based in the China Sea. She served in the Eastern Theatre until 1928, when she was transferred back to the Atlantic as the flagship of the 2nd Wing. In 1930, she was decommissioned and placed in reserve, where she was used by cadets of the Royal Navy for training purposes. In 1937, she had her 7.5-inch guns and torpedo tubes removed, as required by the London Naval Treaty.<ref name=":0" />

Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, Hawkins was recommissioned and had her main guns reinstalled. She was immediately deployed to the southern Atlantic, serving convoy escort duties. She served in the Indian ocean between 1942 and 1944, and captured many Axis merchantmen and freighters. She also served in the naval bombardment preceding the D-Day invasions.<ref name=":0" />

In August of 1944, Hawkins was again relegated to cadet-training units. She was placed into reserve and 1945, and served as a cadet training ship for an additional year. In 1947, she was used as a target ship for RAF bomb-dropping tests<ref name=":1" /> and was scrapped shortly thereafter.<ref name=":0" />

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_cruiser_hawkins Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==
''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


=== References ===

;Citations
<references />

;Bibliography

* D-Day Encyclopedia. (n.d.). HMS Hawkins - Battle of Normandy. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from <nowiki>https://www.dday-overlord.com/en/material/warships/hms-hawkins</nowiki>
* Alvama. (1970, January 01). British heavy cruiser HMS Hawkins (D86) 1916-1947. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from <nowiki>http://warshipsresearch.blogspot.com/2017/05/british-heavy-cruiser-hms-hawkins-d86.html</nowiki>

{{ShipManufacturer Chatham Dockyard}}
{{Britain heavy cruisers}}

HMS Hawkins

2022-01-12T02:36:58Z

U6591054: /* Primary armament */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_cruiser_hawkins
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British heavy cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.93 "Shark Attack"]].

Originally commissioned as 'large light cruisers', the Hawkins-class became the prototype for treaty-era heavy cruisers; as such, the Hawkins can be considered to be the oldest heavy cruiser in the game. Because of this, she features some rather antiquated features more reminiscent of World War I-era cruisers as opposed to other more modern heavy cruisers present in the game.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
The Hawkins has a distributed armour scheme that protects large parts of the hull from HE and light shells, similar to the contemporary British light cruiser [[HMS Enterprise]]. The maximum thickness of the belt is 76 mm surrounding the machinery spaces, thinning out to 63 mm, 50.8 mm, and 38 mm towards the bow, and 63 mm and 57 mm towards the stern. This is enough to protect against most HE shells from destroyers and cruisers, and when angled can also protect against destroyer and light cruiser AP shells. There is also an upper 50.8 mm strake of armour above the machinery main belt, which merges with the 50.8 mm bow belt. The decks are thinly protected by only 13 mm of armour, making the Hawkins quite vulnerable to plunging fire and aircraft weapons.

The ammunition magazines are further protected by armoured boxes with 13 mm sides and 25 mm roofs. However, it is important to note that the ready racks for the main guns are not located outside these boxes. Hits to the ready racks may detonate the ready-use ammunition, which is not immediately fatal to the ship but will still cause heavy damage.

Hawkins' main guns are only lightly protected by 25 mm open-backed shields, typical of World War I-era cruisers. These guns can be disabled by nearby explosions if they occur behind the mounting. Unlike most cruisers, the Hawkins' fixed torpedo tubes are protected by armour plating. The underwater torpedo tubes are practically impossible to detonate, but the upper tubes can be vulnerable to shells that land on the 13 mm deck above them.

Unlike almost all British cruisers, the Hawkins has a relatively significant amount of armour protecting the bridge, consisting of 76.2 mm on the front and sides. It is important to note, however, that the roof of the bridge is unprotected, so overhead explosions can potentially damage or disable the bridge.

The Hawkins has a crew complement of 749, considerably more than that of the other 5.0 British cruisers, Enterprise, [[HMS Dido|Dido]], and [[HMS Arethusa|Arethusa]], and above average compared to those of other nations, except notably the Soviet cruisers [[Krasny Kavkaz]] and [[Krasny Krym]].

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Hawkins is the slowest British cruiser currently in the game, with a fully upgraded top speed of only 55 km/h. She is also quite long and bulky, making her handling and turning performance very poor (comparable to a battleship).

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}
{{main|7.5 inch/45 BL Mk.VI (190 mm)}}


The Hawkins is armed with seven BL 7.5-inch Mark VI guns distributed in single mounts. Two of these are located amidships besides the second funnel, thus the Hawkins can only bring a maximum of six guns to bear on a broadside. These guns have a fairly high rate-of-fire for their calibre, each main gun mounting capable of up to 6 rounds/minute with the 10-round ready-use ammunition, dropping down to 5 rounds/minute once the ready-use ammunition has been expended. They have quite low horizontal dispersion, but noticeable vertical dispersion, which tends to lead to a lot of straddles even with accurate ranging.

There are two ammunition types available, HE and SAPC. The HE shell has a large explosive filler (8 kg TNT equivalent) and is highly effective against lightly armoured targets such as destroyers, and will break the hulls of light patrol craft with a direct hit. The SAPC shell also has a large 4.29 kg TNT equivalent filler, and is most effective against armoured targets such as cruisers. However, it has a low amount of penetration, making it ineffective at long ranges and against heavily armoured targets.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}
{{main|4 in QF Mark V (102 mm)}}

''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.''

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}
{{main|2pdr QF Mk.VIII (40 mm)|20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)}}

''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.''

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}
{{main|Mk.V (533 mm)}}


The Hawkins is fitted with a total of six 21-inch torpedo tubes, three on each side of the ship. However, these are fixed torpedo tubes, thus requiring the whole ship to turn in order to aim them and making them very hard to use. Four of these are located under the aft mast and above the main armour belt, while another two are located underwater below the bridge.

These tubes fire 21-inch Mark V torpedoes. Without the torpedo mode installed, they have a range of only 4.57 km, severely restricting their usefulness as anything other than last-ditch close quarters weapons. With torpedo mode installed, the range extends to a more usable 12.34 km, at the cost of much reduced speed.

== Usage in battles ==

The Hawkins' main strength lies in its main guns. The BL 7.5-inch guns are very powerful for the battle rating, doing huge damage compared to the 6-inch (and smaller) guns of light cruisers. She also has the highest rate-of-fire of any of the 4.7–5.0 heavy cruisers (triple that of the [[IJN Kako|Kako]] and 50% more than the [[USS Northampton (CA-26)|USS Northampton]]). Both the HE and SAPC shells have very potent explosive fillers capable of causing lethal damage to destroyers and cruisers. At this battle rating, many cruisers and destroyers do not have fully enclosed main gun mountings, and it is not uncommon for a single HE shell from the Hawkins to disable multiple open gun mounts at a time. However, Hawkins' inefficient World War I-era layout means that she can only bring six guns to bear at most on a target, even though she has seven main guns.

The Hawkins has a fairly adequate AA armament, though it pales in comparison to its German and American rivals. The secondary armament is unremarkable, with just four 4-inch guns, and only two on a broadside. It's best not to rely on them. They also do not have access to HE-VT shells, which considerably limits their anti-aircraft capabilities. The Hawkins also has torpedo tubes, but these are fixed tubes that require the whole ship to turn in order to aim them. This considerably complicates their usage, especially in a close quarters fight, although their high speed (without torpedo mode installed) and powerful warheads somewhat make up for this. With the torpedo mode, they have a 12.34 km range but a much lower speed.

The Hawkins' armour layout is also more reminiscent of a World War I cruiser. The distributed armour can be difficult for destroyers and light cruisers to contend with, especially using HE, but the deck armour is dreadful. Bombs and rockets are especially dangerous. Turret protection is also non-existent and highly vulnerable to HE shells. The ready-use main gun ammunition is also located in exposed positions, and this can be detonated to cause heavy damage to the ship.

The Hawkins is slow even for a heavy cruiser, doing just 55 km/h even when fully upgraded. This makes repositioning very difficult, and she is thus very inflexible when responding to changing situations. Her maneouvreability is also very poor, which makes it very hard to evade shells or torpedoes.

Altogether, the Hawkins tends to perform poorly at close ranges because of her poor handling and weak main armament protection. At medium ranges, she can take advantage of her decent accuracy and powerful shells, while her own armour is capable of blocking damage from lighter shells, and it is much harder for them to aim at the main guns to disable them. At long ranges (10+ km), the thin deck armour may be an issue, as she will start to receive plunging fire that hits the deck plating more than the belt.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Powerful main guns with a high rate-of-fire for their calibre.
* Above average close-range anti-aircraft armament.
* Well-distributed armour protection against light AP shells and HE.
* Fast and powerful close-range torpedoes.
* Protected bridge.

'''Cons:'''

* Poor speed and maneouvreability, even for a heavy cruiser.
* Thin deck protection and exposed ready-use ammunition.
* Low penetration with SAPC.
* Poor secondary armament.
* Thin turret protection in open-backed mountings.
* Fixed torpedo tubes.

== History ==

HMS Hawkins (D86) was the lead ship of the Hawkins-class of heavy cruisers. Launched in 1917, the ship would go on to serve as the flagship of the 5th Light Cruiser squadron based in the Eastern theatre, as well as the flagship of the 2nd Wing based in the Atlantic. In 1930, she was decommissioned, had her armament removed and became a training ship. However, she was recommissioned in 1939 with the outbreak of the Second World War. Hawkins served as a convoy escort ship and participated in the D-Day naval bombardment. In early 1945, Hawkins was placed in reserve; she served as a cadet training ship and a target ship, and was scrapped in mid-1947.<ref name=":0">D-Day Encyclopedia. (n.d.)</ref>

=== Design and Construction ===
The Hawkins was the lead ship of the Hawkins-class of five heavy cruisers. Designed during the first half of WWI, the ships were designed as a series of fast, lightly-armoured heavy cruisers capable of hunting down similar German cruisers and commerce raiders of its era. By 1915, the design had been finalized, despite there being no need for a cruiser of its configuration due to the eradication of German commerce raiders.<ref name=":1">Alvama. (1970)</ref>

The ship was 184 metres long and displaced 12,190 tons full load.<ref name=":0" /> Main armament consisted of seven 7.5-inch (190 mm) guns in single mounts - five were mounted on the centreline while two were mounted at the sides. The ships initially carried a mix of 76 mm and 2-pounder (40 mm) AA guns, but these were removed in later refits. Hawkins was also initially armed with a pair of triple torpedo tubes, but these were removed in 1937. The ship had light armour protection with a maximum thickness of 3 inches (76 mm), and could make 30 knots (55 km/h).<ref name=":0" />

Five ships of the Hawkins-class were ordered: Hawkins, Raleigh, Frobisher, Effingham and Cavendish. However, Cavendish was reconstructed during construction as an aircraft carrier and entered service as HMS Vindictive. HMS Hawkins was laid down on June 3rd 1916 and launched on October 1st 1917. She was completed and commissioned in July 1919.<ref name=":1" />

=== Operational Service ===
[[File:HMS Hawkins Underway.jpg|thumb|490x490px|HMS Hawkins Underway, circa 1929-1935.]]
Following the completion of sea trials, Hawkins served as the flagship of the 5th Light Cruiser Fleet, based in the China Sea. She served in the Eastern Theatre until 1928, when she was transferred back to the Atlantic as the flagship of the 2nd Wing. In 1930, she was decommissioned and placed in reserve, where she was used by cadets of the Royal Navy for training purposes. In 1937, she had her 7.5-inch guns and torpedo tubes removed, as required by the London Naval Treaty.<ref name=":0" />

Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, Hawkins was recommissioned and had her main guns reinstalled. She was immediately deployed to the southern Atlantic, serving convoy escort duties. She served in the Indian ocean between 1942 and 1944, and captured many Axis merchantmen and freighters. She also served in the naval bombardment preceding the D-Day invasions.<ref name=":0" />

In August of 1944, Hawkins was again relegated to cadet-training units. She was placed into reserve and 1945, and served as a cadet training ship for an additional year. In 1947, she was used as a target ship for RAF bomb-dropping tests<ref name=":1" /> and was scrapped shortly thereafter.<ref name=":0" />

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_cruiser_hawkins Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==
''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


=== References ===

;Citations
<references />

;Bibliography

* D-Day Encyclopedia. (n.d.). HMS Hawkins - Battle of Normandy. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from <nowiki>https://www.dday-overlord.com/en/material/warships/hms-hawkins</nowiki>
* Alvama. (1970, January 01). British heavy cruiser HMS Hawkins (D86) 1916-1947. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from <nowiki>http://warshipsresearch.blogspot.com/2017/05/british-heavy-cruiser-hms-hawkins-d86.html</nowiki>

{{ShipManufacturer Chatham Dockyard}}
{{Britain heavy cruisers}}

HMS Hawkins

2022-01-12T02:35:23Z

U6591054:

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_cruiser_hawkins
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British heavy cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.93 "Shark Attack"]].

Originally commissioned as 'large light cruisers', the Hawkins-class became the prototype for treaty-era heavy cruisers; as such, the Hawkins can be considered to be the oldest heavy cruiser in the game. Because of this, she features some rather antiquated features more reminiscent of World War I-era cruisers as opposed to other more modern heavy cruisers present in the game.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
The Hawkins has a distributed armour scheme that protects large parts of the hull from HE and light shells, similar to the contemporary British light cruiser [[HMS Enterprise]]. The maximum thickness of the belt is 76 mm surrounding the machinery spaces, thinning out to 63 mm, 50.8 mm, and 38 mm towards the bow, and 63 mm and 57 mm towards the stern. This is enough to protect against most HE shells from destroyers and cruisers, and when angled can also protect against destroyer and light cruiser AP shells. There is also an upper 50.8 mm strake of armour above the machinery main belt, which merges with the 50.8 mm bow belt. The decks are thinly protected by only 13 mm of armour, making the Hawkins quite vulnerable to plunging fire and aircraft weapons.

The ammunition magazines are further protected by armoured boxes with 13 mm sides and 25 mm roofs. However, it is important to note that the ready racks for the main guns are not located outside these boxes. Hits to the ready racks may detonate the ready-use ammunition, which is not immediately fatal to the ship but will still cause heavy damage.

Hawkins' main guns are only lightly protected by 25 mm open-backed shields, typical of World War I-era cruisers. These guns can be disabled by nearby explosions if they occur behind the mounting. Unlike most cruisers, the Hawkins' fixed torpedo tubes are protected by armour plating. The underwater torpedo tubes are practically impossible to detonate, but the upper tubes can be vulnerable to shells that land on the 13 mm deck above them.

Unlike almost all British cruisers, the Hawkins has a relatively significant amount of armour protecting the bridge, consisting of 76.2 mm on the front and sides. It is important to note, however, that the roof of the bridge is unprotected, so overhead explosions can potentially damage or disable the bridge.

The Hawkins has a crew complement of 749, considerably more than that of the other 5.0 British cruisers, Enterprise, [[HMS Dido|Dido]], and [[HMS Arethusa|Arethusa]], and above average compared to those of other nations, except notably the Soviet cruisers [[Krasny Kavkaz]] and [[Krasny Krym]].

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Hawkins is the slowest British cruiser currently in the game, with a fully upgraded top speed of only 55 km/h. She is also quite long and bulky, making her handling and turning performance very poor (comparable to a battleship).

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}
{{main|7.5 inch/45 BL Mk.VI (190 mm)}}


The Hawkins is armed with seven BL 7.5-inch Mark VI guns distributed in single mounts. Two of these are located amidships besides the second funnel, thus the Hawkins can only bring a maximum of six guns to bear on a broadside. These guns have a fairly high rate-of-fire for their calibre, each main gun mounting capable of up to 6 rounds/minute with the 10-round ready-use ammunition, dropping down to 5 rounds/minute once the ready-use ammunition has been expended. They have quite low horizontal dispersion, but noticeable vertical dispersion, which tends to lead to a lot of straddles even with accurate ranging.

There are two ammunition types available, HE and SAPC. The HE shell has a large explosive filler (8 kg TNT equivalent) and is highly effective against lightly armoured targets such as destroyers, and will break the hulls of light patrol craft with a direct hit. The SAPC shell also has a large 4.29 kg TNT equivalent filler, and is most effective against armoured targets such as cruisers.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}
{{main|4 in QF Mark V (102 mm)}}

''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.''

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}
{{main|2pdr QF Mk.VIII (40 mm)|20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)}}

''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.''

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}
{{main|Mk.V (533 mm)}}


The Hawkins is fitted with a total of six 21-inch torpedo tubes, three on each side of the ship. However, these are fixed torpedo tubes, thus requiring the whole ship to turn in order to aim them and making them very hard to use. Four of these are located under the aft mast and above the main armour belt, while another two are located underwater below the bridge.

These tubes fire 21-inch Mark V torpedoes. Without the torpedo mode installed, they have a range of only 4.57 km, severely restricting their usefulness as anything other than last-ditch close quarters weapons. With torpedo mode installed, the range extends to a more usable 12.34 km, at the cost of much reduced speed.

== Usage in battles ==

The Hawkins' main strength lies in its main guns. The BL 7.5-inch guns are very powerful for the battle rating, doing huge damage compared to the 6-inch (and smaller) guns of light cruisers. She also has the highest rate-of-fire of any of the 4.7–5.0 heavy cruisers (triple that of the [[IJN Kako|Kako]] and 50% more than the [[USS Northampton (CA-26)|USS Northampton]]). Both the HE and SAPC shells have very potent explosive fillers capable of causing lethal damage to destroyers and cruisers. At this battle rating, many cruisers and destroyers do not have fully enclosed main gun mountings, and it is not uncommon for a single HE shell from the Hawkins to disable multiple open gun mounts at a time. However, Hawkins' inefficient World War I-era layout means that she can only bring six guns to bear at most on a target, even though she has seven main guns.

The Hawkins has a fairly adequate AA armament, though it pales in comparison to its German and American rivals. The secondary armament is unremarkable, with just four 4-inch guns, and only two on a broadside. It's best not to rely on them. They also do not have access to HE-VT shells, which considerably limits their anti-aircraft capabilities. The Hawkins also has torpedo tubes, but these are fixed tubes that require the whole ship to turn in order to aim them. This considerably complicates their usage, especially in a close quarters fight, although their high speed (without torpedo mode installed) and powerful warheads somewhat make up for this. With the torpedo mode, they have a 12.34 km range but a much lower speed.

The Hawkins' armour layout is also more reminiscent of a World War I cruiser. The distributed armour can be difficult for destroyers and light cruisers to contend with, especially using HE, but the deck armour is dreadful. Bombs and rockets are especially dangerous. Turret protection is also non-existent and highly vulnerable to HE shells. The ready-use main gun ammunition is also located in exposed positions, and this can be detonated to cause heavy damage to the ship.

The Hawkins is slow even for a heavy cruiser, doing just 55 km/h even when fully upgraded. This makes repositioning very difficult, and she is thus very inflexible when responding to changing situations. Her maneouvreability is also very poor, which makes it very hard to evade shells or torpedoes.

Altogether, the Hawkins tends to perform poorly at close ranges because of her poor handling and weak main armament protection. At medium ranges, she can take advantage of her decent accuracy and powerful shells, while her own armour is capable of blocking damage from lighter shells, and it is much harder for them to aim at the main guns to disable them. At long ranges (10+ km), the thin deck armour may be an issue, as she will start to receive plunging fire that hits the deck plating more than the belt.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Powerful main guns with a high rate-of-fire for their calibre.
* Above average close-range anti-aircraft armament.
* Well-distributed armour protection against light AP shells and HE.
* Fast and powerful close-range torpedoes.
* Protected bridge.

'''Cons:'''

* Poor speed and maneouvreability, even for a heavy cruiser.
* Thin deck protection and exposed ready-use ammunition.
* Poor secondary armament.
* Thin turret protection in open-backed mountings.
* Fixed torpedo tubes.

== History ==

HMS Hawkins (D86) was the lead ship of the Hawkins-class of heavy cruisers. Launched in 1917, the ship would go on to serve as the flagship of the 5th Light Cruiser squadron based in the Eastern theatre, as well as the flagship of the 2nd Wing based in the Atlantic. In 1930, she was decommissioned, had her armament removed and became a training ship. However, she was recommissioned in 1939 with the outbreak of the Second World War. Hawkins served as a convoy escort ship and participated in the D-Day naval bombardment. In early 1945, Hawkins was placed in reserve; she served as a cadet training ship and a target ship, and was scrapped in mid-1947.<ref name=":0">D-Day Encyclopedia. (n.d.)</ref>

=== Design and Construction ===
The Hawkins was the lead ship of the Hawkins-class of five heavy cruisers. Designed during the first half of WWI, the ships were designed as a series of fast, lightly-armoured heavy cruisers capable of hunting down similar German cruisers and commerce raiders of its era. By 1915, the design had been finalized, despite there being no need for a cruiser of its configuration due to the eradication of German commerce raiders.<ref name=":1">Alvama. (1970)</ref>

The ship was 184 metres long and displaced 12,190 tons full load.<ref name=":0" /> Main armament consisted of seven 7.5-inch (190 mm) guns in single mounts - five were mounted on the centreline while two were mounted at the sides. The ships initially carried a mix of 76 mm and 2-pounder (40 mm) AA guns, but these were removed in later refits. Hawkins was also initially armed with a pair of triple torpedo tubes, but these were removed in 1937. The ship had light armour protection with a maximum thickness of 3 inches (76 mm), and could make 30 knots (55 km/h).<ref name=":0" />

Five ships of the Hawkins-class were ordered: Hawkins, Raleigh, Frobisher, Effingham and Cavendish. However, Cavendish was reconstructed during construction as an aircraft carrier and entered service as HMS Vindictive. HMS Hawkins was laid down on June 3rd 1916 and launched on October 1st 1917. She was completed and commissioned in July 1919.<ref name=":1" />

=== Operational Service ===
[[File:HMS Hawkins Underway.jpg|thumb|490x490px|HMS Hawkins Underway, circa 1929-1935.]]
Following the completion of sea trials, Hawkins served as the flagship of the 5th Light Cruiser Fleet, based in the China Sea. She served in the Eastern Theatre until 1928, when she was transferred back to the Atlantic as the flagship of the 2nd Wing. In 1930, she was decommissioned and placed in reserve, where she was used by cadets of the Royal Navy for training purposes. In 1937, she had her 7.5-inch guns and torpedo tubes removed, as required by the London Naval Treaty.<ref name=":0" />

Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, Hawkins was recommissioned and had her main guns reinstalled. She was immediately deployed to the southern Atlantic, serving convoy escort duties. She served in the Indian ocean between 1942 and 1944, and captured many Axis merchantmen and freighters. She also served in the naval bombardment preceding the D-Day invasions.<ref name=":0" />

In August of 1944, Hawkins was again relegated to cadet-training units. She was placed into reserve and 1945, and served as a cadet training ship for an additional year. In 1947, she was used as a target ship for RAF bomb-dropping tests<ref name=":1" /> and was scrapped shortly thereafter.<ref name=":0" />

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_cruiser_hawkins Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==
''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


=== References ===

;Citations
<references />

;Bibliography

* D-Day Encyclopedia. (n.d.). HMS Hawkins - Battle of Normandy. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from <nowiki>https://www.dday-overlord.com/en/material/warships/hms-hawkins</nowiki>
* Alvama. (1970, January 01). British heavy cruiser HMS Hawkins (D86) 1916-1947. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from <nowiki>http://warshipsresearch.blogspot.com/2017/05/british-heavy-cruiser-hms-hawkins-d86.html</nowiki>

{{ShipManufacturer Chatham Dockyard}}
{{Britain heavy cruisers}}

HMS Hawkins

2022-01-09T04:41:19Z

U6591054: /* Description */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_cruiser_hawkins
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British heavy cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.93 "Shark Attack"]].

Originally commissioned as 'large light cruisers', the Hawkins-class became the prototype for treaty-era heavy cruisers; as such, the Hawkins can be considered to be the oldest heavy cruiser in the game. Because of this, she features some rather antiquated features more reminiscent of World War I-era cruisers as opposed to other more modern heavy cruisers present in the game.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
The Hawkins has a distributed armour scheme that protects large parts of the hull from HE and light shells, similar to the contemporary British light cruiser [[HMS Enterprise]]. The maximum thickness of the belt is 76 mm surrounding the machinery spaces, thinning out to 63 mm, 50.8 mm, and 38 mm towards the bow, and 63 mm and 57 mm towards the stern. This is enough to protect against most HE shells from destroyers and cruisers, and when angled can also protect against destroyer and light cruiser AP shells. There is also an upper 50.8 mm strake of armour above the machinery main belt, which merges with the 50.8 mm bow belt. The decks are thinly protected by only 13 mm of armour, making the Hawkins quite vulnerable to plunging fire and aircraft weapons.

The ammunition magazines are further protected by armoured boxes with 13 mm sides and 25 mm roofs. However, it is important to note that the ready racks for the main guns are not located outside these boxes. Hits to the ready racks may detonate the ready-use ammunition, which is not immediately fatal to the ship but will still cause heavy damage.

Hawkins' main guns are only lightly protected by 25 mm open-backed shields, typical of World War I-era cruisers. These guns can be disabled by nearby explosions if they occur behind the mounting. Unlike most cruisers, the Hawkins' fixed torpedo tubes are protected by armour plating. The underwater torpedo tubes are practically impossible to detonate, but the upper tubes can be vulnerable to shells that land on the 13 mm deck above them.

Unlike almost all British cruisers, the Hawkins has a relatively significant amount of armour protecting the bridge, consisting of 76.2 mm on the front and sides. It is important to note, however, that the roof of the bridge is unprotected, so overhead explosions can potentially damage or disable the bridge.

The Hawkins has a crew complement of 749, considerably more than that of the other 5.0 British cruisers, Enterprise, [[HMS Dido|Dido]], and [[HMS Arethusa|Arethusa]], and above average compared to those of other nations, except notably the Soviet cruisers [[Krasny Kavkaz]] and [[Krasny Krym]].

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Hawkins is the slowest British cruiser currently in the game, with a fully upgraded top speed of only 55 km/h. She is also quite long and bulky, making her handling and turning performance below average.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}
{{main|7.5 inch/45 BL Mk.VI (190 mm)}}


The Hawkins is armed with seven BL 7.5-inch Mark VI guns distributed in single mounts. Two of these are located amidships besides the second funnel, thus the Hawkins can only bring a maximum of six guns to bear on a broadside. These guns have a fairly high rate-of-fire for their calibre, each main gun mounting capable of up to 6 rounds/minute with the 10-round ready-use ammunition, dropping down to 5 rounds/minute once the ready-use ammunition has been expended. They have quite low horizontal dispersion, but noticeable vertical dispersion, which tends to lead to a lot of straddles even with accurate ranging.

There are two ammunition types available, HE and SAPC. The HE shell has a large explosive filler (8 kg TNT equivalent) and is highly effective against lightly armoured targets such as destroyers, and will break the hulls of light patrol craft with a direct hit. The SAPC shell also has a large 4.29 kg TNT equivalent filler, and is most effective against armoured targets such as cruisers.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}
{{main|4 in QF Mark V (102 mm)}}

''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.''

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}
{{main|2pdr QF Mk.VIII (40 mm)|20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)}}

''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.''

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}
{{main|Mk.V (533 mm)}}


The Hawkins is fitted with a total of six 21-inch torpedo tubes, three on each side of the ship. However, these are fixed torpedo tubes, thus requiring the whole ship to turn in order to aim them and making them very hard to use. Four of these are located under the aft mast and above the main armour belt, while another two are located underwater below the bridge.

These tubes fire 21-inch Mark V torpedoes. Without the torpedo mode installed, they have a range of only 4.57 km, severely restricting their usefulness as anything other than last-ditch close quarters weapons. With torpedo mode installed, the range extends to a more usable 12.34 km, at the cost of much reduced speed.

== Usage in battles ==

The Hawkins' main strength lies in its main guns. The BL 7.5-inch guns are very powerful for the battle rating, doing huge damage compared to the 6-inch (and smaller) guns of light cruisers. She also has the highest rate-of-fire of any of the 4.7–5.0 heavy cruisers (triple that of the [[IJN Kako|Kako]] and 50% more than the [[USS Northampton (CA-26)|USS Northampton]]). Both the HE and SAPC shells have very potent explosive fillers capable of causing lethal damage to destroyers and cruisers. At this battle rating, many cruisers and destroyers do not have fully enclosed main gun mountings, and it is not uncommon for a single HE shell from the Hawkins to disable multiple open gun mounts at a time. However, Hawkins' inefficient World War I-era layout means that she can only bring six guns to bear at most on a target, even though she has seven main guns.

The Hawkins has a fairly adequate AA armament, though it pales in comparison to its German and American rivals. The secondary armament is unremarkable, with just four 4-inch guns, and only two on a broadside. It's best not to rely on them. They also do not have access to HE-VT shells, which considerably limits their anti-aircraft capabilities. The Hawkins also has torpedo tubes, but these are fixed tubes that require the whole ship to turn in order to aim them. This considerably complicates their usage, especially in a close quarters fight, although their high speed (without torpedo mode installed) and powerful warheads somewhat make up for this. With the torpedo mode, they have a 12.34 km range but a much lower speed.

The Hawkins' armour layout is also more reminiscent of a World War I cruiser. The distributed armour can be difficult for destroyers and light cruisers to contend with, especially using HE, but the deck armour is dreadful. Bombs and rockets are especially dangerous. Turret protection is also non-existent and highly vulnerable to HE shells. The ready-use main gun ammunition is also located in exposed positions, and this can be detonated to cause heavy damage to the ship.

The Hawkins is slow even for a heavy cruiser, doing just 55 km/h even when fully upgraded. Repositioning can be difficult, and she isn't a fast turner either. This makes her very inflexible when responding to changing situations.

Altogether, the Hawkins tends to perform poorly at close ranges because of her poor handling and weak main armament protection. At medium ranges, she can take advantage of her decent accuracy and powerful shells, while her own armour is capable of blocking damage from lighter shells, and it is much harder for them to aim at the main guns to disable them. At long ranges (10+ km), the thin deck armour may be an issue, as she will start to receive plunging fire that hits the deck plating more than the belt.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Powerful main guns with a high rate-of-fire for their calibre.
* Above average close-range anti-aircraft armament.
* Well-distributed armour protection against light AP shells and HE.
* Fast and powerful close-range torpedoes.
* Protected bridge.

'''Cons:'''

* Below average speed and handling, even for a heavy cruiser.
* Thin deck protection and exposed ready-use ammunition.
* Poor secondary armament.
* Thin turret protection in open-backed mountings.
* Fixed torpedo tubes.

== History ==

HMS Hawkins (D86) was the lead ship of the Hawkins-class of heavy cruisers. Launched in 1917, the ship would go on to serve as the flagship of the 5th Light Cruiser squadron based in the Eastern theatre, as well as the flagship of the 2nd Wing based in the Atlantic. In 1930, she was decommissioned, had her armament removed and became a training ship. However, she was recommissioned in 1939 with the outbreak of the Second World War. Hawkins served as a convoy escort ship and participated in the D-Day naval bombardment. In early 1945, Hawkins was placed in reserve; she served as a cadet training ship and a target ship, and was scrapped in mid-1947.<ref name=":0">D-Day Encyclopedia. (n.d.)</ref>

=== Design and Construction ===
The Hawkins was the lead ship of the Hawkins-class of five heavy cruisers. Designed during the first half of WWI, the ships were designed as a series of fast, lightly-armoured heavy cruisers capable of hunting down similar German cruisers and commerce raiders of its era. By 1915, the design had been finalized, despite there being no need for a cruiser of its configuration due to the eradication of German commerce raiders.<ref name=":1">Alvama. (1970)</ref>

The ship was 184 metres long and displaced 12,190 tons full load.<ref name=":0" /> Main armament consisted of seven 7.5-inch (190 mm) guns in single mounts - five were mounted on the centreline while two were mounted at the sides. The ships initially carried a mix of 76 mm and 2-pounder (40 mm) AA guns, but these were removed in later refits. Hawkins was also initially armed with a pair of triple torpedo tubes, but these were removed in 1937. The ship had light armour protection with a maximum thickness of 3 inches (76 mm), and could make 30 knots (55 km/h).<ref name=":0" />

Five ships of the Hawkins-class were ordered: Hawkins, Raleigh, Frobisher, Effingham and Cavendish. However, Cavendish was reconstructed during construction as an aircraft carrier and entered service as HMS Vindictive. HMS Hawkins was laid down on June 3rd 1916 and launched on October 1st 1917. She was completed and commissioned in July 1919.<ref name=":1" />

=== Operational Service ===
[[File:HMS Hawkins Underway.jpg|thumb|490x490px|HMS Hawkins Underway, circa 1929-1935.]]
Following the completion of sea trials, Hawkins served as the flagship of the 5th Light Cruiser Fleet, based in the China Sea. She served in the Eastern Theatre until 1928, when she was transferred back to the Atlantic as the flagship of the 2nd Wing. In 1930, she was decommissioned and placed in reserve, where she was used by cadets of the Royal Navy for training purposes. In 1937, she had her 7.5-inch guns and torpedo tubes removed, as required by the London Naval Treaty.<ref name=":0" />

Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, Hawkins was recommissioned and had her main guns reinstalled. She was immediately deployed to the southern Atlantic, serving convoy escort duties. She served in the Indian ocean between 1942 and 1944, and captured many Axis merchantmen and freighters. She also served in the naval bombardment preceding the D-Day invasions.<ref name=":0" />

In August of 1944, Hawkins was again relegated to cadet-training units. She was placed into reserve and 1945, and served as a cadet training ship for an additional year. In 1947, she was used as a target ship for RAF bomb-dropping tests<ref name=":1" /> and was scrapped shortly thereafter.<ref name=":0" />

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_cruiser_hawkins Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==
''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


=== References ===

;Citations
<references />

;Bibliography

* D-Day Encyclopedia. (n.d.). HMS Hawkins - Battle of Normandy. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from <nowiki>https://www.dday-overlord.com/en/material/warships/hms-hawkins</nowiki>
* Alvama. (1970, January 01). British heavy cruiser HMS Hawkins (D86) 1916-1947. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from <nowiki>http://warshipsresearch.blogspot.com/2017/05/british-heavy-cruiser-hms-hawkins-d86.html</nowiki>

{{ShipManufacturer Chatham Dockyard}}
{{Britain heavy cruisers}}

HMS Hawkins

2022-01-09T04:40:43Z

U6591054:

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_cruiser_hawkins
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British heavy cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.93 "Shark Attack"]].

Originallyy commissioned as 'large light cruisers', the Hawkins-class became the prototype for treaty-era heavy cruisers; as such, the Hawkins can be considered to be the oldest heavy cruiser in the game. Because of this, she features some rather antiquated features more reminiscent of World War I-era cruisers as opposed to other more modern heavy cruisers present in the game.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
The Hawkins has a distributed armour scheme that protects large parts of the hull from HE and light shells, similar to the contemporary British light cruiser [[HMS Enterprise]]. The maximum thickness of the belt is 76 mm surrounding the machinery spaces, thinning out to 63 mm, 50.8 mm, and 38 mm towards the bow, and 63 mm and 57 mm towards the stern. This is enough to protect against most HE shells from destroyers and cruisers, and when angled can also protect against destroyer and light cruiser AP shells. There is also an upper 50.8 mm strake of armour above the machinery main belt, which merges with the 50.8 mm bow belt. The decks are thinly protected by only 13 mm of armour, making the Hawkins quite vulnerable to plunging fire and aircraft weapons.

The ammunition magazines are further protected by armoured boxes with 13 mm sides and 25 mm roofs. However, it is important to note that the ready racks for the main guns are not located outside these boxes. Hits to the ready racks may detonate the ready-use ammunition, which is not immediately fatal to the ship but will still cause heavy damage.

Hawkins' main guns are only lightly protected by 25 mm open-backed shields, typical of World War I-era cruisers. These guns can be disabled by nearby explosions if they occur behind the mounting. Unlike most cruisers, the Hawkins' fixed torpedo tubes are protected by armour plating. The underwater torpedo tubes are practically impossible to detonate, but the upper tubes can be vulnerable to shells that land on the 13 mm deck above them.

Unlike almost all British cruisers, the Hawkins has a relatively significant amount of armour protecting the bridge, consisting of 76.2 mm on the front and sides. It is important to note, however, that the roof of the bridge is unprotected, so overhead explosions can potentially damage or disable the bridge.

The Hawkins has a crew complement of 749, considerably more than that of the other 5.0 British cruisers, Enterprise, [[HMS Dido|Dido]], and [[HMS Arethusa|Arethusa]], and above average compared to those of other nations, except notably the Soviet cruisers [[Krasny Kavkaz]] and [[Krasny Krym]].

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Hawkins is the slowest British cruiser currently in the game, with a fully upgraded top speed of only 55 km/h. She is also quite long and bulky, making her handling and turning performance below average.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}
{{main|7.5 inch/45 BL Mk.VI (190 mm)}}


The Hawkins is armed with seven BL 7.5-inch Mark VI guns distributed in single mounts. Two of these are located amidships besides the second funnel, thus the Hawkins can only bring a maximum of six guns to bear on a broadside. These guns have a fairly high rate-of-fire for their calibre, each main gun mounting capable of up to 6 rounds/minute with the 10-round ready-use ammunition, dropping down to 5 rounds/minute once the ready-use ammunition has been expended. They have quite low horizontal dispersion, but noticeable vertical dispersion, which tends to lead to a lot of straddles even with accurate ranging.

There are two ammunition types available, HE and SAPC. The HE shell has a large explosive filler (8 kg TNT equivalent) and is highly effective against lightly armoured targets such as destroyers, and will break the hulls of light patrol craft with a direct hit. The SAPC shell also has a large 4.29 kg TNT equivalent filler, and is most effective against armoured targets such as cruisers.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}
{{main|4 in QF Mark V (102 mm)}}

''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.''

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}
{{main|2pdr QF Mk.VIII (40 mm)|20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)}}

''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.''

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}
{{main|Mk.V (533 mm)}}


The Hawkins is fitted with a total of six 21-inch torpedo tubes, three on each side of the ship. However, these are fixed torpedo tubes, thus requiring the whole ship to turn in order to aim them and making them very hard to use. Four of these are located under the aft mast and above the main armour belt, while another two are located underwater below the bridge.

These tubes fire 21-inch Mark V torpedoes. Without the torpedo mode installed, they have a range of only 4.57 km, severely restricting their usefulness as anything other than last-ditch close quarters weapons. With torpedo mode installed, the range extends to a more usable 12.34 km, at the cost of much reduced speed.

== Usage in battles ==

The Hawkins' main strength lies in its main guns. The BL 7.5-inch guns are very powerful for the battle rating, doing huge damage compared to the 6-inch (and smaller) guns of light cruisers. She also has the highest rate-of-fire of any of the 4.7–5.0 heavy cruisers (triple that of the [[IJN Kako|Kako]] and 50% more than the [[USS Northampton (CA-26)|USS Northampton]]). Both the HE and SAPC shells have very potent explosive fillers capable of causing lethal damage to destroyers and cruisers. At this battle rating, many cruisers and destroyers do not have fully enclosed main gun mountings, and it is not uncommon for a single HE shell from the Hawkins to disable multiple open gun mounts at a time. However, Hawkins' inefficient World War I-era layout means that she can only bring six guns to bear at most on a target, even though she has seven main guns.

The Hawkins has a fairly adequate AA armament, though it pales in comparison to its German and American rivals. The secondary armament is unremarkable, with just four 4-inch guns, and only two on a broadside. It's best not to rely on them. They also do not have access to HE-VT shells, which considerably limits their anti-aircraft capabilities. The Hawkins also has torpedo tubes, but these are fixed tubes that require the whole ship to turn in order to aim them. This considerably complicates their usage, especially in a close quarters fight, although their high speed (without torpedo mode installed) and powerful warheads somewhat make up for this. With the torpedo mode, they have a 12.34 km range but a much lower speed.

The Hawkins' armour layout is also more reminiscent of a World War I cruiser. The distributed armour can be difficult for destroyers and light cruisers to contend with, especially using HE, but the deck armour is dreadful. Bombs and rockets are especially dangerous. Turret protection is also non-existent and highly vulnerable to HE shells. The ready-use main gun ammunition is also located in exposed positions, and this can be detonated to cause heavy damage to the ship.

The Hawkins is slow even for a heavy cruiser, doing just 55 km/h even when fully upgraded. Repositioning can be difficult, and she isn't a fast turner either. This makes her very inflexible when responding to changing situations.

Altogether, the Hawkins tends to perform poorly at close ranges because of her poor handling and weak main armament protection. At medium ranges, she can take advantage of her decent accuracy and powerful shells, while her own armour is capable of blocking damage from lighter shells, and it is much harder for them to aim at the main guns to disable them. At long ranges (10+ km), the thin deck armour may be an issue, as she will start to receive plunging fire that hits the deck plating more than the belt.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Powerful main guns with a high rate-of-fire for their calibre.
* Above average close-range anti-aircraft armament.
* Well-distributed armour protection against light AP shells and HE.
* Fast and powerful close-range torpedoes.
* Protected bridge.

'''Cons:'''

* Below average speed and handling, even for a heavy cruiser.
* Thin deck protection and exposed ready-use ammunition.
* Poor secondary armament.
* Thin turret protection in open-backed mountings.
* Fixed torpedo tubes.

== History ==

HMS Hawkins (D86) was the lead ship of the Hawkins-class of heavy cruisers. Launched in 1917, the ship would go on to serve as the flagship of the 5th Light Cruiser squadron based in the Eastern theatre, as well as the flagship of the 2nd Wing based in the Atlantic. In 1930, she was decommissioned, had her armament removed and became a training ship. However, she was recommissioned in 1939 with the outbreak of the Second World War. Hawkins served as a convoy escort ship and participated in the D-Day naval bombardment. In early 1945, Hawkins was placed in reserve; she served as a cadet training ship and a target ship, and was scrapped in mid-1947.<ref name=":0">D-Day Encyclopedia. (n.d.)</ref>

=== Design and Construction ===
The Hawkins was the lead ship of the Hawkins-class of five heavy cruisers. Designed during the first half of WWI, the ships were designed as a series of fast, lightly-armoured heavy cruisers capable of hunting down similar German cruisers and commerce raiders of its era. By 1915, the design had been finalized, despite there being no need for a cruiser of its configuration due to the eradication of German commerce raiders.<ref name=":1">Alvama. (1970)</ref>

The ship was 184 metres long and displaced 12,190 tons full load.<ref name=":0" /> Main armament consisted of seven 7.5-inch (190 mm) guns in single mounts - five were mounted on the centreline while two were mounted at the sides. The ships initially carried a mix of 76 mm and 2-pounder (40 mm) AA guns, but these were removed in later refits. Hawkins was also initially armed with a pair of triple torpedo tubes, but these were removed in 1937. The ship had light armour protection with a maximum thickness of 3 inches (76 mm), and could make 30 knots (55 km/h).<ref name=":0" />

Five ships of the Hawkins-class were ordered: Hawkins, Raleigh, Frobisher, Effingham and Cavendish. However, Cavendish was reconstructed during construction as an aircraft carrier and entered service as HMS Vindictive. HMS Hawkins was laid down on June 3rd 1916 and launched on October 1st 1917. She was completed and commissioned in July 1919.<ref name=":1" />

=== Operational Service ===
[[File:HMS Hawkins Underway.jpg|thumb|490x490px|HMS Hawkins Underway, circa 1929-1935.]]
Following the completion of sea trials, Hawkins served as the flagship of the 5th Light Cruiser Fleet, based in the China Sea. She served in the Eastern Theatre until 1928, when she was transferred back to the Atlantic as the flagship of the 2nd Wing. In 1930, she was decommissioned and placed in reserve, where she was used by cadets of the Royal Navy for training purposes. In 1937, she had her 7.5-inch guns and torpedo tubes removed, as required by the London Naval Treaty.<ref name=":0" />

Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, Hawkins was recommissioned and had her main guns reinstalled. She was immediately deployed to the southern Atlantic, serving convoy escort duties. She served in the Indian ocean between 1942 and 1944, and captured many Axis merchantmen and freighters. She also served in the naval bombardment preceding the D-Day invasions.<ref name=":0" />

In August of 1944, Hawkins was again relegated to cadet-training units. She was placed into reserve and 1945, and served as a cadet training ship for an additional year. In 1947, she was used as a target ship for RAF bomb-dropping tests<ref name=":1" /> and was scrapped shortly thereafter.<ref name=":0" />

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_cruiser_hawkins Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==
''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


=== References ===

;Citations
<references />

;Bibliography

* D-Day Encyclopedia. (n.d.). HMS Hawkins - Battle of Normandy. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from <nowiki>https://www.dday-overlord.com/en/material/warships/hms-hawkins</nowiki>
* Alvama. (1970, January 01). British heavy cruiser HMS Hawkins (D86) 1916-1947. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from <nowiki>http://warshipsresearch.blogspot.com/2017/05/british-heavy-cruiser-hms-hawkins-d86.html</nowiki>

{{ShipManufacturer Chatham Dockyard}}
{{Britain heavy cruisers}}

HMS Hawkins

2022-01-09T04:35:58Z

U6591054:

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_cruiser_hawkins
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British heavy cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.93 "Shark Attack"]].

Originallyy commissioned as 'large light cruisers', the Hawkins-class became the prototype for treaty-era heavy cruisers; as such, the Hawkins can be considered to be the oldest heavy cruiser in the game. Because of this, she features some rather antiquated features more reminiscent of World War I-era cruisers as opposed to other more modern heavy cruisers present in the game.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
The Hawkins has a distributed armour scheme that protects large parts of the hull from HE and light shells, similar to the contemporary British light cruiser [[HMS Enterprise]]. The maximum thickness of the belt is 76 mm surrounding the machinery spaces, thinning out to 63 mm, 50.8 mm, and 38 mm towards the bow, and 63 mm and 57 mm towards the stern. This is enough to protect against most HE shells from destroyers and cruisers, and when angled can also protect against destroyer and light cruiser AP shells. There is also an upper 50.8 mm strake of armour above the machinery main belt, which merges with the 50.8 mm bow belt. The decks are thinly protected by only 13 mm of armour, making the Hawkins quite vulnerable to plunging fire and aircraft weapons.

The ammunition magazines are further protected by armoured boxes with 13 mm sides and 25 mm roofs. However, it is important to note that the ready racks for the main guns are not located outside these boxes. Hits to the ready racks may detonate the ready-use ammunition, which is not immediately fatal to the ship but will still cause heavy damage.

Hawkins' main guns are only lightly protected by 25 mm open-backed shields, typical of World War I-era cruisers. These guns can be disabled by nearby explosions if they occur behind the mounting. Unlike most cruisers, the Hawkins' fixed torpedo tubes are protected by armour plating. The underwater torpedo tubes are practically impossible to detonate, but the upper tubes can be vulnerable to shells that land on the 13 mm deck above them.

Unlike almost all British cruisers, the Hawkins has a relatively significant amount of armour protecting the bridge, consisting of 76.2 mm on the front and sides. It is important to note, however, that the roof of the bridge is unprotected, so overhead explosions can potentially damage or disable the bridge.

The Hawkins has a crew complement of 749, considerably more than that of the other 5.0 British cruisers, Enterprise, [[HMS Dido|Dido]], and [[HMS Arethusa|Arethusa]], and above average compared to those of other nations, except notably the Soviet cruisers [[Krasny Kavkaz]] and [[Krasny Krym]].

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Hawkins is the slowest British cruiser currently in the game, with a fully upgraded top speed of only 55 km/h. She is also quite long and bulky, making her handling and turning performance below average.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}
{{main|7.5 inch/45 BL Mk.VI (190 mm)}}


The Hawkins is armed with seven BL 7.5-inch Mark VI guns distributed in single mounts. Two of these are located amidships besides the second funnel, thus the Hawkins can only bring a maximum of six guns to bear on a broadside. These guns have a fairly high rate-of-fire for their calibre, each main gun mounting capable of up to 6 rounds/minute with the 10-round ready-use ammunition, dropping down to 5 rounds/minute once the ready-use ammunition has been expended. They have quite low horizontal dispersion, but noticeable vertical dispersion, which tends to lead to a lot of straddles even with accurate ranging.

There are two ammunition types available, HE and SAPC. The HE shell has a large explosive filler (8 kg TNT equivalent) and is highly effective against lightly armoured targets such as destroyers, and will break the hulls of light patrol craft with a direct hit. The SAPC shell also has a large 4.29 kg TNT equivalent filler, and is most effective against armoured targets such as cruisers.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}
{{main|4 in QF Mark V (102 mm)}}

''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.''

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}
{{main|2pdr QF Mk.VIII (40 mm)|20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)}}

''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.''

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}
{{main|Mk.V (533 mm)}}


The Hawkins is fitted with a total of six 21-inch torpedo tubes, three on each side of the ship. However, these are fixed torpedo tubes, thus requiring the whole ship to turn in order to aim them and making them very hard to use. Four of these are located under the aft mast and above the main armour belt, while another two are located underwater below the bridge.

These tubes fire 21-inch Mark V torpedoes. Without the torpedo mode installed, they have a range of only 4.57 km, severely restricting their usefulness as anything other than last-ditch close quarters weapons. With torpedo mode installed, the range extends to a more usable 12.34 km, at the cost of much reduced speed.

== Usage in battles ==

The Hawkins' main strength lies in its main guns. The BL 7.5-inch guns are very powerful for the battle rating, doing huge damage compared to the 6-inch (and smaller) guns of light cruisers. She also has the highest rate-of-fire of any of the 4.7–5.0 heavy cruisers (triple that of the [[IJN Kako|Kako]] and 50% more than the [[USS Northampton (CA-26)|USS Northampton]]), and both HE and SAPC shells have very potent explosive fillers capable of causing lethal damage to destroyers and cruisers. However, her inefficient World War I-era layout means that she can only bring six guns to bear at most on a target.

The Hawkins' armour is also more reminiscent of a World War I cruiser. The distributed armour can be difficult for destroyers and light cruisers to contend with, especially using HE, but the deck armour is dreadful. Bombs and rockets are especially dangerous. Turret protection is also non-existent and highly vulnerable to HE shells. The ready-use main gun ammunition is also located in exposed positions, and this can be detonated to cause heavy damage to the ship.

The Hawkins does have a fairly adequate AA armament, though it pales in comparison to its German and American rivals. Its secondary armament is also nothing to write home about, with just four 4-inch guns, and only two on a broadside. It's best not to rely on them.

The Hawkins also has torpedo tubes, but these are fixed tubes that require the whole ship to turn in order to aim them. This considerably complicates their usage, especially in a close quarters fight, although their high speed (without torpedo mode installed) and powerful warheads somewhat make up for this. With the torpedo mode, they have a 12.34 km range but a much lower speed.

The Hawkins is slow even for a heavy cruiser, doing just 55 km/h even when fully upgraded. Repositioning can be difficult, and she isn't a fast turner either. This makes her very inflexible when responding to changing situations.

Altogether, the Hawkins tends to perform poorly at close ranges because of her poor handling and weak main armament protection. At medium ranges, she can take advantage of her decent accuracy and powerful shells, while her own armour is capable of blocking damage from lighter ships, and it is much harder for them to aim at the main guns to disable them. At long ranges (10+ km), the thin deck armour may be an issue, as she will start to receive plunging fire that hits the deck plating more than the belt.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Powerful main guns with a high rate-of-fire for their calibre.
* Above average close-range anti-aircraft armament.
* Well-distributed armour protection against light AP shells and HE.
* Fast and powerful close-range torpedoes.
* Protected bridge.

'''Cons:'''

* Below average speed and handling, even for a heavy cruiser.
* Thin deck protection and exposed ready-use ammunition.
* Poor secondary armament.
* Thin turret protection in open-backed mountings.
* Fixed torpedo tubes.

== History ==

HMS Hawkins (D86) was the lead ship of the Hawkins-class of heavy cruisers. Launched in 1917, the ship would go on to serve as the flagship of the 5th Light Cruiser squadron based in the Eastern theatre, as well as the flagship of the 2nd Wing based in the Atlantic. In 1930, she was decommissioned, had her armament removed and became a training ship. However, she was recommissioned in 1939 with the outbreak of the Second World War. Hawkins served as a convoy escort ship and participated in the D-Day naval bombardment. In early 1945, Hawkins was placed in reserve; she served as a cadet training ship and a target ship, and was scrapped in mid-1947.<ref name=":0">D-Day Encyclopedia. (n.d.)</ref>

=== Design and Construction ===
The Hawkins was the lead ship of the Hawkins-class of five heavy cruisers. Designed during the first half of WWI, the ships were designed as a series of fast, lightly-armoured heavy cruisers capable of hunting down similar German cruisers and commerce raiders of its era. By 1915, the design had been finalized, despite there being no need for a cruiser of its configuration due to the eradication of German commerce raiders.<ref name=":1">Alvama. (1970)</ref>

The ship was 184 metres long and displaced 12,190 tons full load.<ref name=":0" /> Main armament consisted of seven 7.5-inch (190 mm) guns in single mounts - five were mounted on the centreline while two were mounted at the sides. The ships initially carried a mix of 76 mm and 2-pounder (40 mm) AA guns, but these were removed in later refits. Hawkins was also initially armed with a pair of triple torpedo tubes, but these were removed in 1937. The ship had light armour protection with a maximum thickness of 3 inches (76 mm), and could make 30 knots (55 km/h).<ref name=":0" />

Five ships of the Hawkins-class were ordered: Hawkins, Raleigh, Frobisher, Effingham and Cavendish. However, Cavendish was reconstructed during construction as an aircraft carrier and entered service as HMS Vindictive. HMS Hawkins was laid down on June 3rd 1916 and launched on October 1st 1917. She was completed and commissioned in July 1919.<ref name=":1" />

=== Operational Service ===
[[File:HMS Hawkins Underway.jpg|thumb|490x490px|HMS Hawkins Underway, circa 1929-1935.]]
Following the completion of sea trials, Hawkins served as the flagship of the 5th Light Cruiser Fleet, based in the China Sea. She served in the Eastern Theatre until 1928, when she was transferred back to the Atlantic as the flagship of the 2nd Wing. In 1930, she was decommissioned and placed in reserve, where she was used by cadets of the Royal Navy for training purposes. In 1937, she had her 7.5-inch guns and torpedo tubes removed, as required by the London Naval Treaty.<ref name=":0" />

Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, Hawkins was recommissioned and had her main guns reinstalled. She was immediately deployed to the southern Atlantic, serving convoy escort duties. She served in the Indian ocean between 1942 and 1944, and captured many Axis merchantmen and freighters. She also served in the naval bombardment preceding the D-Day invasions.<ref name=":0" />

In August of 1944, Hawkins was again relegated to cadet-training units. She was placed into reserve and 1945, and served as a cadet training ship for an additional year. In 1947, she was used as a target ship for RAF bomb-dropping tests<ref name=":1" /> and was scrapped shortly thereafter.<ref name=":0" />

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_cruiser_hawkins Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==
''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


=== References ===

;Citations
<references />

;Bibliography

* D-Day Encyclopedia. (n.d.). HMS Hawkins - Battle of Normandy. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from <nowiki>https://www.dday-overlord.com/en/material/warships/hms-hawkins</nowiki>
* Alvama. (1970, January 01). British heavy cruiser HMS Hawkins (D86) 1916-1947. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from <nowiki>http://warshipsresearch.blogspot.com/2017/05/british-heavy-cruiser-hms-hawkins-d86.html</nowiki>

{{ShipManufacturer Chatham Dockyard}}
{{Britain heavy cruisers}}

HMS Hawkins

2022-01-09T04:06:36Z

U6591054:

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_cruiser_hawkins
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British heavy cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.93 "Shark Attack"]].

Originallyy commissioned as 'large light cruisers', the Hawkins-class became the prototype for treaty-era heavy cruisers; as such, the Hawkins can be considered to be the oldest heavy cruiser in the game. Because of this, she features some rather antiquated features more reminiscent of World War I-era cruisers as opposed to other more modern heavy cruisers present in the game.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
The Hawkins has a distributed armour scheme that protects large parts of the hull from HE and light shells, similar to the contemporary British light cruiser [[HMS Enterprise]]. The maximum thickness of the belt is 76 mm surrounding the machinery spaces, thinning out to 63 mm, 50.8 mm, and 38 mm towards the bow, and 63 mm and 57 mm towards the stern. This is enough to protect against most HE shells from destroyers and cruisers, and when angled can also protect against destroyer and light cruiser AP shells. There is also an upper 50.8 mm strake of armour above the machinery main belt, which merges with the 50.8 mm bow belt. The decks are thinly protected by only 13 mm of armour, making the Hawkins quite vulnerable to plunging fire and aircraft weapons.

The ammunition magazines are further protected by armoured boxes with 13 mm sides and 25 mm roofs. However, it is important to note that the ready racks for the main guns are not located outside these boxes. Hits to the ready racks may detonate the ready-use ammunition, which is not immediately fatal to the ship but will still cause heavy damage.

Hawkins' main guns are only lightly protected by 25 mm open-backed shields, typical of World War I-era cruisers. These guns can be disabled by nearby explosions if they occur behind the mounting. Unlike most cruisers, the Hawkins' fixed torpedo tubes are protected by armour plating. The underwater torpedo tubes are practically impossible to detonate, but the upper tubes can be vulnerable to shells that land on the 13 mm deck above them.

Unlike almost all British cruisers, the Hawkins has a relatively significant amount of armour protecting the bridge, consisting of 76.2 mm on the front and sides. It is important to note, however, that the roof of the bridge is unprotected, so overhead explosions can potentially damage or disable the bridge.

The Hawkins has a crew complement of 749, considerably more than that of the other 5.0 British cruisers, Enterprise, [[HMS Dido|Dido]], and [[HMS Arethusa|Arethusa]].

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Hawkins is the slowest British cruiser currently in the game, with a fully upgraded top speed of only 55 km/h. She is also quite long and bulky, making her handling and turning performance below average.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}
{{main|7.5 inch/45 BL Mk.VI (190 mm)}}


The Hawkins is armed with seven BL 7.5-inch Mark VI guns distributed in single mounts. Two of these are located amidships besides the second funnel, thus the Hawkins can only bring a maximum of six guns to bear on a broadside. These guns have a fairly high rate-of-fire for their calibre, each main gun mounting capable of up to 6 rounds/minute with the 10-round ready-use ammunition, dropping down to 5 rounds/minute once the ready-use ammunition has been expended. They have quite low horizontal dispersion, but noticeable vertical dispersion, which tends to lead to a lot of straddles even with accurate ranging.

There are two ammunition types available, HE and SAPC. The HE shell has a large explosive filler (8 kg TNT equivalent) and is highly effective against lightly armoured targets such as destroyers, and will break the hulls of light patrol craft with a direct hit. The SAPC shell also has a large 4.29 kg TNT equivalent filler, and is most effective against armoured targets such as cruisers.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}
{{main|4 in QF Mark V (102 mm)}}

''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.''

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}
{{main|2pdr QF Mk.VIII (40 mm)|20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)}}

''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.''

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}
{{main|Mk.V (533 mm)}}


The Hawkins is fitted with a total of six 21-inch torpedo tubes, three on each side of the ship. However, these are fixed torpedo tubes, thus requiring the whole ship to turn in order to aim them and making them very hard to use. Four of these are located under the aft mast and above the main armour belt, while another two are located underwater below the bridge.

These tubes fire 21-inch Mark V torpedoes. Without the torpedo mode installed, they have a range of only 4.57 km, severely restricting their usefulness as anything other than last-ditch close quarters weapons. With torpedo mode installed, the range extends to a more usable 12.34 km, at the cost of much reduced speed.

== Usage in battles ==

Like many other first cruisers, the Hawkins is an awkward ship, but does have its strengths. The 7.5-inch guns are very powerful for the battle rating, doing huge damage compared to the 6-inch (and smaller) cannons it can face. They also have a pretty good reload, meaning you can duel light cruisers to good effect. Unfortunately, the guns are few in number and spread out over the ship. You can only use six on a broadside, and they are painfully inaccurate due to their positioning, meaning long-range gunnery can be frustrating. Still, when they do hit, they can be deadly. These 190 mm shells can be a death sentence for destroyers, and other cruisers should be wary of them.

The Hawkins is slow for a cruiser, doing just 55 km/h even when fully upgraded. Repositioning can be difficult, and she isn't a fast turner either. Also, the Hawkins' armour is a mixed bag. The central belt armour can be difficult for destroyers and light cruisers to contend with, but the front and rear armour sections are pretty thin, and the deck armour is dreadful. Bombs and rockets can be especially dangerous for this ship. It also boasts a poor crew size, meaning fires can be especially dangerous. Turret protection is non-existent, meaning that close-range engagements tend to go very wrong, very quickly, as every enemy volley is almost guaranteed to cripple a gun or two and light up their ready racks, making damage even harder to contend with.

The Hawkins does have a fairly adequate AA armament, though it pales in comparison to its German and American rivals. Its secondary armament is also nothing to write home about, with just four 4-inch guns, and only two on broadside. It's best not to rely on them. The Hawkins does also get torpedoes, and while they have a pretty weak distance (especially without torpedo mode unlocked), they're quite fast for British torpedoes, making them quite deadly to enemy ships at close range.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Powerful main guns with a good reload can make this ship's main battery deadly to almost any ship it's likely to face, even in an uptier
* Adequate AA protection, especially at close quarters
* Good belt armour can prove to be a challenge for light cruisers, especially at long range
* Torpedoes have good speed and damage, making them deadly at close range

'''Cons:'''

* Poor top speed, even for a heavy cruiser
* Overall armour protection is weak, especially against aircraft
* Secondary armament is close to useless
* Layout of main battery leads to inaccurate volleys and a fairly weak broadside

== History ==

HMS Hawkins (D86) was the lead ship of the Hawkins-class of heavy cruisers. Launched in 1917, the ship would go on to serve as the flagship of the 5th Light Cruiser squadron based in the Eastern theatre, as well as the flagship of the 2nd Wing based in the Atlantic. In 1930, she was decommissioned, had her armament removed and became a training ship. However, she was recommissioned in 1939 with the outbreak of the Second World War. Hawkins served as a convoy escort ship and participated in the D-Day naval bombardment. In early 1945, Hawkins was placed in reserve; she served as a cadet training ship and a target ship, and was scrapped in mid-1947.<ref name=":0">D-Day Encyclopedia. (n.d.)</ref>

=== Design and Construction ===
The Hawkins was the lead ship of the Hawkins-class of five heavy cruisers. Designed during the first half of WWI, the ships were designed as a series of fast, lightly-armoured heavy cruisers capable of hunting down similar German cruisers and commerce raiders of its era. By 1915, the design had been finalized, despite there being no need for a cruiser of its configuration due to the eradication of German commerce raiders.<ref name=":1">Alvama. (1970)</ref>

The ship was 184 metres long and displaced 12,190 tons full load.<ref name=":0" /> Main armament consisted of seven 7.5-inch (190 mm) guns in single mounts - five were mounted on the centreline while two were mounted at the sides. The ships initially carried a mix of 76 mm and 2-pounder (40 mm) AA guns, but these were removed in later refits. Hawkins was also initially armed with a pair of triple torpedo tubes, but these were removed in 1937. The ship had light armour protection with a maximum thickness of 3 inches (76 mm), and could make 30 knots (55 km/h).<ref name=":0" />

Five ships of the Hawkins-class were ordered: Hawkins, Raleigh, Frobisher, Effingham and Cavendish. However, Cavendish was reconstructed during construction as an aircraft carrier and entered service as HMS Vindictive. HMS Hawkins was laid down on June 3rd 1916 and launched on October 1st 1917. She was completed and commissioned in July 1919.<ref name=":1" />

=== Operational Service ===
[[File:HMS Hawkins Underway.jpg|thumb|490x490px|HMS Hawkins Underway, circa 1929-1935.]]
Following the completion of sea trials, Hawkins served as the flagship of the 5th Light Cruiser Fleet, based in the China Sea. She served in the Eastern Theatre until 1928, when she was transferred back to the Atlantic as the flagship of the 2nd Wing. In 1930, she was decommissioned and placed in reserve, where she was used by cadets of the Royal Navy for training purposes. In 1937, she had her 7.5-inch guns and torpedo tubes removed, as required by the London Naval Treaty.<ref name=":0" />

Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, Hawkins was recommissioned and had her main guns reinstalled. She was immediately deployed to the southern Atlantic, serving convoy escort duties. She served in the Indian ocean between 1942 and 1944, and captured many Axis merchantmen and freighters. She also served in the naval bombardment preceding the D-Day invasions.<ref name=":0" />

In August of 1944, Hawkins was again relegated to cadet-training units. She was placed into reserve and 1945, and served as a cadet training ship for an additional year. In 1947, she was used as a target ship for RAF bomb-dropping tests<ref name=":1" /> and was scrapped shortly thereafter.<ref name=":0" />

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_cruiser_hawkins Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==
''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


=== References ===

;Citations
<references />

;Bibliography

* D-Day Encyclopedia. (n.d.). HMS Hawkins - Battle of Normandy. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from <nowiki>https://www.dday-overlord.com/en/material/warships/hms-hawkins</nowiki>
* Alvama. (1970, January 01). British heavy cruiser HMS Hawkins (D86) 1916-1947. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from <nowiki>http://warshipsresearch.blogspot.com/2017/05/british-heavy-cruiser-hms-hawkins-d86.html</nowiki>

{{ShipManufacturer Chatham Dockyard}}
{{Britain heavy cruisers}}

RN Comandante Margottini

2022-01-01T06:24:21Z

U6591054: /* Primary armament */

{{Specs-Card
|code=it_destroyer_comandanti_medaglie_doro
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Raining Fire"]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

RN Comandante Margottini is very reminiscent of [[RN Etna]] for the hull it has. The dimensions are much smaller, but the compactness and strength is practically the same. It has a very good surface slightly angled at the front, which facilitates the ricochet and non-penetration of shells that hit the front of the ship.

The armour of the hull is composed of 25 mm steel which protects it considerably against calibres up to 152 mm.

The ship is embarked with 277 sailors which brings her to second place in terms of ships with the most crew at her battle rating, only topped by [[Erich Giese]]. Even though she has less crew, Margottini can prove to be a great ship in battle.

The crew is well distributed throughout the ship to maximize repairs and maximum ship survival.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}


{{NavalMobility}}

RN Comandante Margottini is propelled at a maximum speed of 65 km/h by two turbines with a total power of 60,000 HP. The engine room is located in the central part of the ship, slightly below sea level, which gives it a little protection.

The rudder transits from one end to the other in just 5 seconds, which is very useful in combat situations to change trajectory quickly and effectively. The wide hull and shallow draft allow Margottini to remain very stable even during sharp turns.

In reverse the Margottini can travel at the modest speed of -36 km/h.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|135 mm/45 O.T.O. Mod. 1938 (135 mm)}}

The 135 mm/45 cannons produced by OTO Melara and Ansaldo were built with the intention of recreating the same range as the [[120 mm/50 O.T.O. Mod.1936 (120 mm)|120 mm/50 cannons]], the only difference being the projectile which exits slower, but with much less dispersion.

This type of cannon was mounted on the battleships Dulio and Andrea Doria and on the light cruisers of the Capitani Romani class. Italian engineers had planned to mount this type of armament on the Etna and Comandante Margottini classes, but unfortunately these were never finished.

The 135 mm cannon of Margottini has a 9 second reload. Compared to other ships this is a longer than average reloading time, which penalises it a bit.

As for ammunition, it can load HE with 1.8 kg of explosive mass and a penetration of 23 mm, while the APHE has 1.4 kg of explosive and can penetrate 174 mm of armour. The HE-TF shell has the same amount of explosive as the HE but with greater efficiency against aerial targets. In terms of ballistics, the Margottini is found with fairly slow rounds. The HE, APHE, and HE-TF have a muzzle velocity of 825 m/s, which doesn't help much in long-range combat.

It is recommended to use APHE shells as they are much more effective than common HE, although using APHE for all targets is not really suitable, for example HE is perfect against destroyers or ships with thin armour. Unfortunately, due to the low velocity of the projectiles, it is not recommended to engaged targets beyond 7 kilometres.

It is important to note that the stern-most turret (Y turret) has very poor traverse arcs, requiring a large amount of broadside to be given in order to unmask the gun. The X turret ahead of it, in contrast, has full 360-degree traverse, and it can be brought into action very quickly.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|37 mm/54 Breda Mod.39 (37 mm)}}

This 37 mm cannon was built by Ernesto Breda as an automatic anti-aircraft weapon. The 37 mm/54 Breda cannon proved to be particularly effective at short-medium range and after several tests the Regia Marina decided to use them in twin installations (mod. 32) in 1934. On Comandante Margottini, 12 model 39 cannons were installed. The model 39 was the first of the two individually mounted models.

The 12 x 37 mm cannons are divided into two groups, four are arranged on the sides of the ship immediately behind the control room and the remaining eight are well distributed in the middle and rear of the ship.

The maximum range of the cannons is 5.3 km and the maximum effectiveness is 2.5 km and they are armed with tracer bullets, unfortunately not modifiable. These 12 cannons are very effective to ward off aircraft or to cause superficial damage to other destroyers. If there are small boats trying to get too close, the 37 mm will have no problem sinking them.

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|20 mm/65 Breda (20 mm)}}

The Breda 20/65 was built by Ernesto Breda in 1932 as an anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapon. From day one it was immediately compared to the 20 mm guns of Oerlikon, Lübee and Madsen. After long periods to decide on the correct weapon, the Regia Marina finally made its decision in 1935.

It was decided to mount the 20 mm Breda guns on the ships that needed them, including RN Comandante Margottini.

Unfortunately, only two of these cannons were mounted and they were located at the front of the ship, one on the left side and the other on the right side. The 20 mm has three belts available: the Universal belt, HE belt, and AP belt. All three of the various combinations penetrate 38 mm.

The maximum range for these guns is 4 km and the maximum effective range is 2 km. These two 20 mm Breda can also be very effective against small boats that come too close to the ship.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}

{{main|S.I. 270/533,4X7,2 Tipo M (533 mm)|B TG 100 depth charge}}

In addition to the considerable main and auxiliary armament, Comandante Margottini can also carry up to 10 depth charges and 6 torpedoes.

The depth charges are stored in the rear part of the ship, more precisely at the height of the second main turret.

The charges in question are the B TG 100 with 100 kg of explosives inside them and can be equipped after researching the modification.

The depth charges are super useful when you make very close encounters or when you are followed by a ship. It only takes one charge to eliminate your opponent. In addition to depth charges there is the possibility to carry 6 torpedoes, more precisely the S.I. 270.

These torpedoes without the torpedo mode modification equipped can travel in water up to 93 km/h but only for 4 km, while with the modification the torpedo loses 19 km/h of speed, but gains 8 km of range more. Torpedoes are an effective way to surprise the enemy without them expecting it, either at the beginning of the game or during a firefight.

== Usage in battles ==

RN Comandante Margottini is a very good ship in almost every area. Its excellent survivability gives it a very good fighting spirit, it is recommended to use this ship with the support of allies. It plays very well in the front line, to face off against other destroyers and light cruisers.

If possible it would be best to have the front of the ship facing the target so that it can absorb as many hits as possible.

One of the most sensitive parts of the ship is the command deck, it is very large and often the first to be hit in a firefight. This can be annoying because you can neither defend nor hide, it is the achilles heel of the ship. A counter tactic to reduce this is to zig-zag the ship or move just after firing or noticing the enemy has fired.

It is not recommended to engage enemies beyond 7 km as the 135 mm cannons will not do much damage due to the shells' projectile speed.

If the enemy is very close, angle the ship slightly to the left or right to reduce damage, this will also allow the use of the turrets in the rear of the ship. If possible avoid any kind of clash with ships above 5.0 BR as the Margottini could be in a bit of trouble.

Beware of German ships and those with autoloading systems such as [[USS Fletcher]], [[IJN Akizuki]], and [[SKR-7]]. With their high rate of fire, they can decimate the crew in a few seconds without causing any major damage to the ship.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Excellent survival due to its armour, 16 mm at its thickest point.
* Good number of crew on the ship, 277 members.
* Excellent forward and reverse speed, 65 km/h / -36 km/h.
* Excellent manoeuvrability at full speed.
* Doesn't wobble too much, after an abrupt change in direction.
* Excellent auxiliary and anti-aircraft armaments.

'''Cons:'''

* Slow projectiles struggle at longer ranges, 825 m/s.
* Very large bridge, can be destroyed easily.
* Main armament has a slow reloading speed, 9 seconds.
* Elevating and yawing of auxiliary armament are quite slow. 20 degrees/sec and 15 degrees/sec.
* Excessively long hull, its length does not facilitate the avoidance of enemy shots and torpedoes.

== History ==

During World War II, the Regia Marina did not have enough destroyers available. By September 1940, 7 destroyers had been lost in combat, so a decision was initiated to build 7 new destroyers to replace them.

To save development and design time, a new batch of the existing Soldati-class destroyers were ordered.

These new Soldati-class destroyers got an additional 100 tons more in weight because of the new anti-aircraft and anti-submarine armament which was updated, the construction of the first units took place in October 1940 and 5 ships entered service between February and August 1942.

During World War II, the armament of the Soldati-class ships was modified several times and upgraded, eliminating a row of torpedo tubes and replacing them with anti-aircraft armament.

During 1941, while the second series of Soldati-class destroyers were being built, it became clear that more destroyers had to be built, in fact the Navy Ministry decided to incorporate all changes on destroyers, based on the experience gained in the war, so it was understood that a new class of destroyers had to be developed.

The committee assigned the task of designing the new class to General Carlo Sigismondi (Corpo del Genio Navale) who was assisted by Lieutenant Colonel Giuseppe Malagoli (Corpo del Genio Navale). The new class was practically an update of the Soldati class with the addition of more weight, the design of the ship changed in almost all parts except the layout of the engines which did not change, but the engines were upgraded to 60,000 horsepower.

The speed was reduced to 35 knots, a speed considered sufficient for all the missions that the new class of destroyers had to perform.

The first drawings of the projects were made quickly and the first orders were placed in September 1941, the construction of the first two units took place in the Cantieri del Tirreno di Riva Trigoso on 10 September 1941, while other two units were allocated in the Cantieri Navali Riuniti di Ancona and four units were allocated in the Cantieri Navali Odero Terni Orlando (OTO) di Livorno on 27 September 1941.

After these 8 units it was planned to produce a second series of this class of ship, the significant change of this new class was the replacement of the twin 120 mm/50 guns with single 135 mm/45 guns, then as anti-aircraft armament it was composed of 12 Breda mod.39 37 mm/54 cannons, the initial designs of the class when completed showed that the ship would normally be 2,600 tons of weight, 120 m in length, with a smokestack that was clearly inspired by the Soldati class.

During 1942, the project was again modified by eliminating the fifth gun positioned in the center of the ship to accommodate more anti-aircraft armament, in September 1942 the design was blocked in the same month orders were placed for 8 units of the second series (2 in Trigoso, 2 in Livorno and 4 in CRDA Trieste).

Later there was also a modification for the elimination of the stern director to favour the addition of more anti-aircraft armament.

Orders were placed for 8 units of the third series on 7 October 1942 with CRDA Trieste.

The name of the new class was called: Comandante Medaglie d'Oro. This name was chosen to remember the commanders who had received the gold medal (Medaglie d'Oro).

In the end, between May 1944 and January 1945, aerial bombardments were carried out on the shipyards where the ships were being built, as a result of the damage they were demolished.

'''Planned units'''<div style="column-count:3;-moz-column-count:3;-webkit-column-count:3">
* ''Comandante Margottini''
* ''Comandante Baroni''
* ''Comandante Borsini''
* ''Comandante Botti''
* ''Comandante Casana''
* ''Comandante Corsi''
* ''Comandante De Cristofaro''
* ''Comandante Dell'Anno''
* ''Comandante Esposito''
* ''Comandante Fiorelli''
* ''Comandante Fontana''
* ''Comandante Giannattasio''
* ''Comandante Giobbe''
* ''Comandante Giorgis''
* ''Comandante Milano''
* ''Comandante Moccagatta''
* ''Comandante Novaro''
* ''Comandante Rodocanacchi''
* ''Comandante Ruta''
* ''Comandante Toscano''</div>

== Media ==

<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
File:Margottini 1.png
File:Margottini 2.png
</gallery>

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the ship;''
* ''other literature.''

{{ShipManufacturer OTO}}
{{Italy destroyers}}

HMS Norfolk

2021-12-29T00:35:30Z

U6591054: /* Usage in battles */

HMS Arethusa

2021-12-28T22:35:03Z

U6591054:

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_cruiser_arethusa
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British light cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]].

The Arethusa is the lead ship of the Arethusa-class light cruisers. They were designed as 'cut-down' economy versions of the [[HMNZS Leander|Leander]]-class light cruisers, allowing more of them to be built on the same tonnage in order to protect the British Empire's vital trade routes. As such, her armament, machinery, and protection are reduced compared to the Leander.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
In order to save displacement, the Arethusa's protection is concentrated around vital components. The thickest armour is located around the magazines, which are protected by an armoured 'box' with 76 mm sides below the waterline. This mostly protects the Arethusa from instant destruction due to magazine powder explosions. However, the shell rooms located next to the powder magazines are much less well protected, with only 25 mm protection. If a shell room is hit, it will explode and cause considerable damage to the ship, though the ship will survive if enough crew remains. Both of these are sited behind fuel tanks, thus increasing their protection level somewhat.

The Arethusa, like the Leander, does not have a full length armour belt, but it does have a 57 mm belt protecting the machinery. This is sufficient to withstand most destroyer fire when angled and from medium range (5000 m or beyond). However, it will not reliably protect against light cruiser fire. Deck protection is also quite thin at only 25 mm.

Like almost all British cruisers, the Arethusa has an open unarmoured bridge. This makes it very vulnerable to getting disabled from even nearby HE shell explosions.

Unlike the preceding [[HMS Enterprise|Enterprise]], all of the Arethusa's main armament is protected in fully enclosed turrets with 25 mm all-round armour. This makes them less vulnerable to HE blast and fragmentation from nearby hits, but it is still fairly thin and can be easily penetrated by even destroyer shells.

The Arethusa has a crew complement of 623, which is somewhat above average for a light cruiser at its battle rating, and also more than what the [[HMS Enterprise|Enterprise]] gets.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Arethusa is fairly slow for a light cruiser, especially without upgrades and compared to the preceding Enterprise. Even upgraded, she is still the slowest of the British light cruisers. On the other hand, because of her small size, she has good handling for a light cruiser, and can make fairly tight turns quickly.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}
{{main|6 inch/50 BL Mark XXIII (152 mm)}}


The Arethusa's main armament consists of six BL 6-inch Mark XXIII guns mounted in three twin turrets. These have a relatively fast rate-of-fire, at a maximum of 8 rounds/minute, and good accuracy for a heavy cruiser. Unlike the preceding Enterprise, her turrets do not have a first stage ammunition rack, and are thus able to sustain their high rate-of-fire.

The stock HE shell comes with just under 4 kg of TNT equivalent, which is highly effective against destroyers. While this shell will not do too much to cruisers, it can be helpful in starting fires or knocking out crew in exposed weapon positions.

The CPBC semi-armour piercing shell has a powerful explosive filler (1.78 kg of TNT equivalent) and sufficient penetration to get through most light cruisers' belt armor at medium range. These shells are also highly effective against destroyers as the fuse sensitivity is just 7 mm with a delay of 8 m. This means that the shell will fuse on a destroyer's thin plating before exploding inside the ship, inflicting substantial damage damage.

The Arethusa also has access to HE-VT and HE-DF shells for anti-aircraft purposes. Proximity-fused HE-VT is flatly superior to HE-DF because the former is not reliant on accurate range-finding in order to burst near its target, rendering the latter shell mostly pointless. Combined with the fact that the Arethusa can also elevate her main guns up to 60 degrees, this allows her to effectively engage aircraft, especially less agile heavy bombers, with the main armament. The HE-VT can also be used instead of the basic HE shell against surface targets with similar effectiveness.

The Arethusa does not have a proper AP shell, thus the main armament lacks the penetration to threaten heavy cruisers except at close range.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}
{{main|4 inch/45 Mark XVI (102 mm)}}

''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.''

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}
{{main|Bofors L/60 Mark 2 (40 mm)|20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)|20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mark V (20 mm)}}

''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.''

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}
{{main|Mk.V (533 mm)}}

''Describe the available additional armaments of the ship: depth charges, mines, torpedoes. Talk about their positions, available ammunition and launch features such as dead zones of torpedoes. If there is no additional armament, remove this section.''

== Usage in battles ==

The Arethusa is a general improvement over the Enterprise in all but a few ways. Firstly, the Arethusa features a better main armament. While the number of guns goes down to six, the broadside is up to six thanks to the three dual-gunned superfiring turrets. These guns also have a better RoF, firing a shot every 7.5 seconds. This, combined with the Arethusa's good turret traverse, can make this ship a monster at medium-to-close range. Carrying on from the Enterprise, the Arethusa still bolsters a powerful AA screen, but now with better DP guns thanks to the dual-mounted 4-inch guns, with a 3 second reload. These guns can be deadly both to large aircraft and to enemy destroyers and patrol boats, giving the Arethusa more survivability at close range than its predecessor. It also still features the fast torpedoes of the Enterprise, as well as good turning time.

The Arethusa does sacrifice some elements of its design. Firstly, it's a slow ship, doing just 26 knots when stock. It also inherits the poor armour of the Enterprise, with the addition of having even worse deck armour (making this ship vulnerable to bombs and rockets) and weaker belt armour. This, combined with the ship's low crew tally, means it struggles to take on a good amount of damage, especially from other cruisers. This ship can still be played effectively against light cruisers and destroyers, but Arethusa players should be cautious around the armoured light cruisers of Russia and America, as well as heavy cruisers of any design, which can punish the Arethusa's small size and poor armour.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* High rate-of-fire on both main and secondary guns.
* Large explosive shell fillers for their calibre and type.
* Excellent anti-aircraft armament suite.
* Above average maneouvrability.
* Access to HE-VT shells.
* Fully enclosed main gun turrets and good magazine protection.

'''Cons:'''

* No AP shell.
* Small main gun broadside.
* Thinly armoured outside the magazines.
* Slowest British light cruiser.
* Open unarmoured bridge.

== History ==
[[File:HMS Arethusa 1942 IWM FL 889.jpg|thumb|450x450px|HMS Arethusa as seen in 1942.]]
HMS Arethusa was the lead ship of her class, a set of four light cruisers built for the Royal Navy. Designed as a lighter version of the [[HMNZS Leander|Leander]] class to counter Merchant-raider ships, they had a smaller displacement and armament but were big enough to serve as fleet cruisers. Commissioned in 1935, Arethusa served in the Mediterranean theatre before the outbreak of war, and later participated in a variety of conflicts including the Norwegian campaign and Mediterranean campaign. Struck by a torpedo in late 1942, she was inoperational until late 1943 and didn’t see active service until the D-Day landings in June of 1944. She had the honour of ferrying King George VI over the English channel to inspect the Allied forces in Normandy, but was later damaged by a naval mine and put out of service for the rest of the war. She was used for weapons trials until 1949, and subsequently scrapped.

=== Design and development ===
In the 1930s, there was serious concern over the potency of armed merchant raiders (merchant ships retrofitted with heavy armament), and as a result, the Royal Navy ordered a new class of vessels to counter these ships. The new vessel featured a toned-down version of Leander’s hull, with less armament. Even so, they were able to outgun (and possibly outrun) merchant cruisers by a fair margin. The Arethusa herself displaced just 5220 tons standard, and was capable of making 32 knots (59 km/h).

The Arethusa was armed with six 6-inch (152 mm) BL Mk 23 guns in three dual turrets - two fore (in the ‘A’ and ‘B’ positions) and one aft (in the ‘Y’ position). Her secondary armament was composed of four single 4-inch (102 mm) guns, though this was replaced in a later refit. Her anti-aircraft armament was initially scarce, but was improved over time. She carried two triple 533 mm torpedo tubes in beam positions.

Arethusa was laid down in 1933, and launched in March of 1934. After completion, she was commissioned in 1935.

=== Operational history ===
After her commissioning, the Arethusa was assigned to the British Mediterranean squadron, and remained there at the start of the Second World War. She was then recalled to the British Home Fleet, and subsequently served in the Norwegian campaign. In June of 1940, she joined Force H at Gibraltar, and participated in the attack on French Forces based at Mers-el-Kebir. She later participated in the Hunt for Bismarck, and was later employed on convoy escort duties in the Mediterranean.

In November of 1942, Arethusa was struck by an Italian torpedo that caused severe damage; after temporary repairs, she was sent to the Charleston dockyard in the US and remained there until late 1943. During this time, her anti-aircraft armament was improved significantly, and she was fitted with new dual 4-inch mountings. After her return to service, she participated in the D-Day landings and provided fire support for the forces landing at Sword Beach. She was also given the honor of carrying King George VI across the English Channel to inspect allied forces in the Normandy region. However, she was hit by a mine several days later and sent back to the shipyards for repair. Arethusa saw little service for the rest of the war, and was placed into reserve in November of 1945. There were plans to sell her to the Netherlands navy, but these plans failed to come through and Arethusa was eventually scrapped by 1950.

=== [[wt:en/news/6363-development-hms-arethusa-mistress-of-the-seas-en|Devblog]] ===
The development of the Arethusa-class light cruisers began because their predecessors - type Leander ships, were not very suitable for fleet operations at sea nor as a lead destroyer. Type Leander cruisers didn't have the maneuverability to be leaders, nor did they meet the minimum silhouette requirements for night operations. British engineers had to create a new, lighter, and more maneuverable ship based on the Leander.

The result of this endeavour was the creation of the Arethusa-class in the early 1930s - a light cruiser design based on the Leander-class, with reductions in firepower, protection and other aspects to accomodate for weight savings. The design was soon approved for construction, with six ships being initially ordered, although five were actually built in the end.

HMS Arethusa, the lead ship of her class, was laid down in January 1933, being commissioned in May 1935. Upon her completion, HMS Arethusa was immediately assigned to the Mediterranean, where she would also witness the outbreak of WWII in September 1939. Early in the war, HMS Arethusa operated off the coast of Norway, assisted in the evacuation of troops from France in 1940 and protected numerous Allied convoys in the Atlantic and Mediterranean.

Later in the war, in 1942, HMS Arethusa suffered heavy damages as a result of an airborne torpedo attack by axis forces, knocking the ship out of action for almost 2 years before finally being repaired in the US. Arethusa's final major operation of WWII were the Allied landings in Normandy in 1944. HMS Arethusa was put in reserve in the immediate postwar years and was later scrapped in May 1950.

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6363-development-hms-arethusa-mistress-of-the-seas-en|[Devblog] HMS Arethusa: Mistress of the Seas]]

=== References ===

* Mason, G. B., & Smith, G. (2004). HMS Arethusa, British Light Cruiser. Retrieved January 07, 2021, from <nowiki>https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-06CL-Arethusa.htm</nowiki>
* Helgason, G. (1995). Uboat.net. Retrieved January 07, 2021, from <nowiki>https://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4009.html</nowiki>

{{ShipManufacturer Chatham Dockyard}}
{{Britain light cruisers}}

RN Pola

2021-12-28T21:48:38Z

U6591054:

{{Specs-Card
|code=it_cruiser_zara_class_pola
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian heavy cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Hot Tracks"]].

The Pola was the designated flagship of the Zara-class heavy cruisers. She thus has a distinctive enlarged bridge structure faired into the first funnel in order to support better command facilities for flag officers. She is otherwise mostly identical to her sister ship [[RN Zara|Zara]], sporting excellent protection for a heavy cruiser and a relatively heavy armament of eight 203-mm guns.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}


The Pola (along with her sister ship [[RN Zara|Zara]]) is one of the most heavily armoured cruisers in the game. When angled, her thick 150 mm main belt can shrug off anything short of battleship shells from medium to long range. Her engines and magazines are also protected by a 20 mm upper deck and 70 mm lower deck plate, the thickest of any cruiser in the game. The bow and stern ends of the citadel are protected by 120 mm plating, which is thicker than the belt armour on many other cruisers. The large bow also acts as spaced armour against torpedoes and during head-on engagements, thanks to the plane hangar and catapult.

The main gun turrets, sporting 203 mm faces and 150 mm elsewhere, are virtually immune to HE shells and quite resistant to cruiser SAP shells. The barbettes are also protected by 140-150 mm plates. The bridge is protected all-around by 150 mm thick armour and is a small target, making it very difficult to hit and disable. The steering gear is also protected by 20 mm plating.

Furthermore, the Pola also has a very large crew complement, especially compared to Allied and Japanese heavy cruisers, which further enhances her survivability. It is important to note that the ship has only two propeller shafts (most other cruisers have four), so losing one shaft will dramatically cripple the ship's mobility.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

''Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.''

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|203 mm/53 Ansaldo mod.1927 (203 mm)}}

The Pola is armed with eight 203 mm/53 Ansaldo mod.1927 guns, distributed in four twin turrets, two in the bow and two in the stern. The guns have a relatively low rate-of-fire of only 3.8 rounds per minute, which is only slightly faster than the rate-of-fire of the American heavy cruisers. They can fire HE, AP, and HE-DF shells. These shells have a fairly high muzzle velocity (900 m/s) and good ballistics, resulting in relatively short shell travel times and fairly high penetration for the AP shell. Unfortunately, they also all have the lowest explosive fillers compared to those of other similar 203 mm guns, with only 7.5 kg of TNT for the HE/HE-DF shells, and 3.12 kg of TNT for the AP shells.

The main guns also have a fairly inconsistent dispersion, resulting in inconsistent salvos at long ranges. Sometimes they will produce a very tight spread, and at other times they will instead give a very large spread, straddling a target but not actually hitting it.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|100 mm/47 O.T.O. Mod. 1928 (100 mm)}}

''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.''

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|37 mm/54 Breda Mod.32 (37 mm)|Breda Model 31 (13.2 mm)}}

''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.''

=== Scout plane ===
{{main|Ro.43}}

In the bow there is a catapult with one Ro.43 scout floatplane, a two-seater equipped with two fixed 7.7 mm machine guns and a single defensive 7.7 mm machine gun turret, but no bombs. It can land and capture points (but only while the aircraft is being controlled by the player) and can also lay down a smoke screen (up to 3 times).

== Usage in battles ==

The Pola relies on using her heavy protection and good speed to close the distance with enemy ships and get into effective combat range. This is because of the temperamental salvo dispersion of her main guns, which makes her more inconsistent at long range shooting compared to other heavy cruisers. Her heavy turret, bridge, and belt armour make her a tough target for other cruisers (especially light cruisers) and destroyers to quickly disable or neutralise, especially at range.

However, because of the relatively small shell explosive fillers, low rate of fire, and small number of main guns, her damage output is on the low side, thus it is important to be careful when fighting other cruisers. Many of them have more guns and/or a higher rate of fire, and in a straight up close-range fight, they can out-damage the Pola over time. The Pola also does not carry any torpedoes for such fights, thus it is better to maintain some distance.

At its BR, the Pola can also face battleships regularly. In such matches, as with all cruisers, it is better to avoid fighting the battleships unless absolutely unavoidable, or if they are otherwise occupied by other ships and can be engaged with little to no risk.

The Ro.43 catapult seaplane provides some added flexibility to the Pola, allowing it to capture points that are otherwise not easily accessible to heavy cruisers, since they spawn farthest away from the capture points on Domination maps and generally do not have the best speeds. It can also be used to lay a smoke screen to cover the ship, which can be useful on maps where ships spawn out in the open.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Thickest belt armour of any cruiser.
* Main gun turrets and bridge are also very heavily armoured.
* Large crew complement further enhances survivability.
* Wide firing arcs on secondary armament.
* Access to a scout seaplane.
* Main armament has access to HE-DF shells for use against aircraft.

'''Cons:'''

* Lacklustre anti-aircraft armament (especially light anti-aircraft guns) that also has a deadzone across the bow.
* Inconsistent salvo dispersion.
* Small explosive fillers in both HE and AP shells for the 203 mm guns.
* Has only two propeller shafts (losing one cuts half the power output).
* Low damage output over time due to long reload, small shell filler, and having only eight barrels.
* Can be matched against battleships.

== History ==

=== [[wt:en/news/6980-development-pola-in-it-together-en|Devblog]] ===
Pola was laid down at the OTO Shipyard in Livorno in March 1931 as the last of the four Zara-class heavy cruisers. Following the class' nomenclature, Pola was named after a former Austro-Hungarian coastal city (today Pula, Croatia) which was annexed by Italy following the end of WWI. Pola's design remained virtually identical to the other ships of the class. However, as Pola was intended to act as a flagship, it received a larger bridge superstructure in order to accommodate the additional staff. This, as well as the missing 'carved out' sections of the hull sides below her bridge, distinguish her from other ships of the class.

Pola was launched in December 1932, and after only a brief fitting out period, was officially commissioned into service with the Regia Marina in the same month. In the interwar service period, Pola took part in two fleet reviews and participated in Italian non-intervention patrols during the Spanish Civil War along with other members of her class. Prior to the outbreak of WWII, Pola supported Italian ground forces during the occupation of Albania in April 1939.

During 1940, Pola frequently operated with her sister ships in concert with other elements of the Italian navy and engaged in a number of clashes with the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean. Pola was docked at Taranto during the devastating British air raid in November 1940, but unlike many other Italian warships present there, survived the attack unscathed.

After engaging British forces in the Battle of Cape Spartivento in late November, Pola found itself once again under air attack while in port at Naples. This time however, the ship did suffer minor damage and had to be drydocked for repairs until February of the next year.

After leaving drydock, the first major operation in which Pola took part was the Battle of Cape Matapan in late March 1941. It would also become the last battle, not just for Pola, but also for two of her sisterships - Zara and Fiume. Originally, the operation saw the assembled Italian fleet under the command of Admiral Angelo Iachino intercept a British convoy south of Crete. Pola was successfully torpedoed by British aircraft launched from HMS Formidable, quickly losing all power.

With Pola dead in the water, the Italian admiral ordered Zara, Fiume and a handful of destroyers to assist Pola later that night, however, unknown to the rescue party assembled around Pola, the superior British fleet closed in on them under the cover of darkness and guidance of radar to within point blank range before opening fire. The resulting naval engagement saw the destruction of mostall Italian warships present with heavy losses of 2303 dead and 1411 captured. After the brief battle, Pola, still afloat, was boarded by British sailors who searched the ship for valuables, taking her remaining crew as prisoners. In the early morning hours of 29 March 1941, the stricken Pola was torpedoed by the destroyer HMS Nubian, ultimately sealing her fate.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=it_cruiser_zara_class_pola Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Pola Devblog Images" heights="200">
File:Pola WTWallpaper 001.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 002.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 003.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 004.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 005.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 006.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 007.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 008.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 009.jpg|
</gallery>

== See also ==


* [[RN Zara]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6980-development-pola-in-it-together-en|[Devblog] Pola: In It Together]]

{{ShipManufacturer OTO}}
{{Italy heavy cruisers}}
{{Italy premium ships}}

RN Pola

2021-12-28T21:40:50Z

U6591054: /* Usage in battles */

{{Specs-Card
|code=it_cruiser_zara_class_pola
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian heavy cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Hot Tracks"]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}


The Pola (along with her sister ship [[RN Zara|Zara]]) is one of the most heavily armoured cruisers in the game. When angled, her thick 150 mm main belt can shrug off anything short of battleship shells from medium to long range. Her engines and magazines are also protected by a 20 mm upper deck and 70 mm lower deck plate, the thickest of any cruiser in the game. The bow and stern ends of the citadel are protected by 120 mm plating, which is thicker than the belt armour on many other cruisers. The large bow also acts as spaced armour against torpedoes and during head-on engagements, thanks to the plane hangar and catapult.

The main gun turrets, sporting 203 mm faces and 150 mm elsewhere, are virtually immune to HE shells and quite resistant to cruiser SAP shells. The barbettes are also protected by 140-150 mm plates. The bridge is protected all-around by 150 mm thick armour and is a small target, making it very difficult to hit and disable. The steering gear is also protected by 20 mm plating.

Furthermore, the Pola also has a very large crew complement, especially compared to Allied and Japanese heavy cruisers, which further enhances her survivability. It is important to note that the ship has only two propeller shafts (most other cruisers have four), so losing one shaft will dramatically cripple the ship's mobility.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

''Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.''

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|203 mm/53 Ansaldo mod.1927 (203 mm)}}

The Pola is armed with eight 203 mm/53 Ansaldo mod.1927 guns, distributed in four twin turrets, two in the bow and two in the stern. The guns have a relatively low rate-of-fire of only 3.8 rounds per minute, which is only slightly faster than the rate-of-fire of the American heavy cruisers. They can fire HE, AP, and HE-DF shells. These shells have a fairly high muzzle velocity (900 m/s) and good ballistics, resulting in relatively short shell travel times and fairly high penetration for the AP shell. Unfortunately, they also all have the lowest explosive fillers compared to those of other similar 203 mm guns, with only 7.5 kg of TNT for the HE/HE-DF shells, and 3.12 kg of TNT for the AP shells.

The main guns also have a fairly inconsistent dispersion, resulting in inconsistent salvos at long ranges. Sometimes they will produce a very tight spread, and at other times they will instead give a very large spread, straddling a target but not actually hitting it.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|100 mm/47 O.T.O. Mod. 1928 (100 mm)}}

''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.''

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|37 mm/54 Breda Mod.32 (37 mm)|Breda Model 31 (13.2 mm)}}

''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.''

=== Scout plane ===
{{main|Ro.43}}

In the bow there is a catapult with one Ro.43 scout floatplane, a two-seater equipped with two fixed 7.7 mm machine guns and a single defensive 7.7 mm machine gun turret, but no bombs. It can land and capture points (but only while the aircraft is being controlled by the player) and can also lay down a smoke screen (up to 3 times).

== Usage in battles ==

The Pola relies on using her heavy protection and good speed to close the distance with enemy ships and get into effective combat range. This is because of the temperamental salvo dispersion of her main guns, which makes her more inconsistent at long range shooting compared to other heavy cruisers. Her heavy turret, bridge, and belt armour make her a tough target for other cruisers (especially light cruisers) and destroyers to quickly disable or neutralise, especially at range.

However, because of the relatively small shell explosive fillers, low rate of fire, and small number of main guns, her damage output is on the low side, thus it is important to be careful when fighting other cruisers. Many of them have more guns and/or a higher rate of fire, and in a straight up close-range fight, they can out-damage the Pola over time. The Pola also does not carry any torpedoes for such fights, thus it is better to maintain some distance.

At its BR, the Pola can also face battleships regularly. In such matches, as with all cruisers, it is better to avoid fighting the battleships unless absolutely unavoidable, or if they are otherwise occupied by other ships and can be engaged with little to no risk.

The Ro.43 catapult seaplane provides some added flexibility to the Pola, allowing it to capture points that are otherwise not easily accessible to heavy cruisers, since they spawn farthest away from the capture points on Domination maps and generally do not have the best speeds. It can also be used to lay a smoke screen to cover the ship, which can be useful on maps where ships spawn out in the open.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Thickest belt armour of any cruiser.
* Main gun turrets and bridge are also very heavily armoured.
* Large crew complement further enhances survivability.
* Wide firing arcs on secondary armament.
* Access to a scout seaplane.
* Main armament has access to HE-DF shells for use against aircraft.

'''Cons:'''

* Lacklustre anti-aircraft armament (especially light anti-aircraft guns) that also has a deadzone across the bow.
* Inconsistent salvo dispersion.
* Small explosive fillers in both HE and AP shells for the 203 mm guns.
* Has only two propeller shafts (losing one cuts half the power output).
* Low damage output over time due to long reload, small shell filler, and having only eight barrels.
* Can be matched against battleships.

== History ==

=== [[wt:en/news/6980-development-pola-in-it-together-en|Devblog]] ===
Pola was laid down at the OTO Shipyard in Livorno in March 1931 as the last of the four Zara-class heavy cruisers. Following the class' nomenclature, Pola was named after a former Austro-Hungarian coastal city (today Pula, Croatia) which was annexed by Italy following the end of WWI. Pola's design remained virtually identical to the other ships of the class. However, as Pola was intended to act as a flagship, it received a larger bridge superstructure in order to accommodate the additional staff. This, as well as the missing 'carved out' sections of the hull sides below her bridge, distinguish her from other ships of the class.

Pola was launched in December 1932, and after only a brief fitting out period, was officially commissioned into service with the Regia Marina in the same month. In the interwar service period, Pola took part in two fleet reviews and participated in Italian non-intervention patrols during the Spanish Civil War along with other members of her class. Prior to the outbreak of WWII, Pola supported Italian ground forces during the occupation of Albania in April 1939.

During 1940, Pola frequently operated with her sister ships in concert with other elements of the Italian navy and engaged in a number of clashes with the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean. Pola was docked at Taranto during the devastating British air raid in November 1940, but unlike many other Italian warships present there, survived the attack unscathed.

After engaging British forces in the Battle of Cape Spartivento in late November, Pola found itself once again under air attack while in port at Naples. This time however, the ship did suffer minor damage and had to be drydocked for repairs until February of the next year.

After leaving drydock, the first major operation in which Pola took part was the Battle of Cape Matapan in late March 1941. It would also become the last battle, not just for Pola, but also for two of her sisterships - Zara and Fiume. Originally, the operation saw the assembled Italian fleet under the command of Admiral Angelo Iachino intercept a British convoy south of Crete. Pola was successfully torpedoed by British aircraft launched from HMS Formidable, quickly losing all power.

With Pola dead in the water, the Italian admiral ordered Zara, Fiume and a handful of destroyers to assist Pola later that night, however, unknown to the rescue party assembled around Pola, the superior British fleet closed in on them under the cover of darkness and guidance of radar to within point blank range before opening fire. The resulting naval engagement saw the destruction of mostall Italian warships present with heavy losses of 2303 dead and 1411 captured. After the brief battle, Pola, still afloat, was boarded by British sailors who searched the ship for valuables, taking her remaining crew as prisoners. In the early morning hours of 29 March 1941, the stricken Pola was torpedoed by the destroyer HMS Nubian, ultimately sealing her fate.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=it_cruiser_zara_class_pola Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Pola Devblog Images" heights="200">
File:Pola WTWallpaper 001.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 002.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 003.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 004.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 005.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 006.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 007.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 008.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 009.jpg|
</gallery>

== See also ==


* [[RN Zara]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6980-development-pola-in-it-together-en|[Devblog] Pola: In It Together]]

{{ShipManufacturer OTO}}
{{Italy heavy cruisers}}
{{Italy premium ships}}

RN Pola

2021-12-28T08:23:13Z

U6591054: /* Primary armament */

{{Specs-Card
|code=it_cruiser_zara_class_pola
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian heavy cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Hot Tracks"]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}


The ''Pola'' (along with her sister ship [[RN Zara|''Zara'']]) is one of the most heavily armoured cruisers in the game. When angled, her thick 150 mm main belt can shrug off anything short of battleship shells from medium to long range. Her engines and magazines are also protected by a 20 mm upper deck and 70 mm lower deck plate, the thickest of any cruiser in the game. The bow and stern ends of the citadel are protected by 120 mm plating, which is thicker than the belt armour on many other cruisers. The large bow also acts as spaced armour against torpedoes and during head-on engagements, thanks to the plane hangar and catapult.

The main gun turrets, sporting 203 mm faces and 150 mm elsewhere, are virtually immune to HE shells and quite resistant to cruiser SAP shells. The barbettes are also protected by 140-150 mm plates. The bridge is protected all-around by 150 mm thick armour and is a small target, making it very difficult to hit and disable. The steering gear is also protected by 20 mm plating.

Furthermore, the ''Pola'' also has a very large crew complement, especially compared to Allied and Japanese heavy cruisers, which further enhances her survivability.

It is important to note that the ship has only two propeller shafts (most other cruisers have four), so losing one shaft will dramatically cripple the ship's mobility.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

''Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.''

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|203 mm/53 Ansaldo mod.1927 (203 mm)}}

The ''Pola'' is armed with eight 203-mm 53-calibre Mod. 1927 guns, distributed in four twin turrets, two in the bow and two in the stern. The guns have a relatively low rate-of-fire of only 3.8 rounds/minute, which is only slightly faster than the rate-of-fire of the American heavy cruisers. They can fire HE, AP, and HE-DF shells. These shells have a fairly high muzzle velocity (900 m/s) and good ballistics, resulting in relatively short shell travel times and fairly high penetration for the AP shell. Unfortunately, they also all have the lowest explosive fillers compared to those of other similar 203-mm guns, with only 7.5 kg of TNT for the HE/HE-DF shells, and 3.12 kg of TNT for the AP shells.

The main guns also have a fairly inconsistent dispersion, resulting in inconsistent salvos at long ranges. Sometimes they will produce a very tight spread, and at other times they will instead give a very large spread, straddling a target but not actually hitting it.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|100 mm/47 O.T.O. Mod. 1928 (100 mm)}}

''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.''

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|37 mm/54 Breda Mod.32 (37 mm)|Breda Model 31 (13.2 mm)}}

''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.''

=== Scout plane ===
{{main|Ro.43}}

In the bow there is a catapult with one Ro.43 scout floatplane, a two-seater equipped with two fixed 7.7 mm machine guns and a single defensive 7.7 mm machine gun turret, but no bombs. It can land and capture points (but only while the aircraft is being controlled by the player) and can also lay down a smoke screen (up to 3 times).

== Usage in battles ==

The ''Pola'' relies on using her heavy protection and good speed to close the distance with enemy ships and get into effective combat range. This is because of the temperamental salvo dispersion of her main guns, which makes her more inconsistent at long range shooting compared to other heavy cruisers. Her heavy turret, bridge, and belt armour make her a tough target for other cruisers (especially light cruisers) and destroyers to quickly disable or neutralise, especially at range.

However, because of the relatively small shell explosive fillers, low rate-of-fire, and small number of main guns, her damage output is on the low side, thus it is important to be careful when fighting other cruisers. Many of them have more guns and/or a higher rate of fire, and in a straight up close-range fight, they can out-damage the ''Pola'' over time. The ''Pola'' also does not carry any torpedoes for such fights, thus it is better to maintain some distance.

As a BR 5.7 ship, the ''Pola'' can also face battleships regularly. In such matches, as with all cruisers, it is better to avoid fighting the battleships unless absolutely unavoidable, or if they are otherwise occupied by other ships and can be engaged with little to no risk.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Thickest belt armour of any cruiser.
* Main gun turrets and bridge are also very heavily armoured.
* Large crew complement further enhances survivability.
* Wide firing arcs on secondary armament.
* Access to a scout seaplane.
* Main armament has access to HE-DF shells for use against aircraft.

'''Cons:'''

* Lacklustre anti-aircraft armament (especially light anti-aircraft guns) that also has a deadzone across the bow.
* Inconsistent salvo dispersion.
* Smallest explosive filler for both HE and AP shells among 8-inch/20-cm guns.
* Has only two propeller shafts (i.e., losing one cuts half the power output).
* Low damage output over time due to long reload, small shell filler, and having only eight barrels.
* Can be matched against battleships.

== History ==

=== [[wt:en/news/6980-development-pola-in-it-together-en|Devblog]] ===
Pola was laid down at the OTO Shipyard in Livorno in March 1931 as the last of the four Zara-class heavy cruisers. Following the class' nomenclature, Pola was named after a former Austro-Hungarian coastal city (today Pula, Croatia) which was annexed by Italy following the end of WWI. Pola's design remained virtually identical to the other ships of the class. However, as Pola was intended to act as a flagship, it received a larger bridge superstructure in order to accommodate the additional staff. This, as well as the missing 'carved out' sections of the hull sides below her bridge, distinguish her from other ships of the class.

Pola was launched in December 1932, and after only a brief fitting out period, was officially commissioned into service with the Regia Marina in the same month. In the interwar service period, Pola took part in two fleet reviews and participated in Italian non-intervention patrols during the Spanish Civil War along with other members of her class. Prior to the outbreak of WWII, Pola supported Italian ground forces during the occupation of Albania in April 1939.

During 1940, Pola frequently operated with her sister ships in concert with other elements of the Italian navy and engaged in a number of clashes with the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean. Pola was docked at Taranto during the devastating British air raid in November 1940, but unlike many other Italian warships present there, survived the attack unscathed.

After engaging British forces in the Battle of Cape Spartivento in late November, Pola found itself once again under air attack while in port at Naples. This time however, the ship did suffer minor damage and had to be drydocked for repairs until February of the next year.

After leaving drydock, the first major operation in which Pola took part was the Battle of Cape Matapan in late March 1941. It would also become the last battle, not just for Pola, but also for two of her sisterships - Zara and Fiume. Originally, the operation saw the assembled Italian fleet under the command of Admiral Angelo Iachino intercept a British convoy south of Crete. Pola was successfully torpedoed by British aircraft launched from HMS Formidable, quickly losing all power.

With Pola dead in the water, the Italian admiral ordered Zara, Fiume and a handful of destroyers to assist Pola later that night, however, unknown to the rescue party assembled around Pola, the superior British fleet closed in on them under the cover of darkness and guidance of radar to within point blank range before opening fire. The resulting naval engagement saw the destruction of mostall Italian warships present with heavy losses of 2303 dead and 1411 captured. After the brief battle, Pola, still afloat, was boarded by British sailors who searched the ship for valuables, taking her remaining crew as prisoners. In the early morning hours of 29 March 1941, the stricken Pola was torpedoed by the destroyer HMS Nubian, ultimately sealing her fate.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=it_cruiser_zara_class_pola Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Pola Devblog Images" heights="200">
File:Pola WTWallpaper 001.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 002.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 003.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 004.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 005.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 006.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 007.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 008.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 009.jpg|
</gallery>

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6980-development-pola-in-it-together-en|[Devblog] Pola: In It Together]]

{{ShipManufacturer OTO}}
{{Italy heavy cruisers}}
{{Italy premium ships}}

RN Pola

2021-12-28T08:20:27Z

U6591054: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=it_cruiser_zara_class_pola
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian heavy cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Hot Tracks"]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}


The ''Pola'' (along with her sister ship [[RN Zara|''Zara'']]) is one of the most heavily armoured cruisers in the game. When angled, her thick 150 mm main belt can shrug off anything short of battleship shells from medium to long range. Her engines and magazines are also protected by a 20 mm upper deck and 70 mm lower deck plate, the thickest of any cruiser in the game. The bow and stern ends of the citadel are protected by 120 mm plating, which is thicker than the belt armour on many other cruisers. The large bow also acts as spaced armour against torpedoes and during head-on engagements, thanks to the plane hangar and catapult.

The main gun turrets, sporting 203 mm faces and 150 mm elsewhere, are virtually immune to HE shells and quite resistant to cruiser SAP shells. The barbettes are also protected by 140-150 mm plates. The bridge is protected all-around by 150 mm thick armour and is a small target, making it very difficult to hit and disable. The steering gear is also protected by 20 mm plating.

Furthermore, the ''Pola'' also has a very large crew complement, especially compared to Allied and Japanese heavy cruisers, which further enhances her survivability.

It is important to note that the ship has only two propeller shafts (most other cruisers have four), so losing one shaft will dramatically cripple the ship's mobility.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

''Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.''

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|203 mm/53 Ansaldo mod.1927 (203 mm)}}

The ''Pola'' is armed with eight 203-mm 53-calibre Mod. 1929 guns, distributed in four twin turrets, two in the bow and two in the stern. The guns have a relatively low rate-of-fire of only 3.8 rounds/minute, which is only slightly faster than the rate-of-fire of the American heavy cruisers. They can fire HE, AP, and HE-DF shells. These shells have a fairly high muzzle velocity (900 m/s) and good ballistics, resulting in relatively short shell travel times and fairly high penetration for the AP shell. Unfortunately, they also all have the lowest explosive fillers compared to those of other similar 203-mm guns, with only 7.5 kg of TNT for the HE/HE-DF shells, and 3.12 kg of TNT for the AP shells.

The main guns also have a fairly inconsistent dispersion, resulting in inconsistent salvos at long ranges. Sometimes they will produce a very tight spread, and at other times they will instead give a large spread, straddling a target but not actually hitting it.

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|100 mm/47 O.T.O. Mod. 1928 (100 mm)}}

''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.''

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|37 mm/54 Breda Mod.32 (37 mm)|Breda Model 31 (13.2 mm)}}

''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.''

=== Scout plane ===
{{main|Ro.43}}

In the bow there is a catapult with one Ro.43 scout floatplane, a two-seater equipped with two fixed 7.7 mm machine guns and a single defensive 7.7 mm machine gun turret, but no bombs. It can land and capture points (but only while the aircraft is being controlled by the player) and can also lay down a smoke screen (up to 3 times).

== Usage in battles ==

The ''Pola'' relies on using her heavy protection and good speed to close the distance with enemy ships and get into effective combat range. This is because of the temperamental salvo dispersion of her main guns, which makes her more inconsistent at long range shooting compared to other heavy cruisers. Her heavy turret, bridge, and belt armour make her a tough target for other cruisers (especially light cruisers) and destroyers to quickly disable or neutralise, especially at range.

However, because of the relatively small shell explosive fillers, low rate-of-fire, and small number of main guns, her damage output is on the low side, thus it is important to be careful when fighting other cruisers. Many of them have more guns and/or a higher rate of fire, and in a straight up close-range fight, they can out-damage the ''Pola'' over time. The ''Pola'' also does not carry any torpedoes for such fights, thus it is better to maintain some distance.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Thickest belt armour of any cruiser.
* Main gun turrets and bridge are also very heavily armoured.
* Large crew complement further enhances survivability.
* Wide firing arcs on secondary armament.
* Access to a scout seaplane.
* Main armament has access to HE-DF shells for use against aircraft.

'''Cons:'''

* Lacklustre anti-aircraft armament (especially light anti-aircraft guns) that also has a deadzone across the bow.
* Inconsistent salvo dispersion.
* Smallest explosive filler for both HE and AP shells among 8-inch/20-cm guns.
* Has only two propeller shafts (i.e., losing one cuts half the power output).
* Low damage output over time due to long reload, small shell filler, and having only eight barrels.
* Can be matched against battleships.

== History ==

=== [[wt:en/news/6980-development-pola-in-it-together-en|Devblog]] ===
Pola was laid down at the OTO Shipyard in Livorno in March 1931 as the last of the four Zara-class heavy cruisers. Following the class' nomenclature, Pola was named after a former Austro-Hungarian coastal city (today Pula, Croatia) which was annexed by Italy following the end of WWI. Pola's design remained virtually identical to the other ships of the class. However, as Pola was intended to act as a flagship, it received a larger bridge superstructure in order to accommodate the additional staff. This, as well as the missing 'carved out' sections of the hull sides below her bridge, distinguish her from other ships of the class.

Pola was launched in December 1932, and after only a brief fitting out period, was officially commissioned into service with the Regia Marina in the same month. In the interwar service period, Pola took part in two fleet reviews and participated in Italian non-intervention patrols during the Spanish Civil War along with other members of her class. Prior to the outbreak of WWII, Pola supported Italian ground forces during the occupation of Albania in April 1939.

During 1940, Pola frequently operated with her sister ships in concert with other elements of the Italian navy and engaged in a number of clashes with the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean. Pola was docked at Taranto during the devastating British air raid in November 1940, but unlike many other Italian warships present there, survived the attack unscathed.

After engaging British forces in the Battle of Cape Spartivento in late November, Pola found itself once again under air attack while in port at Naples. This time however, the ship did suffer minor damage and had to be drydocked for repairs until February of the next year.

After leaving drydock, the first major operation in which Pola took part was the Battle of Cape Matapan in late March 1941. It would also become the last battle, not just for Pola, but also for two of her sisterships - Zara and Fiume. Originally, the operation saw the assembled Italian fleet under the command of Admiral Angelo Iachino intercept a British convoy south of Crete. Pola was successfully torpedoed by British aircraft launched from HMS Formidable, quickly losing all power.

With Pola dead in the water, the Italian admiral ordered Zara, Fiume and a handful of destroyers to assist Pola later that night, however, unknown to the rescue party assembled around Pola, the superior British fleet closed in on them under the cover of darkness and guidance of radar to within point blank range before opening fire. The resulting naval engagement saw the destruction of mostall Italian warships present with heavy losses of 2303 dead and 1411 captured. After the brief battle, Pola, still afloat, was boarded by British sailors who searched the ship for valuables, taking her remaining crew as prisoners. In the early morning hours of 29 March 1941, the stricken Pola was torpedoed by the destroyer HMS Nubian, ultimately sealing her fate.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=it_cruiser_zara_class_pola Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Pola Devblog Images" heights="200">
File:Pola WTWallpaper 001.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 002.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 003.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 004.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 005.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 006.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 007.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 008.jpg|
File:Pola WTWallpaper 009.jpg|
</gallery>

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6980-development-pola-in-it-together-en|[Devblog] Pola: In It Together]]

{{ShipManufacturer OTO}}
{{Italy heavy cruisers}}
{{Italy premium ships}}