WarshipsPodcastEU

Episode 24: Aetam, USN Cruiser changes, PTS, and How to Battleship! Aetam and the crew talk about the upcoming changes currently on the PTS including the USN Cruisers, Yamato gun depression, flooding, and smoke changes. After that, Vanessa leads a round table discussion on how to play battleships more effectively! Check out Aetam on Youtube! Also, Patreon backers will be included in a drawing each month, starting on February 15th, for cool t-shirts, pins, and other swag!

Episode 23: Patreon and Aerroon talks Tier 7 Ranked Ships! This week we launch the Warships Podcast Patreon account! After that Aerroon joins the normal crew as we discuss the ins and outs of the upcoming season of Ranked Battles which features Tier 7 ships. Check out our new Patreon! Be sure to follow Aerroon on Twitter and Youtube!

So almost a week after 0.6.0 launched and many captain respecs later. I've come to realize that only a couple of my initial builds have stood the test of repeated play. Instead of going Ship by ship, I'm going to break this down a bit more generically. NOTE: I choose priority target in the first row fairly often as I enjoy having the skill, but really any Tier 1 skill can be substituted. Generic BB Build This is the build I play on most battleships, especially the IJN line up to and including the Yamato. It combines survivability with Main Gun punch. It's important to note that I combine this build with Damage Control Modification 2, Aiming Systems Mod 1, and the Increased Main gun Rate of Fire mod (even on Yamato), when these mods are available. Additionally, I use the Fire flag to reduce fire times further. Build: http://shipcomrade.com/captcalc/1000000000100010100001000100000119 Order of Purchase: Priority Target -> Expert Marksman -> Superintendent -> Concealment Expert -> Fire Prevention -> Basics of Survivability -> Adrenaline Rush Secondary Spec BB's We all know and love the secondary spamming BB's. This build can be used on virutally any T7+ BB, but realistically I only use it on the Germans T8+. I pair this build with Secondary Range Mod, Main gun Rate of Fire mod, and Damage Control Mod 2. Fire and secondary flags are a must. Build: http://shipcomrade.com/captcalc/1000000000100010100001001000100019 Order of Purchase: Priority Target -> Expert Marksman -> Superintendent -> Manual Fire Control for Secondaries -> AFT -> Basics of Survivability -> Adrenaline Rush AA-Build BB's This build is useful for Battleships focused on AA, like the North Carolina. Remember that for this build to be worthwhile, the DPS from the largest Caliber AA guns has to be reasonably high, as Manual AA Control only doubles the DPS of those guns. I pair this build with AA Range Mod, AA, and fire Flags. Build: http://shipcomrade.com/captcalc/1000000000100010100010000000110019 Order of Purchase: Priority Target -> Expert Marksman -> BFT -> AFT -> Manual Fire Control for AA Guns -> Basics of Survivability -> Adrenaline Rush Generic Cruiser Build This is the build that I'd use on most Cruisers, especially cruisers with 203mm guns. Note that if the cruiser does not have a fighter, use a different Tier 1 skill. Also, cruisers with repair party can choose Superintendent over BoS. Build: http://shipcomrade.com/captcalc/0000100000100010100000100000001119 Order of Purchase: Direction Center for Catapult Aircraft -> Expert Marksman -> Demolition Expert -> Concealment Expert -> RPF -> Basics of Survivability -> Adrenaline Rush 150-155mm Cruiser Alternate Build While the generic cruiser build is 100% viable for these cruisers, they benefit from inertial fuse for HE shells. This build is focused on killing BB's and high armor targets, so eschews RPF in favor of IFHE. Additionally, Adrenaline Rush is moved up in priority over Expert Marksman. Build: http://shipcomrade.com/captcalc/0000100000100010100000100010000119 Order of Purchase: Direction Center for Catapult Aircraft -> Adrenaline Rush -> Demolition Expert -> Concealment Expert -> IFHE -> Basics of Survivability -> Expert Marksman AA Cruiser Build The AA cruiser is one best suited to division and competitive play when you KNOW there will be an enemy carrier. While it's still viable in normal random play, it knowingly sacrifices some versatility for maximum AA potential. Note that many cruisers carry the bulk of their AA fire power in the mid-range guns and therefore Manual AA is not as useful. This build uses the AA range mod and AA flags when able. Build: http://shipcomrade.com/captcalc/0000100000100010000011000000100119 Order of Purchase: Direction Center for Catapult Aircraft -> Expert Marksman -> BFT -> AFT -> Concealment Expert -> Superintendent -> Adrenaline Rush

Greetings from the post patch 0.6.0 world! I'm Kelorn from the Warships Podcast, and I wanted to share a few thoughts I had on builds in 0.6.0 for the ships I most play, which are the T10 Battleships and Cruisers. DISCLAIMER: These builds suit the playstyle I have adopted in my ships which tends to be relatively aggressive and relies on my ability to shoot my way out of 2:1 or 3:1 odds. (which doesn't always work) Yamato and Kurfurst I play both of these ships in a similar style. I push, I target weakest enemies and I use my long range secondaries to augment my damage. In addition, concealment expert allows me to disengage when my guns are silent from a reasonable range. Build: http://shipcomrade.com/captcalc/10000000001000000000010010001001 I played around with the "Survivability" build on the PTS and didn't find it to be a compelling alternative to having long range manual secondaries. This build requires the use of Premium consumables, damage avoidance tactics, and smart use of damage control party. Zao The zao is the long range flamethrower we all know and love. That said, 0.6.0 offers a couple new skills to augment the Zao. Build: http://shipcomrade.com/captcalc/00001000001000100000011000000011 As cruisers retain the 6 minute duration fighter plane, having two of them is a significant bonus for a single point skill. Superintendent increases staying time, and Demo expert is essential for flame throwing. Concealment is a no brainer, but RPF on a zao will enhance its ability to stay safe and in that stealth firing window, as well as allow it to be a late-game DD-hunter to secure victory. Adrenaline rush is the last skill to take but could be substituted for either Jack of all trades OR Priority Target and Preventative maintenance I would take the skills in this order: Direction Center -> Expert Marksmen -> Demo -> Concealment -> RPF -> Superintendent -> Adrenaline Rush OR Priority Target/Prev Maint Des Moines The Des Moines in my port is a dedicated AA platform. That said, Manual Control for AA is not terribly useful as more dps comes from the Mid range AA than the long range on the Des Moines. Build: http://shipcomrade.com/captcalc/01000000011000000000110000001001 BFT and AFT for AA firepower, combined with Concealment and Superintendent for staying power. Jack of all Trades is the last two points taken. Order of purchase: Prev Maint -> Expert marksman -> BFT -> AFT -> Concealment -> Superintendent -> Jack of All Trades These are my four most played ships. I don't yet have a Moskva and my Hindenberg is largely a port-queen. I'm willing to share my thoughts on lower tier Cruisers and Battleships in the comments, but I'm the wrong guy to ask about DD or CV builds!

Episode 22: Jammin411 from WoWReplays.com and Patch 0.6.0 goes live! Jammin411 gives us the lowdown on his replay hostings website, WoWReplays.com including great information about the background data gathering and future plans for the website! After that, Jammin joins the podcast crew as they discuss the release of Patch 0.6.0 and have a friendly debate about what builds to use for various Tier X Battleships, Cruisers, and Destroyers. With a bonus inclusion of a discussion on why Internal Fuse for HE Shells is so good for 150-155mm gun cruisers! Check out WoWreplays.com and Jammin411 on Youtube! Catch him on Twitter at @Jammin411 Please vote in our survey about whether to keep the background Waves and Seagulls track here!

You can see descriptions of all the skills and play with the calculator here: http://shipcomrade.com/captcalc Could help you decide!

Pretty much all the Tier X cruisers are strong, just in different ways. Without playing with you more, I'd have a hard time recommending one for you. It's been my experience on EU that there are less DD's too. Makes my BB loving heart happy! And you're quite welcome, please listen to the podcast, we talk about stuff like this all the time!

In regards to the IFHE: I think its a valid choice for the build. It really depends on how far stuck in you like to get with your BB's. One of the big reasons I take CE is that it minimizes early game damage from long range luck chuck shots. But if that isn't something you have a problem with and never intend to need to disengage, then IFHE is a compelling choice. It's just not the one that I would make! =) In regards to Priority Target: I played around with Priority Target on the PTS quite a bit. I truly enjoyed and appreciated the information it gave me, even in a BB. It let me make intelligent choices about when to turn and when to bow in. That said, its a personal preference as none of the T1 skills really appear to be a "must have" for a BB!

One thing I have noticed on EU is that the average number of DDs in a match seems to be lower. Sometimes it feels like we have 5 dd's on each team every match on NA. So countering them on NA is usually a serious problem!

This is my EU account which I only started in December! My NA account is here: https://na.warships.today/player/1000401244/Kelorn In terms of Zao, I really like having her be a flexible ship. Early game I stand off and light fires. Mid-game I usually will push a cap or a lone BB. Late game I hunt DD's. RPF helps me in the early game by letting me know if a DD is creeping around my flank. It helps me in the mid game by verifying that the BB i want to charge is alone. And it helps me late game by helping me hunt DD's. I'm not saying the other options aren't viable, I'm just saying this is the spec that fits how i enjoy playing my zao. =)

Totally valid, I guess I should have mentioned that my Des Moines only really comes out for competitive play and in divisions, especially when i div with at T9/T10 carrier and can be guaranteed to have an enemy CV. When i want a generalist ship, I will generally (heh) play something else!

This is a great question. For me, the proper tactic is the USN tactic. As it removes guns and platforms from the field. The most powerful ship is often the one that has the best defenses. When you strip the defenses away from that ship, then it becomes easier to kill. The Russian Navy tactic is analogous to cutting off the head and the body will die. In terms of a fleet, this is betting the farm on scoring a morale victory by killing the leader. With a proper chain of command, this is largely an ineffective tactic, as the sub unit commanders will pick up the slack. In game meta terms, when I'm playing a battleship, or even a cruiser as long as it has good AP ammo, I target the enemy cruisers first. Cruisers can be killed quickly by a few well placed (or lucky) shots. This takes guns off the field, reduces the number of enemy ship platforms to cap points, and generally makes the game harder to win for the enemy. After the cruisers are dead or out of sight/range. In my battleships, i target battleships showing broadside. In a cruiser, I light battleships on fire. =)

Episode 21: 0.6.0 Public Test #2 Changes and Impressions KamiSamurai returns to the podcast as he, Kelorn, and Vanessaira discuss the changes made to for Patch 0.6.0 Public Test #2. They also go into more depth on the ramifications of certain skills and start to feel their way toward builds. Not to be left out, the controversial skill Radio Position Finding gets a little more discussion including Kami's impressions as the countdown to Patch 0.6.0 approaches.

Episode 20: An In-Depth Look at the New Captain Skills with iChase and Doctor Citadel WARNING: VERY LONG EPISODE! Kelorn, iChase, Doctor Citadel, and Vanessaira take a skill by skill look at the new Captain's skill tree slated to be released with the 0.6.0 patch. As the merits and detriments of each skill are discussed, opinions form and clash between knowledgeable players on this first podcast of 2017! Check out iChase on: YouTube Twitter

Last Monday, I posted about the performance of the Royal Navy's 381mm guns. My conclusions were: The modified Mark 1 turrets and Mark II turrets with 30 degrees elevation would be acceptable Tier 8 guns and good Tier 7 guns An unhistorical modified Mark 1 turrets and Mark II turrets with supercharges in the guns would be a good Tier 8 gun. At the time, I didn't have penetration values for the supercharged guns, but with some help from Fr05ty and some of the other members of the ShipComrade.com staff, I have some additional data to share. Therefore, today we will discuss Royal navy guns 343mm and larger. Fr05ty has reverse engineered the damage formula for shells in World of Warships with a reasonable degree of accuracy. The formula is dependent on the mass of the shell and the muzzle velocity. The formula is: Damage = 21.088*(Mass x Muzzle Velocity)^0.4695 Additionally, the US Navy's Armor Penetration formula give us an empirical armor penetration at 0 yards via the formula: Penetration @ 0 yards (mm) = (0.5561613 * Muzzle Velocity^1.1 * Shell mass^0.55) / Caliber^0.65 With these formulae, we can estimate the damage and penetration for the various guns of the Royal Navy. Bear in mind that these numbers have been rounded to better reflect in game damage values. Exhibit 1: Ship Gun Name Shell Mass (kg) Muzzle Velocity (m/s) Damage Penetration @ 0 yards (mm) Lion 343mm/45 Mark V(L) 567 787 9400 627.1 Tiger 343mm/45 Mark V(H) 639.6 759 9800 643.8 King George V 356mm/45 Mark 7 721 757 10400 669.3 Warspite 381mm/42 Mark I 879 732 11400 688.3 Vanguard 381mm/42 Mark I 879 785 11600 743.3 King George V (theoretical) 381mm/45 Mark II 879 836 11900 796.6 Nelson 406mm/45 Mark 1 929 797 12000 747.6 Lion 406mm/45 Mark 3 1080 747 12500 756.3 Yamato 460mm/45 Type94 1460 780 14800 863.2 Grosser Kurfurst 420mm L/48 Drh LC/40 1220 800 13500 853.1 Montana 406mm/50 Mk7 1225 762 13500 828.5 Exhibit 1 shows the properties of known Royal Navy guns in comparison with the in-game statistics of Tier 10 battleship guns (penetration values are based on the USN Empirical formula). A couple of caveats here. Penetration values are at 0 meters or what the penetration would be if the shell were to impact armor immediately on leaving the end of the gun tube. This is impossible in a real life scenario, but represents the mathematical maximum penetration for a given shell and gun. Penetration values at range is vastly more complicated, as the ballistic trajectory, angle of impact, shell velocity degradation, and other factors play a significant role in determining penetration. That said, a heavier, faster shell will maintain its penetration capability better than a slower, lighter shell. So how do Royal Navy guns stack up against the guns currently in game? Exhibit 2 Exhibit 2 contains a fair amount of data. The Purple circles in the lower left are in-game 12 inch (305mm) guns with the worst performing gun being the 305mm/40 41st Year Type guns on the Mikasa. The Orange diamonds are the 14 inch (356mm) guns, with the 356mm/45 41st Year Type guns from the Myogi being the worst and the 356mm/50 Mk7 guns from the New Mexico being the best performing. The Blue triangles are the 15 inch (381mm) guns with the Bismarck being arguably the best of the lot. The unmarked value is for the Bayern. The Red circles are the 16 inch (406mm) guns, ranging from the 406mm L/52 Drh LC/34 guns on the GK and FdG to the 410mm/50 10th Year Type guns on the Izumo and the 406mm/50 Mk7 guns on the Montana and Iowa. The 420mm L/48 Drh LC/40 guns from the GK and FdG as well as the 460mm/45 Type94 guns from the Yamato are labeled specifically. The Green squares are the Royal Navy guns of 343mm and higher. So what does this chart tell us? First of all, a couple of assumptions. This analysis is purely based on the viability of gun performance for a ship to be slotted at a certain tier. Other factors, such as speed, AA rating, armor may have an effect on the final placement in the tech tree. Tiers 3 through 5 I think its reasonable to assume that the Tier 3 through 5 ships will be the Dreadnaught, Colossus, and Iron Duke class ships. While there are some options for alternatives, particularly at Tier 4 and 5, it almost doesn't matter. The Royal Navy ships at this tier are easily equivalent to the current ships in game. Dreadnaught's 12 inch guns will be on par with the Kawachi and South Carolina's guns. The 13.5 inch guns are slightly inferior to the 14 inch guns currently in game on the Japanese Tier 4 and 5, as well as the USN Tier V, but not dramatically so. This may be compensated for with a slightly higher rate of fire, perhaps a 28 second reload or something along that line. Tier 6 Tier 6 already has an excellent Royal Navy battleship as a premium in the Warspite. In reality, Wargaming has two options at Tier 6, the Queen Elizabeth and Revenge-class Superdreadnaughts would fall into place easily here. While it may seem easiest to slap the Queen Elizabeth class ships (of which Warspite is one) the Revenge class ships show an interesting opportunity. As I showed last week with the help of LittleWhiteMouse, the Warspite fires normal charged guns out of Mark 1 turrets which only elevate to 15 degrees (as opposed to the 30 degrees the modified Mark 1 turrets she possesses were capable of). The Revenge class ships were considered inferior to the QE's and were not upgraded as heavily. As such, they mostly did not receive the modified Mark 1 turrets. In compensation, they were given the "Supercharges". These increased the muzzle velocity from 732 m/s to 785 m/s. A Revenge at Tier 6 with supercharges would be a nightmare to deal with. By far the most powerful guns of the Tier, range comparable or slightly higher than the Warspite, and good armor. The downside is that she would be incredibly vulnerable to air attack. This would make her playstyle similar to that of the Arizona. That said, I expect the Queen Elizabeth class to be the Tier 6 ship of the line. It would offer historical basis for upgraded hulls and upgraded guns and range. Without the supercharges and with a slightly greater range than the in-game Warspite which would track with other Premium versions of line ships. (See the Prinz Eugen) Tier 7 This is where things become problematic for the Royal Navy battleship line. There are several ships that would fit into Tier 7. HMS Hood, pride of the Royal Navy, could be an interesting fit here. With 381mm guns with Mark II turrets, her range could be in excess of 20km, combined with a high speed would let her kite and dictate engagement ranges. The downside is that without supercharges in her guns, the only advantage she has over the Warspite's guns is that range. With the low muzzle velocity, the Hood would have difficulty penetrating targets at long ranges unless she was almost exclusively going for deck hits. The King George V class ships would also fit at this tier, provided they have the historical 14 inch guns. As shown in Exhibit 2, the 14 inch (356mm) guns of the KGV are quite average in comparison to the guns found in Tier 4 through 6. With a top speed of 28.3 knots, she's reasonably fast, the equivalent of the North Carolina class, but doesn't match the speed of Scharnhorst and Bismarck, let alone Gniesenau. She could probably eat the Nagato and Colorado for breakfast though, as both of these ships are vulnerable to 14 inch shells if they show broadside. Yet, KGV's broadside is only 10 guns, compared to the 12 found on the Tier 6 American ships with equivalent guns. While the Scharnhorst has long proven that she can compete as a cruiser killer at Tier 7, the 14 inch KGV would struggle without the speed and torpedoes of her German rival. No matter where you put it, the 14 inch KGV just does not fit well in the game. The final option for Tier 7 would be the Nelson class, with her battery of nine 16 inch (406mm) guns. As shown in Exhibit 2, the Nelson's 406mm guns are inferior to every other 406mm gun in the game in terms of damage and penetration. That said, her guns aren't that far behind those of the Tier 7 Nagato and Colorado. Her speed is low, at 23 knots, being slightly slower than the Nagato and faster than Colorado. Yet her main battery all faces forward, giving her a nasty "bow in" playstyle that could be very difficult for even the Scharnhorst and Gniesenau to deal with. That said, her speed would be her major weakness, yet not a crippling one. Tier 8 This is another problem Tier for the Royal Navy. There are several options to discuss: The Nelson at Tier 7 might be too overpowered, with a playstyle that would make her difficult to kill and very powerful. Yet her speed, which at Tier 7 would be workable, completely falls apart at Tier 8. 23 knots when she has a tier bracket capable of seeing Kurfursts, Montanas, and Yamato's turns her weakness into a deathtrap. Placing her here would make Tier 8 a nightmare roadblock in the tree. Alternatively, the King George V, which had so many problems at Tier 7, would fit in well here at Tier 8 with one caveat. She would have to have the proposed 15 inch (381mm) guns. This alternative design would see KGV have nine 15 inch guns in triple turrets, similar to the North Carolina, South Dakota, and Iowa in configuration but with smaller guns. As shown in Exhibit 2, the 381mm guns proposed for the KGV are massively superior to the guns on the Hood and Warspite. They're even superior to the guns found on her German rivals Bismarck and Tirpitz. The KGV with 15 inch guns could easily step into the Tier 8 role. Even if these guns are an upgrade from the 14 inch guns in the module tree, the ship would remain a workable Tier 8. The final option and possible premium Tier 8, would be the HMS Vanguard. The last serving Royal Navy battleship, the Vanguard was built on the cheap, literally with spare guns laying around from when battlecruisers were converted into Aircraft Carriers. As mentioned in my article last week, Vanguard, outfitted with modified Mark I turrets and supercharges, could be a workable Tier 8, with her high speed and impressive AA weaponry. I struggle to see her in the tech tree, as she doesn't seem like a logical step from any ship to any other ship, and therefore expect to see her as a premium if we see her at all. Tier 9 Finally, a tier that doesn't have a problem for the Royal Navy to fill. The planned Lion class battleships were to carry nine 16 inch (406mm) guns in triple turrets. These guns were improvements on the 16 inch guns on the Nelson, but did not match the capability of the 406mm Mark 7 guns installed on the Iowa and planned for the Montana. Yet its easy to overlook that and place her here, as a Tier 9. Her capabilities closely match that of the USN's North Carolina class in terms of speed and firepower, yet her armor scheme is substantially better than Iowa. She should be a comfortable fit for USN battleship players. Tier 10 Here is where we come to the biggest problem of all for the Royal Navy Battleship line. In all honesty, I think this is the reason we have yet to see this line in game. There is no reasonable ship to place in this tier. Consider: The IJN actually built the Yamato class ships. Whatever their supposed faults, they were an impressive feat of engineering. The USN had complete plans for Montana before they were put on hold and eventually canceled. There are extensive records of these ships in the archives. The Kriegsmarine was pressed to come up with fantastical ships no one had ever considered building by their leader, but there's no doubt that some inkling of the Grosser Kurfurst could have possibly been built. But the Royal Navy had no such plans. Their ultimate battleship design was the Lion class, which was neither innovative or remarkable. In all honesty they could have been copy and pasted from USN designs with some minor tweaking. Now, keen readers will be aware that I did not mention two guns in my table of Royal Navy guns larger than 343mm. They are the 18 inch (457mm) guns from the HMS Furious and the 18 inch guns planned for the N3. Here is their data compared to the other Tier 10 guns: Ship Gun Name Shell Mass (kg) Muzzle Velocity (m/s) Damage Penetration @ 0 yards (mm) Furious 457mm/40 Mk I 1506 683 14000 761.9 N3 457mm/45 Mk II 1506 762 14800 859.4 Yamato 460mm/45 Type94 1460 780 14800 863.2 Grosser Kurfurst 420mm L/48 Drh LC/40 1220 800 13500 853.1 Montana 406mm/50 Mk7 1225 762 13500 828.5 The guns from the HMS Furious are inferior in every way, yet at first glance, the 18 inch guns planned for the N3 are perfect. They match the capabilities of the Yamato's guns to a reasonable degree, even having similar damage and penetration characteristics. The problem becomes what platform do you put them on? The N3 class design would have featured nine 18 inch (457mm) guns arranged similarly to the Izumo class with six guns facing forward and three guns facing the rear with no ability to fire directly astern. The ship had no anti-aircraft guns to speak of in the design and a top speed of 23 knots. Turning her into a Tier 10 ship would require a massive boost in speed and the addition of modern AA and secondary guns. The ship would resemble the N3 class in nothing but the guns. Alternatively, you could put the 18 inch (457mm) guns on an enlarged Lion class platform. But if you do that, it's just another Yamato potentially with worse armor. Moreover the 457mm/45 Mk II design is from the 1920's and there is no historical basis for placing it on the Lion class ships. Conclusion The Royal Navy battleship line has likely posed a number of problems for the Wargaming staff and is likely the reason we have yet to see it in game. When it does come out (and I don't think there's any doubt that it will, eventually) I believe the Tier X will be an entirely fictional ship along the lines of the Roon and Hindenburg with elements taken from the N3, G3, and Lion class ships. As WG has stated that no guns larger that 18.1 inches (460mm) will be in the game, I think it's probable to see the Royal Navy's Tier X to have 18 inch (457mm) guns. What the rest of it will look like? Who can say.

Updated with a revised chart and a link to iEarlGrey's video interview!

Episode 19: WoWS Wiki Crew and WGNA Trevzor bring presents for the Holidays! WoWS Wiki Editors Lord Zath and Searaptor come by the same day as WGNA Community Contributor Trevzor for the holidays! Curious about the wiki and how it gets made? Come by for a listen! Not to mention the Holiday events and the Graf Spee! We finish off with a recap of 2016 and a look forward to 2017! Listen to Episode 19 HERE!

He and I are trying to set up a time to do it but... you know... holidays... =D

Thanks for that vote of confidence! iEarlGrey and I are going to be discussing it on an upcoming episode of his youtube series!

I completely agree with you. The Nelson is one of the ships i've wished for since I heard about WoWs. Can't wait to see how she plays in game.

Episode 18: Battle of the Atlantic! Mejash and iEarlGrey talk Patch 0.5.16 Kami, Kelorn, and Vanessa host Mejash and iEarlGrey to discuss Patch 0.5.16, including two new campaigns on the PTS, upcoming Bastion changes, the end of ARP content, and a discussion on mods that should and shouldn't be allowed. Check out Mejash on Twitter and Twitch! Check out iEarlGrey on Twitter, Twitch, and Youtube!

Greetings! On the NA server I play under the name Kelorn and am the Co-Host and Co-founder of the Warships Podcast. Recently I've been playing on the EU server, getting ready for upcoming tournaments with my NA clan. However, I have very few people to div with on a daily basis. So I'm looking for a place to hang out with above average players looking for more for their divisions. I only speak English (sorry garbage American here). I'm up to the North Carolina and have the Kutusov for Tier 8 ships. Looking forward to hearing from you.

One of the speculative questions in my mind has always been the performance (or lack thereof) of the RN 381mm gun on the Warspite and the ramifications on future Royal Navy Battleships. The Royal Navy's 15-inch (38.1 cm) Mark I gun was the "standard" heavy gun of their super-dreadnaught and inter-war period battleships. It was installed both on Monitors of the WW1 period as well as the following ships: Queen Elizabeth-class Battleships (including HMS Warspite) Royal Sovereign/Revenge-class Battleships Vanguard-class Battleship Glorious*-class Battlecruisers Repulse-class Battlecruisers Admiral-class Battlecruisers (of which only HMS Hood was built) As originally built, all of these ships (save the HMS Hood) used the Mark 1 or Mark 1 (star) turret. The Mark 1 Turret had the following characteristics: Weight: 770 tons Elevation: -5 to 20 degrees Rate of Elevation: 5 degrees/second Train: -150 to 150 degrees Rate of Train: 2 degrees/second (90 second 180 degree turn time) (All data from Navweaps.com) During the inter-war years, the Royal Navy realized that the guns were becoming obsolete and were, in particular, falling short on range. Instead of replacing the guns on their ships, they modified the turrets to allow them to elevate to 30 degrees. This matched the elevation of the Mark II turrets that were installed on the HMS Hood. In addition, they developed the 1,938 lbs 6crh APC shell, which replaced the 1,920 lbs 4crh shell which was used in the WW1 years. Finally, they developed a "Super-charge" which was only issued to ships which were not retro-fitted with modified Mark 1 turrets capable of elevating to 30 degrees. As stated by Navweaps >Super Charges were not issued to ships with 30 degree mountings as the increased barrel wear and mounting stress was not considered to be acceptable. For this reason, sources which quote HMS Vanguard as having gun ranges in excess of 32,000 yards (29,260 m) are somewhat misleading, as such a range would have required the use of super charges, which she never carried. At 20 degrees of elevation the Mark 1 turrets, firing the 1,920 lbs 4crh shell, could fire to a distance of 21,702 meters. At 20 degrees of elevation, using the 1,938 lbs 6crh shell and super charges, they could fire to a distance of 26,273 meters. At 30.5 degrees of elevation the Mark II and modified Mark 1 turrets, firing the 1,938 lbs 6crh shell with standard charges could fire to a distance of 29,720 meters. So what does all of this mean to World of Warships? The nomenclature used in the data for the HMS Warspite states that it uses the 381 mm AP Mk XXIIb AP shell. This terminology is analogous to the 1,938 lbs 6crh shell. That said, if we assume that the Warspite is firing a non-modified Mark 1 turret with standard charges, her real life maximum range would be approximately 23,000 meters (interpolation from the range tables). Given that Wargaming has reduced ranges in game across the board, reducing this to 16,300 meters in game seems in line with their standard reduction. HMS Hood were she in game, would use the Mark II turrets with Standard Charges, giving her a maximum range of 29,720 meters at 30.5 degrees elevation. Given the same rate of reduction as the Warspite, this would make her ingame range approximately 21,000 meters, which is a completely reasonable range for a Tier 7/8 Battleship as it is comparable with the Nagato, Amagi, Gneisenau, and Bismarck-class ships currently in the game. These numbers would hold the same for a Queen Elizabeth or Vanguard-class ship with the modified Mark I turret. One of the ships that did not receive modified Mark I turrets, such as the HMS Repulse or Barham could have two gun options, one using the standard charges and the same range as the in-game HMS *Warspite* or use Super Charges at 20 degrees elevation to give a real live range of 26,273 meters equating to an ingame range of 18,600 meters, which would be reasonable for a Tier 6/7 ship, being analogous to the ranges of in game ships such as the USS Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and IGN Bayern So let's talk penetration power. Assuming again that the Warspite fires the 1,938 lbs 6crh shell with standard charges, her penetration (per the USN Empirical Formula for Armor Penetration) is as follows: 0 Yards: Side Armor: 687mm Deck armor: -- 10000 Yards: Side Armor: 422mm Deck Armor: 32mm 15000 Yards: Side Armor: 353mm Deck Armor: 50mm 20000 Yards: Side Armor: 297mm Deck Armor: 72mm 25000 Yards: Side Armor: 259mm Deck Armor: 121mm 30000 Yards: Side Armor: 229mm Deck Armor: 145mm These numbers would hold true for the HMS *Hood* or HMS *Vanguard* firing at the ranges of this table the *Warspite* cannot manage, as they use the same charge and shell, just with a higher elevation. Ships using the Super Charge would have slightly higher penetration values as their muzzle velocity increased from 731.5 m/s to 785 m/s, but I was unable to find a table of values for them. For reference, the KM *Bismarck*'s penetration power at these ranges using the 38 cm (14.96") SK C/34 gun is as follows: 0 Yards: Side Armor: 742mm Deck armor: -- 5000 Yards: Side Armor: 616mm Deck Armor: 19.3mm 20000 Yards: Side Armor: 419mm Deck Armor: 75mm 25000 Yards: Side Armor: 393mm Deck Armor: 104mm 30000 Yards: Side Armor: 304mm Deck Armor: 126mm Source For reference, the IGN *Bayern*'s penetration power using the 38 cm/45 (14.96") SK L/45 gun is as follows: 11000 Yards: Side Armor: 390mm 13670 Yards: Side Armor: 350mm 21872 Yards: Side Armor: 265mm 27340 Yards: Side Armor: 220mm Source In conclusion: I believe that the Royal Navy's 15-inch (38.1 cm) Mark I gun using Modified or Mark 2 turrets would be an acceptable, though inferior to KM, Tier 8 gun and a good Tier 7 gun. The Supercharged unmodified Mark 1 Turrets would be an good Tier 7 gun and a borderline overpowered Tier 6 gun. A theoretical modified Mark 1 or Mark II, using unhistorical Super Charges, would probably be closer to the Bismarck's armor penetration as the Muzzle velocity of 785 m/s is much closer to the Muzzle velocity of the German 38 cm (14.96") SK C/34 gun of 820 m/s. This would b much closer to a decent Tier 8 gun in terms of range and armor penetration.

Totally agree with you OP. This is particularly awful on RN CLs

Play a kurfurst with manual secondaries and brawl another bb at close range... my counter ticked up to 257 hits before it even went to the upper right corner. GLORIOUS!