RN Raimondo Montecuccoli
Contents
Description
The Raimondo Montecuccoli-class, RN Raimondo Montecuccoli, 1943 is a rank IV Italian light cruiser with a battle rating of 5.3 (AB) and 5.7 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Starfighters".
General info
Survivability and armour
With 578 crew members, and an armour belt of 60 mm, the Raimondo Montecuccoli boasts one of the most reliable hulls for taking damage from the front. 25 mm of steel armour also surrounds the ship alongside the forward fuel tanks, allow the ship to take prolonged fire while leaving its crew and modules protected. However when approached from the side the decent 60 mm armour belt turns into a downside, as it is easily penetrated by lower ranked vessels such as the Sumner. The rear ammo rack is particularly easy to destroy because of its location at the water line, and the lack of modules around it to absorb damage.
Mobility
| Mobility Characteristics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Game Mode | Upgrade Status | Maximum Speed (km/h) | |
| Forward | Reverse | ||
| AB | |||
| Upgraded | 84 | 38 | |
| RB/SB | |||
| Upgraded | 72 | 32 | |
The Montecuccoli is tied with the Attilio Regolo as the fastest cruiser at 72 km/h forward, while also boasting a high reverse speed of 32 km/h, while the Regolo can only reach a top speed of 26 km/h in reverse. This high speed allows the Montecuccoli to dominate maps where it can push capture points or switch objectives quickly when needed.
Modifications and economy
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Armament
Primary armament
The Montecuccoli is equipped with 8 dual-mounted 152/53 mm O.T.O Mod.1929 cannons. This armament is divided between both sides of the ship allowing for good firing angles. The best round for the ship is the APHEBC Palla with a penetration of 282 mm at 1,000 m and an explosive mass of 800 g. This shell allows the Montecuccoli to reliably frontally penetrate other ships' bows to damage modules and ammunition racks when being pushed. As backup rounds the ship also carries two HE rounds labelled HE Dirompente with 29 mm of penetration at any range or angle with an explosive mass of 2.39 kg, but the HE-TF round is also given a time fuse allowing it to be more versatile. Because of the precarious ammunition rack location along the waterline, it is recommended to bring around 500 rounds of APHEBC for the primary round, and around 250 rounds of HE-TF to be used against smaller boats and aircraft.
Secondary armament
Equipped with 6 dual-mounted 100 mm/47 O.T.O Mod. 1928 cannons, the Montecuccoli is blessed with reliable secondary armament to be used when the primary armament is disabled. When used aggressively, it is suggested to load primarily the APHE round because of its 150 mm of penetration at 100 m, and its 820 g explosive mass. This shell is reliable to disable the main turrets on other cruisers. However the HE-TF Contro-aerea is also useful as an anti-aircraft shell, as well as using its 17 mm of penetration at any angle to deliver 1.3 kg of explosive mass to smaller PT boats.
Anti-aircraft armament
The Montecuccoli is adequately protected from aircraft by 8 dual-mounted 37 mm/54 Breda Mod.38 autocannons, and 10 single-mounted 20 mm/70 Oerlikon 3S autocannons. In conjunction with the secondary armament, the AI will have no trouble removing smaller targets during a battle leaving the player safe to engage larger targets with the primary armament.
Additional armament
Graced with 533 mm steam-turbined S.I. 270/533,4X7,2 Tipo M torpedoes in dual mounts along the sides of the main funnel, the Montecuccoli can achieve excellent firing angles for these torpedoes while also leaving them protected while charging an enemy. With torpedo mode enabled, the torpedoes travel 12 km with a speed of 56 km/h, while disabled the torpedo travels 4 km at a speed of 93 km/h. Because of the low amount of torpedoes (4 total), it is recommended to disable the torpedo mode as it allows the ship to more reliably aim the torpedoes while brawling.
Scout plane
Located amidships is a catapult with one Ro.43 scout plane which provides unique offensive and defensive abilities, expanding tactical options. Ship-launched scout planes fly just like regular tree units but lack munition choices and cockpit views. The Ro.43 is a 2 seater equipped with two fixed offensive light machine guns and a single defensive machine gun turret, but no bombs. It does have the scout plane ability to cap zones and lay down smoke cover (up to 3 times). Captains will be wise to remember to utilise the aircraft and consider when best to use it, for example to cap a point early or late in the match, to create a smoke screen to stymie enemy bombardment and repair, to attack enemy units directly, or perhaps something completely new!Usage in battles
The Raimondo Montecuccoli is second only to the Admiral Graf Spee in its ability to absorb damage using its bow's large size, and lack of modules, allowing the ship to safely charge objectives or enemies. In addition to its high speed and excellent firing angles on the 4 torpedoes, it is best recommended to point the bow of the ship towards an enemy and close into the 4 km range of the torpedoes to get reliable kills on other cruisers that can't react to the positioning the Montecuccoli can achieve. This strategy works best against ships such as the Admiral Hipper, and Sverdlov. These ships lack the firepower to reliably disable the Montecuccoli, or adequately avoid the excellent torpedo spread the Montecuccoli can use. While this is the most enjoyable usage of the Montecuccoli, it isn't reliable for sustained gameplay as the ship can easily be flanked and destroyed after reaching the enemy lines. Ships such as the Admiral Graf Spee, Brooklyn, and Mogami can also counter this playstyle by using their excellent guns to penetrate the excellent bow protection to destroy the Montecuccoli. An alternative usage is as a stationary sniper after reaching an unexpected location by using its high speed. This playstyle eliminates the flanking threat, but limits the effectiveness of the guns and torpedoes.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Highest top speed for a cruiser
- Excellent forward protection
- Excellent torpedo firing angles
- Effective primary armament
- One scout seaplane
Cons:
- Inadequate ammo protection
- Limited torpedo quantity
- Inadequate torpedo range
History
The Raimondo Montecuccoli was designed in the third group of Condottieri-class light cruisers by Ansaldo, and Genoa. Named after the 17th century Italian general Raimondo Montecuccoli, the cruiser was involved in battles such as the Battle of Punta Stilo, and convoy attacks during the Battle of Pantelleria. The ship eventually ended surviving the war and acting as a training cruiser until 1961.
Media
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See also
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- reference to the series of the ship;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
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- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
| Ansaldo | |
|---|---|
| Corvettes | |
| Gabbiano-class | RN Gabbiano · Folaga |
| Destroyers | |
| Leone-class | RN Leone · RN Tigre |
| Light Cruisers | |
| Condottieri-class | RN Bartolomeo Colleoni · RN Raimondo Montecuccoli · RN Eugenio di Savoia |
| Heavy Cruisers | |
| Trento-class | RN Bolzano |
| Battleships | |
| Conte di Cavour-class | Novorossiysk* |
| *RN Giulio Cesare before war reparation to the USSR | |
| Italy light cruisers | |
|---|---|
| Condottieri-class | RN Bartolomeo Colleoni · RN Raimondo Montecuccoli · RN Eugenio di Savoia · RN Duca degli Abruzzi |
| Capitani Romani-class | RN Attilio Regolo |
| Etna-class | RN Etna |
