Fleet

The U.S. Des Moines-class cruisers were a class of cruise ships built as heavy cruisers for the United States Navy during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Famous for their powerful armament and design innovations, as well as their long service life, they represented a remarkable achievement of naval engineering during the Cold War. This was the last heavy cruiser class commissioned by the United States. That being said, they provided an important role within the Navy for decades.

When the Soviet Navy needed to replace their aging Svetlana-class and Admiral Nakhimov-class cruisers, they recognized a lack of expertise and infrastructure to construct large cruisers independently. As a result, they sought foreign assistance to design and build a new light cruiser. This new vessel would later serve as an influential model for Soviet shipbuilders to develop more advanced cruisers in the future.

The Battle of the River Plate was the earliest major naval battle of the Second World War. It saw the sinking of German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee and is often touted as an early success for the Royal Navy, though the actual facts of the battle somewhat muddle that case. The story of this famous battle actually starts a few months before the day it took place on December 13, 1939.

Contrary to public belief, the 330 mm OPf Mle 1935 shell was not classified as a Semi-Armor Piercing type of ammunition. Historically, the Dunkerque class was designed to counter ships like the Graf Spee, which were lightly armored compared to other capital ships. One theory suggests that the 330 mm OPf shell was designed as SAP to fulfill this purpose. There are currently two claims that attempt to support the classification of the 330 mm OPf shell as SAP: the burster cavity was too large and the hardened cap was too thin compared to typical AP shells. However, additional historical and technical context disproves these claims and instead suggests that the 330 mm OPf shell was designed as AP. The historical context will be first established before addressing each of these claims.

Dunkerque can best be described as a ship that excels in downtiers but struggles significantly in uptiers. While she may be an exciting vessel to unlock, being the ultimate French ship in the game at the time of her release, it is important to moderate expectations. Like all other vessels at BR 6.7, she finds herself in a challenging position, where many top-tier ships can penetrate her magazines, while she cannot retaliate effectively.

Dunkerque's history was not filled with epic victories in combat or spectacular achievements; nonetheless, she participated in two major historic events that changed the balance of power in the Mediterranean, making her an important vessel from an historical perspective, even if she did not sink any hostile vessels in anger.

Crew is the lifeblood of any war machine. Boats and ships can require as few as a handful of men or as many as thousands to operate efficiently. In War Thunder's naval battles, the Crew Loss mechanic is used to simulate victory by attrition, whether it's through sailor casualties or structural damage that would otherwise render the ship unsalvageable. Damage to critical components and special compartments reduces the percentage of crew able to perform their duties. Once the number of usable crew falls below the minimum required to operate the ship, the ship will be scuttled immediately.

From the spring of 1942, the General Board of the US Navy brought up a new fleet destroyer design for consideration. The design was expected to improve on the existing 2,200-ton Sumner class by raising the top speed from 36.5 to 38 knots with a moderate increase of 300 tons in displacement. This began a series of design studies that evaluated the potential characteristics of an improved Sumner/Gearing class. By the end of 1948, the design was drastically different from the destroyer envisioned 6 years before and formed the basis for the Mitscher class destroyer leaders.

The Project 253 was a very successful minesweeper. It and its derivatives saw operational success, relatively low loss rates, and served for nearly 60 years in a military capacity across 8 different navies. While obscure, it nonetheless played its role, even if a small one, in the course of naval military history. Even today, these vessels continue to live on in civilian service.

What comes to mind when one thinks of the word "battleship?" For many, it means the strongest vessels in the fleet, with the greatest firepower yes, but also with the greatest armor. Designed to combat enemy capital ships, that of course comes with the certainty that the battleship itself will also come under heavy fire from ships near, or perhaps even beyond its own strength. The continuous search of battleship architects to increase protection within the tonnage that they were given during the Dreadnought arms race led to the USS Nevada.