Kako (加古, named after the Kako river in Hyogo Prefecture) was a heavy cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy of the Furutaka class. In fact, cruisers of this class were designed as “first-class cruisers”, since at the time of their construction, the term “heavy cruiser” (which was later defined in the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922) did not exist. The cruiser is characterized by a powerful main battery and good survivability, but suffers from a lack of anti-air armament and weak secondary armament. 

HMS Belfast is probably one of the most famous warships of the Royal Navy. She was the first ship of the Edinburgh sub-class of the Town-class cruisers. HMS Belfast has a rich military history — launched on St. Patrick’s Day in 1938, she served during the Second World War, fought in the Korean War, and was later preserved as a museum ship, now permanently moored in London, where visitors can still explore her today. As was typical for late-WWII British ships, HMS Belfast features strong anti-aircraft armament, an excellent rapid-firing main battery, and solid protection for her machinery and magazines. However, she has relatively low crew survivability, a weak secondary battery, and lacks armor-piercing shells for her main guns.

HMS Hood is one of the most powerful buttlecruisers ever built. Originally designed as fast battleship it was reclassified by order of the First Sea Lord, Admiral John Jellicoe. The design was repeatedly modified based on combat experience, making the Hood the most powerful capital ship at the time she was comissioned in 1920. Being the top battlecruiser of the Royal Navy tech tree, HMS Hood, is characterized by a very powerful primary armament and a fairly numerous, though not particularly strong, secondary armament. It boasts good mobility but suffers from rather average armor by battleship standards, as well as a weak air defense battery. More details below.