Engineer's Diary: Legendary Carriers

October 12, 2022

Captains, it's been a while since the duo of Legendary carrier Projects became available, so it's about time that we talked a bit more about them! This article will delve a little into the histories of Midway & Hakuryū, and, of course, includes Commander builds and gameplay tips by TheSailingRobin!

Midway was commissioned in September 1945, mere days after World War II ended. She operated for 46 years, seeing action in Vietnam and receiving a Presidential Unit Citation in the process. She was also deployed in the Gulf War, acting as flagship of the naval task force during Operation Desert Storm. Her service continues to this day in her role as a museum ship in San Diego, California.

Hakuryū, on the other hand, was a design that never materialized, basically being an enlarged and enhanced Taihō. The project was suspended after the Battle of Midway to focus the construction efforts of Japanese industry on smaller and easier-to-produce carriers. Hakuryū's air group was to consist of up to 75 aircraft, making the ship-to-be the largest carrier in the Imperial Japanese Navy.

★ Midway

Midway is pretty straightforward: In terms of ordinance, her bombs, carried by Douglas BTD dive bombers, will hit (very) hard and almost consistently set fires, and the large amount of torpedoes released per drop (four) from the same aircraft type will rack up the damage numbers. So, what's the catch? The planes aren’t very resilient, and they don’t restore quickly. Pick your targets carefully, as the Legendary Tier harbors ships with the most advanced anti-aircraft suites in the game. On a positive note, Midway’s hull itself offers excellent protection, with a heavily armored deck that can resist even the largest of shells, and her citadel belt armor is equally tough when angled. With high HP, torpedo protection, excellent AA defenses, and good speed, Midway will be a hard nut to crack if you attempt to defend against (or go after) her alone.

Ernest King is a pretty solid choice to helm this top-tier carrier. His “I Come Prepared" base trait increases the already decent range of Midway's anti-aircraft guns. Then:

No-Fly Zone will make sure you shoot down enough planes before they can reach attacking distance.
Emergency Power to compensate for the rather slow-going Douglas BTD.
Out of Sight or Hidden Threat, depending on your aircraft preferences, to increase their HP and reduce their detectability.
“Burn, Baby, Burn!” because the 64% chances of starting fires for HE dive bombers are good, but they can be better.
Finally, Fully Packed to support your team with extra Patrol Fighters and keep squadrons in the fight for longer via Evasive Maneuver(s).

Inspirations are always subjective, but that won't prevent us from sharing our picks:

Louis du Fournet's Incendiary to increase Midway's HE bomb damage.
Jerzy Świrski's Hide'n'Seek to improve Midway's concealment.

★ Hakuryū

Hakuryū means “White Dragon,” and to be honest, it's pretty fitting. This Legendary carrier offers one of the best aircraft restoration times, allowing you to maintain steady and unrelenting waves of attacks just like a dragon figuratively might. The torpedoes dropped by her Nakajima J5N torpedo bombers have some of the best damage, speed, and range characteristics amongst any carriers. Her dive bombers (also Nakajima J5N) drop bombs that are symbiotic with the ship's withering capabilities due to their high fire-setting chances. While Hakuryū doesn't offer the same AA protection as her counterpart Midway, she comes with a thickly armored deck, decent torpedo protection, and very high speed. Tread lightly and stick with your teammates when helming this carrier, as a good Captain will make sure to ravage anything threatening their ship or their team.

Speaking of Captains, Tamon Yamaguchi is the default pick for our “White Dragon.” His Typhoon base trait will increase the ship's anti-aircraft gun damage per second. Let's follow that with:

Swatting at Flies for extra dissuasion power when it comes to incoming planes.
One-Way Ticket to further emphasize on the devastating torpedo damage.
Out of Sight to increase the HP and concealment of HE dive bombers, which lack both.
Look at Me Now to allow Hakuryū some maneuvering room without being spotted.
Fully Packed to increase the charges of consumables, from Engine Cooling to Evasive Maneuver through Patrol Fighters.