Through the Spy Glass: Defence

British cruiser Defence is based on a hypothetical design created by British shipbuilders in the late 1930s as a response to the expansion of the Imperial Japanese Navy. This large cruiser was primarily intended to counter enemy heavy cruisers. The design was inspired by the successful Nelson-class battleships, downscaled to carry six 14-inch (356 mm) guns in twin-gun turrets developed for the King George V-class battleships. The resulting cruiser would have boasted high speed and excellent firepower in an all-forward arrangement.

Defence is armed with large 356 mm guns that output some of the highest damage among cruisers in the game, complemented by impressive accuracy. Her HE shells have excellent penetration and high chances of starting fires, and her powerful forward-firing torpedoes with a 10 km range pose a direct threat to enemy ships. She's also equipped with Sonar, Smoke Generator, a massive HP pool, and a robust Repair Party capable of restoring 40% HP per use. Given her considerable size and relatively weak protection, this ship is an easy target for enemy fire, so you may want to avoid showing your broadside too often!

We recommend assigning Bruce Fraser as Commander of Defence. His skill set enhances the effectiveness of her main battery and further raises the already good fire-starting chances. 

Bruce Fraser's Make Haste base trait increases the ship's maximum movement speed by up to 3%. For the skill selection: 

• Beyond Range, improving your cruiser's main battery range by up to 10%. 
• Igniter, improving the chances of your cruiser's HE shells causing fire by up to 3%. 
• Punch Through, improving your cruiser's main battery AP shell damage by up to 10% and your AP shell penetration multiplier by up to 6%. 
• Fixated, improving both your cruiser's main battery shell grouping and main battery dispersion by up to 5%. 
• Fully Packed, reducing your consumable cooldown time by up to 5% and giving you an additional charge for all consumables. 

Inspirations: 

• Gunichi Mikawa, improving your cruiser's concealment by 6%. 
• Francesco Mimbelli, improving your cruiser's main battery reload time by up to 5.5%. 

Turn the tide with Defence!