Through the Spy Glass: Nottingham

Nottingham is a hypothetical ship based on a design proposed in 1926. Following the signing of the Washington Naval Treaty, Great Britain promptly began developing new cruiser concepts. Sir George Thurston, a prominent naval architect, presented three projects to the Royal Navy. Projects A and B were similar to what became the County-class cruisers, while Project C featured a more unconventional layout, placing the main battery turrets at the bow for improved fire concentration. The Royal Navy ultimately rejected this radical design, opting instead for a more conservative approach that led to the creation of the County-class cruisers.

In Legends, Nottingham is a British Tier VII Premium cruiser that can be obtained by completing the Phantom of Sherwood campaign with an Admiralty Backing. This heavy cruiser is armed with nine powerful 203 mm guns, all mounted forward, and features impressive concealment, solid armor with 30 mm extremity plating, and the classic British Smoke Generator. Her true highlight is her torpedo armament, featuring 16 torpedoes with an 8 km range and providing some of the best damage per minute among Tier VII ships.

We recommend this set of upgrades for Nottingham:

• Main Battery Mod. 2
• Propulsion Mod. 2
• Concealment System Mod. 1
• Main Battery Mod. 3

As for the Commander, one of the best choices is Bruce Fraser with his Make Haste base trait, increasing the ship's maximum speed by up to 3%. Here is the optimal skillset:

• Beyond Range, increasing 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:

• Harold B. Farncomb, reducing the duration and range of increased ship detectability after firing main battery guns inside a smoke screen by up to 10% and reducing main battery reload time by up to 2%.
• Francesco Mimbelli, reducing your cruiser main battery reload time by up to 5.5%.

Turn the tide with Nottingham!