Big, Bigger, the Biggest: Tier VIII Battleships

Tier VIII ships are here in all their blazing glory—it's time to get to know them better and find out what makes them special!

Today, we’re going to talk about mighty mammoths of the seas: Tier VIII battleships. Please note: We’ve covered the campaign star—French Tier VIII battleship République—in a standalone issue of “Through the Spy Glass” here. 

Previous articles:
Versatile Beasts: Tier VIII Cruisers

Swift & Deadly: Tier VIII Destroyers

American battleship Maine

A Montana sister ship to be, BB-69 Maine was initially assigned to the New York naval shipyard. However, the success of aircraft carriers and subsequent changes to America’s naval warfare doctrine led to the cancellation of the whole class of five ships in May 1943.
In-game Maine allows you to put as many as ten 16-inch (406 mm) guns in 2x2 and 2x3 turrets to good use. With mastodon-like protection (her armor thickness goes up to 541 mm!) and the highest speed among Tier VIII battleships at 32 kts, she's extremely versatile and punchy—a solid pick for any American battleship enthusiast out there for sure!

German battleship Friedrich der Große

The planned H class of German battleships, which Friedrich der Große represents, was to comprise six vessels and was to become a part of the German Navy reequipment and expansion plan. However, the program itself did not come to fruition due to outbreak of World War II in 1939, and the class was canceled—two partly built ships were scrapped in 1941. 
With the largest main battery caliber—16.5 inches (420 mm)—among her Tech Tree rivals, Friedrich is a factor you really must weigh in when facing her. Add to that an almost 19 km range and best fire-causing chances and AP shell damage compared to Tier VIII researchable battleships, sprinkle in her 7 km secondary range and Sonar consumable, and you have a ship that’s truly worthy of her royal namesake! 

Japanese battleship Izumo

IIzumo is a draft design from 1938 that preceded Yamato. It revolved around heavy armor, relatively high speed, and powerful artillery in three turrets at the ship's fore-end. 
Izumo's powerful guns are not the only thing that makes her a dangerous adversary. She also sports good ballistics and decent speed, which makes for a very complete and versatile playstyle.

Soviet battleship Sovetsky Soyuz 

Part of the “Big Fleet” program, Sovetsky Soyuz and her three sister ships were intended to become the Soviet Navy's largest and most powerful warships when their construction started in 1938. They rivaled their potential opponents in terms of firepower, displacement, and other vital stats. Despite the battleship being 20% ready, military action put a halt to her construction in 1941. She ended up being scrapped after WWII ended, and her sister ships shared the same fate, aside from one of ship that was canceled earlier in 1940 due to construction flaws. 

Her in-game version boasts solid protection, both against shells and torpedoes, and the largest HP pool among Tier VIII battleships. This allows her to keep her 3x3 guns in play for as long as possible!

Performance expectations are based on closed testing and may not completely reflect the ships' abilities on the Live Server.

Tier up, and turn the tide!