Through the Spy Glass: HMS Cossack '38

Let's take a good look at this ship—there's an interesting story behind her!

Cossack had a relatively short but eventful career. She was once commanded by Philip Vian (you can recreate that partnership in Legends!) and operated off Norway’s shores as a part of his flotilla, engaging in Second Battle of Narvik. It's worth noting that the German force during that battle was under the command of another Legends staple, Erich Bey. Another major operation Cossack participated in was the pursuit of German battleship Bismarck in May 1941 and her subsequent sinking.

Deployed regularly as a convoy escort, Cossack found her own fate later that year after getting struck by a torpedo from a German U-boat. While the damaged ship was being towed back to Gibraltar, the tow was slipped due to poor weather conditions, and she subsequently sank. However, in disaster, a legend was born. The famous cat, Unsinkable Sam (you may or may not know that Legends has several patches depicting him—get a good look at the salty sea cat with the code MVGRQ85LW5 at https://wowslegends.com/code-redeemer), survived—once again. Sam had been rescued from Bismarck, and he later lived aboard one more ship that sank—aircraft carrier Ark Royal. His time on Ark Royal proved to be the end of the cat's maritime adventures—Sam went on to live a long and happy life in Gibraltar and Belfast (the city, not the ship!).

With great speed, concealment, and maneuverability, Cossack '38 is a high-octane multipurpose destroyer. The ship excels at ambushing other destroyers and engaging in advantageous duels, backed up by her eight 4.7-inch (120 mm) guns. While she’s equipped with the same single medium-range, quadruple-tube torpedo launcher as her post-war variant, the consumables are slightly different—she retains access to Smoke Generator and Engine Boost but lacks the short-range Sonar. Keep that in mind when entering smoke screens laid by others or hiding within your own. Otherwise, Cossack '38 is a great gun platform, able to reliably set fires on targets and reposition herself around the map to provide support where it’s needed most while unleashing the occasional torpedo strike.

We recommend placing Philip Vian at the helm of this ship. His Casual Avoidance base trait may help you save some HP during any engagements. Then, you could select:

• Quick Fix because you don't want to be a sitting British duck if your engine or rudder gets knocked out
• Look at Me Now, as extra concealment means more ambush opportunities.
• Stand or Fall—as a gunboat, you'll probably take some damage, so you might as well try to benefit from that.
• Sidestep to improve your main battery range and further increase incoming fire dispersion.
• And finally, Rather Be Torching because some men just want to watch the world burn.

Become unsinkable with Cossack '38 and Sam, and turn the tide!