Defence


Defence — British
• Legendary Tier • Cruiser.
A hypothetical development of "big cruiser" designs created by British shipbuilders in the late 1930s, with the main battery gun caliber increased to 14 inches (356 mm). The ship was conceived in response to the strengthening of the Japanese Navy. Her main purpose was to counter enemy heavy cruisers.
Defence was released as the final reward of the The Best Form of Offence campaign, which took place from December 16th, 2024 to January 27th, 2025.

Navy: UK
Ship: British
Nation: United Kingdom
Categoy: Premium
Tier: Legendary
Class: Cruiser
Cost:
Year of Design: 1940




SURVIVBILITY | STOCK | UPGRADED |
---|---|---|
• Hitpoints | 60 600 | - |
• Armor (mm) | 16 - 305 | - |
• Torpedo Damage Reduction (%) | 21 | - |


MANEUVERABILITY | STOCK | UPGRADED |
---|---|---|
• Maximum Speed (kn) | 33 | - |
• Turning Circle Radius (m) | 770 | - |
• Rudder Shift Time (sec) | 12.7 | - |


CONCEALMENT | STOCK | UPGRADED |
---|---|---|
• Detectability by Sea (km) | 12.6 | - |
• Detectability by Air (km) | 7.5 | - |
• Detectability while firing in smoke (km) | 11 | - |


TORPEDOS | STOCK | UPGRADED |
---|---|---|
• Name | 622mm PR Mk IV | - |
• Arrangement | 2x4 | - |
• Reload Time (sec) | 90 | - |
• 180° Turn Time (sec) | 15 | - |
• Maximum Damage | 21 067 | - |
• Detectability by Sea (km) | 1.7 | - |
• Range (km) | 10 | - |
• Speed (kn) | 67 | - |


MAIN BATTERY | STOCK | UPGRADED |
---|---|---|
• Main Artillery Name | 356mm/45 Mk.VII | - |
• Main Artillery Arrangement | 3x2 | - |
• Firing Range (km) | 16 | - |
• Reload Time (sec) | 18 | - |
• 180° Turn Time (sec) | 36 | - |
• HE Maximum Damage | 6100 | - |
• HE Fire Chance (%) | 41 | - |
• HE Penetration (mm) | 89 | - |
• AP Maximum Damage | 10 500 | - |
• Sigma | 2.05 | - |


SECONDARY ARMAMENT 1 | STOCK | UPGRADED |
---|---|---|
• Name | 134mm/50 QF Mk I | - |
• Arrangement | 8x2 | - |
• Firing Range (km) | 5 | - |
• Reload Time (sec) | 6.7 | - |
• HE Maximum Damage | 1900 | - |
• HE Fire Chance (%) | 8 | - |
• HE Penetration (mm) | 22 | - |


AA ARMAMENT 1 | STOCK | UPGRADED |
---|---|---|
• Name | 40mm Bofors Mk IV | - |
• Arrangement | 6x2 | - |
• DPS | 136 | - |
• Range (km) | 3.5 | - |
AA ARMAMENT 2 | STOCK | UPGRADED |
• Name | 40mm Bofors Mk VI | - |
• Arrangement | 8x6 | - |
• DPS | 234 | - |
• Range (km) | 3,5 | - |
AA ARMAMENT 3 | STOCK | UPGRADED |
• Name | 134mm/50 QF Mk I | - |
• Arrangement | 8x2 | - |
• DPS | 65 | - |
• Range (km) | 4.5 | - |


Modules
Cruiser - Defence
![]() |
Hit Points | Min Armor (mm) | Max Armor (mm) | Torpedo Damage Reduction (%) | Main Battery Turrets | Torpedo Launchers | Rudder Shift (s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stock | 60 600 | 16 | 305 | 21 | 3x2 | 2 | 12.7 |
![]() |
Turret Arrangement | Reload Time (s) | 180° Turn Time (s) | Max HE Damage | HE Fire Chance (%) | Max AP Damage |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
356mm/45 Mk.VII | 3x2 | 18 | 36 | 6100 | 41 | 10 500 |
![]() |
Main Battery Firing Range |
---|---|
Stock | 16 km |
![]() |
Launcher Arrangement | Reload Time (s) | 180° Turn Time (s) | Max Damage | Range | Speed | Detection |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
622mm PR Mk IV | 2x4 | 90s | 15s | 21 067 | 10 | 67 | 1.7 |
![]() |
Maximum Speed |
---|---|
Stock | 33 kn |
Modifications
Cruiser - DefenceSLOT 1 |
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
SLOT 2 |
|
|
||||||||||||||
SLOT 3 |
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
SLOT 4 |
|
|
|
|
Consumables
Cruiser - Defence
![]() |
Accelerates repairs to damage modules, firefighting efforts and recovery from flooding. |
|

![]() |
Partially restores the ship's HP by repairing light damage. |
|

![]() |
Increases the range of guaranteed acquisition of enemy ships and torpedoes, including those within smoke screens. |
|

![]() |
Generates a smoke screen behind the ship that reduces the risk of being detected by the enemy. |
|


Player Opinion
Cruiser - DefencePros:
- Great set of consumables
- Large HP pool
- Hard-hitting torpedoes with the turning mechanic, allowing them to be launched at good forward-firing angles
- Main guns are accurate, deal high damage and have great HE penetration and fire-setting chances
- Good turning circle radius and built-in enhanced acceleration
Cons:
- Very few main battery guns (only 6)
- AA defense does not exceed 4.5 km range with poor "long-range" DPS
- Poor main battery turret traverse speed
- Mediocre rudder-shift time
- 45 seconds of fire duration instead of the standard 30 seconds for cruisers
Performance


WoWS Legends | All Ships | Cruisers | Destroyers | Battleships | Aircraft Carriers | Premium Ships | Legendary Ships | Steel Ships | GXP Ships | Campaign Ships | Bureau Ships | Unique to Legends Ships | Radar Ships | Sonar Ships | Repair Party Ships | Smoke Generator Ships | Short Burst Smoke Ships | Crawling Smoke Ships | Exhaust Smoke Ships | Engine Boost Ships | Main Battery Reload Booster Ships | Torpedo Reload Booster Ships | Ship Sigma Values | Overmatch Values | Ricochet Angle Values | HE Penetration Values
Categories: