Baleares
203 mm/50 BL Model 1924 Mk.D in a turret4 х 2 pcs. |
Rate of Fire4.62 shots/min. |
Reload Time13 sec. |
Rotation Speed8 deg./sec. |
180 Degree Turn Time22.5 sec. |
Firing Range14.18 km. |
Maximum Dispersion140 m. |
HE Shell203 mm HE 256 lb |
Maximum HE Shell Damage2,850 |
Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell15 % |
Initial HE Shell Velocity855 m./s. |
HE Shell Weight116.1 kg. |
AP Shell203 mm AP 256 lb Mk I |
Maximum AP Shell Damage4,550 |
Initial AP Shell Velocity855 m./s. |
AP Shell Weight116.1 kg. |
120 mm/45 Mk.F on a shielded mount8 х 1 pcs. |
Firing Range4.96 km. |
Rate of Fire17.14 shots/min. |
Reload Time3.5 sec. |
HE Shell120 mm granada rompedora HE |
Maximum HE Shell Damage1,700 |
Initial HE Shell Velocity808 m./s. |
Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell8 % |
88 mm/45 Flak on an MPL C/13 mount4 х 1 pcs. |
Firing Range4.96 km. |
Rate of Fire15 shots/min. |
Reload Time4 sec. |
HE Shell88 mm Spr.Gr. |
Maximum HE Shell Damage1,000 |
Initial HE Shell Velocity890 m./s. |
Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell4 % |
533 mm Triple4 х 3 pcs. |
Rate of Fire0.75 shots/min. |
Reload Time80 sec. |
Rotation Speed12 deg./sec. |
180 Degree Turn Time15 sec. |
Torpedo533 mm Mk VII* ES |
Maximum Damage15,733 |
Torpedo Speed59 knot |
Torpedo Range7.02 km. |
120 mm/45 Mk.F on a shielded mount8 х 1 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second53.6 |
. . . Firing Range4.5 km. |
88 mm/45 Flak on an MPL C/13 mount4 х 1 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second6.8 |
. . . Firing Range3.99 km. |
Maximum Speed33 knot |
Turning Circle Radius740 m. |
Rudder Shift Time13.4 sec. |
Surface Detectability Range11.7 km. |
Air Detectability Range7.23 km. |
Baleares — Spanish Tier VI cruiser.
In 1926, Spain ordered two modern "Washington Treaty" cruisers. Vickers-Armstrong created a project based on County-class cruisers with reinforced AA defenses and armor protection. The cruisers were named Canarias and Baleares after the major Spanish archipelagos of the same name. The construction was delayed, but the Nationalists who seized the shipyards forced the ships' construction to speed up until completion. Baleares participated in the offensive against Málaga and in the hunt for transport ships; she carried out raids on coastal fortifications and bombarded cities. The cruiser was sunk by Republican destroyers in the Battle of Cape Palos.
Baleares was first released for sale on DD MMM YYYY.
Modules
Compatible Upgrades
Slot 1 |
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Slot 2 |
|||||
Slot 3 |
|||||
Slot 4 |
Player Opinion
Performance
Refer to the in-game Port screens for more useful data.
Tier VI Baleares marks a change in the Spanish cruisers, moving from 152 mm guns to a battery of 203 mm rifles, providing a much more powerful punch compared to previous ships in the line. With no notable gimmicks, she is a straightforward ship to play.
The Ship
Her top speed of 33 knots allows her to keep pace with most of her peers, although she will struggle to chase down or escape from opponents. She is also rather unmaneuverable, with a slow rudder shift time of 9.6 seconds and a large turning circle of 740 meters. Finally, she takes a long time to accelerate to her top speed. Baleares takes a long time to respond to helm commands and is slow to regain her speed when maneuvering. She carries a standard cruiser Damage Control Party which is active for 5 seconds with 60 seconds between uses. She also has a Hydroacoustic Search which operates for 100 seconds with a 120-second cool down. This can be used to detect torpedoes at 3 km and ships at 4 km range. Her final consumable slot mounts a Defensive AA Fire , which is active for 40 seconds and will provide a 50% boost to her AA DPS.
Survivability
With 16 mm of plating, Baleares’ bow and stern can bounce heavy cruiser AP if sufficiently angled, although she is vulnerable to all calibers of HE. Her citadel runs between her bridge and rear structure, although most of the area above the waterline is sloped. There is also some extra protection provided by the presence of torpedo bulges along her hull, which can result in shells detonating before penetrating the citadel. Baleares has a decent health pool for a heavy cruiser, but with no way to replenish lost hit points, players must be careful not to throw their health away.
Armament
Baleares mounts eight 203 mm guns in four twin turrets, marking a significant increase in power over Galicia. Her guns have a range of 15.6 km, allowing her to engage targets from a comfortable range when she is top tier. Her main guns have a reload of 13 seconds, rather fast for their caliber, which gives her one of the highest DPM totals for a 203 mm armed ship. Her AP shells are fairly typical of 203 mm weapons for her tier, although the penetration is lacking when compared to ships like Pensacola or her sister Canarias. They can cause heavy damage to same-tier cruisers should the opportunity arise, but higher-tier and heavily armored targets will be able to shrug off hits. Similarly, her HE rounds are unremarkable. Individually, her shells have a decent fire chance, but like most heavy cruisers, she lacks the rapid reload to satisfy an arsonist. Her torpedoes are mounted in four triple launchers, two on each side. These weapons hit relatively hard and have a good flood chance, and Baleares can put plenty of fish in the water, but with only 7 km range, her torpedoes cannot be launched from stealth. If players can reach an ambush position around islands, then she can pose a serious threat to most targets.
Anti-Air
Baleares has a somewhat unusual anti-aircraft battery. Most of the DPM is found in her long-range weapons; indeed, she has some of the best long-range defenses at her tier. Unfortunately, she does not follow this up with the shorter-range guns. Unlike most ships, she lacks any sort of midrange AA weapons, and her short range weapons add little to her firepower.
Anti-Submarine
Baleares carries an ASW airstrike with a 5 km range, potentially allowing her to engage submarines with a degree of safety. The airstrike has a 20 second reload between attacks, limiting the amount of damage that players can cause to a submarine. Her Hydroacoustic Search can halp in detecting submarines, but the short detection range means that players will potentially need to put themselves in harm's way to track a submerged target.
Battle Performance
Players will need to use effective positioning and ammunition selection in order to maximize their damage output. A well-aimed salvo can potentially cripple an enemy cruiser or destroyer if the right ammunition is selected. For this reason, the Gun Feeder captain skill is recommended, as it will allow players to more quickly switch ammunition types.
Baleares will reward patient play, using her concealment to reach an advantageous position before unleashing volleys into distracted enemies. Players should ensure they do not overextend, as Baleares lacks the tools to escape enemy attention.Pros:
- Torpedo tubes are inside the hull, hard to knock out.
- Good concealment
- Good health pool
- Surprisingly tanky armor
Cons:
- Low DPM from all weapons
- Low fire starting potential
- Poor maneuverability
Research
Researchable upgrades for Baleares:
- Hull: Upgrade to Hull (B) for improved survivability, maneuverability and AA. Research of this module unlocks progression to Asturias.
- Gun Fire Control System: Upgrade to SCI Mk VI Mod. 2 for an extra 10% range on the main battery.
Optimal Configuration
Upgrades
The recommended upgrades are:
- Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
- Slot 2: Engine Room Protection
- Slot 3: Template:Aiming Systems Modification1
- Slot 4: Propulsion Modification 1 -or- Steering Gears Modification 1
Commander Skills
Recommended Commander Skills | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cost (points) |
Attack | Defense | ||||
1 |
★★ |
|
|
|
|
★★★ |
2 |
★★ |
|
|
|
★★★ |
|
3 |
|
|
★★★ |
|
★ |
★★ |
4 |
★ |
|
|
|
★★★ |
|
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful ★★ - Frequently Useful ★ - Occasionally Useful No stars - Not Useful |
Consumables
Baleares equips the following consumables:
- Slot 1: Damage Control Party
- Slot 2: Hydroacoustic Search – 3 charges or Defensive AA Fire – 3 charges
Signals
Recommended Signal Flags | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Combat | |||||
★★ |
|
★ |
★ |
★★ |
★★ |
★★ |
|
★★ |
★★★ |
★ |
|
|
★★ |
Note: Use of the Juliet Charlie signal makes detonation impossible.
Gallery
Historical Info
Historical Gallery
References
Ship Change Log
See here for links to Update notes.
- Available for testing by supertesters in the game starting from Update 12.4.
Testing Changes
- DevBlog 437:
- Preliminary characteristics.
- DevBlog 452:
- Main battery firing range increased from 14.2 to 15.6 km.
- DevBlog 463:
- Detectability range by air increased from 6.6 to 7.2 km.
- Update 12.6:
- Available from sequential bundle #3 of the Spanish Cruisers event (for Gold Spanish Tokens).
- Introduced into the game as a researchable ship in Update 12.8.
Destroyers | X Álvaro de Bazán |
Cruisers | I Júpiter • II Méndez Núñez • III Navarra • IV Almirante Cervera • V Galicia • VI Baleares • VI Canarias • VII Asturias • VIII Cataluña • VIII Numancia • IX Andalucía • IX Almirante Oquendo • X Castilla |
Battleships | IX Victoria |
Aircraft Carriers |