Defence

Defence

Modules

Compatible Upgrades

Player Opinion

Optimal Configuration

Gallery

References

Modules

Compatible Upgrades

Performance

Pros:

Cons:

Research

Upgrades

Commander Skills

Consumables

Camouflage

Signals

Armament:

Hull:

Consumables:

Anti-Aircraft:

Battle Performance:

Games

Navigation

Tools

13.9

Cruiser | U.K. | Tier X

Tech Tree Position

Battle Levels

12345678910

X

34,650

Defence — British Tier X cruiser.

A hypothetical development of "big cruiser" designs created by British shipbuilders in the late 1930s, with the main battery gun caliber increased to 356 mm. The ship was conceived as a response to the strengthening of the Japanese Navy. Her main purpose is to counter enemy heavy cruisers.

Defence was first released on 13 December 2023, as the reward for 40th stage of Update 12.11's Salvage for Victory event.

	Rate of Fire (shots/min)	180° Turn Time (sec)	Maximum Dispersion (m)	Maximum HE Shell Damage (HP)	Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell (%)	Maximum AP Shell Damage (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
356 mm/45 Mk.VII on a Mk.II mount	3.3	36	159	6,100	41	10,500		0	0

	Hit Points (HP)	Armor (mm)	Armor (mm)	Main Turrets (pcs.)	Secondary Gun Turrets (pcs.)	AA Mounts (pcs.)	Torpedo Tubes (pcs.)	Hangar Capacity (pcs.)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Defence	60,600	16	305	3	8	6/8/8	2			0	0

	Rate of Fire (shots/min)	Torpedo Tubes Reload Time (sec)	180° Turn Time (sec)	Maximum Damage (HP)	Torpedo Speed (knot)	Torpedo Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
622 mm Mk I	0.7	90	15	21,066	67	10		0	0

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Mk X mod. 1		0		0	0

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 120,000 hp	33		0	0

Warning: The data presented in the AA Defense sidebar section may be incorrect.
Refer to the in-game Port screens for more useful data.

Defence is a British Tier X special large cruiser with battleship caliber guns. Her unique characteristics include cruiser dispersion, improved AP penetration angles on par with Tier X cruiser Des Moines, Short-Burst smoke generator, and hard hitting torpedoes with very good forward angles.

As stated above, Defence is unique in carrying battleship caliber guns, specifically ones found on Duke of York. She carries six 356 mm guns in three double turrets, with 18.3km range and 18 second base reload time. Her guns are positioned in the front of the ship, similarly to how they are on Marseille.

The AP and HE shells have the same characteristics as those found on Duke of York, with good HE alpha, fire chance, short fuse AP shells, and floaty ballistics. The key difference being that Defence has cruiser dispersion, allowing her to hit targets reliably with good aim. Against most targets players should utilize her hard hitting HE shells as the high penetration of 81mm and 41% fire chance lets her burn down every target in range.

Due to their large caliber, these guns can overmatch the 19mm plating commonly found on superlight cruisers. This allows Defence to damage cruisers such as Minotaur and Jinan regardless of angle with AP shells. Due to improved penetration angles and short fuse time, Defence’s AP is deadly against cruisers, but will fail to citadel most battleships.

Like many other British cruisers, Defence carries 8 torpedoes. These torps are forward facing and have similar launch angles to that of St. Vincent and have a high alpha strike damage of 21,067. While they have a 10km range, these torps are more used as self defense measures at close ranges.

While she has great fire power characteristics, her hull protection is a mixed bag. Her base health pool is good at 60,600 but as a cruiser with large caliber guns, she suffers from 60 second fire duration. Much like the British heavy cruiser line, Defence has 40mm deck and 30 mm side armor, mostly protecting her from being overmatched by battleship guns of 406 mm caliber and lower. However, she also has a large nose and stern that is only covered by 25mm plating, meaning every battleship with 380mm or higher caliber will overmatch and penetrate.

A common feature amongst British cruisers are the massive citadels with poor protection. Defence is no exception to this, with a large above water citadel. While it appears that she has a turtleback, it does not work in practice. Even though her forward gun angles are quite good for a ship with guns in the front, battleships that overmatch her armor can easily citadel her through the “cheek” of the ship (where the nose plating meets the side plating).

To those familiar with Goliath, Defence’s maneuverability will feel similar. Her top speed of 33 knots is average and her rudder shift time of 12.7 seconds is sluggish. While her turning radius is decent at 770 meters, turning broadside while spotted is often a death sentence as her hull is big and easy to hit. Defence is not a ship that can make rotations quickly.

Due to her armor and maneuverability, Defence is not a brawler and should not be played too aggressively. Thankfully, she has tools in the form of excellent minimum concealment of 10.1km and consumables to play at mid range.

Defence’s consumables allow her to play at mid range comfortably, in the form of Hydroacoustic Search and Short Burst Smoke Generator. Her hydro is standard, with 5km ship detection, 120 second uptime, and 100 second cooldown time.

Like British destroyers, Defence gets access to Short Burst Smoke Generator. These smokes have a 15 second action time and short dispersion time of 40 seconds. The fast cooldown of 70 seconds allows Defence to lay smoke screens as a way to fire dark and reposition quickly for a fresh smoke soon after the first dissipates. However, these smokes are not always effective due to her smoke fire penalty of 11.2 km, meaning after firing she will be spotted if any enemy ship is within the penalty range. With 5 base charges, these smokes can be used quite freely when the situation calls for them.

Her Repair Party is not as good as the Specialized Repair Teams found on the tech tree British cruisers but have improved characteristics. Defence heals 16.8% of her health over the duration of 28 seconds and each heal has a faster cooldown of 60 seconds. While she can heal 60% of damage taken, the citadel restoration is 33%. As with any ship, avoiding being citadel or eating torpedoes is vital in keeping the efficiency of the Repair Party.

As a large cruiser, Defence’s anti aircraft capabilities are mediocre. While her medium range dps is high at 504, she only has 5.2km of AA range and 4 flak count. This especially hurts as Defence is spotted at 7.5km by aircraft and cannot stop strikes entirely. Grouping with allied ships to overlap anti-aircraft auras is recommended in games with carriers. Using smokes to remain unspotted can be an option when under heavy focus.

As a rare ship only obtained through the Kitakami Salvage for Victory Event, Defence is a interesting and unique Tier X cruiser. At first glance her characteristics are very conflicting as a ship with large accurate guns, high damage torpedoes, and forward facing turrets look like a ship that should be played aggressively but her average maneuverability, large citadel, 60 second fire duration, and high smoke fire penalty call for a passive style of gameplay.

This is where her similarity to the British Heavy Cruiser line comes in, as it is recommended to play at medium to long ranges, using smokes to farm targets while unspotted, holding back pushes by burning down targets with her good HE alpha and fire chance. Her playstyle is very selfish and is not designed to play for her team, as her limited armor profile, bad shell velocity, and lack of utility does not help her push or provide much support for capture zones. On specific maps, players can play more aggressively, using islands to block lines of sight and use the bad shell arcs to lob islands, negating the weakness of her armor and smoke fire penalty. Utilizing her AP shells with improved penetration angles is key in dealing massive damage to cruisers and battleships that don’t angle properly.

While she does not like to play up close, Defence is not the best kiter, as her rear firing angles are not good and 25 mm rear plating allow for battleships to deal massive damage. Defence influences the outcome of battles by dealing damage, pushing back targets that attempt to push, creating crossfires with other cruisers/battleships, and exhausting heals through DoT damage from HE spam.

Good health pool
40mm deck armor
HE shells with great penetration, high alpha, and high fire chance
AP shells overmatch 19mm
Improved AP penetration angles on par with Des Moines
10km forward facing Torpedoes with high alpha damage
Access to Short-Burst Smoke Generator
Improved heal with faster cooldown

60 second fire duration
High smoke fire penalty
Poor anti-aircraft defenses
High air concealment
25mm nose and 30mm sides are easily overmatched
Large citadel

As a premium ship, Defence has no module upgrades to research.

The recommended upgrades are:

Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
Slot 2: Engine Room Protection
Slot 3: Aiming Systems Modification 1
Slot 4: Propulsion Modification 1
Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1 
Slot 6: Main Battery Modification 3

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Attack				Defense
1	Grease the Gears +15% main battery traverse speed. ★★★	Swift Fish +5% torpedo speed.	Consumables Specialist −7.5% cooldown time of all Consumables except: Damage Control Party  Repair Party .	Gun Feeder -40% time to switch shell type. ★★★	Incoming Fire Alert Receive a warning of a salvo fired at your ship from more than 4.5km. ★	Last Stand The ship remains able to move and maneuver - slowly - while the engine or steering gears are incapacitated.
2	Demolition Expert +1% chance of main and secondary HE shells causing a fire. +15% to the fragmentation damage area of HE ordnance fired at submarines. ★	Fill the Tubes -10% torpedo tubes reload time.	Consumables Enhancements +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search, Surveillance Radar, Smoke Generator, & Engine Boost.	Eye in the Sky Spotting Aircraft: • +2 charges • -50% cooldown time.	Priority Target The detection indicator will show the number of enemies targeting you with main battery. ★★★	Focus Fire Training In an active priority AA sector: • +1.5% (to 5%) immediate damage. • +25% continuous damage. • +1 flak burst per salvo. −10% aircraft preparation time. −15% reload time of Airstrike armament..
3	Heavy HE and SAP Shells +10% HE and SAP shell damage. +15% ship detectability guns 149mm and up.	Pack a Punch +15% torpedo damage. +20% secondary battery range..	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% reload time of all armaments per 1% HP lost +0.2% AA continuous damage per 1% HP lost. ★★★	Heavy AP Shells +5% damage for AP shells 190mm and larger.	Superintendent +1 charge to all consumables. ★★★	Survivability Expert +450 HP per ship tier. ★★
4	Top Grade Gunner -10% reload time of secondary batteries If enemy ship is spotted within detectability range, -8% reload time of main battery. ★★	Outnumbered If there are fewer allies than visible enemies within the ship's base main caliber firing range: +8% ship speed -10% main battery dispersion. ★	Radio Location Shows the direction to the nearest enemy ship. The enemy is alerted that a bearing has been taken..	Inertial Fuse for HE Shells +25% armor penetration of HE shells Base fire chance reduced by half.	Concealment Expert -10% detectability range of the ship. ★★★	AAA & ASW Expert +25% continuous AA and flak damage. +15% damage inflicted by depth charges. While AAA is active: −50% ship consumables reload time..
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful ★★ - Frequently Useful ★ - Occasionally Useful No stars - Not Useful

Defence equips the following consumables:

Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
Slot 2: Repair Party  – 3 charges
Slot 3: Hydroacoustic Search  – 3 charges
Slot 4: Short-Burst Smoke Generator  – 5 charges

As a premium ship, Defence comes with Default permanent camouflage and a set of permanent combat bonuses.

Recommended Signal Flags
Combat
Juliet Charlie -100% to the risk of magazine detonation.	Juliet Yankee Bissotwo -20% to flooding duration.	India Yankee -20% to fire duration.	Hotel Yankee -20% to damage received when ramming the enemy. +50% to damage dealt when ramming the enemy.	Victor Lima +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +4% chance of torpedoes causing flooding.	India X-Ray +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating.
Juliet Whiskey Unaone +15% chance of causing flooding. +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating.	Mike Yankee Soxisix +5% to secondary battery maximum firing range. -5% to maximum dispersion of secondary battery shells. -5% to secondary battery loading time.	November Echo Setteseven +5% continuous AA damage at all ranges. +5% damage from flak bursts.	Sierra Mike +5% to the ship's maximum speed.	November Foxtrot -5% reload time on all consumables.	India Delta +20% to the amount of HP recovered when Repair Party  is used.
X-Ray Papa Unaone +10% action time of a Smoke Generator .	Sierra Bravo +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search  -10% reload time of Defensive AA Fire .

Note: Use of the Juliet Charlie signal makes detonation impossible.

Ships of U.K.

Destroyers	II Medea • III Valkyrie • III Campbeltown • IV Wakeful • V Acasta • VI Icarus • VI Gallant • VII Jervis • VII Jupiter '42 • VIII Lightning • VIII Cossack • VIII Cossack B • IX Jutland • IX Somme • X Daring • X Druid
Cruisers	I Black Swan • II Weymouth • III Caledon • IV Danae • V Emerald • V Hawkins • V Exeter • VI Leander • VI Devonshire • VI London • VI Dido • VI Orion '44 • VII Fiji • VII Surrey • VII Belfast • VIII Edinburgh • VIII Albemarle • VIII Cheshire • VIII Tiger '59 • VIII Belfast '43 • VIII Hampshire • VIII Nottingham • VIII AL Cheshire • VIII STAR Edinburgh • IX Neptune • IX Drake • X Monmouth • X Minotaur • X Goliath • X Plymouth • X Gibraltar • X Defence • ★ Edgar
Battleships	III Bellerophon • III Indefatigable • III Dreadnought • IV Orion • IV Queen Mary • V Iron Duke • V Tiger • V Agincourt • VI Warspite • VI Queen Elizabeth • VI Renown • VI Repulse • VI Repulse B • VII King George V • VII Rooke • VII Hood • VII Nelson • VII Duke of York • VII Collingwood • VII Renown '44 • VII Rodney • VIII Monarch • VIII Hawke • VIII Vanguard • IX Lion • IX Duncan • IX Marlborough • IX Scarlet Thunder • X Conqueror • X St. Vincent • X Thunderer • X Incomparable • X Cumberland • X [[Ship:[Conqueror]\|[Conqueror]]] • ★ Devastation
Aircraft Carriers	IV Hermes • VI Furious • VI Ark Royal • VIII Implacable • VIII Indomitable • VIII Colossus • VIII Theseus • X Audacious • X Malta • X [[Ship:[Audacious]\|[Audacious]]] • ★ Eagle

Cruisers

Netherlands	I Van Kinsbergen • II Gelderland • III Java • IV De Ruyter • V Celebes • VI Kijkduin • VII Eendracht • VIII Haarlem • VIII De Zeven Provinciën • VIII Admiraal • VIII Statenland • IX Johan de Witt • IX Van Speijk • X Gouden Leeuw • X Prins van Oranje • X Vrijheid
U.S.A.	I Erie • II Chester • II Albany • III St. Louis • III Charleston • IV Phoenix • V Omaha • V Marblehead • V Marblehead Lima • V Rattlehead • VI [[Ship:Cleveland (< 31.05.2018)\|Cleveland (< 31.05.2018)]] • VI Pensacola • VI Dallas • VII Atlanta • VII [[Ship:Pensacola (< 31.05.2018)\|Pensacola (< 31.05.2018)]] • VII New Orleans • VII Helena • VII Indianapolis • VII Atlanta B • VII Boise • VII Flint • VIII [[Ship:New Orleans (< 31.05.2018)\|New Orleans (< 31.05.2018)]] • VIII Baltimore • VIII Cleveland • VIII Wichita • VIII Anchorage • VIII Congress • VIII Rochester • VIII San Diego • VIII AL Montpelier • IX [[Ship:Baltimore (< 31.05.2018)\|Baltimore (< 31.05.2018)]] • IX Buffalo • IX Seattle • IX Vallejo • IX Alaska • IX Tulsa • IX Alaska B • X Des Moines • X Worcester • X Puerto Rico • X Salem • X Austin • ★ Jacksonville • ★ Annapolis
Europe	I Gryf • VI Elli • X Svea
Germany	I Hermelin • II Dresden • II Emden • III Kolberg • IV Karlsruhe • V Königsberg • VI Nürnberg • VI Admiral Graf Spee • VI Leipzig • VI HSF Admiral Graf Spee • VII Yorck • VII München • VII Weimar • VIII Admiral Hipper • VIII Prinz Eugen • VIII Mainz • VIII Schill • VIII Mainz B • VIII Cross of Dorn • VIII Wiesbaden • IX Roon • IX Siegfried • IX Ägir • IX Admiral Schröder • IX Roon CLR • IX AL Ägir • X Hindenburg • X Hildebrand • X [[Ship:[Hindenburg]\|[Hindenburg]]] • ★ Clausewitz
U.S.S.R.	I Orlan • II Diana • II Diana Lima • II Novik • III Aurora • III Bogatyr • III Oleg • III Varyag • III AL Avrora • IV Svietlana • V Murmansk • V [[Ship:Kirov (< 10.06.2020)\|Kirov (< 10.06.2020)]] • V Kotovsky • V Krasny Krym • V Mikoyan • V Kirov • VI Budyonny • VI Molotov • VI Admiral Makarov • VII Shchors • VII Lazo • VII Lazo B • VIII Chapayev • VIII Tallinn • VIII Mikhail Kutuzov • VIII Ochakov • VIII Pyotr Bagration • VIII Bagration • VIII Dmitry Pozharsky • IX Dmitri Donskoi • IX Riga • IX Kronshtadt • IX Kozma Minin • X Moskva • X Alexander Nevsky • X Petropavlovsk • X Stalingrad • X Smolensk B • X Smolensk • X Sevastopol • X Komissar • X [[Ship:[Moskva]\|[Moskva]]] • X Vladimir Monomakh • X Petrozavodsk • ★ Novosibirsk
Italy	I Eritrea • II Nino Bixio • III Taranto • IV Alberto di Giussano • V Raimondo Montecuccoli • V Genova • VI Trento • VI Duca d'Aosta • VII Zara • VII Duca degli Abruzzi • VII Francesco Ferruccio • VII Gorizia • VIII Amalfi • IX Brindisi • IX Michelangelo • X Venezia • X Napoli • X Napoli B • X Ravenna • ★ Piemonte
Pan-America	I Hércules • II Almirante Barroso • II Almirante Abreu • III Vicente Guerrero • IV Córdoba • V La Argentina • VI Almirante Cochrane • VII Coronel Bolognesi • VII Nueve de Julio • VIII Ignacio Allende • VIII Almirante Grau • IX Santander • X San Martín
Japan	I Hashidate • II Chikuma • III Tenryū • III Katori • IV Yūbari • IV Kuma • IV Iwaki Alpha • V Furutaka • V Agano • V Yahagi • VI Aoba • VI Gokase • VII Myōkō • VII Omono • VII Tokachi • VII Maya • VII ARP Myōkō • VII ARP Ashigara • VII ARP Haguro • VII Southern Dragon • VII Eastern Dragon • VII ARP Nachi • VIII Mogami • VIII Tone • VIII Atago • VIII Shimanto • VIII Atago B • VIII ARP Takao • VIII ARP Maya • VIII Tone 2 • VIII Tone 3 • IX Ibuki • IX Takahashi • IX Azuma • IX AL Azuma • IX Chikuma II • IX Chikuma II Golden • IX BA Takahashi • X Zaō • X Yodo • X Yoshino • X Yoshino B • X Kitakami • X Zaō CLR • X [[Ship:[Zaō]\|[Zaō]]]
U.K.	I Black Swan • II Weymouth • III Caledon • IV Danae • V Emerald • V Hawkins • V Exeter • VI Leander • VI Devonshire • VI London • VI Dido • VI Orion '44 • VII Fiji • VII Surrey • VII Belfast • VIII Edinburgh • VIII Albemarle • VIII Cheshire • VIII Tiger '59 • VIII Belfast '43 • VIII Hampshire • VIII Nottingham • VIII AL Cheshire • VIII STAR Edinburgh • IX Neptune • IX Drake • X Monmouth • X Minotaur • X Goliath • X Plymouth • X Gibraltar • X Defence • ★ Edgar
France	I Bougainville • II Jurien de la Gravière • III Friant • IV Duguay-Trouin • V Émile Bertin • VI La Galissonnière • VI De Grasse • VI Dupleix • VI Montcalm • VI [[Ship:[La Galissonnière]\|[La Galissonnière]]] • VII Algérie • VII Toulon • VIII Charles Martel • VIII Cherbourg • VIII Bayard • IX Saint-Louis • IX Brest • IX Carnot • X Henri IV • X Marseille • X Colbert • X Brennus • ★ Condé
Pan-Asia	I Chengan • III Ning Hai • V Chungking • VI Rahmat • VI Huanghe • VII Chumphon • VIII Harbin • VIII Irian • VIII Wukong • IX Sejong • IX Dalian • IX Mengchong • IX Tianjin • X Jinan • X Incheon
Spain	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
Commonwealth	I Sutlej • II Port Jackson • III Caradoc • IV Dunedin • V Delhi • VI Hobart • VI Perth • VI Mysore • VII Uganda • VIII Auckland • IX Encounter • IX Hector • X Cerberus • X Brisbane

Slot 1

Slot 2

Slot 3

Slot 4

Slot 5

Slot 6