Michelangelo

13.11

Michelangelo

Cruiser | Italy | Tier IX

Tech Tree Position

General

Purchase priceSpecial

Hit Points66,100

Main Battery

320 mm/44 Model 1934 on an OTO Model 1935 mount2 х 4 pcs.

Rate of Fire2.5 shots/min.

Reload Time24 sec.

Rotation Speed6 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time30 sec.

Firing Range17.01 km.

Maximum Dispersion190 m.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell0 %

AP Shell320 mm proiettili AP

Maximum AP Shell Damage9,700

Initial AP Shell Velocity830 m./s.

AP Shell Weight525 kg.

Maximum SAP Shell Damage10,250

Initial SAP Shell Velocity830 m./s.

Secondary Armament #1

90 mm/50 Model 1939 on a twin mount10 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range6.95 km.

Rate of Fire14.29 shots/min.

Reload Time4.2 sec.

Secondary Armament #2

152 mm/55 Model 1934 on a Model 1935 mount3 х 4 pcs.

Firing Range6.95 km.

Rate of Fire6.25 shots/min.

Reload Time9.6 sec.

Torpedo Tubes

533 mm tubo lanciasiluri2 х 3 pcs.

Rate of Fire0.5 shots/min.

Reload Time120 sec.

Rotation Speed25 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time7.2 sec.

Torpedo533 mm Si 270

Maximum Damage20,433

Torpedo Speed72 knot

Torpedo Range8.01 km.

AA Defense

90 mm/50 Model 1939 on a twin mount10 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second135

. . . Firing Range3.99 km.

37 mm/54 Model 1938 on a Model 1938 mount12 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second139.2

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

20 mm/70 Scotti Model 1941 on a sextuple mount8 х 6 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second49.6

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed33 knot

Turning Circle Radius830 m.

Rudder Shift Time14.4 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range13.54 km.

Air Detectability Range10.9 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

13.11

Michelangelo

Cruiser | Italy | Tier IX

Tech Tree Position

General

Purchase priceSpecial

Hit Points66,100

Main Battery

320 mm/44 Model 1934 on an OTO Model 1935 mount2 х 4 pcs.

Rate of Fire2.5 shots/min.

Reload Time24 sec.

Rotation Speed6 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time30 sec.

Firing Range17.01 km.

Maximum Dispersion190 m.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell0 %

AP Shell320 mm proiettili AP

Maximum AP Shell Damage9,700

Initial AP Shell Velocity830 m./s.

AP Shell Weight525 kg.

Maximum SAP Shell Damage10,250

Initial SAP Shell Velocity830 m./s.

Secondary Armament #1

90 mm/50 Model 1939 on a twin mount10 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range6.95 km.

Rate of Fire14.29 shots/min.

Reload Time4.2 sec.

Secondary Armament #2

152 mm/55 Model 1934 on a Model 1935 mount3 х 4 pcs.

Firing Range6.95 km.

Rate of Fire6.25 shots/min.

Reload Time9.6 sec.

Torpedo Tubes

533 mm tubo lanciasiluri2 х 3 pcs.

Rate of Fire0.5 shots/min.

Reload Time120 sec.

Rotation Speed25 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time7.2 sec.

Torpedo533 mm Si 270

Maximum Damage20,433

Torpedo Speed72 knot

Torpedo Range8.01 km.

AA Defense

90 mm/50 Model 1939 on a twin mount10 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second135

. . . Firing Range3.99 km.

37 mm/54 Model 1938 on a Model 1938 mount12 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second139.2

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

20 mm/70 Scotti Model 1941 on a sextuple mount8 х 6 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second49.6

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed33 knot

Turning Circle Radius830 m.

Rudder Shift Time14.4 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range13.54 km.

Air Detectability Range10.9 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

IX

Special

Michelangelo — Italian special premium Tier IX cruiser.

The Washington Naval Conference gave Italy the opportunity to build battleships from 1927. Several projects with a displacement of 18,000 to 35,000 tons were under development simultaneously; some of the projects relied on foreign designs—Hood, Nelson, and Dunkerque—but some were unique. The design proposed by Admiral de Feo featured a ship with eight 320 mm guns in quadruple-gun turrets placed close to the midship frames while the secondary battery mounts were moved toward the ship's fore and aft ends.

Michelangelo was first released on 06 December 2023, as the reward for completing all 32 stages of the Sestri Ponente Dockyard.

Modules

	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 ()
320 mm/44 Model 1934 on an OTO Model 1935 mount	2.5	30	190			9,700		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 ()
Michelangelo	66,100	16	255	2	10/3	8/12/10	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 ()
533 mm Si 270	0.5	120	7.2	20,433	72	8		0	0

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
SDT 9 mod.1		0		0	0

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 200,000 hp	33		0	0

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4
Slot 5
Slot 6

Player Opinion

Performance

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

Michelangelo is one-of-a-kind. Unlike any other ship in the game, Michelangelo's main battery is located amidships, bracketed fore and aft by superstructure and featuring no forward or aft firing angles whatsoever. While there are still turrets in these arcs, they are secondary battery guns and thus unable to be controlled directly. This drastically changes Michelangelo's playstyle compared to her contemporaries.

Michelangelo's closest comparison is the tier X Italian super-cruiser, Napoli. Like Napoli, she is very, very tough for a cruiser; her armor scheme is very similar to Napoli in both thickness and layout, though not identical, while also being a tier lower. Combined with excellent torpedo protection, a very high health pool, and the presence of Repair Party , Michelangelo can take a shocking beating before going down.

Also like Napoli, Michelangelo features a dangerous cocktail of secondaries and consumables that makes her very deadly at close quarters. Michelangelo's main secondaries are twelve 152mm guns mounted in three quad turrets on the centerline, in the traditional A/B/Y positions; this gives them arcs of fire that no other secondary in the game can match. She also carries 90mm dual-purpose guns in more traditional positions, and both calibers of gun have a nearly 7km range before any modification. In addition, like Napoli, Michelangelo's secondaries fire SAP, which gives them very high damage potential at the cost of any firestarting capability.

These secondaries are paired with Michelangelo being able to mount both Exhaust Smoke Generator  and Hydroacoustic Search  at the same time. Combined with this, Michelangelo's torpedoes are the fastest among tier 9 cruisers at 72 knots with excellent firing arcs and over 20,000 damage per fish, giving her a dangerous stinger.

As such, Michelangelo can charge in her smoke and riddle anything within 5km with near-impunity, posing a massive threat to destroyers and other cruisers without ever firing her main guns. Should she face down battleships, the punch of those torpedoes combined with the power of her 320mm main battery can even make them take notice; Michelangelo's main-battery SAP shells feature the highest single-salvo damage potential of any cruiser at tier IX, with a whopping 82,000 hypothetical maximum damage. Her AP sits at third-strongest behind Alaska and Azuma, and her reload is slower than both of those resulting in a notably lower DPS, but is competitive with both in basically every other category. Additionally, unlike her super-cruiser peers, Michelangelo can more easily guarantee getting the full weight of a salvo; Alaska and Azuma often need to use only one or two of their turrets, while if Michelangelo is going to fire hers at all, she is almost guaranteed to be able to fire both without extra risk.

However, Michelangelo struggles from inflexibility in her design, mostly caused by her unorthodox main battery layout. While her main battery is a serious threat for a cruiser-rated ship, its location forces her to turn nearly or completely broadside to use it. This is less of a problem in real-life naval situations but is a severe disadvantage in the high-accuracy environment of World of Warships, forcing any use of her main guns to put her broadside armor to the test -- and while her broadside armor is good, it's far from invulnerable. While her top speed of 33 knots is hardly slow, it is well outpaced by most of her tier IX peers, and her maneuverability leaves much to be desired with a sizable turning radius and a worst-in-tier rudder shift of over 14 seconds.

Combine this with a torpedo range of only 8km, and Michelangelo can have serious problems getting into or out of fights without her smokescreen, outmaneuvered by faster opponents and forced to expose herself dramatically to risk to fight back at ranges outside her comfort zone. Her anti-aircraft suite is also very poor for tier IX, only beating out Brindisi, which combined with her size and so-so maneuverability makes her very vulnerable to air attack.

Ultimately, however, Michelangelo's quirks cannot fully offset her strengths. Like her parallel in Napoli, she is a very strong "cruiser" -- simply not strong enough to operate with impunity and taking much more skill to master. Michelangelo can terrorize enemy destroyers and cruisers, while having just enough armor and firepower to force battleships to take her seriously. Knowing exactly when and how to push and make use of her unique capabilities, particularly her consumables, is almost essential to using her at all; attempting to blindly charge in like a German battleship is unlikely to end well. If given a little finesse, however, Michelangelo's higher skill floor can lead to a very high ceiling.

Pros:

• Has battleship-caliber main guns despite being classed as a cruiser
• Powerful SAP-firing secondaries
• Torpedoes are strong and fast, with wide firing angles
• Large hitpoint pool for a cruiser
• High top speed
• Good concealment when fully upgraded for it
• Has hydroacoustic search and exhaust smoke in separate slots

Cons:

• Horrible firing angles, must sail near-broadside to unmask both main turrets
• Only three torpedoes per side of the ship with limited range
• No HE, neither main guns nor secondaries can start fires
• SAP secondaries lose a lot of effectiveness against heavily armored targets
• As a cruiser, Michelangelo lacks captain skills to improve secondary accuracy
• Huge citadel block rises above the waterline, and nose and aft are only 25mm thick
• Like other Italian warships, Michelangelo's AA defenses are poor

Research

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

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades are:

• Slot 1: Auxiliary Armaments Modification 1 or Main Armaments Modification 1
• Slot 2: Damage Control System Modification 1 
• Slot 3: Secondary Battery Modification 1
• Slot 4: Damage Control System Modification 2
• Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1 
• Slot 6: Auxiliary Armaments Modification 2 or Main Battery Modification 3

Commander Skills

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

Consumables

Michelangelo equips the following consumables:

• Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
• Slot 2: Repair Party  – 3 charges
• Slot 3: Exhaust Smoke Generator  – 2 charges
• Slot 4: Hydroacoustic Search  – 3 charges

Camouflage

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

Signals

Recommended Signal Flags
Combat
Charlie Kilo +5% ship HP; +2.5% squadron HP.	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.
Juliet Whiskey Unaone +15% chance of causing flooding.	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 .

Gallery

Historical Info

Michelangelo, 19??

Construction

Builder:

Laid down:

Launched:

Commissioned:

---

Specifications

? tons displacement, standard

?m length

?m beam

?m draft (mean)

---

Machinery

12 boilers, 3 turbines [e.g.]

---

Performance

? knots at ? shaft horsepower

?nm range at ? knots

---

Armor

Main belt: ?mm

Torpedo bulkhead: ?mm

Decks: ?mm main, ?mm upper deck

Turrets: ?mm

Conning tower: ?mm

---

Armament

Main

? (?x?) ?mm rifles

Secondary

? (?x?) ?mm dual purpose? rifles

Anti-Aircraft

? (?x?) ?mm guns

Torpedoes

? (?x?) ?mm torpedo tubes

---

Aircraft

Three (3) ? float planes, one catapult

Michelangelo is loosely based on the design work of Admiral Vincenzo de Feo, an Italian admiral in World War I and World War II who contributed to the designs of the Regia Marina. Admiral de Feo, following study of the naval battles of the dreadnought era and Jutland in particular, reached several conclusions about the future of warship design.

Firstly: Armor on battlecruisers to this point had proven insufficient, particularly on turrets. This was shown through the roof-punching hit on HMS Lion, the destruction of the three British battlecruisers lost at Jutland, and the repeated turret losses on SMS Seydlitz, among others. Secondly: All engagements fought at effective fighting ranges, where hits could be expected, had been done with broadside fire. Chasing and fleeing engagements rarely resulted in any hits. This had been true at Tsushima in the pre-dreadnought era, where Togo's turn in front of the Russians had resulted in the Russians scoring many hits without reply before the turn could be completed, and remained so at Jutland, such as when the accuracy of Evan-Thomas' 5th Battle Squadron dropped sharply during their attempted flight from the High Seas Fleet. Thirdly: Medium-caliber armor had proven detrimental at Jutland, doing nothing to stop full-caliber fire and with ranges being too far for it to be relevant against secondary and smaller-caliber fire.

Due to these factors, Admiral de Feo became a staunch advocate of locating all main guns on capital ships amidships, with none on the bow or stern ends. This had numerous advantages: it allowed a drastic shortening of the armor belt in an all-or-nothing armor scheme, with a much shorter citadel fully concentrated amidships; it thus allowed for heavier armor protection on the turrets, magazines, and machine spaces; it improved fire control, gun accuracy, and ship stability by locating the main guns at the broadest and steadiest part of the ship. Being able to place the turrets flush with the deck rather than requiring elevated barbettes for superfiring positions also reduced their profile, and thus their vulnerability. The total loss of chasing or fleeing fire, by his theory, was of minimal tactical value.

Admiral de Feo put these concepts to the world in a 1935 design held by Ansaldo for a 26,500-ton capital ship concept. De Feo's radical design called for an armament of eight twelve-inch guns in two amidships quadruple turrets, as well as an all-diesel powerplant. The design contest ultimately was made obsolete by Italy's abandonment of the naval treaty system, allowing them to cease trying to develop "medium" capital ships and go all the way to the full-size modern ships that would become the Vittorio Veneto. While Admiral de Feo would not abandon his stance on broadside fire and the more conventional fore-and-aft layout would ultimately prevail, the near-universal adoption of "all-or-nothing" armor concepts, along with the continued prevalence of broadside fire in the surface gun engagements of World War II, would seem to prove many of his ideas correct.

Michelangelo in World of Warships is an evolution of Admiral de Feo's thinking, being much larger than the 26,500 ton limit of the 1935 design but otherwise keeping nearly all of the concept elements he envisioned for his submission.

Historical Gallery

Video

References

Ship Change Log

See here for links to Update notes.

• Available for testing by supertesters in the game starting from Update 12.8.

Testing Changes

• DevBlog 471:
  • Preliminary characteristics.
• DevBlog 485:
  • Reload time of the 90 mm secondary guns increased from 3.2 s to 3.5 s.
  • Detectability range by sea increased from 12.8 km to 13.5 km.
    • Other detectability ranges were increased accordingly.
  • Changed the parameters of the "Exhaust Smoke Generator" consumable:
    • Action time reduced from 45 s to 40 s.
    • Cooldown increased from 120 s to 150 s.
• DevBlog 488:
  • 90 mm Secondary guns reload time increased from 3.5 to 4.2 s.
  • 152 mm Secondary guns reload time increased from 8 to 9.6 s.
  • Hydroacoustic Search consumable parameters were changed:
    • Action time reduced from 120 to 100 s.
    • Range of assured acquisition of ships reduced from 6 to 5 km.
    • Range of assured acquisition of torpedoes reduced from 4 to 3.5 km.
• DevBlog 495:
  • Secondary battery parameters were changed:
    • Maximum SAP shell damage of 90 mm guns reduced from 2,000 to 1,900.
    • Maximum SAP shell damage of 152 mm guns reduced from 3,850 to 3,650.
    • Splash damage against submarines for both types of secondary guns is reduced by 40%.

• Update 12.11:
  • Added as the reward for completing all 32 stages of Sestri Ponente Dockyard, during Update 12.11, 13.0 and 13.1.
  • The War Paint permanent camouflage was added.

Ships of Italy

Cruisers