Vanguard

13.11

Vanguard

Battleship | U.K. | Tier VIII

Tech Tree Position

General

Purchase price13,000

Hit Points71,700

Main Battery

IDS_PBGM101_15IN42_MK1_VANGUARD4 х 2 pcs.

Rate of Fire2.4 shots/min.

Reload Time25 sec.

Rotation Speed5 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time36 sec.

Firing Range20.02 km.

Maximum Dispersion257 m.

HE Shell381 mm HE Mk VIIIb SC

Maximum HE Shell Damage6,300

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell34 %

Initial HE Shell Velocity804 m./s.

HE Shell Weight879 kg.

AP Shell381 mm AP Mk XXIIb SC

Maximum AP Shell Damage11,700

Initial AP Shell Velocity804 m./s.

AP Shell Weight879 kg.

Secondary Armament #1

133 mm/50 QF Mk.I on an RP10 Mk.I mount8 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range6.6 km.

Rate of Fire9 shots/min.

Reload Time6.67 sec.

HE Shell133 mm HE Mk IC

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,900

Initial HE Shell Velocity792 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell8 %

AA Defense

133 mm/50 QF Mk.I on an RP10 Mk.I mount8 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second68

. . . Firing Range5.19 km.

40 mm/56 OQF Mk.IX on a Mk.VI mount10 х 6 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second202

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

40 mm/56 OQF Mk.X on a STAAG Mk.2 mount1 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second13.4

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

40 mm/56 OQF Mk.III on a Mk.VII mount11 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second95.7

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed30 knot

Turning Circle Radius850 m.

Rudder Shift Time9.7 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range15.56 km.

Air Detectability Range10.97 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

13.11

Vanguard

Battleship | U.K. | Tier VIII

Tech Tree Position

General

Purchase price13,000

Hit Points71,700

Main Battery

IDS_PBGM101_15IN42_MK1_VANGUARD4 х 2 pcs.

Rate of Fire2.4 shots/min.

Reload Time25 sec.

Rotation Speed5 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time36 sec.

Firing Range20.02 km.

Maximum Dispersion257 m.

HE Shell381 mm HE Mk VIIIb SC

Maximum HE Shell Damage6,300

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell34 %

Initial HE Shell Velocity804 m./s.

HE Shell Weight879 kg.

AP Shell381 mm AP Mk XXIIb SC

Maximum AP Shell Damage11,700

Initial AP Shell Velocity804 m./s.

AP Shell Weight879 kg.

Secondary Armament #1

133 mm/50 QF Mk.I on an RP10 Mk.I mount8 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range6.6 km.

Rate of Fire9 shots/min.

Reload Time6.67 sec.

HE Shell133 mm HE Mk IC

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,900

Initial HE Shell Velocity792 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell8 %

AA Defense

133 mm/50 QF Mk.I on an RP10 Mk.I mount8 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second68

. . . Firing Range5.19 km.

40 mm/56 OQF Mk.IX on a Mk.VI mount10 х 6 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second202

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

40 mm/56 OQF Mk.X on a STAAG Mk.2 mount1 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second13.4

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

40 mm/56 OQF Mk.III on a Mk.VII mount11 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second95.7

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed30 knot

Turning Circle Radius850 m.

Rudder Shift Time9.7 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range15.56 km.

Air Detectability Range10.97 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

VIII

13,000

Vanguard — British premium Tier VIII battleship.

The last battleship of the British Royal Navy. Due to specific conditions during the construction phase, she combined high speed and powerful AA guns with up-to-date equipment while still using largely obsolete main battery guns.

Vanguard was first released for sale worldwide on 16 November 2018.

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 ()
381 mm/42 Mk.I on a Mk.I/N RP 12 mount	2.4	36	257	6,300	34	11,700		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 ()
Vanguard	71,700	19	356	4	8	11/1/10/8				0	0

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

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 130,000 hp	30		0	0

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4
Slot 5

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.

Tier VIII Premium British battleship Vanguard is essentially an up-tiered Warspite, even so far as possessing identical guns to that of her Tier VI cousin (albeit with improved shells). Like Warspite, Vanguard has excellent maneuverability and main battery accuracy among battleships at her tier, but suffers from comparably weaker armor to her counterparts in the other nations’ tech trees. Even when compared to her tech-tree counterpart, Monarch, Vanguard has a noticeably larger and easier to hit citadel. Like all British battleships, Vanguard is covered with 32mm plating that makes her highly vulnerable to heavy cruiser high explosive shells and IFHE equipped light cruisers and destroyers.

Her main battery is an improved version of that found on Warspite, with similar dispersion characteristics and the all-too-familiar turret traverse speed, or lack thereof. Her armor piercing shells have a faster muzzle velocity that allows for an easier time with long-range gunnery, while her high explosive shells are similar to that of Monarch and other tech-tree British battleships, with high alpha damage. With only eight guns, Vanguard’s firepower against other battleships, and even some cruisers, often feels anemic. This is offset somewhat by a quick reload of 25 seconds on her main battery, and her aforementioned accuracy. Her AP shells struggle to do much damage on battleships even when broadside and any angling will cause them to bounce off without doing any damage. As a result, Vanguard's AP is best used against enemy cruisers, as they are less likely to overpenetrate and cause minimal damage while her HE should be used against enemy battleships. Her HE shells, while having high damage, have a rather average fire chance more akin to battleships of other nations.

The largest flaw that captains of Vanguard will find is with her firing angles. Both her forward and rear firing angles are atrocious, requiring significant amounts of broadside to be shown in order to bring all guns to bear on a target. As Vanguard does not possess a well protected or low citadel (unlike Monarch), exposing large amounts of the ship's side armor will often lead to catastrophic amounts of damage taken when fired upon by enemy battleships. Captains are encouraged to remain angled with only her fore or aft set of guns on target if there’s any possibility of an enemy returning fire. Luckily, Vanguard’s excellent rudder shift time (just 9.7 seconds) can allow her to “wiggle” her remaining set of guns onto and off of targets quite quickly.

Vanguard is best played from mid-range, where her lack of armor is less noticeable, and her accurate low-volume firepower can be better put to use. Her slow turret traverse and easily hit citadel make her sub-par at brawling, while her small turning circle and good concealment allow her to disengage quite easily. Fans of Warspite or should have no problems playing Vanguard; captains who have no experience with Warspite may struggle with her peculiarities, but she is easy to learn, and is a capable Tier VIII battleship.

Pros:

• Second largest hitpoint pool in tier/class, after Vladivostok.
• Best main battery accuracy for a Tier VIII battleship.
• Good main battery traverse speed.
• Quick main battery reload speed.
• Powerful HE shells with high damage and improved penetration.
• Amazing rudder shift for a battleship, better than some heavy cruisers.
• Strong mid-range AA suite.
• Good concealment, as low as 12.6km with camo, upgrades and captain skills.
• Enhanced Repair Party  consumable heals more than standard and has a fast cooldown, similar to Thunderer's.

Cons:

• Only eight 381mm main guns hamper DPM and overmatching capability.
• Very poor firing angles.
• Weak armor, mostly consisting of 32mm common plating.
• Large citadel sits above the waterline and is exposed to enemy fire if improperly angled.
• Low torpedo protection.
• Low HE shell fire chance for a British battleship.
• Lacks access to Spotting Aircraft  and Catapult Fighter .

Research

As a premium ship, Vanguard doesn't have any upgrades to research.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades for Vanguard are as follows:

• Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
• Slot 2: Damage Control System Modification 1 
• Slot 3: Aiming Systems Modification 1
• Slot 4: Damage Control System Modification 2
• Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1 

Commander Skills

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Attack			Defense
1	Gun Feeder -40% time to switch shell type. ★★	Demolition Expert +1% chance of main and secondary HE shells causing a fire +15% to the fragmentation damage area of HE ordnance when firing at submarines.	Consumables Specialist −7.5% cooldown time of all Consumables except:  Damage Control Party ,  Repair Party .	Emergency Repair Specialist -3% cooldown time of Damage Control Party  and Repair Party . ★★	Incoming Fire Alert Receive a warning about a salvo fired at your ship from more than 4.5 km.	Preventive Maintenance −30% chance of main armament, engines, steering becoming incapacitated +15% to HP of secondary and AA guns.
2	Grease the Gears +20% main turret traverse speed. ★★	Inertial Fuse for HE Shells +25% armor penetration of HE shells. Base fire chance reduced by half.	Brisk So long as the ship remains undetected: +10% ship speed.	Vigilance +25% detection range of enemy torpedoes +7% damage reduction of Torpedo Protection System. .	Priority Target The detection indicator will show the number of enemies targeting you with main battery. ★★	AAA & ASW Expert +15% continuous AAA and flak damage . +10% damage inflicted by depth charges. While AAA is active: −40% ship consumables reload time..
3	Super-Heavy AP Shells +7.5% AP shell damage −10% fire and flood damage received +25% fire and flood duration.	Long-Range Secondary Battery Shells +20% secondary battery firing range.	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% reload time of all armaments per 1% HP lost +0.2% AA continuous damage per 1% HP lost. ★★	Basics of Survivability -15% repair, fire, and flooding duration. ★★★	Improved Repair Party Readiness −0.8% reload time of Repair Party each time your ship receives potential damage equal to 100% of the ship's base HP. After receiving 2M HP potential damage: +1 charge of Repair Party .. ★★	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..
4	Furious 1st fire / flood   −10% Main battery reload time 2nd etc. (up to 5), each   −5% Main battery reload time ★	Manual Secondary Battery Aiming −10% secondary battery reload time. −10% secondary battery dispersion. When firing at a manually selected target: dispersion gradually improves from -25% to -50%.	Close Quarters Combat -10% reload time of main battery if an enemy ship is spotted within secondary range.	Emergency Repair Expert Damage Control Party  and Repair Party : +1 charge (each). +10% action time . ★★★	Concealment Expert -10% detectability range of the ship. ★★	Fire Prevention Expert -10% risk of fire. Three fires maximum.
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful      ★★ - Frequently Useful      ★ - Occasionally Useful     No stars - Not Useful

Consumables

Vanguard can equip the following consumables:

• Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
• Slot 2: Repair Party  – 4 charges

Camouflage

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

Signals

Vanguard captains should mount standard signal flags to improve the ship's performance in battle. Sierra Mike () flags are recommended to increase the ship's top speed. India Delta () and India Yankee () flags should be mounted to improve the ship's survivability. November Foxtrot () flags should also be mounted to decrease consumable cooldown time.

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

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Historical Info

HMS Vanguard, 1946

Construction

Builder: John Brown and Company; Clydebank, Scotland

Laid down: 2 October 1941

Launched: 30 November 1944

Commissioned: 12 May 1946

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Specifications

42,300 tons displacement, standard

244m length

33m beam

9.09m draft

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Machinery

Eight (8) Admiralty-type Boilers

Four (4) Parson single-reduction turbines,
   designed for 250 rpm

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Performance

29.5 knots at 120,000 shaft horsepower

6,000nm at 20 knots

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Armor

Main belt: 324-348mm

Decks: 124-148mm

Bulkheads: 250-300mm

Barbettes and Turrets: 274-324mm barbettes,
   324mm face, 224-274mm sides, 150mm roof

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Armament

Main

Eight (4x2) 15inch/42 (381mm) Mark I guns

Secondary

Sixteen (8x2) 5.25inch/55 (133mm) QF Mark I guns

Anti-aircraft

Fourty (10x4) 40mm/56 Mofors Mark VI guns

Two (1x2) 40mm/56 Bofors STAAG-Mk II guns

Thirteen (13x1) 40mm/56 Bofors Mark VII guns

HMS Vanguard at anchor, date and location unknown.

History

Design

The last battleship of the Royal Navy, HMS Vanguard was designed relatively rapidly. Originally, the Royal Navy had planned to match current and future construction of the German, Italian, and Japanese navies with the six ships of the Lion-class, with two ships being included in each budget from 1938 to 1940. Although the two battleships of the 1938 program, Temeraire and Lion, were laid down in June and July of 1939, it became readily apparent that none of the ships would be available until 1943, due to difficulties in manufacturing new 406mm (16”) guns. Because of this, design studies were launched that July in regards to utilizing four twin turrets of the BL 15”/45 Mk.I kept in reserve (from the Courageous-class battlecruisers, which had been rebuilt as aircraft carriers), and Vanguard became a hybrid variant of the Lion-class, utilizing the elderly BL 15”/45 Mk.I. As her construction was halted and restarted multiple times during World War II, she incorporated numerous modifications to reflect the lessons learned by the Royal Navy during the conflict.

Her hull form remained largely the same as that of the Lion-class, which included the utilization of a transom stern, for greater efficiency at high speeds. Thus, despite her weight gains over the process of modification, she retained her 30-knot top speed, making her both the fastest battleship to ever be built by the Royal Navy, but also the only battleship ever built with a transom stern. Operational range was improved by increasing fuel stowage from 3,720 tons in the Lion design to 4,423 tons, mimicking a similar modification to the King George V-class battleships.

In order to prevent the draft from becoming too deep to traverse the Suez Canal, beam was increased by 2.5 meters, and the upper part of the main armor belt was thinned by an inch, leaving 356mm abreast the magazines and 343mm abreast the machinery spaces. The lower portion, 2.5m tall, tapered from 356/343mm to 114mm at a bottom edge. The armor belts were connected by 305mm transverse bulkheads and in order to defend against splinter damage from near-missing bombs and shells, a 51mm splinter belt protected the waterline past the citadel, extending stem to stern. Additionally, as a result of the Battle of Denmark Strait, 38mm bulkheads were added to the magazines behind the longitudinal torpedo defense bulkhead for additional protection. The torpedo defense bulkhead was made of two 22mm plates (22 + 22mm) and extended from just fore of ‘A’ barbette to just aft of ‘C’ barbette, where only the 38mm bulkhead protecting the magazines provided defense against torpedo impacts. The horizontal armor was identical to the King George V and Lion-classes, 127mm over the machinery spaces, and 152mm over the magazines. The protection of the main battery turrets was replaced, with 330mm faceplates and 152mm turret roofs. Barbettes were 330mm towards the beam, but tapered to 279mm on the centerline. The protection of the secondary battery was improved in order to protect them from 500-lb. bombs, being increased to 64mm compared to other mounts. Due to the British belief that there was no gain from armor conning towers against heavy shells, armor for it was only proof against splinters and low-caliber shells. The torpedo defense system was also improved over King George V, with the depth being increased from 3.96 meters to 4.57 meters. It designed and extensively tested to resist 1,000 lb. of TNT (454 kg).

The main battery of the Vanguard was made up of eight old but reliable BL 15”/42 Mk.I guns, mounted in four twin Mk.I/N RP.12 turrets, which were fitted with RPC (Remote Power Control) for training (but not elevation, this still used the older Follow-the-Pointer system), making Vanguard the first British battleship to have RPC for her main battery. Due to the layout of the turret and turret stalk, it was not possible to reverse the main hoists for shells and charges, which would have prevented the charges being placed below the shell rooms (thus reducing the chance of a shell reaching the propellant and potential triggering a fatal explosion). In order to keep the improved arrangement, an extra set of hoists was added to bring up charges from the propellant magazine, to a special handling room above the shell rooms. Thus, the actual magazines could remain below the shell rooms in spite of the turret stalk arrangement. All structures in the turret were reinforced so that Vanguard could use supercharges for her guns, increasing muzzle velocity from 749mps to 804mps, but these were never issued. Her main battery was controlled by the AFCT (Admiralty Fire Control table) Mk.X, the most advanced version of British surface-fire control available, and was designed from the start to incorporate radar technology. The Fire Control tables were fed by two directors utilizing the Type 274 Fire Control Radar and a 30-foot (9.1-meter) Coincidence rangefinder, the largest ever put in the director of a Royal Navy battleship.

The secondary battery was made up of the same dual-purpose 5.25” guns as the King George V-class battleships, but used an improved mounting (RP.10 MK.I*) with greater degrees of automation, allowing the sustained rate of fire to reach nine rounds per minute per gun (versus the previous 7.5 rpmpg). The mounts traversed and elevated twice as fast as the older ones, had full RPC, and utilized the American Mk.37 dual-purpose Fire Control System. Their four directors was equipped with the Type 275 Fire Control Radar. The light AA battery was made up entirely by the famous Bofors 40mm auto-cannon, with over seventy-three barrels in total, most mounted in ten RP.50 sextuple mounts, but also two in STAAG mounts. All these mounts featured RPC and each were directed by a Type 262 fire control radars (for 11 total). Eleven other 40mm Bofors were also mounted in Mk.VII rounds.

Service

Historical Inaccuracies

Vanguard was never camouflaged.

Historical Gallery

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  HMS Vanguard after launching, 30 November 1944.

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  Construction of Vanguard’s main battery turrets, fall 1945.

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  Vanguard arrives at Cape Town, South Africa, 17 February 1947.

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  Vanguard during NATO Operation Mainbrace, 1952.

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  A Westland WS-51 Dragonfly coming in to land on the ship's foc'sle.

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  Vanguard in Rotterdam, June 1952.

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  Vanguard anchored at Spithead for the Coronation Review of Queen Elizabeth II, 15 June 1953.

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  Vanguard departs Portsmouth headed for the breakers, 4 August 1960.

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  Vanguard being dismantled, 1960.

Video

References

1. HMS Vanguard (23) - Wikipedia
2. Armada: HMS Vanguard Trailer - News - World of Warships
3. Armada 2.0: HMS Vanguard - News - World of Warships
4. Armada: HMS Vanguard Trailer - World of Warships Official Channel - YouTube
5. Armada: Vanguard - World of Warships Official Channel - YouTube

Ship Change Log

See here for links to Update notes.

Testing Changes

• September 18, 2018:
  • Preliminary characteristics.
• October 1, 2018:
  • The penetration of the ship's HE shells was increased from 63 to 95 mm.
  • AP shell detonation time was decreased from 0.033 to 0.015 s.
  • Sigma value was increased from 1.8 to 2.0
  • The main battery traverse speed was increased from 2.5 to 4 deg/s.
  • The % of normal damage healed by the Repair Party consumable was increased from 50% to 60%, and the % of citadel damage was increased from 10% to 33%.
  • The main battery reload time was reduced from 30 to 28 s.
• October 26, 2018:
  • The Repair Party consumable was adjusted:
    • Cooldown was decreased from 120 s (80 s) to 90 s (60 s).
    • % of HP per second healed was increased from 0.5 to 0.6 %.
  • Rudder shift was reduced from 16.2 s to 9.72 s.
  • The size of the ship's citadel was reduced.
  • AP shell detonation time was increased from 0.015 to 0.033 s.
  • Detectability by sea was increased from 14.76 to 16.04 km.
  • Detectability when firing main guns in smoke was increased from 13.51 to 14.73 km.
• November 7, 2018:
  • Turning radius was adjusted to match the indicated 850 m in the port.
• November 9, 2018:
  • The ship's main battery was adjusted:
    • Reload time was reduced from 28 to 25 s.
    • The traverse speed was increased from 4 to 5 deg/s.
    • The main battery's accuracy was increased, made similar to that of the battleship Warspite.
  • HE shell damage was increased from 5,300 to 6,300.

• Available for testing by supertesters in the game starting from Update 0.7.10.
• Added to the Premium Shop on November 16, 2018.
• Update 0.7.12:
  • Minor fixes to geometry and textures.
• Update 0.8.0:
  • Minor fixes to geometry and textures.
• Update 0.8.1:
  • Minor fixes to geometry and textures.
• Update 0.10.0:
  • The firing range of the secondary battery was increased to 6.6 km.
• Update 0.10.5:
  • Minor fixes to geometry and textures.
• Update 0.11.10:
  • Minor fixes to the geometry and textures of the ship.

Ships of U.K.

Battleships