As strange as it may sound,
naval shipbuilding is quite a risky business.
Especially if we talk about perspective.
Just imagine, you create a ship— powerful, fast, and beautiful.
You spend a year designing her,
two more years building her, and then—bam!
Your potential adversary launches an even more powerful,
fast, and beautiful ship.
Of course, you would get terribly upset at first,
and perhaps you might even need to take a vacation to steady your nerves.
That's a huge amount of stress after all—
what a waste of three years!
When you returned from your vacation,
you would need to start thinking about how to upgrade your ship
so she could still compete in battle.
For this reason, the ability to foresee the future
has always been highly valued in shipbuilding.
Now, please welcome U.S. Tier VIII Premium battleship Constellation.
In 1911, this ship was conceived as a battlecruiser
in response to Japan laying down their Kongo-class ships.
However, the decision to build her was made only in 1916.
The Americans created their ship for deployment
in joint actions with light cruisers and destroyers,
which is why they prioritized having a high speed of up to 35 knots
and powerful main battery artillery.
To effectively combine these features,
the engineers decided to sacrifice her armor.
As a result of this, she could only withstand hits landed by light cruisers.
The project had been reworked more than once by the time the lead ship
of the six-ship series was laid down.
The adjustments were deemed necessary
due to the outcome of the Battle of Jutland,
as well as the impressions of British battlecruiser Hood,
which was being built at the time.
The most significant change
was the installation of eight 406 mm guns instead of 356 mm ones.
Constellation was laid down in 1920,
but in 1922, the United States signed the Washington Naval Treaty.
The agreement meant
that they could have only 18 capital ships in their fleet of the line.
Because of this, the unfinished battlecruiser was sold for scrap.
The World of Warships team decided to recreate this ship,
but we took the liberty of making some adjustments
that could have been made to the real Constellation
if she had been commissioned and served in World War II.
We replaced the auxiliary artillery with a dual-purpose battery;
added anti-aircraft cannons, aircraft, and radio electronics;
and modified some elements of the ship's structure to accommodate it all.
In the game, the battleship has eight 406 mm guns
installed in four turrets.
They are complemented with unlikely weaponry for a battleship—
two triple-tube torpedo launchers
with torpedoes that have a range of 9.2 kilometers
and decent damage.
And as I already mentioned, our Constellation has radio electronics.
Her Surveillance Radar consumable— a rare feature for this ship type—
has an action radius of 10 kilometers
and provides certain advantages in battle.
For example, you could give an enemy lying in hiding a nasty surprise.
The main role of this battleship
is to provide medium-range fire support to allies.
Her weak armor means that it would be unwise to rush forward.
However, if the combat situation allows for it,
Constellation can lead an attack
thanks to her Surveillance Radar and torpedo launchers.
Constellation's upgrades are quite typical for her ship type.
I recommend improving your artillery and survivability,
which means installing Main Armaments Modification 1 in the first slot;
Damage Control System Modification 1 in the second slot;
Artillery Plotting Room Modification 1 in the third slot;
Damage Control System Modification 2 in the fourth slot;
and Concealment System Modification 1 in the last slot.
Don't forget that you can obtain this ship by participating in our raffle.
The rules are simple—like this video,
subscribe to our channel, and answer this question correctly:
"What was the name of the class to which Constellation belonged,
and how many of these ships were planned to be built?"
Most importantly, don't forget to correctly specify your in-game nickname
and the server you play on in the comment with your answer.
We'll draw the winner at random
and announce their name in the description for the next Armada video.
The winner will receive an Admiral Pack
that includes battleship Constellation,
a 10-skill-point Commander, a commemorative flag,
the Independence Day camouflage, and other useful items!
Participate in the draw and good luck, Captains!