How were cities founded in Europe in the old times?
To cut a long story short—
at the places where people had historically settled,
a church and fortifications were typically erected,
with the latter to protect the settlement against enemy invasions.
The people would hang a shield
with a coat of arms and motto of the local ruler above the main gates.
That was it, the name of the city could be already put on medieval maps.
Large ships are also fortresses, despite residing on the water’s surface—
so they can't go without a coat of arms and motto!
Any ship put afloat received its name, coat of arms, and a motto.
That was the case, for example, in Italy:
“In Arduis Intrepida”— “intrepid during difficult times.”
Please welcome Tier VII Italian cruiser Gorizia!
Gorizia joined the ranks of the Regia Marina in December 1931.
The ship was the third Zara-class heavy cruiser.
In favorable circumstances, she should have taken part in battles
as a part of a squadron and supported light forces.
She had eight 203-mm main guns, a 150 mm-thick armor belt,
and was capable of speeds up to 32 knots.
The cruiser was involved in four battles
between the Italian and British forces in the Mediterranean Sea,
and she spent almost three years
operating against Allied convoys heading to Malta,
as well as defending friendly convoys travelling from Italy to Africa.
The Zara-class ships were considered to be among the best heavy,
so-called "Washington," cruisers of 1920-30s.
Gorizia is a Tier VII cruiser in our game.
Just as in historical reality, the ship is equipped with 203-mm guns
and issues a very weighty salvo.
The main difference between Gorizia and the Italian researchable cruisers
is the availability of Hydroacoustic Search
with great characteristics for her Tier—
ship detection at 6 km and torpedo detection at 4 km.
However, the availability of Hydroacoustic Search
is balanced by her lack of torpedo armament,
so you won't be able to express a hearty welcome
to any enemies in the form of a torpedo spread.
Don't forget that Gorizia is a noticeable target in battle
unless she uses her smokes.
During the initial minutes of battle,
after accounting for the enemy forces on the map,
you need to decide which tactics to employ.
Gorizia is great at both defending and attacking.
Hydroacoustic Search and her perfect maneuverability
allow the ship to successfully hunt down destroyers,
exterminate enemy light cruisers,
and then retreat from enemy fire using Exhaust Smoke Generator.
Or vice versa, you can use Smoke Generator
to take up a convenient position and then open fire at the enemy
without being afraid of their revenge.
Another advantage of Gorizia is that her smokes have a faster cooldown time
than those of other Italian cruisers.
Semi-armor-piercing shells should be used against lightly armored targets
such as destroyers and light cruisers,
as well as the ends and superstructures of battleships and heavy cruisers.
If a cruiser shows you their side,
it's time to hit that hard with an armor-piercing salvo.
After experimenting with the ship's upgrades and Commander's skills,
I'm sure you'll truly value this decent ship calling your Port its home.
Go for it, Captains!