According to legend, the Sheriff of Nottingham
was the main antagonist in the Robin Hood ballads.
His arch-enemy, the noble leader of the Merry Men of Sherwood,
has become a significant part of English folklore and British culture as a whole.
Despite the fact that the hooded hero had numerous historical "prototypes,"
in reality, of course, he never actually existed.
Like Robin Hood, our ship also had her own prototypes.
They were developed in the mid-1920s by the British Admiralty.
If we had to choose a more or less specific year,
then it would be 1926, right between the signing
of the two main treaties on the limitation of naval weapons—
the Washington Naval Treaty (1922) and the London Naval Treaty (1930).
This cruiser is based on project sketches
designed by British shipbuilders under the Navy's instructions
that were never actually given life in steel.
As for the name of the ship, it was typical for Royal Navy heavy cruisers
to be named after the nation's counties in the 1920s;
however, the last two ships of this type were built
according to a modified project and received the names of county towns.
Our cruiser has similar armament
but technically differs quite a lot from her preceding designs,
and this influenced the choice of her name.
We at World of Warships are respectful of maritime traditions.
So, please meet the resulting British Tier VIII cruiser,
which we've named in honor of the ancient city
near the famous Sherwood Forest—Nottingham!
Out of all the ideas that we found among those unrealized designs,
we implemented three main ones on Nottingham.
Firstly, the main battery turrets are installed only on the bow,
according to a scheme that was previously used for the Nelson-class battleships.
Secondly, instead of three twin-gun turrets
with 203-millimeter main battery guns, we installed three triple-gun turrets.
This is something that has never actually been cast in metal.
Thirdly, she has reinforced torpedo armament
comprising four quadruple-tube torpedo launchers.
In reality, there were always fewer in order to save weight.
A distinctive feature of Nottingham, as we've already mentioned,
is the placement of all nine of her 203-millimeter guns on the bow.
Thanks to this, the cruiser doesn't need
to expose her full broadside to the enemy to fire a full salvo.
But at the same time, the cruiser must act cautiously,
relying on her excellent concealment
and Short-Burst Smoke Generator consumable,
as she has weak armor and a small HP pool.
Moreover, the ship doesn't have the Repair Party consumable,
and her smoke screen will only hide her for a while,
so it's best deployed for short-term cover when firing or retreating.
With all that in mind,
the best combat strategy for her is to stay inconspicuous,
take up advantageous positions for firing, then reposition.
If an enemy ship is nearby and close combat cannot be avoided,
take advantage of her torpedo tubes
and their ability to launch torpedoes individually,
but remember that the torpedoes themselves don't have the best range.
In addition to the smoke, Nottingham has a choice
between Hydroacoustic Search and Defensive AA Fire in a single slot.
For upgrades, I recommend mounting the following:
Main Armaments Modification 1,
Engine Room Protection or Hydroacoustic Search Modification 1,
Aiming Systems Modification 1,
Propulsion Modification 1 or Steering Gears Modification 1,
Concealment System Modification 1.
Now let's now get down to the traditional Armada raffle!
This time, the reward is a bundle with Nottingham,
a Port slot, and a commemorative flag.
All this will go to one of our YouTube subscribers
who “Likes” this video and writes the correct answer to this question
in the comments: “What is Nottingham named after?”
Don't forget to write your exact in-game nickname
and the game server you play on in your response.
As always, we'll reveal the winner's name in the next episode of Armada.
Good luck in battle, Captains!