It's well known that any creation
is preceded by a countless number of drawings, drafts, demos, and takes.
Before Yamato became the ship we all know now,
Japanese shipbuilders presented their Naval High Command
with 24 variants of the battleship,
many of which could easily have become quite powerful ships of their type.
One such project, codenamed A-140-J3,
has been realized in our game as Tier IX Premium battleship Hizen.
It’s worth noting that in terms of her characteristics,
such as the number, placement, and caliber of her main guns,
speed, and displacement,
project A-140-J3 was very similar to U.S. battleship Montana,
which was designed several years later.
Is it a coincidence?
Absolutely!
Project A-140-J3 wasn't realized because her gun caliber of 410 mm
didn't correspond to the vision of the Japanese Naval High Command
on how to achieve supremacy over the enemy.
In addition, work on 460 mm guns
was already well under way at the time.
But Project A-140-J3
did catch the interest of the World of Warships developers.
Following the naming tradition of ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy,
the battleship was named after historical province Hizen, on Kyushu Island.
One may call the ship a versatile battleship,
but Hizen is most effective when used as a fire-support ship.
This is due to her being armed with powerful
and accurate 410 mm main guns.
By the way, we've found a drawing of these guns and turrets
in the archives of Hiraga,
the famous Japanese Navy shipbuilder who was involved in designing Yamato.
The firing range of the guns on board Hizen
is slightly more than 20 km,
which has a big impact on defining her gameplay.
It's better to play the battleship at medium and long ranges.
Her range can also be increased by deploying a Spotting Aircraft.
Hizen is a true champion in terms of the number of her guns
among battleships of the same tier.
The impressive salvo weight of her 12 guns
and their decent accuracy
allows her to inflict severe damage to the enemy.
Hizen’s armor requires her Captain to carefully monitor the combat situation,
and locations of enemy battleships in particular—
it's better to keep your ship’s bow towards them.
Don't forget about upgrades and Commander skills.
Make sure to adjust the ship to your preferred playstyle.
Recommended upgrades:
Main Armaments Modification 1;
Damage Control System Modification 1;
Aiming Systems Modification 1;
Damage Control System Modification 2;
Concealment System Modification 1;
Main Battery Modification 3.
Skills for a 10-skill-point Commander:
Priority Target; Adrenaline Rush; Superintendent; Concealment Expert.
Add the following skills for a 19-skill-point Commander:
Fire Prevention; Basics of Survivability; Expert Marksman.
I'm sure that Hizen will surely find her fans with her powerful guns,
easy and intuitive gameplay,
plus her ability to yield more XP and credits per battle.
Good luck, Captains!