Since the beginning of the 19th century,
United States Navy cruisers and gunboats
have traditionally been commissioned with the names of American cities.
One city in particular— Vallejo, California—
had a rather difficult time finding its way onto a ship during World War II.
The name was first earmarked for a Tacoma-class gunboat ordered in 1942,
which only 6 months later was altered into a frigate,
thereby forcing a change of name.
Vallejo then found a new future home in the form of a Fargo-class light cruiser,
which was again canceled in 1944.
Vallejo’s final bid to become a warship came in 1945
in the form of a Worcester-class cruiser.
Unlike the previous iterations,
construction actually commenced on USS Vallejo this time…
Before she was canceled and scrapped later that year due to the end of the war.
Sadly, as of today,
a ship bearing Vallejo’s name has still been unable to kiss the waves.
But here at World of Warships, we wanted to try once more.
Meet Tier IX American cruiser Vallejo!
The basis of our Vallejo is a variant of an American light cruiser project
employing 152 mm dual-purpose guns developed between 1941 and 1943.
Historically, the Worcester class was the result of work in this direction.
We wanted to see what it would have looked like
if the U.S. Navy had instead opted for the variant that housed
10 main battery guns in five twin-gun turrets.
And this is the concept we tried to replicate with Vallejo.
Vallejo has improved ballistics
compared to the branch of researchable American light cruisers,
meaning that her shells decelerate slower.
In turn, this makes it easier to take an accurate lead
on a target over long ranges.
And for doing precisely this,
the new Rapid Takeoff Spotter consumable will come in extremely handy.
It differs from the standard Spotting Aircraft by its shorter cooldown,
which it enjoys at the expense of a shorter action time.
Vallejo’s full arsenal of consumables includes Defensive AA Fire
and Repair Party in different slots,
as well as a choice between the aforementioned Rapid Takeoff Spotter
or Fighter in the last slot.
Keep in mind, however, that unlike other high-tier American cruisers,
Vallejo lacks access to Hydroacoustic Search or Surveillance Radar,
which significantly affects the ship’s gameplay style.
Due to her comfortable ballistics,
good firing range for a cruiser with her caliber,
and the availability of Rapid Takeoff Spotter,
Vallejo can effectively fight over long distances.
At closer ranges, the ship can also fend for herself
due to her good rate of fire and concealment.
However, she cannot independently detect ships
or sudden spreads of torpedoes
due to her lack of Radar and Hydroacoustic Search.
Keeping this in mind, in the fight for Key Areas,
Vallejo is best used as fire support against targets detected by teammates.
She’s also capable when it comes to providing anti-air support
thanks to her effective AA armament and the Defensive AA Fire consumable.
However, it’s generally recommended to tread carefully when playing this ship
because she has rather low survivability and mediocre armor,
and it’s impossible to make a quick retreat
due to her rather unimpressive top speed.
To increase her combat effectiveness,
I recommend enhancing the advantages of the cruiser
with the following upgrades.
Main Armaments Modification 1,
Engine Room Protection, or Defensive AA Fire Modification 1;
Aiming Systems Modification 1,
Steering Gears Modification 1, or Propulsion Modification 1;
and Concealment System Modification 1,
Main Battery Modification 3,
or Gun Fire Control System Modification 2.
Now, let's move on to our draw for a Tier IX Premium Ship container.
It will be delivered to the Port of one of our channel’s subscribers,
chosen at random, who must not forget to drop a "Like” on this video
and answer me this question: “What is cruiser Vallejo’s hull number?”
Let me remind you that the comment with the correct answer must also indicate
your nickname and the game server you play on!
Participate in the draw and good luck to you, Captains!