In the southern coast of Spain,
just a stone’s throw away from the historic port of Cádiz,
lies a monument known locally as the Panteón de Marinos Ilustres—
the “Pantheon of Illustrious Sailors.”
This majestic building resembling a cathedral
is indeed a shrine dedicated to the countless battles,
ships, and commanders that honored the Spanish Navy,
or Armada Española, in its nearly 500 years of continued existence.
Among the many names inscribed in its hallowed halls
is that of Álvaro de Bazán y Guzmán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz,
Captain-General of the Ocean Sea,
who is renowned for not having suffered a single defeat
in nearly half a century of service to the Spanish Crown.
For these reasons, we decided to affix the name
of this 16th-century Grandee of Spain—Álvaro de Bazán—
to our new Tier X Spanish Premium destroyer.
In our game, Alvaro de Bazan has Italian roots.
In September 1939, mere months after claiming victory in the Spanish Civil War,
dictator Francisco Franco approved an ambitious new shipbuilding program
that was intended to propel the dilapidated Spanish fleet
back into the elite of European naval powers.
To design the new ships and their armaments,
the Spaniards planned to enlist the services of Italian shipbuilders.
However, due to the outbreak of World War II and Italy’s subsequent involvement,
the program had to be scrapped before any new ships could be completed.
In World of Warships, however,
we wanted to envision what a Spanish destroyer leader
designed under this shipbuilding program would have looked like.
The Capitani Romani-class light cruiser was used as the basis,
and while it maintains the general dimensions,
speed, and main battery guns of this Italian design,
the silhouette of the ship has undergone some changes
in line with Spanish conventions of the 1930s
and received German anti-aircraft weaponry from the 1940s.
The main distinguishing feature of the ship is its eight 135 mm main battery guns,
which can make use of both HE and AP shells
in either a standard or alternative firing mode.
The destroyer's guns can unleash a heavy salvo weight,
but they have a long reload time and slow turret traverse speed.
However, the Burst Fire mode, previously available only to certain superships,
allows you to unleash a veritable storm of fire and steel
within a very short time frame.
Just keep in mind that after using it,
your guns will be subject to an extra-long reload.
Alvaro de Bazan’s torpedo armament includes two quadruple-tube launchers.
The torpedoes themselves have good range but not the highest speed and damage.
Due to the ship’s decent top speed,
the destroyer can make sudden, swift attacks on enemy ships
and inflict a large amount of damage in a short period of time,
especially with her alternative firing mode.
Her consumables are represented by the classic destroyer set
of Engine Boost and Smoke Generator.
Let's move on to upgrades.
First of all, I recommend strengthening the guns,
as well as paying special attention to improving the ship’s handling.
Install Main Armaments Modification 1 in the first slot,
Engine Room Protection or Engine Boost Modification 1 in the second,
and Aiming Systems Modification 1 in the third.
Choose between Steering Gears Modification 1
or Propulsion Modification 1 for the fourth slot,
use Concealment System Modification 1 in the fifth slot,
and Main Battery Modification 3 in the last one.
And now, on to the Armada raffle!
The winner will get a bundle with destroyer Alvaro de Bazan,
a Commander with 12 skill points, a Port slot, and a commemorative flag,
as well as some expendable economic bonuses, Credits, and camouflages.
To participate, you need to subscribe to our channel, hit the “Like” button,
and answer the following question correctly—
"What ship served as the prototype for destroyer Alvaro de Bazan?”
Leave your answer in the comments,
and don't forget to share your in-game nickname and the server you play on.
We’ll announce the name of the winner in the next Armada episode.
Participate in the raffle and good luck to you, Captains.