NAVAL ACADEMY
Greetings, fellow Captains!
Today we'll speak about the damage system in World of Warships and how it connects to ship design.
Where should you aim to inflict the maximum damage to an enemy ship,
or even destroy it with one precise salvo?
The answer to this question lies in the understanding of warship armor layout and in the ability to find weak spots.
The history of naval shipbuilding revolves around the eternal conflict:
guns against protection, shells against armor.
It goes without saying that armor is very heavy — it may account for up to 40% of the weight of a battleship.
The problem of affording the ship maximum protection without overloading
it has occupied naval engineers since the creation of first ironclad warships.
Armoring everything that rises above the water — that's one option.
Shells can't come from underwater, after all.
This is known as the English-German armor system.
However, it’s no secret that a ship can survive a considerable
amount of damage without losing much of its combat capability,
or, by contrast, it can explode after a single shell hit to an ammunition magazine.
On the other hand, a warship is designed with long cruises in mind.
This is a combat vehicle but, at the same time,
it is the home for all its crew members.
A considerable amount of a ship's space is dedicated to the everyday life of the crew
and does not influence its combat capability.
You must agree that the loss of a galley or a storage room during battle
has less impact on a ship's performance than an exploded engine room or conning tower.
The optimal decision was to use armor of maximum thickness,
but covering only the parts crucial for combat:
the engine room, control systems, magazines, gun turrets, and conning tower.
Other compartments are left either uncovered or covered with only light fragmentation armor.
This layout, also known as the American system,
was primarily designed for long-range battles.
In this case, the warship remains out of range of small - and medium-caliber guns,
while the chance of being hit by primary armament shells is minimal.
External modules are as important as internal ones.
They include primary armament turrets, torpedo tubes, secondary armament,
gun fire control systems, and antiaircraft armament.
All are located on the outside and directly influence the ship's combat capability.
The primary armament, the main gun turrets, are, of course, armored to the maximum,
while the only defense of other modules is that they are numerous,
perform their functions with multiple redundancy, and present small targets.
In theory, almost any ship, both in the game and in real life, can be destroyed by a single salvo.
To accomplish this, shells must penetrate the armor of magazines or engine room and explode inside.
Thus, the easiest way to destroy a ship is to fire at either the center of the hull on the waterline level,
where the engine room is located, or at the magazines under the gun turrets.
On the other hand, you can systematically fire at the superstructure,
bow, or stern, damaging all the auxiliary elements of the ship and turning it to a floating wreck.
This method takes more time, but, on the plus side, is reliable and easy.
It's up to you to decide which way is appropriate at the moment.
The most important parts of the ship are usually heavily armored,
making it difficult to destroy an enemy with a single salvo.
Additionally, you should always weigh the power of your guns against the armor of the target.
For example, a light cruiser or a destroyer won't be able to destroy a battleship with a couple of shots of their primary armament.
However, they can disable a well-armored opponent by methodically firing at the ends of the ship,
the superstructures, and all the poorly armored parts,
starting with deck-mounted AA guns and ending with communication systems.
Don't forget that your ship has the same weaknesses as your enemies.
Knowing your vulnerable spots and covering them,
you can significantly reduce the risk of critical damage.
Skillful maneuvering under enemy fire can save you.
For example, if you turn bow or stern to the enemy,
you will considerably reduce target area for them and partially cover the weak spots of your ship.
As you can see, gunnery in World of Warships has many components.
Success depends on the ability to choose the right target lead
and assume the correct position to bring your guns to bear.
You should also know characteristics of different ships and understand the significance of distance.
Finally, one of the most important conditions of effective fire are the shells themselves.
Two types are available in the game: armor-piercing and high-explosive.
What are their characteristics and how can you use them to your advantage?
We'll talk about this in the next episode.
World of Warships
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