Some were destroyed in battle,
others weren’t completed.
Some are laid up,
and can only dream about battles…
But now they’re getting a new lease of life!
We recreate ships accurately, according to their historical blueprints,
and send them into battle!
World of Warships: Dry Dock
Greetings, Captains!
Today, we're going to take a closer look
at Tier VIII German battleship Odin,
as she’s preparing to set sail on our virtual seas.
As we turn to history,
let's leave the biography of the supreme Germanic-Scandinavian deity,
whose name the battleship carries, for some extracurricular studies.
The only thing I'd like to note on this subject
is that Odin has always favored the most courageous warriors,
and considers valor in battle to be the highest virtue.
In World of Warships,
Odin is based on the project of a fast battleship
that was developed in Germany in the 1930s,
and embodies the evolution of the Deutschland-class heavy cruisers.
You're probably already familiar with one of them—Admiral Graf Spee.
German high command considered France to be their primary adversary at sea,
and were closely watching for any shipbuilding advancements
made by their neighbor.
In response to one such advancement,
their engineers had been tasked
with developing ships capable of opposing the French Dunkerque-class battleships.
The German shipbuilders had to navigate the restrictions
imposed by international naval treaties,
as well as the technical and operational requirements of the Kriegsmarine,
who wanted a fast ship with large guns
that would be near invulnerable to enemy fire.
Their work resulted in a range of theoretical projects,
which would ultimately lead to the construction
of the Scharnhorst-class battleships.
Among those projects was a development based
on a slightly larger Deutschland-class ship
with reinforced armor and 305 mm main battery guns
installed in three triple turrets.
What's interesting is that one such gun was designed,
and even produced in 1939 as a prototype.
This interesting idea has finally been realized in World of Warships
as a battleship with the awe-inspiring name, “Odin.”
No matter how modest the combat characteristics of this ship
might seem at first glance,
you’ll still feel a strong urge to plunge into the heat of battle
shouting a berserk war cry.
And partially, that's her purpose.
Odin is an excellent medium- and close-range fighter—
strengths that are historical features of German heavy ships.
They were created to operate in the Northern Atlantic,
where limited visibility dictated certain requirements
for the ballistic characteristics of their artillery.
Despite Odin's main battery being of a smaller caliber
than that of her counterparts,
thanks to having a quick reload time for a battleship—just 23 seconds—
and a high shell muzzle velocity,
she's capable of inflicting serious damage
with both her armor-piercing and high-explosive shells,
which, by the way, have quite decent armor-penetration capabilities.
Fighting at close and medium ranges is usually dangerous
because of the capabilities of destroyers,
but Odin has a trademark German secondary battery to keep them at bay,
as well as the Hydroacoustic Search consumable,
which can detect torpedoes at up to 3.5 kilometers.
Meanwhile, the battleship herself is equipped with torpedo armament
comprising two quadruple-tube launchers located at her aft.
Her torpedoes are a truly fearsome weapon in close quarters engagements.
All the abovementioned offensive capabilities
will show their full potential in the hands of a determined
and skillful Captain
who understands both the advantages and shortcomings of their ship in detail.
For example, compared to other battleships of her tier,
Odin has a modest HP pool.
While we're on the subject of survivability,
it wouldn't hurt to improve Odin's concealment—
the less visible you are, the less you'll be fired upon by the enemy.
The same principle applies to her propulsion—
decent maneuverability and speed make Odin a difficult target,
so you should think about investing in protection for her engine room.
The battleship is outfitted with quite good AA defenses
that are capable of protecting both Odin and her allies.
When the time comes,
we'll see how this newcomer proves her worth in the game.
Hurry into battle, and good luck in combat, Captains!