It's a well known fact that guns are at the core of a battleship.
If you have several well-proven high-caliber guns in stock,
don't hesitate even for a moment
and immediately start building the right ship to accommodate them.
That's how the British conceived of HMS Vanguard—
the last battleship of the Royal Navy.
At the brink of World War II, the Admiralty realized
that the balance of naval forces
was not in favor of Great Britain,
and furthermore, there were delays in the construction of new battleships.
Then the British remembered that they had four turrets
with 381 mm guns gathering dust in storage—
where they had remained since battlecruisers HMS Courageous and Glorious
had been converted into aircraft carriers.
The plan was as simple as pie:
install the old guns on a new hull.
In theory, it was an excellent plan.
HMS Vanguard was laid down in October 1942,
but would be commissioned only on August 9, 1946.
She went on her first long voyage in the capacity of royal yacht,
when George VI embarked on a tour of South Africa onboard her.
Although Vanguard took part in naval exercises
involving artillery practice, throughout her entire service
she remained a ceremonial battleship,
participating in parades and welcoming kings and presidents on board.
But enough history.
How does Tier VIII battleship Vanguard stand in World of Warships?
A massive and abrupt hull with a silhouette rising towards the bow,
reminiscent of a Captain's cap.
The shape of her bow and raked Atlantic stem
gave the ship the best propulsive performance
out of all battleships built by the Royal Navy.
Her maximum speed of 30 knots and turning circle radius of 850 meters
are average values for the tier,
but pay attention to her rudder shift time—only 9.7 seconds!
It's enough to dodge torpedoes and escape with minimal damage.
Let's review her offensive capabilities now.
Primary armament: eight Mark I 381 mm guns produced in 1916.
Old, but not useless.
Powerful, accurate, and quick-firing.
Their range is 20 kilometers,
shells fall within 240 meters, and the reload time is 25 seconds.
Those who believe that British battleships
are only about HE shells are in for a surprise.
Vanguard's AP shells are also quite good.
Vanguard's armor is quite decent,
with a layout similar to that of the ships Monarch and Lion,
except for the citadel,
which treacherously sticks out above the waterline.
Although the real-life Vanguard didn't have a chance
to test her protection in a real battle,
in the game, it's better to be on the lookout for incoming shells
to prioritize upgrading your survivability.
Owners of this battleship will be happy to learn that she comes equipped
with an improved version of the Repair Party consumable,
with a cooldown period of 60 seconds.
This can restore more HP than the greater majority of her counterparts at this tier.
I suppose that having reached Tier VIII,
many of you will have accumulated enough battle experience
to give you the required courage of conviction
that comes with taking a difficult ship out to sea
and demonstrating your set of refined skills in doing so.
Let's conclude.
Vanguard is a powerful ship, but one that requires composure and accurate estimation.
At the same time, she is very agile for a battleship,
and through improving your concealment, you can quickly change position
and surprise your opponents by suddenly appearing where they least expect you.
However, you'll need to carefully monitor your distance to the enemy,
because getting within spotting range—
14 kilometers with a camouflage and upgrade mounted—can be fatal to you.
It’s worth keeping in mind
that the training angles of the battleship's turrets
won't allow you to fire a full broadside without risking your own safety.
When appraising the tactical situation,
don't hesitate to switch ammunition type;
Vanguard's HE shells carry a good chance of causing fire
and inflicting serious damage to destroyers.
Use this to your advantage.
Learn the Superintendent Commander skill—
the additional use of the Repair Party consumable that it provides
will come in handy in any situation,
especially as it's able to restore 430 HP per second.
And of course, don't forget about the special camouflage
that can provide an increased yield of credits
while reducing the cost of servicing the ship.
It's notable that in building Vanguard, the British
drew the line on the history of an entire ship type—
one which they had incepted themselves
through constructing the famous Dreadnought.
This alone is a sound reason for any naval history enthusiast
to dock Vanguard in their Port.
Good luck, Captains!