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
Azuma—a B-65-class super-heavy cruiser,
the project of which was developed in Japan between 1939–40,
never materialized in the form of a ship in reality.
The original design of the ship
was intended to replace the fast Kongo-class battleships
in the Japanese Navy.
According to the "Naval Fleet Decisive Battle" doctrine
composed by the Japanese, any approaching large enemy forces
should be attacked under the cover of night
by a task force comprising heavy cruisers and destroyers.
Their mission was to break through the line of enemy support forces,
which would also have consisted of heavy cruisers and destroyers,
and unleash a massive torpedo strike against the fleet’s battleships.
The Japanese battleships would then destroy the weakened enemy
in an artillery fight during the course of the following day.
A division of fast battlecruisers was included in the navy
to support such a night-time attack.
The appearance of the superstructures on the B-65 project ships
was very similar to those on the famous Yamato.
The ships had a flush deck that rose at the front, and a clipper bow.
In terms of their characteristics,
they embodied something between a battleship and heavy cruiser,
similar to U.S. Alaska or Soviet Kronshtadt.
The design of the project
imagined a main battery comprising nine 310 mm guns
placed inside triple turrets.
These guns were designed specifically for the B-65 project cruisers.
As for dual-purpose artillery,
it was planned to use eight coupled 100 mm Type 98 artillery mounts on the ship,
which were the best Japanese anti-aircraft guns available at the time.
The ship’s anti-aircraft armament
also included twelve 25 mm twin automatic guns
and two 13.4 mm twin machine guns.
Her armor layout was similar to that of Yamato,
and was designed to withstand 305 mm shells.
This would have been more than enough to make the ship invulnerable
to the weaponry of all known heavy cruisers of the time.
The horizontal 125 mm-thick armor
was designed to withstand a hit from a 1,000 kg aerial bomb,
while her torpedo protection
should have been able to withstand an explosion of 400 kg of TNT.
Her design planned for a displacement of around 35,000 tons
and a maximum speed of 34 knots.
When Japanese intelligence discovered the U.S. Alaska-class cruisers
that had been ordered in the autumn of 1940,
a suggestion was made to alter the B-65 project
by improving her armor
and replacing the turrets with ones that could house two 356 mm guns.
However, the proposal was rejected.
The first two ships were planned to be ordered between 1942–43,
but it wasn't destined to happen due to the course the war took.
The B-65 project was implemented in World of Warships
as Japanese Premium cruiser Azuma.
The ship possesses notable features such as her powerful artillery;
a large HP pool; and decent AA defenses,
which are perfectly suited to destroying enemy ships from long distances
and supporting allies against enemy aviation.