It's somewhat sad to see an original idea gathering dust in the archives,
and what could have been a mighty oceangoing giant
remaining as a pure hypothesis. Isn't it true that any history buff’s
heart skips a beat when they hear the words
“the project never progressed past the blueprint stage”?
Similar to how the phrase "...and then the ship was scrapped"
can completely break the heart of any naval enthusiast.
However, our designers know how to turn such hypotheses into reality
and breathe life into forgotten original ideas.
I want to present you with one such example.
Meet American Tier IX Premium battleship Illinois.
Our ship originates from draft versions of the reworked Iowa-class battleships
that never ended up being remade into AA ships after World War II.
It was planned to equip them with multipurpose 203 mm guns,
similar to those on the Des Moines-class cruisers, as well as numerous AA guns.
But all these drafts remained on paper.
We couldn't overlook such an original concept because the combination
of a battleship's hull and cruiser's guns imply an interesting playstyle.
Among the advantages of Illinois are a high firing rate,
AP shells with improved ricochet angles, good AA defenses, and high speed.
You shouldn't expect the ship to deal enormous damage per salvo;
she specializes in systematic shelling of her opponents with HE shells
while making good use of her short reload time.
However, the farther the opponent, the more difficult it is to hit them—
her ballistics aren't the best over long ranges,
and it takes some time to adjust to this.
Nevertheless, you can turn cons into pros here—
the ballistics of her 203 mm guns allow you to shell your opponents
from behind the cover of islands.
If your opponent is showing you their broadside,
switch to her AP shells with improved ricochet angles.
But don't forget about the ballistics...
The further away your opponent is,
the lower the efficiency of your AP shells will be.
Use HE ones if the distance is above 12 km.
On the one hand, the battleship's hull grants you an advantage—
it's decently armored; on the other hand,
her small HP pool compared to other battleships
won't allow you to stay under focused fire for very long.
Illinois's AA defenses enable you to confidently fend off air raids
and cover nearby allies, too.
The ship is equipped with Damage Control Party
and a variant of Repair Party that restores more HP per second.
And now, a few tips on ship upgrades.
Of course, these are only recommendations—
every Captain is free to upgrade their ships in a way
that best suits their playstyle! My set of upgrades is more universal in nature.
Install Main Armaments Modification 1 in the first slot,
Damage Control System Modification 1 in the second,
and Artillery Plotting Room Modification 1 in the third.
Next, you can improve your maneuverability
with Steering Gears Modification 1
or enhance your survivability with Damage Control System Modification 2
in the fourth slot. Reserve the fifth slot for
Concealment System Modification 1,
and the last slot for Main Battery Modification 3.
Now it's time for the traditional ruffle for our YouTube channel subscribers!
One of you will get a Premium Ship IX container.
Just hit the "Like" button under the video
and answer the following question correctly:
"What is the identification number of battleship Illinois?"
Don't forget to share your in-game nickname
and the server you play on in the comment with the answer.
Take part in the raffle, and good luck, Captains!