If "Moon Visible as Day Joins Evening"
rises at the center of the "Land of the Rising Sun,"
when it starts its journey to the south-west of the Great Ocean,
it will hide on the Yang side of Fenghe River,
where the Yellow Emperor used to rule.
If you thought that this was taken from a horoscope
or some ancient Chinese folk song poem, known as “yuefu,”
then you would be mistaken.
This sentence basically tells the entire story of the warship
that entered service as Yoizuki,
which means "Moon Visible as Day Joins Evening" in Japanese,
and ended her path by the Chinese name of Fen Yang.
The ship was renamed Fen Yang after she was transferred to China
as reparations in August 1947.
In her previous life, the ship had been part of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
She was second-to-last representative of the Akizuki-class destroyers—
the most advanced destroyers that had specifically been designed
to escort aircraft carrier task forces.
Yoizuki was armed with four rapid-firing 100 mm twin artillery mounts
and a 610 mm quadruple torpedo launcher
with fast, powerful, and long-range torpedoes
that were the best of their time.
It was planned to replace the ship's AA defenses upon her arrival in China—
instead of forty-one 25 mm automatic cannons,
five coupled and two single-barreled 40 mm AA guns were to be mounted.
The ship entered service on January 31, 1945,
and didn't manage to take part in any combat actions whatsoever.
After the war, the four latest and most modern Akizuki-class destroyers
were distributed among the Allies,
which is why Yoizuki is joining the naval battles of World of Warships
as a Tier VIII destroyer under the Chinese name of Fen Yang.
The eight main guns of the ship correspond to her historical advantages.
The simplest effective tactic is to choose a firing position,
activate Smoke Generator, and let her guns loose upon your enemies.
Her fast-reloading guns can set enemy ships on fire often
and deal high damage per minute—
just don't forget to monitor enemy torpedoes
and enemy ships equipped with Radar.
The destroyer comes equipped with decent high-explosive shells
that have high chances of setting enemy ships on fire,
but low armor-penetration capabilities.
Instead, the ship has armor-piercing shells
that allow her to fight against destroyers and light cruisers.
Thus, you can effectively battle against the majority of enemy ship types
if you're skillful at switching between shell types.
If you have serious intentions of hunting down a battleship or aircraft carrier,
her deepwater torpedoes with a decent range by Tier VIII standards,
as well as the availability of the Torpedo Reload Booster in a separate slot,
will no doubt come in handy.
Fen Yang's torpedoes have low visibility and cause high damage.
Keep in mind that her torpedoes can strike only battleships and aircraft carriers.
You shouldn't try to hit enemy destroyers or cruisers—
the enemy will just watch them as they pass underneath their keels.
With respect to aerial threats, her AA defense system,
which is already decent for a destroyer,
can be reinforced with the Defensive AA Fire consumable.
The destroyer has access to a large set of consumables
that includes Smoke Generator, Engine Boost,
Defensive AA Fire, and Torpedo Reload Booster.
At the beginning of a battle, you should only attempt to capture Key Areas
if you can rely on the support of your teammates.
It's very risky to take on an enemy destroyer alone—
Fen Yang doesn't have low visibility
or Hydroacoustic Search, and her torpedoes are of the deepwater variety,
so a straight-up kumite won't be easy for your ship.
But at the end of a battle, you can act freely and prioritize solo targets—
you should avoid falling under focused fire from several enemies at once.
The following upgrades will help you in battle:
Main Armaments Modification 1;
Engine Room Protection;
Aiming Systems Modification 1;
Propulsion Modification 1;
and Concealment System Modification 1.
If you manage to find a common language with destroyer Fen Yang,
the battles you fight playing her will become as artful as yuefu songs,
and as short and devastating as haikus for your enemies.
Speaking of beauty—if you saw a star when I was talking about the ship
and remember what it's called and how it relates to today's episode,
share your insights with us in the comments!
Good luck, Captains!