In the first half of the 20th century, the Dutch Royal Navy needed cruisers
that could defend the interests of the country in various naval theaters,
especially in the East Indies.
In the 1930s, the Netherlands had several combat-ready light cruisers
that corresponded to the naval standards of that time.
Rising tensions in the world
motivated the Netherlands to start developing new ships.
It was supposed that they would become an effective countermeasure
against Japanese heavy cruisers in the Pacific Ocean.
But the beginning of the war and the invasion of German troops in 1940
halted the work of the Dutch shipbuilders.
The projects of those cruisers remained in blueprint form only—
and it's only several decades later
that they finally have a chance to show their worth in battle.
In World of Warships, the Dutch cruisers have earned their right
to battle against acclaimed legends of the world's naval forces as equals!
Armada Dutch Cruisers
The main unique feature of the Dutch cruisers in our game
is a new armament type—Airstrike.
But we'll talk about that a little bit later.
First, let's discuss the main calibers of the Dutch cruisers.
Up to Tier VII, the Tech Tree branch
provides light cruisers with calibers that don't exceed 152 mm.
From Tier VIII, you'll take the helms of true behemoths.
Tier VIII Haarlem can provide you with the firepower of nine 203-mm guns.
Tier IX Johan de Witt and Tier X Gouden Leeuw
will give you the opportunity to fire nine guns
with calibers of 240 mm and 283 mm, respectively.
It's well known that the bigger the caliber,
the more damage you deal and the better the armor penetration.
The high-tier cruisers surely have all of that,
but the price for having it is high—a not-so-fast firing rate
and not great accuracy, as well as a mediocre firing range.
Even though players can solve the reloading or firing range issues
on Tier IX and X ships by mounting upgrades,
it's necessary to always get close to enemies
when playing the remaining ships of the branch.
It might help that cruisers from Tier III through Tier VII
can deploy Spotting Aircraft
that temporarily increase the main gun firing range.
Good concealment will also come in handy when fighting at medium ranges.
Thanks to that, it's relatively safe to get close to an enemy
or move out of their sight in case of a threat.
Naturally, the Dutch cruisers will benefit
from improving their concealment characteristics
using camouflages, Commander skills, and upgrades.
When a cruiser comes under enemy fire,
skillful maneuvers are the key to her survival.
The Dutch ships can operate perfectly in this regard.
In addition to good mobility, the new cruisers of higher tiers
have decent protection due to their thick armor
that allows them to sustain hits from armor-piercing and high-explosive shells.
The final touch to the survivability of the Dutch ships,
starting with the already-mentioned Haarlem,
is a variant of Repair Party with a fast cooldown rate.
The high-tier Dutch ships have their price to pay
for the improved consumable and solid armor.
These ships take longer to extinguish fires
and take more damage from flooding.
When using the consumable, keep in mind that it can fully restore
any HP lost during a fire instance that takes longer to extinguish
compared with researchable same-type ships of other nations.
The Dutch cruisers don't have torpedo launchers,
but they possess Airstrike from Tier VI.
We're going to talk about that now.
It's a new armament type in the game, and it works in the following way:
You mark a target area, and a large air squadron arrives and drops bombs.
Airstrike airplanes of the Dutch ships
carry high-explosive bombs that have drogue parachutes.
When you take a lead using Airstrike,
you need to consider the time required for the airplanes
to arrive at the designated area and the time for the bombs to fall.
You should also know that one can designate the area for bombing
from the new cruisers within a radius from 10 to 13 km,
depending on the ship's tier.
Another thing is that the summoned bomber group
can be attacked by enemy AA defenses,
it can't detect enemy ships, and can't be directly controlled.
By the way, the AA defenses of the Dutch cruisers
are capable of effectively countering enemy aviation—
low-tier ships can deploy Fighter,
while the AA defenses of the higher-tier ships,
starting with Haarlem, can be enhanced with Defensive AA Fire.
The Dutch ships from Tier IV through Tier X
are equipped with the Hydroacoustic Search consumable.
When inspecting Commander skills for a Dutch cruiser,
we suggest paying attention to the recommended ones.
With respect to upgrades,
we recommend mounting Main Armaments in the first slot,
while Damage Control System in the second slot
is preferred for the high-tier warships.
Engine Room Protection can be installed in the second slot
for low and medium-tier ships.
You also shouldn't neglect upgrades that improve the characteristics
of the Hydroacoustic Search and Defensive AA Fire consumables—
they will come in handy when installed in the second slot.
We recommend mounting Aiming Systems
or Main Battery Modification 2 in the third slot.
Propulsion is perfect in the fourth slot for the ships up to Tier VII,
while Damage Control Party Modification 2
is better for the ships starting with Tier VIII.
We recommend Concealment System for the fifth slot,
and, for the sixth slot on Tier IX and X cruisers,
the right choice really depends on your preferences.
If you want to gain greater firepower by reducing the reload time,
then Main Battery Modification 3 is your choice.
If you want to fight from a relatively safe distance,
don't hesitate to install Gun Fire Control System Modification 2.
The Dutch cruisers show their best sides in battle when supporting allied forces.
That's why you should stick close to your teammates
while you are in the process of mastering the new ships.
It can happen quite often that timely activation
of Hydroacoustic Search or Defensive AA Fire can save not just your HP,
but that of your teammates as well.
Moreover, the Dutch cruisers are capable of dealing impressive damage
to enemy ships themselves thanks to their solid guns.
The good survivability parameters of the high-tier cruisers
can provide for greater confidence in achieving a successful battle outcome,
even against superior enemy forces.
Sure, the Dutch cruisers don't have torpedoes,
and they can't rush in for a close- quarters attack against heavy opponents.
But the newcomers have Airstrike instead.
If used correctly, this can make a decent argument
in a battle against heavily armored foes.
The new armament type can also force an enemy hiding behind an island
to change their position.
The Dutch cruisers await you in World of Warships, Captains!
Try these tough newcomers out in battle,
and don't forget to call in an Airstrike!