Yuzo's Yapping

After covering the USS Honolulu, it is time to take a closer look at the second ship that will be added to the game with Update 15.9, in preparation for the anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor. The legendary Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi will soon be visible in battle! Alongside Honolulu, Akagi will be one of the two selectable rewards for an upcoming web event made to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the attack. Historical background Akagi was an Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier. She was initially laid down in December 1920 as the second ship of the Amagi-class battlecruisers. However, when the Washington Naval Treaty took effect in February 1922, construction of the class stopped. At first, both Amagi and Akagi were planned to be converted into fast aircraft carriers. Unfortunately, while the conversion of Akagi's hull started in November 1923, misfortune would strike Amagi. In September 1923, the Great Kantō earthquake caused considerable damage to Amagi's...

With Update 15.9, we are getting the last ship to join the Holiday convoy event. Here is the Sovetsky Soyuz's larger cousin, the Rodina. Historical background Rodina is based on the 1939 Project 23bis from the Soviet Navy. Work on this design began soon after the initial Project 23 (also known as the Sovetsky Soyuz-class) was laid down, and it was intended as an improved version of it. The key improvement the Soviets wanted was for the top speed of the ship to be 30 knots instead of 28 knots. They also wanted improved anti-air defence, which was becoming increasingly important, and to replace the Italian Pugliese torpedo defence system with a multi-bulkhead design. When it came to the increase in speed, the engineers had to deal with the issue of keeping the machinery of the initial Project 23. They decided to go with the idea of lengthening the ship and fitting better propellers. This came with the side effect of the ship also being slightly wider, which allowed them to replace t...