Supertest: European Tier X Cruiser Vanadis

Update 15.8 will bring a new line of cruisers to the game. These will be the European cruisers with ships from nations such as Sweden, Poland, Greece, Sweden and, you guessed it, Sweden. There is only one ship that was actually built, being the tier VI, and for the rest, it's a lot of what-if or straight-up Wargaming creations. These cruisers will work as torpedo-focused ships with high speed and low detection range, and the same torpedoes as the European destroyers with high speed but low damage.

At the top of the European cruisers line, here is the tier X, Vanadis.

Historical background

In the same vein as Tirfing, there is no real historical background to speak of for Vanadis. It is, again, a hypothetical development of the Tre Kronor-class with increased firepower, torpedo armament, and anti-air to be a match against Soviet cruisers. We got Tre Kronor, Tirfing was Tre Kronorer, and Vanadis is Tre Kronorest.

This class could have been built to replace the obsolete coastal defence ships or the cruiser Gotland, for example. As such, she would have likely been employed in the same role of destroyer fleet leader as the Tre Kronor-class.

The ship appears as it would have been fitted in 1959.

Ship's preview

Ship's permanent camouflage

As a reminder, this ship is in testing; anything can change, so don't treat her as if she's already been released.

Modules

Hull	Engine	Gun Fire Control System	Main battery	Torpedoes
Vanadis	Propulsion: 140,000 hp	Mk 10 Mod. 1	152 mm/53 Model 1942 in a turret	Mark 10

General Characteristics

Tier	IX
Health	48 200 HP
Torpedo Damage Reduction	0 %
Displacement	20 000 tons
Dimensions
Overall length	215.0 m
Beam	22.113 m
Overall height (keel to the highest point on the ship)	23.5 m
Freeboard	14.3 m
Main Armament
Maximum Firing Range	14.700 km
152 mm/53 Model 1942 in a turret	3 x 3 152 mm
Torpedo Armament
Maximum Firing Range	15.000 km
533 mm Quintuple	4 x 5 533 mm
Maximum speed	35.0 knots
Turning Circle Radius	780 m
Rudder Shift Time	10.5 s
Surface Detectability	11.74 km
Air Detectability	8.52 km
Detectability After Firing Main Guns in Smoke	5.8 km

CONSUMABLES
Slot 1
Damage Control Party
Work time	5.0 s
Cooldown	60.0 s
Slot 2
Repair Party
Charges	4
Work time	28.0 s
Cooldown	80.0 s
HP regeneration speed	+0.66% /second
Casemate damage regeneration	60%
Citadel damage regeneration	33%
Slot 3
Emergency Engine Power (time-based)
Total usage time	180.0 s
Minimum usage time	10.0 s
Cooldown	20.0 s
Maximum speed	+30%

Main Armament

3 x 3 152 mm/53 Model 1942 in a turret All turrets can turn at 360°
Maximum Firing Range	14.700 km
Reloading Time	4.6 s
180 Degree Turn Time	7.2 s
Optimal firing angles at the front	24°
Optimal firing angles at the rear	33°
Sigma	2.05 sigma
Maximum Dispersion	134 m
Shells
Type of Projectile	HE - 152 mm HE M1942
Alpha Damage	2 200
Penetration capacity	30 mm
Fire chance	11 %
Projectile Speed	900 m/s
Air Drag	0.284
Projectile Mass	46.0 kg
Type of Projectile	AP - 152 mm AP M1942
Alpha Damage	3 000
Projectile Speed	900 m/s
Air Drag	0.288
Projectile Mass	46.7 kg
Projectile Krupp	2 200
Projectile Detonator	0.025 s
Detonator threshold	25 mm
Ricochet Angles	45° - 60°

Torpedo Armament

4 x 5 533 mm Quintuple Torped M1947 mod 1
Reloading Time	125.0 s
Maximum Distance	15.000 km
Optimal firing angles at the front	31°
Optimal firing angles at the rear	36°
Damage	10 700
Flooding Chance	173 %
Speed	86 knots
Surface Detectability	1.8 km

Anti-air Armament

3 x 3 152 mm/53 Model 1942 in a turret
Sector firing range	0.1 km - 6.9 km
Hit chance	90 %
Sector's damage	23
Sector's damage frequency	0.29 s
Sector's damage per second	81
Flak clouds number	5
Flak cloud damage	1 890
4 x 2 57 mm/60 SAK Model 1950 on a Model 1950 mount 8 x 1 40 mm/70 SAK-40/L70-350 on a SAK-40/L70-350 mount
Sector firing range	0.1 km - 4.0 km
Hit chance	90 %
Sector's damage	188
Sector's damage frequency	0.29 s
Sector's damage per second	658

ASW Airstrike

PBY Catalina - Depth charge airstrike 650 lb depth bomb
Reloading Time	30 s
Number of charges	2
HP per plane	2 000
Attack range	0.5 km - 8.0 km
Number of planes in the squadron	1
Number of bombs in payload	2
Damage	4 900
Detonation timer	3.5 s - 4.5 s
Explosion radius	375 m
Fire chances	28%
Flooding chances	300%

The Armor

External armor protection:

Citadel armor protection:

Turrets protection:

Hidden armored deck:

Personal Opinion

I'm not sure what to think about the Vanadis... I might even say that I'm honestly not convinced. For starters, her concealment is not that impressive. Ships such as Minotaur, San Martín, or Plymouth have better detection ranges than her. Even ships that are only slightly worse would also have a fairly easy time ruining her day, especially when considering that her citadel is not exactly small. At least, she does have the improved Repair Party and the Emergency Engine Power to get away from danger if need be.

As for her main battery, while she has a pretty high HE DPM, she has to work with a very limited firing range (unless you take Gun Fire Control System Modification 2). There are... many ships at this tier that would have an easy time in an engagement against her at this distance, and the extra speed won't do miracles. However, with the combination of her speed, high rate of fire, and concealment, she could work as a support for destroyers around objectives. The short firing range could also be useful as she would have an easier time going dark if there are few enemy ships nearby.

Her torpedo armament is nothing to sneeze at, but she does have to compete with Jinan and her potential 40 deep-water torpedoes that hit like trucks.

So yeah, considering what she has to deal with, Vanadis might have a hard time finding her spot at tier X as she currently is.

Regardless...

Thank you for reading this article!