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...

Update 15.8 will bring to the game a new line of cruisers. 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. Representing Greece, here is the Tier VIII, Kriti. Historical background Kriti, just like Ignacio Allende, is based on the U.S. Navy "6-inch anti-aircraft cruiser Scheme C" from 1940.  Similarly, Seattle is based on the "6-inch anti-aircraft cruiser Scheme A".  These designs were part of a series of proposed designs of anti-air cruisers meant to be armed with dual-purpose 152 mm guns. The idea was that the larger caliber compared to the Atlanta-class' 127 mm guns ...