An aircraft carrier on its way back to the homeport after a long cruise, its sailors were dying to get home. Add a bit of magic and pin-up spirit to this rather casual situation, and what do we have? The most ambitious video of the year, ready for your eyes! On the occasion of the three-year anniversary of World of Warships, we invite you on deck of the most peculiar aircraft carrier in the world—and what’s more, we invite you to a dance. Click the preview to watch the video.

We hope you liked the Pin-Up video! What do you think—will we be able to get 300,000 views total across both of our channels in one week? How about 500,000 or one million? Let's join forces and focus our efforts to make it happen! Show the video to your friends, other players, and your fellow clan members to set the ship in motion! If the total number of views of the Pin-Up video across both channels reaches these milestones, we are ready to publish bonus codes with gifts—all players who take part in the activities around it will receive special new signals (and Anniversary Containers, if the target is reached). The results will be finalized at 00:00 UTC, August 29. Join us!

There’s more to come! Visit the portal or the channel tomorrow at 13:00 UTC to find a special video from Dasha and Alena inspired by Pin-Up. Sounds intriguing, right?


Want to know more? Visit a special page where we have collected all information about the video and planned surprises for you!



A little bonus for hardcore fans of our YouTube channel presenter Alena Ermolaeva — an article with her in a men's magazine. The text is in Russian but it's is not the main part anyway…

Update 0.7.8 is on the horizon and inbound! We don’t want to spoil all of the surprises that we’ve prepared for the celebration, but let’s a take a quick peek under the gift wrap to get an idea of what’s coming!


First off, you'll find yourself in the decorated port of Saint Petersburg. Why Saint Petersburg? Because that's the home of the World of Warships development headquarters! Bright fireworks, blazing searchlights, and pleasant and inviting surroundings will create a festive atmosphere!

But that’s not all; we have some enticing gifts in store for you! More details will be unveiled on the day of World of Warship’s anniversary, September 17. In the meantime, enjoy the new collection, acquire the Anniversary tokens and recruit Dasha Perova as your ship's Commander!



Welcome to the Anniversary section of the Arsenal. Here you can spend the World of Warships Anniversary tokens you obtain during our celebrations. You will find these tokens in containers dedicated to the World of Warships Anniversary. These will be available when completing daily combat missions, accessible between August 24 and September 19. The new section of the Arsenal will offer you... Commander Dasha! No gimmicks here! Dasha Perova is ready to stand at the helm of American, Japanese, Soviet, French, British, German, and Pan-Asian ships, with a unique appearance for each of the above nations!


It has become a welcome tradition to dedicate a special collection to each World of Warships anniversary. This year, you will be hunting for the fragments of Dasha Perova's diary; a collection that consists of 16 items divided into 4 sections. Having completed each section, you will receive an Anniversary Premium Container, with the reward for completing the entire collection being a Supercontainer and commemorative flag.


The tenth, anniversary, season of Ranked Battles is coming. Most of the rules will be the same as those for the previous season. Players begin progressing through the ranks with Tier VIII ships, and switch to Tier X halfway through. Those who make it into the League of Sea Wolves will continue their fight on Tier V ships. Look forward to a total of 23 ranks, a seven vs seven format, and teams with mirrored lineups in terms of ship type and tier. You will not lose a star if you become the top XP earner on the defeated team.

French cruisers joined the fleet more than a year ago and won players' hearts right away. They deserved this affection because of their effective artillery, long range torpedoes, and high speed for their type that can be further increased by the Engine Booster consumable. Researchable Tier VI+ French ships can use the Main Battery Reload Booster consumable, which complements their features and diversifies their associated game tactics.


In Update 0.7.8, the alternate branch of Japanese destroyers is extended, with Tier IX Kitakaze and Tier X Harugumo destroyers available for research and purchase in-game. These destroyers are part of the research hierarchy of Japanese destroyer Akizuki. Both ships carry quick-firing, dual-purpose guns, enabling them to confront both enemy ships and aircraft effectively. Despite their small caliber, high explosive shells mounted on Tier VIII or higher ships of the alternate branch have increased armor penetration—meaning they can even pierce armor up to 25 mm thick.
https://steamcommunity.com/games/552990/announcements/detail/1684796856667865649


In Update 0.7.8, we are changing the Additional Content section. To simplify the search through the list of possible options, we introduced an additional sort option—three categories of ships, namely: historical ships, custom ships and those from in-game events.


We have added the Increase UI Scale setting for players who prefer large video monitors! This new feature will allow you to increase the game interface elements to fit your monitor and offer a better experience when playing at high screen resolutions.


Please note that the servers will be temporarily unavailable due to the release of an update. The schedule is available below.

Maintenance times are tentative and subject to change. Please accept our apologies for any inconveniences.

Discuss the update in this thread.

After the incendiary party they kicked off with the horns, Cap and Fish have decided to take some civilized time out, sending their ship down the River Rhine to the city of Cologne! Will they visit the famous Cologne Cathedral, or will they just have some delicious German sausage?

What awaits our heroes in one of the oldest cities in Germany? Watch the new episode of Bad Advice to find out!

The alternative branch of Japanese destroyers has been extended in Update 0.7.8, with two new ships now available to research and purchase in-game: Tier IX Kitakaze and Tier X Harugumo. You can locate these warships after Tier VIII destroyer Akizuki in the research tree. Equipped with powerful rapid-fire, dual-purpose guns, both ships are able to efficiently hold their own against enemy ships and aircraft. However, counter to their firepower advantage, they have pretty long hulls, resulting in limited maneuverability.

In August 1941, Shimakaze, an experimental fast “cruiser destroyer” with powerful torpedo armament, was laid down in Maizuru. The ship was supposed to mark a new milestone in Japanese shipbuilding, with Japanese engineers and military officers expecting the ship to be exceptionally effective. The Fleet Command included sixteen Type C units (Project V6) to the 5th Naval Armaments Supplement Program. However, severe losses inflicted on the Imperial Navy by American aviation forces in 1942, led the Japanese to reconsider the Program and replace the Type C destroyers with Type B (Akizuki class). Seven modernized Type B ships (Project V7 or Akizuki-Kai), construction numbers 5077–5083, were ordered on October 27, 1943. However, the order was canceled on May 5, 1944 because the fleet required mass-produced cheap ships for escort duties, as opposed to expensive super destroyers that were time-consuming to construct. Consequently, the resources intended for the Type B vessels were used to build Tachibana-class escort ships and Kaibokan-class patrol ships instead.

In terms of hull design, the in-game model is a derivative of Akizuki destroyer with its forecastle extended to the bow superstructure. Her stem has a raised and curved shape, typical for Japanese destroyers of World War II. The steam from her three boilers is exhausted via a single large pipe. A sextuple torpedo launcher is placed between the pipe and aft superstructure, with the system for fast torpedo reloading closer to the bow. 100-mm/65 twin mounts of Type 98 dual-purpose guns are located on the bow and aft superstructures, slightly behind and above each other. On both sides of the bow superstructure and on four platforms closer to the bow and aft from the torpedo launcher, triple Type 96 25-mm antiaircraft guns are mounted. One single autocannon is installed on each side of the aft superstructure, with four more on both sides of the bow superstructure on the upper deck, and eight more on the forecastle.

This Tier IX destroyer, similar to her predecessor, is armed with four main turrets with two 100-mm guns each. One of the main peculiarities of these guns is their three-second reloading time, enabling them to deliver almost non-stop fire at targets. Despite their small caliber, the 100-mm high explosive shells of Japanese destroyers, starting from Tier VIII, have enhanced armor penetration. As a result, they can efficiently penetrate the plating of all destroyers, with the exception of the main armor belt of Tier X Soviet destroyer Khabarovsk. If Commanders on these ships master the Inertia Fuse for HE Shells skill, the shells will be able to penetrate armor of up to 32-mm thickness. This provides the Japanese destroyers with an additional advantage, enabling them to inflict damage to either end of battleships and cruisers.

Besides rapid-fire main battery guns, the destroyer has one more peculiar feature—a sextuple torpedo launcher with the Torpedo Reload Booster consumable. Unleashing twelve torpedoes each five seconds—this provides a really nice chance to surprise an enemy heavy ship. However, this does come at the cost of reload speed: varying from 157 to 176 seconds on different torpedo tubes.

Relatively big compared to ships of the same type, the destroyer suffers when it comes to speed and maneuverability. You should be careful when deciding on the direction of attack and pre-plan potential getaway routes in case of unfavorable skirmish outcomes. Ship detectability is average value for the tier, at 7.6 km without modifiers—the same as that of German destroyer Z-46. When fighting for key areas, it is essential to consider the enemy types you are confronting and, if possible, ensure the support of a cruiser with Surveillance Radar or allied aviation.

Available consumables: Damage Control Party, Smoke Generator, Engine Boost, and Torpedo Reload Booster.

Destroyer Harugumo was an attempt to direct Japanese shipbuilding towards the maximizing the combat capability of a ship based on Akizuki destroyer, whilst keeping the enhancement as efficient as possible and staying within a reasonable size. One of its predominant features sees the number of main armament turrets raised to five. To keep speed within acceptable limits, the main power plant of the experimental “cruiser destroyer” Shimakaze was used. Small-caliber AA artillery is based on Type 5 40-mm guns—clones of the Swedish Bofors gun, obtained by reverse engineering of captured Dutch and British army guns.

The model is a result of a thorough redesign of the Akizuki project, with a fifth main armament turret added to the aft turret group. To mount the fifth turret, the hull of the previous Kitakaze class was made 18 meters longer. The additional turret was mounted between the torpedo launcher and aft superstructure, with its centerline directed towards the bow. The small-caliber AA artillery, six Type 5 (Model 1945) 40-mm AA mounts are placed on each side of the bow superstructure near the smokestack, and near the AA director platform at the back of the smokestack. In addition to these, sixteen Type 96 (Model 1) 25-mm single guns are mounted on the same spots as the Kitakaze class, with the exception of the aft superstructure.

Harugumo, the pinnacle of the Japanese destroyer branch, differs from her closest neighbor, Shimakaze. She is a rapid-fire destroyer equipped with five main armament turrets, having two 100-mm guns each, and one sextuple torpedo launcher. By comparison, Shimakaze is a stealthy ninja with gameplay based mainly on her three quintuple torpedo launchers. The two destroyers differ not only in their armament, but also in their detectability and speed parameters. For Shimakaze, detectability from ships with all modifiers applied is 5.6 km and maximum speed is 39 knots. Harugumo's detectability is 600 meters less and she moves 1.5 knots slower than her sibling. Aside from this, due to her size, the basic combat capability of the new destroyer is 25,600 HP, this is 3,000 HP more than the previous record holder—Khabarovsk. However, this comes at the price of her turning circle radius—830 meters, which is the largest turning circle out of all Tier X destroyers.

The most effective results of the ship in battle come from firing at enemy ships from behind cover or when using smoke screens. The efficiency of this tactic is not only due to the ship’s high fire rate, but also the benefit of increased armor penetration for high-explosive shells. HE shells can penetrate armor of up to 25-mm (instead of 17-mm) thickness. But if you'd like to be even more efficient and unleash shell showers on enemy cruisers and battleships, penetrating their front and rear ends, you should master the Inertia Fuse for HE Shells skill to enable armor penetration up to 32 mm thick.
Taking the ship’s rapid-fire guns into account, fighting enemy ships of the same type is sure to be a pretty efficient tactic as well. Should one of them happen to get within 6–8 kilometers of Harugumo, her ten guns with their reload rate of three seconds will quickly deal with the poor interloper. However, do remember that evading enemy torpedoes will be challenging, so assess a situation properly and start maneuvering in good time.

Two options of torpedo tubes are available for Harugumo: standard torpedoes with a range of 12 km and speed of 67 knots or "short" torpedoes with a range of 8 km and speed of 76 knots. Having only one torpedo launcher is compensated by the availability of the Torpedo Reload Booster consumable, enabling her to fire two spreads within five seconds, consisting of six torpedoes each.

Available consumables: Damage Control Party, Smoke Generator, Engine Boost, and Torpedo Reload Booster.

The flagship Harugumo is equipped with five main armament turrets having coaxial 100-mm guns with enhanced armor penetration. This combination makes the destroyer a threat not only to ships of the same type, but also to enemy cruisers and battleships. But you should be very cautious, because a single bad decision and lack of foresight can lose a battle quickly: remember that changing direction quickly is not always possible and you need to think ahead. Sextuple torpedo launchers accompanied by the Torpedo Reload Booster consumable give the opportunity to significantly wear down the enemy's combat capability. This pair of destroyers turned out to be quite unusual and special, with their unique characteristics pushing those who helm them towards numerous new tactics, as well as styles of cooperation with teammates.

To summarize, it's safe to say that the alternative Japanese destroyer branch is finally complete. The gameplay of these ships is generally based on main battery guns, with torpedo tubes not being the primary armament, but still providing a viable threat to enemy ships.

T-61 is an excellent melee fighter with decent torpedoes, formidable armor-piercing shells, and a large HP pool. She uses a set of equipment typical of a German destroyer—Smoke Screens, and the Engine Boost and Hydroacoustic Search consumables are onboard. She has every right to be called a German classic, even though she was built by the best Dutch engineers.

• Four rapid-firing 128 mm guns with comfortable turret traverse speed and increased damage for AP shells.
• Two quadruple torpedo tubes. Torpedoes with a range of 8 km, speed of 65 knots, and maximum damage of 13,700.
• Average Tier VI detectability at 7 km and a speed of 35 knots.
• Extra credits per battle and 50% more XP provided by the camouflage.

If you already have this ship in your Port, you will receive 3,675 Doubloons as compensation.

Attention: Until 1st of November 6:00 UTC, a special combat mission to help you level up faster will be available to those who have this package. The first 25 battles played with destroyer T-61 in any game mode will bring three times more XP.

Designed as an average-sized destroyer, her design was officially known as Flottentorpedoboot 1940. This series of ships were built in the Netherlands based on Dutch designs and components. It differed favorably from other same-type German ships by its overall well-balanced combat features.

Type 10

1. -3% to surface detectability range.
   
2. +4% to maximum dispersion of shells fired by the enemy at your ship.
   
3. -10% to the cost of ship's post-battle service.
   
4. +50% to experience earned in the battle.

Commanders!

The American arc has come to its end and the game is getting close to a very important event - this year, World of Warships turns three! In the new episode of the Developer Diaries, we will tell you how we are going to celebrate the anniversary in update 0.7.8 and also get nostalgic together about the events of the past year in-game.

So, how was it? Let’s remember together in the latest episode of Developer Diaries!

Subtitles can be enabled in the video player separately.

Captains!

We've prepared a present in the game for you to inspire you to new victories—and those victories will bring you even more presents.

Enter the game and be victorious in nine battles to get a rental Premium battleship, Premium Account time, XP, credits, containers with resources, and the new containers of the Soviet Cruisers event. Soviet containers will help you unlock Early Access to the Soviet heavy cruisers.

Some of the presents will be immediately available to you once you enter the game; the remaining gifts will become available after victorious battles.

• 1x Try Your Luck container
  
• +200% XP per battle for 20 battles
  
• Free rental of a Premium battleship for 3 days
  
• Credits

The exact ship and amount of credits will depend on the number of battles you play.

• 5, 10, 15, 25, or 300 Soviet Tokens
  You can exchange the Tokens for bundles with the new Soviet cruisers in the Armory!

• +75% Commander XP per battle
  
• +100% XP per battle
  
• +50% Free XP per battle
  
• −3% to the ship's detectability by sea
  
• +4% to the dispersion of shells fired by enemies at your ship

Win confidently and in style!

We want to see you at the helm of your battlestation with your First Mate —be it cat, dog, or weasel— at your side. Anything goes!

It's very simple!

Follow these steps, and you may see your pet pop up in future WoWS content!!

• Step 1. Switch on your camera/phone/webcam and either snap a picture, create a gif or record a short video of yourself playing World of Warships with your pet.
  
• Step 2. Post the image, gif, or video on a social media network such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram with the following 2 hashtags:

#AllPetsOnDeck + #WorldofWarships

Important: you must include the two hashtags with your post!

By participating, entrants agree that Wargaming may use their submissions at any time.

If you're in need of inspiration, here are some prime examples provided by the Wargaming team:

Already got some great shots? Leave a comment below with a link!

https://twitter.com/Wargaming_netEN
https://www.instagram.com/wargaming/
https://www.facebook.com/WorldOfWarships/

Animals have never truly disappeared from the battlefields; they just became harder to find. Be it for rescuing stranded soldiers, hunting vermin on a ship, or boosting morale, some tasks will always be better suited for the honed instincts of our furry/feathered friends.

What function did animals serve at war? Let's find out through the stories of five fascinating animals who left their marks on the history of warfare.

When hearing animals and warfare in the same sentence, it's only natural for our minds to jump directly to an image of a uniformed animal storming a trench and mauling the enemy soldiers. While it may seem over the top and unrealistic for a 20th-century setting, some animals were indeed trained for aggressive combat roles.


Chips was a young mix of German Shepherd, Collie, and Husky from upstate New York that was 'donated' to serve his country by his owner shortly after the US entered the Second World War. This type of initiative was made possible by the recent creation of the first ever K-9 unit in the US military, which intended to train the volunteered dogs for patrolling, mine detection, and message-carrying, but they were ultimately used mostly at stateside military installations. In 1943, a select number of these canines were assigned to active fronts in the Mediterranean and Pacific theatres. Chips would see action throughout Europe and North Africa, but he would earn his stripes during the Allied invasion of Italy when, after being wounded, he broke loose from his restraints and charged into an Italian machine gun emplacement, forcing the 4-man team to surrender. Later that day, Chips would also be credited with aiding in the capture of another ten Axis soldiers. For his actions and bravery, Chips would be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, a Silver Star, and a Purple Heart.

Of course, as stated previously, most military animals would not be expected to perform in an aggressive role. At least, not against enemy soldiers...


Although the story is widely challenged nowadays for its unlikeliness, the story of Unsinkable Sam (A.K.A. Oscar, or Oskar) is perhaps one of the most lauded and repeated tales of remarkable animals at war, making it worth a mention. Oscar—as he came to be known by British sailors—was a German black-and-white cat that was serving aboard battleship Bismarck at the time of her sinking in 1941. Keeping cats aboard ships is an age-old tradition still practised today for the purpose of hunting down any rodents that would threaten to spoil food reserves or chew through electrical components. For their effectiveness at this job, cats were often cherished by the sailors, who also appreciated their companionship as pets on long sea voyages. When Bismarck finally foundered after being pummelled beyond recognition, sailors aboard destroyer HMS Cossack found the stubborn feline floating on some wreckage when combing the area for survivors and affectionately adopted him as their own ship's cat. Later that year, HMS Cossack would itself sink in a U-boat attack, and yet again Oscar survived long enough to be rescued by a nearby vessel. After the incident, the cat was taken to port and joined the crew of the Royal Navy Carrier Ark Royal to return to his rat-hunting duties. This would be the last military ship he would serve on, and it wouldn't be for very long, as in November of 1941 Ark Royal was destroyed in a torpedo attack. Luckily Oscar still had seven lives to spare and was once again found floating on a plank and rescued. His track record in surviving sinking ships earned Oscar the new name Unsinkable Sam.

Sometimes, in the heat of battle, communication between the frontline and commanders far behind becomes quite difficult. Whether the equipment fails or there's a danger of the enemy intercepting transmissions, there's always the option to use runners to establish a line of communication. However, humans are slow and make big targets.


Little Gustav came from a long, distinguished line of so-called homing pigeons. These birds have been valued throughout history for their exceptional ability to find their home roost from great distances. For this reason, they were often employed for quick messaging long before electronic communication became widespread. This was accomplished by first training the pigeons to recognize a certain outpost as their home, then transporting them to the desired location—often a dangerous border region—and released with a written message attached to their legs in times of emergency. However, this wasn't an optimal system, given that the birds could only recognize one home and could not be expected to make return trips. The use of homing pigeons is well documented in the First World War, and on occasion, they became necessary during World War II. One such case was that of Operation Overlord, on June 6, 1944: The invasion of Normandy. Allied commanders had ordered radio silence for the invasion force, so the only possibility of communication of the mission's success was through physical means. Gustav was released from the beachhead on the very day of the invasion bearing an announcement of success. He traveled over 240 km across the Channel in just five hours and is credited for bringing back the first news of the operation's success. Gustav would receive the Dickin Medal for animal gallantry later that year.

Not all animals at war would have a job that would give palpable returns. Some were just expected to be friendly.


While a cat on deck could serve in the dual role of pest controller and pet, some crews took on animals with the sole intention of keeping them as mascots to boost the morale of sailors. Naval mascots could be of any number of species, from cats and dogs to monkeys and goats. One of these pets was a British dog named Judy. This English pointer served aboard the gunboat HMS Grasshopper when it was attacked and sunk by Japanese torpedo bombers in 1941. The crew was captured and were allowed to take Judy with them to the prison camp they would spend the rest of the war in. The prisoners managed to convince their captors to register the dog as a Prisoner of War in order to keep her around. She was known to be very protective of the prisoners and would bark angrily at the camp's guards, and reportedly brought food to the malnourished POWs. For her courage and ability to maintain the Allied prisoners' morale, Judy would also be awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945.

An important part of the sailor's diet at sea was provided by meat. The best way to have fresh meat on long voyages was keeping certain animals onboard...


This story comes from an episode of the First World War, when the German Light Cruiser Dresden was forced to engage Royal Navy Cruisers Kent and Glasgow off the coast of Chile. The ship was scuttled and most of the crew captured. One of the survivors, however, was abandoned on the ship by the fleeing German sailors. The crew of the Glasgow was rather surprised when they saw the frightened pig swimming for its life and one sailor jumped in to save him. Though originally intended to be consumed as meat, the pig was adopted by the crew as a mascot. Their new porcine pet was given the name Tirpitz, after the German admiral. The sailors aboard the Glasgow even awarded Tirpitz a fake Iron Cross for being the only one to not abandon his ship. The pig served in the Royal Navy for one year before retiring at Whale Island Gunnery School near Portsmouth. Unfortunately for Tirpitz, his original intended role would come back to haunt him in 1919, when he was auctioned off for pork. Tirpitz's head is preserved today at the Imperial War Museum, London.

Do you think your pet would fare well aboard a naval vessel? What role do you think they would be best suited for?

The previous episodes of How it Works told us everything about dealing damage with armor-piercing and high-explosive shells. Now, it’s time for repairs! Everything you wanted to know about Repair Party—in the sixth episode!

What impacts HP restoration and how? Watch the new episode of the most useful series on our channel to learn about it!

Watch other episodes here