Supertest: British Tier VI Premium Cruiser Dido

Historical background

HMS Dido was the lead ship of the Dido-class of light cruisers from the Royal Navy. The ship was laid down in October 1937, launched in July 1939 and commissioned in September 1940.

Initially, the class was meant to be fitted with five of the new twin 5.25″ (133 mm) dual-purpose turrets. However, due to difficulties to produce said turrets, multiple ships were only completed with four of them (sometimes even with different turrets and with 4″ (102 mm) or 4.5″ (113 mm) guns.). As the war went on, differences between the various units would keep growing. For example, Dido would receive the missing 5.25″ turret in 1941 during a refit. On the other end, HMS Scylla would stick with her, as completed, four twin 4.5″ gun turrets. While she may have lost firepower against surface targets, this armament turned her into an effective anti-air platform.

When it comes to Dido herself, she served extensively in the Mediterranean and the Arctic, mostly performing as a convoy escort. At the end of the war in Europe, Dido was charged to reach Copenhagen where she fired the last naval shot of the European theater. It was on her board that the surrender of the Kriegsmarine was signed and she later escorted the German cruisers Prinz Eugen and Nürnberg to Wilhelmshaven.

After the war, the ship would perform ceremonial duties until she was decommissioned and sold for scrap in 1957.

If you want to learn more about Dido and the rest of her class, here is a video from Drachinifel covering them:

In World of Warships, Dido is equipped with short-burst smoke and has the British boosted acceleration.

Ship’s preview

Ship’s commemorative flag

Camouflage

For the classic reminder, this is a ship in testing, anything can change so don’t look at her like she would already be released.

Modules

Hull	Engine	Gun Fire Control System	Main battery	Torpedoes
Dido	Propulsion: 65 000 HP	‎‎Mk VI mod. 1	133 mm/50 QF Mk I on a Mk II mount	533 mm Mk IX

General Characteristics

Main Armament

5 x 2 133 mm/50 QF Mk I on a Mk II mount
Maximum Firing Range	14.100 km
Reloading Time	6.0 s
180 Degree Turn Time	18.0 s
Optimal firing angles at the front	23° for 4 turrets 43° for 5 turrets
Optimal firing angles at the rear	37°
Sigma	2.05 sigma
Maximum Dispersion	133 m
Shells
Type of Projectile	HE – 133 mm HE Mk IC
Alpha Damage	1 900
Penetration capacity	22 mm
Explosion size	0.46
Fire chance	8 %
Projectile Speed	792 m/s
Air Drag	0.321
Projectile Mass	36.3 kg
Type of Projectile	AP – 133 mm AP Mk IC
Alpha Damage	2 550
Projectile Speed	792 m/s
Air Drag	0.321
Projectile Mass	36.3 kg
Projectile Krupp	2 882
Projectile Detonator	0.025 s
Detonator threshold	25 mm
Ricochet Angles	45° – 60°

Torpedo Armament

Anti-air Armament

Consumable

Slot 1	Slot 2	Slot 3
Damage Control Party Work time: 5 s Cooldown: 60 s	Defensive AA Fire Number of charges: 3 Work time: 40 s Cooldown: 80 s Damage from continuous DPS: +50% Damage from flak explosions: +300%	Short-Burst Smoke Generator Number of charges: 5 Work time: 15 s Cooldown: 70 s Smoke radius: 450 m Smoke duration: 40 s

The Armor

External armor protection:

Citadel armor protection:

Turrets armor protection:

Hidden armor platings in the bow and stern:

Personal Opinion

Dido looks pretty good for now. The firepower is pretty nice, especially with a comfortable firing range. The concealment is great and gives the ship a lot of freedom of movement and to top it all off, she carries a short-burst smoke which is incredibly useful as you will have a smoke ready whenever you need it.

The only general downside is that she doesn’t have a Hydroacoustic Search and is, instead, stuck with Defensive AA.

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Yuzorah

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