World of Warships Supertest: British Tier IX Battleship Duncan

Historical background

So… it’s time to look at high-tier British battlecruisers and it’s also time to empty my local shop’s supply of bleach to wash my eyes. Good God, are Duncan and St. Vincent ugly. I don’t know if it’s the British who wanted to scare the enemy to death or if their sense of aesthetics died during the early 1920s but these things are making me cry blood.

Duncan is based on the G3 design of battlecruisers from the Royal Navy. This design was made as part of an answer to the expansion programs made by the United States and Japan. One of the main criteria of the design was that it would match the 32 knots estimated speed of the American Lexington-class battlecruisers. Another problem was that the design had to be able to use existing dockyards.

Out of the various proposals, G3 was the one selected as it presented a well-optimized design; saving weight so that the desirable speed could be achieved while also keeping a compact hull. As such, the ships were meant to be armed with nine 16.5-inch (419 mm) guns in three triple turrets; two superfiring at the front and the third one located between the front superstructure and the funnels. The design was accepted at the end of 1920 with four ships ordered. However, changes were made when plans were finalized in 1921. The main battery caliber was brought down to 16-inch guns (406 mm) and the design’s engine power was also brought down from 180 000 horsepower to 160 000.

In the end, the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 saved everyone’s eyes as G3 had to be canceled due to the limitation on the allowed tonnage of ships that could not exceed 35 000 tons. All of this wasn’t for nothing though as some of the design choices of G3 were later implemented on the Nelson-class battleships.

If you want to learn more about the G3 design as well as the other battlecruisers designs from the Royal Navy, here is a video from Drachinifel covering them:

Ship’s preview

Ship’s 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
Duncan (A)	Propulsion: 160 000 HP	Mk IX mod. 1	419 mm/45 Mk.I on a Mk.I mount	‎622 mm Mk I
Duncan (B)		Mk IX mod. 2

Stock Ship

General Characteristics

Main Armament

3 x 3 419 mm/45 Mk.I on a Mk.I mount
Maximum Firing Range	17.220 km
Reloading Time	30.0 s
180 Degree Turn Time	30.0 s
Optimal firing angles at the front	30°
Optimal firing angles at the rear	30°
Sigma	1.5 sigma
Maximum Dispersion	193 m
Shells
Type of Projectile	HE – 419 mm HE Mk Ia
Alpha Damage	6 150
Penetration capacity	70 mm
Explosion size	2.73
Fire chance	47 %
Projectile Speed	792 m/s
Air Drag	0.31
Projectile Mass	995.0 kg
Type of Projectile	AP – 419 mm AP Mk IIa
Alpha Damage	13 050
Projectile Speed	747 m/s
Air Drag	0.235
Projectile Mass	1 157.0 kg
Projectile Krupp	2 548
Projectile Detonator	0.015 s
Detonator threshold	70 mm
Ricochet Angles	45° – 60°

Secondary Armament

6 x 2 152 mm/50 BL Mk.XXII on a Mk.XVIII mount
Maximum Firing Range	6.950 km
Reloading Time	12.0 s
Sigma	1.0 sigma
Shells
Type of Projectile	HE – 152 mm HE Mk V
Alpha Damage	2 150
HE penetration	25 mm
Explosion Size	0.54
Chance to Cause Fire	9 %
Projectile Speed	884 m/s
Air Drag	0.362
Projectile Mass	50.8 kg
8 x 2 113 mm/45 QF Mk.I/III on an RP10 Mark II BD mount
Maximum Firing Range	6.950 km
Reloading Time	5.0 s
Sigma	1.0 sigma
Shells
Type of Projectile	HE – 113 mm HE 5crh
Alpha Damage	1 700
HE penetration	19 mm
Explosion Size	0.38
Chance to Cause Fire	8 %
Projectile Speed	746 m/s
Air Drag	0.329
Projectile Mass	24.95 kg

Torpedo Armament

Anti-air Armament

Consumables

Slot 1	Slot 2	Slot 3	Slot 4
Damage Control Party Work time: 15 s Cooldown: 80 s	Repair Party Number of charges: 3 Work time: 20 s Cooldown: 80 s HP regeneration speed: +2.0%/s Casemate damage regeneration: 50% Citadel damage regeneration: 10%	Engine Boost Number of charges: 3 Work time: 120 s Cooldown: 120 s Speed bonus: +8%	Defensive AA Fire Number of charges: 3 Work time: 40 s Cooldown: 80 s Damage from continuous DPS: +50% Damage from flak explosions: +300%

Fully Upgraded Ship

General Characteristics

Main Armament

3 x 3 419 mm/45 Mk.I on a Mk.I mount
Maximum Firing Range	18.942 km
Reloading Time	30.0 s
180 Degree Turn Time	30.0 s
Optimal firing angles at the front	30°
Optimal firing angles at the rear	30°
Sigma	1.5 sigma
Maximum Dispersion	208 m
Shells
Type of Projectile	HE – 419 mm HE Mk Ia
Alpha Damage	6 150
Penetration capacity	70 mm
Explosion size	2.73
Fire chance	47 %
Projectile Speed	792 m/s
Air Drag	0.31
Projectile Mass	995.0 kg
Type of Projectile	AP – 419 mm AP Mk IIa
Alpha Damage	13 050
Projectile Speed	747 m/s
Air Drag	0.235
Projectile Mass	1 157.0 kg
Projectile Krupp	2 548
Projectile Detonator	0.015 s
Detonator threshold	70 mm
Ricochet Angles	45° – 60°

Secondary Armament

6 x 2 152 mm/50 BL Mk.XXII on a Mk.XVIII mount
Maximum Firing Range	6.950 km
Reloading Time	12.0 s
Sigma	1.0 sigma
Shells
Type of Projectile	HE – 152 mm HE Mk V
Alpha Damage	2 150
HE penetration	25 mm
Explosion Size	0.54
Chance to Cause Fire	9 %
Projectile Speed	884 m/s
Air Drag	0.362
Projectile Mass	50.8 kg
8 x 2 113 mm/45 QF Mk.I/III on an RP10 Mark II BD mount
Maximum Firing Range	6.950 km
Reloading Time	5.0 s
Sigma	1.0 sigma
Shells
Type of Projectile	HE – 113 mm HE 5crh
Alpha Damage	1 700
HE penetration	19 mm
Explosion Size	0.38
Chance to Cause Fire	8 %
Projectile Speed	746 m/s
Air Drag	0.329
Projectile Mass	24.95 kg

Torpedo Armament

Anti-air Armament

Consumables

Slot 1	Slot 2	Slot 3	Slot 4
Damage Control Party Work time: 15 s Cooldown: 80 s	Repair Party Number of charges: 3 Work time: 20 s Cooldown: 80 s HP regeneration speed: +2.0%/s Casemate damage regeneration: 50% Citadel damage regeneration: 10%	Engine Boost Number of charges: 3 Work time: 120 s Cooldown: 120 s Speed bonus: +8%	Defensive AA Fire Number of charges: 3 Work time: 40 s Cooldown: 80 s Damage from continuous DPS: +50% Damage from flak explosions: +300%

The Armor

External armor protection:

Front and rear armor protection of the middle section:

Armored deck under the funnels:

Citadel armor protection:

Turrets armor protection:

Hidden armor protection inside the bow and stern:

Personal Opinion

Overall, Duncan looks quite good but is far from being without flaws. In terms of main battery, there is definitely nothing to complain about as she gets the same AP as Lion with short-fuse and also the battlecruiser dispersion. The fact that she doesn’t get the thermo-nuclear HE is also particularly appreciable as the last thing we need is a line of Thunderer. The firing range is limited but at least the ship is fast and can close the distance easily thanks to the good concealment. She also gets great firing angles that will allow the ship to remain well angled and not exposed the squishy citadel.

Talking about the citadel, the armor on this ship will forgive absolutely nothing. The citadel sits well above the waterline and it’s particularly thin behind the 3rd turret. Also, the front and rear athwartships can easily be nailed by enemy battleships that can overmatch the 25 mm bow and stern.
Long story short, may it be angled or broadside, chances are that this ship will get clapped hard.

Thank you for reading this article!

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