Van Speijk
Tier IX · Cruiser · Netherlands · Premium
Rating B- (Below average within its tier and class · overall score 44) · Long-range cruiser
Long-range cruiser, suited to AA escort, air scouting, DD hunting. It is especially strong against cruisers and battleships (AP deals a same-tier cruiser's HP in about 3 min on paper). Launching aircraft every 44 s lights up enemies behind islands and near smoke, a big scouting asset for the team, and its bomber strikes (49 bombs at 802 each, scattered so only some land) reach targets beyond gun range. Main battery range is 12.4 km (0.3 km longer than average), and dispersion at 10 km is about 166 m, 28% tighter than average. Key skills: Engine Accelerator II ×3 (top speed +12%, 25 s); Air Defense Alert II ×4; Precise Aiming System II ×3 (main battery accuracy +54%, 20 s); Radar II ×2 (8.1 km, 10 s). At 31.4 kn it is slow, so commit to a flank early.
Key stats
- HP: 37,878
- Top speed: 31.41 kn
- Surface detectability: 8.58 km
- Main battery: 203 mm 3X3 · reload 9.5 s · range 12.42 km
In 1938, against the backdrop of international tensions, the Dutch Ministry of Defense decided to reinforce its Navy. The projects that appeared in 1939 were, in most respects, similar to the project of German warship Scharnhorst. For economic reasons, it was decided to reduce the size of the new ship. The government was inclined to pursue a project to build a 16,000-ton cruiser capable of running at 33 knots and carrying a main battery of 240 or 280 mm guns. In the end, however, to ensure sufficient armor protection, they had to settle for a smaller caliber of 203 mm. If the project had been pursued further, the ship could have received reinforced AA defenses by the end of World War II.