Ship Review:
IJN Fuso


Fuso was Japan's second class of dreadnought battleships. Take a Kongo, add armor, remove some engines/boilers, and add a couple of turrets and you're there. While not as fast as the Kongo, their extra turrets can result in an interesting gun arrangement.


Firepower: B At 5.5 units, Fuso is a powerful battleship, with the ability to carry a 75 round haymaker, and a good turret to put it in. With the extra turrets in the middle, she can be set up with double sterns, a haymaker, and a third sidemount for a nasty porcupine effect.

The number of turrets available means that there are other options too, but this is the one that I would prefer.


Speed: B

At 26 seconds, Fuso is in the midrange of battleship speeds. Her speed is good, but perhaps not good enough, considering that there are ships which are just a touch longer that get 24 second speed.


Maneuverability: B

Fuso has twin rudders and four shafts, and turns quite well. The only downside here is the relatively narrow stern.


Target Factor: B/C

This is a toughie, because of the factor that refits played in her stats. As built, she was a relatively compact battleship with casemates, just a touch larger than a QE. What's not to like? However, when they refit her, they added about four inches to her length, and this impacts both her target area and maneuverability.


Skill Floor/Ceiling: Moderate/Moderate

Fuso is a relatively easy ship to build, BC has a good hull available, but the superstructure can be a bit daunting. If you want to build the shorter, original version, you'll have to build the hull from scratch, which can be a daunting task. A skilled battler would probably be frustrated by the Fuso's comparative lack of speed and maneuverability compared to other ships that aren't much larger.


Conclusion:

Fuso is in a bit of a tough spot. She has some good features, but overall comes of as less than the best, mostly due to comparisons with other ships. I think that she could be rewarding in the right hands, and I have seen one that is quite good, but for most battlers, she's a bit of an uphill battle.


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