The Poltava is based on the project 64 of battleships from the Soviet Navy. The ships were designed to operate in the Black and Baltic seas but the project was abandoned in favor of more heavily protected battleships of the project A.

While the Poltava, as of now, is quite disappointing, she at least has a nice looking camouflage. That’s… something.

Modules Hull Engine Gun Fire Control System Main battery Poltava Propulsion: 134 000 hp GFCS VIII mod. 1 356 mm/54 Model 1938 TP-1

Characteristics General Main Battery Secondaries Air Defense Consumables Tier VIII Health 59 100 HP Main Armament Maximum Firing Range 16.200 km 356 mm/54 Model 1938 TP-1 3 x 3 356 mm Secondary Armament Maximum Firing Range 5.000 km 130 mm/55 B-2-U 8 x 2 130 mm Maximum speed 29 kt Turning Circle Radius 1000 m Rudder Shift Time 14.8 s Surface Detectability 13.94 km Air Detectability 12.02 km Detectability After Firing Main Gus in Smoke 12.07 km 3 x 3 356 mm/54 Model 1938 TP-1 Reloading Time 30 s 180 Degree Turn Time 45.0 s Optimal front firing angle

30° Optimal rear firing angle 27° Sigma 1.70 sigma Maximum Dispersion 226 m Shells Type of Projectile HE – 356 mm HE Model 1938

Alpha Damage 5 300 HP Damage 4 500 HP Penetration capacity 58 mm Explosion size 2.18 Fire chance 41 % Projectile Speed 895 m/s Air Drag 0.45 Projectile Mass 750 Projectile Krupp 385 Projectile Detonator 0.001 s Type of Projectile AP – 356 mm AP Model 1938

Alpha Damage 11 250 HP Chance to Cause Fire -0.5 % Projectile Speed 895 m/s Air Drag 0.345 Projectile Mass 750 Projectile Krupp 2 400 Projectile Detonator 0.033 s 8 x 2 130 mm/55 B-2-U Reloading Time 5.00 s Sigma 1.00 sigma Shells Type of Projectile HE – HE-46

Alpha Damage 1 900 HP Damage 570 HP HE penetration 21 mm Explosion Size 0.45 Chance to Cause Fire 8 % Projectile Speed 900 m/s Air Drag 0.255 Projectile Mass 33.4 Projectile Krupp 52 8 x 2 130 mm/55 B-2-U Sector range 0.1 km – 6.0 km Hit chance 75 % Sector’s damage 36 Sector’s damage frequency 0.29 s Sector’s damage per second 126 Flak clouds number data unavailable Flak cloud damage data unavailable 8 x 4 37 mm 46-K Sector range 0.1 km – 3.5 km Hit chance 75 % Sector’s damage 51 Sector’s damage frequency 0.29 s Sector’s damage per second 179 6 x 1 12.7 mm DShK Sector range 0.1 km – 1.5 km Hit chance 70 % Sector’s damage 13 Sector’s damage frequency 0.29 s Sector’s damage per second 46 Slot 1 Slot 2 Slot 3 Number of charges: 3 Work time: 10 s Cooldown: 60 s Number of charges: 2 Work time: 28 s Cooldown: 120 s HP regeneration speed: 0.5%/s Number of charges: 2 Work time: 60 s Cooldown: 90 s Radius: 3.0 km Number of charges: 4 Work time: 10 s Cooldown: 40 s Number of charges: 3 Work time: 28 s Cooldown: 80 s HP regeneration speed: 0.5%/s Number of charges: 3 Work time: 60 s Cooldown: 135 s Radius: 3.0 km

The armor

While the Lenin’s low HP pool is well compensated by her amazing armor… it’s not really the case for the Poltava.

The bow section

The Poltava presents the same enormous bow as the Vladivostok. It is 32 mm thick except for an extended belt of 200 mm.

Inside Poltava’s bow, there is an armored deck. It is for the biggest part 75 mm thick and just in front of the first turret, it is 255 mm thick.

For the upper casemate protecting the middle section, it is 25 mm thick at first and then 200 mm thick.

The citadel’s athwartship is for the upper part 250 mm thick and for the lower part 38 mm thick. It is quite weak for a battleship but with the extended belt and armored deck, it doesn’t really matter since it cannot be reached.

The middle section

Even for the middle section, the tankiness of the Poltava is disappointing. The upper deck is 32 mm thick meaning that it gives little protection against HE shells. The lower deck is 40 mm thick but it represents such a small portion of the exposed plating that overall, it doesn’t help much.

For the side armor, it’s 32 mm thick, at the top. You then have an upper belt of 200 mm followed by the main belt which corresponds to the citadel with 370 mm of armor and a thinner portion of 290 mm. It is decent but avoid giving broadside with this ship.

Finally, the 38 mm thick torpedo bulge protects the underwater part of the citadel that is 30 mm thick and deep inside the ship.

Under the 32 and 40 mm deck, there is the citadel deck with 180 mm of armor under the turrets and 150 mm above the engines. Overall, it’s decent protection for the part under the turrets and it might limit the number of citadels from AP bombs.

Stern section

The stern is as usual similar to the bow. 32 mm plating for the major part and a 200 mm extended belt even though here, it doesn’t go to the tip of the stern.

The armored deck is split into 3 sections. From the middle of the ship towards the tip of the stern, the armor thickness is first 255 mm then 75 mm and finally 150 mm over the steering gears.

For the protection of the middle section, the upper casemate is 200 mm thick. The citadel’s athwartship is just like at the front 250 mm thick for the upper part and 38 mm thick for the lower part. Considering the armored deck and the extended belt, don’t bother with it. As long as you stay angled, you will be relatively fine against AP.

The superstructure

As if the tanking capacity of the Poltava wasn’t limited enough, she also has a big superstructure that goes farther than the back turret so that even destroyers have plenty of things to penetrate with their HE shells. It is, as usual, 19 mm thick.

The turrets

The face, as well as the back of the turrets, are 425 mm thick. Considering how flat the face is, we can expect a lot of incapacitations (as if it wasn’t already bad enough). The sides and the roof are 240 mm thick. For the barbette, it’s 400 mm thick for the upper part and 325 mm thick at the bottom.

Personal opinion

I just don’t see the point of this ship, it has literally only one thing going for it and it’s the concealment with 10.95 km spotting range by sea. The range is horrendous, the firepower as well except for pure HE spam because she does have strong HE shells. The agililty is also terrible with the huge turning radius and the combination of very low health pool and decent-ish armor will limit her tanking capacity.

I seriously do not get what is the point of this ship and wonder if Wargaming didn’t get the tier wrong and she is actually meant to be a tier VII ship.

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