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Albatros sub-chaser (F 543): Sea Shredder

Albatros is the lead ship from a class of 10 corvettes built for the Italian and other navies in the early days of the Cold War. Being the first domestically produced Italian warship of the post-war period, the Albatros will soon reinforce the top rank of the Italian coastal fleet tree, arriving in War Thunder as part of the next major update!

Albatros, gunboat, Italy, rank V

Features:

  • Fast-firing 76mm cannons
  • Compact size
  • Up-to-date fire control system
  • Radar
  • Light protection
History

In the early 1950s, the Italian Ansaldo shipyard designed a new class of corvettes that subsequently ended up being selected by NATO to equip several member states’ navies under the Mutual Defence Assistance Program (MDAP). As a result, Ansaldo initially received orders to construct a total of eight ships, of which three were destined for service in the Italian navy, one with the Dutch and the last four with the Danish navy. Several years after the initial order was placed, Indonesia also expressed interest in procuring the Albatros-class corvette, as it became known, for its own navy and subsequently placed an order for two vessels to be constructed.

The Albatros-class was the first series of warships constructed by Italian shipyards following the end of WWII. Albatros itself was completed and commissioned in 1955, with the remainder of the ships being delivered to their respective operators until 1957. In service, the Albatros corvettes experienced some issues with their primary weapon - the automatic 76mm SMP 3 cannons - being considered too complex. Despite this and the vessels perceived lacklustre speed, Albatros-class corvettes were considered successful and would end up serving up until the early 1990s before the Italian navy finally decommissioned their last vessels from active service.

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In War Thunder, the Albatros sub-chaser will become a new top vessel awaiting seasoned captains at rank V of the Italian coastal fleet tree in the next major update. Thanks to its powerful and highly versatile weapons, the Albatros sub-chaser can be employed in several different roles in War Thunder naval battles and as such, makes for a worthy vessel for captains to take command of after climbing to the top rank!

Having mentioned the Albatros’ weapons arsenal, it consists of several weapon systems of which the most prominent one is the ship’s primary weapon, namely the two 76mm SMP 3 automatic cannons. Possessing a high fire rate of roughly 60 rounds/min, the cannons can quickly engage and inflict serious damage to both lightly protected surface targets as well as airborne threats thanks to the availability of proximity fuze rounds. Furthermore, the Albatros’ arsenal also includes a pair of 40mm Bofors cannons, paired together in a twin mounting on the aft end of the vessel’s superstructure. Rounding off the ship’s weapons arsenal is a pair of forward-facing hedgehog launchers as well as two pairs of pneumatic depth charge launchers on the ship’s stern, which can help resolve an intense close-quarter engagement.

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Albatros is powered by two 2,000 horsepower diesel engines and is therefore able to attain a top speed of roughly 20 kts (39 km/h). While this may not always match up to comparable vessels of other nations, it does enable the ship to confidently keep up with its allies and provide valuable second-line fire support. Furthermore, being a comparably small vessel allows the Albatros to easily enter more confined battlegrounds and bring its deadly firepower to bear on lighter surface targets.

However, being a relatively compact vessel means that little space is left to include any substantial protection for the vessel’s systems and 117 crew members. As a result, the ship’s hull and 76mm turrets feature only thin anti-fragmentation armour. Therefore, aspiring captains of the Albatros sub-chaser are well-advised to avoid prolonged gun engagements with enemies, particularly those that are also equipped with automatic high-calibre weapons or larger vessels such as destroyers or cruisers.

The Albatros sub-chaser will await all captains at the top rank of the Italian coastal fleet tree in the next major update coming soon. In the meantime, keep scanning the horizon for more news as we continue posting about all the interesting new additions and features awaiting players in the upcoming update. Until then, happy hunting and calm seas captains!

You can greatly speed up the research on this vehicle with Sparviero

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