Fortresses

The fortress Pisces

Fortresses are typically slow moving, platform-like vessels that are known to provide immense firepower. They are little more than floating gun platforms, but can be extremely effective provided your sea fortress is bristling with guns and has a competent skipper which can sink moving ships.  

Roles and Usage

My light sea fortress 'Celeste'.

Given their slow speed and disproportionately heavy gun armament, they are basically floating weapons platforms. Any propulsion on larger vessels are used mostly for basic mobility. Some are so large that they are unable to move. However, given their heavy emphasis on weaponry and armor, they could be a very difficult target when properly designed. 

Armament

Fortress weaponry is very similar, if not identical to, battleships and cruisers. Given their large size, they are often seen with large batteries of 46cm Guns and a collection of Mk45/5 inch Guns, alongside large secondary batteries. Large AAA batteries are found, alongside many long-range weapons. This may include aircraft of all types. Hedgehogs and Underwater Torpedo Tubes are vital to ASW tactics, for the use of Depth Charges are limited by low mobility. 

Tactics

See Battle Tactics

Given their inherintly slow speed and heavy firepower, utilize heavy, long-distance weaponry to blast away enemy warships. Soak up the hits while delivering more damage, for limited mobility hinders dodging. Rely on long-distance aircraft, long-range guns and missiles to gun down an opposing warship. Aiming is necessary for victory, since the long-distance capability is only good with a gun that can hit long ranges. Utilize ASW weapons to devastate submarines long-range. If opposing such a warship, always be on the move, for mobility is the greatest weakness of a fortress. If provided with heavy weapons and thick armor, enemy vessels will be sunk with ease. 

The Future

Player created Fortress.

Russian Navy Project 61 , a Fortress built using a Mod

The future is mixed. Battle with fortresses often yield to their destruction. More often than not, a battleship circles a fortress like buzzards and a carcass. However, the introduction of aircraft, anti-aircraft weaponry that can be effectively massed and a few rewritten codes can make these warships formidable. Greater numbers of long-range high-damage weapons enable these ships to become a hub for which long-range firepower reaches across the sea. Overall, if the aim is true, the batteries powerful and the armor sound, they can be a serious opponent. 

Trivia

• Fortress ships were never used in real life. However, the US Navy operated a fortress known as Fort Drum in the Philippines. This has been compared to a concrete battleship. In fact, the entire island it was built on was converted into a fortress.
• Fortress ships can be used in Hansa mod to hold loads of ICBMs

Pictures

USPF Moai. With 186 46 cm, 200 aircraft, 200,000 toughness and 40 knots for speed, what more could you ask for?

Russian Navy Project 61 , this is more of a 'Super Fortress'

The Cepheus Super Fortress is the baddest, non hacked thing you will find on the sea. The fortress boasts a toughness of over 50 thousand and has more than enough 46cm guns to sink any ship that gets too close. The fortress aalso has planes, anti submarine weaponry, missiles, and torpedoes. If you see this ship, good luck.

Built by YamatootamaY AKA Laxximus Maxximus.Currently the strongest NONHACKED ship in the game in terms of toughness and firepower. Can reach 80 knotts so be careful. It also sunk the USS Cepheus. Its name is USS Turtle Shore

Here is the 2nd strongest (2nd to the new one underconstruction )non hacked ship in the game. It is totally unkillable 4.9 km in the air makes it impossible to hit. It is lowered here to show the ship. The base has no propellers, but no plane can harm it cause of how high it is. The base is protected with spaced armor so it never goes down. Built by YAMATOotamay.

The BPF's first attempt at a super-fortress. Goes at 50 knots and has something like 50+ 46cm guns and 100 planes. A good fortress before it was scrapped for the Skyhawk.

Daughter of Elysium, a "frame" based fortress with an effective toughness of well over 100k due to the awkward hitbox. Completely immobile and with no planes, it is unable to chase ships that retreat to the back. However, with 112x 46cm guns, oxy torps, VLS Tomahawks, a plethora of Mk. 45's, and depth charges, it is fatal to any surface ship that tries to engage her. She is one of the most powerful non-glitched structures built in WSC.

The Banach-Tarski Paradox, also known as BEYOND, is the largest ship used in Warship Craft multiplayer.