Ship:Dido

14.8

Dido

Cruiser | U.K. | Tier VI

Tech Tree Position

General

Purchase priceSpecial

Hit Points23,600

Main Battery

133 mm/50 QF Mk.I on a Mk.II mount5 х 2 pcs.

Rate of Fire7.1 shots/min

Reload Time8 sec

Rotation Speed10 deg/sec

180 Degree Turn Time18 sec

Firing Range14.1 km

Maximum Dispersion130 m

HE Shell133 mm HE Mk IC

Maximum HE Damage1,900

Chance of Fire8 %

Initial HE Velocity792 m/s

HE Shell Weight36.3 kg

AP Shell133 mm AP Mk IC

Maximum AP Shell Damage2,550

Initial AP Shell Velocity792 m/s

AP Shell Weight36.3 kg

Torpedo Tubes

533 mm TR Mk IV2 х 3 pcs.

Rate of Fire0.8 shots/min

Reload Time72 sec

Rotation Speed  deg/sec

180 Degree Turn Time7.2 sec

Torpedo533 mm Mk IX*

Maximum Damage15,866

Torpedo Speed61 knot

Torpedo Range8 km

AA Defense

20 mm Oerlikon Mk.I on a Mk.IIA mount3 х 1 pcs.

20 mm Oerlikon Mk.II on a Mk.V mount4 х 2 pcs.

40 mm/39 Vickers QF Mk.VIII on a Mk.VII mount2 х 4 pcs.

133 mm/50 QF Mk.I on a Mk.II mount5 х 2 pcs.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed32.3 knot

Turning Circle Radius580 m

Rudder Shift Time6.5 sec

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range10.2 km

Air Detectability Range5.8 km

Battle Levels

12345678910

VI

Special

Dido — British special premium Tier VI cruiser.

After the signing of the London Treaty, a discussion started about small naval cruisers. In 1936, a project featuring five rapid-firing 134 mm twin mounts was presented. HMS Dido, the lead ship of the series, entered service in September 1940. At the beginning of World War II, she escorted convoys in the Atlantic and then relocated to the Mediterranean. The cruiser participated in the second battle in the Gulf of Sirte in 1942, in the landings in Sicily in 1943, and served off the south coast of France in 1944. In 1945, she escorted Arctic convoys and supported strikes off the coast of Norway.

Dido was first available during the Gibraltar Pillars event during Update 0.11.1. on 16 Feb 2022.

Modules

	Rate of Fire (shots/min)	180° Turn Time (sec)	Maximum Dispersion (m)	Maximum HE Shell Damage (HP)	Chances of HE shells causing a fire on target (%)	Maximum AP Shell Damage (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
133 mm/50 QF Mk.I on a Mk.II mount	7.1	18	130	1,900	8	2,550		0	0

	Hit Points (HP)	Armor (mm)	Armor (mm)	Main Turrets (pcs.)	Secondary Gun Turrets (pcs.)	AA Mounts (pcs.)	Torpedo Tubes (pcs.)	Hangar Capacity (pcs.)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Dido	23,600	10	89	5		3/4/2/5	2			0	0

	Rate of Fire (shots/min)	Torpedo Tubes Reload Time (sec)	180° Turn Time (sec)	Maximum Damage (HP)	Torpedo Speed (knot)	Torpedo Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
533 mm Mk IX	0.8	72	7.2	15,866	61	8		0	0

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Mk VI mod. 1		0		0	0

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 65,000 hp	32.3		0	0

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4

Player Opinion

Performance

Warning: The data presented in the AA Defense sidebar section may be incorrect.
Refer to the in-game Port screens for more useful data.

The Ship

Dido is a Tier VI premium British cruiser with a large battery of small caliber guns. She shares a hull with the Pan-Asian Rahmat which means the two ships have many similar handling traits, but they have different weapons and consumables. Dido mounts a standard cruiser Damage Control Party  as well as Defensive AA Fire  and Short-Burst Smoke Generator . Her Damage Control Party is active for 5 seconds with a 60 second cool down. Her Defensive AA Fire has 3 charges which provide a 50% increase to her continuous AA damage and a 300% increase to damage from flak bursts. This remains active for 40 seconds, with an 80 second cool down. Her smoke screen is notable as she carries the same short burst smoke as most British destroyers. The smoke screen will disperse after only 35 seconds, making it difficult to use for cover when shooting, but comes with 5 charges as standard and has a shorter reload time of 80 seconds.

Dido has an excellent concealment, as low as 9.1 km with the Concealment Expert skill. This allows players to reach advantageous positions or retreat with relative ease. She has a tight turning circle of 580m and a quick rudder shift of 6.5 seconds which enable players to dodge incoming fire. However, she is held back somewhat by a fairly low top speed of 32.3 knots. While this is not the lowest in her tier, she lacks access to the engine boost consumable which would allow her to keep pace with the faster cruisers at Tier VI. Finally, Dido has the improved engine acceleration common to British light cruisers which means she can reach her top speed more quickly than most other cruisers.

Armor and Survivability

Dido has thin armor, her 13mm bow and stern plating cannot be relied on to protect her. HE rounds of all sizes will penetrate her armor and heavy cruiser AP rounds can overmatch it. Her citadel extends above the waterline and is protected by only 89mm of armor making her vulnerable to citadel damage if players show broadside. Her thin armor combines with the smallest hit pool of Tier VI cruisers to make her extremely fragile and she cannot afford to take damage. Unlike the tech tree British cruisers, Dido also lacks access to the Repair Party consumable, emphasising the vulnerability of her small health pool.

Armament

Dido mounts a main battery of ten 133mm guns in five twin turrets with a firing range of 14.1km. Although her range is relatively short when compared to many Tier VI cruisers, it is farther than any other smoke equipped cruiser at her tier can fire. An 8.5 second reload is somewhat slow for their caliber, equal to some 152mm cruisers, and with her smaller shell size this results in a lower than expected DPM. The small caliber also means that her AP penetration is among the worst for cruisers at Tier VI. At longer ranges, players will find that their AP rounds will struggle to damage all but the thinnest armor on targets. Because of this, players will heavily rely on her HE shells for most of the time. Her HE rounds have a standard penetration of 22mm which is sufficient to directly damage most cruisers in her matchmaking spread, but players will need to aim for the superstructure on battleships. The small size of her guns means that her HE shell damage lags behind almost all Tier VI cruisers and has one of the lowest base fires per minute at 5.6. Although her individual shells do not cause the same damage as larger weapons, the weight of her main battery means that Dido can potentially match the damage caused by many 152mm armed ships on an individual salvo basis when using HE rounds.

Dido has good firing arcs when facing forward, apart from her “Y” turret. When combined with the 360° rotation on her rear turrets and one of the fastest turret traverse rates, this enables her to easily change direction and keep her guns on target. Her rearward firing arcs are more restricted which makes shooting while kiting away harder, her front turrets lack the full rotation of the rear weapons which makes changing aim more difficult. Adding to the limitations of her main battery, Dido shares the standard cruiser dispersion formula. Her guns should not be relied on for accurate firing at long ranges.

Dido mounts two triple torpedo launchers, carrying the same torpedoes as Tier VIII Lightning, with the ability to single fire her torpedoes or fire them in a spread. The torpedoes are powerful weapons, among the hardest hitting in tier with a potential damage per torpedo of almost 16,000 and able to destroy most cruisers in her matchmaking spread with a full salvo. An 8km range is good, although Dido is unable to launch her torpedoes from stealth unless using smoke or island cover. If she is able to fully utilise them, Dido has one of the highest potential torpedo DPM totals in her tier due to their high damage and fast 72 second reload time. But her small launcher size means she lacks the ability to destroy enemy battleships with one salvo.

Anti-Aircraft

Dido has a strong long range AA battery, almost able to match that of Dallas although with a slightly shorter range. Her flak battery puts out two bursts per salvo and causes some of the highest damage per cloud for a Tier VI cruiser. In contrast to her long range defenses, she has a poor short and medium range AA battery so she cannot reliably defend herself against same tier carrier attacks.

Anti-Submarine Weapons

Dido launches a five depth charge pattern from her stern, with each charge causing up to 5,000 damage on a direct hit. She is able to have up to two sets ready to drop with a 40 second reload time for each. Her lack of Hydroacoustic Search means that hunting for submerged submarines is difficult without support from friendly ships.

Battle Performance

Dido blurs the lines between cruiser and destroyer gameplay. Her agility, stealth and short burst smoke means she will feel like a large destroyer but with the larger gun count of a cruiser. She also has the fragility of a destroyer with the larger target size and citadel vulnerability of a cruiser.

Her low detection radius can be used to reach positions where players will be able to support friendly destroyers, although Dido lacks access to Hydroacoustic Search which limits her ability to hunt destroyers by herself. When fighting larger ships, players should use her stealth to reach covered positions where a combination of islands and smoke can be used to keep safe as long as possible. Her small health pool, thin armor and restricted rearward firing arcs mean that she is poorly suited to open water engagements. If players find themselves in such a fight then Dido's agility and smoke screen may help her to disengage - if she survives long enough to use them. Against targets which are already damaged, cover and smoke can be used to move into torpedo range where her powerful torpedoes can be brought into the battle. However, players should always bear in mind that the small size of her torpedo salvo means full health battleships will survive these attacks and Dido is likely to find herself close to a battleship and end up sunk herself.

Pros:

• Rear turrets are able to rotate 360°
• Highly agile for a cruiser
• Low detection range
• Smoke screen consumable

Cons:

• Fragile with a small HP pool
• Low main battery DPM
• Overall weak AA defenses
• Short burst smoke dissipates quickly
• Small caliber guns
• No Hydroacoustic Search consumable
  

Research

As a premium ship, Dido has no module upgrades to research.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades are:

• Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
• Slot 2: Engine Room Protection
• Slot 3: Aiming Systems Modification 1 or Main Battery Modification 2
• Slot 4: Steering Gears Modification 1

Commander Skills

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Attack				Defense
1	Grease the Gears +15% main battery traverse speed. ★★	Swift Fish +5% torpedo speed.	Consumable Specialist −7.5% cooldown time of all Consumables except:  Damage Control Party   Repair Party .	Gun Feeder -40% time to switch shell type.	Incoming Fire Alert Receive a warning of a salvo fired at your ship from more than 4.5km.	Last Stand The ship remains able to move and maneuver - slowly - while the engine or steering gears are incapacitated. ★★
2	Demolition Expert +1% chance of main and secondary HE shells causing a fire. +15% to the fragmentation damage area of HE ordnance fired at submarines.	Fill the Tubes -10% torpedo tubes reload time.	Consumables Enhancements +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search, Surveillance Radar, Smoke Generator, & Engine Boost.	Eye in the Sky Spotting Aircraft: • +2 charges • -50% cooldown time.	Priority Target The detection indicator will show the number of enemies targeting you with main battery. ★★	Focus Fire Training In an active priority AA sector: •  +1.5% (to 5%) immediate damage. •  +25% continuous damage. •  +1 flak burst per salvo. −10% aircraft preparation time. −15% reload time of Airstrike armament..
3	Heavy HE and SAP Shells +10% HE and SAP shell damage. +15% ship detectability guns 149mm and up. ★★★	Pack a Punch +15% torpedo damage. +20% secondary battery range..	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% reload time of all armaments per 1% HP lost +0.2% AA continuous damage per 1% HP lost. ★★★	Heavy AP Shells +5% damage for AP shells 190mm and larger.	Superintendent +1 charge to all consumables.	Survivability Expert +450 HP per ship tier. ★★
4	Top Grade Gunner -10% reload time of secondary batteries If enemy ship is spotted within detectability range, -8% reload time of main battery.	Outnumbered If there are fewer allies than visible enemies within the ship's base main caliber firing range: +8% ship speed -10% main battery dispersion.	Radio Location Shows the direction to the nearest enemy ship. The enemy is alerted that a bearing has been taken.. ★	Inertial Fuse for HE Shells +25% armor penetration of HE shells Base fire chance reduced by half. ★★	Concealment Expert -10% detectability range of the ship. ★★★	AAA & ASW Expert +25% continuous AA and flak damage. +15% damage inflicted by depth charges. While AAA is active: −50% ship consumables reload time..
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful      ★★ - Frequently Useful      ★ - Occasionally Useful     No stars - Not Useful

Consumables

Dido equips the following consumables:

• Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
• Slot 2: Defensive AA Fire  – 3 charges
• Slot 3: Short-Burst Smoke Generator  – 5 charges

Camouflage

As a premium ship, Dido comes with Default permanent camouflage and a set of permanent combat bonuses.

Signals

Recommended Signal Flags
Combat
Charlie Kilo +5% ship HP; +2.5% squadron HP.	Juliet Yankee Bissotwo -20% to flooding duration.	India Yankee -20% to fire duration.	Hotel Yankee -20% to damage received when ramming the enemy. +50% to damage dealt when ramming the enemy.	Victor Lima +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +4% chance of torpedoes causing flooding. ★★	India X-Ray +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. ★★
Juliet Whiskey Unaone +15% chance of causing flooding.	Mike Yankee Soxisix +5% to secondary battery maximum firing range. -5% to maximum dispersion of secondary battery shells. -5% to secondary battery loading time.	November Echo Setteseven +5% continuous AA damage at all ranges. +5% damage from flak bursts.	Sierra Mike +5% to the ship's maximum speed. ★★★	November Foxtrot -5% reload time on all consumables. ★★★	India Delta +20% to the amount of HP recovered when Repair Party  is used.
X-Ray Papa Unaone +10% action time of a Smoke Generator . ★★	Sierra Bravo +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search  -10% reload time of Defensive AA Fire . ★★

Gallery

Historical Info

Dido

Construction

Builder: Cammell Laird Shipyard (Birkenhead, UK)

Laid down: 26 October 1937

Launched: 18 July 1939

Commissioned: 18 July 1939

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Specifications (As built)

5600 tons displacement, standard

156m length

15.39m beam

4.3m draft (mean)

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Machinery

4 × geared steam turbines, 4 × Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 4 × shafts

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Performance

32.25 knots at 62,000 shaft horsepower

4,240nm range at 16 knots

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Armor

Main belt: 76mm

Decks: 25mm main deck

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Armament

Main

8 (4x2) 133mm dual purpose rifles

1 100mm gun

Torpedoes

6 (2x3) 533mm torpedo tubes

Anti-Aircraft

12 (2x4) 2-pounder Pom-pom guns

8 (2x4) .50 Calibre machine guns

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Ship Design

The Dido class consisted of sixteen ships built in four groups that were commissioned between 1940 and 1944. The ships were built with different armaments based on weapon availability at their time of construction and wartime experience. They were designed as fleet escorts to protect heavier units from surface forces and air attack, particularly in the Mediterranean Sea. Their design was influenced by the Arethusa-class cruiser, and they were intended to use the 133 mm secondary armament found on the King George V battleships as a dual-purpose weapon mounted in five twin turrets.

A shortage of available guns meant that the first three ships completed only mounted four turrets of the intended 133 mm gun armament, and the "Q" position in front of the bridge received a single QF MkV 102 mm gun instead. The second group were finished with their intended armament of ten 133 mm guns. The third group received an armament of four twin 113 mm guns and featured enlarged accommodation for use as flagships of carrier strike groups. The final group returned to an armament of just eight 133 mm guns, but design modifications and technological advancements meant their weapons could be radar controlled.

In World War II, the Dido class saw much action, notably being involved at the Battle of Cape Matapan, the Second Battle of Sirte, Operation Torch, Operation Overlord and the Battle of Okinawa, with five of the class lost. Their small size and cramped design meant that there was little space available for post-war modernization, even if funds had been available during the post-war defense cuts. Three ships were loaned to New Zealand for varying amounts of time and Diadem was sold to Pakistan in 1956. Royalist was the only member of the class to undergo significant modernization as part of a plan to counter the Soviet Sverdlov-class cruisers, but she was instead loaned to New Zealand after her refit was finished. The Royal Navy scrapped the remaining ships by 1960. Royalist remained in service with the Royal New Zealand Navy until 1968 until she too was scrapped.

Early Second World War

HMS Dido

HMS Dido was ordered from the Cammell Laird shipyard on 21 March 1937 and laid down on 20 October that year. She was launched on 18 July 1939 and commissioned on 30 September 1940 as the sixth Royal Navy ship to bear the name. During her training period after commissioning, she was part of a force which was deployed to search for Admiral Scheer. Following completion of her working up, she escorted HMS Furious to Western Africa, ferrying fighter aircraft. When she returned to the UK, she was primarily involved in convoy protection and searching for Axis blockade runners in the North Western Approaches. In November 1940 she provided distant cover for a British commando raid on the Lofoten Islands as part of the escort for King George V and Nelson.

1941-44 Mediterranean

In April 1941, Dido was assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet, where she took part in efforts to reinforce Malta's air defences. In May she was deployed to Crete to assist in the evacuation of Allied forces. During this she transported Greek gold to Alexandria for safe keeping. On 29 May she suffered a direct bomb hit on "B" turret which caused heavy casualties and serious damage that rendered her forward armament unusable. She underwent emergency repairs at Alexandria before being sent to Durban for further work. Due to a severe shortage of available warships, she was assigned to escort ships involved in the invasion of Assab, Eritrea before proceeding to Durban. Following the Italian surrender, she was released and sailed to Durban for temporary repairs before heading to the USA for permanent repairs. She spent July to November 1941 at Brooklyn Navy Yard and returned to the UK in December 1941 for completion of work. During this time, her AA weapons were upgraded and she received her fifth main battery turret.

Dido returned to the Mediterranean Fleet in December 1941. The first three months of 1942 were spent escorting convoys from Alexandria to Malta. On 15 March she took part in a bombardment of Rhodes. On 22 March she joined British Naval forces in the Second Battle of Sirte, where a force of British convoy escorts held off a superior Italian force. Although the battle was a victory for the British, the convoy was delayed and later suffered heavy air attacks that resulted in the loss of over 80% of the supplies intended for Malta. On 13 June she sailed from Alexandria to take part in the escort of another convoy to Malta, Operation Vigorous. The convoy came under heavy air attack during the following days. By 15 June, the British force was reduced to 1/3 of their AA ammunition and were ordered to return to Egypt as the attempt was abandoned. In July she was deployed with HMS Euryalus to bombard Axis positions at Mersa Matruh.

In August 1942 she was sent to Massawa to repair bomb damage and investigate a defect which was thought to be causing propeller vibration at high speed. The British fleet in the Eastern Mediterranean was severely depleted by this point, and it was deemed vital that Dido was returned to service as quickly as possible. The only available dry dock at Massawa was not large enough to fully fit Dido, so she was lightened as much as possible and partially lifted in order to lower the bow and raise the stern out of the water. Repairs were completed in six days and Dido returned to the fleet at Alexandria. The rest of 1941 was spent in support of the British campaign in North Africa before being deployed to Malta and the Western Mediterranean as Allied advances and Operation Torch secured the North African coast.

HMS Dido

In January 1943 she was assigned to Force Q at Bone, Algeria, where she was involved in escorting Allied convoys and seeking out Axis shipping as well as providing AA defense for the ports of Bone and Algiers. In March she was withdrawn from the Mediterranean and returned to Liverpool for a three-month refit where she received new early-warning and fire-control radars. On completion of her refit she returned to Algiers to take part in the preparations for Operation Husky. During the landings, she operated with HMS King George, Howe and Sirius to provide naval gunfire support and guard against Axis attacks on the invasion forces. On 9 September she took part in the British landings at Taranto by the 1st Airborne Division (Operation Slapstick). The invasion was planned at short notice due to the Italian Armistice and the only way to transport the troops was by warship. On 5 October, she suffered a collision with HMS Aurora and underwent repairs in Alexandria until December 1943.

She was nominated for support duties during Operation Shingle, the Allied landing at Anzio, as part of a combined US and British force. During the invasion, she took part in a diversionary bombardment of Civitavecchia. She was damaged in another collision in February 1944, this time with a US Navy LST, and returned to Malta for repairs. August 1944 saw Dido supporting the Allied landing in southern France, Operation Dragoon. When she was released from this duty in September, she returned to the UK.

1944-45 Arctic & North Sea

In October 1944, Dido escorted Convoy JW61 to Kola Inlet where she loaded gold bullion for return to the UK. On her return to Scapa Flow she took part in supporting carrier air strikes against targets in Norway. In April 1945 she escorted a force to lay mines in the Kola Inlet. With the end of the war in Europe, Dido escorted the German cruisers ‘’Prinz Eugen’’’ and Nürnberg to Wilhelmshaven with HMS Devonshire.

She was nominated for further service with the British Pacific Fleet, pending another refit, but the war ended before this happened. Instead she went for a refit in October 1945. Due to the reduction of military forces and funding, and the limited room for modernisation, her refit was not completed until 1947. When she left refit, she was placed in reserve until being sold for scrap. She was broken up at Barrow, arriving at the breaker's yard on 16 July 1956.

Dido and her successors are entitled to the following battle honours Minerve 1795 - Egypt 1801 - Syria 1840 - China 1842 - Crete 1941 - Sirte 1942 - Mediterranean 1942-44 - Malta Convoys 1942 - Sicily 1943 - Salerno 1943 - Aegean 1943 - Anzio 1944 - South France 1944 - Arctic 1944

She was adopted by the community of Bolton, Lancashire during a Warships Week saving campaign.

Historical Gallery

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References

Ship Change Log

• Available for testing by supertesters in the game starting from Update 0.10.11.

Testing Changes

• DevBlog 243:
  • Preliminary characteristics.
• DevBlog 257:
  • Main battery reload time increased from 6 to 6.5 s.
• DevBlog 264:
  • Main battery reload time increased from 6.5 to 8.5 sec.
• DevBlog 269:
  • Base detectability range by sea increased from 9.54 to 10.54 km. Other detectability ranges increased accordingly, except detectability range by air, which remained equal to her AA firing range.
• DevBlog 275:
  • Short-Burst Smoke Generator consumable:
    • Smoke screen dispersion time decreased from 40 to 35 s.
    • Cooldown time increased from 70 to 80 s.

• Update 0.11.1:
  • First available for 70 Mediterranean Tokens during the Gibraltar Pillars event.
• Update 0.11.3:
  • Minor fixes to geometry and textures of the ship.

Ships of U.K.

Cruisers