Ship:Marco Polo
| 406 mm/50 Model 1940 in a turret3 х 3 pcs. |
| Rate of Fire1.7 shots/min |
| Reload Time34 sec |
| Rotation Speed5 deg/sec |
| 180 Degree Turn Time36 sec |
| Firing Range19 km |
| Maximum Dispersion252 m |
| AP Shell406 mm proiettili AP 1940 |
| Maximum AP Shell Damage13,050 |
| Initial AP Shell Velocity836 m/s |
| AP Shell Weight1071 kg |
| Maximum SAP Shell Damage14100 |
| Initial SAP Shell Velocity836 m/s |
| Maximum Speed32 knot |
| Turning Circle Radius860 m |
| Rudder Shift Time16.7 sec |
| Surface Detectability Range16.3 km |
| Air Detectability Range10 km |
Marco Polo — Italian premium Tier IX battleship.
As part of the cooperation between Italy and the U.S.S.R., a project was created for a ship with nine 406 mm main guns placed in three turrets. This project was never implemented. If such a ship had been built in Italy, she would have had 406 mm main battery guns developed on the basis of 381 mm guns, and she would have been ready by 1940 or 1941.
Marco Polo first went on sale on 28 January 2021.
Modules
Compatible Upgrades
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| Slot 2 |
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| Slot 3 |
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| Slot 4 |
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| Slot 6 |
Player Opinion
Performance
Refer to the in-game Port screens for more useful data.
Tier IX premium Italian battleship Marco Polo retains many of the tech tree battleship characteristics — powerful Semi-Armor Piercing (SAP) main battery shells, poor reload and range, and decent armor and concealment. While having differences of her own, she will feel familiar to players experienced with the playstyle of Italian battleships.
Hull
As with tech tree Italian battleships, Marco Polo’s armor scheme is solid overall. She features a 320 mm main belt, with a 70 mm upper belt and 55 mm deck. She resists destroyer and cruiser-caliber HE quite well, and when angled properly, is decently protected against AP shells from battleships. However, her HP pool is among the lowest of Tier IX battleships. Her citadel is extremely vulnerable, protected by a 25 mm turtleback that is easily overmatched by most battleship-caliber guns in her tier spread. In addition, she lacks the Exhaust Smoke Generator
found on tech tree Italian battleships, and her torpedo protection is poor. Captains should be more careful in choosing their engagements and movements.
In addition to her armor, Marco Polo’s speed is superb, clocking in at 32 knots. Her rudder shift and turning circle are also respectable, at 16.7 seconds and 860 meters respectively. Her concealment, on the other hand, is decidedly average for Tier IX, only reaching 13.2 km when fully specced.
Armament
Unlike the tech tree Italian battleships, which cap out at 381 mm guns, Marco Polo has nine 406 mm guns in a typical three-by-three arrangement. This gives her multiple boosts in terms of damage dealing capability. Her SAP shells boast a 1600 damage advantage over Italian 381 mm SAP. Coupled with their high penetration and improved ricochet angles, they will be the primary ammo of choice against most targets. Her AP is phenomenal as well, with some of the highest penetration at Tier IX. It can also overmatch 27 mm plating instead of just 26 mm, which includes the bow and stern of most cruisers in the game. As such, captains should opt to take Gun Feeder in order to exploit both ammunition types. Her ballistics are also outstanding, leading to comfortable aiming. Her firepower is not without flaws, however. Her reload is a painful 36 seconds base, which can be brought down to ~32 seconds with Main Battery Modification 3
. Her range is capped at 19.02km, though compensated by the presence of Spotting Aircraft
, and her accuracy, while better than tech tree Italian battleships, is still inconsistent, and captains should expect well-aimed salvos to miss on occasion. Captains should also take into account the SAP’s 10% capped damage against destroyers, and her lack of the built in -30% shell swapping time that the tech tree line has.
As with tech tree Italian battleships, Marco Polo’s secondaries and AA are underwhelming. Her secondary battery is mostly 90 mm guns, meaning their penetration is abysmal. Her 4.6 km AA range is the shortest of all Tier IX battleships, and with its poor combined damage she should stick to allied ships to thwart aviation threats.
Gameplay
Like the tech tree battleships, Marco Polo excels at mid range fighting. Her armor and firing angles allow her to play comfortably in this range, while reducing the impact of her poor gun range and mediocre accuracy. As she lacks the Exhaust Smoke Generator
, disengaging is riskier than the researchable Italian battleships. With her vulnerable citadel, Marco Polo should not actively seek brawls, as enemies can easily deal large amounts of citadel damage when she’s exposing her broadside.
Marco Polo is simplistic in her playstyle. Her SAP shells can deal heavy damage with each salvo, even if only a few shells hit. While her accuracy and concealment are not outstanding, she will feel comfortable to those who have already experienced the Italian battleship playstyle.
Pros:
- One of the only two Italian battleships (alongside Giuseppe Verdi) with 406 mm guns, can overmatch 27 mm armor with AP.
- Good main battery traverse speed and firing angles.
- Excellent AP penetration and shell velocity.
- Powerful SAP shells with amazing penetration angles, great at dealing devastating damage even on angled targets.
- Thickly armored midsection, with a 70 mm upper belt and 55 mm deck.
- Small and thin superstructure which is flanked by secondary barbettes with 80 mm of armor.
- One of the faster Tier 9 battleships, with a standard top speed of 32 knots.
- Good rudder shift and turn radius for a Tier 9 battleship.
- Decent concealment when fully upgraded for it.
Cons:
- Small hitpoint pool, only 100 hitpoints higher than Jean Bart.
- Poor main battery reload speed.
- Despite having decent sigma, overall accuracy is average at best.
- Lacks the -30% bonus to shell swapping time tech tree Italian battleships have.
- Third shortest main battery firing range of her tier/class, only Prinz Rupprecht and Lepanto are worse.
- Weak AA suite with average DPS and poor range.
- Lacks the Exhaust Smoke Generator
consumable found on tech tree Italian battleships. - Incredibly vulnerable to citadel damage when showing broadside.
Research
Optimal Configuration
Upgrades
The recommended upgrades for Marco Polo are as follows:
- Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1

- Slot 2: Damage Control System Modification 1

- Slot 3: Aiming Systems Modification 1

- Slot 4: Damage Control System Modification 2

- Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1

- Slot 6: Main Battery Modification 3

Commander Skills
Consumables
Marco Polo can equip the following consumables:
- Slot 1: Damage Control Party

- Slot 2: Repair Party
– 4 charges - Slot 3: Spotting Aircraft
– 4 charges or Catapult Fighter
– 3 charges
Camouflage
As a premium ship, Marco Polo comes with Default permanent camouflage and a set of permanent combat bonuses.
Signals
Recommended Signal Flags
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Gallery
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Marco Polo with Legion alternative permanent camouflage
Historical Info
Historical Gallery
Video
References
Wargaming
- Armada: Marco Polo. 19 Mar 2021.



















