Naginata cruiser

The Empire of the Rising Sun attacked from the seas using its never-before-seen army, assembled in secret. The Empire met with little resistance overtaking much of the waters north of the Soviet Union, in part because the element of surprise was on the Emperor's side, and in part because of Imperial Naginata cruisers. The mainline ship-hunters of the Imperial navy decimated virtually all that stood in their way, opening up an opportunity for Japan's Shogun battleships to lay down withering coastal bombardment to pave the way for a full-scale invasion. While the Naginata's role is limited to blockading the seas, it excels in this to such an extent that it has proved itself as one of Japan's most-feared fighting elements.

The role of the Naginata cruiser is exemplified even in its title: these ships take their name from an ancient Japanese bladed staff, once used to keep the enemy at bay or to bring down fast-moving cavalry. Likewise, today's Naginata is dangerously unapproachable from the seas, for its captains seem always well-prepared to let loose pairs of quickly-loading, semi-guided torpedoes that smash into and destroy anything on the water. While the dual fast-firing torpedo launchers seem like more than enough, each Naginata cruiser turns out to have an additional set of five launchers hidden below the waterline. These can launch a spread of torpedoes to attack multiple targets, in the event that the Empire's fleet becomes outnumbered. Weapons such as this speak to how well the Empire has accounted for the possibility of being outnumbered. What's more, these special Type-S torpedoes travel so far below the waterline that even submerged Soviet Akula submarines cannot hide from them—a fact that contributed to the overwhelmingly one-sided first encounter between the Soviet and Imperial navies.

Studies of the Naginata cruiser's weaknesses have shown that indirect fire seems to be the only reasonable way to retaliate against them. Even then, this clinical conclusion failed to note that the Empire of the Rising Sun always seems likely to have several of its Sea Wing vessels lurking nearby, ready to ambush any aircraft on approach. As for the Naginata cruisers themselves, not only are they powerful, they are sleek and maneuverable as well. The speed of these ships enables them to close the distance and then quickly finish their victims, and their unusually strong armor means they can withstand heavy fire on approach to their targets. Because torpedoes are their only weapons, Naginata Cruisers are useless against land targets.

It must be considered a great honor to serve aboard a Naginata cruiser in the Emperor's navy. These vessels are relatively uncommon, and charged with protecting the mightiest forces in the Imperial fleet, the Shogun battleships. Thus, the rigors of the required training and responsibilities of the post mean that service aboard Naginata cruisers is restricted only to the Japanese elite—men whose stern loyalty to their cause and sharp senses for naval warfare purportedly make them as feared within their society as their ships are hated by their enemies.

Deployment history
This ships first use is at Graveyard of a Foolish Fleet where it proven superior to the Assault Destroyer in terms of anti ship warfare. They were seen in Assault on the Black Tortoise where these ships sunk the MCVs that dare to travel to Japan.

Another known uses were Barbarians at the Bay where they fended off the Soviet and Allied Navies and in The Last Red Blossom Trembled these ships under Shinzo's command destroyed a naval outpost.

In a standard one on one, the Naginata Cruiser would beat the Akula Sub. The Akula might win if it used its Ultratorpedoes, but if the Naginata were to fire its Type-S torpedoes at point blank (which the Akula can't do much to stop because to move away is completely turn around, and thus not be able to fire at the Naginata), it would exceed the Ultratorpedoes' damage, thus giving the fight to Naginata.

Notes from the Field
Battlefield reconnaissance has revealed at least these facts about the Naginata cruiser:


 * Torpedo assault—The Empire of the Rising Sun's formidable torpedo boat is loaded with ammunition and built for fast, rapid-fire launches. The torpedoes have a limited guidance system and pack a tremendous wallop, making them devastating against most anything at sea even if it fights Subs and Assault Destroyers.


 * Spread shot—The Naginata's secret weapon is an array of concealed torpedo tubes, linked to launch all at once. The unguided warheads then fan out and collide with anything in their path. Some Naginata captains now tend to save the Torpedo Type-S for use at very close range, to focus the entire spread on a single target and compensate for their inaccuracy. However, like all torpedoes, they are indiscriminate on who they hit, so a wise commander would get his units out of the way, as they would not only block part or all of the salvos, but may also be destroyed by friendly fire.


 * Nano-steel armour—Naginata cruisers tend to emerge victorious in any head-on ship battles because of their fast-launching torpedoes as well as their thick, durable armour, which is highly resistant to concussive blasts of any kind.


 * Specialized against ships—Even the Empire of the Rising Sun's resources have limits, it seems, for in spite of the Naginata cruiser's immense power against other ships, it is has no anti-air capability at all, and is limited to moving by sea unlike the Imperial Tsunami-class tanks.

Behind the Scenes
The nature of the Naginata Cruiser's attack is such that it is extremely dangerous against most naval units. However, Terror Drones are extremely dangerous, due to their quick movement unless the torpedoes hit it, which is highly unlikely as they are actually faster than the torpedoes and can make much sharper turns.