War at Sea
Allied Nations
- Australia
- Brazil
- Canada
- France
- Greece
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Poland
- Soviet Union
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Allies stat table
Axis Nations
Neutral Nations/Installations
Sets
- War At Sea
- Task Force
- Flank Speed
- New Starter
- Condition Zebra
- Set V (Fleet Command)
- Surface action
- First Strike (Forumini Expansion Deck A)
- Infamy (Forumini Expansion Deck B)
- Battle Line (Forumini Expansion Deck C)
- All Hands on Deck (Forumini D)
- Action Stations (Forumini E)
- Dead Reckoning (Forumini F)
Unit Card:
Set - Rarity - Number
Task Force - Uncommon - 6/60
History:
Perhaps the most famous admiral in the proud ocean-going history of the Netherlands, Michiel de Ruyter led the Dutch fleet against the navies of England and France (and sometimes both together), in the many wars of the 17th century. De Ruyter's success in these wars allowed the Dutch to expand their trading network around the world, creating a system of colonies that spanned the globe. The defense of these colonies, especially the resource rich islands of the East Indies, was a primary function of the Royal Netherlands Navy throughout history, and WWII was no exception. The light cruiser De Ruyter was created to act as the flagship of the Dutch navy in East Indian waters, and served in this role when Japan launched its attack southward. Rear Admiral Karel Doorman led the Dutch fleet, and a hodgepodge of other Allied warships in a series of attacks to break up Japanese landing efforts. This cobbled together fleet (including the cruisers USS Houston and HMS Exeter) had little training in operating together, and fared poorly against the advancing Japanese. Most of the fleet, including De Ruyter, were sunk at the night battle of the Java Sea by a cohesive and well-trained Japanese force consisting of four cruisers (including Nachi and Jintsu) and numerous destroyers (including Yukikaze).
Reviews:
swarbs:
De Ruyter isn't, perhaps, the most inspiring of units based on its stats alone, but considering its low cost it certainly has its uses. The weak points of this little cruiser are all on offense, it's mains are fairly mediocre, and it lacks secondaries and torpedoes that would help it deal with smaller or larger surface opponents respectively. On defense, however, De Ruyter puts on a better show. It is the cheapest surface unit with 7 AA, and at only a point or two more than a destroyer, it is much more survivable with an extra point of armor, vital armor and hull than the average destroyer. Just as the historic De Ruyter led a fleet of cruisers into battle, in the game De Ruyter can boost initiative provided you bring another cruiser too. Even so, De Ruyter is hardly a unit to build a fleet around. If you've got a few extra points left over after putting a fleet together, consider upgrading a destroyer into De Ruyter, especially if you have another cruiser along to benefit from the extra initiative bonus.
