Introduced as part of the Azur Lane Wave 5 release in January 2024 - Cheshire is a hypothetical British heavy cruiser based on 1940-41 design studies. Britain had generally avoided heavy cruisers in the inter-war years, deeming them less effective than light cruisers at the 10,000-ton limit. However, when the war began these limits were loosened. So, design proposals were prepared for 12,500-ton and 15,500-ton heavy cruisers armed with nine 8-inch guns in triple turrets. Cheshire diverges from this design in that key area, instead she carries six powerful 9.2-inch (234mm) guns. When work on these proposals began, Winston Churchill (then First Lord of the Admiralty) requested a design with 9.2-inch guns based on First World War monitor guns. This modified design became Cheshire in World of Warships: Legends.