Graf Zeppelin
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? | ''Graf Zeppelin'' is in a unique position as far as her Commander Skills go. | + | ''Graf Zeppelin'' is in a unique position as far as her Commander Skills go. She features a fearsome secondary armament sure to surprise any ships that venture too close in the hopes of an easy kill; as such, choosing skills that increase the performance of her secondaries is certainly a viable way to go. Captains must make hard choices between investing in skills to boost torpedo bomber attacks, increased fire damage effects, and skills to support aggressive carrier positioning, all while being mindful of their preferred flight module. | |
{{Commander Skills | {{Commander Skills |
Revision as of 15:37, 3 October 2018
105 mm/65 SK C/33 on a Dop. L. C/31 mount6 х 2 pcs. |
Firing Range6.25 km. |
Rate of Fire17.91 shots/min. |
Reload Time3.35 sec. |
HE Shell105 mm Spr.Gr. Kz. |
Maximum HE Shell Damage1,200 |
Initial HE Shell Velocity900 m./s. |
Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell5 % |
150 mm/55 SK C/28 on a Dop. MPL C/36 mount8 х 2 pcs. |
Firing Range6.25 km. |
Rate of Fire8 shots/min. |
Reload Time7.5 sec. |
HE Shell150 mm Spr.Gr. L/4.5 |
Maximum HE Shell Damage1,700 |
Initial HE Shell Velocity875 m./s. |
Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell8 % |
105 mm/65 SK C/33 on a Dop. L. C/31 mount6 х 2 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second99.6 |
. . . Firing Range4.5 km. |
37 mm/69 Flak M42 on an LM/42 mount11 х 2 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second113.3 |
. . . Firing Range3.51 km. |
20 mm/65 C/38 on a Flak 35 Vierling L/38 mount7 х 4 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second44.8 |
. . . Firing Range2.01 km. |
Maximum Speed32 knot |
Turning Circle Radius1 140 m. |
Rudder Shift Time13.7 sec. |
Surface Detectability Range15.71 km. |
Air Detectability Range11.06 km. |
Graf Zeppelin — German special premium Tier VIII aircraft сarrier.
A high-speed aircraft carrier armed with numerous secondary and dual-purpose guns. She had the most powerful propulsion among all German Navy ships. The carrier was never completed because Germany's shipbuilding program priorities changed during the course of World War II.
Graf Zeppelin was first released for sale worldwide on 21 August 2017. She was not well-received by the player base, and Wargaming removed her from sale after only five days. She was re-worked and will be re-released for sale at a future date; the only ones currently found on live servers were are owned by those who originally purchased her in August 2017.
Modules
Speed (knot) | IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SQUADRON_MED_DAMAGE (HP/min) | IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SQUADRON_AMMO_AMOUNT | Hit Points (HP) |
Research price (exp) |
Purchase price () | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Me 155A | 136 | 1,320 | 0 | 0 |
Maximum Torpedo Damage (HP) | Speed (knot) | Hit Points (HP) |
Research price (exp) |
Purchase price () | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ta 152C-1/R14 | 5,333 | 181 | 1,710 | 0 | 0 |
Compatible Upgrades
Slot 1 |
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Slot 2 |
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Slot 3 |
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Slot 4 |
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Slot 5 |
Player Opinion
Performance
Though never fully finished in real life, Graf Zeppelin comes alive in World of Warships as the first carrier to enter the game from a nation other than Japan or America. Historically, she was the first carrier in the world to utilize catapult launching technology; this trait carries over in-game as she gets planes off her deck faster than any other carrier.
As a Tier VIII carrier, Graf Zeppelin will inevitably face powerful AA ships such as Tier X cruisers Des Moines and Minotaur and will be forced to evade or work around these ships to attack with her bombers. Her planes can be quickly and easily shot down by ships that are built for anti-air; however, they are very fast and can strike swiftly before the enemy has a chance to knock many of them down. In short, the plane durability is very much akin to Tier VIII Japanese counterpart Shokaku. Where Zeppelin differs significantly from Shokaku is in the variety of ways she can be loaded out prior to queuing for a battle: Graf Zeppelin has two flight control module options, each vastly different from the other.
The first squadron configuration features one over-sized fighter squadron with eight (8) planes, and another eight (8) fighters in reserve. Her strike planes are divided into two (2) torpedo squadrons of 5 planes each (with 17 more in the reserve), and one dive bomber squadron of nine (9) planes (and 20 more in her hangar). The cycle time required for the fighters and dive bombers is rather long, while the torpedo bombers rearm and launch in the blink of an eye. This loadout is very balanced, though exterminating enough enemy fighters to achieve air superiority is difficult due to the low fighter reserves.
The torpedo bombers in this configuration have the option of equipping deep water torpedoes, the first planes in the game to have this option. The difference between these regular torpedoes and deep water ones is that the latter are unable to hit destroyers in exchange for having a higher flooding chance once they do hit cruisers, battleships, or aircraft carriers. In practice, deep water torpedoes on aerial drops are fairly pointless, and equipping them deprives Zeppelin captains of the flexibility of targeting enemy destroyers with her potent torpedo loadout.
The second squadron configuration is a bit more specialized, and features two fighter squadrons of five (5) planes each (and 14 more in her hangar) paired with three dive bomber squadrons, also made up of five (5) planes each (plus 33 more ready in reserve). The servicing times are reasonable, and not as unforgiving as the ones for the first loadout. This loadout allows captains to fend off enemy aircraft better, due to both the larger fighter reserves and the advantage of having two squadrons which can be set up for strafes. The focus on dive bombers means that the choice of bombs will dictate what targets can be engaged effectively.
Zeppelin’s HE bombs, like high-tier American HE bombs, pack quite a punch against cruisers and destroyers, while the AP bombs are devastating towards most battleships and cruisers she will face. The AP bombs in particular will frequently surprise opponents who are used to American AP bombs over-penetrating them, as the fuse threshold — the amount of armor they must penetrate in order to trigger the fuse — is significantly less than those found on American bombs. Furthermore, as there is a somewhat large reserve of the bombers, captains can afford to sacrifice some planes to attack certain strategically positioned targets. However, captains must be careful of losing entire squadrons as the respawn time for a lost squadron is quite long. The bomb drop reticle for Graf Zeppelin is very friendly and easy to use: a simple circle, meaning that it the angle they approach a ship from is more-or-less irrelevant. Auto-drops can be as devastating as manual drops; when the manual drop reticle is properly timed against battleships, it's common to land all five or six bombs from the squadron.
Graf Zeppelin’s fighters have sufficient firepower to reliably strafe down enemy planes and are the fastest fighters of Tier VIII carriers. They are somewhat fragile, however, and captains should avoid dogfights with other enemy squadrons if possible; the fighters will routinely lose in straight up dogfights against other enemy fighters at Tier VIII due to their low average DPS. In such cases, a well-timed strafe to escape the fighter lock can save the squadron from complete devastation at the cost of one plane.
Another unique feature is that Graf Zeppelin has access to the Hydroacoustic Search consumable, with identical stats to same-tier non-German cruisers. While its practical use is debatable, it does allow for some interesting possibilities and shouldn't be discounted. Additionally, her secondary firepower is astonishing for an aircraft carrier, even surpassing that of Bismarck. While captains should not rely on her secondaries alone to fend off an attacking ship, they are more than capable of doing excellent damage against lighter units that wander too close.
Graf Zeppelin is a very comfortable carrier to play, and offers captains more variety in offensive strike power than any other aircraft carrier currently in the game.Pros:
- Ability to choose between AP and HE bombs.
- Balanced loadout with both fighters and attack planes.
- Secondary armament provides decent protection from close-in attacks, a very big pain for most ships if fully built for secondaries.
- AP bombs can devastate enemy battleships, cruisers, and carriers.
- HE bombs can devastate enemy destroyers.
- Fighters are Tier VII, which allows them near-guaranteed benefits from the Dogfighting Expert commander skill.
- Adequate anti-aircraft suite for self-defense.
- User-friendly targeting reticle for dive bombers.
Cons:
- As a Tier VIII aircraft carrier, captains may face off against large amounts of high tier AA.
- Unable to train captains for any other carriers, and requires a specialized German captain to perform well.
- No torpedo bombers FID Typ 8 Mod. 2, making it very difficult to deal with enemy destroyers effectively without using HE bombs.
- Poor base surface detectability range at 16.2km.
- Has weak fighters compared to other Tier VIII carriers, especially if you take the 1-2-1 loadout for more strike power.
- AP bombs are somewhat unpredictable to land hits due to circular drop pattern.
Research
Optimal Configuration
Upgrades
The recommended upgrades for Graf Zeppelin are as follows:
- Slot 1: Air Groups Modification 1 *
- Slot 2: Damage Control System Modification 1
- Slot 3: Air Groups Modification 2 *
- Slot 4: Damage Control System Modification 2
- Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1
Upgrade Slot 1 provides two viable options. Air Groups Modification 1 is highly recommended to improve her weak fighters, but some players may choose to specialize in anti-aircraft duties or the secondary battery to defend against attacking aircraft and ships. For either specialization, Auxiliary Armaments Modification 1 should be equipped.
Upgrade Slot 3 provides options for different roles and specializations. Air Groups Modification 2 is highly recommended to increase the ammunition and hit points (HP) of fighter aircraft. Some players may choose to mount Flight Control Modification 1 in order to get planes airborne faster. For specialization in anti aircraft duties or the secondary battery, either AA Guns Modification 2 () or Secondary Battery Modification 1 () should be mounted, depending on the desired specialization.
Commander Skills
Graf Zeppelin is in a unique position as far as her Commander Skills go. She features a fearsome secondary armament sure to surprise any ships that venture too close in the hopes of an easy kill; as such, choosing skills that increase the performance of her secondaries is certainly a viable way to go. Captains must make hard choices between investing in skills to boost torpedo bomber attacks, increased fire damage effects, and skills to support aggressive carrier positioning, all while being mindful of their preferred flight module.
Recommended Commander Skills | ||||||||
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Cost (points) |
Endurance | Attack | Support | Versatility | ||||
1 |
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★★★ |
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2 |
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★★ |
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★★ |
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★ |
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3 |
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★★ |
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★★ |
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★ |
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4 |
★ |
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★★ |
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★★★ |
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful ★★ - Frequently Useful ★ - Occasionally Useful No stars - Meh Χ - Not recommended |
Consumables
Graf Zeppelin can equip the following consumables:
- Slot 1: Damage Control Party
- Slot 2: Hydroacoustic Search
- Slot 3: Defensive AA Fire
Shelling out credits (or doubloons) for Damage Control Party II () will prove useful for captains trying to take advantage of Graf Zeppelin’s secondary battery guns, while Defensive AA Fire II () may be useful if players find themselves subjected to repeated attacks by the enemy carrier.
Camouflage
As a Premium ship, Graf Zeppelin comes included with Type 10 camouflage that lowers her detection radius, reduces the accuracy of incoming shells, and increases the amount of experience she earns.
Signals
As a premium aircraft carrier, Graf Zeppelin can mount only four signal flags simultaneously. Captains using high explosive bombs should mount India X-Ray () and Victor Lima () flags for a boost to their fire chance. November Echo Setteseven () flags are recommended to boost the ship’s anti-aircraft damage. Captains can also mount November Foxtrot () and India Yankee () flags for increased survivability. Lastly, economic and special flags can be used to increase the ship’s credit and experience gain per battle.
Recommended Signal Flags | |||||
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Combat | |||||
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★ |
★★ |
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★★★ |
★★★ |
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★ |
★★ |
★ |
★★ |
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Note: Use of the Juliet Charlie signal makes detonation impossible.
Gallery
An AP bomb from Graf Zeppelin’s air wing finds the Mogami’s citadel.
A German dive bomber returns to base after dropping its' ordinance on an enemy Yamato.
Historical Info
Historical Gallery
References
- Chesneau, R., Gardiner, R. (1980). Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships: 1922-1946. London UK: Conway Maritime Press.
- Breyer, S. (1989). Graf Zeppelin: The German Aircraft Carrier. West Chester. PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
- SANTI Expedition to Graf Zeppelin
Japan | IV Hōshō • VI Ryūjō • VIII Shōkaku • VIII Kaga • VIII Kaga B • X Hakuryū • ★ Sekiryu |
U.K. | IV Hermes • VI Furious • VI Ark Royal • VIII Implacable • VIII Indomitable • VIII Colossus • X Audacious • X Malta • ★ Eagle |
France | VI Béarn |
U.S.S.R. | IV Komsomolets • VI Serov • VIII Pobeda • VIII Chkalov • VIII Chkalov B • X Admiral Nakhimov |
U.S.A. | IV Langley • VI Independence • VI Ranger • VIII Yorktown • VIII Lexington • VIII Enterprise • VIII Saipan • VIII Hornet • VIII Saipan B • X Essex • X Midway • X Franklin D. Roosevelt • ★ United States |
Germany | IV Rhein • VI Weser • VI Erich Loewenhardt • VIII August von Parseval • VIII Graf Zeppelin • VIII Graf Zeppelin B • X Manfred von Richthofen • X Max Immelmann |
Pan-Asia | VIII Sanzang |
Spain | |
Europe | |
Netherlands | |
Italy | VIII Aquila |
Commonwealth | |
Pan-America |