Salem
203 mm/55 RF Mk.16 in a turret3 х 3 pcs. |
Rate of Fire10.91 shots/min. |
Reload Time5.5 sec. |
Rotation Speed6 deg./sec. |
180 Degree Turn Time30 sec. |
Firing Range15.83 km. |
Maximum Dispersion142 m. |
HE Shell203 mm HE/HC Mk25 |
Maximum HE Shell Damage2,800 |
Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell14 % |
Initial HE Shell Velocity823 m./s. |
HE Shell Weight118 kg. |
AP Shell203 mm AP Mk21 |
Maximum AP Shell Damage5,000 |
Initial AP Shell Velocity762 m./s. |
AP Shell Weight152 kg. |
127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.32 mount6 х 2 pcs. |
Firing Range7.3 km. |
Rate of Fire10 shots/min. |
Reload Time6 sec. |
HE Shell127 mm HE Mk32 |
Maximum HE Shell Damage1,800 |
Initial HE Shell Velocity792 m./s. |
Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell5 % |
127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.32 mount6 х 2 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second90.6 |
. . . Firing Range5.01 km. |
76.2 mm/50 Mk.22 on a Mk.33 mount10 х 2 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second208 |
. . . Firing Range3.99 km. |
76.2 mm/50 Mk.22 on a Mk.33 mount2 х 2 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second41.6 |
. . . Firing Range3.99 km. |
Maximum Speed33 knot |
Turning Circle Radius770 m. |
Rudder Shift Time8.6 sec. |
Surface Detectability Range13.44 km. |
Air Detectability Range7.9 km. |
Salem — American special premium Tier X cruiser.
A Des Moines-class heavy cruiser. Her main battery mounts were equipped with an auto-loading mechanism, which provided her with the greatest firepower among ships of her type. The cruiser's advantages included advanced radar equipment, powerful AA artillery, and reliable horizontal armor protection.
Salem was first released for sale with Update 0.7.6 and is available exclusively via the Armory for Coal.
Modules
Hit Points (HP) | Armor (mm) | Armor (mm) | Main Turrets (pcs.) | Secondary Gun Turrets (pcs.) | AA Mounts (pcs.) | Torpedo Tubes (pcs.) | Hangar Capacity (pcs.) |
Research price (exp) |
Purchase price () | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Salem | 49,700 | 6 | 203 | 3 | 6 | 12/6 | 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 |
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Slot 6 |
Player Opinion
Performance
Warning. The data presented in the AA Defense sidebar section is incorrect.
The first non-tech tree Tier X ship[1] in the game, Salem plays much like her tech tree sister Des Moines, albeit with more survivability at the trade off of less utility. Captains familiar with the American heavy cruiser branch should adapt to Salem’s minor quirks fairly quickly.
The largest difference between the two comes in the form of consumable choices. Des Moines can choose between Surveillance Radar (with a 10.0 km range), Catapult Fighter , or Spotting Aircraft for her Slot 3 consumable, and equips the standard version of Repair Party ; Salem — who wasn't completed with her aircraft catapults installed — eschews aircraft entirely and has access to either Surveillance Radar (with a 8.5 km range) or Hydroacoustic Search in Slot 3, and equips a specialized repair teams consumable similar to those on Royal Navy cruisers. Most other vital statistics remain identical — or roughly comparable — between the two.
The primary trait of Salem is her absurd rate of fire for a heavy cruiser: each of her barrels loads a fresh 203mm round every 5.5 seconds. The speed at which she pummels enemy targets is a sight to behold, whether she is punishing an enemy destroyer caught by her radar, or pumping super-heavy American armor-piercing shells into the sides of enemy cruisers and battleships. Enemy aircraft carriers don't enjoy seeing a Salem on the other team either; her impressive AA suite is only a touch worse than Des Moines’, as Salem here is rendered without her short-range 20mm Oerlikons. With good handling characteristics and the utility offered by her consumables, Salem is an excellent support ship and a late-game terror. She serves equally well as both an anti-air and anti-destroyer screening vessel; however, unlike Des Moines, Salem’s radar is not as useful in assisting in the destruction of enemy destroyers due to it's shorter range.
Like her sister ship, learning to use Salem’s main battery guns to their fullest requires a bit of time and adaptation. The high shell arcs and long flight times at medium to long range give her both advantages and disadvantages that other Tier X cruisers lack. She is capable of sitting behind an island and using her high shell arcs to lob shells at distant targets from cover, or — more commonly — snuggle up to an island and point her bow at the enemy, while presenting a relatively small target profile. Exploiting this technique allows captains to turn a disadvantage into an advantage. Lobbing armor-piercing shells at bigger targets such as battleships can deal a surprising amount of damage in a short time; however, captains should only do so when Salem is close enough to have the rounds deal maximum penetration.
Salem possesses a stronger repair consumable than Des Moines, functioning identical to that of British cruisers of Tiers VIII-X. When it comes to taking fire damage, Salem is functionally immune: her heal can repair up to four full duration fires (damage from the HE shells that triggered the fires not withstanding). While the enhanced repair gives her more flexibility and survivability in the event of positioning mistakes, captains should not be relying it to keep them alive in situations that Des Moines couldn't survive.
Unlike most other Tier X cruisers, Salem cannot effectively fight as an anti-surface combatant in open water, and her slower shell speeds prevent her from faring well in ranged firefights. Instead, captains should focus on playing defensively during the initial stages of a game, and choose areas of the map that provide hard cover and allow them to fight enemies on their own terms at short and medium range. Despite lacking a torpedo armament, the closer Salem gets to a target, the more dangerous she becomes. It should not come as a surprise that if played right, Salem can dictate the early flow of a battle, then become more aggressive in the mid- and late-game stages, quickly mopping up the enemy team with her withering rate of fire. This isn't the only way to play Salem, of course, but it's a common one; captains should adjust their play style depending on the situation to give their team the best chance of winning. Knowing when to go defensive or aggressive is key to conning Salem to victory.Pros:
- An insane rate of fire for such heavy guns.
- High shell arcs make firing over islands easier.
- AP SHS (super-heavy shells) have superior ricochet angles and can tear up all but the most heavily armored targets, especially in close.
- HE has a good fire chance.
- A solid AA suite that turns killer when the Defensive AA Fire consumable is activated.
- Contrary to the sidebar data on this page, Salem's long-range AA artillery reaches out to 5.8km.
- 27mm of armor protects against 15-inch guns; citadel is protected by a thick 152mm belt and a 127mm transverse bulkhead.
- Specialized Repair Teams with up to 48% of the health pool restored per charge (with the India Delta signal mounted).
Cons:
- Short ranged main battery with a stock reach of 15.8km.
- High shell arcs make hitting targets at range tricky.
- Slow turret rotation for a cruiser.
- No torpedoes.
- Citadel is above water and easy to hit when showing broadside, and all 16" or larger guns can overmatch her armor.
- Poor torpedo defense.
- Surveillance Radar has a relatively short range (8.5 km).
- No Unique Upgrade (the first tier X ship without one).
Research
Optimal Configuration
The primary build for Salem is for the role of gunship to take advantage of her great strength: her main battery firepower. She can be built for long range, usually coupled with an open-water emphasis. Or more usually, as a shorter-range area control fighter.
Her strong AA suite supports a solid anti-aircraft build, though this build is somewhat situational unless divisioning with an aircraft carrier.
Upgrades
The recommended upgrades for a Long Range Gunship build. The longer range makes open water play more viable.
- Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
- Slot 2: Damage Control System Modification 1 *
- Slot 3: Aiming Systems Modification 1
- Slot 4: Steering Gears Modification 1 ; Propulsion Modification 1 is a viable alternative.
- Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1 *
- Slot 6: Gun Fire Control System Modification 2
Playing Salem farther from the action, radar (especially her shorter range set) becomes less important. Slot 2 could better be used for Hydroacoustic Search Modification 1 .
For Slot 5, another viable build for open water maneuver is to select Propulsion Mod 1 in Slot 4 and Steering Gears Modification 2 in Slot 5. Torpedo Lookout System is also worth considering, particularly with SGM1 in Slot 4.
The recommended upgrades for a Short Range Gunship build. This build somewhat supposes the heavy use of terrain.
- Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
- Slot 2: Damage Control System Modification 1 *
- Slot 3: Aiming Systems Modification 1 *
- Slot 4: Propulsion Modification 1
- Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1
- Slot 6: Main Battery Modification 3
Slot 2 – Although Salem's radar has shorter range than others, it is still a useful tool so Surveillance Radar Modification 1 may be the better choice here.
Slot 3 – For close-in work, where quick targeting can be critical, accuracy may be less important than the time to get the battery on target. Thus many captains may prefer Main Battery Modification 2 , particularly since Main Battery Modification 3 in Slot 6 slows the turrets significantly.
The recommended upgrades for a maximum Anti-aircraft build:
- Slot 1: Auxiliary Armaments Modification 1
- Slot 2: Defensive AA Fire Modification 1 – Special Upgrade
- Slot 3: AA Guns Modification 1
- Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1 – 6.4km detection by air with all modifiers
- Slot 6: Auxiliary Armaments Modification 2
Commander Skills
Consider Outnumbered for a flank holding role. Because serious damage to Salem tends to be catastrophic, i.e. from unseen torpedoes or heavy battleship guns, the extra heal from Superintendent is not as powerful as it first appears.
Recommended Commander Skills | ||||||
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Cost (points) |
Attack | Defense | ||||
1 |
★★★ |
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|
|
★ |
2 |
★★ |
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|
|
★★ |
★★ |
3 |
|
|
★★★ |
★★ |
|
★ |
4 |
★★ |
★ |
|
|
★★ |
★ |
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful ★★ - Frequently Useful ★ - Occasionally Useful No stars - Not Useful |
Consumables
Salem can equip the following consumables:
- Slot 1: Damage Control Party
- Slot 2: Defensive AA Fire
- Slot 3: Surveillance Radar or Hydroacoustic Search *
- Slot 4: Specialized Repair Teams
In Slot 3, choose Surveillance Radar for a Short Range gunship build. and Hydroacoustic Search for a Long Range gunship or AA support build.
Camouflage
As a premium ship, Salem comes with Type 20 camouflage that lowers her detection radius, reduces the accuracy of incoming shells, increases the credits she earns, halves her service cost, and increases the amount of experience she earns.
Signals
Salem captains should mount standard signal flags to improve the ship's performance in battle. India Delta () and November Foxtrot () flags are highly recommended to improve the ship's survivability. Sierra Mike () is also recommended to increase the ship's top speed. India X-Ray () and Victor Lima () signal flags can be mounted to improve the ship's main battery. Lastly, economic and special signal flags to increase the ship's economic gains per battle.
Recommended Signal Flags | |||||
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Combat | |||||
★ |
★ |
★★ |
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★★ |
★ |
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★★ |
★★★ |
★★ |
★★★ |
|
★ |
Note: Use of the Juliet Charlie signal makes detonation impossible.
Gallery
Historical Info
Historical Gallery
Video
References
- ↑ The status of Salem has been clarified: she is a "Special" ship, like others that are available for resources rather than cash. Special ships do not have the credit earning bonuses of true premiums. In all other relevant ways, they are treated as premium ships.