Shokaku

13.3

Aircraft Carrier | Japan | Tier VIII

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Battle Levels

12345678910

VIII

11,500,000

Shōkaku — Japanese Tier VIII aircraft сarrier.

The Hiryu-class heavy aircraft carrier whose design stemmed from the experience gained in building ships of the same type. Compared to her predecessor, Shōkaku came with reinforced anti-aircraft armament, a larger air group and somewhat improved armor. During the course of World War II, the ship's AA capabilities were significantly enhanced.

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 ()
Shōkaku (A)	50,100	6	215		2/6	36/2/6				0	1,200,000
Shōkaku (B)	51,400	6	215		2/6	32/20/2/6				27,000	3,000,000

	Speed (knot)	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SQUADRON_MED_DAMAGE (HP/min)	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SQUADRON_AMMO_AMOUNT	Hit Points (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
A6M5 Zero	144			1,330		0	600,000
N1K2-J Shiden-Kai	151			1,390		18,000	1,500,000

	Maximum Torpedo Damage (HP)	Speed (knot)	Hit Points (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
B6N Tenzan	7,233	133	1,600		0	600,000
B7A Ryūsei	7,233	137	1,670		18,000	1,500,000

	Maximum Bomb Damage (HP)	Speed (knot)	Hit Points (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
D4Y3 Suisei		142	1,580		0	600,000
B7A Ryūsei		145	1,650		18,000	1,500,000

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 152,000 hp	34		0	500,000

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4
Slot 5

Player Opinion

Performance

Shokaku is more of a anti-BB, cruiser carrier in its role as it lacks HE bombs of the Americans or the fast rockets of the British. Also it has one of the weakest planes with low health pools. This is a serious disadvantage compared to the Lexington or the Implacable as tier 8~10 battles intoduce cruisers and battleships with stong AA. Concealment of planes, use of islands to block AA are essential to keep up the air attacks till late in the game. Any vital mistakes that leads to annhiliation of squadrons will leave playes with only 1 or 2 planes per squadron.
The attack aircraft has a very tight aiming circle and is useful for targeting all ship types. It also plays a vital role in attacking destroyers.
When fully upgraded, player can attack 4 times with double torpedoes per time. The torpedo range, speed and damage is excellent. With a full concealment build, players could drop their payload almost the instance the planes are spotted. The downside is that the planes are one of the weakest of all tier VIII carriers, and players need to utilize the long range of the torpedoes for longer duration of its usage.

Unlike most carriers, the Shokaku uses AP dive bombers. German battleships, cruisers; French battleships; Soviet battleships; American cruisers are good candidates for citadel hits. But keep in mind that these planes are very weak and using against the beforementioned targets may not be viable from early on in the match. Use islands and target HE saturated ships for finishing or devastating blows. As the AP fuse need time to arm, using against destroyers are quite ineffective. The aiming mechanism is different from USN dive bombers as the aiming circle initially dip backward slightly before moving forward at the very last minute. This can be useful if the player overshoot the target's momentum, but with less possibility of a citadel hit.

Pros:

More armored than her predecessor.
AP b0mbs can deal huge amounts of damage to select enemy ships.
Good torpedo bombers torps with 55 kts and 5.6k range
Better AA protection.
Difficult-to-hit citadel; the hitbox is located well below the waterline.
34 knot top speed means easier relocation when necessary.
Excellent concealment for CV and planes.

Cons:

Loses a lot of speed during turns.
Very vulnerable to dive bomb attacks.
Limited capability to hunt destroyers
Planes with one of the lowest health pools even with commander skills
AP bombs only effective against selected targets in very special circumstances(low AA)
Dropping torpedos from maximum distance has a very low success rate, combined with the low health pool of planes, making it less of an advantage.

Research

This is a suggested research path:

B7A Ryusei (Torpedo or AP bomber of choice)
N1K2-J Shiden-Kai
Hull(B) for better resistance against CV sniping.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades for Shōkaku are as follows:

Slot 1: Air Groups Modification 1
Slot 2: Aircraft Engines Modification 1
Slot 3: Torpedo Bombers Modification 1
Slot 4: Torpedo Bombers Modification 2 or

This page or file is marked for deletion for the following reason(s): 'Bombers Modification 2' is the correct name.

Do not use it!

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Endurance		Attack		Support		Versatility
1	Priority Target Situational Awareness indicator will show the number of opponents currently aiming at you with main battery guns. ★	Preventative Maintenance -30% to the risk of incapacitation of main turrets, torpedo tubes, steering gear, engines.	Expert Loader -50% to reload time when shell type is switched.	Air Supremacy -5% aircraft restoration time. ★★★	Direction Center for Fighters +1 fighter to carrier fighter squadrons or catapult fighters.	Improved Engine Boost +10% Aircraft engine boost time. ★★	Incoming Fire Alert Indicator of long-range enemy artillery fire.	Last Gasp Completely restores the engine boost for the last attack flight of the carrier's planes. ★
2	High Alert -10% to reload time of Damage Control Party consumable. ★	Jack of All Trades -5% to reload time of all consumables.	Expert Marksman +2.5 deg/sec to traverse speed of guns with a caliber up to 139mm. +0.7 deg/sec to traverse speed of guns with a caliber above 139mm.	Torpedo Acceleration +5 knots to torpedo speed. -20% to torpedo range. ★★	Smoke Screen Expert +20% to the radius of the smoke screen.	Improved Engines +2.5% Squadron speed. ★★★	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% to reload times of all types of armament for each 1% of total health lost. +0.2% squadron speed for each 1% of total health lost.	Last Stand The ship remains able to move and maneuver while the engine or steering gears are incapacitated.
3	Basics of Survivability -15% to time of repair, fire extinguishing, and recovery from flooding. ★	Survivability Expert +350 ship HP for each ship tier. +15 aircraft HP for each ship tier.	Torpedo Armament Expertise -10% to reload time of torpedo tubes. ★★	Aircraft Armor Reduces continuous damage to aircraft in all AA defense zones. -10% continuous damage. ★★★	Basic Firing Training -10% to reload time of main battery guns with a caliber up to and including 139mm and all secondary battery guns. +10% to continuous damage from AA guns. ★	Superintendent +1 additional charge to all consumables mounted on a ship.	Demolition Expert +2% chance of HE shells causing a fire on target. +1% chance of rockets causing a fire on target. +5% chance of HE bombs causing a fire on target.	Vigilance +25% to detection range of enemy torpedoes.
4	Manual Fire Control for Secondary Armament Tightens dispersion of shells from secondary batteries. -15% for Tier I-VI ships. -60% for Tier VII-X ships. Manually selected target only.	Fire Prevention -10% to the risk of fire. The maximum number of fires on a ship is reduced to three.	Inertia Fuse for HE Shells +30% to the armor penetration capacity of HE shells. -1% chance of fire on target caused by shells <=139mm. -3% chance of fire on target caused by shells >139mm.	Sight Stabilization Speeds up the aiming of a carrier's aircraft. +5% attack aircraft aiming speed. +5% torpedo bomber aiming speed. +10% dive bomber aiming speed. ★★★	Advanced Firing Training +20% to firing range of main battery guns with a caliber up to 139mm and all secondary battery guns. +15% damage/sec. within the explosion radius of shells fired from long-range AA defenses.	Massive AA Fire Instantaneous Damage +100%. Priority AA sector cooldown +50%.	Radio Position Finding Shows the direction to the nearest enemy ship. The enemy is alerted that a bearing has been taken.	Concealment Expert -10% to the detection radius of all ships and aircraft. ★★★
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful ★★ - Frequently Useful ★ - Occasionally Useful No stars - Meh Χ - Not recommended

Recommended Signal Flags
Combat
Juliet Charlie -100% to the risk of magazine detonation.	Juliet Yankee Bissotwo -20% to flooding duration.	India Yankee -20% to fire duration.	Hotel Yankee -20% to damage received when ramming the enemy. +50% to damage dealt when ramming the enemy.	Victor Lima +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +4% chance of torpedoes causing flooding.	India X-Ray +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating.
Juliet Whiskey Unaone +15% chance of causing flooding. +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating. ★★★	Mike Yankee Soxisix +5% to secondary battery maximum firing range. -5% to maximum dispersion of secondary battery shells. -5% to secondary battery loading time.	November Echo Setteseven +5% continuous AA damage at all ranges. +5% damage from flak bursts. ★★★	Sierra Mike +5% to the ship's maximum speed. ★	November Foxtrot -5% reload time on all consumables.	India Delta +20% to the amount of HP recovered when Repair Party  is used.
X-Ray Papa Unaone +10% action time of a Smoke Generator .	Sierra Bravo +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search  -10% reload time of Defensive AA Fire .

Destroyers	II Tachibana • II Umikaze • II Tachibana Lima • III Wakatake • IV Isokaze • V Minekaze • V Fūjin • V Kamikaze • V Kamikaze R • V Mutsuki • VI Fubuki • VI Hatsuharu • VI Shinonome B • VI Shinonome • VII Akatsuki • VII Shiratsuyu • VII Yūdachi • VIII Akizuki • VIII Kagerō • VIII Asashio • VIII HSF Harekaze II • VIII Asashio B • VIII HSF Harekaze • VIII AL Yukikaze • IX Yūgumo • IX Kitakaze • IX Minegumo • IX STAR Kitakaze • X Shimakaze • X Harugumo • X Hayate • ★ Yamagiri
Cruisers	I Hashidate • II Chikuma • III Tenryū • III Katori • IV Yūbari • IV Kuma • IV Iwaki Alpha • V Furutaka • V Agano • V Yahagi • VI Aoba • VI Gokase • VII Myōkō • VII Omono • VII Tokachi • VII Maya • VII ARP Myōkō • VII ARP Ashigara • VII ARP Haguro • VII Southern Dragon • VII Eastern Dragon • VII ARP Nachi • VIII Mogami • VIII Tone • VIII Atago • VIII Shimanto • VIII Atago B • VIII ARP Takao • VIII ARP Maya • IX Ibuki • IX Takahashi • IX Azuma • IX AL Azuma • IX Chikuma II • X Zaō • X Yodo • X Yoshino • X Yoshino B • X Kitakami
Battleships	II Mikasa • III Kawachi • IV Myōgi • IV Ishizuchi • V Kongō • V ARP Kongō • V ARP Kirishima • V ARP Haruna • V ARP Hiei • V HSF Hiei • VI Fusō • VI Mutsu • VI Ise • VII Nagato • VII Ashitaka • VII Hyūga • VIII Amagi • VIII Yumihari • VIII Kii • VIII Ignis Purgatio • VIII Ragnarok • IX Izumo • IX Adatara • IX Musashi • IX Hizen • IX Iwami • IX Daisen • IX Tsurugi • IX Iwami B • X Yamato • X Bungo • X Shikishima • X ARP Yamato • ★ Satsuma
Aircraft Carriers	IV Hōshō • VI Ryūjō • VIII Shōkaku • VIII Kaga • VIII Kaga B • X Hakuryū • ★ Sekiryu

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

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Shokaku

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Compatible Upgrades