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Cachalot

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Cachalot
Cachalot_wows_main.jpg
Submarine | U.S.A. | Tier VI
Tech Tree Position
Farragut
Arrow_down.png
Cachalot_icon_small.png
Arrow_down.png
Salmon
stock
 top
General
Research price40000 exp
Purchase price4,500,000 Credits
Hit Points11,700 
Secondary Armament #1
76.2 mm/50 Mk.21 on a Mk.21 mount1 х 1 pcs.
Firing Rangekm.
Rate of Fire20 shots/min.
Reload Timesec.
Torpedo Tubes
533 mm6 х 1 pcs.
Rate of Fire1.25 shots/min.
Reload Time48 sec.
Rotation Speed12 deg./sec.
180 Degree Turn Time15 sec.
TorpedoMk22 mod. 0 
Maximum Damage7,033 
Torpedo Speed82 knot
Torpedo Range10.002 km.
Maneuverability
Maximum Speed27 knot
Turning Circle Radius430 m.
Rudder Shift Time6.2 sec.
Concealment
Surface Detectability Range6.36 km.
Air Detectability Range2.35 km.
Battle Levels
12345678910
Wows_anno_flag_usa.png
VI
Ship_PASS206_Cachalot.png
4,500,000

Cachalot — American Tier VI submarine.

The Cachalot-class submarine project was influenced by the restrictions of the London Naval Treaty and the characteristics of the German U-135 submarine. Subsequently, the Cachalot class was used as the basis for all American submarine designs of World War II. It was for the first time in the history of the U.S. Navy that welding was so widely used in submarine construction. USS Cachalot caught the start of World War II in Pearl Harbor. The submarine carried out three combat missions, having damaged a Japanese tanker.

Modules

Hull 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
(Credits)
Cachalot (A)11,70061916 0525,000
Cachalot (B)14,00061916 12,0001,050,000
Torpedoes Rate of Fire
(shots/min)
Torpedo Tubes Reload Time
(sec)
180° Turn Time
(sec)
Maximum Damage
(HP)
Torpedo Speed
(knot)
Torpedo Range
(km)
Research price
(exp)
Purchase price
(Credits)
Mk22 mod. 01.348157,0338210 0350,000
Mk22 mod. 11.442157,8338210 8,000700,000
Sonar Rate of Fire
(m/s)
Torpedo Range
(km)
Research price
(exp)
Purchase price
(Credits)
Engine Maximum Speed
(knot)
Research price
(exp)
Purchase price
(Credits)
Propulsion: 3,070 hp27 0350,000

Compatible Upgrades

 Slot 1 
Main Armaments Modification 1
Damage Control Party Modification 1
Sonar Modification 1
 Slot 2 
Engine Room Protection
Sonar Modification 2
Damage Control System Modification 3
 Slot 3 
Torpedo Tubes Modification 1
Dive Capacity Modification 1
 Slot 4 
Damage Control System Modification 2
Propulsion Modification 1
Submarine Steering Gears

Player Opinion

Performance

Performance:

Cachalot is the Tier VI tech tree submarine in the American submarine branch. As an introductory submarine, she is only equipped with homing torpedoes, and has access to Enhanced Rudder GearsIncreases dive and ascent speed and reduces diving plane shift time..

Hull:

Cachalot’s survivability is decent, with an HP pool of 14,000. Her armor is nonexistent, with her entire hull covered in 16mm. Players should be careful not to be spotted on the surface for extended periods of time, as she will suffer heavy damage.

Cachalot’s maneuverability helps her survive in battle. Her 430 m turning radius and 4.9-second rudder shift are both good, which aid in dodging depth charges. Conversely, her 6.4km concealment is quite high for a submarine, and means many destroyers in her matchmaking spread will be able to spot her in return.

She has a 27 knot top speed on the surface, and a 13 knot underwater speed. While her surface speed is average, her underwater speed is slow. This poor underwater speed means she is not fast enough to outrun destroyers, and her hull can be vulnerable to depth charges. Careful positioning is vital in order to not be stuck in bad situations where her speed will not bail her out.

Cachalot’s Dive Capacity recharge and depletion rate are standard for her tier, at 1 unit/second each. At 170 units, her Dive Capacity allows her to stay underwater for almost 3 minutes. Cachalot has no other ways of increasing her time underwater besides surfacing, which is not always possible to do safely.

Armament:

Cachalot’s sonar is a helpful tool for dealing effective damage. The velocity is good at 600 m/s, and has a 10 km range with a 7.5s reload time. Double pings last for 50 seconds, which allows ample time for homing torpedoes to arrive.

Homing Torpedoes

Cachalot’s homing torpedoes allow for long range torpedo attacks. They have a range of 10km, deal a maximum of 7,833 damage, travel very fast at 86 knots, and have a 31.5% chance of flooding. While her homing torpedoes are good at long range, their fast speed and short arming distance also allow them to be used at close ranges against small and agile targets, especially when shotgunning. Shotgunning is the act of closing distance to a target (around 2-3km) while undetected and launching torpedoes at close range, often heavily damaging or destroying low-health ships. Due to having 4 bow torpedo tubes, shotgun attacks with homing torpedoes can deal respectable damage, and can kill low health cruisers and destroyers with her maximum alpha strike of 31,332 damage. Cachalot also has 2 rear torpedo launchers, which can be used after diving below targets and repeating the shotgun with rear launchers, for an alpha strike of 15,666 damage.

The torpedoes have a fast reload of 42 seconds. However, as Cachalot is an American submarine, she only reloads 2 bow and 2 stern torpedo tubes at a time, with the other torpedoes waiting to be reloaded after the previous 4 are finished.

Consumables:

Cachalot has a standard Damage Control Party, with only three charges stock, and a long 21-second duration time. This makes her relatively safe from module incapacitations and damage over time effects, as long as players can go undetected within the 21-second period. Players should be careful not to exhaust their limited charges, or they will rapidly lose HP to flood and fire damage.

Her Hydrophone is useful for tracking the location of surface ships while underwater. As Cachalot has higher concealment than most destroyers, the hydrophone is useful for gauging when it is safe to surface and recharge dive capacity. It lasts 30 seconds, has a long 8km range, and a 60-second reload time.

Cachalot’s Submarine Surveillance aids her in detecting enemy submarines, but has a short range of 6km. This can be a considerable downside when enemy subs with a longer range spot her (like U-69 with her 9km Surveillance), and Cachalot cannot spot them back.

As an American submarine, Cachalot gets access to the Enhanced Rudder Gears consumable, which reduces diving plane shift time by 20% and increases her maximum dive and ascend speed by 20%. This allows Cachalot to change depth quickly, rising to surface level quickly during attacks or diving faster to avoid detection.

Gameplay:

Cachalot is limited by only having homing torpedoes, but serves as the introduction to the more damage oriented play style of the American submarines. She features an increased alpha strike and stronger overall damage capabilities with forward and rear torpedo tubes, at the expense of mediocre concealment, Dive Capacity, and information consumables.

Cachalot is best played at range, and in an area where she can use all 6 torpedo tubes with ease. Open areas that allow players to circle around while continually torpedoing targets will bring the best results in terms of damage. The fast reload and speed of the homing torpedoes allows Cachalot to harass enemy ships with constant pings and torpedoes. It is important to note that multiple pings in short succession will give away the approximate location of the player, and homing torpedoes are less effective against targets that are turned away or have their Damage Control Party available. To ensure survivability, it is recommended to minimize being spotted or blind-dropped by ASW planes.

Cachalot can still be played as a shotgun submarine, albeit at higher risk of dying. Her homing torpedoes have a good alpha strike, allowing her to deal devastating damage to unaware targets. However, the irregular reload of the torpedoes, mediocre surface concealment, and lower Dive Capacity reserve mean mistakes with managing battery reserves can lead to a quick trip back to port.

When closing the distance to shotgun targets, players should primarily approach battleships and cruisers. Once at around 6 km, players should dive to periscope depth and further close distance. At around 2-3 km, her torpedoes will arm and deal high damage to targets. Thus, players should quickly launch all torpedoes before proximity detection (2km) and dive quickly to avoid detection. Homing torpedoes are effective for shotgunning as they have both fast speed and lower arming distance. Players can also ping destroyers at close range, as the Homing Shutoff Distance is short for destroyers (200-400m). Cachalot having 4 torpedoes on her bow makes shotgun attacks crippling. Her 2 rear torpedo tubes can be used as a follow up attack after diving below and going behind targets.

Against enemy submarines, her long Damage Control Party duration can assist in denying homing torpedoes for the duration and allows Cachalot to get the first strike with fast homing torpedoes. However, the short range Submarine Surveillance can be detrimental against other submarines.

Cachalot is an entry level offense-oriented submarine, and her playstyle mainly involves pumping torpedoes into enemy ships from a distance. Her strengths and weaknesses are shown through the emphasis on torpedo damage and reload, while sacrificing utility and survivability,

Pros:

  • Good HP pool for her tier
  • Homing torpedoes with good range and fast sonar ping velocity
  • Fast torpedo tube reload
  • 4 torpedo tubes on the bow, 2 on the stern
  • Good surface speed
  • Long range Hydrophone
  • Access to the Enhanced Rudder Gears consumable

Cons:

  • Long sonar ping reload time
  • Torpedoes reload 2 bow/2 stern at a time
  • Mediocre Dive Capacity reserve
  • Nonexistent armor
  • High concealment for a submarine
  • Short range Submarine Surveillance

Research

Availability of researchable upgrades for Cachalot is as follows:

  1. Hull: Upgrade to Hull (B) for improved survivability. Research of this module unlocks progression to Salmon.
  2. Sonar: Upgrade to Mk.6 mod. 2 for a faster sonar reload.
  3. Torpedoes: Upgrade to Mk22 mod. 1 for better homing torpedo reload and damage.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades are:

Commander Skills

Consumables

Cachalot equips the following consumables:

Signals

Note: Use of the Juliet Charlie signal makes detonation impossible.

Gallery

Historical Info

Historical Gallery

References


Ship Change Log

See here for links to Update notes.

  • First available for testing for all players from random bundles from Update 0.10.7 until Update 0.11.0.
  • Made available for testing again for all players in Update 0.11.2 from sequential combat missions.

Testing Changes

  • DevBlog 181:
    • Adjusted detectability range:
      • By air and submarines: from 2.6 to 2.4 km.
      • When emitting a sonar ping in smoke: from 2.3 to 2.4 km.
    • Other changes:
      • Speed of torpedoes changing depth is now approximately 2.5x higher.
      • Detectability range after emitting a sonar ping now increases to a flat 4 km, rather than the detectability value of the submarine on the surface.
      • The width of the sonar ping and its impact radius was increased 1.5x.
      • Speed of sonar ping emitted on the surface changed to 600 m/s.
      • Submarine Steering Gears Modification 2 added in upgrade slot 4.
  • DevBlog 188:
    • Changed the parameters of torpedoes:
      • Speed increased from 66 to 82 knots.
      • Detectability increased from 1.7 to 2.2 km.
      • Maximum damage increased from 6,500 to 7,833.
      • Reload time decreased from 52 to 50 s.
    • Changed the "Hydrophone" consumable:
      • Action time of the consumable increased from 30 to 45 s.
      • Detection of ships decreased from 7 to 5.5 km.
      • Detection of submarines decreased from 7 to 5.5 km.
  • Update 0.10.8:
    • Dive capacity depletion when the submarine is detected increased from 2 to 4 points per second.
    • Dive capacity restoration rate increased from 0.3 to 0.5 points per second.
    • Detectability range by sea after using the Sonar Ping decreased from 4 to 2 km.
    • The time it takes the torpedoes to arm increased from 0.5 to 2 s.
    • Decreased the detectability after using the Sonar Ping in smoke from 2.4 to 2 km.
    • Changed the Hydrophone consumable:
      • Consumable action time decreased from 45 to 40 s.
      • Consumable cooldown time decreased from 90 to 80 s.
      • Decreased ship bearing distance and spotting range when submerged from 5.5 to 5 km.
  • Update 0.10.9:
    • Dive Capacity depletion rate when spotted decreased from 4 to 3 units per second.
    • Torpedoes are now launched one by one.
    • The width of torpedo launch cone increased 2.5 times.
    • Torpedo and sonar ping range decreased from 11.5 to 10 km.
  • Update 0.10.10:
    • Reduced maneuvering capabilities of homing torpedoes.
    • Distance in which homing torpedoes cease to home in on cruisers and destroyers increased twofold.
    • The base visibility of surface ships at operating depth was decreased to 2 km.
    • Changes in the detectability of the submarine now occur at periscope and operating depth.
  • Update 0.10.11:
    • The torpedo homing mechanics were updated.
    • The Hydrophone consumable starts with a 300 s cooldown at the beginning of a battle.
    • Added an underwater torpedo reticle.
  • DevBlog 255:
    • Increased HP from 9,900 to 14,000.
    • Increased the duration of the double-pinged sector from 30 to 90 s.
    • Can no longer be detected with the Surveillance Radar consumable at periscope depth.
    • Can now detect ships in smoke from the assured acquisition range from operating depth.
    • Ships in smoke can now detect the submarine at the operating depth from the assured acquisition range.
    • Fixed a bug causing the submarine to be affected by a 20-second detectability penalty after using a sonar ping.
    • Fixed a bug that caused ships' detectability to increase for the submarine after firing main battery guns while in smoke.
  • Update 0.11.0:
    • Removed from the live server.
  • Update 0.11.2.1 (This lists the overall changes made to the submarine, including DevBlog 289 and DevBlog 293):
    • Readded to the live server.
    • Can now be detected by Hydroacoustic Search at maximum depth from 2 km.
    • Operating depth removed.
    • Emits oil slicks when hit at periscope or maximum depth.
    • Sonar pings emitted by the submarine are visible to enemy ships at a distance of 8 km.
    • Changed the Damage Control Party consumable:
      • Number of charges decreased from unlimited to 3.
      • Cooldown increased from 40 to 60 s.
      • Action time increased from 5 to 15 s.
    • Changed the Hydrophone consumable:
      • Number of charges increased from 3 to unlimited.
      • Interval between pings decreased to 6 s.
    • Changed the parameters of homing torpedoes:
      • Arming time set to 2 s.
      • Ascent time increased by approximately 2 times.
      • Reload time decreased from 50 to 42 s.
      • Flooding chance decreased from 42% to 32%.
    • Decreased the duration of the single-pinged sector from 30 to 25 s.
    • Decreased the duration of the double-pinged sector from 90 to 50 s.
    • Dive capacity decreased from 360 units to 170 units.
    • Dive capacity recharge rate increased from 0.5 to 1.5 units/s.
    • Dive capacity depletion rate when detected decreased from 3 to 1.3 units/s.
    • Flooding duration decreased from 40 to 30 s.
    • Maximum flooding damage increased from 25% to 33% of total HP.
  • Update 0.11.4:
    • Disabled the increased dive capacity depletion rate when the submarine is detected by the enemy.
    • Replaced ping movement effect with ping launch effect when undetected, displayed within a range of 1 km from the submarine and lasting 5 seconds.
    • The characteristics and capabilities at periscope depth are now maintained while staying at that depth and right until the submarine has reached her maximum depth.
    • The border separating the periscope and maximum depths now lies at 15 m.
    • Maximum depth values were changed to 30 and 60 m.
  • DevBlog 329:
    • Added dispersion when launching torpedoes:
      • 11 ° for bow and 5 ° for stern tubes.
  • DevBlog 332:
    • Changed the dispersion when launching torpedoes:
      • For bow tubes - reduced from 11 ° to 3 °.
      • For stern tubes - reduced from 5 ° to 2 °.
  • Update 0.11.5:
    • Replaced the rotation of torpedo launchers with torpedo turning mechanics.
    • Fixed a bug that caused the submarine at the start of each new battle to select a torpedo type that was different from the last selected type in the previous battle.
    • Fixed a bug that prevented the submarine's torpedo reticles from turning to follow the sonar.
  • DevBlog 338:
    • Dive Capacity recovery rate reduced from 1.5 to 1.2 units/s.
    • Changes to speed and turning circle radius:
      • Surface speed: from 25 to 27 knots.
      • Underwater speed: from 15 to 13 knots.
      • Turning circle radius: from 550 to 500 meters.
  • DevBlog 348:
    • Removed the Hydrophone consumable.
    • Added the Echo-Ranging Set consumable with the following settings:
      • Action time: 30 s.
      • Reload time: 60 s.
      • Interval between pings: 6 s.
      • Ship bearing effect duration: 4 s.
      • Ship bearing distance: 8 km.
      • Number of charges: Unlimited.
    • Added the Low-Frequency Hydrophone consumable with the following settings:
      • Action time: 60 s.
      • Reload time: 120 s.
      • Submarines' spotting range: 6 km.
      • Number of charges: Unlimited.
      • Preparation time: 360 s.
  • Update 0.11.7:
    • Renamed the Echo-Ranging Set consumable to the Hydrophone consumable.
    • Renamed the Low-Frequency Hydrophone consumable to the Submarine Surveillance consumable.
    • Disabled guaranteed detection for the submarine in the submerged position.
    • The visual effects above the submarine when using sonar is now also displayed for the submarine herself.
  • Update 0.11.8:
    • Added a visual distinction between the effect of acoustic homing torpedoes and regular ones.
    • Fixed a bug that caused Credits to be deducted for resupplying only a part of the submarine's ammunition.
    • Fixed a bug that caused tooltips to overlap the screen with the composition of teams when playing the submarine.
  • DevBlog 370:
    • With the release of Update 0.11.9:
      • Preparation time for the Submarine Surveillance consumable reduced from 360 to 330 s.
  • Update 0.11.9:
    • Available in early access via sequential bundles and from Submarines containers.
    • Visual effect added showing smoke coming from the diesel engines while Cachalot is moving.
    • Readded the ping movement effect.
    • Added a special indicator to notify players when there is little diving capacity remaining.
    • Updated the set of sound effects for torpedo launching.
    • Updated the icon for acoustic homing torpedoes.
  • Introduced to the game as a researchable ship in Update 0.11.10.
  • Update 12.0:
    • Fixed a bug that caused the submarine's diving planes to freeze when using the Enhanced Rudder Gears consumable.
  • Update 13.1:
    • Turning circle radius reduced from 500 to 430 m.
  • Update 13.2:
    • Torpedoes now do 10% of maximum damage up to 2.9 km, and then scale to 100% damage from 2.9 to 3 km.
    • Stock and researchable homing torpedoes changed:
      • Arming distance reduced from 440 to 22 m.

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