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California
California_wows_main.jpg
Battleship | U.S.A. | Tier VII
Tech Tree Position
California_icon_small.png
General
Purchase priceSpecial Doubloons
Hit Points58,300 
Main Battery
356 mm/50 Mk.7 in a turret4 х 3 pcs.
Rate of Fire1.75 shots/min.
Reload Time34.2 sec.
Rotation Speeddeg./sec.
180 Degree Turn Time60 sec.
Firing Range19.9 km.
Maximum Dispersion259 m.
HE Shell356 mm HE/HC Mk22 
Maximum HE Shell Damage5,000 
Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell30 %
Initial HE Shell Velocity861 m./s.
HE Shell Weight578.34 kg.
AP Shell356 mm AP Mk16 
Maximum AP Shell Damage10,500 
Initial AP Shell Velocity823 m./s.
AP Shell Weight680.4 kg.
Secondary Armament #1
127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.32 mount8 х 2 pcs.
Firing Range5.6 km.
Rate of Fire10 shots/min.
Reload Timesec.
HE Shell127 mm HE Mk32 
Maximum HE Shell Damage1,800 
Initial HE Shell Velocity792 m./s.
Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell%
AA Defense
127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.32 mount8 х 2 pcs.
. . . Average Damage per Second120.8 
. . . Firing Range5.01 km.
20 mm Oerlikon on a single Mk.20 mount41 х 2 pcs.
. . . Average Damage per Second250.1 
. . . Firing Range2.01 km.
40 mm/56 Bofors on a Mk.2 mount14 х 4 pcs.
. . . Average Damage per Second222.6 
. . . Firing Range3.51 km.
Maneuverability
Maximum Speed20.5 knot
Turning Circle Radius640 m.
Rudder Shift Time14.7 sec.
Concealment
Surface Detectability Range13.09 km.
Air Detectability Range9.69 km.
Battle Levels
12345678910
Wows_anno_flag_usa.png
VII
Ship_PASB707_California.png
Special

California — American special premium Tier VII battleship.

USS California, the second Tennessee-class battleship, was laid down in 1916 and entered service in August 1921. Throughout her peacetime career, the ship was the flagship of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. In 1941 she was damaged by torpedoes and bombs and sank. A year later, the ship was raised and modernized, after which she returned to service and participated in combat in the Pacific Ocean, including the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign, the Philippines campaign, and the assault on Okinawa.

California was sold for two weeks beginning 03 July 2020. She is currently available in the Premium Shop.

Modules

Main Battery Guns Rate of Fire
(shots/min)
180° Turn Time
(sec)
Maximum Dispersion
(m)
Maximum HE Shell Damage
(HP)
Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell
(%)
Maximum AP Shell Damage
(HP)
Research price
(exp)
Purchase price
(Credits)
356 mm/50 Mk.7 in a turret1.8602595,0003010,500 00
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)
California58,300164574841/14/8 00
Fire Control System IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST
(%)
Maximum Firing Range
(km)
Research price
(exp)
Purchase price
(Credits)
Mk7 mod. 10 00
Engine Maximum Speed
(knot)
Research price
(exp)
Purchase price
(Credits)
Propulsion: 29,500 hp20.5 00

Compatible Upgrades

 Slot 1 
Main Armaments Modification 1
Auxiliary Armaments Modification 1
Magazine Modification 1
Spotting Aircraft Modification 1
Damage Control Party Modification 1
 Slot 2 
Damage Control System Modification 1
Engine Room Protection
 Slot 3 
Main Battery Modification 2
Secondary Battery Modification 1
AA Guns Modification 1
Artillery Plotting Room Modification 1
 Slot 4 
Damage Control System Modification 2
Steering Gears Modification 1
Airstrike Modification 1

Player Opinion

Performance

Background

California was a Tennessee class battleship built essentially as an improved New Mexico class battleship. She was present at Pearl Harbor and slowly sank throughout the next 3 days. She was refloated and heavily modernized which included her hull being widened, replacement of her secondary battery, and a large addition of anti aircraft guns. California participated in numerous campaigns in the pacific including the Philippines campaign and the battle of Leyte Gulf.

Summary

California is essentially a New Mexico built for AA at tier VII. She is a slow ship, with a 20.5 knot speed, 14.7 second rudder shift, and 35 second reload. But her strengths are highlighted in her low 11.5km concealment, strong torpedo protection, impressive AA armament, heavy broadside, and long main battery range.

Armor

California, like most of her “standard” battleship relatives, features a 26mm bow, stern, and most of her deck. While at lower tiers this may be enough to deflect enemy fire, the normalization of the 406mm or higher guns at tier VIII and IX means that players will have to be careful in engagements against most higher tier battleships. California’s side armor is primarily protected by her massive 35mm torpedo bulge, followed by 343mm plated casemate armor above the citadel. Citadelling California is near impossible, with the citadel being located completely underwater. Overall California is fairly armored, but will struggle to tank against higher tier battleships.

Armament

California retains the same main battery as New Mexico, mounting 12 356mm guns in a 4x3 turret layout. They are one of the slowest reloading guns at tier VII, with a 34.2 second reload, however the reload is offset by her accurate 1.9 sigma, high shell alpha of 10500 damage, and one of the best at tier broadsides of 126000 damage. California also features a 19.9km base range with her main battery, one of the best at Tier VII.

Anti-Aircraft

California represents her post pearl harbor refit and thus has an extremely powerful AA suite. While she doesn't have access to Defensive AA FireWhile active, the damage per second of large caliber anti-aircraft guns is increased. like Florida her AA is arguably the best of the tier VII battleships. Her long range armament has an impressive 5.8km range and deals 144 hp of continuous damage. The mid range battery has a max range of 3.5km and deals a continuous damage of 382. The main bulk of California’s AA battery comes in her short range armament, with a short 2km range, California pushes out 515hp of continuous damage. To further complement her AA, California has a 5 explosion flak salvo that deals 1470 hp of damage if it hits enemy aircraft. California can fend for herself when it comes to defending against enemy aircraft, and is a ship that enemy carriers should stay away from if they want to retain their squadrons.

Battle Performance

California is an artillery platform through and through. Due to her slow 20.5 knot speed, 14.7 second rudder shift, and 35 second reload, California needs to position carefully to be effective in battle. Her lack of overmatch against most higher tier targets means she should work with other battleships to set up crossfires. If there are multiple well armored targets bow in, HE may be the better ammo choice. California is fairly stealthy when it comes to the tier VII battleships, with an 11.5km detection with Concealment Expert which enables her to sneak in close to surprise enemy cruisers and battleships, or allows her to go dark to reposition if a flank is collapsing. In the event of a torpedo attack California’s strong torpedo protection reduces the damage by 36%. If an enemy carrier is in the game, California will be able to fend for herself or support allied ships with her powerful AA compliment.

Warning. The data presented in the AA Defense sidebar section may be incorrect.
Refer to the in-game Port screens for more useful data.

Pros:

  • Heavy broadside of twelve (12) 356mm main battery guns
  • Excellent main battery base range of 19.9km
  • Good dispersion and sigma, California can reliably land volleys at range
  • All-or-nothing armor scheme ensures great protection to the ship's midsection
  • The citadel block is completely submerged and very difficult to hit
  • Outstanding AA defenses
  • Excellent concealment with all relevant upgrades
  • Tight turn radius and fairly good rudder shift for a battleship

Cons:

  • Small gun caliber for a Tier 7 battleship
  • Very slow main battery reload speed and traverse speed
  • Extremely poor ship speed of only 20.5 knots
  • Extensively covered in 26mm plating, very vulnerable to HE spam and high caliber AP overmatch
  • Most of California's AA defenses are open mounts, and can be easily destroyed



Research

As a premium ship, California doesn't have any upgrades to research.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades for California are as follows:

Commander Skills

Consumables

California can equip the following consumables:

Camouflage

As a premium ship, California comes with Default permanent camouflage and a set of permanent combat bonuses.

Signals

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

Gallery

Historical Info

Historical Gallery

References

Wargaming

  1. Armada: California - July 3, 2020

Wikipedia

  1. USS California (BB-44)
  2. Tennessee-class battleship

Ship Change Log

See here for links to Update notes.

  • Available for testing by supertesters in the game starting from Update 0.8.8.

Testing Changes

  • Aug 15, 2019:
    • Preliminary characteristics.
  • Sep 27, 2019:
    • Main battery firing range increased from 17 to 19.1 km.
    • Sigma parameter increased from 1.7 to 1.8.
  • DevBlog 8 (April 17, 2020):
    • Main battery reload time increased from 30 to 34.2 s.
  • DevBlog 16:
    • Fighter consumable added to the same slot as the Spotting Aircraft consumable.
    • Sigma parameter increased from 1.8 to 1.9.
    • Main battery firing range increased from 19.1 to 19.9 km.
  • First appeared on sale in July 2020.
  • Update 0.9.7:
    • Minor fixes to geometry and textures.
  • Update 0.9.8:
    • Minor fixes to textures and geometry of the ship.
  • Update 0.10.0:
    • The firing range of the secondary battery was increased to 5.6 km.
  • Update 12.3:
    • Armor layout updated.
  • Update 12.9:
    • Fixed textures and models for the ship.
  • Update 13.1:
    • Main Battery reload time reduced from 34.2 to 32.5 s.
    • Changed engine parameters: the acceleration time for forward and reverse movement was significantly reduced.
      • The new acceleration settings are similar to those found on Kansas, Minnesota and Vermont.

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