Helena

13.8

Helena

Cruiser | U.S.A. | Tier VII

Tech Tree Position

stock

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General

Research price75000 exp

Purchase price5,800,000

Hit Points28,700

Main Battery

152 mm/47 Mk.16 in a turret5 х 3 pcs.

Rate of Fire7.06 shots/min.

Reload Time8.5 sec.

Rotation Speed8 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time22.5 sec.

Firing Range13.24 km.

Maximum Dispersion133 m.

HE Shell152 mm HE/HC Mk34

Maximum HE Shell Damage2,200

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell12 %

Initial HE Shell Velocity812 m./s.

HE Shell Weight47.6 kg.

AP Shell152 mm AP Mk35

Maximum AP Shell Damage3,200

Initial AP Shell Velocity762 m./s.

AP Shell Weight59 kg.

Secondary Armament #1

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.29 mount4 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range5.6 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 %

AA Defense

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.29 mount4 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second60.4

. . . Firing Range5.01 km.

28 mm Mk.1 on a Mk.2 mount8 х 4 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second18.4

. . . Firing Range2.4 km.

20 mm Oerlikon on a Mk.24 mount4 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second24.4

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

20 mm Oerlikon on a Mk.4 mount10 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second36

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed32.5 knot

Turning Circle Radius680 m.

Rudder Shift Time12.8 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range11.52 km.

Air Detectability Range6.44 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

13.8

Helena

Cruiser | U.S.A. | Tier VII

Tech Tree Position

stock

 top

General

Research price75000 exp

Purchase price5,800,000

Hit Points33,300

Main Battery

152 mm/47 Mk.16 in a turret5 х 3 pcs.

Rate of Fire7.06 shots/min.

Reload Time8.5 sec.

Rotation Speed8 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time22.5 sec.

Firing Range14.56 km.

Maximum Dispersion133 m.

HE Shell152 mm HE/HC Mk34

Maximum HE Shell Damage2,200

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell12 %

Initial HE Shell Velocity812 m./s.

HE Shell Weight47.6 kg.

AP Shell152 mm AP Mk35

Maximum AP Shell Damage3,200

Initial AP Shell Velocity762 m./s.

AP Shell Weight59 kg.

Secondary Armament #1

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.29 mount4 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range5.6 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 %

AA Defense

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.29 mount4 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second60.4

. . . Firing Range5.01 km.

40 mm/56 Bofors on a Mk.2 mount4 х 4 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second63.6

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

20 mm Oerlikon on a Mk.24 mount4 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second24.4

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

20 mm Oerlikon on a Mk.4 mount10 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second36

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

40 mm/56 Bofors on a Mk.1 mount4 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second45.2

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed32.5 knot

Turning Circle Radius680 m.

Rudder Shift Time9.2 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range11.52 km.

Air Detectability Range6.44 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

VII

5,800,000

Helena — American Tier VII cruiser.

A light cruiser similar to Brooklyn-class ships, but with a different architecture and full-fledged dual-purpose artillery. One of the few ships of her type that had fifteen 152 mm guns as the main battery.

Modules

	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 ()
152 mm/47 Mk.16 in a turret	7.1	22.5	133	2,200	12	3,200		0	435,000

	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 ()
Helena (A)	28,700	6	165	5	4	10/4/8/4				0	605,000
Helena (B)	33,300	6	165	5	4	4/4				14,300	1,150,000

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Mk7 mod. 1		0		0	390,000
Mk7 mod. 2		0		16,700	970,000

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 100,000 hp	32.5		0	395,000

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4

Player Opinion

Performance

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

Helena is quite unique compared to other American light cruisers, as she posses 15 guns in a turret setup that captains used to playing Japanese cruisers will recognize easily.

Just like her American cruiser brethren, Helena’s play style relies on keeping her out of the sights of the enemy, whether through concealment or hard cover. Helena’s armor is less than optimal, so proper angling and shell dodging should be used to mitigate damage. Despite having 15 guns, captains should be aware of when it is appropriate to utilize all her full firepower, or to play it safe and remain angled to incoming fire.

Captains who are familiar with the guns of the preceding ships to Helena (whether the current Dallas or the old Tier VI Cleveland) will be right at home handling Helena’s guns. Her lofty shell arcs prevent effective engagement at range, but allow her to remain behind hard cover while firing. Her short range, even when the upgraded module is equipped, is a definite hindrance to her performance, and captains should be aware of when to close the distance to engage targets. When she can engage with all guns, her HE firepower is immense, often resulting in several thousand-damage salvos on all types of targets (with the Inertia Fuse for HE Shells skill).

Like other American light cruisers, Helena possesses a variety of consumables to to help her team, such as Hydroacoustic Search  and Defensive AA Fire . Combined with her massive firepower potential, Helena makes for a great support cruiser. That being said, captains need to be acutely aware of her weaknesses to make her work well.

Pros:

• Massive broadside firepower; landing most of an HE salvo on an enemy ship can do a significant amount of damage.
• Three rear facing turrets allows for effective kiting tactics.
• Good concealment.
• Quick rudder shift.
• Portion of citadel near waterline is short for a ship of its size. May lead enemies to shoot at less vulnerable parts of the ship thinking there is citadel there.

Cons:

• Weak broadside armor.
• Poor forward turret angles.
• High shell arcs.
• Low range.
• Requires Inertia Fuse for High Explosive skill to make her guns truly effective against other cruisers and battleships.

Research

Availability of researchable upgrades for Helena is as follows:

• Hull: Upgrade to Hull (B) for a 4,600 increase in hit points, increased burn resistance, a faster rudder shift time, and better AA.
• Gun Fire Control System: Upgrade to Mk 7 mod. 2 for an extra 10% range on the main battery.

It is recommended to upgrade her firing range first, as a 13.24 km range in Tier IX battles is absolutely unacceptable.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades for Helena are as follows:

• Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
• Slot 2: Damage Control System Modification 1 
• Slot 3: AA Guns Modification 1 or Aiming Systems Modification 1
• Slot 4: Propulsion Modification 1 or Steering Gears Modification 1

Commander Skills

Helena is a light cruiser, so Concealment Expert and Inertia Fuse for HE Shells are priority skills to improve her survival and damage output.

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Attack				Defense
1	Grease the Gears +15% main battery traverse speed.	Swift Fish +5% torpedo speed.	Consumables Specialist −7.5% cooldown time of all Consumables except:  Damage Control Party   Repair Party .	Gun Feeder -40% time to switch shell type.	Incoming Fire Alert Receive a warning of a salvo fired at your ship from more than 4.5km. ★★	Last Stand The ship remains able to move and maneuver - slowly - while the engine or steering gears are incapacitated. ★★
2	Demolition Expert +1% chance of main and secondary HE shells causing a fire. +15% to the fragmentation damage area of HE ordnance fired at submarines.	Fill the Tubes -10% torpedo tubes reload time.	Consumables Enhancements +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search, Surveillance Radar, Smoke Generator, & Engine Boost. ★★	Eye in the Sky Spotting Aircraft: • +2 charges • -50% cooldown time.	Priority Target The detection indicator will show the number of enemies targeting you with main battery.	Focus Fire Training In an active priority AA sector: •  +1.5% (to 5%) immediate damage. •  +25% continuous damage. •  +1 flak burst per salvo. −10% aircraft preparation time. −15% reload time of Airstrike armament..
3	Heavy HE and SAP Shells +10% HE and SAP shell damage. +15% ship detectability guns 149mm and up. ★★	Pack a Punch +15% torpedo damage. +20% secondary battery range..	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% reload time of all armaments per 1% HP lost +0.2% AA continuous damage per 1% HP lost. ★★	Heavy AP Shells +5% damage for AP shells 190mm and larger.	Superintendent +1 charge to all consumables. ★★	Survivability Expert +450 HP per ship tier.
4	Top Grade Gunner -10% reload time of secondary batteries If enemy ship is spotted within detectability range, -8% reload time of main battery.	Outnumbered If there are fewer allies than visible enemies within the ship's base main caliber firing range: +8% ship speed -10% main battery dispersion.	Radio Location Shows the direction to the nearest enemy ship. The enemy is alerted that a bearing has been taken..	Inertial Fuse for HE Shells +25% armor penetration of HE shells Base fire chance reduced by half. ★★	Concealment Expert -10% detectability range of the ship.	AAA & ASW Expert +25% continuous AA and flak damage. +15% damage inflicted by depth charges. While AAA is active: −50% ship consumables reload time.. ★★
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful      ★★ - Frequently Useful      ★ - Occasionally Useful     No stars - Not Useful

Consumables

Helena equips the following consumables:

• Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
• Slot 2: Defensive AA Fire 
• Slot 3: Catapult Fighter 
• Slot 4: Hydroacoustic Search 

Signals

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 .

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

Gallery

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  In-game render of Helena in Measure 21 camouflage (erroneously named Boise). This paint scheme was never implemented. Only Measure 32, the historical camouflage of sister ship St. Louis, is available as the permanent camouflage for Helena.

Historical Info

USS Helena, 1943

Construction

Builder: New York Naval Shipyard; Brooklyn, United States

Laid down: 9 December 1936

Launched: 27 August 1938

Commissioned: 18 September 1939

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Specifications

10,000 tons displacement, standard

185.52m length

18.72m beam

6.05m draft

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Machinery

8 x Steam Boilers

4 x geared turbines

4 x screws

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Performance

32.5 knots at 100,000 shaft horsepower

10,000 nm at 15 knots

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Armor

Main belt: 83 - 127 mm

Upper belt: 16 mm

Torpedo bulkhead:

Decks: 51 mm

Barbettes and Turrets: 150 mm and 32 - 152 mm

Conning tower: 57 -127 mm

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Armament

Main

15 x 6 in (152 mm)/47 caliber Mark 16 guns (5x3)

Secondary

4 x twin 5 in (127 mm)/38 caliber guns

Anti-aircraft

4 x twin 5 in (127 mm)/38 caliber anti-aircraft guns

16 x 40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors anti-aircraft guns

12 x single 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons

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Aircraft

Total

4 x SOC Seagull floatplanes

USS Helena (CL 50) Anchored in President Roads, Boston, Massachusetts, 15 June 1940.

History

USS Helena (CL-50) was a St. Louis-class light cruiser of the United States Navy. Completed shortly before World War II, she was damaged in the attack on Pearl Harbor and was at the center of three significant battles during the Solomon Islands campaign of the Pacific War. She was sunk by three surface-fired torpedoes at the battle of Kula Gulf in 1943. She was one of three U.S. light cruisers to be sunk during the war.
In March 1945, for actions in October and November 1942, and in her final engagement on July 5, 1943, Helena became the first US Navy ship to be awarded the Navy Unit Commendation Medal.
On April 11 2018, her wreck was discovered in the Solomon Islands by Paul Allen's research ship R/V Petrel.

Design

The Brooklyn, and subsequent St. Louis-class light cruisers, were born as a result of the US Navy requiring more heavily armed and armored light cruisers to replace the aging Omaha-class cruisers. Like many ship designs of allied nations during the 1930's, the Brooklyn's were limited in tonnage by the demands set in place by the London Naval Treaty; for the Brooklyn-class, this meant a max standard displacement of 10,000 tons. Other desired elements of the design included a high speed and armament to match that of the Japanese Mogami-class, which were armed with fifteen 155 mm guns. Thus, the fifteen 6 inch-gun Brooklyn-class light cruisers were born.

The success of the seven Brooklyn-class cruisers inspired and laid the foundations for all subsequent US cruiser designs, both heavy and light. The first of these successors was the St. Louis-class, to which Helena belongs to. The St. Louis-class featured a few modifications over the members of the Brooklyn-class. The most notable difference being the inclusion of 4 x twin 127 mm/38 caliber dual-purpose guns; the first mounted on any US warship. Other minor differences include changes to the superstructure and layout of machinery.

The Cleveland-class soon followed, opting for less main caliber guns in exchange for heavier dual-purpose and anti-aircraft armament, and then the one-off heavy cruiser, Wichita. The experience gained in Wichita, herself a modified Brooklyn-class would eventually lead to the Baltimore, and finally, the Des Moines-class heavy cruisers.

All seven ships of the Brooklyn-class, along with St. Louis and Wichita survived the war, with many of them being transferred to South American navies in the 1950's. Most of the class and the three sub-classes sustained massive damage at times, but were all repaired. Only Helena was sunk.

Service

USS Helena was laid down in December of 1936; almost three years later she was commissioned into the US Navy.

She began her service with a shakedown cruise in October of 1939, and upon completion, sailed to Annapolis. Helena's first voyage was to South America, visiting many ports along the US East Coast, the Caribbean, and various South American countries. A notable stop was in Montevideo, Uruguay, where her crew examined the scuttled wreck of Admiral Graf Spee. She returned to New York at the beginning of March in 1940. She was then assigned to the Pacific Fleet and stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Helena had the unfortunate fate of having been assigned the berth of battleship Pennsylvania in Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7, 1941. When the Japanese planes attacked the port, they aimed for the berths were intelligence had said battleships were supposed to be. Thus, Helena became an unwittingly targeted in the opening of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Helena almost immediately took a torpedo in front of turret 3, killing 20 men and damaging her electrical system and flooding her engine compartments. Rapid and proper response by her damage control team reduced the amount of damage caused by flooding and fire, but the overall damage resulted in Helena remaining in drydock until June of 1942.

Helena received a major AA retrofit while being repaired, including the addition of several 40 mm Bofors mounts. Helena was assigned to escort duties of aircraft and supplies to Guadalcanal before becoming a member of the escort fleet assigned to the aircraft carrier Wasp to transport marine reinforcements for Guadalcanal. Helena assisted in rescuing survivors from Wasp after the carrier was torpedoed and sunk by the Japanese submarine I-19 on September 15, 1942.

On the night of October 9, 1942, Helena and several other US cruisers and destroyers under the command of Rear Admiral Norman Scott engaged Japanese forces in the Battle of Cape Esperance. The battle was one of the first engagements where radar-equipped cruisers could have given a significant advantage to US forces, but due to the new nature of the equipment and lack of experience in using it, resulted in a chaotic melee of a fight in near-zero visibility. Helena's accurate gunfire during the battle assisted in the sinking of the Japanese heavy cruiser Furutaka and destroyer Fubuki, as well as the damaging of several other Japanese ships.

Helena again saw combat during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on November 13, 1942. She was assigned as part of an escort fleet bringing supplies into Guadalcanal from Espiritu Santo, and after successfully delivering the supplies, came under attack by Japanese aircraft. Helena escaped the initial air attacks unscathed. Reports of Japanese naval forces closing on the island led the task force, under command of Rear Admiral Daniel Callaghan, moved to intercept the Japanese forces at Ironbottom Sound. Similar to the previous Battle of Cape Esperance, US forces had a significant advantage with their SG Radar equipped ships, one of which was Helena herself. However, inexperience with the systems and their readings once again led to a close-range duel between the two forces. Unlike Cape Esperance, this battle ended with almost all of the US ships sunk or heavily damaged. By the next morning, only Helena and one destroyer were combat-capable. Japanese forces, despite having a massive advantage, decided to retreat. Helena assisted in the sinking of destroyer Akatsuki, heavily damaged destroyer Amatsukaze, and helped the heavily damaged US flagship San Francisco escape the initial combat.

Upon retreating from Ironbottom Sound, Helena's captain made the controversial decision of leaving over 100 survivors of the light cruiser Juneau to fend for themselves after the cruiser was torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine. Almost all of the 100 survivors died from exposure before rescue arrived. His reasoning was that the remaining US ships were lacking in sufficient ASW equipment to remain safe while taking on survivors.

Helena went on to bombard enemy positions on New Georgia in early 1943. One of her float planes also assisted in the sinking of a Japanese submarine.

Helena would finally be sunk on July 6, 1943, during the Battle of Kula Gulf. She had been assigned initially to shore bombardment and then escort duty, but when Japanese destroyers were spotted attempting to land troops on the island, Helena and other US ships were sent to intercept them. During the ensuing battle, Helena's gun crews expended 2,000 main-battery shells, and 400 secondary and anti-aircraft shells. Helena was eventually struck by a Type 93 torpedo below her forward main gun. The torpedo sheared off her bow, which floated free and would sink later the next day. Helena was again struck my two torpedoes amidships, with the explosions almost, but not quite, cutting her in half. Just over 20 minutes after the first torpedo hit, Helena sank. Survivors were initially rescued by two US destroyers, but those left in fear Japanese air attack leaving ~275 survivors floating. The remaining men would eventually arrive at Vella Lavella where they would eventually be rescued. Out of her crew of 900 men, 732 were saved.

Helena's wreck was discovered in early April of 2018 by Microsoft co-founder, Paul Allen, and his crew aboard RV Petrel.

Historical Inaccuracies

• Neither Helena nor her sister ship St. Louis carried the anti-aircraft configuration depicted in Hull (A). Only four quadruple 1.1" (28mm)/75 caliber guns were fitted to both ships and they were augmented by eight 0.5" (12.7mm) M2 Browning machine guns. However, the in-game model has eight quad 1.1" guns and all eight Brownings are missing.
• Neither St. Louis nor Helena carried 20mm Oerlikons in twin mounts. Both ships actually carried twelve 20mm Oerlikons in single mounts. St. Louis exchanged four Oerlikons for two twin 40mm Bofors in 1944-45; she had a total of ten Bofors (six twin and four quad mounts) by the end World War II.
• Permanent camouflage resembles the Measure 32/2C scheme, which was applied to sister ship St. Louis in 1944. Helena was sunk in July 1943.
• Measure 21 camouflage is missing. Both St. Louis and Helena wore this paint scheme from 1942-43.
• St. Louis' early Measure 5 (false bow wave) camouflage is also missing.

Historical Gallery

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  Torpedo damage of Helena, 14 December 1941.

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  U.S. Navy track chart of the battle accurately depicts the movements of the U.S. ships (lower tracks) but not the Japanese ship tracks (upper, darker line).

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  US Navy War Damage Report drawing of fatal damage to Helena which was sunk on 6 July 1943.

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  Helena being launched, August 28, 1938.

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  Helena being outfitted.

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  Helena circa 1940.

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  |A photo taken of the wreck of Admiral Graf Spee by a member of Helena's crew.

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  USS Helena (CL-50) Anchored in President Roads, Boston, Massachusetts, 15 June 1940

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  Helena firing her guns during the battle of Kula Gulf.

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  USS St. Louis (CL-49), departs Tulagi on 12 July 1943. She took part in the Battle of Kolombangara the following day.

References

1. USS Helena (CL-50) - Wikipedia
2. Brooklyn-class cruiser - Wikipedia

Ship Change Log

See here for links to Update notes.

Testing Changes

• March 24, 2018:
  • Preliminary characteristics.
• March 30, 2018:
  • Main battery reload time was reduced from 10 to 8.5 s.
• May 23, 2018:
  • The Hydroacoustic Search consumable was moved to a separate slot, the new consumable order being Damage Control Party, Defensive AA Fire, Catapult Fighter, Hydroacoustic Search.

• Available for testing by supertesters in the game from Update 0.7.4.
• Update 0.7.6:
  • Helena was added to the tech tree, as part of the US light cruiser line.
• Update 0.7.10:
  • The range of the Hydroacoustic Search consumable was unified - 4 km for detecting ships, 3 km for detecting torpedoes.
• Update 0.9.2:
  • The Remembrance Night permanent camouflage was made to display correctly on secondary battery turrets.
  • HE shell penetration increased from 24 to 25 mm.
  • Thickness of the central deck armor was increased from 16 to 25 mm.
• Update 0.10.0:
  • Secondary battery firing range was increased to 5.6 km.

Ships of U.S.A.

Cruisers