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Helena

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Helena
Helena_wows_main.jpg
Cruiser | U.S.A. | Tier VII
Tech Tree Position
Dallas
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Helena_icon_small.png
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Cleveland
stock
 top
General
Research price75000 exp
Purchase price5,800,000 Credits
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 Speeddeg./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 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.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
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VII
Ship_PASC207_Helena.png
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

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)
152 mm/47 Mk.16 in a turret7.122.51332,200123,200 0435,000
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)
Helena (A)28,70061655410/4/8/4 0605,000
Helena (B)33,3006165544/4 14,3001,150,000
Fire Control System IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST
(%)
Maximum Firing Range
(km)
Research price
(exp)
Purchase price
(Credits)
Mk7 mod. 10 0390,000
Mk7 mod. 20 16,700970,000
Engine Maximum Speed
(knot)
Research price
(exp)
Purchase price
(Credits)
Propulsion: 100,000 hp32.5 0395,000

Compatible Upgrades

 Slot 1 
Main Armaments Modification 1
Auxiliary Armaments Modification 1
Magazine Modification 1
Damage Control Party Modification 1
 Slot 2 
Damage Control System Modification 1
Defensive AA Fire Modification 1
Hydroacoustic Search Modification 1
Engine Room Protection
 Slot 3 
Main Battery Modification 2
Secondary Battery Modification 1
AA Guns Modification 1
Aiming Systems Modification 1
 Slot 4 
Damage Control System Modification 2
Propulsion Modification 1
Steering Gears Modification 1
Airstrike Modification 1

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 SearchWhile active, detects all enemy ships and torpedoes within the specified radius, without regard of obstacles such as smoke and terrain. and Defensive AA FireWhile active, the damage per second of large caliber anti-aircraft guns is increased.. 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:

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.

Consumables

Helena equips the following consumables:

Signals

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

Gallery

Historical Info

Historical Gallery

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.

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