Kaiser

13.9

Kaiser

Battleship | Germany | Tier IV

Tech Tree Position

stock

 top

General

Research price6700 exp

Purchase price774,000

Hit Points39,900

Main Battery

305 mm/50 SK C/08 on a Drh LC/1909 mount5 х 2 pcs.

Rate of Fire2.31 shots/min.

Reload Time26 sec.

Rotation Speed3 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time60 sec.

Firing Range14.54 km.

Maximum Dispersion205 m.

HE Shell305 mm Spr.Gr. L/3.8 Bdz.

Maximum HE Shell Damage3,400

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell22 %

Initial HE Shell Velocity850 m./s.

HE Shell Weight406 kg.

AP Shell305 mm P.Spr.Gr. L/3.4

Maximum AP Shell Damage8,300

Initial AP Shell Velocity855 m./s.

AP Shell Weight405 kg.

Secondary Armament #1

150 mm/45 SK L/45 on an MPL C/06 mount14 х 1 pcs.

Firing Range4.8 km.

Rate of Fire7 shots/min.

Reload Time8.57 sec.

HE Shell150 mm HE K Gr 18

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,800

Initial HE Shell Velocity835 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell10 %

Secondary Armament #2

88 mm/76 SK C/32 on a Dop. L. C/32 mount2 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range4.8 km.

Rate of Fire15 shots/min.

Reload Time4 sec.

HE Shell88 mm Spr.Gr.

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,000

Initial HE Shell Velocity950 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell4 %

AA Defense

88 mm/76 SK C/32 on a Dop. L. C/32 mount2 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second16.2

. . . Firing Range3.99 km.

37 mm/83 SK C/30 on a Dopp LC/30 mount3 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second7.8

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed22.31 knot

Turning Circle Radius600 m.

Rudder Shift Time18.3 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range13.79 km.

Air Detectability Range8.4 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

13.9

Kaiser

Battleship | Germany | Tier IV

Tech Tree Position

stock

 top

General

Research price6700 exp

Purchase price774,000

Hit Points46,400

Main Battery

305 mm/50 SK C/08 on a Drh LC/1909 mount5 х 2 pcs.

Rate of Fire2.31 shots/min.

Reload Time26 sec.

Rotation Speed3 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time60 sec.

Firing Range15.99 km.

Maximum Dispersion205 m.

HE ShellIDS_PGPA046_305MM_HE_SPR_GR_L4_8_KZ

Maximum HE Shell Damage3,500

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell23 %

Initial HE Shell Velocity855 m./s.

HE Shell Weight405 kg.

AP Shell305 mm P.Spr.Gr. L/4.9

Maximum AP Shell Damage8,400

Initial AP Shell Velocity850 m./s.

AP Shell Weight415 kg.

Secondary Armament #1

88 mm/76 SK C/32 on a Dop. L. C/32 mount4 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range4.8 km.

Rate of Fire15 shots/min.

Reload Time4 sec.

HE Shell88 mm Spr.Gr.

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,000

Initial HE Shell Velocity950 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell4 %

Secondary Armament #2

150 mm/45 SK L/45 on an MPL C/06 mount14 х 1 pcs.

Firing Range4.8 km.

Rate of Fire7 shots/min.

Reload Time8.57 sec.

HE Shell150 mm HE K Gr 18

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,800

Initial HE Shell Velocity835 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell10 %

AA Defense

88 mm/76 SK C/32 on a Dop. L. C/32 mount4 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second32.4

. . . Firing Range3.99 km.

37 mm/83 SK C/30 on a Dopp LC/30 mount5 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second13

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

20 mm/65 C/38 on an L/30 single mount17 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second51

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed23 knot

Turning Circle Radius600 m.

Rudder Shift Time13 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range13.79 km.

Air Detectability Range8.4 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

IV

774,000

Kaiser — German Tier IV battleship.

In terms of armor thickness the ship was superior to all battleships of her time. Driven by turbine propulsion, this battleship had a decent speed for her type. The main battery's armor-piercing capabilities were highly competitive with the artillery of super dreadnoughts from that era.

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 ()
305 mm/50 SK C/08 on a Drh LC/1909 mount	2.3	60	205	3,400	22	8,300		0	94,000

	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 ()
Kaiser (A)	39,900	13	350	5	2/14	3/2				0	128,000
Kaiser (B)	46,400	13	350	5	4	17/5/4				2,000	280,000

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
FKS Typ 4 Mod. 1		0		0	40,000
FKS Typ 4 Mod. 2		0		1,300	180,000

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 55,180 hp	22.3		0	30,000
Propulsion: 57,000 hp	23		900	90,000

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2

Player Opinion

Performance

The biggest problems with Kaiser dictate how she should be played. Yes, Kaiser has fairly rapid firing guns as battleships go, a powerful secondary armament, a tight turning circle, and good armor. However, she's not particularly effective as a brawling battleship as she suffers from inaccurate guns, very slow turret traverse, and slow rudder shift time. It's better to use her as a mid-range (8-10km) fighter supported by cruisers and other battleships, giving one sufficient range to avoid torpedoes launched by cruisers, yet being close enough to make up for the inaccuracy of her guns.

Torpedoes and aircraft are problematic in this ship, as is changing targets. The slow rudder shift time may make reacting to sudden situations such as incoming torpedoes fruitless. However, once the rudder is over, the small turning circle of Kaiser does allow sharp course changes, during which she easily out-turns her turrets, making it nearly impossible to aim during hard maneuvering. A successful dodge may result in "no reply", and vice versa.

Situational awareness of possible destroyer locations and approaching aircraft is critical in this warship as failing to do so might get her killed.

Pros:

• Tough armor: Kaiser's thick armor belt with a sloping "turtleback" deck behind it makes her difficult to citadel
• Fast loading guns: The main battery reload speed is second only to Ishizuchi at this tier.
• Decent AA suite: her AA will be a stern warning for any torpedo bombers who take her lightly
• Powerful secondary armament: Destroyers that linger around her will be lucky to leave unscathed
• Very maneuverable: her small turning circle makes sharp maneuvers possible
• Staggered Gun layout allows Kaiser to fire all ten guns in broadside

Cons:

• The "en-echelon" turret layout can only be fully utilized in a very limited firing angle
• Painfully slow turret rotation
• Terrible dispersion: she will miss a lot of her shells at farther ranges
• Her maneuverability is hampered by her slow rudder shift time
• Poor torpedo protection: any torpedo hit she takes will be painfully felt despite having torpedo bulges
• Main guns lack the punch to citadel most enemy battleships in its tier, even at close range

Research

Kaiser's B hull upgrade should be your first priority in research. The B hull provides a welcome increase to your health pool as well as reducing your rudders shift time, making her more responsive to your rudder input and more maneuverable. Another benefit is the large improvement to your AA batteries, making her at least able of shooting down some attacking planes. The Fire Control System upgrade should follow. Finally, research the Propulsion upgrade for a marginal improvement in speed.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

As a Tier IV ship, Kaiser has access to Slots 1 and 2 for upgrades.

• Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1 to improve the survival of her main guns.
• Slot 2: Damage Control System Modification 1  to improve her overall survival in battle.

Commander Skills

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Attack			Defense
1	Gun Feeder -40% time to switch shell type.	Demolition Expert +1% chance of main and secondary HE shells causing a fire +15% to the fragmentation damage area of HE ordnance when firing at submarines. ★★	Consumables Specialist −7.5% cooldown time of all Consumables except:  Damage Control Party ,  Repair Party .	Emergency Repair Specialist -3% cooldown time of Damage Control Party  and Repair Party .	Incoming Fire Alert Receive a warning about a salvo fired at your ship from more than 4.5 km.	Preventive Maintenance −30% chance of main armament, engines, steering becoming incapacitated +15% to HP of secondary and AA guns.
2	Grease the Gears +20% main turret traverse speed. ★★	Inertial Fuse for HE Shells +25% armor penetration of HE shells. Base fire chance reduced by half.	Brisk So long as the ship remains undetected: +10% ship speed.	Vigilance +25% detection range of enemy torpedoes +7% damage reduction of Torpedo Protection System. .	Priority Target The detection indicator will show the number of enemies targeting you with main battery.	AAA & ASW Expert +15% continuous AAA and flak damage . +10% damage inflicted by depth charges. While AAA is active: −40% ship consumables reload time..
3	Super-Heavy AP Shells +7.5% AP shell damage −10% fire and flood damage received +25% fire and flood duration.	Long-Range Secondary Battery Shells +20% secondary battery firing range. ★★	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% reload time of all armaments per 1% HP lost +0.2% AA continuous damage per 1% HP lost. ★★	Basics of Survivability -15% repair, fire, and flooding duration.	Improved Repair Party Readiness −0.8% reload time of Repair Party each time your ship receives potential damage equal to 100% of the ship's base HP. After receiving 2M HP potential damage: +1 charge of Repair Party ..	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..
4	Furious 1st fire / flood   −10% Main battery reload time 2nd etc. (up to 5), each   −5% Main battery reload time	Manual Secondary Battery Aiming −10% secondary battery reload time. −10% secondary battery dispersion. When firing at a manually selected target: dispersion gradually improves from -25% to -50%. ★★	Close Quarters Combat -10% reload time of main battery if an enemy ship is spotted within secondary range. ★★	Emergency Repair Expert Damage Control Party  and Repair Party : +1 charge (each). +10% action time .	Concealment Expert -10% detectability range of the ship.	Fire Prevention Expert -10% risk of fire. Three fires maximum. ★★
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful      ★★ - Frequently Useful      ★ - Occasionally Useful     No stars - Not Useful

Consumables

Kaiser equips the following consumables:

• Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
• Slot 2: Repair Party 

Signals

Orion can mount up to eight signal flags simultaneously. Captains looking to improve the ship’s survivability should mount India Delta () and India Yankee (). November Foxtrot () can also improve survivability by reducing the cool down timers on the repair party and damage control party consumables. Sierra Mike () is also recommended to increase the ship’s top speed. Lastly, economic and special flags can be mounted to increase the credit and experience gain per battle.

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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  Kaiser's full broadside is tricky to set up due to the off-axis turrets.

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  Kaiser suffers two waves of enemy torpedo bombers after being set on fire by enemy dive bombers.

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Historical Info

Construction

Kiel Naval Yard; Kiel, Germany

Laid down: December 1909

Launched: 22 March 1911

Commissioned: 7 December 1912

Specifications

24,330tons displacement, standard

172.4m length

29.0m beam

8.3m draft

Machinery

16 boilers, 3 turbines

Performance

21knts at 31,000shp

6,000nm at 12knts

Armor

Main belt: 80-350mm

Bulkheads: 130-300mm

Barbettes and Turrets: 80-300mm barbette, 80-300mm turrets

Conning tower: 350mm

Armament

Main

Ten (5x2) 305mm guns

Secondary

Fourteen (14x1) 150mm guns

Eight (8x1) 88mm guns

Anti-Aircraft

Four (4x1) 88mm guns

Torpedoes

Five (5x1) 500mm submerged torpedo tubes

History

Design

SMS Kaiser was the lead ship of the Kaiser class of battleships of the Imperial German Navy. Kaiser was built by the Imperial Dockyard at Kiel, launched on 22 March 1911 and commissioned on 1 August 1912. The ship was equipped with ten 30.5-centimeter (12.0 in) guns in five twin turrets, and had a top speed of 23.4 knots (43.3 km/h; 26.9 mph). Kaiser was assigned to the III Squadron of the High Seas Fleet for the majority of World War I.

Service

In 1913, Kaiser and her sister König Albert conducted a cruise to South America and South Africa. The ship participated in most of the major fleet operations during the war. She fought at the Battle of Jutland on 31 May – 1 June 1916, during which she was hit once and suffered negligible damage. The ship was also present during Operation Albion in the Baltic Sea in September and October 1917, and at the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight in November 1917.

During peace negotiations after the end of the war in 1918, she was interned with other ships of the High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flow. On 21 June 1919 the commander of the interned fleet, Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter, ordered the fleet to be scuttled to ensure that the British would not be able to seize the ships. The wreck was subsequently raised in 1929 and broken up in Rosyth in 1930.

In-game historical inaccuracies

• Kaiser is depicted in a fictional Nazi refit that was invented by Wargaming. The historical version can only be found on König Albert.
• The Kaiser-class battleship only saw service with the Imperial German Navy. It's depiction as a Kriegsmarine warship is another fabrication by Wargaming.
• The Kriegsmarine was founded in 1935; all five Kaiser-class battleships were scuttled in 1919 and subsequently broken up for scrap between 1929 and 1937.
• Imperial German Navy flag is missing.

Historical Gallery

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  SMS Kaiser

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  The shaded areas represent the portions of the ship protected by armor

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  Kaiser in 1912

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  Kaiser's rear superfiring turrets

References

1. SMS Kaiser (1911) - Wikipedia
2. Kaiser-class battleship - Wikipedia

Ship Change Log

See here for links to Update notes.

• Available for testing by supertesters in the game starting from Update 0.5.8.
• Introduced in Update 0.5.10.
• Update 0.5.12:
  • Improved dispersion distance decreased from 4 to 3.5 km.
  • Fixed display of navigation lights at low settings.
• Update 0.5.14:
  • Fixed the camera on the main gun bow gun. Now, the air defense installation located on the bow turret of the main battery does not interfere with the view when the camera is zoomed in.
  • Fixed position of the rangefinder.
• Update 0.6.2:
  • The national flag was moved from the stern to the mast.
• Update 0.6.3:
  • Base firing range increased from 13,308 to 14,540 m.
• Update 0.6.4:
  • Fixed camera behavior in combat with the "Automatic camera switching between main battery guns" option enabled. The camera on the guns now correctly switches between the fore and aft guns.
• Update 0.6.8:
  • For 88 mm secondary battery shells, the chance of setting fire was reduced from 7% to 4%, and the damage from 1100 to 1000.
• Update 0.6.12:
  • Detectability when firing main guns in smoke changed to 10.92 km.
  • Improved appearance of the ship thanks to special technology for improved rendering of subtle elements (mainly rigging). This will not affect the performance of the game in any way.
• Update 0.7.11:
  • The armor-piercing shells of the 150-mm secondary battery guns were replaced with high-explosive shells.
• Update 0.8.5:
  • Credit earnings increased by 5%.
• Update 0.8.11:
  • The main battery dispersion ellipse was adjusted to that ​​of American and British battleships.
• Update 0.9.6:
  • The value of the in-game turning circle radius was changed to 600 m to correct prior discrepancy.
• Update 0.10.0:
  • The firing range of the secondary battery was increased to 4.8 km.

Ships of Germany

Battleships