Kansas

13.9

Battleship | U.S.A. | Tier VIII

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Battle Levels

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VIII

11,000,000

Kansas — American Tier VIII battleship.

From the very start of World War I, the General Board of the Navy intended to build battleships capable of reaching a speed of 23 knots and equipped with twelve 406 mm guns. By the summer of 1918, a conceptual design had been developed for a battleship with a significantly larger displacement compared to previous classes. It was essentially an enlarged version of the Colorado class but featuring triple turrets. The construction of battleships faced delays due to the adoption of an emergency program focused on expanding the anti-submarine warfare component. Eventually, the construction was canceled entirely per the agreements made during the Washington Naval Conference.

Kansas was first made available in Early Access with Update 0.9.9. With Update 0.9.11 on 2 December 2020, she and her successors became permanent tech tree ships.

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 ()
406 mm/45 Mk.7 in a turret	1.5	45	266	5,700	36	11,800		0	800,000

	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 ()
Kansas (A)	61,300	19	457	4	8	23/12/8				0	1,200,000
Kansas (B)	67,000	19	457	4	8	23/12/8				45,000	3,900,000

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Mk8 mod. 1		0		0	800,000
Mk8 mod. 2		0		30,000	2,600,000

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 68,000 hp	23		0	800,000

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4
Slot 5

Player Opinion

Performance

After Tier VII Colorado, the USN battleship tree splits into a "fast" branch and a "slow" branch. Kansas is the Tier VIII ship in the slow branch.

Prior to the rise of aircraft carriers in the mid-1930's, the US Navy accepted the trade-off of speed for cruising range, inter-operability, firepower, and, to a lesser extent, protection in a common set of requirements for battleship design. These were the USN "Standards", represented in-game up through Colorado. The fast battleship branch — North Carolina, South Dakota, Iowa, and Montana-classes — models the change in these requirements so that battleships could operate in fleet with speedy carriers. (These designs were made possible by improved propulsion system efficiency and by de-prioritizing armor protection.) The slow battleship branch models how USN battleship designs might have progressed without the requirement to operate in fleet with carriers. They are the un-built USN Standards.

Kansas inherits her (slow) speed and good citadel protection from her Standard predecessors while adding major improvements in firepower and torpedo protection. She mounts in four triple turrets twelve (16") 406mm/45 Mark 7 rifles with a 40 second (!) base reload time. She does not carry SHS AP but throws a lighter 920kg AP shell, allowing a higher muzzle velocity with more comfortable aiming and good short- and mid-range penetration at the cost of maximum range and long-range penetration. She has slightly better maximum dispersion, but lower sigma, meaning her salvos will scatter a bit more within the smaller area.

Despite her tremendous alpha strike, Kansas is not a brawler. She mounts the standard dual (5") 127mm/38 Mark 32 secondary turrets with 5km range, just two fewer of them. A secondary build is not advisable.

In their stock hulls, Kansas boasts considerably more health points (HP) than the faster North Carolina: 61,200 vs. 53,700. That gap almost closes in the top hulls. The whole fast battleship branch sports 0.66%/second repair party performance; Kansas` heals at 0.5%/sec like most other battleships. But Kansas has a different trick — her Repair Party reloads in half the time! Plus Kansas has much better torpedo protection at 40% vs 19% with a bulge that extends well fore and aft. She will need it.

Kansas appears to have superior armor protection against large caliber guns with a thicker main belt system and heavy side belts that extend forward and aft to protect her transverse bulkheads when angled, along with a thicker transverse bulkhead and three armor decks above her citadel. Her turret front plates are a massive 457mm thick, but all other parts of her turret armor are thinner than N.Carolina. (Interestingly, an armored conning tower does not appear in her Armor Layout display.) How well her main armor system actually works, however, will depend on the situation. Like many of her peers, she is susceptible to concentrated light to medium caliber fire.

She carries fewer AA mounts, making her AA defense about 10% weaker than N.Carolina. She does launch one more catapult fighter.

Her maneuverability is worse then her counterpart, with a tighter turning radius but slower rudder shift. Where she really loses out is in the amount of speed retained in a turn: turning slows her way down. She's already slow — maneuvering makes her slower. Consider the Torpedo Lookout System upgrade and the Vigilance skill, or just resolve to eat torpedoes, particularly the low-damage aerial variety.

Kansas is a large ship, with a base detectability range of 16.6km — nearly a full kilometer farther than N.Carolina, though better than the behemoths at higher tiers.

Initially controversial, the long 40 second reload time is reported to be less noticeable in actual use. The elephant in the room is whether Kansas` extra firepower offsets her slow speed, made even more obvious by the fast ships and large maps that she will face at Tier VIII and above. Those who dislike the USN Standards for the play style demanded by their lack of speed will not be dissuaded by Kansas. Those who are accustomed to the Standards will find her quite powerful, and an interesting contrast to her 'fast' counterpart.

Pros:

The citadel is located below the waterline, and is hard to hit
Good torpedo damage reduction, torpedo bulges cover most of the ship's sides
Heavy broadside of twelve (12) 406mm main guns
Excellent main battery range
Good AA suite, bolstered by the Defensive AA Fire  consumable
Tight turn radius for a battleship
Fast-recovering Repair Party

Cons:

Due to the shape of the superstructure, Kansas can take large amounts of damage even when properly angled
Extensively covered in 32mm plating, vulnerable to HE spam and large caliber AP overmatch, making her rather squishy.
Worst main battery reload speed in its tier and class, a whopping 40 seconds
Most of Kansas` AA defenses are open mounts, and can be easily destroyed with HE
The slowest Tier 8 battleship, with a base speed of 23 knots
Lacks the improved Repair Party found on other techtree American battleships

Research

The researchable upgrades are:

Hull (B) for 5700 more HP, more AA mounts, and a faster rudder shift. Research of this module unlocks progression to Minnesota.
Mk.8 mod 2 Gun Fire Control System for an extra 10% range on her already-good main battery range.

Optimal Configuration

Nothing can be done to improve Kansas` basic characteristics. She is slow, has a slow reload, and weak secondaries. Her build should bolster her protection and augment her strengths.

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades for Kansas are as follows:

Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
Slot 2: Defensive AA Fire Modification 1 if available or Damage Control System Modification 1 
Slot 3: Main Battery Modification 2
Slot 4: Damage Control System Modification 2 *
Slot 5: Torpedo Lookout System or Concealment System Modification 1  *

In Slot 3, Artillery Plotting Room Modification 1 is usually the choice, but with her low sigma, faster turret traverse is preferred to make her more effective against targets of opportunity.

Depending on the captain's command style, Slot 4 is pretty much captain's choice.

In Slot 5, Concealment is a wise choice, but slow as she is, better use may be made of increased torpedo detection range.

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

Kansas can equip the following consumables:

Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
Slot 2: Repair Party 
Slot 3: Defensive AA Fire 
Slot 4: Catapult Fighter  or Spotting Aircraft

Again, building to extend maximum range is questionable given Kansas` dispersion. Better to bolster her AA.

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

References

Ships of U.S.A.

Destroyers	II Sampson • II Smith • III Wickes • IV Clemson • V Nicholas • V Hill • VI Farragut • VI Monaghan • VII Mahan • VII Sims • VII Sims B • VIII Benson • VIII Kidd • IX Fletcher • IX Benham • IX Halford • IX Black B • IX Black • IX Johnston • IX Frank Friday • X Gearing • X Somers • X Forrest Sherman • X [[Ship:[Gearing]\|[Gearing]]] • ★ Joshua Humphreys
Cruisers	I Erie • II Chester • II Albany • III St. Louis • III Charleston • IV Phoenix • V Omaha • V Marblehead • V Marblehead Lima • V Rattlehead • VI [[Ship:Cleveland (< 31.05.2018)\|Cleveland (< 31.05.2018)]] • VI Pensacola • VI Dallas • VII Atlanta • VII [[Ship:Pensacola (< 31.05.2018)\|Pensacola (< 31.05.2018)]] • VII New Orleans • VII Helena • VII Indianapolis • VII Atlanta B • VII Boise • VII Flint • VIII [[Ship:New Orleans (< 31.05.2018)\|New Orleans (< 31.05.2018)]] • VIII Baltimore • VIII Cleveland • VIII Wichita • VIII Anchorage • VIII Congress • VIII Rochester • VIII San Diego • VIII AL Montpelier • IX [[Ship:Baltimore (< 31.05.2018)\|Baltimore (< 31.05.2018)]] • IX Buffalo • IX Seattle • IX Vallejo • IX Alaska • IX Tulsa • IX Alaska B • X Des Moines • X Worcester • X Puerto Rico • X Salem • X Austin • ★ Jacksonville • ★ Annapolis
Battleships	III South Carolina • IV Wyoming • IV Arkansas Beta • V New York • V Oklahoma • V Texas • VI New Mexico • VI Arizona • VI W. Virginia '41 • VII Colorado • VII Florida • VII West Virginia '44 • VII California • VII Colorado 2 • VIII North Carolina • VIII Kansas • VIII Nebraska • VIII Alabama • VIII Massachusetts • VIII Alabama VL • VIII Constellation • VIII Massachusetts B • VIII Alabama ST • VIII North Carolina CLR • VIII Volunteer State • VIII North Carolina 2 • IX Iowa • IX Minnesota • IX Delaware • IX Missouri • IX Kearsarge • IX Illinois • IX Kearsarge B • IX Georgia • IX Iowa 2 • X Montana • X Vermont • X Louisiana • X Ohio • X Rhode Island • X Wisconsin • X BA Montana • X [[Ship:[Montana]\|[Montana]]] • X Montana 2 • X Utah • ★ Maine
Aircraft Carriers	IV [[Ship:Langley (< 23.01.2019)\|Langley (< 23.01.2019)]] • IV Langley • V [[Ship:Bogue (< 23.01.2019)\|Bogue (< 23.01.2019)]] • VI [[Ship:Independence (< 23.01.2019)\|Independence (< 23.01.2019)]] • VI Independence • VI Ranger • VII [[Ship:Ranger (< 23.01.2019)\|Ranger (< 23.01.2019)]] • VII [[Ship:Saipan (< 23.01.2019)\|Saipan (< 23.01.2019)]] • VIII [[Ship:Lexington (< 23.01.2019)\|Lexington (< 23.01.2019)]] • VIII Yorktown • VIII Lexington • VIII [[Ship:Enterprise (< 23.01.2019)\|Enterprise (< 23.01.2019)]] • VIII Enterprise • VIII Saipan • VIII Hornet • VIII Saipan B • VIII AL Hornet • IX [[Ship:Essex (< 23.01.2019)\|Essex (< 23.01.2019)]] • X [[Ship:Midway (< 23.01.2019)\|Midway (< 23.01.2019)]] • X Essex • X Midway • X Franklin D. Roosevelt • X [[Ship:[Midway]\|[Midway]]] • ★ United States

Battleships

Netherlands
U.S.A.	III South Carolina • IV Wyoming • IV Arkansas Beta • V New York • V Oklahoma • V Texas • VI New Mexico • VI Arizona • VI W. Virginia '41 • VII Colorado • VII Florida • VII West Virginia '44 • VII California • VII Colorado 2 • VIII North Carolina • VIII Kansas • VIII Nebraska • VIII Alabama • VIII Massachusetts • VIII Alabama VL • VIII Constellation • VIII Massachusetts B • VIII Alabama ST • VIII North Carolina CLR • VIII Volunteer State • VIII North Carolina 2 • IX Iowa • IX Minnesota • IX Delaware • IX Missouri • IX Kearsarge • IX Illinois • IX Kearsarge B • IX Georgia • IX Iowa 2 • X Montana • X Vermont • X Louisiana • X Ohio • X Rhode Island • X Wisconsin • X BA Montana • X [[Ship:[Montana]\|[Montana]]] • X Montana 2 • X Utah • ★ Maine
Europe	V Viribus Unitis • IX Karl XIV Johan
Germany	III Nassau • III Von der Tann • III König Albert • IV Kaiser • IV Moltke • V König • V Derfflinger • VI Bayern • VI Mackensen • VI Prinz Eitel Friedrich • VII Gneisenau • VII Prinz Heinrich • VII Scharnhorst • VII AL Prinz Heinrich • VII Scharnhorst B • VII Scharnhorst '43 • VIII Tirpitz • VIII Bismarck • VIII Zieten • VIII Odin • VIII Brandenburg • VIII Anhalt • VIII Brandenburg B • VIII Tirpitz B • VIII BA Tirpitz • IX Friedrich der Grosse • IX Prinz Rupprecht • IX Pommern • IX Pommern B • IX Prinz Sigismund • X Grosser Kurfürst • X Schlieffen • X Preussen • X Mecklenburg • X [[Ship:[Grosser Kurfürst]\|[Grosser Kurfürst]]] • ★ Hannover
U.S.S.R.	III Knyaz Suvorov • IV Imperator Nikolai I • IV Gangut • V Pyotr Velikiy • V Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya • VI Izmail • VI Novorossiysk • VII Sinop • VII Poltava • VIII Vladivostok • VIII Lenin • VIII Borodino • VIII V. I. Lenin • IX Sovetsky Soyuz • IX Navarin • IX AL Sov. Rossiya • X Kremlin • X Slava • ★ Admiral Ushakov
Italy	IV Dante Alighieri • V Conte di Cavour • V Giulio Cesare • VI Andrea Doria • VII Francesco Caracciolo • VIII Vittorio Veneto • VIII Roma • VIII AL Littorio • IX Lepanto • IX Marco Polo • IX Giuseppe Verdi • X Cristoforo Colombo • X Ruggiero di Lauria • X Sicilia • X Amerigo Vespucci
Pan-America	V Rio de Janeiro • VIII Ipiranga • VIII Atlântico • IX Los Andes • X Libertad • X Comodoro
Japan	II Mikasa • III Kawachi • IV Myōgi • IV Ishizuchi • V Kongō • V ARP Kongō • V ARP Kirishima • V ARP Haruna • V ARP Hiei • V HSF Hiei • VI Fusō • VI Mutsu • VI Ise • VI Ise 2 • VI Ise 3 • VII Nagato • VII Ashitaka • VII Hyūga • VIII Amagi • VIII Yumihari • VIII Kii • VIII Ignis Purgatio • VIII Ragnarok • IX Izumo • IX Adatara • IX Musashi • IX Hizen • IX Iwami • IX Daisen • IX Tsurugi • IX Iwami B • X Yamato • X Bungo • X Shikishima • X ARP Yamato • X [[Ship:[Yamato]\|[Yamato]]] • ★ Satsuma
U.K.	III Bellerophon • III Indefatigable • III Dreadnought • IV Orion • IV Queen Mary • V Iron Duke • V Tiger • V Agincourt • VI Warspite • VI Queen Elizabeth • VI Renown • VI Repulse • VI Repulse B • VII King George V • VII Rooke • VII Hood • VII Nelson • VII Duke of York • VII Collingwood • VII Renown '44 • VII Rodney • VIII Monarch • VIII Hawke • VIII Vanguard • IX Lion • IX Duncan • IX Marlborough • IX Scarlet Thunder • X Conqueror • X St. Vincent • X Thunderer • X Incomparable • X Cumberland • X [[Ship:[Conqueror]\|[Conqueror]]] • ★ Devastation
France	III Turenne • IV Courbet • V Bretagne • VI Normandie • VI Dunkerque • VI Dunkerque B • VII Lyon • VII Strasbourg • VIII Richelieu • VIII Gascogne • VIII Champagne • VIII Flandre • VIII Picardie • VIII [[Ship:[Richelieu]\|[Richelieu]]] • IX Alsace • IX Jean Bart • IX Jean Bart B • X République • X Bourgogne • ★ Patrie
Pan-Asia	IX Bajie • IX Wujing • IX Sun Yat-Sen • IX Louchuan • IX Xuan Wu
Spain	IX Victoria
Commonwealth	VII Yukon

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Compatible Upgrades