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Kansas

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Kansas
Kansas_wows_main.jpg
Battleship | U.S.A. | Tier VIII
Tech Tree Position
Colorado
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Kansas_icon_small.png
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Minnesota
stock
 top
General
Research price140000 exp
Purchase price11,000,000 Credits
Hit Points61,300 
Main Battery
406 mm/45 Mk.7 in a turret4 х 3 pcs.
Rate of Fire1.5 shots/min.
Reload Time40 sec.
Rotation Speeddeg./sec.
180 Degree Turn Time45 sec.
Firing Range20.6 km.
Maximum Dispersion266 m.
HE Shell406 mm HE/HC Mk13 
Maximum HE Shell Damage5,700 
Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell36 %
Initial HE Shell Velocity803 m./s.
HE Shell Weight861.8 kg.
AP Shell406 mm AP Mk5 mod. 1 
Maximum AP Shell Damage11,800 
Initial AP Shell Velocity768 m./s.
AP Shell Weight920 kg.
Secondary Armament #1
127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.32 mount8 х 2 pcs.
Firing Range6.6 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 Mk.4 mount23 х 1 pcs.
. . . Average Damage per Second82.8 
. . . Firing Range2.01 km.
40 mm/56 Bofors on a Mk.1 mount12 х 2 pcs.
. . . Average Damage per Second135.6 
. . . Firing Range3.51 km.
Maneuverability
Maximum Speed23 knot
Turning Circle Radius700 m.
Rudder Shift Time22 sec.
Concealment
Surface Detectability Range16.06 km.
Air Detectability Range13.46 km.
Battle Levels
12345678910
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VIII
Ship_PASB108_Kansas.png
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 three 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

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)
406 mm/45 Mk.7 in a turret1.5452665,7003611,800 0800,000
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)
Kansas (A)61,300194574823/12/8 01,200,000
Kansas (B)67,000194574823/12/8 45,0003,900,000
Fire Control System IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST
(%)
Maximum Firing Range
(km)
Research price
(exp)
Purchase price
(Credits)
Mk8 mod. 10 0800,000
Mk8 mod. 20 30,0002,600,000
Engine Maximum Speed
(knot)
Research price
(exp)
Purchase price
(Credits)
Propulsion: 68,000 hp23 0800,000

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
Defensive AA Fire 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
 Slot 5 
Torpedo Lookout System
Concealment System Modification 1
Ship Consumables Modification 1

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 branchNorth 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 to a base value of 1.8 km. 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 FireWhile active, the damage per second of large caliber anti-aircraft guns is increased. 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:

  1. Hull (B) for 5700 more HP, more AA mounts, and a faster rudder shift. Research of this module unlocks progression to Minnesota.
  2. 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:

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

Consumables

Kansas can equip the following consumables:

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

Signals

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

Gallery

Historical Info

Historical Gallery

References


Ship Change Log

See here for links to Update notes.

  • Available for testing by supertesters in the game starting from Update 0.9.7.

Testing Changes

  • DevBlog 45:
    • Preliminary characteristics.
  • DevBlog 62:
    • Restoration of hit points by the Repair Party consumable decreased from 0.66% to 0.5% of maximum hit points per second.
  • DevBlog 64:
    • Sigma parameter reduced from 1.7 to 1.5.
    • Added Defensive AA Fire consumable in a separate slot.
  • DevBlog 82:
    • AP shell damage decreased from 12,400 to 11,800.
    • AP shells air drag increased: as a result, the shells take longer to reach a target and fly at a higher trajectory.
  • Update 0.9.9:
    • Available for completing all directives of Part 1 of the American Battleships event.
  • Introduced into the game as a researchable ship in Update 0.9.11.
    • Sigma parameter increased from 1.5 to 1.6.
  • Update 0.9.12:
    • Sigma parameter increased from 1.6 to 1.7.
    • Armor penetration of shells increased by approximately 3.5%.
  • Update 0.10.0:
    • The firing range of the secondary battery was increased to 6.6 km.
  • Update 0.10.1:
    • Updated model of spotter aircraft.
  • Update 0.11.1:
    • Minor corrections to geometry and textures of the ship.
  • Update 0.11.5:
    • Repair Party consumable reload time reduced from 80 to 40 s.
    • Changed the engine parameters: the acceleration time for forward and reverse movement was significantly reduced.
  • Update 13.2:
    • Fixed several issues with armor for the ship.

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