Kawachi

13.11

Battleship | Japan | Tier III

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III

318,000

Kawachi — Japanese Tier III battleship.

The first dreadnought of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Boasted a sufficiently powerful armor belt. Kawachi’s fire control capabilities were strongly affected by the diversity of calibers of her numerous guns. Similar to other warships of her time, Kawachi had insufficient horizontal armor protection and weak torpedo protection.

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/45 41st Year Type in a twin turret	2	45	162	5,100	28	7,900		0	34,000

	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 ()
Kawachi (A)	35,800	10	305	6	4/8/10					0	72,000
Kawachi (B)	38,700	10	305	6	8/10	4				1,400	160,000

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Type3 mod. 1		0		0	20,000
Type3 mod. 2		0		950	80,000

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 22,500 hp	18.4		0	18,000
Propulsion: 27,300 hp	20		350	40,000

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2

Player Opinion

Performance

Kawachi is Japan's first dreadnought, and the first battleship in the Japanese Battleship line. First thing to note is that the Kawachi`s turret arrangement, like her German tier counterpart Nassau (which her design was actually based on), uses two wing turrets on each side of the ship in addition to her bow and stern turret; thus there will always be at least two main batteries shadowed regardless of which direction you are shooting at. Kawachi requires thirty seconds to reload a main battery, resulting in the same rate of fire as her American tier counterpart South Carolina, but significantly slower than Nassau. Like all battleships in the lower tiers, Kawachi`s shell dispersion is extremely scattered, resulting is far more misses than hits at any range but point blank.

Comparatively speaking to the South Carolina and USN Standard Battleships, the Kawachi`s speed is standard with a maximum speed of 20.4 knots, which is sufficient to keep pace with most lower tier cruisers but is still not enough for you to freely re-position on the map. Kawachi`s protection is solid, with AP penetrations from similar tier light cruiser guns fairly unlikely. Similarly, her superstructure is small and difficult to hit with HE rounds, affording her some protection from HE damage. However, 305mm cannon fire will penetrate her armor regularly and, if not angled, strike her citadel.South Carolina has the advantage in gun range at 11 km when fully upgraded. However, the IJN Kawachi has the advantage in her far smaller detection radius, allowing her to always close into gun range before being spotted. Since the ship's turrets are not super-firing like South Carolina, a valid strategy to both reduce damage and increase your damage output is to constantly turn to change your angle, allowing the use of both sets of wing turrets.

The Kawachi is not a good ship for her tier and almost always a chore for a first time battleship captain to steer. Her rate of fire is low, her speed average at best and her dispersion horrid. She is easy prey for stealth torpedoes and cannot adequately deal with charging destroyers due to her dispersion (though her secondary weapons may score a few hits). Even perfectly aimed broadsides often fail to achieve anything of notice.All in all, a poor introduction to the battleship line, especially when played poorly. Progress through this ship with haste, the following ships are far better, both in comparison to Kawachi and to their respective tiers.

Pros:

Large number of main batteries: with turrets on both sides, she can be quite flexible in maneuvering while firing.
Low detection range.
Very tight turning circle.
Has somewhat effective secondaries (compared to South Carolina) giving her a better chance of taking on destroyers.
Good turret traverse with Hull B.
Powerful HE main battery shells.
Decent rudder shift time, for a battleship.

Cons:

Bad mobility: her speed, though appreciably better than her American tier counterpart South Carolina, makes getting anywhere a slow process.
Inefficient turret placement: the way her turrets are arranged means that at least 2 turrets will be masked when aiming and firing.
Difficult gun characteristics: her guns have low range, slow reload and very large dispersion.
Poor anti-aircraft armament: almost no AA power, though not as important at her tier as she is unlikely to encounter aircraft.
In all, she can be frustrating for inexperienced players graduating from Tenryu who are unfamiliar with piloting battleships.
Shortest gun range of all Tier III battleships.
Relatively high citadel, making it risky to fire a full volley.
Unlike Nassau, upon whose design it is based, Kawachi's en-echelon turrets do not converge on target when facing the enemy bow-on.

Research

Kawachi, while slow, is already able to make a faster speed than South Carolina fully upgraded. The real problem lies in her terrible gun range, which is lower than that of many cruisers at the same tier and can leave her helpless as they bombard her with impunity. The first priority is to improve her firing range, which will require the B hull to be researched first. The B hull provides a modest increase in her HP pool and a very limited AA capability, and while this doesn't affect her gun range, is required to unlock the next ship along the Japanese battleship line as well as make the Gun Fire Control System upgrade available. Next, the Gun Fire Control System can be researched and mounted, which increases gun range from 8.8 km to 9.8 km, expanding her firing range beyond her detection radius and allowing for Kawachi to fire at any enemy that sees her. Then you can top this off with the Propulsion upgrade for sorely needed maneuverability and top speed increase from 18.4 to 20 knots, which doesn't cost much and can make the grind to the next tier battleship, Myogi, more enjoyable.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades for Kawachi are as follows:

Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1 *
Slot 2: Damage Control System Modification 1

Slot 1 provides players with the first option in choosing a desired role. Typically, Main Armaments Modification 1 is recommended to provide additional survivability to the main battery, but players who desire to specialize in the secondary armament should choose Auxiliary Armaments Modification 1 .

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

As a tier three battleship, Kawachi can equip the following consumables:

Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
Slot 2: Repair Party

Signals

Kawachi comes with 21 signal flag slots. The three most important flags are India Delta, Juliet Yankee Bissotwo and India Yankee; all of which will improve your surviveability.

Gallery

References

Ships of Japan

Destroyers	II Tachibana • II Umikaze • II Tachibana Lima • III Wakatake • IV Isokaze • V Minekaze • V Fūjin • V Kamikaze • V Kamikaze R • V Mutsuki • VI [[Ship:Mutsuki (< 01.12.2016)\|Mutsuki (< 01.12.2016)]] • VI Fubuki • VI Hatsuharu • VI Shinonome B • VI Shinonome • VII [[Ship:Hatsuharu (< 01.12.2016)\|Hatsuharu (< 01.12.2016)]] • VII Akatsuki • VII Shiratsuyu • VII Yūdachi • VIII [[Ship:Fubuki (< 01.12.2016)\|Fubuki (< 01.12.2016)]] • VIII Akizuki • VIII Kagerō • VIII Asashio • VIII HSF Harekaze II • VIII Asashio B • VIII HSF Harekaze • VIII AL Yukikaze • IX [[Ship:Kagerō (< 01.12.2016)\|Kagerō (< 01.12.2016)]] • IX Yūgumo • IX Kitakaze • IX Minegumo • IX STAR Kitakaze • X Shimakaze • X Harugumo • X Hayate • X AL Shimakaze • X [[Ship:[Shimakaze]\|[Shimakaze]]] • ★ Yamagiri
Cruisers	I Hashidate • II Chikuma • III Tenryū • III Katori • IV Yūbari • IV Kuma • IV Iwaki Alpha • V Furutaka • V Agano • V Yahagi • VI Aoba • VI Gokase • VII Myōkō • VII Omono • VII Tokachi • VII Maya • VII ARP Myōkō • VII ARP Ashigara • VII ARP Haguro • VII Southern Dragon • VII Eastern Dragon • VII ARP Nachi • VIII Mogami • VIII Tone • VIII Atago • VIII Shimanto • VIII Atago B • VIII ARP Takao • VIII ARP Maya • VIII Tone 2 • VIII Tone 3 • IX Ibuki • IX Takahashi • IX Azuma • IX AL Azuma • IX Chikuma II • IX Chikuma II Golden • IX BA Takahashi • X Zaō • X Yodo • X Yoshino • X Yoshino B • X Kitakami • X Yari • X Zaō CLR • X [[Ship:[Zaō]\|[Zaō]]]
Battleships	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
Aircraft Carriers	IV [[Ship:Hōshō (< 23.01.2019)\|Hōshō (< 23.01.2019)]] • IV Hōshō • V [[Ship:Zuihō (< 23.01.2019)\|Zuihō (< 23.01.2019)]] • VI [[Ship:Ryūjō (< 23.01.2019)\|Ryūjō (< 23.01.2019)]] • VI Ryūjō • VII [[Ship:Hiryū (< 23.01.2019)\|Hiryū (< 23.01.2019)]] • VII [[Ship:Kaga (< 23.01.2019)\|Kaga (< 23.01.2019)]] • VIII [[Ship:Shōkaku (< 23.01.2019)\|Shōkaku (< 23.01.2019)]] • VIII Shōkaku • VIII Kaga • VIII Kaga B • IX [[Ship:Taihō (< 23.01.2019)\|Taihō (< 23.01.2019)]] • X [[Ship:Hakuryū (< 23.01.2019)\|Hakuryū (< 23.01.2019)]] • X Hakuryū • X Shinano • X [[Ship:[Hakuryū]\|[Hakuryū]]] • ★ Sekiryu

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 Tennessee • 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 • VII Lugdunum • IX Karl XIV Johan • IX Niord
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	VII Teng She • 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