Mainz B

12.8

Cruiser | Germany | Tier VIII

Tech Tree Position

Battle Levels

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VIII

Special

Mainz B — German special premium Tier VIII cruiser.

In 1936, Germany ordered two cruisers armed with 150 mm guns housed in four triple-gun turrets. However, the cruisers were designed in such a way that their barbettes were identical to those of cruisers carrying 203 mm guns, which could easily be mounted instead of the 150 mm ones. That replacement was made in 1937, even before the ships had been launched.

Mainz B was first released for sale on 18 November 2022.

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 ()
150 mm/60 SK C/25 on a Drh Tr C/25 mount	10	23.7	153	1,700	8	3,900		0	0

	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 ()
Mainz B.	42,500	13	150	4	6	12/18/6	4			0	0

	Rate of Fire (shots/min)	Torpedo Tubes Reload Time (sec)	180° Turn Time (sec)	Maximum Damage (HP)	Torpedo Speed (knot)	Torpedo Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
G7a T1	0.7	90	7.2	13,700	64	6		0	0

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
FKS Typ 8 Mod. 1		0		0	0

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 132,000 hp	32		0	0

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4
Slot 5

Player Opinion

Performance

Warning. The data presented in the AA Defense sidebar section may be incorrect.
For a graphic summary of ships Tiers VIII thru XI see LittleWhiteMouse's "Actual AA DPS".

Mainz B, or Mainz Black, is a clone of Mainz with an attractive black skin.

Mainz B's main battery is one of the key differences to her same tier half sisters. Unlike Admiral Hipper and Prinz Eugen Mainz B does not carry eight 203mm guns in four twin turrets, but instead uses twelve 150mm guns in four triple turrets. The guns and turrets that she has equipped are identical to those found on Tier VI Nürnberg. As such they also benefit from the baked in 1/4 HE penetration, which helps Mainz B penetrate the hull plating of Tier VIII to X battleships, whereas other light cruisers are required to equip IFHE to achieve similar results. This results in four captain skill points that don’t have to be spent on said captain skill as well as avoiding the -50% fire chance penalty that comes with IFHE, resulting in Mainz B having an easier time setting fires on enemy warships when using that skill. A disadvantage to Mainz B’s HE shells is a relatively low HE Alpha, resulting in her dpm being comparable to Chapayev.

The AP shells on Mainz B compare a bit differently to other AP shells. While the HE shells offer a rather uninspiring damage output, the potential output of Mainz B’s AP shells is outstanding. None of the Tier VIII light cruisers save for Bayard during the usage of Main Battery Reload Booster  can match the AP dpm of Mainz B. In terms of penetration these shells are average, sitting right in between Cleveland and Bayard. What this means however is that these shells are not capable of landing citadel hits unless at short range, but they do deal tremendous amounts of damage should a target reveal its side.

A formidable main battery firing range of 17.5km ensures that Mainz B is able to apply her damage even on some of the less favorable high tier maps, but her firing angles are rather limiting. Towards the bow a full broadside is possible at 38°, towards the rear only at 40°, meaning that Mainz B is open to penetrations against her hull while firing broadsides. A high muzzle velocity results in good shell flight times in comparison to other 152mm armed ships at her tier.

Where Mainz B offers a rather nasty sting is in terms of torpedo armament. Her torpedo batteries match that of Tier X cruiser Hindenburg with two quadruple launchers on each side of the ship. While the potential damage that such a salvo can deliver is in theory enough to destroy most ships in the game with one broadside, the range is just as short as it is on the other heavy cruisers with only 6km range, limiting the usage.

While the Secondary battery also benefits from the 1/4 HE penetration rule, the 105mm guns are mostly useless due to the lacking range and lacking damage output. At best they will set a fire on a hostile vessel.

In terms of survivability Mainz B sitson a similar level compared to her half sister Admiral Hipper. A large hitpool, far beyond that of other Tier VIII light cruisers, but also a large hull as well as a thin armor belt mean that while Mainz B has the reserves to take hits, these are highly likely to deal damage. And unlike Prinz Eugen, Mainz B has no Repair Party . She also does not have the 27mm hull plating that her half sisters can offer, only her midship deck is 27mm thick while the upper belt and upper bow are only 25mm thick. This does make Mainz B vulnerable against 380/381mm AP shells that can overmatch through large sections of her hull. The turtleback, while offering additional protection for the vital areas, does not prevent painful normal penetrations. Some protection can be gained from the icebreaker bow, which covers roughly half of her bow with a thickness of 40mm. However outside of close range encounters it is difficult to capitalize on this plating, and it cannot be relied on. What comes on top is that Mainz B shares the rather fragile turrets of Nürnberg, making her main battery prone to incapacitations against HE shells and most AP shells.

The maneuverability of Mainz B leaves something to be desired. The rudder shift is rather long, the top speed among the lowest and the turning circle is nothing to write home about. In combination with the lack of armor on her hull this means that Mainz B will struggle to consistently and effectively avoid incoming damage at medium ranges.

The AA protection of Mainz B is rather decent compared to her half sisters. She shares the same 105mm dual purpose guns, but also carries a large array of 37mm guns which will throw out 319 damage per second against aircraft, almost on the same level as Baltimore. While this can make Mainz B a costly target to drop, it does not grant her immunity against aircraft however, even when applying additional AA improvements such as Defensive AA Fire  or captain skills.

One of Mainz B’s major weaknesses is her surface detection. Even when fully investing into concealment she only reaches 12km, worse than any other Tier VIII light cruiser. This results in Mainz B being unable to dictate the engagement, and should an opponent choose to keep her lit for the team to shoot at Mainz B will struggle to evade this threat.

In regards to Mainz B’s consumables she shares those of her half sister Admiral Hipper. Standard cruiser Damage Control Party , the choice between the improved, German Hydroacoustic Search  or Defensive AA Fire  and a Catapult Fighter .

What all this combines into is a medium to long range specialist. Decent ballistics and consistent damage output mean that Mainz B can engage targets at range where she can evade returning fire. Should the late game make it possible, getting into brawling range where the AP shells can be effectively applied as well as the devastating torpedo salvos. Depending on what is deemed more important – defending herself against air attacks or being able to spot torpedoes and ships – the decision between Defensive AA Fire and Hydroacoustic Search is up to the player.

Pros:

Good main battery firing range
One of the best cruiser AP DPM values in its tier spread
For a German warship, Mainz B's HE DPM is quite good
High HE penetration (IFHE is not needed) and decent fire chance
Comfortable long range gunnery thanks to high shell velocity and flat arcs
Heavy torpedo armament of four quadruple launchers (two per side), great for close range combat
Turtleback armor scheme improves citadel protection at close range
Powerful AA suite
Same excellent Hydroacoustic Search  as Hindenburg

Cons:

Unlike Prinz Eugen, Mainz B lacks the Repair Party  consumable
Despite sharing the same hull, Mainz has thinner armor than Admiral Hipper
Poor main battery firing angles
Torpedoes are short-ranged
Lightly armored turrets can be disabled/destroyed easily
Sluggish handling for a light cruiser - average speed and slow rudder shift
Concealment is among the worst for a Tier VIII cruiser

Research

As a premium ship, Mainz B has no module upgrades to research.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades are:

Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
Slot 2: Engine Room Protection
Slot 3: Aiming Systems Modification 1
Slot 4: Propulsion Modification 1
Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1

Commander Skills

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Attack				Defense
1	Grease the Gears +15% main battery traverse speed. ★★	Swift Fish +5% torpedo speed.	Consumables Specialist -10% cooldown time of Main Battery Reload Booster, Torpedo Reload Booster, Spotting Aircraft, Catapult Fighter, and Defensive AA Fire.	Gun Feeder -40% time to switch shell type.	Incoming Fire Alert Receive a warning of a salvo fired at your ship from more than 4.5km. ★	Last Stand The ship remains able to move and maneuver - slowly - while the engine or steering gears are incapacitated.
2	Demolition Expert +1% chance of main and secondary HE shells causing a fire. +15% to the fragmentation damage area of HE ordnance fired at submarines. ★★★	Fill the Tubes -10% torpedo tubes reload time.	Consumables Enhancements +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search, Surveillance Radar, Smoke Generator, & Engine Boost.	Eye in the Sky Spotting Aircraft: • +2 charges • -50% cooldown time.	Priority Target The detection indicator will show the number of enemies targeting you with main battery. ★★★	Focus Fire Training In the priority AA sector: +25% continuous damage. +1 flak burst per salvo –10% reload time of Air strike armament.
3	Heavy HE and SAP Shells +10% HE and SAP shell damage. +15% ship detectability guns 149mm and up. ★	Enhanced Torpedo Explosive Charge +15% torpedo damage.	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% reload time of all armaments per 1% HP lost +0.2% AA continuous damage per 1% HP lost. ★★★	Heavy AP Shells +5% damage for AP shells 190mm and larger.	Superintendent +1 charge to all consumables. ★★★	Survivability Expert +450 HP per ship tier.
4	Top Grade Gunner -10% reload time of secondary batteries If enemy ship is spotted within detectability range, -8% reload time of main battery.	Outnumbered If there are fewer allies than visible enemies within the ship's base main caliber firing range: +8% ship speed -10% main battery dispersion.	Radio Location Shows the direction to the nearest enemy ship. The enemy is alerted that a bearing has been taken.. ★	Inertial Fuse for HE Shells +25% armor penetration of HE shells Base fire chance reduced by half.	Concealment Expert -10% detectability range of the ship. ★★★	AA Defense and ASW Expert +20% continuous AA damage. +20% flak damage. +15% damage from depth charges. ★
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful ★★ - Frequently Useful ★ - Occasionally Useful No stars - Not Useful

Consumables

Mainz B equips the following consumables:

Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
Slot 2: Defensive AA Fire  – 3 charges or Hydroacoustic Search  – 3 charges
Slot 3: Catapult Fighter  – 3 charges

Camouflage

As a premium ship, Mainz B comes with Default permanent camouflage and a set of permanent combat bonuses.

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 Germany

Destroyers	II V-25 • III G-101 • IV V-170 • V T-22 • VI Ernst Gaede • VI T-61 • VI Karl von Schönberg • VII Leberecht Maass • VII Z-31 • VII Z-39 • VIII Z-23 • VIII Gustav-Julius Maerker • VIII Z-35 • IX Z-46 • IX Felix Schultz • IX Z-44 • IX ZF-6 • X Z-52 • X Elbing • X Z-42
Cruisers	I Hermelin • II Dresden • II Emden • III Kolberg • IV Karlsruhe • V Königsberg • VI Nürnberg • VI Admiral Graf Spee • VI Leipzig • VI HSF Admiral Graf Spee • VII Yorck • VII München • VII Weimar • VIII Admiral Hipper • VIII Prinz Eugen • VIII Mainz • VIII Schill • VIII Mainz B • VIII Cross of Dorn • IX Roon • IX Siegfried • IX Ägir • IX Admiral Schröder • IX Roon CLR • X Hindenburg • ★ Clausewitz
Battleships	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 • VIII Tirpitz • VIII Bismarck • VIII Zieten • VIII Odin • VIII Brandenburg • VIII Anhalt • VIII Tirpitz B • IX Friedrich der Grosse • IX Prinz Rupprecht • IX Pommern • IX Pommern B • X Grosser Kurfürst • X Schlieffen • X Preussen • X Mecklenburg • ★ Hannover
Aircraft Carriers	IV Rhein • VI Weser • VI Erich Loewenhardt • VIII August von Parseval • VIII Graf Zeppelin • VIII Graf Zeppelin B • X Manfred von Richthofen • X Max Immelmann

Cruisers

Japan	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 • IX Ibuki • IX Takahashi • IX Azuma • IX AL Azuma • X Zaō • X Yodo • X Yoshino • X Yoshino B • X Kitakami
U.S.A.	I Erie • II Chester • II Albany • III St. Louis • III Charleston • IV Phoenix • V Omaha • V Marblehead • V Marblehead Lima • V Rattlehead • VI Pensacola • VI Dallas • VII Atlanta • VII New Orleans • VII Helena • VII Indianapolis • VII Atlanta B • VII Boise • VII Flint • VIII Baltimore • VIII Cleveland • VIII Wichita • VIII Anchorage • VIII Congress • VIII Rochester • VIII San Diego • VIII AL Montpelier • 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 • ★ Annapolis
U.K.	I Black Swan • II Weymouth • III Caledon • IV Danae • V Emerald • V Hawkins • V Exeter • VI Leander • VI Devonshire • VI London • VI Dido • VII Fiji • VII Surrey • VII Belfast • VIII Edinburgh • VIII Albemarle • VIII Cheshire • VIII Tiger '59 • VIII Belfast '43 • VIII Hampshire • VIII Nottingham • VIII AL Cheshire • VIII STAR Edinburgh • IX Neptune • IX Drake • X Minotaur • X Goliath • X Plymouth • X Gibraltar • X Monmouth • X Defence • ★ Edgar
France	I Bougainville • II Jurien de la Gravière • III Friant • IV Duguay-Trouin • V Émile Bertin • VI La Galissonnière • VI De Grasse • VI Dupleix • VII Algérie • VII Toulon • VIII Charles Martel • VIII Cherbourg • VIII Bayard • IX Saint-Louis • IX Brest • IX Carnot • X Henri IV • X Marseille • X Colbert • ★ Condé
U.S.S.R.	I Orlan • II Diana • II Diana Lima • II Novik • III Aurora • III Bogatyr • III Oleg • III Varyag • III AL Avrora • IV Svietlana • V Murmansk • V Kotovsky • V Krasny Krym • V Mikoyan • V Kirov • VI Budyonny • VI Molotov • VI Admiral Makarov • VII Shchors • VII Lazo • VIII Chapayev • VIII Tallinn • VIII Mikhail Kutuzov • VIII Ochakov • VIII Pyotr Bagration • VIII Bagration • VIII Dmitry Pozharsky • IX Dmitri Donskoi • IX Riga • IX Kronshtadt • X Moskva • X Alexander Nevsky • X Petropavlovsk • X Stalingrad • X Smolensk • X Sevastopol • X Kommissar • ★ Novosibirsk
Germany	I Hermelin • II Dresden • II Emden • III Kolberg • IV Karlsruhe • V Königsberg • VI Nürnberg • VI Admiral Graf Spee • VI Leipzig • VI HSF Admiral Graf Spee • VII Yorck • VII München • VII Weimar • VIII Admiral Hipper • VIII Prinz Eugen • VIII Mainz • VIII Schill • VIII Mainz B • VIII Cross of Dorn • IX Roon • IX Siegfried • IX Ägir • IX Admiral Schröder • IX Roon CLR • X Hindenburg • ★ Clausewitz
Pan-Asia	I Chengan • III Ning Hai • V Chungking • VI Rahmat • VI Huanghe • VII Chumphon • VIII Harbin • VIII Irian • VIII Wukong • IX Sejong • IX Dalian • IX Mengchong • X Jinan
Europe	I Gryf • VI Elli
Italy	I Eritrea • II Nino Bixio • III Taranto • IV Alberto di Giussano • V Raimondo Montecuccoli • V Genova • VI Trento • VI Duca d'Aosta • VII Zara • VII Duca degli Abruzzi • VII Gorizia • VIII Amalfi • IX Brindisi • IX Michelangelo • X Venezia • X Napoli • X Napoli B • ★ Piemonte
Netherlands	I Van Kinsbergen • II Gelderland • III Java • IV De Ruyter • V Celebes • VI Kijkduin • VII Eendracht • VIII Haarlem • VIII De Zeven Provinciën • IX Johan de Witt • IX Van Speijk • X Gouden Leeuw
Commonwealth	VI Perth • VI Mysore • IX Hector • X Brisbane
Spain	I Júpiter • II Méndez Núñez • III Navarra • IV Almirante Cervera • V Galicia • VI Baleares • VI Canarias • VII Asturias • VIII Cataluña • VIII Numancia • IX Andalucía • X Castilla
Pan-America	I Hércules • II Almirante Barroso • II Almirante Abreu • III Vicente Guerrero • IV Córdoba • V La Argentina • VI Almirante Cochrane • VII Coronel Bolognesi • VII Nueve de Julio • VIII Ignacio Allende • VIII Almirante Grau • IX Santander • X San Martín

Games

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Mainz B

Modules

Compatible Upgrades