Montana

13.8

Montana

Battleship | U.S.A. | Tier X

Tech Tree Position

General

Research price247000 exp

Purchase price20,800,000

Hit Points96,300

Main Battery

406 mm/50 Mk.7 in a turret4 х 3 pcs.

Rate of Fire2 shots/min.

Reload Time30 sec.

Rotation Speed4 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time45 sec.

Firing Range23.65 km.

Maximum Dispersion296 m.

HE Shell406 mm HE/HC Mk13

Maximum HE Shell Damage5,700

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell36 %

Initial HE Shell Velocity820 m./s.

HE Shell Weight862 kg.

AP Shell406 mm AP Mk8

Maximum AP Shell Damage13,500

Initial AP Shell Velocity762 m./s.

AP Shell Weight1225 kg.

Secondary Armament #1

127 mm/54 Mk.16 on a Mk.41 mount10 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range7.3 km.

Rate of Fire15 shots/min.

Reload Time4 sec.

HE Shell127 mm HE Mk41

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,800

Initial HE Shell Velocity808 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell9 %

AA Defense

127 mm/54 Mk.16 on a Mk.41 mount10 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second157

. . . Firing Range5.19 km.

40 mm/56 Bofors on a Mk.2 mount20 х 4 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second318

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

20 mm Oerlikon on a Mk.24 mount20 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second122

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

20 mm Oerlikon on a Mk.4 mount20 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second72

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed30 knot

Turning Circle Radius950 m.

Rudder Shift Time22.2 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range17.29 km.

Air Detectability Range12.91 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

13.8

Montana

Battleship | U.S.A. | Tier X

Tech Tree Position

General

Research price247000 exp

Purchase price20,800,000

Hit Points96,300

Main Battery

406 mm/50 Mk.7 in a turret4 х 3 pcs.

Rate of Fire2 shots/min.

Reload Time30 sec.

Rotation Speed4 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time45 sec.

Firing Range23.65 km.

Maximum Dispersion296 m.

HE Shell406 mm HE/HC Mk13

Maximum HE Shell Damage5,700

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell36 %

Initial HE Shell Velocity820 m./s.

HE Shell Weight862 kg.

AP Shell406 mm AP Mk8

Maximum AP Shell Damage13,500

Initial AP Shell Velocity762 m./s.

AP Shell Weight1225 kg.

Secondary Armament #1

127 mm/54 Mk.16 on a Mk.41 mount10 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range7.3 km.

Rate of Fire15 shots/min.

Reload Time4 sec.

HE Shell127 mm HE Mk41

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,800

Initial HE Shell Velocity808 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell9 %

AA Defense

127 mm/54 Mk.16 on a Mk.41 mount10 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second157

. . . Firing Range5.19 km.

40 mm/56 Bofors on a Mk.2 mount20 х 4 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second318

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

20 mm Oerlikon on a Mk.24 mount20 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second122

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

20 mm Oerlikon on a Mk.4 mount20 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second72

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed30 knot

Turning Circle Radius950 m.

Rudder Shift Time22.2 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range17.29 km.

Air Detectability Range12.91 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

X

20,800,000

Montana — American Tier X battleship.

The Montana-class ships were an evolution of the Iowa-class "fast battleships": They were larger, better armored, and more heavily armed. The main armament was expanded to include twelve 406 mm guns arranged in four triple-gun turrets. The preliminary design work had commenced even before the United States entered World War II. The attack on Pearl Harbor delayed construction, and the success of aircraft carriers in the Battle of the Coral Sea and Battle of Midway prompted the U.S. to opt against pursuing the Montana class in favor of more promising ship types.

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/50 Mk.7 in a turret	2	45	296	5,700	36	13,500		0	2,200,000

	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 ()
Montana	96,300	6	457	4	10	20/20/20/10				0	3,400,000

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Mk10 mod. 1		0		0	2,100,000

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 172,000 hp	30		0	550,000

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4
Slot 5
Slot 6

Player Opinion

Performance

Warning: The data presented in the AA Defense sidebar section may be incorrect.
Refer to the in-game Port screens for more useful data.

Tier X's Montana is, at first glance, basically a supersized Iowa with an additional triple mount turret and thicker belt and deck armor. Her offensive capability relies on her heavy broadside to smash enemy battleships or destroy anything smaller should the rounds connect. She has the 3rd heaviest broadside and one of the best DPM of any battleship in the game. Although her guns are the second smallest of her fellow Tier X battleships her super-heavy shell (SHS) AP rounds do as much damage as the 420mm guns on Großer Kurfürst (while firing faster and more accurately) and exceed the AP damage of Conqueror. Her HE rounds are also decent, but characteristically weaker than Japanese and British HE but stronger than the high explosive found on German battleships. She also has an extremely powerful anti-aircraft suite and is more than capable of protecting herself from lower-tiered aircraft carriers, but will likely require the assistance of teammates to fend off a determined strike by a Tier X flattop.

While she can reach a top speed of 30 knots, her large size and slow rudder shift time make her vulnerable to torpedo attack. Further, her main battery of 16-inch guns are not able to overmatch the 32mm thick bow armor found on most Tier IX and X battleships like Yamato’s main battery can. This means that Montana captains may sometimes be forced into firing high explosive shells at well-angled enemy battleships.

The dispersion of her main guns has been improved since the game launched, but her dispersion is still worse than Yamato’s even after the Artillery Plotting Room Modification 2 upgrade is installed. They are, however, more accurate than Großer Kurfürst’s main battery at range while having a slower turret traverse (45 seconds versus Kurfürst’s 40 seconds). Her secondaries are not as numerous as those of her Tier X counterparts, but they are better armored. Cruisers firing high explosive rounds are far less likely to destroy her secondary battery turrets, something that Yamato and Kurfürst cannot claim. Additionally, they have have the best rate of fire and the highest fire chance of all Tier X battleship secondary guns.

Montana is a "jack of all trades" battleship. With that said, in a close-range fight she will easily outpace Yamato’s turret traverse, though not that of Kurfürst. While at range she will be more accurate than Kurfürst but not as accurate as Yamato. Flexibility is her strength. Montana is also one of the tankiest bbs at t10.

Pros:

• Joint third strongest AP broadside in the game
• Great main battery range
• Good main battery firing angles allow for fairly effective angling
• Very good main battery accuracy with the Artillery Plotting Room Modification 2 upgrade
• Nice durability - good hitpoint pool, deck armor, and main belt armor
• Strong AA defenses
• Improved Repair Party  consumable heals 32% more damage per second than her peers (not counting ships with access to Specialized Repair Teams )
• Reinforced Emergency Response () provides a noticeable rudder shift improvement, as well as better resistance to fires and floods, at the expense of some concealment

Cons:

• Poor HE damage output and fire chance
• Very slow rudder shift, worst among Tier 10 battleships
• Very vulnerable to citadel penetrations when showing a full broadside
• Secondaries are rather ineffective and should not be relied upon
• Poor concealment
• Does not have any unique gimmicks going for it

Research

As a Tier X ship, Montana doesn't have any upgrades to research.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

• Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
• Slot 2: Damage Control System Modification 1 
• Slot 3: Main Battery Modification 2
• Slot 4: Damage Control System Modification 2
• Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1  or Reinforced Emergency Response ()
• Slot 6: Artillery Plotting Room Modification 2

Keep in mind that Montana can also be equipped with Spotting Aircraft Modification 1 in Slot 1 to increase the spotter plane flight time.

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

Montana equips the following consumables

• Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
• Slot 2: Repair Party 
• Slot 3: Catapult Fighter  or Spotting Aircraft 

Equipping Spotting Aircraft  rather than Catapult Fighter  is recommended.

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

• 
• 

  A sinking Montana provides a meat shield for both his friendly Riga and the enemy Des Moines during a Succession League brawl.

Historical Info

Montana, 1942 design

Specifications

63,221 long tons displacement, standard

70,965 long tons displacement, full

280.80m length

36.93m beam

11.17m draft

---

Machinery

8 boilers, 4 turbines

---

Performance

28 knots at 172,000 shaft horsepower

15,000nm at 15 knots

---

Armor

Main belt: 409mm

Lower belt: 183-216mm

Decks: 57mm weather deck, 179-187mm armored deck, 19mm splinter deck

Bulkheads: 457mm forward, 387 mm rear

Barbettes and Turrets: 457-541mm barbette, 572mm face, 254mm side, 305mm rear, 232mm roof

Conning tower: 457mm side, 184mm top

---

Armament

Main

Twelve (4x3) 406mm/50 guns

Secondary

Twenty (10x2) 127mm/54 guns

Anti-Aircraft

Thirty-two (8x4) 40mm Bofors cannons

Twenty (20x1) 20mm Oerlikon cannons

---

Aircraft

Three (3) Vought OS2U "Kingfisher" floatplanes, two catapults

The Montana in-game appears to combine the characteristics from the final 1942 design as well as several earlier design iterations. The ship's AA armament in game has been increased to a more realistic hypothetical loadout had the ships been completed and put into service.

History

The Montana-class battleships of the United States Navy were planned as successors to the Iowa class, being slower but larger, better armored, and having superior firepower. This would have been the US Navy's first class of true post-treaty battleships, designed entirely free from treaty restrictions from the beginning. Five were approved for construction during World War II, but changes in wartime building priorities resulted in their cancellation in favor of the Essex-class aircraft carriers and Iowa class before any Montana-class keels were laid. With beams of 121 feet, they would have been the first U.S. battleships as originally designed to be too wide to transit the existing 110 foot wide locks of the Panama Canal. In conjunction with the Montana-class, the Navy also planned to add a third set of locks to the Panama Canal that would be 140 ft (43 m) wide to enable ship designs with greater beam; these locks would have been armored and would normally be reserved for use by Navy warships.

Preliminary design work for the Montana-class began before the US entry into World War II. The first two vessels were approved by Congress in 1939 following the passage of the Second Vinson Act. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor delayed construction of the Montana class. The success of carrier combat at the Battle of the Coral Sea and, to a greater extent, the Battle of Midway, diminished the value of the battleship. Consequently, though the design was finalized in 1942, the US Navy chose to cancel the Montana-class in 1943 favor of more urgently needed aircraft carriers, amphibious and anti-submarine vessels. Because the Iowas were far long enough in construction and fast enough to escort the new Essex-class aircraft carriers, their orders were retained, making them the last US Navy battleships to be commissioned.

Design

Compared to the high speed Iowa-class that preceded it, the Montana-class design returned to the US Navy tradition of emphasizing maximum firepower and protection while having only modest speeds. The Montana-class would have been the largest, best-protected, and most heavily armed U.S. battleships ever, rivaling the Empire of Japan's immense Yamato-class battleships.

The armament would have been twelve 16-inch (406mm) Mark 7 guns in four triple turrets, up from the Iowas’ nine such guns in three triple turrets. The secondary armament would have consisted of twenty 5"/54 Mark 16 dual purpose guns in ten mounts; compared to the old 5"/38 Mark 12, these new 5" (127mm) guns were considerably longer and fired an heavier projectile at higher muzzle velocity, resulting in greater effectiveness and range against both air and surface targets. As designed, the light AA armament would have consisted of thirty-two 40mm Bofors guns and twenty 20mm Oerlikon guns, though these numbers would have substantially increased had the ships been completed.

The propulsion system consisted of eight boilers providing steam for four turbines, with installed power of 172,000 SHP and a design top speed of 28 knots. As the Montana-class were expected to regularly operate in a 27 knot battle line rather than with 30+ knot fleet carriers, the design reduced power output from 212,000 SHP to 172,000 SHP in 1941 to reduce some weight. Compared to the North Carolina, South Dakota, and Iowa classes, the machinery spaces of the Montanas featured extensive longitudinal subdivisions reminiscent of the arrangement found on the Lexington-class battlecruisers; the designers had sufficient confidence in the stability characteristics to accept the risk of asymmetric flooding and include such longitudinal subdivisions.

Whereas the preceding South Dakota-class and Iowa-class were only designed to be protected from the regular 2,240 lb 16" Mark 5 shells, the Montana-class armor scheme was designed to provide substantial protection zones against the newer and much more powerful 2,700 lb Mark 8 Superheavy Shells. With the beam restriction relaxed, the Montana-class design returned to a more conventional external belt inclined at 19 degrees; the increased beam meant that the loss of waterplane area from external belt inclination was no longer a stability concern as it was for the South Dakota and Iowa classes. The main belt was 409mm thick cemented armor, with a separate lower belt 183-216mm thick mounted on one of the torpedo bulkheads. The horizontal protection consisted of a 57mm weather deck, 179-184mm main armor deck, and 19mm splinter deck. The traverse bulkheads were 457mm thick forward and 387mm thick aft. Turret protection was also increased over that of the Iowa-class, with turret faces up to 572mm thick. The hull has a triple bottom under the citadel to protect against underbottom explosions.

Historical Inaccuracies

• While several design iterations had a 212,000 shaft horsepower power plant that could have propelled the ship at 29+ knots, the final design reduced the power to 172,000 shaft horsepower and the speed to 28 knots in order to reduce weight and improve machinery subdivision.
• The final design had a 57mm weather deck and 179-184mm main armor deck instead of the 38mm and 150mm respectively in game.
• The final design had steering gears and shafts behind the citadel protected by a separate compartment and armor tubes, rather than an extension of the armored citadel as on previous classes of US fast battleships and as depicted in game.
• Montana in game is nearly devoid of AA gun mounts in the bow in front of the turrets, something that would be highly unlikely had the ships been completed. All previous American fast battleships had at least two quad 40mm Bofors mounts in front of the turrets as well as several 20mm Oerlikon mounts.
• Construction of Montana was estimated to be somewhere between July and November 1945. By this time the US Navy had adopted Measure 22 camouflage for their ships; Navy Blue lower hull with Hazy Gray above it. Similar battleships like the Iowa class were painted in Measure 22 in 1945. However, the in-game Montana uses a fictional dazzle scheme.

Historical Gallery

• 

  1940 study plan of USS Montana (BB-67).

• 

  Line drawing of Montana-class battleship.

• 

  1941 model of Montana class.

• 

  Cutaway of a 16-inch gun turret.

• 

  A 1944 model of a Montana-class battleship.

• 

  Stern view of a Montana-class battleship model, showing the catapults and tail crane for launching and recovery of floatplanes.

References

1. USS Montana (BB-67) - Wikipedia
2. Montana-class battleship - Wikipedia

Ship Change Log

See here for links to Update notes.

• Added to the game in Update 0.3.1.
• Update 0.5.2:
  • Rudder shift time increased by +4.71s.
  • Credits and experience earnings ratios were changed:
    • Experience +12%.
    • Credits +28%.
• Update 0.5.6:

• AA and secondary guns were reinforced, and firing accuracy of the main guns was enhanced. Moreover, the ship's maximum speed was increased.
• 45х1 20mm Oerlikon Mk4 AA mounts were replaced with 20x1 20mm Oerlikon Mk4 and 20х2 Oerlikon Mk20 mounts, and one 4x 20mm Bofors Mk2 AA mount was added on top of the third main turret. As a result, her average AA damage within the 2km AA engagement area radius increased by 32 points (from 162 to 194 points), and her average AA damage within the 3.5km AA engagement area radius increased by 16 points (from 302 to 318 points)
• Firing range of her secondary guns was increased by 1km (from 5km to 6km).
• Firing accuracy of her main guns was increased by adjusting the distribution of shell impact points within the dispersion ellipse.
• Her maximum speed was increased by two knots (to 30 knots).

• Update 0.5.9:
  • The armored model of the hull was refined.
• Update 0.5.12:
  • Armored deck thickness increased from 28 to 38 mm.
• Update 0.6.0:
  • Fixed a bug where the AA mount on the main turret disappeared if the turret had been destroyed.
  • Introduced more accurate armor layout models for the main turrets.
• Update 0.6.4:
  • The appearance was improved.
• Update 0.6.5:
  • Fixed geometry and textures of the main caliber guns. This change will not affect game performance in any way.
  • Barrel jacket color corrected from light to dark for higher historical accuracy.
• Update 0.6.6:
  • The citadel was lowered: now the roof is almost at waterline level. The vacant place where the citadel was was filled with casemates, which increased their volume. Therefore, there was a slight redistribution of HP: part of the HP was moved evenly from fore and aft ends and superstructures to the central part of the ship's casemates.
• Update 0.6.12:
  • Detectability when firing main guns in smoke changed to 17.38 km.
  • Detection range of the Curtiss SC-1 aircraft was increased from 4 km to 7 km in air, and to 8 km by sea.
• Update 0.6.13:
  • The survivability of air defense weapons was tested and brought to a single standard. The change affects 40mm guns.
• Update 0.8.8:
  • Fixed a bug due to which the view range could be less than the firing range.
• Update 0.9.0:
  • HP recovery rate for the Repair Party consumable was increased from 0.5 to 0.66 % HP per second.
• Update 0.9.5:
  • Changes in the unique upgrade "Enhanced Damage Control System":
    • The bonus reducing fire extinguishing time was decreased from 15 to 10 %.
    • The bonus reducing flooding recovery time was decreased from 30 to 10 %.
• Update 0.9.6:
  • The value of the in-game turning circle radius was changed to 950 m to correct prior discrepancy.
• Update 0.10.0:
  • The firing range of the secondary battery was increased to 7.3 km.
• Update 0.11.1:
  • Minor corrections to geometry and textures of the ship.
• Update 0.11.7:
  • Minor fixes to the model and textures of the ship.
  • Fixed the geometry and textures of the Crocosour permanent camouflage.
• Update 12.3:
  • Fixed the geometry and textures of the ship.

Ships of U.S.A.

Battleships