Saipan

13.9

Saipan

Aircraft Carrier | U.S.A. | Tier VIII

Tech Tree Position

General

Purchase priceSpecial

Hit Points47,900

AA Defense

40 mm/56 Bofors on a Mk.1 mount10 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second113

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

40 mm/56 Bofors on a Mk.2 mount5 х 4 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second79.5

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

20 mm Oerlikon on a Mk.24 mount15 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second91.5

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed33 knot

Turning Circle Radius920 m.

Rudder Shift Time15.9 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range11.87 km.

Air Detectability Range10.18 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

13.9

Saipan

Aircraft Carrier | U.S.A. | Tier VIII

Tech Tree Position

General

Purchase priceSpecial

Hit Points47,900

AA Defense

40 mm/56 Bofors on a Mk.1 mount10 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second113

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

40 mm/56 Bofors on a Mk.2 mount5 х 4 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second79.5

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

20 mm Oerlikon on a Mk.24 mount15 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second91.5

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed33 knot

Turning Circle Radius920 m.

Rudder Shift Time15.9 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range11.87 km.

Air Detectability Range10.18 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

VIII

Special

Saipan — American special premium Tier VIII aircraft сarrier.

In 1943, Admiral King demanded that two light aircraft carriers be built per year to compensate for anticipated losses. The first two ships were to enter service in December 1945. The new ships were to be based on the hull of the Baltimore-class heavy cruiser. Only two ships were built—no new ones were ordered due to the war ending. Initially, USS Saipan, which was deemed too small to accommodate jets, was utilized for naval cadet training, training maneuvers, and patrol and diplomatic missions.

Saipan was first released for sale on 12-13 April 2016.

Modules

	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 ()
Saipan	47,900	6	152			15/10/5				0	0

	Speed (knot)	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SQUADRON_MED_DAMAGE (HP/min)	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SQUADRON_AMMO_AMOUNT	Hit Points (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
F8F Bearcat	176			1,660		0	0

	Maximum Torpedo Damage (HP)	Speed (knot)	Hit Points (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
BTD Destroyer	6,467	131	2,040		0	0

	Maximum Bomb Damage (HP)	Speed (knot)	Hit Points (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
BTD Destroyer		131	2,150		0	0

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 120,000 hp	33		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.
Refer to the in-game Port screens for more useful data.

As a premium USN aircraft carrier, Saipan’s uniqueness comes from her aircraft being very similar to Midway’s in speed, survivability, and armament count per plane. Additionally, the ship itself has much better concealment and rudder shift than her USN peers Lexington and Enterprise, allowing players to move faster to their desired location and stealthily closer to their strike targets. This gives players an edge over their same tier counterparts in faster and quicker strikes to whittle down the enemy.

However, she does not have the same attack flight size and squadron size of Midway’s nor does she have Lexington’s armor. The lack of armor means that enemy battleship salvos and torpedoes will cause much more damage to the ship when the player's ship is detected. Players must be careful of where to position their ship for maximizing their strike capabilities while keeping their ship intact.

Furthermore, while Saipan’s torpedo bombers do carry two torpedoes each like Midway’s, this amplifies the effect of lost damage output for each plane shot down by the enemy. Furthermore, her aircraft restoration time is the longest out of all carriers currently, making each aircraft lost a massive decrease in her constant damage output. Players should carefully select targets, as randomly lashing out at any target that may have a formidable anti-air defense will result in a complete exhaust of available strike aircraft.

The culmination of these characteristics allows Saipan to have higher overall potential damage output with most other same tier carriers. Players should attempt to use each squadron as effectively as possible through minimizing losses and getting the most damage in each attack run.

Pros:

• Strong alpha strike with all three plane types
• Rockets and bombs have a very high fire chance
• Good ship speed and concealment

Cons:

• Poor ship armour
• Short-ranged AA defenses
• Exceedingly long plane restoration time
• Small squadrons and low deck reserves
• Planes (particularly the torpedo bombers) have a long aiming time
• Torpedo bombers and dive bombers are fairly slow
• No secondary guns

Research

As a premium ship, Saipan does not have any upgrades to research.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades for Saipan are as follows:

• Slot 1: Air Groups Modification 1
• Slot 2: Aircraft Engines Modification 1
• Slot 3: Attack Aircraft Modification 1
• Slot 4: Bombers Modification 1
• Slot 5: Flight Control Modification 1

Commander Skills

The following information is provided for players who wish to create a permanent captain for the ship. Those players who are retraining captains or using the ship to gain extra experience for a captain should consult the page relevant to the ship to which the captain will be assigned.

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Attack			Defense		Support
1	Last Gasp Completely restores engine boost for the last attack squadron.	Improved Engine Boost +10% Aircraft engine boost time. ★★	Engine Techie -20% Engine Cooling cooldown time.	Air Supremacy -5% aircraft restoration time. ★★★	Direction Center for Fighters +1 fighter to CAP squadrons.	Search and Destroy +10% to action radius of Patrol Fighter and Interceptor squadrons.
2	Torpedo Bomber -10% torpedo arming distance.	Swift Fish +5% to torpedo speed.	Improved Engines +2.5% aircraft squadron speed. ★★★	Repair Specialist +1 In-flight Repair consumable +10% its action time.	Secondary Armament Expert +10% flak and continuous damage -10% secondary battery reload time.	Patrol Group Leader +1 fighter to Patrol Fighter or Interceptor squadrons.
3	Sight Stabilization +7.5% aiming speed.	Enhanced Armor-Piercing Ammunition +3% damage from AP bombs and rockets.	Pyrotechnician +1% chance of HE rockets causing a fire. +5% chance of HE bombs causing a fire. ★★	Aircraft Armor -10% continuous AA damage while in an aura. ★★★	Survivability Expert +25 aircraft HP per ship tier. ★★★	Interceptor Interceptors replace Patrol Fighters:  +10% action radius.  Invulnerable to fighters.  Cannot attack fighters.  Cannot spot ships.
4	Bomber Flight Control +5% speed all bomber types. ★★	Proximity Fuze -10% (absolute) to target's torpedo protection.	Close Quarters Expert Secondary batteries: +20% range -30% dispersion.	Enhanced Aircraft Armor -25% damage from flak. ★★★	Hidden Menace -15% ship detectability range. -20% Damage Control Party cooldown. +50% aircraft return time.	Enhanced Reactions -80% time before activated Patrol Fighters or Interceptors attack. +25% action time. +50% cooldown time.
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful      ★★ - Frequently Useful      ★ - Occasionally Useful     No stars - Not Useful

Consumables

Damage Control Party and Fighter are deployed automatically.

Camouflage

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

Signals

As a carrier, Saipan has no risk of detonating and a very fast fire extinguishing time.

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.

Historical Info

The first USS Saipan (CVL-48) was a light aircraft carrier of the United States Navy, the lead ship of her class of carrier. She was later selected for conversion into a command ship in 1963–1964, but instead of becoming a command ship she was converted to the Major Communications Relay Ship Arlington (AGMR-2) in 1965.

Saipan was laid down on 10 July 1944 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey; launched on 8 July 1945, sponsored by Mrs. John W. McCormack; and commissioned on 14 July 1946, Capt. John G. Crommelin in command.

Historical Inaccuracies

Pre-CV rework:

• The Douglas AD "Skyraider" is a single-seat aircraft. It has no rear gunner.

Post-CV rework:

• Only 26 Douglas BTD-1 Destroyers were built and none saw combat.
• F4U Corsair and Douglas AD "Skyraider" are missing.

Historical Gallery

• 

  USS Saipan underway, circa 1956.

• 

  FH-1 Phantom of VF-17A on Saipan, May 1948.

• 

  USS Arlington (AGMR-2), 1967.

• 

  Cadets touring Saipan, docked in Pensacola, Florida, 1956.

• 

  Saipan (CVL-48), circa 1956.

• 

  Aviation Officer Candidate in pre-flight training aboard ship, 1956.

Video

References

• USS Saipan (CVL-48) - Wikipedia
• Saipan-class aircraft carrier - Wikipedia
• History Spotlight: Saipan - News - World of Warships
• Premium Ship Spotlight: Saipan - News - World of Warships
• Premium Ship Spotlight - Saipan - World of Warships Official Channel - YouTube

Ship Change Log

See here for links to Update notes.

• Added to the game in Update 0.2.1 (Alpha) as a researchable Tier VI aircraft carrier.
• Update 0.3.1:
  • The ship was removed from the game.
• Made available for testing in the game by supertesters in Update 0.5.4 as a Premium Tier VII aircraft carrier.
• Update 0.5.4.1:
  • A new Flight Control module was added, allowing use of Douglas AD-2 bombers in addition to Vought F4U-4 fighters.
  • One torpedo bomber squadron was removed from the ship's strike loadout.
• First appeared for sale in April 2016.
• Update 0.5.8.1:
  • An issue that caused the "Research" button to appear for the ship was fixed.
• Update 0.5.10:
  • The description of the ship's features was fixed.
• Update 0.5.11:
  • The hull's armored model was improved.
  • Fighter ammunition was increased by 33%.
• Update 0.6.0:
  • The appearance of the ship was improved using a special technology for improved rendering of thin elements.
• Update 0.6.7:
  • Made available for purchase with Doubloons in the game client.
• Update 0.6.13:
  • The survivability of the 40 mm anti-aircraft guns was increased.
• Update 0.6.14:
  • The action time of the Damage Control Party consumable was increased from 5 to 30 seconds, while fire resistance coefficient was changed to 0.8.
• Update 0.6.15:
  • A bonus of -10% to the cost of the post battle repair service was added to the Type 10 permanent camouflage.
• Update 0.7.0:
  • Minor corrections to the geometry and textures of the ship.
• Update 0.8.0:
  • Moved to Tier VIII.
  • The Fighter squadron was changed to an Attack squadron:
    • Attack Aircraft per squadron: 6; Attack Aircraft per attack group: 2; Amount of rockets per aircraft: 3.
  • The Dive Bombers were changed:
    • Dive Bomber aircraft per squadron: 6; Dive Bomber aircraft per attack group: 2; Amount of bombs per aircraft: 2.
  • The Torpedo Bombers were changed:
    • Torpedo Bomber aircraft per squadron: 6; Torpedo Bomber aircraft per attack group: 2; Amount of torpedoes per aircraft: 2.
  • For replacement and compensation due to the carrier rework, refer to this page.
  • For consumables mounted by squadrons, refer to this page.
  • For consumables mounted by Saipan, refer to this page.
• Update 0.8.4:
  • The height from which bombs are dropped was increased.
  • The aiming reticle for the bombs was changed to be narrower.
  • Bomb dispersion was changed. Now, fewer bombs fall near the center and more towards the outer edges of the reticle.
• Update 0.8.10:
  • Experience earnings when suffering a defeat were reduced by 10%.
• Update 0.9.2:
  • The Dive Bombers were changed:
    • The minimum time between attacks for bomber squadrons was increased from 5 s to 9 s.
• Update 0.9.7:
  • Tiny Tim aiming reticle was rotated 90 degrees to appear horizontally.
• Update 0.10.0:
  • Minor corrections to the geometry and textures of the ship.
  • An error that resulted in VIII Saipan having 40mm Bofors Mk1 guns instead of 40mm Bofors Mk2 anti-aircraft guns was fixed. Continuous AA damage was increased by 4 units per second.
• Update 0.10.5:
  • The Attack Aircraft now gain altitude at the start of an attack run.
• Update 0.11.1:
  • Minor corrections to the geometry and textures of the ship.

Ships of U.S.A.

Aircraft Carriers