San Diego

12.8

Cruiser | U.S.A. | Tier VIII

Tech Tree Position

Battle Levels

12345678910

VIII

Special

San Diego — American special premium Tier VIII cruiser.

USS San Diego, an Atlanta-class cruiser, accompanied aircraft carriers in the Battle of Midway, the Solomon Islands campaign, and the Battle of Guadalcanal during World War II. Along with British and American aircraft carriers, the cruiser participated in the landings on Bougainville and Tarawa, then took part in the landings on Kwajalein, Eniwetok, and the Marshall Islands, as well as in the raids on Truk Island and Wake Island. USS San Diego fought in the first Battle of the Philippine Sea. In 1945, the cruiser participated in attacks on Okinawa and Tokyo. Over the course of the war, the ship was awarded 18 battle stars.

San Diego was first released for sale on 1 July 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 ()
127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.29 mount	10.9	7.2	135			2,100		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 ()
San Diego	27,900	13	89	8		15/3/1/8	2			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 ()
Mk15 mod. 3	0.7	87	7.2	16,633	65	4.5		0	0

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Mk8 mod. 1		0		0	0

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 75,000 hp	32.5		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".

As an Atlanta-class light cruiser, premium Tier VIII American cruiser San Diego shares many common traits with her destroyer-caliber light cruiser cousins and bridges the gap between VII Atlanta and X Austin. Combining a fast main battery reload and Semi-Armor Piercing (SAP) main battery shells with decent anti-aircraft defenses, San Diego is an effective team support ship despite losing some of Atlanta’s spotting utility.

Armament

San Diego carries sixteen 127mm guns in eight twin turrets, using the same turrets and layout as Atlanta — three turrets each forward and aft of the superstructure, and one wing turret on each side. Her turret traverse and reload are among the fastest in her tier, but her small caliber limits the damage she can do to heavily armored targets. San Diego's AP shells are similar to those found on Atlanta, with similar ballistics and damage but improved speed retention and faster flight time. However she swaps Atlanta’s HE shells for SAP shells. As with other SAP shells, they are less effective against sharply angled targets, but have increased armor penetration and damage compared to same-caliber HE shells and feature improved ricochet angles. Although they can’t set fires or penetrate multiple layers of armor, they excel at chewing through destroyers and cruisers, and can reliably damage the thinner extremities and superstructure of battleships. Compared to Austin, San Diego's SAP deals less damage but has better ricochet angles.

Like VII Atlanta and Flint, San Diego has a high potential DPM on both shell types, but sacrifices main battery range. At 14.8 km with no ability to increase it, San Diego has the lowest main battery range of any Tier VIII cruiser. She has to get much closer to the enemy to effectively support her team, increasing the risk of return fire.

In addition to her main battery, San Diego carries torpedoes with one quadruple launcher per side. She uses the same torpedoes as found on Atlanta, with a slightly faster reload. San Diego's torpedoes are among the fastest in her tier with a reasonably quick reload, but their extremely short 4.5 km range limits them to ambushes and a last measure of defense against enemies rushing her.

Consumables

San Diego's consumable suite sets her apart from most Tier VIII cruisers. Unlike most high tier American cruisers, San Diego doesn’t have access to the Surveillance Radar consumable, and carries a Main Battery Reload Booster consumable like Austin. However, she doesn’t get Austin’s unlimited charges, and her reload booster has a lower reduction than Austin’s or those on the French cruisers.

San Diego also has access to a Repair Party consumable. Although fairly common among Tier VIII cruisers, it is unusual for Tier VIII American cruisers. Her Repair Party consumable is typical for the tier, healing up to 14% of her total HP per charge. However, unlike most non-Specialized Repair Teams, she can repair up to 50% of any citadel damage she takes.

San Diego carries a standard Tier VIII cruiser Hydroacoustic Search and Defensive AA Fire in separate slots. Like other American cruisers, San Diego has an extra charge of her Defensive AA Fire consumable. Although it has a shorter action time, she uses the Defensive AA Fire consumable found on the American tech tree destroyers, which provides a 100% increase to her continuous damage rather than the typical 50% for cruisers.

Maneuverability

Like Cleveland, San Diego is agile for her tier. She has a fast rudder shift and excellent turning radius for her tier, but her top speed is anything but impressive. When absolutely necessary, she can use her agility to dodge long range battleship fire, but her low health and thin armor make this a risky and less effective option than using cover. Her lower speed also limits her ability to reposition if she has to kite away from a push.

Survivability

Like Atlanta and Austin, San Diego is the exact opposite of durable. She has the lowest health pool of any Tier VIII cruiser, and barely more than Atlanta a tier lower. Even against Tier VII cruisers, her health is noticeably lacking. San Diego also shares Atlanta’s relative lack of armor everywhere, with 16mm bow, stern, deck, and side plating, and an extremely vulnerable citadel that extends above the waterline. San Diego also has no torpedo protection, leaving her more vulnerable to enemy torpedoes than most other Tier VIII cruisers.

As with other super light cruisers, players should not rely on San Diego's armor or health to keep her alive. Her agility, and a player’s ability to dodge incoming fire and use cover are her main sources of protection. Her repair party can help her stay in the fight, but she still prefers avoiding fire in the first place.

San Diego's concealment also aids in her survival. Although most destroyers will still outspot her, she is one of the stealthiest cruisers in her tier and matchmaking range. When fully upgraded, her low detection allows her to sneak around the map and get closer to island cover before getting spotted. Her lower smoke firing penalty also allows her to support friendly destroyers from within their smokescreens with less risk of enemy destroyers spotting her.

Anti-aircraft

Like most American cruisers, San Diego has respectable anti-aircraft defenses to support her team and deter enemy carriers. Although she lacks the improved range of ships like VIII De Zeven Provinciën, she has some of the strongest long range defenses and flak in her tier. Her flak is identical to that of other Tier VIII American cruisers, but she produces more flak than almost any other Tier VIII cruiser. However, while most American cruisers also have strong medium and short range defenses, San Diego's are among the worst in her tier.

Unlike most cruisers, San Diego mounts the Defensive AA Fire consumable in its own slot, which can increase her defenses even further. Although it has a shorter action time, it provides a 100% increase to her continuous damage compared to the typical 50% for cruisers.

While she lacks the strong combined AA defenses of other American cruisers, San Diego can still offer AA support to her allies and provide some protection for herself. A determined Tier VIII carrier will still manage to get strikes through, but it will be costly. Most Tier VI carriers will struggle to attack her while her Defensive AA Fire consumable is active, but many Tier X carriers will get through with minimal losses.

Battle performance

Just as with other small-caliber cruisers like Atlanta and Flint, San Diego prefers to play around island cover. With her high shell arcs, she can comfortably fire over her protective island armor to support her team’s destroyers, and her ballistics allow her to farm agile targets better than Atlanta and Flint. However, her short range limits the targets she can hit and the islands she can select.

Although she can’t provide vision and scouting for her team, her AA defenses allow her to protect nearby ships and deter aerial attacks. She has the tools to support her team around a cap, provided she can do it without an enemy battleship sending her back to port early.

Pros:

Reasonably fast main battery reload
SAP shells are highly effective against thinly armored targets
High damage per minute from both her SAP and AP shells
Decent AA defenses
Fast rudder shift and small turning circle
Improved DFAA consumable
Repair Party heals more citadel damage
Has access to the Main Battery Reload Booster consumable

Cons:

Low health and weak armor
No torpedo protection
Does not have access to HE shells
Short main battery range
Short torpedo range
Poor top speed
Does not have access to the Surveillance Radar consumable
Limited Main Battery Reload Booster charges

Research

As a premium ship, San Diego has no module upgrades to research.

Optimal Configuration

Like Flint and Austin, San Diego is a DPS cruiser, best suited for providing fire support from behind cover and dealing consistent damage to enemy ships. As such, players should focus on improving her main battery potential and her survivability.

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades are:

Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
Slot 2: Engine Room Protection or Hydroacoustic Search Modification 1 *
Slot 3: Aiming Systems Modification 1
Slot 4: Steering Gears Modification 1 or Propulsion Modification 1
Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1

*In Slot 2, players that wish to strengthen San Diego’s AA defenses even further can opt for the Defensive AA Fire Modification 1 , which increases the action time and reduces the cooldown of her Defensive AA Fire consumable.

Commander Skills

Unique commander William Halsey is a good fit for San Diego, thanks to his Implacable and Untraceable talents that reduce main battery reload time after earning the Confederate achievement and ship detection after earning the Double Strike achievement, respectively. Special commander Alexander Ovechkin is also a good fit, thanks to his improved Survivability Expert skill.

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

San Diego equips the following consumables:

Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
Slot 2: Repair Party 
Slot 3: Hydroacoustic Search 
Slot 4: Defensive AA Fire 
Slot 5: Main Battery Reload Booster

Camouflage

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

Signals

Fire-enhancing signals have no effect.

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

LittleWhiteMouse's Premium Ship Review: San Diego from the NA forums

"San Diego's SAP ammunition makes her preferred prey different from Atlanta's. Atlanta is a destroyer-hunter. Atlanta works best scattering the roaches at suicidal close-ranges. ... What San Diego can do is front-load her damage onto bigger ships like there's no tomorrow.

Harassing cruisers and battleships is San Diego's bread and butter. ... "

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San Diego

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Compatible Upgrades