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Ships of U.S.A.

Ships of U.S.A.

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Ships fielded by the United States Navy (USN)[1] sport great armor (albeit in an all-or-nothing design), main battery guns, and anti-aircraft (AA) capabilities, and are less hindered by stock configurations. (Many were built later and subsequently underwent fewer, less drastic changes during service, in contrast to Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) vessels such as Fuso that need to research drastic hull upgrades). Most stock American ships are adequate for their roles, and while fully-upgraded ships perform better, they require little to no change in play style. Early American ship-launched torpedoes do leave a great deal to be desired, but the real strength of USN ships lies in their ability to get into firefights and slug it out, relying on their superior guns and survivability to see them through.


The United States inherited many of its nascent naval traditions from the British, from whom it won its independence in 1776. Over the years, the USN encountered various hurdles and successes in its conflicts with the British, French, and Spanish navies, evolving to be a major tool in American diplomacy with the Perry Expedition and President Theodore Roosevelt's "big stick" foreign policy being notable examples. However, a mix of poor economic outlook, isolationist sentiments, and post-World War I[2] naval disarmament treaties reduced the effectiveness and preparedness of the USN for the Second World War. All of that changed after Japan's 7 December 1941 surprise attack on Pacific Fleet headquarters at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Regarded as an underhanded sneak attack outside the rules of civilized warfare, Pearl Harbor evaporated any reluctance of the American public to go to war.

With its battleship fleet crippled by the Pearl Harbor attack, the USN turned to submarines and its fledgling aircraft carrier fleet — the very weapons that the IJN had used in their attempt to neutralize the USN Pacific Fleet — and ironically put them to greater effect than the Japanese (who stuck to battleships and the "decisive battle" doctrines), achieving successes in the battles of the Coral Sea, Midway, the Philippine Sea, Leyte Gulf, and Okinawa. While slightly behind their IJN counterparts at the onset of the war, the USN gradually caught up both qualitatively and quantitatively; virtually every class of vessel was outfitted with superior fire control equipment such as radar and ballistic computers; the industrial might of the United States produced large numbers of proven designs (the 175 destroyers of the Fletcher class built within the space of less than four years being a prime example) with little unnecessary variation in equipment, so that crew transferred between ships could quickly fill their roles without specialized retraining. The US Navy emerged from World War II[3] as the most powerful navy in the world, a title it still holds to this day.


Destroyers

USS Fletcher, Tier IX destroyer

Gameplay

The play style of American destroyers[4] is best summarized as "annoy and harass"; their fast-firing guns in quick-turning turrets can continuously rain fire on opponents with impunity while under cover of smoke or vision blockers such as islands. Tier X Gearing, the crown jewel of USN destroyers, can blanket her targets with more than 120 rounds per minute. Unfortunately, slow shell velocities and incredulously high shell arcs, while allowing captains to fire over islands, make it near-impossible to hit anything but the largest of targets beyond medium ranges. They also have reasonable anti-aircraft firepower, allowing them to play the role of escort ship when the need arises; fire discipline and astute Smoke GeneratorWhile active, generates a smoke screen that blocks line-of-sight for both enemies and teammates. usage are required, since gun and anti-aircraft battery fire can broadcast a ship's position. American torpedoes had variable speed settings; in World of Warships, only the high-speed setting is available (with the exception of Tier VII premium Sims). In-game, this means that lower tier American destroyers, instead of stealthily launching a spread out of visual range, are forced to weather fire from their targets' primary and secondary batteries well before they come within torpedo range. However, starting with Mahan at Tier VII, it is possible to launch a torpedo salvo from beyond detection range, albeit still at shorter ranges than their Japanese counterparts. To put things in perspective, Americans have to wait until their Tier IX's Fletcher before they get torpedoes with 10km range; the Japanese achieve this range with Tier VI destroyers Hatsuharu and Fubuki... and both of them reload faster.

Cruisers

USS Cleveland, Tier VIII cruiser

Gameplay

American cruisers[5] are all about the guns; their primary battery, secondary battery, and anti-aircraft armament are superlative. Forgoing torpedoes after Omaha at Tier V, they are instead able to lay down an incredible hail of gunfire in almost any direction, due to the fast-firing guns located along the sides of their lower-tier ships, or in their fast-turning turrets at higher tiers. Any enemies — especially destroyers — that come within firing range and do not take evasive action are quickly sent to the bottom of the ocean, particularly after the line gains access to the Surveillance RadarWhile active, detects all enemy ships within the specified radius, disregarding obstacles such as smoke and terrain. consumable at Tier VIII. Although the Japanese often have better range and firepower, the Americans have faster turret traverse, conventional layouts, and higher rates of fire; the high shell arc of some of their cruiser rifles — like their destroyer counterparts — is a double-edged sword, with a plunging trajectory hampered by their unimpressive shell velocities. Their anti-aircraft batteries easily dissuade aircraft from venturing too close or even approaching if they're not massed together for protection; yet even then, a well-timed Defensive AA FireWhile active, the damage per second of large caliber anti-aircraft guns is increased. will quickly deplete the assets of enemy aircraft carriers. The American cruiser line splits after Omaha into a heavy cruiser branch - starting with Pensacola and topped by Des Moines - and a light cruiser branch starting with Dallas and topped by Worcester. Des Moines is the very pinnacle of the all-gun cruiser, as she has a very powerful anti-aircraft suite and main batteries that have unrivaled rate of fire. Worcester has rapid-fire guns, many consumables, and a great AA suite, which gives her unparalleled versatility on the battlefield.

Battleships

USS Iowa, Tier IX battleship

Gameplay

American battleships[6] follow more orthodox and consistent designs: while their guns may not be as large and powerful as those of the IJN, the USN ships make up for it by having more guns that fire more often, giving them unmatched broadside firepower. Their anti-air suites are also fairly decent at staving off aerial assaults, although it's still recommended to have cruiser escort. In spite of inferior firing ranges and poor mobility, American battleships are capable of absorbing major damage in order to bring their guns to bear—their citadel armor is impenetrable to all but the largest caliber shells (at the cost of having a more lightly-armored bow and stern). Moving up the tech tree, players can now choose to continue on with the slow battleship line that begins with Kansas or they can choose the fast battleship line that begins with North Carolina ,their mobility progressively improves and catches up with the Japanese at Tier VIII, and their AA firepower grows to the point that they either become practically immune to all but the most concentrated of air attacks, or the aircraft will not survive the return trip. From Tier III to IX, American battleships enjoy a better repair party consumable than other nations, excluding the British, giving the line better durability. The Tier X Montana is the pinnacle of the American battleship line: the evolution of the Iowa-class battleship design whose construction was cancelled some time after receiving congressional approval for construction in order to focus more on aircraft carrier production.

Aircraft Carriers

USS Lexington, Tier VIII aircraft carrier

Gameplay

Early in the war, the overall state and quantity of USN naval aviation lagged behind their Japanese rivals. Thus, their early carriers[7] can be painful to use. Their large sizes up-and-down the line mean that they can be seen from miles away, and even though they are quite durable with surprisingly strong anti-aircraft defenses, remaining unspotted or sticking with teammates for protection is still recommended. All American carriers carry HE bombers with the exception of Tier VIII premium Enterprise. The HE bombs are a devastating threat to destroyers and a nuisance to other ship types. Planes have high health pool compared to their IJN counterparts, allowing them to survive longer and keep full squadrons toward the end of the game. However, torpedo bombers carry very slow torpedoes with short range and a large dispersion even when fully aimed. Players are encouraged to drop their payload at close distances. From Tier VIII and above, American attack planes can equip Tiny Tim rockets that can devastate all ship types with a single run.

Submarines

USS Salmon, Tier VIII submarine

Gameplay

American submarines

Destroyers

Ship_PASD502_Smith.png
II Smith Doubloons
Ship_PASD027_Wickes_1918.png
III Wickes
Ship_PASD505_Hill.png
V Hill Doubloons
Ship_PASD506_Monaghan.png
VI Monaghan Doubloons
Ship_PASD006_Mahan_1936.png
VII Mahan
Ship_PASD029_Sims_1941.png
VII Sims Doubloons
Ship_PASD597_Black_Sims.png
VII Sims B Doubloons
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VIII Benson
Ship_PASD508_Kidd.png
VIII Kidd Doubloons
Ship_PASD509_Benham.png
IX Benham Doubloons
Ship_PASD519_Halford.png
IX Halford Doubloons
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IX Black B Doubloons
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IX Black Doubloons
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X Somers Doubloons

Cruisers

Ship_PASC001_Erie_1936.png
I Erie
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II Albany Doubloons
Ship_PASC503_Charleston.png
III Charleston Doubloons
Ship_PASC206_Dallas.png
VI Dallas
Ship_PASC006_Atlanta_1942.png
VII Atlanta Doubloons
Ship_PASC207_Helena.png
VII Helena
Ship_PASC587_Black_Atlanta.png
VII Atlanta B Doubloons
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VII Boise Doubloons
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VII Flint Doubloons
Ship_PASC108_Baltimore_1944.png
VIII Baltimore
Ship_PASC208_Cleveland.png
VIII Cleveland
Ship_PASC508_Wichita.png
VIII Wichita Doubloons
Ship_PASC518_Anchorage.png
VIII Anchorage Doubloons
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VIII Congress Doubloons
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VIII Rochester Doubloons
Ship_PASC548_San_Diego.png
VIII San Diego Doubloons
Ship_PASC509_Vallejo.png
IX Vallejo Doubloons
Ship_PASC510_Alaska.png
IX Alaska Doubloons
Ship_PASC519_Tulsa.png
IX Tulsa Doubloons
Ship_PASC599_Black_Alaska.png
IX Alaska B Doubloons
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X Salem Doubloons
Ship_PASC810_Austin.png
X Austin Doubloons

Aircraft Carriers

Ship_PASA106_Ranger.png
VI Ranger
Ship_PASA028_Yorktown.png
VIII Yorktown
Ship_PASA108_Lexington.png
VIII Lexington
Ship_PASA518_Enterprise.png
VIII Enterprise Doubloons
Ship_PASA528_Saipan.png
VIII Saipan Doubloons
Ship_PASA538_Hornet.png
VIII Hornet Doubloons
Ship_PASA598_Black_Saipan.png
VIII Saipan B Doubloons

Submarines

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VIII Salmon
px
X Gato Doubloons

Videos

  
  

Notes

National Museum of the United States Navy (Wikipedia)
Museum ships of the United States military (Wikipedia)
United States Navy at the Beginning and End of World War II - 05/05/2018 - News - World of Warships

Naval Academy - United States Cruisers - Jun 8, 2015 - World of Warships Official Channel - YouTube
All You Need to Know About the “American Cruisers” Collection - 05/21/2018 - News - World of Warships
Update 0.7.5. American Cruisers - 05/29/2018 - News - World of Warships (about the American heavy cruisers)
American Cruisers: The Lighter Ones - 06/12/2018 - News - World of Warships
Review of U.S. Battleship Branch - 2 Dec 2020 - News - World of Warships (about Kansas, Minnesota and Vermont)

  1. United States Navy (Wikipedia) and History of the United States Navy (Wikipedia) and United States Navy ships (Wikipedia)
  2. United States Navy operations during World War I (Wikipedia)
  3. United States Navy in World War II (Wikipedia)
  4. Destroyers of the United States Navy (Wikipedia)
  5. Cruisers of the United States Navy (Wikipedia)
  6. Battleships of the United States (Wikipedia)
  7. Aircraft carriers of the United States Navy (Wikipedia)
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