Wichita
203 mm/55 Mk.15 in a turret3 х 3 pcs. |
Rate of Fire6 shots/min. |
Reload Time10 sec. |
Rotation Speed6 deg./sec. |
180 Degree Turn Time30 sec. |
Firing Range15.83 km. |
Maximum Dispersion142 m. |
HE Shell203 mm HE/HC Mk25 |
Maximum HE Shell Damage2,800 |
Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell14 % |
Initial HE Shell Velocity823 m./s. |
HE Shell Weight118 kg. |
AP Shell203 mm AP Mk19 |
Maximum AP Shell Damage4,600 |
Initial AP Shell Velocity853 m./s. |
AP Shell Weight118 kg. |
127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.24 mod.11 mount4 х 1 pcs. |
Firing Range6.6 km. |
Rate of Fire10 shots/min. |
Reload Time6 sec. |
HE Shell127 mm HE Mk32 |
Maximum HE Shell Damage1,800 |
Initial HE Shell Velocity792 m./s. |
Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell5 % |
127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.30 mod.0 mount4 х 1 pcs. |
Firing Range6.6 km. |
Rate of Fire20 shots/min. |
Reload Time3 sec. |
HE Shell127 mm HE Mk32 |
Maximum HE Shell Damage1,800 |
Initial HE Shell Velocity792 m./s. |
Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell5 % |
127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.24 mod.11 mount4 х 1 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second32 |
. . . Firing Range5.01 km. |
127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.30 mod.0 mount4 х 1 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second42.8 |
. . . Firing Range5.01 km. |
40 mm/56 Bofors on a Mk.1 mount4 х 2 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second45.2 |
. . . Firing Range3.51 km. |
20 mm Oerlikon on a Mk.4 mount18 х 1 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second64.8 |
. . . Firing Range2.01 km. |
40 mm/56 Bofors on a Mk.2 mount4 х 4 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second63.6 |
. . . Firing Range3.51 km. |
Maximum Speed33.6 knot |
Turning Circle Radius680 m. |
Rudder Shift Time6 sec. |
Surface Detectability Range11.7 km. |
Air Detectability Range7.16 km. |
Wichita — American premium Tier VIII cruiser.
The design for this ship was based on Brooklyn-class cruisers in terms of their layout but featured 203 mm guns. The distance between the barrels of the guns was increased to reduce shell dispersion. It was decided to incorporate a conical shape for the barbettes instead of a cylindrical one to prevent an increase in their diameter. During World War II, USS Wichita played an active role in both the Atlantic and Pacific Theaters. Over the course of the war, the cruiser was awarded 13 battle stars.
Modules
Compatible Upgrades
Slot 1 |
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Slot 2 |
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Slot 3 |
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Slot 4 |
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Slot 5 |
Player Opinion
Performance
Refer to the in-game Port screens for more useful data.
Wichita is the first Tier VIII Premium American cruiser, and the second premium heavy cruiser available for the US tech tree after the Tier VII Indianapolis (with the exception of X Salem). Like her tech-tree counterpart, Baltimore, Wichita possesses 27mm bow plating, allowing her to resist being over-matched by the 380mm guns found on many battleships of her tier.
Wichita has some key differences from her tech tree counterpart. Unlike Baltimore, she does not have the famous American "super-heavy" AP shells, and continues to use the same AP rounds fired by Tier VII American cruiser New Orleans. This gives her slightly less AP punch than Baltimore. Additionally, her anti-aircraft suite is not quite as robust; her mid-range aura is about half as good as Baltimore’s and her mid-range flak is roughly 2/3 as strong. On the upside, she is notably stealthier than Baltimore: 9.5 km surface detection when fully rigged for stealth, and her handling characteristics bear a strong resemblance to those of Tier VII American premium cruiser Boise (fitting, given that Wichita’s hull is essentially that of a Brooklyn-class light cruiser). She has more speed and is quicker to respond to rudder commands than her tech tree cousin.
Wichita plays nearly identically to Baltimore, with the only exception being her marginally less effective firepower. Like other American heavy cruisers, using islands as hard cover and utilizing her Surveillance Radar to support friendly destroyers should be her primary objectives. Her rather high shell arcs make leading targets at maximum range challenging, but not impossible. Despite lacking the super heavy AP shells of the tech tree cruisers, her AP is still quite powerful against broadside targets , and captains should use her AP whenever possible given its improved ricochet and auto-bounce angles.
Fans of American heavy cruiser play should have few issues making effective use of Wichita.Pros:
- Strong AP shells with improved penetration angles
- Reasonably well-armored for a cruiser, can bounce 380/381mm AP shells with the right angling
- Good AA suite, aided by the Defensive AA Fire consumable
- Access to the Surveillance Radar consumable
- Excellent rudder shift and good turn radius
- Excellent ship speed, the fastest USN cruiser in the game
- Excellent concealment, joint best among Tier 8 cruisers
Cons:
- Small hitpoint pool for a USN heavy cruiser
- Lower AP damage and penetration compared to techtree counterpart Baltimore
- Short main battery range
- Subpar shell velocity and high shell arcs make long range gunnery challenging
- Surveillance Radar has 1km less range than Baltimore's
- Lacks torpedoes, like most USN cruisers
Research
Optimal Configuration
Upgrades
The recommended upgrades for Wichita are as follows:
- Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
- Slot 2: Surveillance Radar Modification 1 or Engine Room Protection
- Slot 3: Aiming Systems Modification 1
- Slot 4: Propulsion Modification 1
- Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1
Like many American cruisers, Wichita has two optimal builds associated with her.
General-Purpose Build: The standard load for a cruiser, this generally focuses on anti-surface capabilities. Main Armaments Modification 1 is the optimal choice for Slot 1, as it will help keep the main battery of Wichita, her primary means of dealing damage, operational in the face of heavy fire. Slot 3 is best filled by Aiming Systems Modification 1 , to decrease the dispersion of the main battery guns. Players can choose between Propulsion Modification 1 or Steering Gears Modification 1 for Slot 4, depending on which better suits one's play style. The former improves acceleration and deceleration, and will benefit players who adopt a more static style of play involving firing at targets over islands. The latter will be more preferable to players that tend to be more mobile and actively avoid fire rather than relying on island cover. Finally, Concealment System Modification 1 remains the player's best choice for Slot 5, to optimize her already excellent concealment.
Anti-Aircraft Build: Although her Anti-Aircraft firepower is inferior to that of Baltimore across the board, it is still among the best of the Tier VIII cruisers, and like most American cruisers is worth investing into as an alternate build. For the AA build, the player will have several deviations in their module upgrades from the General Purpose Build. In Slot 1, the player may choose to take Auxiliary Armaments Modification 1 in order to double the durability of their anti-aircraft guns, giving greater longevity to their AA power. In Slot 2, if the player has access to the Special Upgrade Defensive AA Fire Modification 1 , they are advised to utilize it in order to increase the active time of the Defensive AA Fire consumable by 20%. In Slot 3, captains should replace Aiming Systems Modification 1 with AA Guns Modification 1 to increase the number of flak bursts from their mid- and long-range batteries. These upgrades should be taken in combination with the optimal Captain Skills in order to maximize their affects on the player's anti-aircraft battery.
Commander Skills
Consumables
Wichita can equip the following consumables:
- Slot 1: Damage Control Party
- Slot 2: Defensive AA Fire or Hydroacoustic Search
- Slot 3: Spotting Aircraft or Surveillance Radar
Camouflage
As a premium ship, Wichita comes with Default permanent camouflage and a set of permanent combat bonuses.
Signals
Wichita captains should mount standard signal flags to improve the ship's performance in battle. Sierra Mike () flags are recommended to increase the ship's top speed. India Yankee () and November Foxtrot () flags should be mounted to improve the ship's survivability. India X-Ray () and Victor Lima () signal flags can be mounted to increase the main battery's fire chance. November Echo Setteseven () flags can also be mounted to increase the ship's anti-aircraft damage.
Recommended Signal Flags | |||||
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Combat | |||||
★★ |
★ |
★★ |
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★★★ |
★★ |
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★★ |
★★★ |
★★ |
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★ |
Note: Use of the Juliet Charlie signal makes detonation impossible.
Gallery
Historical Info
Historical Gallery
References
Ship Change Log
See here for links to Update notes.
- Available for testing by supertesters in the game starting from Update 0.7.10.
Testing Changes
- September 18, 2018:
- Preliminary characteristics.
- October 1, 2018:
- The firing angles of the main battery turrets were improved.
- Main battery reload time was reduced from 9.86 to 7.78 s.
- Characteristics of the Surveillance Radar consumable were changed:
- Duration was reduced from 30 to 25 s.
- Range was reduced from 9 to 8.5 km.
- October 26, 2018:
- The characteristics of the AP shells were adjusted:
- The Mark 21 shells (from Baltimore) were replaced with Mark 19 shells (from New Orleans).
- AP shell damage was reduced from 5,000 to 4,600.
- The initial velocity of the AP shells was increased from 762 to 853 m/s.
- Detectability was increased from 11.34 to 12.06 km.
- Detectability after firing main guns in smoke was increased from 6.29 to 6.79 km
- Rudder shift was reduced from 7.6 to 6.06 s.
- Radar characteristics were adjusted to match other Tier VIII American cruisers:
- Range was increased from 8.49 to 9.0 km.
- Duration was increased from 25 to 30 s.
- The characteristics of the AP shells were adjusted:
- November 7, 2018:
- The Catapult Fighter consumable was replaced with the Spotting Aircraft consumable, using the same characteristics as Cleveland's.
- First appeared on sale in February 2019.
- Update 0.8.4:
- Fixed a bug with the incorrect range of the "Surveillance Radar" consumable.
- Update 0.9.2:
- Armor thickness changed: the central section was reinforced from 25 to 27 mm.
- Update 0.10.0:
- The firing range of the secondary battery was increased to 6.6 km.
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