Z-52

14.3

Destroyer | Germany | Tier X

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19,500,000

Z-52 — German Tier X destroyer.

One of the last German destroyers (Zerstörer 1942C) to be laid down before the end of World War II. She had dimensions that were considered to be quite significant for a ship of her type. Owing to dual-purpose artillery and up-to-date automatic AA mounts, this ship boasted very powerful AA defenses.

Modules

Compatible Upgrades

Player Opinion

Performance

Tier X German destroyer Z-52 is the culmination of the gameplay developed over the line. She gains slightly increased offensive capabilities with improvements to main battery range, damage per minute, and maneuverability characteristics. The biggest difference between her predecessor Z-46 is the addition of a 6 km German Hydroacoustic Search , which aids in defining her role as a cap contesting destroyer.

Armament:

Despite being a tier higher, Z-52 carries the same 128 mm guns mounted on Z-46. The differences are slightly higher damage per minute, 12 km base range, and a switch to two frontal mounted and 1 rear mounted turrets.

Like the other German ships, Z-52 has low alpha on her HE shells, but in return gains increased penetration of 32 mm. This allows her to penetrate the majority of cruisers as well as battleships with 32 mm plating. Her AP damage per minute is quite good due to high alpha damage but the shells lack improved penetration angles and short fuze. Due to this, AP shells have the tendency to overpen on thin destroyer hulls. In the majority of fights, HE is the best option.

The torpedoes are identical to Z-46, with 2 launchers that fire 4 torpedoes each. While the alpha damage and range are low, the fast speed and reload time make them a nice alternative weapon when needed.

Consumables:

The standard consumable loadout for German destroyers is present on Z-52. The Smoke Generator  consumable has a 20 second action time, 77 second dispersion time, and a 160 second cooldown period. These smokes do not last very long and should be used wisely when disengaging or for farming.

The Engine Boost  consumable is standard, with 8% speed increase and 120 second duration time.

The Hydroacoustic Search  consumable is the same as other high tier German ships, with 6 km ship acquisition range. This is a powerful tool for contesting key areas and playing around islands. Z-52 can also bait enemy destroyers into her by smoking and activating Hydroacoustic Search at the same time, effectively “hydro trapping” them. While her own damage per minute is not great, it allows for her team to follow up on destroyers spotted by Hydroacoustic Search.

Hull:

Z-52 has an average base health pool of 20,300 and a base speed of 37.5 knots. Her surface concealment is decent at 6.1 km but is quite strong when combined with her 6 km Hydroacoustic Search. Her maneuverability is good, with low rudder shift time and small turning circle. However, she is easy to hit due to her large size.

ASW:

As a destroyer with Hydroacoustic Search, Z-52 can be used to screen and hunt submarines. She holds two charges of 16 depth charge bombs that individually have an alpha strike of 2,200. However, in order to deal damage to submarines, she must drive over them as the depth charges drop behind the ship. It is also important to keep in mind that being spotted while trying to hunt a submarine can be risky and a way to quickly return to port .

The main benefit of Z-52’s Hydroacoustic Search is that its 6 km range means submarines cannot surface in that distance without being spotted. However, it will not spot submarines below periscope depth unless they are 2 km away from the ship.

Battle Performance:

Z-52 serves the role of a multi-purpose destroyer but with a focus on cap contesting. Her decent concealment, 6 km Hydroacoustic Search, and smokescreens allow her to easily spot enemy destroyers in caps and take control of key areas.

When not contesting caps, Z-52 can be a farming destroyer, with 32 mm HE penetration to deal with most cruisers and battleships as well as good AP damage per minute. Her 6 km hydroacoustic search aids in avoiding torpedoes in smoke and gives her the ability to trap destroyers who choose to engage in knife fights. However, against dedicated gunboat destroyers, Z-52 loses heavily in damage per minute fights and players must be careful or risk dying quickly.

Players can choose to run gun focused or torpedo focused builds, with the option of mounting the Torpedo Fire Control System Unique Upgrade, which improves torpedo reload, speed, and concealment at the cost of ship concealment. However, it is important to note that gun focused builds are more consistent for cap contesting as well as dealing damage when needed.

Pros:

32 mm HE shell penetration
Good AP alpha and damage per minute
Fast torpedoes with fast reload time
Decent concealment
Access to 6 km Hydroacoustic Search

Cons:

Large target
Low HE alpha
Short main battery range
Low torpedo damage
Low torpedo range

Research

Z-52 is one of the few Tier 10 ships that do not come elite when purchased. The only researcheable module are the G7 Steinwal torpedoes, which provide a small increase in torpedo range and speed.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades for Z-52 are as follows:

Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
Slot 2: Engine Room Protection or Engine Boost Modification 1 or Hydroacoustic Search Modification 1
Slot 3: Torpedo Tubes Modification 1 or Aiming Systems Modification 1
Slot 4: Propulsion Modification 1
Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1  or Torpedo Fire Control System
Slot 6: Main Battery Modification 3

Slot 2 is up to the player to decide whether they value overall speed of the ship or ability to spot torpedoes and enemies for longer. Slot 3 is also up to the player to decide whether they want to improve her main battery dispersion or torpedo power.

Commander Skills

Gunther Lutjens is recommended for players who like playing Z-52 due to the useful and easily achievable talents that he provides.

The Resilient talent provides healing after spotting 3 enemy ships, which is easily done with a destroyer and is useful for a ship with no Repair Party.

The Main Battery Loader talent provides a 7.5% decrease in reload time once per battle after 140 main battery hits. Due to her decent reload time but low damage per minute, this provides more offensive capability in battle.

The recommended captain skills for a gun focused build are as follows: Preventative Maintenance: to increase module survivability Last Stand: to decrease the effects of a broken engine and maintain rudder shift Survivability Expert: to increase survivability Concealment Expert: to decrease detectability and help in “hydro trapping” enemies Adrenaline Rush: to increase offensive capabilities Main Battery and AA expert: to increase gun range and help with dealing damage Main Battery and AA Specialist or Superintendent: either to increase damage per minute or gain additional utility in the form of more consumable charges. 1 pointer of your choice

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Attack				Defense
1	Grease the Gears +15% main battery traverse speed.	Liquidator +30% chance (multiplicative) of causing flooding.	Consumables Specialist −7.5% cooldown time of all Consumables except: Damage Control Party , Repair Party .	Gun Feeder -40% time to switch shell type.	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	Demolition Expert +1% chance of main and secondary HE shells causing a fire. +15% to the damage-inflicting area of HE shells fired at submarines.	Swift Fish +5% torpedo speed. ★★	Consumables Enhancements +10% action time of: Hydroacoustic Search , Surveillance Radar , Smoke Generator , & Engine Boost .	Extra-Heavy Ammunition +7.5% main battery AP shell damage. +10% damage from depth charges.	Priority Target The detection indicator will show the number of enemies aiming at you with main battery.	Last Stand The ship remains able to move and maneuver - slowly - while the engine or steering gears are incapacitated. ★★★
3	Main Battery & AA Specialist -5% main battery reload time. +10% continuous AA damage. ★★	Fill the Tubes -10% torpedo tubes reload time. ★	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% reload time of all armaments per 1% HP lost +0.2% AA continuous damage per 1% HP lost. ★★★	Inertial Fuse for HE Shells +25% armor penetration of HE shells Base fire chance reduced by half.	Superintendent +1 charge to all consumables. ★	Survivability Expert +350 HP per ship tier. ★★★
4	Main Battery & AA Expert +20% main battery range. +15% flak damage. ★★	Swift in Silence So long as the ship remains undetected: +8% ship speed +5% main battery reload time.	Radio Location Shows the direction to the nearest enemy ship. The enemy is alerted that a bearing has been taken.. ★	Fearless Brawler +1 flak burst per salvo. -10% main battery reload when ship is spotted. ★	Concealment Expert -10% detectability range of the ship. ★★★	Dazzle For 15 seconds after you are detected: * +20% dispersion of enemy shells fired at you. * +8% ship speed.
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful ★★ - Frequently Useful ★ - Occasionally Useful No stars - Not Useful

Consumables

Z-52 can equip the following consumables:

Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
Slot 2: Smoke Generator 
Slot 3: Engine Boost 
Slot 4: Hydroacoustic Search

Signals

The choice of which Signal Flags to mount will confer to the individual preference of each captain, and are subject to great variation, although there are certain flags which suit Destroyer gameplay better. Captains should mount India Yankee to decrease time to extinguish fires, mount November Foxtrot to decrease reload time of consumables, and mount Sierra Mike to increase the ship's maximum speed. To make their torpedoes more potent, captains should mount Juliet Whisky Unaone to increase chance of causing flooding and Juliet Charlie to mitigate risk to magazine detonation from mounting the former flag. If captains wish to buff their primary artillery, they are encouraged to mount Victor Lima + India X-ray to increase fire chance to HE shells.

Recommended Signal Flags
Combat
Charlie Kilo +5% ship HP; +2.5% squadron HP.	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. ★★
Juliet Whiskey Unaone +15% chance of causing flooding. ★★	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 . ★★

Gallery

A friendly Montana class battleship shoves the puny Z-52 out of the way in a full-fledged YOLO charge.
Z-52 activates the hydroacoustic search consumable, detecting an enemy Shimakaze that was hiding in the smoke.
Z-52 pew-pews an enemy Yamato from the safety of smoke.
Yamato's torpedo bulge absorbs a Z-52 torpedo and laughs off the damage.

References

Zerstörer 1944 - Wikipedia

Ships of Germany

Destroyers	II V-25 • III G-101 • IV V-170 • V T-22 • VI Ernst Gaede • VI T-61 • VI Karl von Schönberg • VII Leberecht Maass • VII Z-31 • VII Z-39 • VII Z-32 • VII Z-33 • VII Z-34 • VII Z-38 • VIII Z-23 • VIII Gustav-Julius Maerker • VIII Z-35 • IX Z-46 • IX Felix Schultz • IX Z-44 • IX ZF-6 • X Z-52 • X Elbing • X Z-42 • X Georg Hoffmann • X Lübeck
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Aircraft Carriers	IV Rhein • VI Weser • VI Erich Loewenhardt • VIII August von Parseval • VIII [[Ship:Graf Zeppelin (< 23.01.2019)\|Graf Zeppelin (< 23.01.2019)]] • VIII Graf Zeppelin • VIII Graf Zeppelin B • X Manfred von Richthofen • X Werner Voss • X Max Immelmann • X Otto Lilienthal

Destroyers

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Germany	II V-25 • III G-101 • IV V-170 • V T-22 • VI Ernst Gaede • VI T-61 • VI Karl von Schönberg • VII Leberecht Maass • VII Z-31 • VII Z-39 • VII Z-32 • VII Z-33 • VII Z-34 • VII Z-38 • VIII Z-23 • VIII Gustav-Julius Maerker • VIII Z-35 • IX Z-46 • IX Felix Schultz • IX Z-44 • IX ZF-6 • X Z-52 • X Elbing • X Z-42 • X Georg Hoffmann • X Lübeck
U.S.S.R.	II Storozhevoi • III Derzki • IV Izyaslav • V Gremyashchy • V [[Ship:Gnevny (< 06.03.2017)\|Gnevny (< 06.03.2017)]] • V Podvoisky • V Okhotnik • VI [[Ship:Ognevoi (< 06.03.2017)\|Ognevoi (< 06.03.2017)]] • VI Gnevny • VII [[Ship:Kiev (< 06.03.2017)\|Kiev (< 06.03.2017)]] • VII Minsk • VII Leningrad • VII Tashkent '39 • VIII [[Ship:Tashkent (< 06.03.2017)\|Tashkent (< 06.03.2017)]] • VIII Ognevoi • VIII Kiev • IX Udaloi • IX Tashkent • IX Neustrashimy • X Khabarovsk • X Grozovoi • X Delny • X [[Ship:[Grozovoi]\|[Grozovoi]]] • ★ Zorkiy
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Spain	X Álvaro de Bazán
Commonwealth	III Vampire • VII Haida • VII Huron • X Vampire II

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