Von der Tann

13.3

Battleship | Germany | Tier III

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III

300,000

Von der Tann — German Tier III battleship.

The German fleet needed a qualitative leap to counter British battlecruisers effectively. The new ship was equipped with four turrets that housed 280 mm guns, turbines were employed in place of steam engines, and the armor protection was significantly superior to that of British warships. With the outbreak of World War I, SMS Von der Tann took part in raids to lure the Grand Fleet ships out of their bases. During the Battle of Jutland, the ship sank HMS Indefatigable, but she also took several hits from the British ships, disabling all of her artillery.

Von der Tann was first released in Early Access with Update 0.10.9.

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 ()
283 mm/45 SK C/07 on a Drh LC/1907 mount	2.2	45	155	3,200	19	7,200		0	30,000

	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 ()
Von der Tann (A)	33,800	10	250	4	4/10	4				0	45,000
Von der Tann (B)	36,500	10	250	4	4/10	8/4				1,200	150,000

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
FKS Typ 3 Mod. 1		0		0	30,000
FKS Typ 3 Mod. 2		0		800	100,000

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 79,800 hp	27.5		0	30,000

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2

Player Opinion

Performance

Warning. The data presented in the AA Defense sidebar section may be incorrect.

Background

In 1906, German spies revealed the construction of HMS Invincible to the Imperial German Admiralty. Knowing the German navy wouldn't be able to compete with the British navy in numbers, the quality of ships would have to be better than their British counterparts. Careful planning was put into the response to the Invincible, and the designs were finalized for Germany’s first true battlecruiser, SMS Von der Tann. She featured heavier armor but a lighter main battery than the Invincible, which would prove to be the better design throughout the war.

The Ship

At Tier III, Von der Tann provides the first introduction to the characteristics of the German battlecruisers — high speed for the tier, good concealment for a battleship, and better main battery accuracy, but lower survivability. In some ways she is more forgiving than her higher tier successors, but in others she is just as punishing of mistakes. Although her guns and armor are definitely those of a battleship, her speed and ideal positioning give her some almost cruiser-like aspects in-game.

Maneuverability

For players familiar with other low tier battleships, Von der Tann’s speed will be a welcome surprise. At a tier where most battleships barely exceed 20 knots, Von der Tann is fast enough to keep up with her team’s cruisers. In her matchmaking range, only Tier IV battleships Myogi and Moltke are faster than her. Experienced players will appreciate the advantage this gives in positioning, but newer players should be careful to not overextend.

If her speed is best in tier, Von der Tann’s agility is one of the worst. Her rudder shift is on the slower side of average, and her turning circle is one of the worst at her tier, better only than her Russian counterpart IV Kynaz Suvorov.

Armament

Von der Tann is armed with eight (8) 283mm guns in four (4) twin turrets. Like many lower tier battleships, her guns are split between centerline and wing turret positions, with the latter able to turn and fire across the ship. The wing turrets have decent firing angles fore and aft, but their broadside angles on the opposite side are fairly limited. Her shells are identical to those found on III Nassau, and her main battery stats are similar as well — her reload is slower but still one of the fastest at her tier, but her turrets traverse faster. Like Nassau, she can get a maximum of four turrets onto a target on either side. But unlike Nassau, switching to a target on the opposite side will take longer as her wing turrets also have to fully rotate.

Von der Tann also uses the large cruiser dispersion found on ships like IX Alaska and VI Graf Spee. As a result, she has better dispersion than any other battleship at her tier. However, her lower sigma means her shell grouping can be less consistent. Players of Kynaz Suvorov or French battleship VII Lyon should be familiar with this “curse” of low sigma battleships, where some salvos are accurate and others land nowhere near the aim point.

Von der Tann has an improved secondary range compared to other Tier III battleships, but her secondaries are still fairly average unlike higher tier German battleships and battlecruisers. She shares Nassau’s secondary batteries and improved penetration, but Nassau has more of them.

Survivability

Unlike the higher tier battlecruisers, Von der Tann’s health is actually average for her tier. While this allows her to survive against enemy fire longer than her high tier successors, extended focus fire will still drain her health pool.

Von der Tann’s armor is impressive for a low tier battleship. She has a thick main belt as well as thick plates extending all the way along her bow and part of her stern, and her citadel is protected behind a sloped turtleback. However, the upper portions of her bow and stern are vulnerable to most cruiser HE as well as overmatch from battleship caliber AP. Her 25mm deck is also vulnerable to cruiser HE, but her small superstructure provides a lot of protection against destroyer HE. While her deck is overmatch proof against the battleships she can face, it offers almost no protection against the Armor-Piercing bombs of Tier IV carriers Rhein and Hosho.

Like the Russian battleships, Von der Tann uses the Fast Damage Control Team  rather than the normal Damage Control Party  consumable. The significantly faster cooldown leaves her less vulnerable to full duration fires or floods after repairing, but the limited charges can run out quickly in long engagements if players don’t use them selectively.

Anti-aircraft

Von der Tann’s AA is decent among Tier III battleships, with both good range and good damage. She’s one of the only battleships at her tier with long range AA defenses, able to shoot at planes an impressive 4.6km away. However, most of her damage comes from her 1.5km short range mounts. As a result, she has little defense to prevent attacks, but attacks will be more costly for the carrier.

Her long range mounts do give her the ability to produce flak, but with only one flak cloud per reload it offers little improvement to her long range defenses.

Like all other Tier III battleships, her stock hull has no AA defenses.

Battle performance

Like Moltke a tier higher, Von der Tann should use her speed and concealment to position on a flank at the start of a battle. Her speed and concealment also allow her to adapt quickly as the battle evolves, and her good armor and Fast Damage Control Team can open up aggressive possibilities and make her difficult to kill when angled. She can pick and choose her fights, but she isn’t always the best ship for pushing in and brawling.

Pros:

Good main battery reload speed
Uses large cruiser dispersion
Good armor for a battlecruiser
Good AA range for a Tier III battleship
Extremely fast for a Tier III battleship
Improved secondary range and penetration
Excellent concealment for a battleship
Carries the shorter-cooldown Fast Damage Control Team

Cons:

Average health pool and weaker armor
Poor secondary DPM
Short range on primary anti-air
Large turning circle with average rudder shift
Limited charges of her Fast Damage Control Team

Research

Availability of researchable upgrades for Von der Tann is as follows:

Hull: Upgrade to Hull (B) for more health, improved maneuverability, and AA. Research of this module unlocks progression to Moltke.
Gun Fire Control System: Upgrade to FKS Typ 3 Mod. 2 for an extra 10% range on the main battery.

Upgrading the hull should take priority, as the stock hull has no AA defenses. While the extra range of the upgraded fire control system can be helpful, her stock range is still sufficient for most low tier battles.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades for Von der Tann are as follows:

Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
Slot 2: Damage Control System Modification 1

Commander Skills

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Attack			Defense
1	Gun Feeder -40% time to switch shell type.	Demolition Expert +1% chance of main and secondary HE shells causing a fire +15% to the fragmentation damage area of HE ordnance when firing at submarines.	Consumables Specialist −7.5% cooldown time of all Consumables except: Damage Control Party , Repair Party .	Emergency Repair Specialist -3% cooldown time of Damage Control Party  and Repair Party .	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	Grease the Gears +20% main turret traverse speed. ★★	Inertial Fuse for HE Shells +25% armor penetration of HE shells. Base fire chance reduced by half. ★★	Brisk So long as the ship remains undetected: +10% ship speed.	Vigilance +25% detection range of enemy torpedoes +7% damage reduction of Torpedo Protection System. .	Priority Target The detection indicator will show the number of enemies targeting you with main battery. ★★	AAA & ASW Expert +15% continuous AAA and flak damage . +10% damage inflicted by depth charges. While AAA is active: −40% ship consumables reload time..
3	Super-Heavy AP Shells +7.5% AP shell damage −10% fire and flood damage received +25% fire and flood duration.	Long-Range Secondary Battery Shells +20% secondary battery firing range. ★★★	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% reload time of all armaments per 1% HP lost +0.2% AA continuous damage per 1% HP lost. ★★	Basics of Survivability -15% repair, fire, and flooding duration. ★★	Improved Repair Party Readiness −0.8% reload time of Repair Party each time your ship receives potential damage equal to 100% of the ship's base HP. After receiving 2M HP potential damage: +1 charge of Repair Party ..	Focus Fire Training In an active priority AA sector: • +1.5% (to 5%) immediate damage. • +25% continuous damage. • +1 flak burst per salvo. −10% aircraft preparation time. −15% reload time of Airstrike armament..
4	Furious 1st fire / flood −10% Main battery reload time 2nd etc. (up to 5), each −5% Main battery reload time	Manual Secondary Battery Aiming −10% secondary battery reload time. −10% secondary battery dispersion. When firing at a manually selected target: dispersion gradually improves from -25% to -50%. ★★★	Close Quarters Combat -10% reload time of main battery if an enemy ship is spotted within secondary range.	Emergency Repair Expert Damage Control Party  and Repair Party : +1 charge (each). +10% action time . ★★	Concealment Expert -10% detectability range of the ship. ★★	Fire Prevention Expert -10% risk of fire. Three fires maximum. ★★
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful ★★ - Frequently Useful ★ - Occasionally Useful No stars - Not Useful

Consumables

Von der Tann can equip the following consumables:

Slot 1: Fast Damage Control Team 
Slot 2: Repair Party

Signals

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

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 • 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
Cruisers	I Hermelin • II Dresden • II Emden • III Kolberg • IV Karlsruhe • V Königsberg • VI Nürnberg • VI Admiral Graf Spee • VI Leipzig • VI HSF Admiral Graf Spee • VII Yorck • VII München • VII Weimar • VIII Admiral Hipper • VIII Prinz Eugen • VIII Mainz • VIII Schill • VIII Mainz B • VIII Cross of Dorn • VIII Wiesbaden • IX Roon • IX Siegfried • IX Ägir • IX Admiral Schröder • IX Roon CLR • X Hindenburg • ★ Clausewitz
Battleships	III Nassau • III Von der Tann • III König Albert • IV Kaiser • IV Moltke • V König • V Derfflinger • VI Bayern • VI Mackensen • VI Prinz Eitel Friedrich • VII Gneisenau • VII Prinz Heinrich • VII Scharnhorst • VII AL Prinz Heinrich • VII Scharnhorst B • VII Scharnhorst '43 • VIII Tirpitz • VIII Bismarck • VIII Zieten • VIII Odin • VIII Brandenburg • VIII Anhalt • VIII Brandenburg B • VIII Tirpitz B • IX Friedrich der Grosse • IX Prinz Rupprecht • IX Pommern • IX Pommern B • X Grosser Kurfürst • X Schlieffen • X Preussen • X Mecklenburg • ★ Hannover
Aircraft Carriers	IV Rhein • VI Weser • VI Erich Loewenhardt • VIII August von Parseval • VIII Graf Zeppelin • VIII Graf Zeppelin B • X Manfred von Richthofen • X Max Immelmann

Battleships

Japan	II Mikasa • III Kawachi • IV Myōgi • IV Ishizuchi • V Kongō • V ARP Kongō • V ARP Kirishima • V ARP Haruna • V ARP Hiei • V HSF Hiei • VI Fusō • VI Mutsu • VI Ise • VII Nagato • VII Ashitaka • VII Hyūga • VIII Amagi • VIII Yumihari • VIII Kii • VIII Ignis Purgatio • VIII Ragnarok • IX Izumo • IX Adatara • IX Musashi • IX Hizen • IX Iwami • IX Daisen • IX Tsurugi • IX Iwami B • X Yamato • X Bungo • X Shikishima • X ARP Yamato • ★ Satsuma
U.K.	III Bellerophon • III Indefatigable • III Dreadnought • IV Orion • IV Queen Mary • V Iron Duke • V Tiger • V Agincourt • VI Warspite • VI Queen Elizabeth • VI Renown • VI Repulse • VI Repulse B • VII King George V • VII Rooke • VII Hood • VII Nelson • VII Duke of York • VII Collingwood • VII Renown '44 • VII Duke of Bronte • VIII Monarch • VIII Hawke • VIII Vanguard • IX Lion • IX Duncan • IX Marlborough • IX Scarlet Thunder • X Conqueror • X St. Vincent • X Thunderer • X Incomparable • ★ Devastation
France	III Turenne • IV Courbet • V Bretagne • VI Normandie • VI Dunkerque • VI Dunkerque B • VII Lyon • VII Strasbourg • VIII Richelieu • VIII Gascogne • VIII Champagne • VIII Flandre • VIII Picardie • IX Alsace • IX Jean Bart • IX Jean Bart B • X République • X Bourgogne • ★ Patrie
U.S.S.R.	III Knyaz Suvorov • IV Imperator Nikolai I • IV Gangut • V Pyotr Velikiy • V Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya • VI Izmail • VI Novorossiysk • VII Sinop • VII Poltava • VIII Vladivostok • VIII Lenin • VIII Borodino • IX Sovetsky Soyuz • IX Navarin • IX AL Sov. Rossiya • X Kremlin • X Slava • ★ Admiral Ushakov
U.S.A.	III South Carolina • IV Wyoming • IV Arkansas Beta • V New York • V Oklahoma • V Texas • VI New Mexico • VI Arizona • VI W. Virginia '41 • VII Colorado • VII Florida • VII West Virginia '44 • VII California • VIII North Carolina • VIII Kansas • VIII Nebraska • VIII Alabama • VIII Massachusetts • VIII Alabama VL • VIII Constellation • VIII Massachusetts B • VIII Alabama ST • VIII North Carolina CLR • IX Iowa • IX Minnesota • IX Delaware • IX Missouri • IX Kearsarge • IX Illinois • IX Kearsarge B • IX Georgia • X Montana • X Vermont • X Louisiana • X Ohio • X Rhode Island • X Wisconsin • ★ Maine
Germany	III Nassau • III Von der Tann • III König Albert • IV Kaiser • IV Moltke • V König • V Derfflinger • VI Bayern • VI Mackensen • VI Prinz Eitel Friedrich • VII Gneisenau • VII Prinz Heinrich • VII Scharnhorst • VII AL Prinz Heinrich • VII Scharnhorst B • VII Scharnhorst '43 • VIII Tirpitz • VIII Bismarck • VIII Zieten • VIII Odin • VIII Brandenburg • VIII Anhalt • VIII Brandenburg B • VIII Tirpitz B • IX Friedrich der Grosse • IX Prinz Rupprecht • IX Pommern • IX Pommern B • X Grosser Kurfürst • X Schlieffen • X Preussen • X Mecklenburg • ★ Hannover
Pan-Asia	IX Bajie • IX Wujing • IX Sun Yat-Sen • IX Louchuan
Spain	IX Victoria
Europe	V Viribus Unitis • IX Karl XIV Johan
Netherlands
Italy	IV Dante Alighieri • V Conte di Cavour • V Giulio Cesare • VI Andrea Doria • VII Francesco Caracciolo • VIII Vittorio Veneto • VIII Roma • VIII AL Littorio • IX Lepanto • IX Marco Polo • IX Giuseppe Verdi • X Cristoforo Colombo • X Ruggiero di Lauria • X Sicilia
Commonwealth	VII Yukon
Pan-America	V Rio de Janeiro • VIII Atlântico

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Compatible Upgrades