Baltimore

13.3

Cruiser | U.S.A. | Tier VIII

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Battle Levels

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VIII

8,900,000

Baltimore — American Tier VIII cruiser.

Designed after the treaty limitations had been lifted and built using the experience gained in World War II. Greater dimensions of the cruiser improved her survivability owing to a reinforced armor deck and enhanced protection for the propulsion. In addition to the main battery guns, the ship received dual-purpose artillery mounts.

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 ()
203 mm/55 Mk.15 in a turret	6	30	132	2,800	14	5,000		0	730,000

	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 ()
Baltimore (A)	36,600	6	203	3	6	23/12/6				0	1,000,000
Baltimore (B)	42,400	6	203	3	6	23/12/6				28,000	2,100,000

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Mk8 mod. 1		0		0	550,000
Mk8 mod. 2		0		15,000	1,200,000

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 120,000 hp	32.5		0	620,000

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4
Slot 5

Player Opinion

Performance

Following on the heels of New Orleans at Tier VII, Tier VIII's Baltimore represents the new era of cruisers from the United States Navy. Not only was the firepower and protection improved, but in-game she also gets access to the Surveillance Radar  which makes her a strong team player. Baltimore cannot, however, single handedly deal with destroyers lit up by her radar due to a 10 second reload. Team play and focusing targets is a must. The armor-piercing shells get a very special taste, as she is the first cruiser in the branch to have the famous super-heavy AP shells that retain great penetration even at range. As a trade-off these shells are slower however, and require more lead than the shells used on preceding 203mm armed ships.

Her play style focuses around the objectives and island cover. Captains should stay close behind an island and be a threat to anyone approaching their position thanks to Surveillance Radar 

, Defensive AA Fire 

, and Baltimore’s shell arcs. It is important that a central position is chosen in order to maximize her impact on the match; captains should avoid long range, open-water combat under most circumstances, as her low shell velocity will make it easy for opponents to evade incoming fire while Baltimore is unlikely to do the same. Played effectively, Baltimore can be an excellent cruiser and destroyer killer.

Pros:

Strong main battery firepower in an AB-X layout that allows her to use the majority of her firepower while remaining heavily angled.
Excellent AP shells combined with 10 second reload time on her main battery.
Among the best in terms of AA firepower at Tier VIII.
Excellent support ship with utility tools like Surveillance Radar  and Defensive AA Fire .
High shell arcs allow Baltimore to use islands as cover.
Added resistance against 380/381mm AP shells thanks to her 27mm plating, a common caliber for many same-tier battleships.
Armor belt of 152mm is the thickest of any Tier VIII cruiser.
Effectively no citadel under turrets, making Baltimore quite difficult to citadel.

Cons:

High shell arcs result in difficult long range gunnery, and if Baltimore doesn't have an island to hide behind she's at a disadvantage.
Surveillance Radar  has a 700m shorter range than maximum concealment, which can cause difficulties against heads-up destroyers.
Ship has a high freeboard, which makes Baltimore a much bigger target for incoming fire compared to Japanese cruisers, for example. Extremely vulnerable against high-DPM HE spam or overmatching battleship AP.
Has no torpedoes nor other means of high burst damage against battleships at close range, making Baltimore susceptible to battleship rushes if position isn't supported by teammates.

Research

Availability of researchable upgrades for Baltimore is as follows:

Hull: Upgrade to Hull (B) for a big boost in hit points, an upgraded AA suite, and improved rudder shift time. Research of this module unlocks progression to Buffalo.
Gun Fire Control System: Upgrade to Mk8 mod. 2 for an extra 10% range on the main battery.

The Gun Fire Control System is recommended for the first upgrade for most captains. While 14.3km of range is sufficient for tier 8 battles if used correctly, 15.8km is necessary if up-tiered. In a very skilled player's hand however, the Hull upgrade may be more useful if he is able to only pick favorable, close range fights. Get the other upgrade once you have accumulated enough XP.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades for Baltimore are as follows:

Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1 keeps her guns active and firing.
Slot 2: Damage Control System Modification 1  lessens the fire damage taken.
Slot 3: AA Guns Modification 2 () improves her AA coverage. If carriers are not deemed a threat, Aiming Systems Modification 1 improves her accuracy.
Slot 4: Propulsion Modification 1 () improves her acceleration performance.
Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1  reduces her surface detectablilty.

Anti-Aircraft Build: A popular build for this ship, captains focusing on improving Baltimore’s AA will opt for Auxiliary Armaments Modification 1 in Slot 1 to increase her anti-aircraft armament durability and AA Guns Modification 2 () in Slot 3 to add more range for her AA up to 6.0km (7.2km with Advanced Firing Training skill). Although her AA is a powerful deterrent, its usefulness depends on whether there is a carrier in the game. To ensure these upgrades aren't wasted, consider divisioning with a Tier VIII carrier.

Generalist Build: Captains focusing on making Baltimore a more well-rounded ship will opt for Main Armaments Modification 1 in Slot 1 and Aiming Systems Modification 1 in Slot 3 to increase her accuracy. This is especially useful when firing at destroyers detected during the short period that Surveillance Radar  is active. Baltimore’s base AA is still quite powerful without any AA-specific upgrades.

Commander Skills

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Endurance		Attack		Support		Versatility
1	Priority Target Situational Awareness indicator will show the number of opponents currently aiming at you with main battery guns. ★★★	Preventative Maintenance -30% to the risk of incapacitation of main turrets, torpedo tubes, steering gear, engines. ★★	Expert Loader -50% to reload time when shell type is switched. ★★	Air Supremacy -5% aircraft restoration time.	Direction Center for Fighters +1 fighter to carrier fighter squadrons or catapult fighters.	Improved Engine Boost +10% Aircraft engine boost time.	Incoming Fire Alert Indicator of long-range enemy artillery fire. ★	Last Gasp Completely restores the engine boost for the last attack flight of the carrier's planes.
2	High Alert -10% to reload time of Damage Control Party consumable. ★	Jack of All Trades -5% to reload time of all consumables. ★★	Expert Marksman +2.5 deg/sec to traverse speed of guns with a caliber up to 139mm. +0.7 deg/sec to traverse speed of guns with a caliber above 139mm. ★★	Torpedo Acceleration +5 knots to torpedo speed. -20% to torpedo range.	Smoke Screen Expert +20% to the radius of the smoke screen.	Improved Engines +2.5% Squadron speed.	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% to reload times of all types of armament for each 1% of total health lost. +0.2% squadron speed for each 1% of total health lost. ★★★	Last Stand The ship remains able to move and maneuver while the engine or steering gears are incapacitated.
3	Basics of Survivability -15% to time of repair, fire extinguishing, and recovery from flooding. ★	Survivability Expert +350 ship HP for each ship tier. +15 aircraft HP for each ship tier. ★	Torpedo Armament Expertise -10% to reload time of torpedo tubes.	Aircraft Armor Reduces continuous damage to aircraft in all AA defense zones. -10% continuous damage.	Basic Firing Training -10% to reload time of main battery guns with a caliber up to and including 139mm and all secondary battery guns. +10% to continuous damage from AA guns. ★★	Superintendent +1 additional charge to all consumables mounted on a ship. ★★	Demolition Expert +2% chance of HE shells causing a fire on target. +1% chance of rockets causing a fire on target. +5% chance of HE bombs causing a fire on target. ★★★	Vigilance +25% to detection range of enemy torpedoes. ★
4	Manual Fire Control for Secondary Armament Tightens dispersion of shells from secondary batteries. -15% for Tier I-VI ships. -60% for Tier VII-X ships. Manually selected target only.	Fire Prevention -10% to the risk of fire. The maximum number of fires on a ship is reduced to three. ★	Inertia Fuse for HE Shells +30% to the armor penetration capacity of HE shells. -1% chance of fire on target caused by shells <=139mm. -3% chance of fire on target caused by shells >139mm.	Sight Stabilization Speeds up the aiming of a carrier's aircraft. +5% attack aircraft aiming speed. +5% torpedo bomber aiming speed. +10% dive bomber aiming speed.	Advanced Firing Training +20% to firing range of main battery guns with a caliber up to 139mm and all secondary battery guns. +15% damage/sec. within the explosion radius of shells fired from long-range AA defenses. ★★★	Massive AA Fire Instantaneous Damage +100%. Priority AA sector cooldown +50%.	Radio Position Finding Shows the direction to the nearest enemy ship. The enemy is alerted that a bearing has been taken. ★★	Concealment Expert -10% to the detection radius of all ships and aircraft. ★★★
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful ★★ - Frequently Useful ★ - Occasionally Useful No stars - Meh Χ - Not recommended

Consumables

Baltimore can equip the following consumables:

Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
Slot 2: Defensive AA Fire  or Hydroacoustic Search 
Slot 3: Catapult Fighter  or Surveillance Radar

Captains focusing Baltimore on AA build will equip Defensive AA Fire II () for Slot 2, especially when in a division with a carrier. For play outside of divisions, Hydroacoustic Search II () is recommended as the odds of seeing an aircraft carrier are slim.

Baltimore captains should use Surveillance Radar II () on Slot 3 to increase their in-game impact (hunting the extremely stealthy destroyers of Tiers VIII-X), as Catapult Fighter  is not always useful in detecting stealthy or smoke-covered enemy ships.

Camouflage

Type 1, 2, or 5 camouflage can be equipped for Credits; Types 1 or 5 are recommended at a minimum to reduce detection range.

Players who wish to spend doubloons can equip Baltimore with Type 18 camouflage that lowers her detection range, reduces the accuracy of incoming shells, reduces her repair costs, and increases the amount of experience she earns.

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

At the beginning of the match, Baltimore does not sit still and approaches an advantageous position.
Baltimore finds an island that allows her to shoot over, right next to the cap. An allied destroyer lays smoke for additional cover.
Using the smoke screen, Baltimore and several friendly units fight over the capture circle.
Being flanked, Baltimore charges under a hail of fire into the enemy to take out as many of them as possible.

Historical Info

Ships of U.S.A.

Destroyers	II Sampson • II Smith • III Wickes • IV Clemson • V Nicholas • V Hill • VI Farragut • VI Monaghan • VII Mahan • VII Sims • VII Sims B • VIII Benson • VIII Kidd • IX Fletcher • IX Benham • IX Halford • IX Black B • IX Black • X Gearing • X Somers • X Forrest Sherman • ★ Joshua Humphreys
Cruisers	I Erie • II Chester • II Albany • III St. Louis • III Charleston • IV Phoenix • V Omaha • V Marblehead • V Marblehead Lima • V Rattlehead • VI Pensacola • VI Dallas • VII Atlanta • VII New Orleans • VII Helena • VII Indianapolis • VII Atlanta B • VII Boise • VII Flint • VIII Baltimore • VIII Cleveland • VIII Wichita • VIII Anchorage • VIII Congress • VIII Rochester • VIII San Diego • VIII AL Montpelier • IX Buffalo • IX Seattle • IX Vallejo • IX Alaska • IX Tulsa • IX Alaska B • X Des Moines • X Worcester • X Puerto Rico • X Salem • X Austin • ★ Annapolis
Battleships	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
Aircraft Carriers	IV Langley • VI Independence • VI Ranger • VIII Yorktown • VIII Lexington • VIII Enterprise • VIII Saipan • VIII Hornet • VIII Saipan B • X Essex • X Midway • X Franklin D. Roosevelt • ★ United States

Cruisers

Japan	I Hashidate • II Chikuma • III Tenryū • III Katori • IV Yūbari • IV Kuma • IV Iwaki Alpha • V Furutaka • V Agano • V Yahagi • VI Aoba • VI Gokase • VII Myōkō • VII Omono • VII Tokachi • VII Maya • VII ARP Myōkō • VII ARP Ashigara • VII ARP Haguro • VII Southern Dragon • VII Eastern Dragon • VII ARP Nachi • VIII Mogami • VIII Tone • VIII Atago • VIII Shimanto • VIII Atago B • VIII ARP Takao • VIII ARP Maya • IX Ibuki • IX Takahashi • IX Azuma • IX AL Azuma • IX Chikuma II • X Zaō • X Yodo • X Yoshino • X Yoshino B • X Kitakami
U.K.	I Black Swan • II Weymouth • III Caledon • IV Danae • V Emerald • V Hawkins • V Exeter • VI Leander • VI Devonshire • VI London • VI Dido • VI Orion '44 • VII Fiji • VII Surrey • VII Belfast • VIII Edinburgh • VIII Albemarle • VIII Cheshire • VIII Tiger '59 • VIII Belfast '43 • VIII Hampshire • VIII Nottingham • VIII AL Cheshire • VIII STAR Edinburgh • IX Neptune • IX Drake • X Monmouth • X Minotaur • X Goliath • X Plymouth • X Gibraltar • X Defence • ★ Edgar
France	I Bougainville • II Jurien de la Gravière • III Friant • IV Duguay-Trouin • V Émile Bertin • VI La Galissonnière • VI De Grasse • VI Dupleix • VI Montcalm • VII Algérie • VII Toulon • VIII Charles Martel • VIII Cherbourg • VIII Bayard • IX Saint-Louis • IX Brest • IX Carnot • X Henri IV • X Marseille • X Colbert • ★ Condé
U.S.S.R.	I Orlan • II Diana • II Diana Lima • II Novik • III Aurora • III Bogatyr • III Oleg • III Varyag • III AL Avrora • IV Svietlana • V Murmansk • V Kotovsky • V Krasny Krym • V Mikoyan • V Kirov • VI Budyonny • VI Molotov • VI Admiral Makarov • VII Shchors • VII Lazo • VII Lazo B • VIII Chapayev • VIII Tallinn • VIII Mikhail Kutuzov • VIII Ochakov • VIII Pyotr Bagration • VIII Dmitry Pozharsky • IX Dmitri Donskoi • IX Riga • IX Kronshtadt • X Moskva • X Alexander Nevsky • X Petropavlovsk • X Stalingrad • X Smolensk B • X Smolensk • X Sevastopol • X Kommissar • ★ Novosibirsk
U.S.A.	I Erie • II Chester • II Albany • III St. Louis • III Charleston • IV Phoenix • V Omaha • V Marblehead • V Marblehead Lima • V Rattlehead • VI Pensacola • VI Dallas • VII Atlanta • VII New Orleans • VII Helena • VII Indianapolis • VII Atlanta B • VII Boise • VII Flint • VIII Baltimore • VIII Cleveland • VIII Wichita • VIII Anchorage • VIII Congress • VIII Rochester • VIII San Diego • VIII AL Montpelier • IX Buffalo • IX Seattle • IX Vallejo • IX Alaska • IX Tulsa • IX Alaska B • X Des Moines • X Worcester • X Puerto Rico • X Salem • X Austin • ★ Annapolis
Germany	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
Pan-Asia	I Chengan • III Ning Hai • V Chungking • VI Rahmat • VI Huanghe • VII Chumphon • VIII Harbin • VIII Irian • VIII Wukong • IX Sejong • IX Dalian • IX Mengchong • IX Tianjin • X Jinan
Spain	I Júpiter • II Méndez Núñez • III Navarra • IV Almirante Cervera • V Galicia • VI Baleares • VI Canarias • VII Asturias • VIII Cataluña • VIII Numancia • IX Andalucía • X Castilla
Europe	I Gryf • VI Elli
Netherlands	I Van Kinsbergen • II Gelderland • III Java • IV De Ruyter • V Celebes • VI Kijkduin • VII Eendracht • VIII Haarlem • VIII De Zeven Provinciën • IX Johan de Witt • IX Van Speijk • X Gouden Leeuw • X Prins van Oranje
Italy	I Eritrea • II Nino Bixio • III Taranto • IV Alberto di Giussano • V Raimondo Montecuccoli • V Genova • VI Trento • VI Duca d'Aosta • VII Zara • VII Duca degli Abruzzi • VII Francesco Ferruccio • VII Gorizia • VIII Amalfi • IX Brindisi • IX Michelangelo • X Venezia • X Napoli • X Napoli B • ★ Piemonte
Commonwealth	I Sutlej • II Port Jackson • III Caradoc • IV Dunedin • V Delhi • VI Hobart • VI Perth • VI Mysore • VII Uganda • VIII Auckland • IX Encounter • IX Hector • X Cerberus • X Brisbane
Pan-America	I Hércules • II Almirante Barroso • II Almirante Abreu • III Vicente Guerrero • IV Córdoba • V La Argentina • VI Almirante Cochrane • VII Coronel Bolognesi • VII Nueve de Julio • VIII Ignacio Allende • VIII Almirante Grau • IX Santander • X San Martín

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Compatible Upgrades