Benham
Revision as of 18:17, 25 July 2019 | Revision as of 22:11, 17 August 2019 Minor grammar, punctuation, and syntax edits. | |||
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|Pros=<!-- write list of positive points below. use * as in ordinary wiki-list. --> | |Pros=<!-- write list of positive points below. use * as in ordinary wiki-list. --> | |||
? | * Excellent USN | + | * Excellent USN DD guns with fast turret traverse | |
? | * Excellent | + | * Excellent torpedo armament with four quadruple launchers, two on each side | |
* Short torpedo reload of 85s, 10.5k range | * Short torpedo reload of 85s, 10.5k range | |||
* Fast turning | * Fast turning | |||
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* Low health pool of 14,500 hp | * Low health pool of 14,500 hp | |||
* Only 4 guns with American high arcs | * Only 4 guns with American high arcs | |||
? | * Torps are not hard hitting as | + | * Torps are not as hard hitting as those typically found on IJN ships | |
* Large surface detection of 7.56k | * Large surface detection of 7.56k | |||
* Weak AA system | * Weak AA system | |||
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===History=== | ===History=== | |||
? | USS ''Benham'' (DD-397) was the lead ship of her class of destroyers and the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Andrew Ellicot Kennedy Benham. It missed the attack on Pearl Harbor, being an escort for the USS ''[[Enterprise]]'' on its way to Midway at the time. It also served off Hawaii during the Doolittle raid, rescued survivors from several ships, and operated during the Battle of Midway and the landings on Guadalcanal, among other missions. | + | USS ''Benham'' (DD-397) was the lead ship of her class of destroyers and the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Andrew Ellicot Kennedy Benham. It missed the attack on Pearl Harbor, being an escort for the USS ''[[Enterprise]]'' on its way to Midway at the time. It also served off Hawaii during the Doolittle raid, rescued survivors from several ships, and operated during the Battle of Midway and the landings on Guadalcanal, among other missions. She was torpedoed and nearly destroyed by the IJN near the end of 1942, which resulted in her scuttling by a friendly destroyer in order to prevent her capture. | |
====Design==== | ====Design==== | |||
The Benham-class of destroyers was the last class of destroyers in the United States Navy that was equipped with 16 torpedo tubes. They were improved in several ways over the preceding classes, but also somewhat heavier passing the 1,500 ton mark by more than 10% when carrying their standard load. | The Benham-class of destroyers was the last class of destroyers in the United States Navy that was equipped with 16 torpedo tubes. They were improved in several ways over the preceding classes, but also somewhat heavier passing the 1,500 ton mark by more than 10% when carrying their standard load. | |||
? | Compared to the earlier Bagley-class they had one less boiler, which resulted in a | + | Compared to the earlier Bagley-class they had one less boiler, which resulted in a noticeably smaller funnel. Otherwise their propulsion was not all too different, the three aforementioned boilers would generate steam for two sets of turbines, which would give the ship a designed horsepower of 50,000 for a speed of 38.5kn. The cruising range was 6,500 nautical miles at a speed of 12 knots. | |
The main armament consisted of four 127mm/38 dual purpose guns mounted in four single mounts. A new feature of the 16-torpedo destroyers was that the guns were no longer in pedestal mounts, but instead utilized base-ring mounts, which included an ammunition hoist for a faster and more convenient ammunition supply to the main armament. This kind of mount would become the standard of all the subsequent destroyers fielded by the USN during WW2. | The main armament consisted of four 127mm/38 dual purpose guns mounted in four single mounts. A new feature of the 16-torpedo destroyers was that the guns were no longer in pedestal mounts, but instead utilized base-ring mounts, which included an ammunition hoist for a faster and more convenient ammunition supply to the main armament. This kind of mount would become the standard of all the subsequent destroyers fielded by the USN during WW2. | |||
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Most prominent on the Benham-class were the four quad torpedo launchers. It was intended that these would permit the ship to fire a full 16 torpedo barrage against a target using gyros to steer the torpedoes into the desired direction. No reloads were fitted on these ships for the torpedo launchers. A downside of this armament was that the ships were overloaded and dangerously topheavy. As such, it was decided during World War Two to remove at least one pair of torpedo launchers. | Most prominent on the Benham-class were the four quad torpedo launchers. It was intended that these would permit the ship to fire a full 16 torpedo barrage against a target using gyros to steer the torpedoes into the desired direction. No reloads were fitted on these ships for the torpedo launchers. A downside of this armament was that the ships were overloaded and dangerously topheavy. As such, it was decided during World War Two to remove at least one pair of torpedo launchers. | |||
? | The | + | The auxiliary armament initially consisted of four .50 cal machine guns. This was deemed inefficient and over the course of World War Two measures were taken to strengthen AA defenses. Depending on how many torpedo launchers were removed, up to two or four twin mounts of the 40mm Bofors were mounted as well as a handful of 20mm Oerlikons, with the .50 cal machine guns being removed due to their limited effectiveness. The initial ASW-equipment consisted of a sonar and ten depth charges in two racks. Latter was supplemented by four depth charge throwers and an increase in the total depth charge count to 46 in 1941-1942. | |
====Service==== | ====Service==== | |||
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At 23.13, lookouts on destroyer ''Shikinami'' spotted unidentified shapes moving into Savo Sound on a similar course – Task Force 64. At 00.01, ''Washington''’s radar picked up the light cruiser ''Sendai'' at 18,000 yards. At 00.12, the ship was spotted visually, and upon confirming the identify of the enemy ships at 00.14, Lee gave his battleships permission to engage. At 00.17, the relative silence of the night was terminated with an enormous sound as Washington unleashed the first salvo fired by an American battleship in the Pacific theater. Seconds later ''South Dakota'' joined in, and the battleships sent a volley of 16” Mk.8 SHS shells shrieking towards the Japanese ships. The 5” secondary battery also joined in. The first salvos fell in the wake of the Japanese ships, the next fell directly in their path. Deciding that challenging 16” guns was a bit too much, they came about and made smoke, and escaped the bombardment with no damage. ''Washington'' ceased fire at about 00.20 after expending 42 16” and 100 5” shells, while ''South Dakota'' went silent after eight salvos. ''South Dakota'' believed she had sunk a ship, and ''Washington'' thought she had heavily damaged her opponent – but neither was true. Even as guns went silent, destroyer ''Walke'' picked up another radar contact – the destroyer ''Ayanami'', rushing the Americans alone to make a torpedo attack. ''Walke'' engaged her at 15,000 yards, and shortly after ''Benham'' joined in with the first salvos of her first surface action. ''Washington''’s secondary guns came back to life and added their fury to the action, loosing 133 5” shells. Then, at 00.27 the light cruiser ''Naka'' rounded Savo island with a group of destroyers. ''Benham'' appears to have maintained her fire on ''Ayanami'', but the other three destroyers switched fire to the newcomers. The range was a mere 9,000 yards, but even as the American destroyers started began churning up the water around the Japanese ships, they started to be punished in return. ''Naka'' pounded ''Preston'' with numerous 140mm hits, and Japanese destroyers also contributed their fire, shredding the ship and setting her ablaze. At 00.32, her torpedoes cooked off, devastating the ship with a large explosion, and she began to sink. ''Gwin'' took several hits as she swerved to avoid the sinking Preston, while ''South Dakota'' started shelling ''Sendai'' again. She ceased fire after five salvos, but then disaster struck as a short circuit cut all power in the battleship, rendering her “blind, deaf, and dumb”. ''Gwin'' and ''Benham'' continued to engages flashes to their starboard as the battleships went silent. | At 23.13, lookouts on destroyer ''Shikinami'' spotted unidentified shapes moving into Savo Sound on a similar course – Task Force 64. At 00.01, ''Washington''’s radar picked up the light cruiser ''Sendai'' at 18,000 yards. At 00.12, the ship was spotted visually, and upon confirming the identify of the enemy ships at 00.14, Lee gave his battleships permission to engage. At 00.17, the relative silence of the night was terminated with an enormous sound as Washington unleashed the first salvo fired by an American battleship in the Pacific theater. Seconds later ''South Dakota'' joined in, and the battleships sent a volley of 16” Mk.8 SHS shells shrieking towards the Japanese ships. The 5” secondary battery also joined in. The first salvos fell in the wake of the Japanese ships, the next fell directly in their path. Deciding that challenging 16” guns was a bit too much, they came about and made smoke, and escaped the bombardment with no damage. ''Washington'' ceased fire at about 00.20 after expending 42 16” and 100 5” shells, while ''South Dakota'' went silent after eight salvos. ''South Dakota'' believed she had sunk a ship, and ''Washington'' thought she had heavily damaged her opponent – but neither was true. Even as guns went silent, destroyer ''Walke'' picked up another radar contact – the destroyer ''Ayanami'', rushing the Americans alone to make a torpedo attack. ''Walke'' engaged her at 15,000 yards, and shortly after ''Benham'' joined in with the first salvos of her first surface action. ''Washington''’s secondary guns came back to life and added their fury to the action, loosing 133 5” shells. Then, at 00.27 the light cruiser ''Naka'' rounded Savo island with a group of destroyers. ''Benham'' appears to have maintained her fire on ''Ayanami'', but the other three destroyers switched fire to the newcomers. The range was a mere 9,000 yards, but even as the American destroyers started began churning up the water around the Japanese ships, they started to be punished in return. ''Naka'' pounded ''Preston'' with numerous 140mm hits, and Japanese destroyers also contributed their fire, shredding the ship and setting her ablaze. At 00.32, her torpedoes cooked off, devastating the ship with a large explosion, and she began to sink. ''Gwin'' took several hits as she swerved to avoid the sinking Preston, while ''South Dakota'' started shelling ''Sendai'' again. She ceased fire after five salvos, but then disaster struck as a short circuit cut all power in the battleship, rendering her “blind, deaf, and dumb”. ''Gwin'' and ''Benham'' continued to engages flashes to their starboard as the battleships went silent. | |||
? | At 00.37, however, a threat the Americans hadn’t seen made itself known. A massive blast rocked ''Benham'' as a Type 93 ‘Long Lance’ torpedo impacted her bow and literally blew it away. The unfortunate destroyer heeled hard to | + | At 00.37, however, a threat the Americans hadn’t seen made itself known. A massive blast rocked ''Benham'' as a Type 93 ‘Long Lance’ torpedo impacted her bow and literally blew it away. The unfortunate destroyer heeled hard to port and then rocked back into a 30<sup>o</sup> list to starboard. Her speed crashed from 27 down to 5 knots, and around the same time Preston’s wreck took a hit, while ''Walke'' ate several 140mm shells and a torpedo hit of her own, blasting the ship in half and causing her to sink almost immediately. ''Benham'', miraculously, was still afloat, and Lee ordered her and ''Gwin'', his last remaining destroyer, to retire from the action. | |
Although the rest of the Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal would go down in history, ''Benham''’s role in the action was over. Her crew’s only opponent was the waters trying to drag their ship to the bottom, and the Japanese were a secondary concern at best. The struggle continued for fifteen hours, when it became clear the ship could not be saved, and the crew abandoned ship. ''Gwin'' rescued the survivors, and fired four torpedoes at point-blank range in an attempt to the scuttle the ship, but three missed outright while the fourth simply blew up before it reached the stricken destroyer. ''Gwin'' then switched to he guns, and after a hail of gunfire, ''Benham'' finally sank at 19.38, 15 November 1942. | Although the rest of the Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal would go down in history, ''Benham''’s role in the action was over. Her crew’s only opponent was the waters trying to drag their ship to the bottom, and the Japanese were a secondary concern at best. The struggle continued for fifteen hours, when it became clear the ship could not be saved, and the crew abandoned ship. ''Gwin'' rescued the survivors, and fired four torpedoes at point-blank range in an attempt to the scuttle the ship, but three missed outright while the fourth simply blew up before it reached the stricken destroyer. ''Gwin'' then switched to he guns, and after a hail of gunfire, ''Benham'' finally sank at 19.38, 15 November 1942. | |||
For her service in World War II, ''Benham'' received five battle stars. | For her service in World War II, ''Benham'' received five battle stars. |
Revision as of 22:11, 17 August 2019
127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.30 mod.0 mount4 х 1 pcs. |
Rate of Fire18.18 shots/min. |
Reload Time3.3 sec. |
Rotation Speed30 deg./sec. |
180 Degree Turn Time6 sec. |
Firing Range12.6 km. |
Maximum Dispersion109 m. |
HE Shell127 mm HE Mk32 |
Maximum HE Shell Damage1,800 |
Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell5 % |
Initial HE Shell Velocity792 m./s. |
HE Shell Weight24.5 kg. |
AP Shell127 mm AP/SC Mk38 |
Maximum AP Shell Damage2,100 |
Initial AP Shell Velocity792 m./s. |
AP Shell Weight25 kg. |
IDS_PAGT083_21IN_MK14_TORPEDO_TUBES_QUAD2 х 4 / 2 х 4 pcs. |
Rate of Fire0.71 shots/min. |
Reload Time85 sec. |
Rotation Speed25 deg./sec. |
180 Degree Turn Time7.2 sec. |
Torpedo533 mm Mk15 |
Maximum Damage15,200 |
Torpedo Speed65 knot |
Torpedo Range10.5 km. |
127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.30 mod.0 mount2 х 1 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second21.4 |
. . . Firing Range5.01 km. |
IDS_PAGM150_5IN38_MK24_MOD62 х 1 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second16 |
. . . Firing Range5.01 km. |
12.7 mm Browning on a single mount4 х 1 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second15.2 |
. . . Firing Range1.2 km. |
Maximum Speed36.5 knot |
Turning Circle Radius560 m. |
Rudder Shift Time3.4 sec. |
Surface Detectability Range7.33 km. |
Air Detectability Range2.86 km. |
Benham — American special premium Tier IX destroyer.
Benham-class ships repeated the design of their predecessors while featuring more powerful machinery to achieve higher speed. The ships were armed with four torpedo launchers mounted along their sides, and the number of their guns was reduced from five to four. During the attack on Pearl Harbor, USS Benham was escorting aircraft carrier Enterprise to Midway. The destroyer participated in the Doolittle Raid, the Battle of Midway, and the second Battle of the Solomon Islands. On November 15, 1942, during the Battle of Guadalcanal, Benham took a torpedo hit, was abandoned by her crew, and eventually sank.
Modules
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 () | ||
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Benham | 14,500 | 6 | 20 | 4 | 4/4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Rate of Fire (shots/min) | Torpedo Tubes Reload Time (sec) | 180° Turn Time (sec) | Maximum Damage (HP) | Torpedo Speed (knot) | Torpedo Range (km) |
Research price (exp) |
Purchase price () | ||
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533 mm Mk15 | 0.7 | 85 | 7.2 | 15,200 | 65 | 10.5 | 0 | 0 |
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 |
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Slot 6 |
Player Opinion
Performance
The USS Benham is a great torpedo boat that lives up to its historical purpose. It was built so the US navy could procure enough torpedo salvos as most of their dds had more guns and less torps. In game you can get the torpedo reload down to 65 seconds, firing up to 16 torpedoes. As it has fewer guns and low health pool, it is recommended to use it as a torpedo-ship than a gunboat.
Pros:
- Excellent USN DD guns with fast turret traverse
- Excellent torpedo armament with four quadruple launchers, two on each side
- Short torpedo reload of 85s, 10.5k range
- Fast turning
Cons:
- Low health pool of 14,500 hp
- Only 4 guns with American high arcs
- Torps are not as hard hitting as those typically found on IJN ships
- Large surface detection of 7.56k
- Weak AA system
Research
Optimal Configuration
Upgrades
The recommended upgrades for Benham are focused on enhancing the torpedo armament:
- Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
- Slot 2: Propulsion Modification 1
- Slot 3: Aiming Systems Modification 1
- Slot 4: Propulsion Modification 1 ()
- Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1
- Slot 6: Torpedo Tubes Modification 2 ()
Commander Skills
The following information is provided for players who wish to create a permanent captain for the ship. Those players who are retraining captains or using the ship to gain extra experience for a captain should consult the page relevant to the ship to which the captain will be assigned.
Recommended Commander Skills | ||||||||
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Cost (points) |
Endurance | Attack | Support | Versatility | ||||
1 |
★★★ |
★★★ |
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2 |
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★ |
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★★ |
★★★ |
3 |
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★★ |
★★★ |
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★★ |
★ |
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★ |
4 |
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★★★ |
★★★ |
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful ★★ - Frequently Useful ★ - Occasionally Useful No stars - Meh Χ - Not recommended |
Consumables
Benham can equip the following consumables:
- Slot 1: Damage Control Party
- Slot 2: Smoke Generator
- Slot 3: Engine Boost or Defensive AA Fire
Camouflage
As a premium ship, Benham comes included with Type 10 camouflage that lowers her detection radius, reduces the accuracy of incoming shells, reduces her repair costs, and increases the amount of experience she earns. As well as her standard, she also has an exclusive, "The Master of the Water World" camouflage from the Rogue Wave event offering the same bonuses as the standard.Gallery
Historical Info
Historical Gallery