Des Moines

13.3

Des Moines

Cruiser | U.S.A. | Tier X

Tech Tree Position

General

Research price237500 exp

Purchase price19,800,000

Hit Points50,600

Main Battery

203 mm/55 RF Mk.16 in a turret3 х 3 pcs.

Rate of Fire10.91 shots/min.

Reload Time5.5 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 Mk21

Maximum AP Shell Damage5,000

Initial AP Shell Velocity762 m./s.

AP Shell Weight152 kg.

Secondary Armament #1

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.32 mount6 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range7.3 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 %

AA Defense

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.32 mount6 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second90.6

. . . Firing Range5.01 km.

76.2 mm/50 Mk.22 on a Mk.33 mount10 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second208

. . . Firing Range3.99 km.

20 mm Oerlikon on a Mk.4 mount12 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second43.2

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

76.2 mm/50 Mk.22 on a Mk.33 mount2 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second41.6

. . . Firing Range3.99 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed33 knot

Turning Circle Radius770 m.

Rudder Shift Time8.6 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range13.44 km.

Air Detectability Range7.9 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

13.3

Des Moines

Cruiser | U.S.A. | Tier X

Tech Tree Position

General

Research price237500 exp

Purchase price19,800,000

Hit Points50,600

Main Battery

203 mm/55 RF Mk.16 in a turret3 х 3 pcs.

Rate of Fire10.91 shots/min.

Reload Time5.5 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 Mk21

Maximum AP Shell Damage5,000

Initial AP Shell Velocity762 m./s.

AP Shell Weight152 kg.

Secondary Armament #1

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.32 mount6 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range7.3 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 %

AA Defense

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.32 mount6 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second90.6

. . . Firing Range5.01 km.

76.2 mm/50 Mk.22 on a Mk.33 mount10 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second208

. . . Firing Range3.99 km.

20 mm Oerlikon on a Mk.4 mount12 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second43.2

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

76.2 mm/50 Mk.22 on a Mk.33 mount2 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second41.6

. . . Firing Range3.99 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed33 knot

Turning Circle Radius770 m.

Rudder Shift Time8.6 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range13.44 km.

Air Detectability Range7.9 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

X

19,800,000

Des Moines — American Tier X cruiser.

One of the best heavy cruisers in the world. The ship was designed using the experience gained in World War II, resulting in excellent protection and very powerful AA armament. The key distinctive feature of cruisers of this type was auto-loading main guns that had a very high rate of fire.

The third ship of the class, USS Salem, is now preserved as a military museum ship in Quincy, Massachusetts.

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 RF Mk.16 in a turret	10.9	30	142	2,800	14	5,000		0	2,000,000

	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 ()
Des Moines	50,600	6	203	3	6	12/12/6				0	2,900,000

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Mk10 mod. 1		0		0	1,800,000

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 120,000 hp	33		0	1,600,000

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4
Slot 5
Slot 6

Player Opinion

Performance

Only a handful of high tier cruisers are known to have absurd firing rates: the light cruisers Nurnberg, Atlanta, Flint, Minotaur and this heavy cruiser. It is no surprise that due to her being the last all-gun cruiser made, she has all the lessons learned from her cruiser predecessors in the Second World War incorporated in her design. A very noticeable trait on Des Moines is her absurd rate of fire for a heavy cruiser with each turret loading rounds at 6 seconds which can quickly deal with destroyers, harm or outright destroy other cruisers with extreme fusillades of fire, force battleships to be wary of her as well as nervously check their hit points when they are subjected by her withering blows and frustrate carriers to no end due to her impressive AA suite which, with proper upgrades and skills, have their potency increase even further. With her ergonomics and good handling, one can say this heavy cruiser does it all; serving as both an AA and anti-ship screen, joining a cruiser squadron for rapid action as she can keep up thanks to her good speed and provide additional firepower, and functioning as a reasonable cruiser leader for a small destroyer group.

The cruiser's high shell arc and gun layout gives her a unique advantage that her cruiser colleagues at her tier lack and as such she is capable of sitting behind an island and using her high shell arc to lob shells over the island at distant targets with relative safety. One can also park the ship around the corner of an island while bow on to act as a deterrent to advancing enemy ships, while presenting a relatively small target profile. Exploiting this technique allows one to turn a disadvantage into an advantage. Also, do not be afraid to fire your AP shells at bigger targets such as battleships as your AP shells can deal a surprising amount of damage in such a short time, however only do so when you are close enough to have the rounds deal maximum penetration.

Unlike every other tier 10 cruiser, Des Moines cannot effectively fight as an anti-surface combatant on open water and her shell speed prevents her from faring well in ranged firefights. Instead, one should look to play defensively during the initial stages of the game such as performing escort duties to allied carriers (although the thought of babysitting the defenseless carriers may not cross the minds of some) or putting yourself in an effective position to respond such as hiding behind islands to protect yourself while you lob shells over them to harass enemies, and choose areas of the map that allow you to fight enemies at your terms in close to medium range as the closer Des Moines gets, the more dangerous and potentially devastating she becomes. It should not come as a surprise that if played right, the cruiser can practically dictate the flow of battle and at the mid-game to late game stages where the strongest ships have likely killed each other off, the opportunity to become hyper aggressive and quickly mop up the enemy team with the withering rate of fire is now open to the player. This isn't the only way to play Des Moines as she can serve the player well with whatever tactics they bring to the field. Shift your play style depending on the situation to give your team the best chance of winning. Knowing when to go defensive or aggressive is key to doing well in this ship.

Pros:

• Rapid reload speed allows one to quickly switch ammo types to adapt to any situation.
• Unrivaled rate of fire for a heavy cruiser at her tier
• Very effective against destroyers and cruisers at close to medium range, can give battleships something to be wary of, and fend off aerial assaults
• AA suite with all range upgrades can reach out to 7.2km.
• The best cruiser AA escort in the game with 426 AA DPS at 5.0km.
• Reasonably protected when bow on towards your enemies, however battleships can still injure you greatly if their shells hit you with good RNG dispersion.
• Gun layout and high shell arc allows one to sit behind an island and lob shells over it to harass far away enemies, while being partially covered by the island.
• High shell arc also allows for consistent citadel hits on other cruisers from long range due to plunging fire, if you can hit them!
• Jack of all trades
• Surprising AP shell potency; the cruiser can basically fire her AP shells even against a battleship when the situation calls for it

Cons:

• Outclassed and outgunned by every other tier 10 cruiser at long range except for the Minotaur
• Main guns are very vulnerable and easy to destroy, especially when you're bow on towards your enemies.
• Slower shell velocity means arc is rather high which makes shells take a bit long to reach the target point but can reach over islands
• Rather sluggish acceleration.
• Large citadel for a US cruiser.
• Despite the AP having the strongest penetration value in the game, getting up close is the most effective way to deal guaranteed damage
• Fairly easy to detect

Research

None, as the ship is elite when purchased. There are several equipment suggestions that may be of use to the Des Moines provided if they fit the player handling her with both fire training skills in effect:

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

• For a dedicated AA build, suggest running with AA gun health for slot 1, AA gun reach for slot 2, AA potency for slot 3, anything you wish on slots 4 and 5 and target acquisition for slot 6 combined with the paint that reduces enemy accuracy and decreases your detection range. Run the commander with Basic Firing training, Expert marksman to give your main guns a bit more speed to turn, Superintendent for an addition to consumables such as Defensive fire and Repair Party, Advanced Firing Training to increase your AA suite's "AA bubble" or Centralized Fire Control for the AA guns if you wish to concentrate fire on a single squadron to ensure its destruction, and Jack of All Trades so that your consumables will have a fairly shorter cooldown time.
• For a dedicated gun build, suggest running with main battery health for slot 1, main battery accuracy for slot 2, either sacrificing some turret traverse speed for increased load time by putting the load time modification to make the ship or increasing the range for the cruiser to be a supporting fire ship albeit this does not fully solve her rather slow shell velocity, anything you wish on slot 4, either damcon 2 or rudder modification as you may take some damage or you need all the ship's maneuverability, and it may not be much but the ship's concealment improvement on slot 6 combined with concealment dazzle and the respective skill will have a profound effect on "striking first". It is suggested you equip hydroacoustic search and radar surveillance if you wish to have the ability to detect destroyers concealed in their smoke.

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

Camouflage

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

Players who wish to spend doubloons can equip Des Moines with Type 20 camouflage that lowers her detection radius, reduces the accuracy of incoming shells, reduces her repair costs, increases her credit earnings, and increases the amount of experience she earns.

Gallery

Historical Info

Des Moines was launched 27 September 1946 by Bethlehem Steel Company, Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts; sponsored by Mrs. E. T. Meredith, Jr.; and commissioned 16 November 1948, Captain A. D. Chandler in command. She became the first of her class to mount the semi-automatic Mark 16 8 inch turrets and carry the new Sikorsky HO3S-1 utility helicopters in place of seaplanes. It was named after the capital of the state of Iowa.

In a varied operating schedule designed to maintain the readiness of the Navy to meet the constant demands of defense and foreign policy, Des Moines cruised from her home port at Newport, Rhode Island and after 1950, from Norfolk, Virginia on exercises of every type in the Caribbean, along the East Coast, in the Mediterranean Sea, and in North Atlantic waters. Annually between 1949 and 1957 she deployed to the Mediterranean, during the first seven years serving as flagship for the 6th Task Fleet (known as the 6th Fleet from 1950). In 1952, and each year from 1954 to 1957, she carried midshipmen for summer training cruises, crossing to Northern European ports on the first four cruises. She also sailed to Northern Europe on NATO exercises in 1952, 1953, and 1955. On 18 February 1958, she cleared Norfolk for the Mediterranean once more, this time to remain as flagship for the 6th Fleet until July 1961 when was placed out of commission in reserve.

Through her Mediterranean services Des Moines contributed significantly to the success of the 6th Fleet in representing American power and interests in the countries of Southern Europe, Northern Africa, and the Near East. She made this contribution through such activities as her participation in NATO Mediterranean exercises; her call to seldom-visited Rijeka, Yugoslavia, in December 1950 and Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia, in May 1960, and to many other ports as a regular feature of her schedule; her cruising in the eastern Atlantic during the wake of the Suez Crisis of 1956; and service on patrol and as control center for American forces in the Lebanon crisis of 1958. Film footage of her cruising with other ships of the United States 6th Fleet was used in the introduction and conclusion of the movie: "John Paul Jones" starring Robert Stack (Warner Brothers-1959).

After decommissioning in 1961 she was mothballed in the South Boston Naval Annex and eventually laid up in the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility at Philadelphia in maintained reserve. In 1981 the United States Congress directed that the Navy conduct a survey to determine if she and sister ship USS Salem (CA-139) could be reactivated (in lieu of two Iowa-classs battleships) to support the 600-ship Navy proposed by the Reagan Administration. The study concluded that while both ships would be useful in the active fleet, there was not enough deck space to add the modern weapons fit (Tomahawk cruise missiles, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, Phalanx CIWS mounts, radars and communication systems) that the ships would need to operate in a 1980's environment. In addition, the per-ship costs for the reactivations and updates (that were determined feasible) would be close to the costs for an Iowa, for a much less capable ship. Therefore, both ships remained in maintained reserve until they were struck off the reserve list in August 1993. After an attempt to turn her into a museum ship in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, failed — Salem did become a museum ship , however — she was sold in 2005, and then towed to Brownsville, Texas, for scrapping. By July 2007, she had been completely broken up. Her status officially changed to "disposed of by scrapping, dismantling" on 16 August 2007. Two of her dual 5"/38 gun mounts were donated to the USS Lexington (CV-16) museum in Corpus Christi, TX, where they can now be seen on display.

Her sister ship USS Newport News (CA-148) was scrapped in New Orleans in 1993. The third Des Moines-class ship, the USS Salem (CA-139), is a museum ship in Quincy, Massachusetts.

Historical Gallery

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