Gearing

12.8

Destroyer | U.S.A. | Tier X

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Battle Levels

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X

19,500,000

Gearing — American Tier X destroyer.

Developed from the Fletcher class, Gearing was the largest destroyer built by the U.S. Navy during World War II. The ship was superior in firepower to all foreign counterparts, owing to new dual-purpose twin mounts with a very high rate of fire. Numerous automatic AA guns ensured a respective level of efficiency for her AA defenses.

Five of the class are preserved as military museum ships: USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. in Fall River, Massachusetts; ROKS Jeon Ju (ex-USS Rogers) in Dangjin, South Korea; ROCS Te Yang (ex-USS Sarsfield) in Tainan City, Taiwan; TCG Gayret (ex-USS Eversole) in Izmit, Turkey; and USS Orleck in Jacksonville, Florida.

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 ()
127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.38 mount	20	7.2	98	1,800	5	2,100		0	1,900,000

	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 ()
Gearing	19,400	13	21	3		12/2/2/3	2			0	2,650,000

	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 ()
Mk16 mod. 1	0.6	103	7.2	19,033	66	10.5		0	2,500,000
Mark 17	0.5	116	7.2	17,900	66	16.5		30,000	2,500,000

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Mk10 mod. 1		0		0	1,600,000

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 60,000 hp	36		0	1,750,000

Compatible Upgrades

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

Player Opinion

Performance

Warning. The data presented in the AA Defense sidebar section may be incorrect.
For a graphic summary of ships Tiers VIII thru XI see LittleWhiteMouse's "Actual AA DPS".

As the Tier X American destroyer, Gearing represents the ultimate embodiment of the jack-of-all-trades destroyer in World of Warships.

Like most American destroyers, the primary focus is her main battery guns. Gearing is built around the same style of dual barrel 127mm turrets that form the main battery of Atlanta and Flint, as well as the secondary batteries of various American battleships and cruisers. Gearing packs three such turrets, with a stock reload time of 3.0 seconds. Although she cannot out-trade dedicated gunships, Gearing's main battery damage output is a powerful self-defense and deterrent against other destroyers, in addition to a tool for farming battleships that push into her (albeit limited) gun range. American captains can expect the same limited range and long shell flight times that are the characteristics of other ships of the nation.

Gearing has a choice of torpedoes. Captains who are comfortable using Fletcher's Mark 16 mod. 1 torpedoes can continue to do so, while the Mark 17's are the among the longest-legged fish in the game, clocking in at a 16.5 km range. Captains are unlikely to land many hits at that distance, but it gives Gearing the ability to threaten enemy ships from well beyond the range of her main battery. The Mark 17's are equally as difficult for opposing ships to spot as the Mark 16's, despite doing slightly less damage and sporting a longer reload. Gearing's access to Upgrade Slot 6 gives her the same choice Fletcher has between a couple of Main Battery Builds or a Torpedo Build when customizing her upgrades and commander skills.

Like Fletcher, Gearing can equip the Defensive AA Fire  consumable, which helps shore up the traditional destroyer weakness to enemy air strikes. Unfortunately, DAAF shares this slot with Engine Boost . Her anti-aircraft suite is otherwise unremarkable. Veteran American destroyer captains will also notice that Gearing handles differently from Benson or Fletcher; she's slightly slower to respond to rudder commands and has a noticeably larger turning radius. This makes her more challenging to handle in tight quarters or when dodging torpedoes. Captains should allow for some adjustment time in learning how Gearing handles before intentionally putting her into situations where precision handling is expected.

One notable curiosity about her armor scheme: Gearing sports an area of 21mm armor around her midsection, up from the 19 mm typical of destroyers of her tier. This is sufficient to shatter enemy high-explosive shells lower than 126mm in caliber, affording Gearing some protection from 120mm HE. However, this plating also increases the probability of small-caliber armor-piercing ammunition arming within the ship as opposed to clean over-penetrations.

Despite having below average top speed for her tier, Gearing can adapt to changing battlefield situations in ways capable of making captains of other destroyers jealous.

Pros:

Gearing's midsection belt is 21mm thick, enough to shatter HE shells of 120mm and lower calibers
Excellent main battery rate of fire and traverse speed
Excellent torpedo range with the Mark 17 torpedoes (16.5km)
Fairly good AA defenses for a destroyer
Like preceding USN destroyers, Gearing has access to the Defensive AA Fire  consumable
Decent concealment
Combined with all relevant upgrades, the ship's unique upgrade makes Gearing one of the stealthiest Tier 10 destroyers

Cons:

The thicker midsection makes Gearing more vulnerable to AP full penetrations
Shortest main battery range among Tier 10 destroyers (even shorter than Fletcher!
Poor shell velocity, very high shell arcs and low HE fire chance
The Mark 17 torpedoes have a longer reload, lower damage, and lower flooding chance than the stock torpedoes
Must give up Engine Boost  to equip Defensive AA Fire 
Gearing is fairly sluggish compared to other USN destroyers

Research

Torpedoes: The Mk17 torpedoes reload much slower and don't hit quite as hard, but travel significantly farther and are just as hard to detect as the Mk16 mod 1's.

Optimal Configuration

Similar to Benson and Fletcher, Gearing can be tailored to maximize either her torpedo armament or main battery guns. Most players will opt to maximize the damage output of her main battery given that this is already her strongest armament.

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades for Gearing are:

Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
Slot 2: Engine Room Protection *
Slot 3: Aiming Systems Modification 1 *
Slot 4: Propulsion Modification 1
Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1  *
Slot 6: See below.

Slot 3 offers either Aiming Systems Modification 1 or Torpedo Tubes Modification 1 , none of them are bad choices. Torpedo Tubes Modification 1 in this slot will help counteract some of the negative effects of equipping Torpedo Tubes Modification 2 in Slot 6.

Slot 5 offers the default option of Concealment System Modification 1, while players who sink the time into obtaining Gearing’s unique upgrade, Improved Hull Concealment (), may opt to install it as well. It offers greater concealment bonuses than Concealment System Modification 1 , but also decreases the reload speed of main guns, shifting the ship more towards the usage of stealth and torpedoes. It does not exclude the relevant choice in Slot 6 though, so the negative effects can be offset by the upgrade chosen for that slot.

The upgrade chosen for Slot 6 will largely determine how Gearing plays.

Main Battery (Maximum Rate of Fire) Build: One popular build for Gearing captains is to stack buffs to her main battery rate of fire. From an upgrade perspective, this means plugging Main Battery Modification 3 into the final upgrade slot; when paired with Level 3 commander skill Basic Firing Training, it drops her reload speed to a mind-numbing 2.4 seconds.

Torpedo Build: A less popular — but no less potent — Gearing build is to buff her torpedo reload time by stacking Torpedo Tubes Modification 2 in Slot 6 with the Level 3 commander skill Torpedo Armament Expertise. Combined, these upgrades significantly improve Gearing’s torpedo reload time.

Commander Skills

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 -10% cooldown time of: Main Battery Reload Booster , Torpedo Reload Booster , Spotting Aircraft , Catapult Fighter , & Defensive AA Fire . ★	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.
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. ★★
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful ★★ - Frequently Useful ★ - Occasionally Useful No stars - Not Useful

Consumables

Gearing can equip the following consumables:

Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
Slot 2: Smoke Generator 
Slot 3: Engine Boost  or Defensive AA Fire

Defensive AA Fire  is not recommended over Engine Boost  due to the ship's mediocre AA.

Signals

Captains who have opted for a Torpedo Build Gearing will want to equip a Juliet Whiskey Unaone () signal in order to maximize potential damage from torpedo hits. Throwing on a Sierra Mike () is an excellent way to help make up for her slow top speed. November Foxtrot () and Juliet Charlie () are also highly recommended, if available. Main Battery Build Gearing captains should also consider Victor Lima () and India X-Ray () signals to increase the fire chance of her main battery shells.

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

A 2015 screenshot featuring two Gearing class destroyers prior to the 2022 visual revamp.

References

External Links

Ship Change Log

See here for links to Update notes.

Added to the game in Update 0.1.5 (Alpha) as a Tier IX destroyer.
Moved to Tier X in Update 0.2.2.5.
Update 0.5.0:
- Defensive Fire consumable added.
Update 0.5.2:
- XP earnings increased by 4%.
- Credit earnings increased by 3%.
Update 0.5.7:
- The armored model of the hull was refined.
Update 0.6.4:
- The appearance was improved.
Update 0.6.12:
- Detectability when firing main guns in smoke changed to 2.83 km.
Update 0.6.13:
- The efficiency of the Defensive Fire consumable was increased. Now it increases the power of the aura by four times (instead of three).
- Fire extinguishing time now 30 s instead of 60 s.
- The survivability of air defense weapons was tested and brought to a single standard. The change affects 40mm guns.
Update 0.7.3:
- Added a special space camouflage. Until the release of Update 0.7.4, camouflage can be purchased in the game client for 8,000 doubloons.
Update 0.7.6:
- Stock Mk16 mod.1 torpedo tubes were added (similar to those of the destroyer Fletcher) with the following characteristics:
  - Maximum damage: 19033.
  - Range: 10.5 km.
  - Speed: 66 knots.
  - Reload time: 106 s.
  - Detectability from ships: 1.4 km.
Update 0.7.7:
- For 127mm AP / SC Mk38 armor-piercing shells, the detonation time of the fuse was decreased from 0.03 to 0.01 s.
Update 0.8.6:
- Reload time of researchable torpedo tubes decreased from 136 to 122 s.
Update 0.9.1:
- Reload time of stock torpedo tubes decreased from 106 to 103 s.
- Reload time of researchable torpedo tubes decreased from 122 to 118 s.
Update 0.9.2:
- Reload time of researchable torpedo tubes decreased from 118 to 116 s.
- Fixed the position of the destroyer in the "Designer's Table" port.
Update 0.9.5:
- Small changes to geometry and textures.
Update 0.9.6:
- The bonus to the permanent damage of AA defenses by the Defensive AA Fire consumable was increased from +50% to +75%.
Update 0.9.7:
- The bonus to the permanent damage of AA defenses by the Defensive AA Fire consumable was increased from +75% to +100%.
Update 0.10.5:
- Fixed geometry and textures of the ship.
Update 0.11.5
- Ship's 3D model changed, resulting in:
  - 0.5 m increase in draught.
  - 1.2 m decrease in hull height.
  - 0.7 m decrease in waterline length.
  - 0.6 m decrease in total length.
  - 1.23 m decrease in waterline hull width.
  - 1.95 m decrease in maximum hull width.
- Aiming sector of the third main battery turret decreased by 1 degree on each side.
- Aiming sector of the first torpedo launcher decreased by 7 degrees on each side.
- Aiming sector of the second torpedo launcher increased by 9 degrees on each side.
- The second torpedo launcher can now rotate 360 degrees.
- The amount of HP in the bow increased from 2,100 to 2,200.
- The amount of HP in the stern reduced from 2,000 to 1,900.
- Armor thickness of the ship's central part below the waterline increased from 19 to 21 mm.
- The conning tower is now included in the superstructure plating, and has the same armor thickness of 13 mm.
Update 0.11.6:
- Minor improvements to the models and textures of the ship.
Update 0.11.7:
- Fixed the geometry and textures of the ship.
- Fixed the textures for the permanent camouflage “Gold Bug”

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 • 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 • ★ Maine
Aircraft Carriers	IV Langley • VI Ranger • VIII Lexington • VIII Enterprise • VIII Saipan • VIII Hornet • VIII Saipan B • X Midway • X Franklin D. Roosevelt • X Essex • ★ United States

Destroyers

Japan	II Tachibana • II Umikaze • II Tachibana Lima • III Wakatake • IV Isokaze • V Minekaze • V Fūjin • V Kamikaze • V Kamikaze R • V Mutsuki • VI Fubuki • VI Hatsuharu • VI Shinonome B • VI Shinonome • VII Akatsuki • VII Shiratsuyu • VII Yūdachi • VIII Akizuki • VIII Kagerō • VIII Asashio • VIII HSF Harekaze II • VIII Asashio B • VIII HSF Harekaze • VIII AL Yukikaze • IX Yūgumo • IX Kitakaze • IX STAR Kitakaze • X Shimakaze • X Harugumo • X Hayate • ★ Yamagiri
U.S.A.	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 • X Gearing • X Somers • X Forrest Sherman • ★ Joshua Humphreys
U.K.	II Medea • III Valkyrie • III Campbeltown • IV Wakeful • V Acasta • VI Icarus • VI Gallant • VII Jervis • VIII Lightning • VIII Cossack • VIII Cossack B • IX Jutland • IX Somme • X Daring • X Druid
France	II Enseigne Gabolde • III Fusilier • IV Bourrasque • V Jaguar • V Siroco • VI Guépard • VI Aigle • VII Vauquelin • VIII Le Fantasque • VIII Le Terrible • IX Mogador • X Kléber • X Marceau • X Kléber CLR
U.S.S.R.	II Storozhevoi • III Derzki • IV Izyaslav • V Gremyashchy • V Podvoisky • V Okhotnik • VI Gnevny • VII Minsk • VII Leningrad • VII Tashkent '39 • VIII Ognevoi • VIII Kiev • IX Udaloi • IX Tashkent • IX Neustrashimy • X Khabarovsk • X Grozovoi • X Delny • ★ Zorkiy
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 • 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
Pan-Asia	II Longjiang • III Phra Ruang • IV Shenyang • V Jianwei • VI Fushun • VI Anshan • VII Gadjah Mada • VIII Hsienyang • VIII Siliwangi • VIII Loyang • VIII Fenyang • VIII Loyang B • VIII Ship Smasha • IX Chung Mu • X Yueyang • X Lüshun • ★ Kunming
Europe	II Tátra • III Romulus • IV Klas Horn • V Visby • V Muavenet • VI Västerås • VI Stord • VII Skåne • VII Grom • VII Błyskawica • VIII Öland • VIII Split • VIII Orkan • IX Östergötland • IX Lambros Katsonis • IX Velos • IX Friesland • IX Jäger • X Halland • X Gdańsk • X Småland • X Ragnar • ★ Dalarna
Italy	II Curtatone • III Nazario Sauro • IV Turbine • V Maestrale • VI Aviere • VI Leone • VII Luca Tarigo • VII FR25 • VIII Vittorio Cuniberti • IX Adriatico • IX Paolo Emilio • X Attilio Regolo
Netherlands	IX Groningen • X Tromp
Commonwealth	III Vampire • VII Haida • VII Huron • X Vampire II
Spain	X Álvaro de Bazán
Pan-America	VI Juruá

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