Großer Kurfürst

Revision as of 14:14, 2 April 2021

13.3

Battleship | Germany | Tier X

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Special

Grosser Kurfürst — German special premium Tier X battleship.

One of the last stages of a battleship design for the German Navy. The ship was fitted with triple main turrets designed at the outbreak of World War II. The project was developed based on combat experience and featured powerful torpedo protection, enhanced horizontal armor and more advanced AA guns.

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 ()
406 mm/52 Drh C/34 on a Drh LC/34 mount	2.1	40	266	4,800	38	12,700		0	2,000,000
420 mm/48 SK C/40 on a Drh LC/34 mount	1.9	40	266	5,000	41	13,500		35,000	2,500,000

	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 ()
Großer Kurfürst	105,800	19	400	4	10/4	10/8/10				0	3,500,000

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
FKS Typ 10 Mod. 1		0		0	2,000,000

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 167,600 hp	30		0	1,500,000

Compatible Upgrades

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

Player Opinion

Performance

Sharing the name with one of König’s sister ships, Grosser Kurfürst (translation: "Great Elector", from the title of Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg) sits atop the German battleship line at Tier X. She lived up to her name when released, breaking the then long-standing stalemate of Yamato and Montana by simply entering into the fray.

Subtlety is not Grosser Kurfürst’s forte because she is detected from 18.1km. However, due to her size she possesses an effective array of secondaries along with two pairs of guns — the same caliber as her predecessor Friedrich der Große — but with triple mounts with the same AB-XY configuration. Even Montana, which shares the same triple mount turret style and layout, will respect her for her heavy broadside, while the responsive turret traverse — among the quickest turret traverse speeds of Tier X battleships — can be made even faster with upgrades. Even more, she can surpass the American battleship through barrel diameter, with her last gun upgrade being 420mm barrels still mounted in four triple turrets while still retaining the excellent traverse speed.

Grosser Kurfürst's bustling secondary batteries are one of the most powerful in the game. The large number of secondaries can easily blow destroyers out of the water. With upgrades and commander skills, Grosser Kurfürst’s secondaries can have a maximum range of a whopping 12.5km, and with the Improved Secondary Battery Aiming commander skill, a dispersion that can rack up secondary hit ribbons within seconds. As soon as enemy ships get into the range of Kurfürst’s secondaries, they will need an umbrella because of the rain of shells that can pump out thousands of damage within seconds. This results in enemy battleships with better performance at long range such as Conqueror and Yamato being more effective against Kurfürst than ships with poorer main battery dispersion such as Kremlin.

Her AA is fairly typical of other German battleships, with an adequate long range punch that sadly does not follow through as planes come closer to the ship itself. Planes that make it past the long range armament will have no trouble hitting her due to her large size and abysmal turning circle. Her armor is also typical of German battleship design, with a turtle-back armor scheme that will make citadeling her at close range near impossible. Her deck armor is also quite substantial at 50mm along the center meaning that long range plunging fire from low caliber guns will have difficulty penetrating her. With her large hit point pool — the second largest in the game — she will be able to weather a large amount of armor piercing rounds and keep on fighting. As per standard for German battleships starting from Bismarck, Grosser Kurfürst is equipped with the Hydroacoustic Search  consumable to help detect incoming threats such as torpedoes and destroyers attempting to get close or vessels hiding in smoke screens.

However, despite her impressive offensive and defensive assets, much of it is a double edged sword, helping and harming depending on the situation. Both of her guns are rather inaccurate at long range, becoming deadly only once they pass the mid range for battleships of ~12km. Her 406mm guns have a better reload rate than those found on Montana, but lack Montana’s super-heavy AP shells which hampers her penetration at range while also reducing her damage per shell. Her 420mm guns are not large enough to overmatch the 32mm bow armor most battleships or cruisers have at Tier X , and while she can match Montana damage per shell with the 420s, they have a longer reload time than the 406s (32 seconds versus 29 seconds, respectively). Additionally, her armor is not unbreakable as it may seem. At long ranges her deck armor is still not sufficient to stop plunging fire from other battleships from penetrating, meaning her citadel is relatively easy to penetrate at a considerable distance. Also the armor belt is actually among the thinnest at Tier X, topping out at 380mm. While she will almost never take citadel damage, her massive size and armor belt mean she will take higher-than-average normal regular penetration damage, making Adrenaline Rush almost compulsory for commanders. This is especially evident when considering Grosser Kurfürst's biggest flaw: her poor firing angles. Because of the amount of broadside Grosser Kurfürst has to show, she takes 10-30k salvos far more often than her contemporaries; the side benefit to this is that regular penetration damage heals back more than citadel damage when using Repair Party . At close range, the trade off is well worth it when Grosser Kurfürst takes a 10k-30k salvo while other battleships are destroyed in a single salvo right into their citadels.

Finally, her size also betrays her as she is remarkably easy to hit and has one of the largest turn radius out of all Tier X battleships at over a kilometer. While her rudder shift time is fairly quick, she is so long that she takes a while to actually begin responding to turns. Even with Hydroacoustic Search  active, captains should expect to sustain heavy damage when torpedoes are inevitably being sent at her if she is not already responding because of the aforementioned issues combined with her bad torpedo protection of 28%. Fire and flooding are also a concern, since they deal damage based on a percentage of maximum hit points, causing her massive health pool to work against her when volleys of enemy high explosive shells start fires and torpedoes cause flooding.

Grosser Kurfürst captains should expect to sustain heavy damage from all sources as she is large and easily visible from range, but she will give back better than she gets if allowed to close the range. Play to her strengths: she is not a sniping battleship, and belongs up close and personal where her peers have difficulty countering her armor scheme, large secondary battery, and rapid traverse of her guns.

Pros:

One of the heaviest AP broadsides in Tier 10, equal to American counterpart Montana
Good shell velocity
Good main battery traverse speed
The citadel sits below the waterline and is protected by a turtleback, making citadel penetrations from surface ships almost impossible
Heavy secondary armament with a very good base range
Very heavily armored, with thick deck armor and well protected bow
Second highest hitpoint pool in the game
Has access to the Hydroacoustic Search  consumable

Cons:

The largest ship in the game, very difficult to sail unspotted, evade shots or disengage
Lowest base main battery range of all Tier 10 battleships, even worse with her Unique Upgrade equipped
Massive turn radius and slow rudder shift time
Rather inadequate main turret armor for a brawling battleship
HE shells are inadequate for a tier 10 battleship.
Poor torpedo protection
Enormous superstructure, can be easily damaged and set on fire
Very poor firing angles
The AA suite is fairly weak at mid- and close range

Research

Unlike most Tier 10 ships, Grosser Kurfürst does not come elite. Upgraded main battery guns can be researched, which increase the gun caliber to 420mm and improve HE and AP damage, at the cost of reload speed. It is recommended to stay with the stock guns as they have better reload speed. Generally, as the biggest ship in the game, Kurfurst is already unable to react to quickly-changing conditions during battle well. The 406's are able to faster respond to threats, and also are useful for destroying enemy ships with that last shot before they are able to fire and kill off the Kurfurst.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades for Grosser Kurfürst are as follows:

Slot 1: Auxiliary Armaments Modification 1
Slot 2: Damage Control System Modification 1  *
Slot 3: Secondary Battery Modification 1
Slot 4: Damage Control System Modification 2
Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1 
Slot 6: Auxiliary Armaments Modification 2

In Upgrade Slot 2, the Special Upgrade Hydroacoustic Search Modification 1 is the preferred option for Grosser Kurfürst as it extends her Hydroacoustic Search  action time by 24 seconds. Damage Control System Modification 1  can be used to reduce the risk of fire.

Auxiliary Armaments Modification 2 considerably improves the effectiveness of both secondaries and AA. This is an upgrade choice worth serious consideration and should be taken for captains wishing to spec GK for secondaries. The unique upgrade Improved Ammunition Hoists () gives a large -15% boost to both main and secondary armament reload time, at the cost of -8% main battery maximum firing range. The range penalty from 20.61km to 18.96km is especially difficult. Use the Spotting Aircraft  consumable to counteract the negatives.

Commander Skills

Grosser Kurfürst is often configured either for secondary power, or in a survival build. Secondary Build: Pyrotechnician, Grease the Gears, Long-Range Secondary Battery Shells, and Improved Secondary Battery Aiming are recommended for the first 10 points. The next 11 points can be spent on Close Quarters Combat, Adrenaline Rush, and Basics of Survivability. This build enables captains to get maximum performance out of the secondary battery. Note that IFHE is not required for the secondary battery due to the 1/4 HE penetration on German ships.

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

Grosser Kurfürst can equip the following consumables:

Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
Slot 2: Repair Party 
Slot 3: Spotting Aircraft  or Catapult Fighter 
Slot 4: Hydroacoustic Search

Spotting Aircraft  is recommended to alleviate the subpar main battery range. Comparatively, Catapult Fighter  will have limited effectiveness.

Camouflage

Type 1, 2, or 5 camouflage can be equipped for credits; Types 2 or 5 are recommended at a minimum to reduce the accuracy of incoming shells.

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

Signals

As a Tier X battleship, it is recommended to mount the following signals on Grosser Kurfürst: India Delta (), India Yankee (), Mike Yankee Soxisix () if a secondary build is used, and November Foxtrot (). November Echo Setteseven () should be used to defend against air attacks, and Sierra Mike () for higher speed can also be useful. The various economic flags can also be useful.

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

Großer Kurfürst, after emptying her main barrels, supported by a fellow Großer Kurfürst and Prinz Eugen.
Großer Kurfürst and a friendly Baltimore provide long-range artillery support, while moving closer to the front lines.
Großer Kurfürst spearheads the push, the friendly Baltimore in tow, her starboard secondaries already ripping into an enemy ship.
As the vanguard of the team, Großer Kurfürst sustains heavy fire from several enemy ships, but her sheer armour and massive health pool keeps the momentum going.
Despite taking massive amounts of damage, Großer Kurfürst proves her tenacity, keeping the line of battle even in the midst of shrugging off a full torpedo salvo.

Historical Info

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

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 |Performance=<!-- write text about performance in battles below -->
-Sharing the name with one of ''[[König]]''’s sister ships, ''{{#var:ship_name}}'' (translation: "Great Elector", from the title of Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg) sits atop the German battleship line at Tier X.   She lived up to her name when released, breaking the then long-standing stalemate of ''[[Yamato]]'' and ''[[Montana]]'' by simply entering into the fray.  Subtlety is not ''{{#var:ship_name}}''’s forte because she is detected from 18.1km.
+Sharing the name with one of ''[[König]]''’s sister ships, ''{{#var:ship_name}}'' (translation: "Great Elector", from the title of Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg) sits atop the German battleship line at Tier X.   She lived up to her name when released, breaking the then long-standing stalemate of ''[[Yamato]]'' and ''[[Montana]]'' by simply entering into the fray.
-Due to her size she possesses an effective array of secondaries along with two pairs of guns — the same caliber as her predecessor ''[[Friedrich der Große]]'' — but with triple mounts with the same AB-XY configuration. Even ''Montana'', which shares the same triple mount turret style and layout, will respect her for her heavy broadside, while the responsive turret traverse — among the quickest turret traverse speeds of Tier X battleships — can be made even faster with upgrades. Even more, she can surpass the American battleship through barrel diameter, with her last gun upgrade being 420mm barrels still mounted in four triple turrets while still retaining the excellent traverse speed. In addition, her bustling secondary batteries ensure that any enemy getting close enough for the guns to unload will be constantly whittled down, dealing heavy damage over time or outright destroying low health ships that get too close.
+Subtlety is not ''{{#var:ship_name}}''’s forte because she is detected from 18.1km. However, due to her size she possesses an effective array of secondaries along with two pairs of guns — the same caliber as her predecessor ''[[Friedrich der Große]]'' — but with triple mounts with the same AB-XY configuration. Even ''Montana'', which shares the same triple mount turret style and layout, will respect her for her heavy broadside, while the responsive turret traverse — among the quickest turret traverse speeds of Tier X battleships — can be made even faster with upgrades. Even more, she can surpass the American battleship through barrel diameter, with her last gun upgrade being 420mm barrels still mounted in four triple turrets while still retaining the excellent traverse speed.
-Her AA is fairly typical of other German battleships, with an adequate long range punch that sadly does not follow through as planes come closer to the ship itself.  Planes that make it past the long range armament will have no trouble hitting her due to her large size and abysmal turning circle.  Her armor is also typical of German battleship design, with a turtle-back armor scheme that will make citadeling her at close range near impossible.  Her deck armor is also quite substantial at 50mm along the center meaning that long range plunging fire from low caliber guns will have difficulty penetrating her. With her large hit point pool — the largest in the game — she will be able to weather a large amount of armor piercing rounds and keep on fighting. As per standard for German battleships starting from ''[[Bismarck]]'', ''{{#var:ship_name}}'' is equipped with the {{Hydroacoustic Search}} consumable to help detect incoming threats such as torpedoes and destroyers attempting to get close or vessels hiding in smoke screens.
+''{{#var:ship_name}}'''s bustling secondary batteries are one of the most powerful in the game. The large number of secondaries can easily blow destroyers out of the water. With upgrades and commander skills, ''{{#var:ship_name}}''’s secondaries can have a maximum range of a whopping 12.5km, and with the Improved Secondary Battery Aiming commander skill, a dispersion that can rack up secondary hit ribbons within seconds. As soon as enemy ships get into the range of ''Kurfürst''’s secondaries, they will need an umbrella because of the rain of shells that can pump out thousands of damage within seconds. This results in enemy battleships with better performance at long range such as ''[[Conqueror]]'' and ''[[Yamato]]'' being more effective against ''Kurfürst'' than ships with poorer main battery dispersion such as ''[[Kremlin]]''.
-However, despite her impressive offensive and defensive assets, much of it is a double edged sword, helping and harming depending on the situation. Both of her guns are rather inaccurate at long range, becoming deadly only once they pass the mid range for battleships of ~11km. Her 406mm guns have a better reload rate than those found on ''Montana'', but lack ''Montana''’s super-heavy AP shells which hampers her penetration at range while also reducing her damage per shell.  Her 420mm guns are not large enough to overmatch the 32mm bow armor most battleships have at Tier X , and while she can match ''Montana'' damage per shell with the 420s, they have a longer reload time than the 406s (32 seconds versus 29 seconds, respectively).  Additionally, her armor is not unbreakable as it may seem. At long ranges her deck armor is still not sufficient to stop plunging fire from other battleships from penetrating, meaning her citadel is relatively easy to penetrate at a considerable distance. Also the armor belt is actually among the thinnest at Tier X, topping out at 380mm.  While she will almost never take citadel damage, her massive size and armor belt mean she will take higher-than-average normal regular penetration damage. This is especially evident when considering ''{{#var:ship_name}}'''s biggest flaw: her poor firing angles. Because of the amount of broadside ''{{#var:ship_name}}'' has to show, she takes 10-30k salvos fa more often than her contemporaries; the side benefit to this is that regular penetration damage heals back more than citadel damage when using {{Repair Party}}.  At close range, the trade off is well worth it when ''{{#var:ship_name}}'' takes a 10k-30k salvo while other battleships are destroyed in a single salvo right into their citadels.
+Her AA is fairly typical of other German battleships, with an adequate long range punch that sadly does not follow through as planes come closer to the ship itself.  Planes that make it past the long range armament will have no trouble hitting her due to her large size and abysmal turning circle.  Her armor is also typical of German battleship design, with a turtle-back armor scheme that will make citadeling her at close range near impossible.  Her deck armor is also quite substantial at 50mm along the center meaning that long range plunging fire from low caliber guns will have difficulty penetrating her. With her large hit point pool — the second largest in the game — she will be able to weather a large amount of armor piercing rounds and keep on fighting. As per standard for German battleships starting from ''[[Bismarck]]'', ''{{#var:ship_name}}'' is equipped with the {{Hydroacoustic Search}} consumable to help detect incoming threats such as torpedoes and destroyers attempting to get close or vessels hiding in smoke screens.
-Finally, her size also betrays her as she is remarkably easy to hit and has one of the largest turn radii out of all Tier X battleships at over a kilometer.  While her rudder shift time is fairly quick, she is so long that she takes a while to actually begin responding to turns. Even with {{Hydroacoustic Search}} active, captains should expect to sustain heavy damage when torpedoes are inevitably being sent at her if she is not already responding because of the aforementioned issues combined with her bad torpedo protection of 28%.  [[Ship:Fire|Fire]] and [[Ship:Flooding|flooding]] are also a concern, since they deal damage based on a percentage of maximum hit points, causing her massive health pool to work against her when volleys of enemy high explosive shells start fires and torpedoes cause flooding.
+However, despite her impressive offensive and defensive assets, much of it is a double edged sword, helping and harming depending on the situation. Both of her guns are rather inaccurate at long range, becoming deadly only once they pass the mid range for battleships of ~12km. Her 406mm guns have a better reload rate than those found on ''Montana'', but lack ''Montana''’s super-heavy AP shells which hampers her penetration at range while also reducing her damage per shell.  Her 420mm guns are not large enough to overmatch the 32mm bow armor most battleships or cruisers have at Tier X , and while she can match ''Montana'' damage per shell with the 420s, they have a longer reload time than the 406s (32 seconds versus 29 seconds, respectively).  Additionally, her armor is not unbreakable as it may seem. At long ranges her deck armor is still not sufficient to stop plunging fire from other battleships from penetrating, meaning her citadel is relatively easy to penetrate at a considerable distance. Also the armor belt is actually among the thinnest at Tier X, topping out at 380mm.  While she will almost never take citadel damage, her massive size and armor belt mean she will take higher-than-average normal regular penetration damage, making Adrenaline Rush almost compulsory for commanders. This is especially evident when considering ''{{#var:ship_name}}'''s biggest flaw: her poor firing angles. Because of the amount of broadside ''{{#var:ship_name}}'' has to show, she takes 10-30k salvos far more often than her contemporaries; the side benefit to this is that regular penetration damage heals back more than citadel damage when using {{Repair Party}}.  At close range, the trade off is well worth it when ''{{#var:ship_name}}'' takes a 10k-30k salvo while other battleships are destroyed in a single salvo right into their citadels.
+Finally, her size also betrays her as she is remarkably easy to hit and has one of the largest turn radius out of all Tier X battleships at over a kilometer.  While her rudder shift time is fairly quick, she is so long that she takes a while to actually begin responding to turns. Even with {{Hydroacoustic Search}} active, captains should expect to sustain heavy damage when torpedoes are inevitably being sent at her if she is not already responding because of the aforementioned issues combined with her bad torpedo protection of 28%.  [[Ship:Fire|Fire]] and [[Ship:Flooding|flooding]] are also a concern, since they deal damage based on a percentage of maximum hit points, causing her massive health pool to work against her when volleys of enemy high explosive shells start fires and torpedoes cause flooding.
 ''{{#var:ship_name}}'' captains should expect to sustain heavy damage from all sources as she is large and easily visible from range, but she will give back better than she gets if allowed to close the range.  Play to her strengths: she is not a sniping battleship, and belongs up close and personal where her peers have difficulty countering her armor scheme, large secondary battery, and rapid traverse of her guns.
 |Pros=<!-- write list of positive points below. use * as in ordinary wiki-list. -->
-* One of the heaviest battleship broadsides in Tier 10, better than American counterpart ''[[Montana]]''
+* One of the heaviest AP broadsides in Tier 10, equal to American counterpart ''[[Montana]]''
-* Can achieve the highest AP DPM of all Tier 10 battleships with the right upgrades and captain skills
+* Good shell velocity
-* Comfortable shell velocity
+* Good main battery traverse speed
-* Good turret traverse speed
-* Large secondary armament with a very good 7.5km base range
-* Very heavily armored, with thick deck armor and well protected bow
-* Second highest hitpoint pool in the game, behind ''[[Kremlin]]''
-* Has access to the long range and long lasting {{Hydroacoustic Search}} found on top tier German ships
 * The citadel sits below the waterline and is protected by a turtleback, making citadel penetrations from surface ships almost impossible
+* Heavy secondary armament with a very good base range
+* Very heavily armored, with thick deck armor and well protected bow
+* Second highest hitpoint pool in the game
+* Has access to the {{Hydroacoustic Search}} consumable
 |Cons=<!-- write list of negative points below. use * as in ordinary wiki-list. -->
-* The largest ship in the game, very difficult to sail unspotted or disengage
+* The largest ship in the game, very difficult to sail unspotted, evade shots or disengage
-* The AA suite is somewhat lacking, being rather weak at mid- and close range
+* Lowest base main battery range of all Tier 10 battleships, even worse with her Unique Upgrade equipped
-* Lowest base main battery range of all Tier 10 battleships
 * Massive turn radius and slow rudder shift time
-* Enormous superstructure is easily damaged and set on fire
 * Rather inadequate main turret armor for a brawling battleship
+* HE shells are inadequate for a tier 10 battleship.
 * Poor torpedo protection
+* Enormous superstructure, can be easily damaged and set on fire
 * Very poor firing angles
-* Extremely vulnerable to fires and normal penetration damage
+* The AA suite is fairly weak at mid- and close range
 |Research=<!-- write text about priority sequence of research below -->
-Unlike most Tier 10 ships, ''{{#var:ship_name}}'' does not come elite. Upgraded main battery guns can be researched, which increase the gun caliber to 420mm and improve HE and AP damage, at the cost of reload speed. It is recommended to research and install these guns as they also provide better AP penetration and slightly faster shell flight time.
+Unlike most Tier 10 ships, ''{{#var:ship_name}}'' does not come elite. Upgraded main battery guns can be researched, which increase the gun caliber to 420mm and improve HE and AP damage, at the cost of reload speed. It is recommended to stay with the stock guns as they have better reload speed. Generally, as the biggest ship in the game, ''Kurfurst'' is already unable to react to quickly-changing conditions during battle well. The 406's are able to faster respond to threats, and also are useful for destroying enemy ships with that last shot before they are able to fire and kill off the ''Kurfurst''.
 |OptimalConfiguration=<!-- write some general text about selection of optimal configuration below (optional)-->
@@ Line 48: / Line 48: @@
 |Upgrades=<!-- write text about best upgrades below -->
 The recommended upgrades for ''{{#var:ship_name}}'' are as follows:
-* '''Slot 1:''' {{Main Armaments Modification 1}}
+* '''Slot 1:''' {{Auxiliary Armaments Modification 1}}
 * '''Slot 2:''' {{Damage Control System Modification 1}} <nowiki>*</nowiki>
-* '''Slot 3:''' {{Aiming Systems Modification 1}} <nowiki>*</nowiki>
+* '''Slot 3:''' {{Secondary Battery Modification 1}}
 * '''Slot 4:''' {{Damage Control System Modification 2}}
 * '''Slot 5:''' {{Concealment System Modification 1}}
-* '''Slot 6:''' {{Main Battery Modification 3}} <nowiki>*</nowiki>
+* '''Slot 6:''' {{Auxiliary Armaments Modification 2}}
-In '''Upgrade Slot 2''', the Special Upgrade {{Hydroacoustic Search Modification 1}} is the preferred option for ''{{#var:ship_name}}'' as it extends her {{Hydroacoustic Search}} action time by 24 seconds. {{Damage Control System Modification 1}} can be used to reduce the risk of fire.
-{{Aiming Systems Modification 1}} or {{Secondary Battery Modification 2}} are both good choices in '''Upgrade Slot 3''' , depending on whether captains build for secondaries or not.
-{{Main Battery Modification 3}} is the top choice for '''Upgrade Slot 6'''.  {{Auxiliary Armaments Modification 2}} improves the effectiveness of both secondaries and AA. The unique upgrade {{Enhanced Main Armaments}} gives a large -15% boost to both main and secondary armament reload time, at the cost of -7% main turrets traverse speed and -8% main battery maximum firing range.  The range penalty from 20.61km to 18.96km is especially difficult.  Use the Expert Marksman commander skill and the {{Spotting Aircraft}} consumable to counteract the negatives.
+In '''Upgrade Slot 2''', the Special Upgrade {{Hydroacoustic Search Modification 1}} is the preferred option for ''{{#var:ship_name}}'' as it extends her {{Hydroacoustic Search}} action time by 24 seconds. {{Damage Control System Modification 1}} can be used to reduce the risk of fire.
+{{Auxiliary Armaments Modification 2}} considerably improves the effectiveness of both secondaries and AA. This is an upgrade choice worth serious consideration and should be taken for captains wishing to spec GK for secondaries. The unique upgrade {{UU Grosse Kurfurst}} gives a large -15% boost to both main and secondary armament reload time, at the cost of -8% main battery maximum firing range.  The range penalty from 20.61km to 18.96km is especially difficult.  Use the {{Spotting Aircraft}} consumable to counteract the negatives.
 |CommanderSkills=<!-- write text about best set of Commander Skills below -->
 ''{{#var:ship_name}}'' is often configured either for secondary power, or in a survival build.
+'''Secondary Build:'''
+Pyrotechnician, Grease the Gears, Long-Range Secondary Battery Shells, and Improved Secondary Battery Aiming are recommended for the first 10 points. The next 11 points can be spent on Close Quarters Combat, Adrenaline Rush, and Basics of Survivability. This build enables captains to get maximum performance out of the secondary battery.
+Note that IFHE is not required for the secondary battery due to the 1/4 HE penetration on German ships.
-'''Secondary Battery Build:''' Captains who value their secondaries as an important source of damage should invest in Basic Firing Training, Adrenaline Rush, Manual Fire Control for Secondary Armament and Advanced Firing Training. This leaves 6 points, one of which must be a tier 1 skill. Since closing to secondaries range will result in you getting fired upon by every enemy ship, survivability should be focused, which leaves two options:
+{{Commander Skills 3 BB
-* A) Fire Prevention, Priority target and Preventative Maintenance for one less fire amidships and main battery reliablity (Preventative Maintenance DOES NOT improve secondaries),
+<!-- Ratings 1,2,3 are legit. Others are ignored.-->
-* B) Basics or Survivability a choice between High Alert / Jack Of All Trades and another choice between Priority Target and Preventative Maintenance.
+| rating11 =  <!-- Gun Feeder -->
+| rating12 = 1 <!-- Pyrotechnician -->
+| rating13 =  <!-- Consumables Specialist -->
+| rating14 = 2 <!-- Emergency Repair Specialist -->
+| rating15 =  <!-- Incoming Fire Alert -->
+| rating16 =  <!-- Preventive Maintenance -->
-Main difference between A and B is first focuses on getting less fires and the other on shortening duration of fires (as well as floods as a bonus). After 0.9.2 IFHE is less needed, as 128mm and 150mm guns can now penetrate 32mm and 38mm armor respectively, which is enough for most ships.
+| rating21 = 3 <!-- Grease the Gears -->
+| rating22 =  <!-- Inertial Fuse for HE Shells -->
+| rating23 =  <!-- Consumables Enhancements -->
+| rating24 = 3 <!-- Vigilance -->
+| rating25 = 1 <!-- Priority Target -->
+| rating26 = 1 <!-- AA Gunner -->
-{{Commander Skills 2
+| rating31 =  <!-- Super-Heavy AP Shells -->
-<!-- This version enables a '0' rating. Use it for skills that have no effect (e.g. Improved Engines on a non-CV) or are detrimental to the ship.  They should mirror what appears in the game client. -->
+| rating32 = 3 <!-- Long-Range Secondary Battery Shells -->
-| rating11 = 3 <!-- Priority Target -->
+| rating33 = 3 <!-- Adrenaline Rush -->
-| rating12 = 2 <!-- Preventive Maint -->
+| rating34 =  <!-- Basics of Survivability -->
-| rating13 = 1 <!-- Expert Loader -->
+| rating35 =  <!-- Enhanced Anti-Torpedo Protection -->
-| rating14 = 0 <!-- Air Supremacy -->
+| rating36 =  <!-- Expert AA Marksman -->
-| rating15 = 1 <!-- Direction Center for Fighters -->
-| rating16 = 0 <!-- Improved Engine Boost -->
-| rating17 =  <!-- Incoming Fire Alert -->
-| rating18 = 0 <!-- Last Gasp -->
-| rating21 = 1 <!-- High Alert -->
+| rating41 =  <!-- Dead Eye -->
-| rating22 = 2 <!-- Jack of All Trades -->
+| rating42 = 3 <!-- Improved Secondary Battery Aiming -->
-| rating23 = 3 <!-- Expert Marksman -->
+| rating43 = 3 <!-- Close Quarters Combat -->
-| rating24 = 0 <!-- Torpedo Acceleration -->
+| rating44 =  <!-- Emergency Repair Expert -->
-| rating25 = 0 <!-- Smoke Screen Expert -->
+| rating45 = 1 <!-- Concealment Expert -->
-| rating26 = 0 <!-- Improved Engines -->
+| rating46 = 3 <!-- Fire Prevention Expert -->
-| rating27 = 3 <!-- Adrenaline Rush -->
-| rating28 =  <!-- Last Stand -->
-| rating31 = 2 <!-- Basics of Survivability -->
-| rating32 =  <!-- Survivability Expert-->
-| rating33 = 0 <!-- Torpedo Armament Expertise-->
-| rating34 = 0 <!-- Aircraft Armor -->
-| rating35 = 2 <!-- Basic Firing Training -->
-| rating36 = 3 <!-- Superintendent -->
-| rating37 =  <!-- Demolition Expert -->
-| rating38 = 2 <!-- Vigilance -->
-| rating41 = 2 <!-- Manual Fire Control for Secondary Armament -->
-| rating42 = 3 <!-- Fire Prevention -->
-| rating43 =  <!-- Inertia Fuse for HE Shells -->
-| rating44 = 0 <!-- Sight Stabilization -->
-| rating45 = 2 <!-- Advanced Firing Training -->
-| rating46 =  <!-- Massive AA Fire -->
-| rating47 =  <!-- Radio Position Finding -->
-| rating48 = 3 <!-- Concealment Expert -->
 }}
@@ Line 115: / Line 102: @@
 * '''Slot 3:'''  {{Spotting Aircraft}} '''or''' {{Catapult Fighter}}
 * '''Slot 4:'''  {{Hydroacoustic Search}}
+{{Spotting Aircraft}} is recommended to alleviate the subpar main battery range. Comparatively, {{Catapult Fighter}} will have limited effectiveness.
 |Camouflage=<!-- write text about useful camouflage below -->
@@ Line 122: / Line 110: @@
 |Signals=<!-- write text about best set of signals below -->
-As a Tier X battleship, it is recommended to mount the following [[Ship:Flags#Signals|signals]] on ''{{#var:ship_name}}'': India Delta ({{India Delta|Size=18px}}), India Yankee ({{India Yankee|Size=18px}}), Mike Yankee Soxisix ({{Mike Yankee Soxisix|Size=18px}}) if a secondary build is used, and November Foxtrot ({{November Foxtrot|Size=18px}}).  November Echo Setteseven ({{November Echo Setteseven|Size=18px}}) can be used if the player has selected an anti-air build, and Sierra Mike ({{Sierra Mike|Size=18px}}) for higher speed can also be useful.  The various economic flags can also be useful.
+As a Tier X battleship, it is recommended to mount the following [[Ship:Flags#Signals|signals]] on ''{{#var:ship_name}}'': India Delta ({{India Delta|Size=18px}}), India Yankee ({{India Yankee|Size=18px}}), Mike Yankee Soxisix ({{Mike Yankee Soxisix|Size=18px}}) if a secondary build is used, and November Foxtrot ({{November Foxtrot|Size=18px}}).  November Echo Setteseven ({{November Echo Setteseven|Size=18px}}) should be used to defend against air attacks, and Sierra Mike ({{Sierra Mike|Size=18px}}) for higher speed can also be useful.  The various economic flags can also be useful.
 {{Signal Flags
@@ Line 176: / Line 164: @@
 The ships' main armor decks were substantially strengthened: the deck was increased in thickness from 120 mm (4.7 in) to 200 mm (7.9 in) and the sloped armor at the edges was thickened from 150 mm (5.9 in) to 175 mm (6.9 in). Wartime experience with the ''Scharnhorst'' class indicated that the torpedo-defense system was insufficiently strong to protect the H-39 design from underwater damage. Beam was therefore increased, with greater width added at the ends of the armored citadel to allow a greater distance between the side wall and the torpedo bulkhead. The stern section of the torpedo bulkhead was also strengthened structurally to allow it to better contain the force of an underwater explosion. A triple bottom was also included in the design, the first time a feature was used in a German warship design. The loss of ''Bismarck'' in May 1941 also influenced the design; two large skegs were added to the outboard shafts to protect them and increase support for the stern while in drydock. The rudder system was also designed with an explosive charge to detach the rudders in the event they became jammed.
-The finalized design was approved by Admiral Raeder on 15 November 1941. The new design measured 282 m (925 ft) long at the waterline, had a beam of 39 m (128 ft), and a draft of up to 12.2 m (40 ft) at full load. The increase in weight, while engine power remained constant, reduced speed to 28.8 kn (53.3 km/h; 33.1 mph). The OKM planned to begin construction six to nine months after demobilization, initially at Blohm & Voss and the Deutsche Werke shipyard in Kiel. Deschimag, which had been awarded the contract for "J", could no longer be used due to the increase in draft, which precluded travel through the shallow Weser. Following the completion of a new, larger dock at the Kriegsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven, work would also be done there. The increased size of the ships would have lengthened the building time from four to five years.
+The new design measured 275 m (902 ft 3 in) long at the waterline and 282 m (925 ft 2 in) long overall, had a beam of 39 m (127 ft 11 in), and a draft of up to 12.2 m (40 ft 0 in) at full load displacement of about 74,800 long tons (76,000 t). The increase in weight, while engine power remained constant, reduced speed to 28.8 kn (53.3 km/h; 33.1 mph). However, German naval constructors were not satisfied with the torpedo side-protection system, and a series of design changes were approved by Admiral Raeder on 15 November 1941; these included increasing the side-protection system depth from 5.5 m (18 ft 1 in) to 6.65 m (21 ft 10 in), increasing beam to 40.5 m (132 ft 10 in), and greater hull depth and freeboard at full load. These changes resulted in full load displacement increasing to 77,752 long tons (79,000 t) and maximum speed further decreasing to 28 kn (52 km/h; 32 mph).
+As detailed design continued into 1942, the OKM planned to begin construction six to nine months after demobilization, initially at Blohm & Voss and the Deutsche Werke shipyard in Kiel. Deschimag, which had been awarded the contract for "J", could no longer be used due to the increase in draft, which precluded travel through the shallow Weser. Following the completion of a new, larger dock at the Kriegsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven, work would also be done there. The increased size of the ships would have lengthened the building time from four to five years.
 ====Further Design Studies (H-42 to H-44)====
@@ Line 196: / Line 186: @@
 |Ref= <!-- write below -->
+# [https://worldofwarships.com/en/news/general-news/armada-grosser-kurfurst/ New Video: Armada - Großer Kurfürst - News - World of Warships]
+# [https://worldofwarships.com/en/news/general-news/dry-dock-grosser-kurfurst/ Dry Dock: Großer Kurfürst - News - World of Warships]
+# [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es76XR4y3IQ Armada 2.0 - Großer Kurfürst - World of Warships Official Channel - YouTube]
+# [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU-1KHe3I3Y Dry Dock: Großer Kurfürst - World of Warships Official Channel - YouTube]
 # https://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNGER_16-52_skc34.php
 # https://forum.worldofwarships.eu/topic/107061-gro%C3%9Fer-kurf%C3%BCrst-secondary-build/
 }}<!-- DO NOT DELETE THIS LINE. DO NOT INSERT ANYTHING BELOW THIS LINE -->

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