Illinois

13.3

Battleship | U.S.A. | Tier IX

Tech Tree Position

Battle Levels

12345678910

IX

Special

Illinois — American special premium Tier IX battleship.

In the 1940s, several projects to modernize and reconstruct battleships were developed—from hybrid aircraft carriers to artillery training battleships. One of them was the conversion of the last two Iowa-class battleships into escort ships for aircraft carriers. According to the project, turrets with rapid-firing 203 mm guns were to be mounted on the main battery barbettes; however, this plan never materialized.

Illinois was first released for sale on 22 March 2023, and is available in the Research Bureau for 51,000.

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	6.7	30	203	2,800	14	5,000		0	0

	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 ()
Illinois	68,100	16	439	3	10	24/16/10				0	0

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Mk9 mod. 1		0		0	0

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 212,000 hp	32.5		0	0

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.
Refer to the in-game Port screens for more useful data.

Illinois is an American Tier IX premium battleship armed with twelve rapid-fire cruiser-caliber guns in place of traditional battleship weaponry. The first of its kind in-game, Illinois offers consistent damage output on a much more durable hull compared to a cruiser, but at the expense of the individual salvo power of a normal battleship. Captains of both cruisers and battleships will find aspects of her play style that appeal to each of them.

Survivability & Maneuverability

As a proposed conversion of one of the unfinished Iowa-class battleships, Illinois unsurprisingly shares her hull with Tier IX tech tree American battleship Iowa. She shares Iowa’s base hull, which results in an HP pool of 68,100. She has 32 mm extremities, which can bounce all AP up to 460 mm when angled, and a 38 mm midsection. Unlike Iowa’s waterline citadel, Illinois’ sits below the waterline, making her resilient to citadel damage if caught broadside. Like most American battleships, Illinois features a large superstructure that can potentially arm AP salvos, but as long as she stays sufficiently angled, most AP shells will inflict minimal damage.

Incoming high explosive salvos pose the biggest threat to her, especially over an extended period of time. Although her 38 mm midsection can resist most cruiser-caliber HE shells, most of them will instead hit her large superstructure, and can deal considerable damage even when it is saturated. Torpedoes are also a major threat, as Illinois’ long hull and average agility mean that she will struggle to dodge incoming torpedoes unless they are spotted early by teammates. To combat these dangers, Illinois features the improved Repair Party unique to American battleships, healing back 0.66% HP per second instead of the standard 0.5%. Despite her large size, Illinois features a high top speed of 33 knots, allowing the player to quickly reposition between — or retreat from — engagements.

Armament

Illinois’ most unique feature by far is her main battery of twelve 203 mm guns. Although her turrets are similar to those carried by Des Moines or Annapolis, her guns are more akin to Buffalo’s. Featuring a base reload of 9 seconds, Illinois sacrifices individual salvo strike power for more consistent damage output, utilizing a healthy mix of both armor-piercing and high-explosive shells. Despite having cruiser-caliber guns, Illinois lacks cruiser dispersion, instead using battlecruiser dispersion. Her salvos will be more consistent than normal battleships, but not as accurate as most cruisers. However, Illinois has access to the Artillery Plotting Room Modification 2 upgrade that can improve this further.

Because she lacks the devastating AP strike potential of most battleships, Illinois must use both ammunition choices depending on the situation. Her fire-starting abilities can help whittle down enemy battleships before switching to AP at close range, which shares the same improved penetration angles as the American heavy cruisers. Compared to Iowa, Illinois also has slightly improved firing angles for her turrets due to their smaller size, and possesses a faster 30-second 180° traverse time. She features a decent anti-aircraft battery with higher mid-range DPS than Iowa, translating into an extra plane or two shot down.

Gameplay

For captains unfamiliar with American heavy cruisers or battleships, Illinois can pose a problem as to how to play her. Players unfamiliar with either line might attempt to play her like a normal battleship despite lacking the impulse damage and range of one. Illinois should ideally be played like a larger Des Moines, taking up positions around islands where she can effectively whittle down the enemy as they attempt to push her. If there is inadequate island cover on the map, an equally effective play style is to angle away from the enemy and pour fire onto them as they push. Her battleship hull makes her extremely resilient to AP fire in this position while being able to maximize her own damage output in return. In this position, however, captains should always be aware of their surroundings, as Illinois’ large hull and average concealment mean that she has a far harder time disengaging and slipping away from the enemy than a cruiser. Due to her below average HP pool, players should let heavier battleships take the lead in a friendly push, while utilizing her AP shells on enemy broadsides wherever possible.

If captains can master these techniques, Illinois becomes a very effective ship thanks to her damage per minute-focused armament, which offers a unique spin on normal battleship gameplay.

Pros:

High damage per minute
AP shells have improved penetration angles
Improved dispersion versus other battleships
Good top speed
Good concealment
Improved Repair Party

Cons:

Very low HP for a Tier IX battleship
Low caliber guns means devastating AP salvos are extremely unlikely
Fragile gun turrets
Short main battery range
Large hull with mediocre agility

Research

As a premium ship, Illinois has no module upgrades to research.

Optimal Configuration

For an in-depth review, check out Your_SAT_Score's player guide.

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades are:

Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
Slot 2: Damage Control System Modification 1 
Slot 3: Main Battery Modification 2 or Artillery Plotting Room Modification 1
Slot 4: Propulsion Modification 1 or Damage Control System Modification 2
Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1 
Slot 6: Artillery Plotting Room Modification 2 or Main Battery Modification 3

Commander Skills

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

Illinois equips the following consumables:

Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
Slot 2: Repair Party  – 4 charges

Camouflage

As a premium ship, Illinois comes with Default permanent camouflage and a set of permanent combat bonuses.

Signals

Recommended Signal Flags
Combat
Juliet Charlie -100% to the risk of magazine detonation. ★	Juliet Yankee Bissotwo -20% to flooding duration. ★★★	India Yankee -20% to fire duration. ★★★	Hotel Yankee -20% to damage received when ramming the enemy. +50% to damage dealt when ramming the enemy.	Victor Lima +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +4% chance of torpedoes causing flooding. ★★	India X-Ray +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating. ★★
Juliet Whiskey Unaone +15% chance of causing flooding. +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating.	Mike Yankee Soxisix +5% to secondary battery maximum firing range. -5% to maximum dispersion of secondary battery shells. -5% to secondary battery loading time.	November Echo Setteseven +5% continuous AA damage at all ranges. +5% damage from flak bursts.	Sierra Mike +5% to the ship's maximum speed. ★★★	November Foxtrot -5% reload time on all consumables. ★★	India Delta +20% to the amount of HP recovered when Repair Party  is used. ★★★
X-Ray Papa Unaone +10% action time of a Smoke Generator .	Sierra Bravo +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search  -10% reload time of Defensive AA Fire .

Note: Use of the Juliet Charlie signal makes detonation impossible.

Gallery

References

Ships of U.S.A.

Destroyers	II Sampson • II Smith • III Wickes • IV Clemson • V Nicholas • V Hill • VI Farragut • VI Monaghan • VII Mahan • VII Sims • VII Sims B • VIII Benson • VIII Kidd • IX Fletcher • IX Benham • IX Halford • IX Black B • IX Black • X Gearing • X Somers • X Forrest Sherman • ★ Joshua Humphreys
Cruisers	I Erie • II Chester • II Albany • III St. Louis • III Charleston • IV Phoenix • V Omaha • V Marblehead • V Marblehead Lima • V Rattlehead • VI Pensacola • VI Dallas • VII Atlanta • VII New Orleans • VII Helena • VII Indianapolis • VII Atlanta B • VII Boise • VII Flint • VIII Baltimore • VIII Cleveland • VIII Wichita • VIII Anchorage • VIII Congress • VIII Rochester • VIII San Diego • VIII AL Montpelier • IX Buffalo • IX Seattle • IX Vallejo • IX Alaska • IX Tulsa • IX Alaska B • X Des Moines • X Worcester • X Puerto Rico • X Salem • X Austin • ★ Annapolis
Battleships	III South Carolina • IV Wyoming • IV Arkansas Beta • V New York • V Oklahoma • V Texas • VI New Mexico • VI Arizona • VI W. Virginia '41 • VII Colorado • VII Florida • VII West Virginia '44 • VII California • VIII North Carolina • VIII Kansas • VIII Nebraska • VIII Alabama • VIII Massachusetts • VIII Alabama VL • VIII Constellation • VIII Massachusetts B • VIII Alabama ST • VIII North Carolina CLR • IX Iowa • IX Minnesota • IX Delaware • IX Missouri • IX Kearsarge • IX Illinois • IX Kearsarge B • IX Georgia • X Montana • X Vermont • X Louisiana • X Ohio • X Rhode Island • X Wisconsin • ★ Maine
Aircraft Carriers	IV Langley • VI Independence • VI Ranger • VIII Yorktown • VIII Lexington • VIII Enterprise • VIII Saipan • VIII Hornet • VIII Saipan B • X Essex • X Midway • X Franklin D. Roosevelt • ★ United States

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

Games

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Tools

Illinois

Modules

Compatible Upgrades