Lexington
Revision as of 08:32, 6 July 2017 historical accuracy | Revision as of 12:55, 6 July 2017 | |||
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==Historical Inaccuracies== | ==Historical Inaccuracies== | |||
? | + | *''Lexington'' was sunk in early 1942 and never carried any of the aircraft or upgraded armaments depicted in-game. | ||
? | *Several of the ''Lexington''’s historical aircraft | + | *Several of the ''Lexington''’s historical aircraft — notably the F4F Wildcat, F2A-3 Buffalo, SB2U Vindicator and TBD Devastator — are missing. | |
? | *Numerous secondary armament configurations are also missing. USS ''Lexington'' (CV-2), in particular, had twelve (12) five-inch guns, twelve (12) quadruple 1.1-inch AA guns, twenty-two (22) Oerlikons and at least two dozen (12) .50-caliber machine guns in May 1942, during the Battle of the Coral Sea. | + | *Numerous secondary armament configurations are also missing. USS ''Lexington'' (CV-2), in particular, had twelve (12) five-inch guns, twelve (12) quadruple 1.1-inch AA guns, twenty-two (22) Oerlikons and at least two dozen (12) .50-caliber machine guns in May 1942, during the Battle of the Coral Sea. | |
|HistoricalGallery=<!-- write below list of files with description (if necessary) separated with | --><gallery> | |HistoricalGallery=<!-- write below list of files with description (if necessary) separated with | --><gallery> |
Revision as of 12:55, 6 July 2017
127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.24 mount8 х 1 pcs. |
Firing Range4.5 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 % |
127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.32 mount4 х 2 pcs. |
Firing Range4.5 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 % |
127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.24 mount8 х 1 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second64 |
. . . Firing Range5.01 km. |
127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.32 mount4 х 2 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second60.4 |
. . . Firing Range5.01 km. |
20 mm Oerlikon on a Mk.4 mount52 х 1 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second187.2 |
. . . Firing Range2.01 km. |
40 mm/56 Bofors on a Mk.2 mount9 х 4 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second143.1 |
. . . Firing Range3.51 km. |
Maximum Speed33 knot |
Turning Circle Radius1 180 m. |
Rudder Shift Time21.9 sec. |
Surface Detectability Range14.51 km. |
Air Detectability Range10.02 km. |
Lexington — American Tier VIII aircraft сarrier.
When commissioned, Lexington was one of the largest aircraft carriers in existence. She was converted from an unfinished battlecruiser. The ship had good armor and advanced torpedo protection. Owing to her dimensions, the aircraft carrier was equipped with a very spacious hangar and was armed with numerous AA and dual-purpose artillery. The ship's powerful propulsion created very high speeds.
Modules
Maximum Torpedo Damage (HP) | Speed (knot) | Hit Points (HP) |
Research price (exp) |
Purchase price () | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
TBF Avenger | 6,467 | 120 | 1,800 | 0 | 600,000 | |
SB2C Helldiver | 6,467 | 125 | 1,880 | 18,000 | 1,500,000 |
Compatible Upgrades
Slot 1 |
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Slot 2 |
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Slot 3 |
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Slot 4 |
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Slot 5 |
Player Opinion
Performance
Overall, Lexington is a strong Tier VIII aircraft carrier. She is fast — 33.6 knots — but she turns like a brick, and her huge size advertises her presence for miles around. Although she has a strong wing of aircraft, careful usage of her bomber aircraft is vital as the anti-aircraft power of most Tier VIII ships and above that she will encounter begins to be very competitive (even without assistance from friendly fighters) and the "bigger but fewer squadrons" that is the national flavor of American aircraft carriers becomes more of a liability (as it is easier to focus fire on key strike aircraft, such as torpedo bombers).
Lexington — like her immediate predecessor, Ranger — is one of the more controversial carriers in the game. Her Strike Build is popular with carrier captains, but decidedly unpopular with their teammates due to the lack of any fighter cover whatsoever. Her Air Superiority Build can take control of the skies, but struggles mightily to deal damage due to the randomness of her dive bomber squadrons (though, with her 1000 lb. bombs, any that land are definitely felt). That leaves only the Stock Build, which for some inexplicable reason is only able to field three squadrons of aircraft to the other two builds' four. A smartly-played Stock Build Lexington can do well, but may find itself overwhelmed trying to defend friendly players against the likes of an enemy Strike Build Shokaku or Lexington with only one fighter squadron.
Happily, Lexington need not worry about saving her fighters to defend herself. Her anti-aircraft suite is brutally punishing to enemy bombers, particularly since she can equip the Defensive AA Fire consumable. She has a huge detection radius and is likely to be spotted eventually, but heads-up positioning and judicious use of her copious speed will help avoid being sunk too early in a game to make her presence felt on the battlefield.
Interestingly — perhaps in a nod to her battlecruiser origins — Lexington has a greater amount of armor than would be expected of a carrier, even retaining almost a proper armor belt on the port side. Captains should be advised, though, that while her armor may bounce the odd destroyer shell, it also means cruiser and battleship armor-piercing rounds have a greater chance of causing full penetration or citadels damage that would overpenetrate on softer targets.Pros:
- Excellent anti-aircraft suite.
- Strong fighters.
- Matches the same speeds as cruisers of her tier.
- Strike planes will demolish most ships with a well-placed strike.
- Finally gets 1000-pound bombs, providing a boost to dive bombers' capabilities.
Cons:
- Very easy to detect at 17.5 km.
- Strike planes can be quickly wrecked by enemy anti-aircraft fire at high tiers, particularly cruiser AA.
- Most of the air wing is taken up by fighters when the Air Superiority loadout is used, leaving very few damage potential to enemy ships.
- When using Mk8 mod. 2 (Strike Build), Lexington gets no fighters of her own (unlike Shokaku).
- Bad rudder shift time and turning circle radius.
- Armor is just thick enough to let incoming armor piercing shells from an enemy battleship land as regular penetrations (or citadel hits) rather than over-penetrate.
- Secondaries are unreliable since she will be shot at way before the secondaries can even fire.
- Dive bombers have somewhat questionable accuracy due to randomness of bomb drops (even when dropped manually).
Research
For captains who plan on remaining as Stock Build:
- Upgrade to Vought F4U-1 (fighter).
- Upgrade to Hull (B) to increase anti-aircraft protection.
- Upgrade to Curtiss SB2C (torpedo bomber).
- Upgrade to Grumman TBM-3 (dive bomber).
For captains who plan on going with an Air Superiority Build:
- Upgrade to Mk8 mod. 3.
- Upgrade to Vought F4U-1 (fighter).
- Upgrade to Hull (B) to increase anti-aircraft protection.
- Upgrade to Grumman TBM-3 (dive bomber).
- Upgrade to Curtiss SB2C (torpedo bomber).
For captains who plan on going with a Strike Build:
- Upgrade to Mk8 mod. 2.
- Upgrade to Curtiss SB2C (dive bomber).
- Upgrade to Hull (B) to increase anti-aircraft protection.
- Upgrade to Grumman TBM-3 (torpedo bomber).
- Upgrade to Vought F4U-1 (fighter).
Optimal Configuration
Upgrades
As a carrier at Tier VIII with five upgrade slots (slots 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6), it's best to mount Air Groups Modification 1, Flight Control Modification 1 (for faster aircraft servicing time / rearming time) or Air Groups Modification 2 (for better fighter capability in fighting enemy fighters and taking down enemy bombers), Damage Control System Modification 1, Damage Control System Modification 2 (if the player chooses to use Emergency Takeoff Skill and does not have Damage Control Party ready) or Propulsion Modification 2 (if the player feels the need to relocate and avoid enemies is more important), and Concealment System Modification 1 on Lexington.
Commander Skills
The Dogfighting Expert skill is not generally recommended; however, it may be useful for captains pursuing an Air Superiority Build who have not yet researched upgraded fighters or wish to counter enemy Saipans they may encounter, as Lexington fighters are Tier VIII. Additionally, due to dive bombers having over 100% chance of causing fires, Demolition Expert is not a recommended skill.
Recommended Commander Skills | ||||||||
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Cost (points) |
Endurance | Attack | Support | Versatility | ||||
1 |
★ |
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★★★ |
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2 |
★ |
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★★★ |
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★★ |
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3 |
★ |
|
★★★ |
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★ |
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4 |
|
|
|
|
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|
★★ |
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful ★★ - Frequently Useful ★ - Occasionally Useful No stars - Meh Χ - Not recommended |
Consumables
As a Tier VIII carrier, Lexington has access to the following consumables:
Premium Defensive AA Fire is recommended to counter any enemy carrier's attempts to "snipe" the player (that is, by having all bombers bypass allied ships undetected and attempting to sink the player in one hit). Premium Damage Control Party II is not recommended as it is only needed in dire moments, or when the player is the last one alive.
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 Lexington with Type 18 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 carrier, Lexington can only mount at most four signals at a time and has no risk of detonating. Players should mount Equal Speed Charlie London (for faster XP grinding / increased XP gain per battle), Zulu Hotel (when coupled with Equal Speed Charlie London greatly helps increase commander (re)training), November Echo Setteseven (for better bomber self-defense against fighters and increased AA DPS), and Juliet Whiskey Unaone (to have a better chance at causing flooding and dealing damage via flooding). Players can also choose to equip the Dragon Flag for faster commander (re)training.Gallery
Historical Info
Historical Gallery
Japan | IV Hōshō • VI Ryūjō • VIII Shōkaku • VIII Kaga • VIII Kaga B • X Hakuryū • ★ Sekiryu |
U.K. | IV Hermes • VI Furious • VI Ark Royal • VIII Implacable • VIII Indomitable • VIII Colossus • X Audacious • X Malta • ★ Eagle |
France | VI Béarn |
U.S.S.R. | IV Komsomolets • VI Serov • VIII Pobeda • VIII Chkalov • VIII Chkalov B • X Admiral Nakhimov |
U.S.A. | 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 |
Germany | 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 |
Pan-Asia | VIII Sanzang |
Spain | |
Europe | |
Netherlands | |
Italy | VIII Aquila |
Commonwealth | |
Pan-America |