Saipan

13.3

Aircraft Carrier | U.S.A. | Tier VIII

Tech Tree Position

Battle Levels

12345678910

VIII

Special

Saipan — American special premium Tier VIII aircraft сarrier.

A high-speed light aircraft carrier based on the Baltimore-class cruiser. Despite relatively small dimensions, the ship carried a rather powerful air group and was armed with numerous AA artillery. She boasted very good armor comparable with the protection of far larger attack aircraft carriers.

Saipan was first released for sale on 12 April 2016 for the NA server and 13 April 2016 for the EU server.

Modules

	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 ()
Saipan	47,900	6	152			15/10/5				0	0

	Speed (knot)	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SQUADRON_MED_DAMAGE (HP/min)	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SQUADRON_AMMO_AMOUNT	Hit Points (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
F8F Bearcat	176			1,660		0	0

	Maximum Torpedo Damage (HP)	Speed (knot)	Hit Points (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
BTD Destroyer	6,467	131	2,040		0	0

	Maximum Bomb Damage (HP)	Speed (knot)	Hit Points (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
BTD Destroyer		131	2,150		0	0

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

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4
Slot 5

Player Opinion

Performance

Befitting her premium status, Tier VII's Saipan is a bit of an anomaly among American aircraft carriers - to start off, she is the only American carrier which has more than one aircraft loadout.

Saipan’s most powerful ability is her unique distinction of being the only carrier in the game that can strafe out of a fighter lock without sacrificing a plane. This allows Saipan to spam multiple consecutive strafes (as long as the fighters' ammunition holds out) and strafe locks in a way that no other carrier can, giving her the capability to completely demolish enemy fighters without giving the enemy a chance to fight back.

In addition, she has uncharacteristically small squadron sizes of 3 for her fighters and torpedo bombers (but 8 planes for her dive bombers) in order to balance the fact that, at Tier VII, she carries the stock (Tier IX) aircraft of the Tier X American carrier, Midway. As such, her strike squadrons can outrun most fighter squadrons they encounter, and her fighters can quickly pounce on any aircraft they see. Moreover, the high speeds of her strike aircraft minimize the time spent on the approach and pull back, lowering their chances of getting shot down by enemy ships' AA (their high durability helps too). While her hangar capacity of 48 might seem rather lackluster, it's not a major issue except for the dive bombers due to their large squadron size.

Saipan’s 2/2/0 flight control module is more popular than her 3/0/1 dive bomber loadout. While having 1000-pound bombs one tier earlier than Lexington in the regular tech tree in a large squadron of 8 is amazing (when all hit), dive bombing is still very random; torpedo bombing will generate more reliable damage results. Furthermore, Saipan is the only American carrier to have the converging torpedo pattern for its manual drop; combined with fast aircraft, it's fairly easy to hit all 6 torpedoes on battleships and even snipe destroyers. Losing one squadron of planes is not a major problem with the torpedo bomber loadout; their small squadron sizes means that she can quickly regenerate wholly destroyed squadrons without worrying too much about running out of planes like Independence. Having one more squadron of fighters in the air with the dive bomber loadout does not make up for the loss in strike capability, however; the two fighter squadrons in the torpedo bomber loadout is enough to sufficiently harass enemy planes.

LittleWhiteMouse's Premium Ship Review: Saipan from the NA forums

Pros:

Only carrier in the game that has the ability to strafe out of engagements with no losses.
Good speed allows her to quickly re-position or keep a distance from the enemy.
Solid anti-aircraft suite.
Blisteringly fast and powerful aircraft.
Short aircraft servicing times (due to the small number of planes in each squadron).
Both loadouts have anti-air and anti-surface capabilities.
Fearsome dive bomber potential, with 8 aircraft in a squadron armed with 1000-pound bombs.
Has the Japanese converging pattern for torpedo squadrons' manual drop due to only having 3 planes instead of 6 in a squadron.

Cons:

Like Independence, she gets detected more easily from the air than from the surface.
No secondary armament.
Lousy rudder shift time.
Anti-aircraft armament is very short-ranged.
Unable to utilize both torpedo and dive bombers together in either loadouts.
Small squadron size means that fighters can be overwhelmed.
Torpedo squadrons only have 3 planes each, hindering their burst damage potential (like Japanese carriers).
Despite having 8 planes in a squadron, the larger dispersion for the dive bombers still prevents them from doing reliable damage.
Despite having 1000-pound bombs, her dive bombers do not have access to AP bombs.

Research

As a premium ship, Saipan doesn't have any upgrades to research.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades for Saipan are as follows:

Slot 1: Air Groups Modification 1
Slot 2: Damage Control System Modification 1 
Slot 3: Air Groups Modification 2
Slot 4: Damage Control System Modification 2

Commander Skills

The standard suite of carrier-relevant commander skills are recommended: Aircraft Servicing Expert is the best place to invest points at Level 1, followed by a mix of Torpedo Armament Expertise and Torpedo Acceleration (with the torpedo bomber loadout), or Air Superiority (for the dive bomber loadout) plus Basic Firing Training (for extra AA damage per second) or Basics of Survivability (for the rare occasions when burning and Damage Control Party  is on cooldown).

Dogfighting Expert is not recommended as Saipan cannot be tiered against opponents where the damage boost will be applied; however, some captains might find the ammunition bonus useful.

The following information is provided for players who wish to create a permanent captain for the ship. Those players who are retraining captains or using the ship to gain extra experience for a captain should consult the page relevant to the ship to which the captain will be assigned.

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Endurance		Attack		Support		Versatility
1	Priority Target Situational Awareness indicator will show the number of opponents currently aiming at you with main battery guns.	Preventative Maintenance -30% to the risk of incapacitation of main turrets, torpedo tubes, steering gear, engines.	Expert Loader -50% to reload time when shell type is switched.	Air Supremacy -5% aircraft restoration time. ★★★	Direction Center for Fighters +1 fighter to carrier fighter squadrons or catapult fighters.	Improved Engine Boost +10% Aircraft engine boost time.	Incoming Fire Alert Indicator of long-range enemy artillery fire.	Last Gasp Completely restores the engine boost for the last attack flight of the carrier's planes.
2	High Alert -10% to reload time of Damage Control Party consumable. ★	Jack of All Trades -5% to reload time of all consumables.	Expert Marksman +2.5 deg/sec to traverse speed of guns with a caliber up to 139mm. +0.7 deg/sec to traverse speed of guns with a caliber above 139mm.	Torpedo Acceleration +5 knots to torpedo speed. -20% to torpedo range. ★★★	Smoke Screen Expert +20% to the radius of the smoke screen.	Improved Engines +2.5% Squadron speed.	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% to reload times of all types of armament for each 1% of total health lost. +0.2% squadron speed for each 1% of total health lost.	Last Stand The ship remains able to move and maneuver while the engine or steering gears are incapacitated.
3	Basics of Survivability -15% to time of repair, fire extinguishing, and recovery from flooding. ★	Survivability Expert +350 ship HP for each ship tier. +15 aircraft HP for each ship tier.	Torpedo Armament Expertise -10% to reload time of torpedo tubes. ★★★	Aircraft Armor Reduces continuous damage to aircraft in all AA defense zones. -10% continuous damage.	Basic Firing Training -10% to reload time of main battery guns with a caliber up to and including 139mm and all secondary battery guns. +10% to continuous damage from AA guns. ★★	Superintendent +1 additional charge to all consumables mounted on a ship.	Demolition Expert +2% chance of HE shells causing a fire on target. +1% chance of rockets causing a fire on target. +5% chance of HE bombs causing a fire on target.	Vigilance +25% to detection range of enemy torpedoes.
4	Manual Fire Control for Secondary Armament Tightens dispersion of shells from secondary batteries. -15% for Tier I-VI ships. -60% for Tier VII-X ships. Manually selected target only.	Fire Prevention -10% to the risk of fire. The maximum number of fires on a ship is reduced to three.	Inertia Fuse for HE Shells +30% to the armor penetration capacity of HE shells. -1% chance of fire on target caused by shells <=139mm. -3% chance of fire on target caused by shells >139mm.	Sight Stabilization Speeds up the aiming of a carrier's aircraft. +5% attack aircraft aiming speed. +5% torpedo bomber aiming speed. +10% dive bomber aiming speed.	Advanced Firing Training +20% to firing range of main battery guns with a caliber up to 139mm and all secondary battery guns. +15% damage/sec. within the explosion radius of shells fired from long-range AA defenses. ★★	Massive AA Fire Instantaneous Damage +100%. Priority AA sector cooldown +50%.	Radio Position Finding Shows the direction to the nearest enemy ship. The enemy is alerted that a bearing has been taken.	Concealment Expert -10% to the detection radius of all ships and aircraft. ★★
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful ★★ - Frequently Useful ★ - Occasionally Useful No stars - Meh Χ - Not recommended

Consumables

Saipan can equip the following consumables:

Slot 1: Damage Control Party

Camouflage

As a premium ship, Saipan comes included with Type 10 camouflage that lowers her detection radius, reduces the accuracy of incoming shells, and increases the amount of experience she earns.

Signals

As a carrier, Saipan can only mount at most four signals at a time and has no risk of detonating. Players should mount Equal Speed Charlie London (🚫) for increased XP gain per battle, Zulu Hotel (🚫) to help increase the speed of commander (re)training, November Echo Setteseven () for increased anti-aircraft DPS, and Juliet Whiskey Unaone () to have a better chance at causing flooding to enemy ships. Players can also choose to equip the Dragon Flag (🚫) for faster commander (re)training for the other carrier that the captain is trained on.

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.

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

Aircraft Carriers

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

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Saipan

Modules

Compatible Upgrades