USS Pittsburgh
Contents
Description
Baltimore-class, USS Pittsburgh (CA-72), 1953 was the 5th member of the Baltimore-class heavy cruisers, the first US heavy cruisers to be designed after the ending of the Washington and London naval treaties. Laid down in February 1943, Pittsburgh would be commissioned in October of 1944 and would serve through the rest of World War 2, mostly serving as part of the cover screen for Task Force 58. She would gain the nickname "Longest Ship in the War" after damage from Typhoon Viper caused her bow to snap off, leaving thousands of miles in between her bow and the rest of the ship as she returned to the States for repairs. She would be decommissioned in 1947, but recommissioned in 1951 with the commencement of hostilities in Korea. Though she saw no combat in this conflict, she would patrol the Atlantic and Mediterranean, finishing her last deployment in the Pacific before being decommissioned again in 1956. She would remain in the reserves until being sold for scrap in 1974.
Introduced in Update "Direct Hit", the USS Pittsburgh will be broadly similar to her classmate USS Baltimore, though coming in a later 1953 refit. She has the same primary and secondary armament, but her anti-aircraft battery has been supplanted by 3-inch autocannons firing HE-VT shells, granting greater range at the cost of a slower fire rate. Pittsburgh also notably gains aircraft tracking radar, allowing her to serve well as an escort to larger, less protected ships such as dreadnought battleships.
General info
Survivability and armour
USS Pittsburgh, as a member of the Baltimore-class of heavy cruisers, was no longer subject to the terms of the Washington or London Naval Treaties, resulting in her having much thicker armour than her preceding classes. This is most evident in her main belt, which is up to a much more substantial 6 inches compared to earlier heavy cruisers with a less than 3-inch belt. This belt covers the midsection of the ship, protecting the machinery spaces from harm. These also form bulkheads fore and aft of the machinery spaces and protect the steering gear in the stern of the ship as well. Directly above and to the sides of the main belt, the armour drops to .75 inches of anti-fragmentation armour, and the rest of the hull has .5-inch plates of anti-fragmentation armour as covering all compartments. These swathes of anti-fragmentation armour will not stop any armour piercing shells, but will greatly reduce damage from HE shells, especially those of destroyers and light cruisers. The main armoured deck of 2.5 inches is positioned at the top of the 6-inch armour belt, and above the steering gear and magazines, protecting from any plunging fire that may enter at odd angles.
The turrets are well armoured like other American ships, with a 8-inch plate protecting the front of the turret, angled at 32° to increase effectiveness. This makes the turret effectively immune to most fire from destroyers and light cruisers, and at range against other heavy cruisers. Although it is incapable of stopping fire from enemy battlecruisers or battleships, it will still do well against other cruisers of the rank. This leads back into small 3.25-inch plates, angled sharply at approximately 73° before reaching the sides and rear of the turrets. These are protected by meagre 1.5-inch plates; these will protect against no more than 40 mm guns, and even destroyer shells will easily penetrate and knock the turret out of action. Captains should keep the turrets faced towards threats at all times, as the sides and rear of the turrets are very vulnerable areas. The turret barbettes are also protected against destroyer and light cruiser fire with 6.3 inches of armour, leading down to the magazines. These are positioned well below the waterline and are unlikely to be hit, but have 3 inches of armour surrounding them just in case.
Torpedo protection, as with other American cruisers, is provided only by fuel tanks. Captains should be wary of enemy torpedo spreads, as USS Pittsburgh is unlikely to be capable of taking hits from enemy torpedos without mortal damage to the ship.
| Armour | Front | Side | Rear | Deck/Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main calibre turret | 203 mm | 82.55 mm (front, cheeks) 38.1 mm (rear) |
38.1 mm | 76.2 mm |
| Auxiliary calibre turret | 19.05 mm | |||
| Forward magazine | 140 mm | 76 mm (upper) 102 mm (lower) |
28.575 mm (upper) 63.5 mm (lower) | |
| Citadel | 152 mm | 152 mm (upper) 102 mm (lower) |
152 mm | 28.575 mm (upper) 63.5 mm (lower) |
| Aft magazine | 76 mm (upper) 50.8 mm (lower) |
127 mm | 28.575 mm (upper) 63.5 mm (lower) | |
| Bridge | 165 mm | 50.8 mm | 139.7 mm | 50.8 mm |
| Barbette | 160 mm | |||
Notes:
- Both magazines and the citadel are protected by fuel tanks.
Mobility
Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.
| Mobility Characteristics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Game Mode | Upgrade Status | Maximum Speed (km/h) | |
| Forward | Reverse | ||
| AB | |||
| Upgraded | 71 | 29 | |
| RB/SB | |||
| Upgraded | 61 | 25 | |
Modifications and economy
| Seakeeping | Unsinkability | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armament
Primary armament
Being a WW2 US cruiser, USS Pittsburgh shoots super-heavy APCBC shells out of her 8-inch guns. These shells are heavier than contemporary shells from other nations, weighing over 150 kg, compared to the average of 110 kg. This gives them a longer flight time, but a steeper angle. The idea was that, at long ranges, the shells would penetrate battleship's decks from above instead of hitting the much thicker side armour. In spite of this, they still have more than enough penetration below 8 km to cleave through the belt, magazine, and barbette armour of even the most well-protected cruiser at its BR and above, allowing the Pittsburgh to quickly disarm and dispatch enemy cruisers with a few well-aimed salvos. This shell is prone to overpenetration and lacks much filler, so against most light cruisers it's recommended to fire the Mk.14 Common shell at close range; with 4.84 kg TNTe this will do much more reliable damage. For patrol vessels and destroyers, the Mk.25 HC shell with access to 9.5 kg explosive mass is recommended. When targeting a ship at close range is recommended to fire the turrets individually to hit specific components, as with a 15-second reload many cruisers will simply out-reload a traditional broadside.
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 1,000 m | 2,500 m | 5,000 m | 7,500 m | 10,000 m | 15,000 m | ||
| Mk.14 Common | Common | 110 | 98 | 80 | 66 | 56 | 43 |
| Mk.21 APCBC | APCBC | 390 | 348 | 289 | 243 | 207 | 165 |
| Mk.25 HC | HE | 61 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 61 |
| Mk.17 SP Common | SP Common | 131 | 116 | 95 | 79 | 66 | 50 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (s) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg) |
Ricochet | |||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| Mk.14 Common | Common | 823 | 117.9 | 0.035 | 9 | 4.84 | 47° | 60° | 65° | |||
| Mk.21 APCBC | APCBC | 762 | 151.9 | 0.035 | 9 | 2.21 | 48° | 63° | 71° | |||
| Mk.25 HC | HE | 823 | 117.9 | 0 | 0.1 | 9.49 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
| Mk.17 SP Common | SP Common | 823 | 117.9 | 0.035 | 9 | 4.61 | 48° | 63° | 71° | |||
Secondary armament
The secondary armament on the USS Pittsburgh are six dual-purpose, dual-mounted 127 mm turrets, weapons that a majority of other Bluewater ships use and so players are quite familiar in their operation at this stage. These turrets are the USS Pittsburgh's first line of defence against PT boats and aircraft.
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 1,000 m | 2,500 m | 5,000 m | 7,500 m | 10,000 m | 15,000 m | ||
| AAC Mk.34 | HE | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 |
| AAVT Mk.31 | HE-VT | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 |
| SP Common Mk.46 | SP Common | 150 | 125 | 93 | 71 | 56 | 45 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (s) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | |||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| AAC Mk.34 | HE | 792 | 25 | 0 | 0.1 | 3,220 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
| SP Common Mk.46 | SP Common | 792 | 25 | 0.01 | 6 | 906.5 | 48° | 63° | 71° | |||
| Proximity-fused shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (s) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Arming distance (m) |
Trigger radius (m) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | |||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| AAVT Mk.31 | HE-VT | 792 | 25 | 0 | 0.1 | 457 | 23 | 3,220 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |
Anti-aircraft armament
USS Pittsburgh carries ten 3 inch Mk.33 automatic cannons in twin installation. As part of her AAA, the gun fires HE-VT shells in her default configuration and has no other ammo options. The gun has a rate of fire of 50 rpm and overheats in 35 seconds. Unlike the 40 mm Bofors, the 3-inch gun mount has no shield or surrounding parapet to defend against shrapnel; the side mounts can only rotate 180° so they can't shoot over the superstructure and cover another broadside, whereas the Bofors can rotate 360°. Overall, Pittsburgh's AA barrage is quite sparse, and she is completely exposed to air raid after all AA guns are overheated.
AI gunners that man them can target larger opponents such as destroyers and cruisers, although the effect that this has on the Pittsburgh's damage output is minimal.
Usage in battles
Describe the technique of using this ship, the characteristics of her use in a team and tips on strategy. Abstain from writing an entire guide – don't try to provide a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought. Talk about the most dangerous opponents for this vehicle and provide recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of playing with this vehicle in various modes (AB, RB, SB).
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Anti-fragmentation armour can help protect against cruiser-calibre HE shells
- Well-armoured hull increase its survivability
- Decent mobility
- Great overall firepower, with an access to super-heavy AP shell and large number of dual-purposes cannons
- Huge numbers of proximity fuse AA battery provide formidable anti-air defense
Cons:
- Dreadful stock grind thanks to its terrible default SAP shell
- No torpedo armaments
- Main magazine sits far above the waterline, can be detonated with a well-placed shot
- No scout planes, unlike her sister ship
History
Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the ship and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).
Media
- Skins
See also
External links
| Bethlehem Steel Corporation | |
|---|---|
| Gun Destroyers (DD) | |
| Porter-class | USS Phelps · USS Moffett |
| Fletcher-class | USS Cowell |
| Destroyer Leaders (DL) | |
| Mitscher-class | USS Wilkinson |
| Cruiser, Light (CL) | |
| Omaha-class | USS Raleigh · USS Detroit |
| Heavy Cruisers (CA) | |
| Northampton-class | USS Northampton |
| Portland-class | USS Portland |
| Baltimore-class | USS Baltimore · USS Pittsburgh |
| Des Moines-class | USS Des Moines |
| USA heavy cruisers | |
|---|---|
| Pensacola-class | USS Pensacola |
| Northampton-class | USS Northampton |
| Portland-class | USS Portland |
| New Orleans-class | USS New Orleans |
| Baltimore-class | USS Baltimore · USS Pittsburgh |
| Des Moines-class | USS Des Moines · USS Newport News |
