USS Des Moines

2023-11-21T20:49:27Z

U153913121: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=us_cruiser_des_moines_class
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|StoreImage_{{PAGENAME}}_002.jpg}}
|store=12049
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== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is the lead ship of her class of three heavy cruisers, laid down in late May 1945 shortly before the end of World War 2. Derived from the earlier [[Baltimore (Family)|Baltimore-class]] heavy cruisers, she was the first ship in the US Navy to utilize autoloading {{Annotation|8-inch|203 mm}} guns. She would not see combat, only being commissioned in 1948, with a short service life of only 13 years, being decommissioned in 1961. Notably, she did serve as the flagship of the Mediterranean fleet for 7 of those years, and as the control center for American armed forces in the Lebanon crisis of 1958.

Introduced in [[Update "Sky Guardians"]], USS Des Moines is in an earlier refit compared to her sister ship [[USS Newport News]], and actually has a much stronger anti-aircraft battery: increased from two double {{Annotation|3-inch|76 mm}} autocannon mounts on the Newport News, to a whopping 12 double mounts, plus an additional twelve double 20 mm mounts. This means that in addition to her impressive anti-ship capabilities with a 6-second reload for her main battery, she can also serve as a protective screen for battleships and less protected cruisers against air attack.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}

USS Des Moines, as the lead ship of the [[Des Moines (Family)|Des Moines class]], has an armour layout which is based off the [[Baltimore (Family)|Baltimore class]] heavy cruisers. The main benefit for the main armour belt was to provide protection for the forward magazines, increasing the protection underneath the forward turrets from {{Annotation|0.75 inches|19.05 mm}} to {{Annotation|5.8 inches|147.32 mm}} of armour. The main armour belt is slightly thinner as the [[Baltimore (Family)|Baltimore class]] has a {{Annotation|6-inch|152 mm}} belt, but the extra coverage which the extended belt provides is very welcome. The fore and aft of the citadel are protected by {{Annotation|4.8 inches|121.92 mm}} of bulkhead armour, and thin {{Annotation|0.75-inch|19.05 mm}} bulkheads interspersed throughout the citadel. The decks above the citadel are protected by {{Annotation|1-inch|25.4 mm}} of anti-fragmentation armour just like the destroyers in the US tree. Lower in the ship is a {{Annotation|3.4-inch|86.36 mm}} deck armour plate to deal with incoming fire from long ranges as well; this can deal with other cruisers and lower, however battlecruisers and battleships will easily penetrate this.

Des Moines has excellent armour on the turrets, with {{Annotation|8 inches|203.2 mm}} of armour on the turret face, angled at 34 degrees to provide extra protection. This renders the turret face essentially impervious to any cruiser or destroyer fire, so long as it is facing towards the enemy. The turret sides, with only {{Annotation|3.75 inches|95.25 mm}} of armour, can be penetrated by all cruiser calibre and many destroyer calibre guns at close range. The roof is better protected to defeat plunging fire, with {{Annotation|4 inches|101.6 mm}} of armour. The barbettes have less armour, with {{Annotation|6.1 inches|154.94 mm}} of protection. These will be knocked out regularly by other heavy cruisers and every battleship. These lead into the magazines, and the second turret magazine in particular. It is placed in an exposed position above the waterline unlike the Baltimores, so every precaution should be taken to avoid taking fire to this section. When fighting the Des Moines, this is the recommended area to hit.

Similar to other American cruisers, she lacks torpedo bulges, instead relying on fuel tanks along the hull. These cover the entirety of the hull between the turrets, and can absorb some smaller torpedoes, though most will easily punch through. Captains should watch out for torpedo attacks at all times. If taking a hit is inevitable, manoeuvre the ship so that it takes the hit as close to the front of bow as possible, as the bow is mostly empty space and Des Moines can survive a hit here with just some flooding. Any hits below the turrets, especially the second, should be avoided at all costs.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

Possessing a flank speed of {{Annotation|33 kn|61 km/h, 38 mph}}, USS Des Moines has the same top speed as other American heavy cruisers such as the [[USS New Orleans]] or the [[Baltimore (Family)|Baltimore-class]], and slightly faster than the [[Brooklyn (Family)|Brooklyn class]]. This speed allows Des Moines to make it to capture zones and other key locations at a reasonable pace, though not quite as some other cruisers such as [[Voroshilov]]. This speed drops to {{Annotation|23 kn|43 km/h, 27 mph}} in a turn, which although leaving her as an easier target, is still faster than any of the American battleships' flank speeds.

The rudder takes roughly 2 seconds to cause the ship to begin a turn, and while USS Des Moinse is responsive, at essentially 21 tons displacement there is a limit to just how quickly she can turn. Des Moines is agile for a heavy cruiser, but captains will need to be wary when traversing narrow passages as she is unable to make many of the turns that a destroyer or light cruiser could make.

{{NavalMobility}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|8 inch/55 Mark 16 (203 mm)}}

The primary armament of 3 x 8 inch/55 Mark 16 triple-gun mount cannons are the currently the undisputed best heavy cruiser cannons. Able to fire a volley every 6 seconds (10 rpm) allows for all vessels, cruisers or smaller to be destroyed with relative ease. Like most American cannons, the shell velocity is quite low, making very large shell arches, allowing for ships to be struck whilst still behind island cover. This does however making long range shooting a significant challenge.'

The Des Moines has 4 rounds types, a HE round, two SAP round types and a AP round. The explosive mass of all rounds are extremely powerful for their type. The AP round is able to successfully fight all heavy cruisers as well as some battlecruisers such as the HMS Glorious, SMS Von der Tan, HMS Invincible to name a few.

{{:8 inch/55 Mark 16 (203 mm)/Ammunition|8 inch Mk.14 Common, 8 inch Mk.21 APCBC, 8 inch Mk.25 HC, 8 inch Mk.17 SP Common}}

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|5 inch/38 Mk.12 (127 mm)}}

The secondary armament are 6 x 5 inch/38 Mk/12 twin-mounted, dual-purpose cannons, with a max of 4 turret being able to fire during a broadside. The max fire rate is 15-22 rpm (depends on if the first stage ammunition is not depleted). There cannons have terrible muzzle velocity making distant shots against maneuvering targets a major challenge. Fortunately, when fighting light cruisers and destroyers, these secondaries are able to cause significant damage using HE and SAP rounds. These turrets also have access to proximity fuse shells, providing superb long to medium range defense against aircraft, including high altitude bombers.

{{:5 inch/38 Mk.12 (127 mm)/Ammunition|5 inch AAC Mk.34, 5 inch AAVT Mk.31, 5 inch SP Common Mk.46}}

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}

{{main|3 inch Mk.33 (76 mm)|20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mark V (20 mm)}}

''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.''

== 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:'''

* Adequate speed, on par with the rest of the American ships of this level
* Decent main firepower with an excellent fire rate of 10 rounds per minute
* Has access to a tracking radar
* Powerful auxiliary and AA defense with decent range and effective against both aircraft and light naval targets
* Large crew complement allows for a decent survivability
* Decent ammo variety for both the 8-inch and 5-inch guns including HE-VT, HE and AP type rounds
* Overall armour is above average for a cruiser

'''Cons:'''

* Large and long vessel, quite easy to hit especially with torpedoes
* No torpedo protection
* Doesn't have access to a scout plane
* Front ammorack is easy oneshot for even 8-inch AP shells from cruisers.

== 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: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=us_cruiser_des_moines_class Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==


;Related development

* [[USS Newport News]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/8107-development-pre-order-uss-ca-134-des-moines-1948-heavy-cruiser-en|[Devblog] Pre-order: USS CA-134 Des Moines 1948 heavy cruiser]]

{{ShipManufacturer Bethlehem Steel}}
{{USA heavy cruisers}}
{{USA premium ships}}

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USS Des Moines