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Mirage IIIE

2023-05-26T18:04:50Z

U88436620: Corrected missile statistics

{{About
| about = French jet fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Mirage III (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=mirage_3e
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} French jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Ixwa Strike"]]. Contrary to its older sibling, the Mirage IIIC, the Mirage IIIE represents a successful attempt to integrate air-to-ground capabilities into the Mirage III line of aircraft. These capabilities are achieved by the addition of a ballistic computer to aid in the destruction of ground assets with guns, bombs, and rockets. The aircraft also receives numerous improvements, such as a new version of the Atar 9 engine, which is not only slightly more powerful, but also much more responsive. An RWR system and a countermeasure dispenser is also installed.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}

Overall, the Mirage IIIE is flown like the Mirage IIIC. The key feature of the Mirage airframe is its delta wing. Delta winged aircraft present tremendous manoeuvrability, at the cost of energy bleeding. The Mirage is no exception. While capable of supersonic flight, even at low altitude, and loaded with its air-to-air armament, high-G manoeuvres provokes as much deceleration as using a giant airbrake. This is, in fact, what a delta wing becomes, under high incidence angle, due to its very high vortex lift.

In general, the Mirage IIIE is nimble and fast, but it lacks the engine power of its contemporaries, such as the [[MiG-21bis]] or the [[F-104 (Family)|F-104]] series. Getting up to speed, or regaining it will be a bit longer. A trade-off for the Mirage IIIE's manoeuvrability.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 12,000 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 2,092 || 2,053 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 29.8 || 30.5 || 111.6 || 100.4 || rowspan="2" | 750
|-
! Upgraded
| 2,231 || 2,157 || 26.2 || 28.0 || 169.8 || 139.2
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="6" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear !! Drogue chute
|-
| X || X || X || ✓ || X || ✓ 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || N/A || N/A || ~11 || ~4
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 920 || < 750 || < 650 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="4" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="2" | {{Annotation|Basic mass|Mass of the aircraft with pilot and engine oil, but no fuel or weapons load}} || colspan="2" | Wing loading (full fuel, no booster)
|-
| colspan="2" | SNECMA Atar 9C || 1
| colspan="2" | 7,360 kg || colspan="2" | 291 kg/m2
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="3" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load, no booster) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff Weight
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 8m fuel || 20m fuel || 28m fuel
|-
| 1,450 kg || colspan="2" | Afterburning axial-flow turbojet
| 7,929 kg || 8,686 kg || 9,256 kg || 10,950 kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="4" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP, no booster)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 8m fuel || 20m fuel || 28m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 4,210 kgf || 6,110 kgf
| 0.77 || 0.70 || 0.66 || 0.56
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 5,389 kgf (1,200 km/h) || 8,603 kgf (1,200 km/h)
| 1.09 || 0.99 || 0.93 || 0.79
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}

Being a very light aircraft, the Mirage IIIE does not bear any sort of armour. It is to be noted that it has a very fragile rudder, which is mandatory to fly. Even as little as losing its moving actuator is enough to make the Mirage IIIE uncontrollable. The wings, being built upon titanium longerons, are quite sturdy and can sometimes survive hits.

The lack of armour on the Mirage can be compensated by the very small size of the aircraft.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}
The entirety of the AA missile armament of the Mirage IIIE is stacked in a single line. The AIM-9B missile will be of moderate help. The Matra 530 will be of better efficiency.

The research of the countermeasures should as well be a priority. This component alone is probably the most impactful addition to the Mirage IIIE, compared to the IIIC.

Other than that, the G suit is also an important module, because it allows the pilot to remain conscious during a full Immelmann, split-S, or barrel roll. This phenomenon is due to the high speed reduction of the delta design.

All other components can be researched at the user's discretion.

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | [[Ballistic Computer]]
|-
! CCIP (Guns) !! CCIP (Rockets) !! CCIP (Bombs) !! CCRP (Bombs)
|-
| {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
|}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}


The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* A choice between two presets:
** Without offensive armament
** 60 x countermeasures

At this battle rating, proper usage of countermeasures is next to mandatory. The sheer amount of missiles in the air at every instant, and the fact that the Mirage IIIE is a top-tier aircraft, makes the flares the most important part of the Mirage IIIE's self preservation. As for quantities and type, it is recommended to always carry chaffs as well, SARH and ARM missiles being sometimes used at such BRs. Full flare composition is permissible when in a downtier match, where such missiles are much rarer. It is also notable that missiles encountered at such BRs can and will discriminate the jet from its flares. Ample usage of flares and afterburner cutoff must therefore be performed to ensure a successful evasion.

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|SAMP Type 25 (250 kg)|SAMP Type 21 (400 kg)|SNEB type 23|FZ49|DEFA 552A (30 mm)}}
{{main|AIM-9B Sidewinder|AS-30 Nord|Matra R530|Matra R530E|Matra R550 Magic 1}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance presets:

* 1 x 30 mm DEFA 552A cannon (250 rpg)
* 2 x AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles
* 2 x Matra R550 Magic 1 missiles
* 1 x Matra R530 missile
* 1 x Matra R530E missile
* 2 x 250 kg SAMP Type 25 bombs (500 kg total)
* 2 x 400 kg SAMP Type 21 bombs (800 kg total)
* 14 x FZ49 rockets
* 36 x SNEB type 23 rockets
* 1 x AS-30 Nord missile

The Mirage IIIE comes with a pair of DEFA 552A cannons, with 125 round per gun, for 250 rounds total. These guns output a moderate shell velocity (but high rate of fire), but the DEFA shells are extremely destructive, and can blow a wing off of even the sturdiest aircrafts, such as the [[F-4E Phantom II]]. The Air targets belt is composed only of HE, incendiary, tracers. Overall, the best pick of shells one could want for air-to-air combat. The Ground targets belt can pierce moderate armour, and are nothing to write home about. They will shred APCs and IFVs, but not MBTs.

Equipping a loadout that doesn't include the 30 mm cannons allows use of the rocket booster, totalling 105 seconds of thrust.

As with most aircraft of this level, the Mirage is as good as the missiles it carries. The AIM-9B is an IR seeker missile of the very first type. It pulls few Gs, cannot orientate its seeker head and is very easily distracted by flares. Still, some kills can be expected on unsuspecting enemies, or enemies engaged with another aircraft in a turnfight, and low on energy.

The Matra R530 is a radar guided, medium range missile. Only one can be carried, but it is one of best SARH missiles in the game. As a counterpart, the Cyrano radar of the Mirage IIIE is quite small, with range rarely exceeding 20 km. Inside this range, the missile has good range and manoeuvrability during the entire flight time. A good addition to the Mirage IIIE's arsenal. The SARH capability of the missile can be traded for the IR seeker of the Matra R530E, making it the biggest IR seeker of the game. This version does not require radar lock, but cannot be fired in front aspect, and can be distracted by flares, where the Cyrano radar guiding the R530 can only be disturbed by chaff, which is used much more rarely.

As a tier 4 modification, the Mirage IIIE receives the dreaded Matra 550 Magic. This IR seeking missile of second generation is an excellent weapon, being both extremely manoeuvrable (capable of pulling 35Gs), very light and reactive, and quite resilient to flares. Under two kilometres, and launched in appropriate conditions at subsonic speeds, this missile is virtually inescapable. It is to be noted that this missile, thanks to its canted launch rail, can be launched under significant G-load. Its only two drawbacks are its short range, and the limited number of units carried under the Mirage wings, with only two of the type. Comparatively, the F-4 Phantom series can carry 4 IR missiles, and 4 to 6 for the MiG-21 series, J35 Draken, and F-104 series.

As for ground attack, the Mirage III E carries the usual load of post-war French ordnance, in the form of 250/400 kg SAMP bombs, SNEB HEAT rockets, and the AS-30 missile. The deployment of these weapons can be aided by the ballistic computer.

The AS-30 Nord missile is a MCLOS, AS-20 derived, heavy warhead HE missile. Only one can be carried, and it is quite hard to use, but the damage output on ground targets in mixed battles is enormous. It is not uncommon to score two kills with one missile.

With the introduction of laser-guided weaponry, French nation players usually prefer the Jaguar A for the ground attack role.

==== Custom loadout options ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! !! width="6%" | 1 !! width="6%" | 2 !! width="6%" | 3 !! width="6%" | 4 !! width="6%" | 5 !! width="6%" | 6 !! width="6%" | 7
| rowspan="13" width="30%" | <div class="ttx-image">[[File:Hardpoints_{{PAGENAME}}.png]]</div>
|-
! 30 mm DEFA 552A cannons (125 rpg)
| || || || || 2 || ||
|-
! 250 kg SAMP Type 25 bombs
| || || || 2 || || ||
|-
! 400 kg SAMP Type 21 bombs
| || || || 2 || || ||
|-
! FZ49 rockets
| 7 || || || || || || 7
|-
! SNEB type 23 rockets
| || 18 || || || || 18 ||
|-
! AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles
| 1 || || || || || || 1
|-
! AS-30 Nord missiles
| || || || 1 || || ||
|-
! Matra R530 missiles
| || || || 1 || || ||
|-
! Matra R530E missiles
| || || || 1 || || ||
|-
! Matra R550 Magic 1 missiles
| 1 || || || || || || 1
|-
! SEPR 844 rocket booster
| || || 1* || || || ||
|-
! SEPR 844 tank
| || || || || 1* || ||
|-
| colspan="10" | * The SEPR 844 oxidiser tank must be carried when equipping the SEPR 844 rocket booster
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The Mirage IIIE is an improvement over the Mirage IIIC in nearly every aspect. Its delta wing permits high-G, speed bleeding manoeuvres, and should be used to force an opponent to overshoot, and give it chase with missiles or guns.

The missile load of the Mirage III E is quite light, with only 3 missiles, but the missiles are excellent, and should rarely miss. The addition of the flare dispenser is also of excellent help against the very dangerous IR seeking R-60 missile, which does not perform well with the saturation of its target with flares. Note that flares are mostly inefficient when afterburner is on, and turning it off for mere seconds can be the difference between life and death.

Overall, sticking close to the ground, at high speed, and making missile passes on opponents is a good way to reach victory. Dogfights should be engaged only if the target position is advantageous, and the Mirage IIIE cannot just bleed out of energy and re-accelerate away.

The Mirage IIIE can be equipped with the SEPR 941 booster rocket if the guns are dismounted. This strategy is considered as to be avoided, the loadouts permitting the removal of the guns are very restrictive. The booster gives an output of 1.5 extra ton of thrust, and can burnt for 105 seconds before running dry.

For ground attack, the Mirage IIIE is of moderate use. While it can still carry bombs, it is a fighter by essence. It is to be noted that the Mirage IIIE can carry its entire AA armament, plus two air-to-ground weapons, on two extra hardpoints.

Since the addition of BR 11.3, the Mirage IIIE finds itself in a new position, where its playstyle changes, based on the game's BR. As a top-tier jet, the Mirage IIIE fulfills prefectly its air domination role by itself. When uptiered, it is recommended to take a more support-oriented approach to combat, and to pierce through furballs at great speed, launching a missile or two.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Excellent missile armament
* Small airframe
* Powerful cannons
* Added multi-role capability over the Mirage IIIC
* Flare/chaff dispenser, can carry 60 countermeasures in total, as well as RWR

'''Cons:'''

* Below average acceleration
* Bleeds speed fast in turnfights, and reaches a very low manoeuvrability at low speeds.
* Responsiveness suffers at low speeds

== History ==

{{main|Mirage_IIIC#History|l1=History of the Mirage IIIC}}

The Mirage IIIE is a multirole fighter version of the Mirage III series of attack aircraft manufactured by Dassault Aviation for the French Air Force. The aircraft was a follow-up to the earlier Mirage IIIC, featuring a fuselage extension, countermeasures and increased weapons capabilities. The first Mirage IIIE was built in 1964 and would quickly become the most popular variant of the Mirage in French service: the last Mirages would not be retired from French service until 1994.

Compared to the earlier Mirage IIIC, the Mirage IIIE featured numerous improvements: notably, the fuselage was stretched by 30 cm (12 in) to accommodate additional avionics and fuel tanks. It was updated with the CSF Marconi Navigation computer used on the Mirage IV nuclear bomber. The new version of Cyrano II fire control radar added some new air-to-ground modes like ground-mapping of air-to-ground ranging. Also, the most obvious change in external characteristics was the pod under the nose which contain the CSF Marconi Doppler Navigation radar. Besides, a Thomson BU radar warning receiver was fitted in the tail-fin which can provide warning information for the pilots. The Head-Up-Display unit was also changed from CSF95 to the new CSF97 which added the air-to-ground capacity too. Thanks to the new structural strength design into the airframe, the Mirage IIIE fighter could carry 4,000 kg payload in total.

The Mirage IIIE was the most common Mirage III type in service with the French air force, with a total of 183 aircraft delivered, compared to 95 Mirage IIIC and 70 Mirage IIIR aircraft. The last Mirage III would not retire from the French air force until 1994, at which point it was replaced by the Mirage 2000 and later the Dassault Rafale. The Mirage IIIE was the most popular version of Mirage III family, with 523 being built and delivered to both France and customers around the world, the Swiss and Pakistani versions can equip Chaff/Flare dispenser in to the bottom of the fuselage too. The Mirage III would see extensive service in numerous wars for several air forces; notably, the Israeli air force used Mirages during the Six-day war and Yom Kippur War, while Argentina employed its Mirage IIIEAs against British forces during the Falklands war.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=mirage_3e Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
File:Mirage IIIE hangar.png|A Mirage IIIE, equipped with its full anti-air armament, of two Magics and one Matra R530
File:Mirage IIIE front.png|Closeup view of the Mirage IIIE AA armament. Note the canted Magic launch rails, allowing fire under G stress
</gallery>

== See also ==

''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the aircraft;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{AirManufacturer Dassault}}
{{France jet aircraft}}

USS Northampton

2021-05-26T18:31:54Z

U88436620: changed descriptions crew from 621 to 872

{{Specs-Card
|code=us_cruiser_northampton_class
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American heavy cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Raining Fire"]].

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

USS Northampton's survivability is rather mediocre for an American heavy cruiser, and rather weak compared to the enemies it often faces in battle. Northampton has a main armour belt of just 3 inches (76 mm) of RHA, which can be easily penetrated by SAP and AP shells above 127 mm calibre. The magazines are protected by 95 mm of armour and sit below the waterline, meaning that they are relatively survivable. However, Northampton's ready-use shell rooms are directly below the turrets and thinly-protected, meaning that they can be detonated by enemy shells and cause severe damage. Finally, Northampton only has 872 crew members, the least out of every American cruiser except the Omaha class, which severely limits its efffectiveness in battle.

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

Northampton has decidedly average mobility for a cruiser, with a top speed of 60 km/h in Realistic battles and 70 km/h in Arcade - this is on par with most cruisers of other navies. The ship's turning circle and acceleration are nothing special, either.

{{NavalMobility}}

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

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

{{main|8 inch/55 Mark 15 (203 mm)}}

''Northampton'' carries a main armament of nine 8"/55 Mk.15 guns in three triple mounts, two fore and one aft. These guns are the standard armament for American heavy cruisers, and pack an impressive punch. The guns have good ballistics, and can access four shell types: Mk.14 Common, Mk.19 APCBC, Mk.25 HC and Mk.17 SP Common. Of these shells, the Mk.17 Special Common shell is most effective against cruisers, as it has a great explosive mass and enough penetration for most cruiser main armour belts. The Mk.19 APCBC shell can be used against heavily-armoured targets, but has a relatively small explosive mass of 1.65 kg. Finally, the HC shell, with almost 10 kilograms of explosive filler, is highly effective against destroyers and unarmoured vessels.

However, the guns have two main drawbacks. Firstly, they have the slowest reload speed of any 8-inch gun, with a fire rate of just three rounds per minute (20-second gun reload). This means that they fire much slower than their contemporaries, which typically have a fire rate of five rounds per minute (12-second reload). As well, the guns have the slowest horizontal turret rotation speed of any heavy cruiser, at just 3.1 degrees/second (comparatively, the Admiral Hipper's guns rotate at 6.8 degrees/second).

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

{{main|5 inch/25 Mk.13 AA (127 mm)}}

''Northampton'' carries a secondary armament of eight 5"/25 Mk.13 anti-aircraft guns, mounted on single open-mounts. These cannons are very effective medium-to-long range anti-aircraft guns, but are not effective against any armoured targets. They have access to just two shell types - Mk.36 AAC (HE-TF) and Mk.28 AAC (HE-VT). The former is a time-fuse shell (meaning that the fuse is set before the weapon is fired), while the latter is a proximity fuse shell that explodes automatically upon reaching the target. Both shells are ineffective against armoured targets, having ~35 mm of penetration. However, they are both capable of dealing with air and unarmoured targets quite effectively. The HE-VT shell is typically the better pick, as it offers greatly-improved efficiency against air targets.

The guns themselves are relatively good at short-range defence, being capable of firing at 20 rounds per minute (3-second reload). As well, they have very good vertical and horizontal firing angles. However, take note that the guns fire at a low muzzle velocity of 657 m/s which should be accounted for when manually aiming.

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

{{main|1.1 inch/75 Mk.1 (28 mm)|AN-M2 (12.7 mm)}}

''Northampton'' carries four quadruple 1.1 inch "Chicago Pianos". The 1.1 inch/75 Mk.1 gun, otherwise known as the "Chicago Piano" (because it was the size of a baby grand-piano), was the standard anti-aircraft armament for most American ships prior to the introduction of the 40 mm Bofors cannon. These guns are mediocre at best; though they have a good fire rate (similar to the AN-M2 Browning), they aren't too effective at dealing damage, and also jam rather quickly. As well, take note that the gun doesn't have ammunition options.

''Northampton'' also carries eight single 12.7 mm AN-M2 machine guns. The AN-M2 is a navalised anti-aircraft version of the popular Browning machine gun. This gun is rather ineffective at dealing significant damage to enemy aircraft, and is only effective within ~1.5-2 kilometres at most. As well, keep in mind that these guns have a long 12-second reload after the gun's magazine has been used.

== Usage in battles ==

USS Northampton isn't the easiest ship to play, especially given that it faces battleships often (which completely outclass it in every aspect except anti-aircraft protection) and many cruisers too (such as USS Brooklyn and USS Helena) which outclass it in terms of firepower. As such, the ship needs to be played carefully in order to succeed in battle.

Firstly, Northampton's main battery is quite mediocre. The nine 203 mm guns, placed in triple turrets (the same arrangement as the USS Portland), have an extremely weak reload speed of 17.1 seconds with a completely spaded crew, and 20+ seconds with a stock crew. This reload speed is incompetitive against most other cruisers at the Northampton's BR, and severely limits the ship's damage potential. Furthermore, Northampton's guns are inaccurate - and that is, ''very'' innacurate. These weapons have a lot of trouble hitting things reliably beyond ranges of 8 kilometres, making the ship hard to play at longer ranges. These constraints mean that ''Northampton'' does a lot better at closer ranges, where its main battery can hit targets reliably.

Secondly, Northampton is not that survivable. Though it does have a relatively large crew size for a heavy cruiser, ''Northampton'' lacks heavy armour, especially on its citadel, which houses the massive engine block - this trait is shared by other American pre-war heavy cruisers including USS Pensacola and USS Portland. The ship also has little protection on its first stage shell rooms (38 mm of RHA), which can be detonated by stray shells. Because of these constraints, you should try to use ground cover as much as possible to preserve survivability. In maps such as South Kvarken, with plenty of island covers, stay behind islands wherever possible. In open maps such as the conquest maps, your only hope will be to stay behind the front lines, and hope that enemies don't target you.

Finally, note that ''Northampton'' does not have great anti-aircraft defence. As the next class of American heavy cruiser after the USS Pensacola, Northampton gets sixteen 28 mm "Chicago Piano" guns in four quadruple mounts as well as eight 12.7 mm AN-M2 Browning HMGs. These weapons lack range and power, limiting their effectiveness to ranges of less than 2.5 kilometres. Indeed, the ship does carry eight 127 mm Mk 25 guns, capable of firing AA-VT (proximity fuze) ammunition, but these weapons are not capable of firing fast enough to be able to destroy faster incoming aircraft. Because of this, you should try to stay with allied ships, particularly ships with great anti-aircraft protection. This will help ensure that your ship will stay safe from enemy aircraft.

=== Pros and cons ===
'''Pros:'''

* Hard-hitting broadside of nine 203 mm (8 inch) guns in triple turrets
** Guns fire powerful ammunition at relatively high muzzle velocities
** Guns have great firing angles with one superfiring pair and one lone turret at the rear
* Better anti-aircraft armament than its historical predecessor, USS Pensacola

'''Cons:'''

* Main gun effectiveness is heavily diminished by an extremely slow reload speed (20+ seconds) and poor accuracy
* Anti-aircraft defence is still terrible and fails to hit targets reliably at longer ranges
* Not very survivable, with weak armour protection and just 621 crew members
* No access to auxiliary armaments such as torpedoes

== History ==

The USS ''Northampton'' (CA-26) was the lead ship of the ''Northampton''-class of heavy cruisers. Originally classified as a light cruiser due to her small size, she was later reclassified as a heavy cruiser because of her 8-inch armament. She served in the Pacific prior to the Second World War, and was escorting the USS Enterprise when the Japanese fleet attacked Pearl Harbour. She later served in the Guadalcanal campaign, participating in the Battle of Santa Cruz. However, she was sunk at the Battle of Tassafaronga, having been struck by Japanese torpedoes.<ref name=":0">Rickard, J. (2004)</ref><ref name=":1">US Navy Heritage Command. (2015)</ref>

=== Design and construction ===
The USS ''Northampton'' was the lead ship of the ''Northampton'' class, the second American 'Treaty' heavy cruiser class following the ''[[USS Pensacola (CA-24)|Pensacola]]'' class. Due to the limitations of the Washington naval treaty, they were very light at just 9000 tons standard - even lighter than their predecessors, the ''[[USS Pensacola (CA-24)|Pensacolas]]''.<ref name=":0" /> The armament scheme was revised to feature nine 8-inch (203 mm) guns in three triple turrets, which would be featured on every subsequent American heavy cruiser.<ref name=":0" /> Their anti-aircraft armament was initially sparse but would be refitted later on. As with all American heavy cruiser designs, they did not carry any torpedo armament. The ''Northampton''-class were capable of making 32.7 knots (60 kph).<ref name=":0" />

The USS ''Northampton'' was laid down on April 12th of 1928, and launched on September 5th 1929. She was sponsored by Grace Coolidge, former first lady of the United states. After construction was completed, she was formally commissioned on May 17th 1930.<ref name=":0" />
[[File:Northampton towing USS Hornet.jpg|thumb|380x380px|Northampton attempting to save the Crippled USS Hornet at the battle of Guadalcanal.]]

=== Service history ===
After her commissioning, the ''Northampton'' embarked on a shakedown cruise into the Mediterranean as part of the US Atlantic Fleet. Following the London Naval Treaty, the ship was reclassified as CA-26. In 1932, she moved to the Pacific fleet and was homeported at San Pedro; she would remain there until the start of the Second World War.<ref name=":1" />

When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour, the ''Northampton'' was out at sea escorting the USS ''Enterprise'' with Admiral William 'Bull' Halsey on board. She subsequently escorted the aircraft carrier ''Hornet'' on the Doolittle raid and the carrier Enterprise during the Battle of Midway.<ref name=":1" /> She escorted the ''Hornet'' during the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands, and attempted to keep her afloat after the carrier was severely damaged by Japanese aircraft. Her attempts were unsuccessful, and the ''Hornet'' was finished off by torpedoes and gunfire.<ref name=":1" />

The ''Northampton'' engaged in her final action, the Battle of Tassafaronga on November 30th 1942. A force of several American heavy cruisers and destroyers encountered a group of eight Japanese destroyers, tasked with delivering food to the forces at Guadalcanal.<ref name=":1" /> Taken by surprise, the Japanese force lost one of the destroyers with heavy damage to others. However, they retaliated with a torpedo attack and hit several of the American heavy cruisers. ''Northampton'' was hit by two Japanese Type 93 "Long Lance" torpedoes, which tore large gashes in her hull. Crippled and sinking, the ship was abandoned. Northampton received a total of six battle stars for her service during the Second World War.<ref name=":1" />

== Media ==

''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==

''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

=== References ===
<references />

=== Works Cited ===

* Rickard, J. (2004, March 10). USS Northampton CA-26. Retrieved November 18, 2020, from <nowiki>http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_USS_Northampton_CA26.html</nowiki>
* US Navy Heritage Command. (2015, August 13). Northampton II (CL-26). Retrieved November 18, 2020, from <nowiki>https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/n/northampton-ii.html</nowiki>

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

USS Pensacola

2021-03-29T21:01:24Z

U88436620: corrected the afermore mentioned crew count here from 623 to 923

{{Specs-Card
|code=us_cruiser_pensacola_class
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American heavy cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.93 "Shark Attack"]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
USS Pensacola's survivability is rather mediocre for an American heavy cruiser, and rather weak compared to the enemies it often faces in battle. Pensacola has a main armour belt of just 57.15 mm of RHA, which can be easily penetrated by SAP and AP shells above 127 mm calibre. The magazines are protected by 102 mm of armour and sit below the waterline, meaning that they are relatively survivable. However, Pensacola's ready-use shell rooms are directly below the turrets and thinly-protected, meaning that they can be detonated by enemy shells and cause severe damage. Finally, Pensacola has a very small crew of just 923 crew members, which is a severely-limiting factor in its survivability in battle.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}
Pensacola has decidedly average mobility for a cruiser, with a top speed of 60 km/h in Realistic battles and 70 km/h in Arcade - this is on par with most cruisers of other navies. The ship's turning circle and acceleration are nothing special, either.

{{NavalMobility}}

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

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

{{main|8 inch/55 Mark 15 (203 mm)}}

The ''Pensacola'' carries a main armament of ten 8"/55 Mk.15 guns in two triple and two twin mounts. These guns are the standard armament for American heavy cruisers, and pack an impressive punch. The guns have good ballistics, and can access four shell types: Mk.14 Common, Mk.19 APCBC, Mk.25 HC and Mk.17 SP Common. Of these shells, the Mk.17 Special Common shell is most effective against cruisers, as it has a great explosive mass and enough penetration for most cruiser main armour belts. The Mk.19 APCBC shell can be used against heavily-armoured targets, but has a relatively small explosive mass of 1.65 kg. Finally, the HC shell, with almost 10 kilograms of explosive filler, is highly effective against destroyers and unarmoured vessels.

However, the guns have two main drawbacks. Firstly, they have the slowest reload speed of any 8-inch gun, with a fire rate of just three rounds per minute (20-second gun reload). This means that they fire much slower than their contemporaries, which typically have a fire rate of five rounds per minute (12-second reload). As well, the guns have the slowest horizontal turret rotation speed of any heavy cruiser, at just 3.1 degrees/second (comparatively, the Admiral Hipper's guns rotate at 6.8 degrees/second).

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

{{main|5 inch/25 Mk.13 AA (127 mm)}}

The ''Pensacola'' carries a secondary armament of eight 5"/25 Mk.13 anti-aircraft guns, mounted on single open-mounts. These cannons are very effective medium-to-long range anti-aircraft guns, but are not effective against any armoured targets. They have access to just two shell types - Mk.36 AAC (HE-TF) and Mk.28 AAC (HE-VT). The former is a time-fuse shell (meaning that the fuze is set before the weapon is fired), while the latter is a proximity fuze shell that explodes automatically upon reaching the target. Both shells are ineffective against armoured targets, having ~35 mm of penetration. However, they are both capable of dealing with air and unarmoured targets quite effectively. The HE-VT shell is typically the better pick, as it offers greatly-improved efficiency against air targets.

The guns themselves are relatively good at short-range defence, being capable of firing at 20 rounds per minute (3-second reload). As well, they have very good vertical and horizontal firing angles. However, take note that the guns fire at a low muzzle velocity of 657 m/s which should be accounted for when manually aiming.

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

{{main|1.1 inch/75 Mk.1 (28 mm)|AN-M2 (12.7 mm)}}

The 1.1 inch/75 Mk.1 gun, otherwise known as the "Chicago Piano" (because it was the size of a baby grand-piano), was the standard anti-aircraft armament for most American ships prior to the introduction of the 40 mm Bofors cannon - Pensacola carries two of these quad-mount guns. These guns are mediocre at best; though they have a good fire rate (similar to the AN-M2 Browning), they aren't too effective at dealing damage, and also jam rather quickly. As well, take note that the gun doesn't have ammunition options.

Pensacola also carries four AN-M2 anti-aircraft guns. The AN-M2 is a navalised anti-aircraft version of the popular Browning machine gun. This gun is rather ineffective at dealing significant damage to enemy aircraft, and is only effective within ~1.5-2 kilometres at most. As well, keep in mind that these guns have a long 12-second reload after the gun's magazine has been used.

== Usage in battles ==

The Pensacola has one of the best broadsides for its battle rating, with ten 8-inch guns, and this should be used to your advantage. Use the accuracy of the guns and the good shell velocity to keep your distance and punish opposing ships from afar. These guns also have a wide array of shell types, allowing you to shoot at any type of craft you fancy with good effect. The guns do have a slow RoF, even as far as heavy cruiser guns go, so be sure to keep a good crew and make your shots count. Ranging shots will do you a world of good.

Unfortunately, the strengths of the Pensacola end there, and to do well in this ship, you have to be aware of her many limitations. Firstly, the Pensacola is far from the fastest cruiser. While she's fairly nimble once fully upgraded, she'll still lag behind the fastest cruisers, and will struggle to reposition flexibly. Be sure to plan your movements ahead of time and be aware of the battle around you. Also, the Pensacola is a big, fairly easy target. Other than the armour protecting her front ammo racks, her protection is seriously lacking. Other cruiser guns and torpedoes especially will doom you, and aircraft with big enough bombs can also cause immense damage. Speaking of aircraft, the Pensacola's AA armament is rather inadequate. While the 5-inch guns are fairly effective at long range, her smaller guns are few and far between, and lack the close range damage of 20 mm and 40 mm cannons. Keep an eye out for aircraft, and keep friendly escort ships close by. Lastly, while the guns on the Pensacola are powerful, they still have their limitations. The turret traverse is poor, meaning an enemy on your flank can be a death sentence. In addition, the Pensacola's guns have a 20 second reload, meaning a well-trained crew is a must, especially if you're stuck in a close quarters encounter against any light cruisers that can easily punch through your armour.

==== To sink a Pensacola ====
Pensacolas are easy targets for other cruisers. Their armour is weak, they aren't that fast, and their secondary armament is fairly lacking. Don't attack them head-on, where they can angle their bow armour and bring five of their guns to bear. Instead, get on their flank and punish their weak belt armour. The ammo racks for the rear two gun turrets are particularly vulnerable, with just 88.9 mm of armour protecting them from the side, enough for some light cruisers to punch through at medium range.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Good broadside of ten 203 mm guns - the largest 8-inch gun broadside of any heavy cruiser in the game
** Decent shell velocity and punching power, especially for an 8-inch gun
* Adequate secondary/AA battery of 5 inch guns, which can give destroyers and large aircraft some trouble
** Guns get access to proximity fuzed shells (AA-VT) which is extremely effective against aircraft

'''Cons:'''

* Main guns have an extremely poor fire rate (3 rounds per minute) and poor accuracy at longer ranges
** Weak anti-aircraft defences, with just several 12.7 mm and 28 mm guns, leading to a weak anti-aircraft ability at longer ranges
*Weak survivability with just 3 inches of main armour belt and 4 inches around the armour magazines
**Only 654 crew members, which is a very small crew complement for a heavy cruiser
*No access to torpedoes or any sort of auxiliary armament

== History ==

[[File:USS Pensacola underway.jpg|thumb|450x450px|USS Pensacola underway in September of 1935.]]
USS Pensacola was the lead ship of the Pensacola class of heavy cruisers, built for the US navy in the interwar period. Built up to the limitations of the Washington naval treaty, she was the first class of "treaty cruiser" and also the first American cruiser to feature an 8-inch main armament. Pensacola saw extensive service during the Second World War, and was almost sunk by Japanese torpedoes during the Battle of Tassafaronga. After the war, she was used as a target during Operation Crossroads, and was later sunk as a target ship.

=== Design and Development ===
After the end of the First World War, the only major cruiser class of the United States Navy were the Omaha class - these ships ended up a disappointment due to their awkwardly-placed main battery and light armour. As a result, the United States Navy set out to produce the first new class of "light cruisers" - the Pensacola class. Due to the Washington Naval Treaty (signed in 1920), the ships could only be built up to 10000 tons standard. The first of these ships, Pensacola, was laid down in October of 1926 and completed by April of 1930. She was subsequently redesignated as a heavy cruiser (due to her high-caliber main armament) and became the first heavy cruiser class of the United States Navy.

Pensacola displaced 9100 tons standard and was 178 metres long. Her main armament consisted of 10 8-inch (203 mm) guns in a unique configuration - two twin turrets and two triple turrets, one of each being located fore and aft. She carried a secondary armament of eight single 5-inch (127 mm) guns on beam positions. Her initial anti-aircraft armament was sparse, but was improved over time. Pensacola was the first American cruiser to lack torpedo tubes - the American design of "gun cruiser" would be continued with all following cruiser classes except the Atlanta class.

=== Operational history ===
Following her commissioning, the Pensacola joined the US Atlantic Fleet where she operated for the next four years. In 1935, she transited the Panama canal to join the Pacific Fleet at San Diego, where she would be based for the rest of her interwar career. She frequently participated in fleet exercises that took her everywhere from Alaska to Midway atoll. She was also one of six ships to receive the CXAM radar system in 1940, the first operational ship-based radar of the United States Navy.

Pensacola departed Pearl Harbour shortly before the raid and headed to the port of Brisbane in Australia after the attack. She then rendezvoused with Task Force (TF) 11, centered around the carrier Lexington. In April of 1942, she returned to Pearl Harbour and was reassigned to the Enterprise escort group. She was still serving in this capacity during the Battle of Midway, where planes from the Enterprise and Yorktown crippled the Japanese carriers Kaga, Akagi, Soryu and Hiryu, the core of the Imperial Japanese Navy. During the course of the battle, she was detached to the Yorktown's escort group, and provided anti-aircraft cover when the carrier was struck by Japanese torpedoes. She managed to shoot down six enemy torpedo bombers, but in vain, as the Yorktown was hit by two more torpedoes and had to be abandoned.

After the Midway battle, Pensacola returned to Pearl Harbour, and was reassigned to the carrier Hornet's escort squadron. She was still serving in this capacity during the Battle of the Coral Sea, and was providing AA fire when the Hornet was hit by multiple enemy bombs and sunk. She was reassigned to USS Enterprise, and provided cover as the carrier launched aircraft during the Battle of Guadalcanal.

==== Battle of Tassafaronga ====
[[File:Pensacola battle damage.jpg|thumb|450x450px|USS Pensacola alongside the repair ship USS Vestal after she was damaged by Japanese torpedoes at the Battle of Tassafaronga.]]
After the battle of Guadalcanal, Pensacola was reassigned to TF 67 (with four other heavy cruisers and several destroyers) to attack Japanese forces in the Guadalcanal area. On the night of the 30th of November, they encountered a Japanese transport squadron and promptly engaged them: this battle would be known as the Battle of Tassafaronga. During the battle, Pensacola, along with the other ships, spotted a Japanese troop convoy heading for the Solomons, escorted by eight destroyers. And thus began a short engagement limited by poor night-time visibility where the Japanese destroyer Takamani was sunk by gunfire. However, the rest of the Japanese destroyers were not fired upon, and launched a large number of Type 93 'Long Lance' heavy oxygen torpedoes.

At 23:27, the cruiser USS Minneapolis was hit by two torpedoes in her engine rooms causing her to take heavy damage. New Orleans, the second cruiser in line, took evasive action but was hit by a Type 93 that detonated her forward ammunition magazines and destroyed her bow. As Pensacola turned to avoid the two heavily-damaged cruisers, she was hit by a torpedo underneath her mainmast that caused severe damage - her engine room flooded and her oil tanks were set on fire. The fires then spread aft and eventually caused her rear ammunition magazines to detonate, causing further damage. Pensacola limped back to port, still on fire, with 125 men dead and 68 more injured.

==== Later service ====
Pensacola was given emergency repairs by the repair ship Vestal before proceeding back to Pearl Harbour for permanent repairs. She was fully operational again by November of 1943, and spent the last two years of war serving in various capacities. She participated in the battle of Leyte Gulf, and later served in the invasion of Okinawa as a fire support ship. At the end of the war, Pensacola was anchored at Adak Station in Alaska.

Following the cessation of hostilities, Pensacola returned to the Eastern theatre, arriving at Ominato Harbour in Northern Honshu. She then embarked on a long journey back home, repatriating two hundred American veterans to Pearl Harbour, and eight hundred more back to the harbour of San Diego. From there, she embarked on her final trip to Bikini Atoll in the southern Pacific, where she was to be expended as a target ship during the American nuclear bomb tests. She survived both drops, and was studied by the USN to determine the effects of the radiation. She was then finally sunk as a target ship in 1948. Throughout the course of the war, Pensacola received 13 battle stars for her service.

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6443-development-rank-v-in-the-war-thunder-navy-the-uss-pensacola-en|[Devblog] Rank V in the War Thunder Navy: The USS Pensacola]]

=== References ===

* Chen, P. C. (2004). Heavy Cruiser Pensacola. Retrieved January 12, 2021, from <nowiki>https://ww2db.com/ship_spec.php?ship_id=303</nowiki>
* Rickard, J. (2014, January 31). USS Pensacola (CA-24). Retrieved January 12, 2021, from <nowiki>http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_USS_Pensacola_CA24.html</nowiki>
* Schulman, M. (1996). USS Pensacola CA-24Hi. Retrieved January 12, 2021, from <nowiki>https://www.historycentral.com/navy/cruiser/Pensacola.html</nowiki>

{{ShipManufacturer Brooklyn Navy Yard}}
{{USA heavy cruisers}}

Chapayev

2021-03-08T19:16:06Z

U88436620: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_cruiser_chapayev
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet light cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]].

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


Strong armour against any and all 155 mm shells, only constant AP fire from the likes of the [[USS Brooklyn (CL-40)|USS Brooklyn]] will cause enough damage to put a dent in your crew count. Against 8-inch shells, it is recommended to angle your hull 45 degrees towards the attacker to avoid penetrating hits to your ammunition and engine compartments. Against the [[Admiral Graf Spee]], it is adviced to pray and/or hope the enemy ship is using high-explosive shells.

The {{PAGENAME}} turrets are immune to HE and AP shells from destroyers, as well resistance against being incapacitated from enemy secondary guns that ships like the [[IJN Mogami]] and the [[Kirov]] suffer from a lot. Against cruisers, the turrets are quite resistant to their high-explosive shells aside from the lucky shell that will hit one of the gun breeches, which will disable only one out of the three guns on the turret.

Deck armour is strong enough to resist 250 kg bombs, but heavier ones will cause catastrophic damage.

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


The {{PAGENAME}} possess an average maximum speed with somewhat quick acceleration. The rudder is very responsive for a cruiser, but the ship tends to list a lot from the tiniest rudder movements and takes a while to recover, which can mess up gun accuracy.

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

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}
{{main|152 mm/57 B-38 (152 mm)}}

''Provide information about the characteristics of the primary armament. Evaluate their efficacy in battle based on their reload speed, ballistics and the capacity of their shells. Add a link to the main article about the weapon: <code><nowiki>{{main|Weapon name (calibre)}}</nowiki></code>. Broadly describe the ammunition available for the primary armament, and provide recommendations on how to use it and which ammunition to choose.''

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}
{{main|100 mm/56 SM-5-1 (100 mm)}}

''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.''

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}
{{main|V-11 (37 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 ===
''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".''

'''Pros:'''

*Has great survivability given her crew count
*AAA is slow but effective its advised you use HE-VT for 100MM secondaries
*Very maneuverable
* Can take a few torps if they hit near the center of the boat

'''Cons:'''

* Slow without engine upgrades fire rate is all but amazing
* Prone to quick flooding without pump upgrade
*Little armor for ammo

== History ==

The Soviet cruiser Chapayev (Чапаев) was the lead ship of her class of light cruisers built for the Soviet Navy before and after the Second World War. Initially designed as a follow-up to the previous Kirov-class cruisers, the ship was laid down and launched at the start of the Second World War before construction was halted due to the German invasion. Chapayev was completed after the war, albeit to an altered design with heavily-increased anti-aircraft armament. However, due to the advent of advanced weapons systems such as guided missiles, the ship was made obsolete extremely quickly. Chapayev was reduced to a training ship in 1960, and sold for scrap by 1963.

=== Design and development ===
The Chapayev class, or Project 68, was designed as a follow up to the previous Kirov class of light cruisers. The ships were designed with a new main armament of twelve 6-inch guns, compared to the nine 7-inch guns of the Kirov class. The ship was also significantly larger, displacing almost 5000 tons more than the preceding Kirovs. Initially, it was planned that a total of 17 ships would be built, but only seven ships had been started when the Germans invaded. The Chapayev was the first of these ships, launched in 1941 just before the invasion. Two of the seven hulls were destroyed on their slipways by the German forces, but the remaining five vessels were completed after the war in 1950.

Chapayev displaced 14 000 tons full load and had a complement of 840. Her main armament consisted of twelve 6-inch (152 mm) guns in four triple mounts, similar to the comparable British and American cruiser classes. Being completed after the war, she also carried an extremely heavy anti-aircraft armament of eight 100 mm dual-purpose guns in double mounts, and 28 37 mm anti aircraft guns. She also had six beam torpedo tubes, which were removed later on. Chapayev had been built with a seaplane catapult and hangar, but these were swiftly removed before her completion as there was no need for them in the postwar naval environment.

=== Operational History ===
After her completion, Chapayev entered service with the Russian 4th Fleet. In July of 1951, she was transferred to the Black sea fleet. The advent of the Chapayevs and Sverdlovs was a huge shock for the United Kingdom, and resulted in the development of the Blackburn Buccaneer as an effective anti-ship aircraft designed to counter them. However, due to the advent of the guided missile, Chapayev soon became obsolete. She was withdrawn from the fleet in April of 1958 and used as a training ship between 1958 and 1963. In October of 1963, she was sold and scrapped by early 1964.

=== [[wt:en/news/6365-development-chapayev-the-commander-at-sea-en|Devblog]] ===
In July 1937, the USSR formally joined the 1936 London Naval Agreement. Having agreed to the restrictions imposed by the treaty, Soviet shipbuilders began developing a new light cruiser design around the treaty limitations. However, it quickly became clear that it wasn't possible to match the new design against both treaty limitations and naval needs, despite the already applying weight saving measures. As a result, the decision was made to disregard the treaty restrictions in March 1938, with the design already being approved by the following year.

Initially, 26 ships of the Project 68 cruisers were planned for construction. However, initial construction difficulties resulted in only 7 ships being laid down, of which 4 were later launched. The subsequent German invasion in June 1941 led to all work on ships of the Project 68 class to be suspended.

Following the end of WWII, Soviet shipbuilders quickly realized that, due to the appearance of new technologies and tactics, vessels such as the Project 68 ships were no longer suitable for modern naval combat. Thus, the decision was made to restart their construction under a modernized design. The lead ship of this class was the Soviet light cruiser Chapayev.

Chapayev was laid down in October 1939 and launched in April 1941. Having its construction suspended during the war, it was only restarted in the late 1940s, with the ship finally seeing completion and entering service with the Soviet Navy in May 1950. Chapayev served until 1958, before being assigned to support roles leading up to its retirement. In the early 1960s, the ship was ultimately decommissioned from service and was subsequently broken up for scrap in 1964.

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6365-development-chapayev-the-commander-at-sea-en|[Devblog] Chapayev: The Commander at Sea]]

=== References ===

* Naval Encyclopedia. (2020, November 04). Chapayev class cruisers were among the last Soviet conventional cruisers. Retrieved January 20, 2021, from <nowiki>https://www.naval-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/ussr/chapayev-class-cruisers/</nowiki>
* Pike, J. (2000). Military. Retrieved January 20, 2021, from <nowiki>https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/68.htm</nowiki>
{{USSR light cruisers}}

Chapayev

2021-03-08T19:12:36Z

U88436620: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_cruiser_chapayev
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet light cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]].

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


Strong armour against any and all 155 mm shells, only constant AP fire from the likes of the [[USS Brooklyn (CL-40)|USS Brooklyn]] will cause enough damage to put a dent in your crew count. Against 8-inch shells, it is recommended to angle your hull 45 degrees towards the attacker to avoid penetrating hits to your ammunition and engine compartments. Against the [[Admiral Graf Spee]], it is adviced to pray and/or hope the enemy ship is using high-explosive shells.

The {{PAGENAME}} turrets are immune to HE and AP shells from destroyers, as well resistance against being incapacitated from enemy secondary guns that ships like the [[IJN Mogami]] and the [[Kirov]] suffer from a lot. Against cruisers, the turrets are quite resistant to their high-explosive shells aside from the lucky shell that will hit one of the gun breeches, which will disable only one out of the three guns on the turret.

Deck armour is strong enough to resist 250 kg bombs, but heavier ones will cause catastrophic damage.

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


The {{PAGENAME}} possess an average maximum speed with somewhat quick acceleration. The rudder is very responsive for a cruiser, but the ship tends to list a lot from the tiniest rudder movements and takes a while to recover, which can mess up gun accuracy.

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

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}
{{main|152 mm/57 B-38 (152 mm)}}

''Provide information about the characteristics of the primary armament. Evaluate their efficacy in battle based on their reload speed, ballistics and the capacity of their shells. Add a link to the main article about the weapon: <code><nowiki>{{main|Weapon name (calibre)}}</nowiki></code>. Broadly describe the ammunition available for the primary armament, and provide recommendations on how to use it and which ammunition to choose.''

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}
{{main|100 mm/56 SM-5-1 (100 mm)}}

''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.''

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}
{{main|V-11 (37 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 ===
''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".''

'''Pros:'''

*Has great survivability given her crew count
*AAA is slow but effective its advised you use HE-VT for 100MM secondaries
*Very maneuverable
* Can take a few torps if they hit near the center of the boat

'''Cons:'''

*

== History ==

The Soviet cruiser Chapayev (Чапаев) was the lead ship of her class of light cruisers built for the Soviet Navy before and after the Second World War. Initially designed as a follow-up to the previous Kirov-class cruisers, the ship was laid down and launched at the start of the Second World War before construction was halted due to the German invasion. Chapayev was completed after the war, albeit to an altered design with heavily-increased anti-aircraft armament. However, due to the advent of advanced weapons systems such as guided missiles, the ship was made obsolete extremely quickly. Chapayev was reduced to a training ship in 1960, and sold for scrap by 1963.

=== Design and development ===
The Chapayev class, or Project 68, was designed as a follow up to the previous Kirov class of light cruisers. The ships were designed with a new main armament of twelve 6-inch guns, compared to the nine 7-inch guns of the Kirov class. The ship was also significantly larger, displacing almost 5000 tons more than the preceding Kirovs. Initially, it was planned that a total of 17 ships would be built, but only seven ships had been started when the Germans invaded. The Chapayev was the first of these ships, launched in 1941 just before the invasion. Two of the seven hulls were destroyed on their slipways by the German forces, but the remaining five vessels were completed after the war in 1950.

Chapayev displaced 14 000 tons full load and had a complement of 840. Her main armament consisted of twelve 6-inch (152 mm) guns in four triple mounts, similar to the comparable British and American cruiser classes. Being completed after the war, she also carried an extremely heavy anti-aircraft armament of eight 100 mm dual-purpose guns in double mounts, and 28 37 mm anti aircraft guns. She also had six beam torpedo tubes, which were removed later on. Chapayev had been built with a seaplane catapult and hangar, but these were swiftly removed before her completion as there was no need for them in the postwar naval environment.

=== Operational History ===
After her completion, Chapayev entered service with the Russian 4th Fleet. In July of 1951, she was transferred to the Black sea fleet. The advent of the Chapayevs and Sverdlovs was a huge shock for the United Kingdom, and resulted in the development of the Blackburn Buccaneer as an effective anti-ship aircraft designed to counter them. However, due to the advent of the guided missile, Chapayev soon became obsolete. She was withdrawn from the fleet in April of 1958 and used as a training ship between 1958 and 1963. In October of 1963, she was sold and scrapped by early 1964.

=== [[wt:en/news/6365-development-chapayev-the-commander-at-sea-en|Devblog]] ===
In July 1937, the USSR formally joined the 1936 London Naval Agreement. Having agreed to the restrictions imposed by the treaty, Soviet shipbuilders began developing a new light cruiser design around the treaty limitations. However, it quickly became clear that it wasn't possible to match the new design against both treaty limitations and naval needs, despite the already applying weight saving measures. As a result, the decision was made to disregard the treaty restrictions in March 1938, with the design already being approved by the following year.

Initially, 26 ships of the Project 68 cruisers were planned for construction. However, initial construction difficulties resulted in only 7 ships being laid down, of which 4 were later launched. The subsequent German invasion in June 1941 led to all work on ships of the Project 68 class to be suspended.

Following the end of WWII, Soviet shipbuilders quickly realized that, due to the appearance of new technologies and tactics, vessels such as the Project 68 ships were no longer suitable for modern naval combat. Thus, the decision was made to restart their construction under a modernized design. The lead ship of this class was the Soviet light cruiser Chapayev.

Chapayev was laid down in October 1939 and launched in April 1941. Having its construction suspended during the war, it was only restarted in the late 1940s, with the ship finally seeing completion and entering service with the Soviet Navy in May 1950. Chapayev served until 1958, before being assigned to support roles leading up to its retirement. In the early 1960s, the ship was ultimately decommissioned from service and was subsequently broken up for scrap in 1964.

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6365-development-chapayev-the-commander-at-sea-en|[Devblog] Chapayev: The Commander at Sea]]

=== References ===

* Naval Encyclopedia. (2020, November 04). Chapayev class cruisers were among the last Soviet conventional cruisers. Retrieved January 20, 2021, from <nowiki>https://www.naval-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/ussr/chapayev-class-cruisers/</nowiki>
* Pike, J. (2000). Military. Retrieved January 20, 2021, from <nowiki>https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/68.htm</nowiki>
{{USSR light cruisers}}