USS South Dakota (BB-57)

## USS South Dakota

The South Dakota, as seen in game. Note that the table statistics do not reflect any flag bonuses

## General Characterstics

### Interceptors

2 to 5 interceptors▪Type 1:

HP: 460 to 564

Speed: 684.0 to 784.8 km/h

DPS: 160 to 183

▪Type 2:

HP: 529 to 649

Speed: 784.8 to 900 km/h

DPS: 184 to 211

▪Type 3:

HP: 598 to 780

Speed: 889.2 to 1,054.8 km/h

DPS: 208 to 247

## Armament

### Primary Batteries

Nine 406mm (16 inch) gunsDamage: 28,327 to 33,936

Reload Time: 15 to 12 seconds

### Secondary Batteries

Ten dual mountsRange: 930 to 1,134 meters

Damage: 9,831 to 11,984

Reload Time: 11 to 8 seconds

### Anti-Aircraft Guns

▪Ten "class 1"DPS: 424 to 536

▪Fifty "class 2"

DPS: 440 to 539

### Aircraft Catapults (Interceptors)

Two catapults.

"Fight For Freedom" - *Unknown*

The South Dakota was a U.S. battleship featured in the game.

## Background History

The South Dakota was laid down during July 5, 1939; was launched during June 7, 1941; and was commissioned during March 20, 1942. Soon after it was commissioned, it was sent to the Pacific Ocean to provide support to the allied forces at Guadalacanal.

During around November 14 and 15, 1942; The South Dakota and another U.S. battleship, Washington, engaged the Kirishima, Atago, and several other warships. During the engagement, the South Dakota was constantly battered by the Japanese ships; and, combined with the electrical problems it was suffering, left the ship "deaf, dumb, blind, and impotent", according to Admiral Lee. While the Japanese ships were distracted with the South Dakota, the Washington attacked unopposed. After the skirmish, the two forces departed, and the Kirishima sank a few hours after the battle.

During 1943, after undergoing repairs, the South Dakota was sent to the Atlantic Ocean to support the convoys going to the Soviet Union.

Before the end of 1943, the South Dakota was sent back to the Pacific Ocean and partook in several campaigns. During September 1945, the ship returned back to the United States, only to be sold for scrap later on during 1962.

## Tactics

The epitome of battleship power in low-tier matches, South Dakota is a powerful battleship with decent damage output, great AA, maneuverability and HP. Fully upgraded with flags, she can hit a shocking 257k hp. She is not to be messed with, and her biggest threats are from ships like Nagato, Kongo and Fuso, the Japanese Trio in short.

When playing the South Dakota, it is important to note that her accuracy has been somewhat nerfed and landing most shells on a distant target can be challenging. But don't take it to heart as South Dakota has IMO one of the best dispersion at low-tier, far better than her Japanese counter-parts. But, do take this with a pinch of salt and unless safe to do so, heading-on is the best option, given she can use up to 67% of her firepower in this position (25.4K damage when the American Flag is equipped). Of course, being an absolute tank, she can sustain damage while firing broadsides, if necessary. Cruisers should not threaten her too much, and destroyers should be avoided whenever possible, due to your 35 sec turn-time (even when fully upgraded), dodging their hard-hitting torpedoes would be difficult. As said above, her greatest enemies are the Japanese trio because they too pack a heavy punch (heavier than Dakota's in most cases), have mobility that is a league above Dakota's and can tank very well.

**Playing as a South Dakota**

The South Dakota is surprisingly fast for a battleship, and can even outrun cruisers in many cases. Therefore, early in the game, figure out which flank you would like to sail down using your amazing speed; do NOT charge the center, because you are a priority target and WILL get targeted, surrounded and eventually destroyed. From your flank, you can gain broadside access to about half the enemy team. Use this chance to destroy them. If you sink during this phase, you should have at least dealt around 200k damage and should have contributed significantly to your team. Otherwise, you can then sail towards the rest of the enemy ships to finish them off.

Learn how to control the range between you and enemy ships, and use your secondaries to your advantage. They are very powerful, reload quickly and can help you take down foes with ease.

Apart from that, try to avoid closing the gap with aircraft carriers, though you might have one of the best AA suite at this tier, your below average maneuverability will make it hard for you to dodge torpedoes or bombs.

**Playing alongside with a South Dakota**

The South Dakota proves to be a very effective support ship due to its powerful AA. It can provide Anti Aircraft cover for any nearby ship while also being able to attack the larger capital ships. Its main weakness would be a surprise attack from an torpedo-bearing enemy or a rogue aircraft carrier, so you must be on guard for any ships that try sneak up to an ally South Dakota. If you're a cruiser, try to stop those pesky DDs from attacking your ally Dakota. If you're commanding a battleship, try to stay close to the Dakota and provide fire support by taking out enemy warships, in return the friendly Dakota can provide you the AA cover you might so badly need. No matter what ship you are sailing, try to keep this ally safe as it can be a huge asset to your team in securing a victory

**Playing against a South Dakota**

Facing the South Dakota as a definitively weaker ship should be avoided as much as possible, but if you are forced to take the duel, try to head-on the ship. Its relatively low horizontal accuracy can ensure you survive your head-on charge. Then, at close range, if you have torpedoes, unleash them on this monster. Otherwise, circle rapidly around the ship and throw off the aim limit on the front turrets. Her slow and cumbersome turning would give you the upper hand in a brawl but be prepared to take some debilitating damage during this time, because Dakota has excellent secondaries and guns that hit like a truck. This is probably the best method to take on this Southie while going solo. Destroyers and Cruisers are best suited for this play. Otherwise, get an ally through the chat to help you pound the Dakota.

## Advantages and Disadvantages

**Advantages**

* Fast main gun reload.
* Strong Anti Aircraft armament.
* Decent maneuverability compared to other top tier bb s like triptiz
* Decent accuracy.
* Quite Speedy for a battleship.

**Disadvantages**

* Low HP for a battleship of its tier.
* Low main gun damage.

## Editor/Contributor's Opinion

1) **XercesDenial** :- " I wish the turning circle was better.. her clumsiness plagues me... apart from that.. it's a niche among ships at this tier "

2) **Thathsilu898** :- " Here we have what i call the ***Low Tier H41*** "

3) **MassiveNetwork19 :- "**Great Example of the American fast battleship, nothing short of a full salvo of torpedoes or a fully maxed out Kongo will sink it"

## Trivia

* Due to the South Dakota's small size, it was often plagued with problems from overcrowding.
* Although the South Dakota was scrapped in 1962, two of her sister ships, the USS Massachusetts and USS Alabama, were preserved as museum ships in their respective states.

**Historical Inaccuracies**

* Although the in game South Dakota is equipped with Nine 406 millimeter (16 inch) guns, it deals lesser main battery damage than the Scharnhorst, which is only equipped with Nine 280 millimeter (11 inch) guns.