USS Arkansas (BB-33)

## USS Arkansas

The Arkansas, as seen in game. Note: table statistics do not reflect flag bonuses.

## Armament

### Primary Batteries

Twelve 305mm (12 inch) gunsType 1:

Damage: 15,892 to 19,627

Reload time: 12 to 10 seconds

Type 2:

Damage: 18,276 to 23,302

Reload time: 12 to 9 seconds

### Secondary Batteries

Ten single mounts.Range: 780 to 930 meters

Damage: 6,357 to 7,581

Reload Time: 9 to 7 seconds

### Anti-Aircraft Guns

Eight AA gunsType 1: 580 to 733

Type 2: 638 to 760

Type 3: 696 to 880

Type 4: 754 to 898

### Aircraft Catapults (Interceptors)

None.

The USS Arkansas was a dreadnought battleship featured in the game.

The Arkansas represents a leap forward from firepower from the Royal Sovereign. Dealing 26k dmg when maxed (30K with flags) and a similar reload speed makes her a very competitive ship against even top tier ships. Arkansas is also particularly dangerous when compared to Texas and Grosser Kurfust when employed in a hit and run fashion as she can fire 8 of her 12 guns when turning tail and running, which makes her both hard to hit but capable of dealing 20K or so damage every 8-9 seconds. Her only real downsides are the mediocre AA and slow speed that is only outdone by the Rodney. Her HP, while high at over 185K, leaves much to be desired as it is larger than the Royal but is slower, making enemy hits and accumulation of damage much more common.

The Arkansas can be obtained through the Daily Rewards during the 14th day.

## Background History

The USS Arkansas (BB-33) was a Wyoming class battleship that was built by the United States Navy. She was laid down around January 1910, launched around January 1911, and commissioned into the Navy in September 1912. The Arkansas served on both World Wars, but saw no action on the First One.

During World War 2, she actively patrolled the Atlantic Ocean. During 1944, she participated in the Invasion of Normandy. During 1945, the Arkansas was transferred to the Pacific and supported the shelling of Japanese bases on Iwo Jima and Okinawa. After the end of the war, she was used to ferry troops back to the United States in Operation Magic Carpet. She was later on used to test Nuclear Explosives and was sunk by the Nuclear Test BAKER at the Bikini Atoll during July 25, 1946.

## Tactics

The Arkansas is a sort of beginner ship and an improvement on the Texas sporting a higher broadside count of 12 complimented by her high fire rate and higher damage. She holds damage over time above all due to her fire rate and damage. Her low speed, turn rate, and health leave her as a support battleship or a type of ship that defends a certain region of a map.

**When playing as an Arkansas**

A moderately upgraded Arkansas is in dire need of support as her health and damage are still incredibly low compared to 3-5 star battleships. She works best alongside other battleships and better off supporting larger battleships. Your best bet is to fire HE shells if your reload speed is good enough because her ability to set ships on fire is increased and her damage isn't exactly effective against the larger ships. However, you should be free to use AP shells against cruisers and battleships of your kind.

A fully upgraded Arkansas is surprisingly powerful and even throws off enemy players. She still lacks in every other department except her gunplay. Her fire rate, when increased with a flag, can put out an amazing amount of damage for such a lowly battleship of her kind. Her fire rate, moderate damage, high broadside count, and tight shell dispersion make her perfect for destroying destroyers and cruisers. She can even start fighting ships bigger than her like the Dunkerque or Rodney, but her health and speed still leaves her on the lesser hand of the fight. To get a good fight against any battleship that's on par with you (Royal Sovereign, Texas, Arkansas, Großer Kurfürst) you'll need to get in close in order to get your secondaries to fire. Your overall damage should be more than enough to sink them quickly. Just don't get close to ships that have torpedoes, such as cruisers and destroyers.

Now let's look in more depth into her fighting style. Her speed often leaves her left behind in the beginning of the match and leaves her fighting from the rear and from a afar due to the inability to charge forward efficiently without any support. Fortunately, her shell dispersion does not let her down. Her small body forces her to pack all her guns close to each other making for a tight shell dispersion which can be increased even further by angling your vessel. She can be 3-4km away and hit other battleships directly with ease. She can still be sniped, but only a Dunkerque or a Rodney can counter her range fights in the right manner. Still, her HP still gives her a chance to retreat behind a close island, and when retreating, your gun play gets bizarre and yet beneficial. So first off, between your two rear group of guns there is mast. But according to the game that does not exist. You can fire straight through the mast making you capable of firing 4 of your 6 guns behind you as you retreat. And this is really beneficial in a slow ship because a faster ship is more than likely to chase you down and you're just slowly deteriorating them. Soon enough their in your range of your secondaries and you can turn right back around and hit them with every gun possible when they're already weakened. Despite her downfalls she has a lot of upsides and she can use her downfalls to trick and outperform her foes.

Avoid fighting carriers as your lack of AA damage makes you an easy kill and her dodging capability isn't exactly up for the task.

**When playing alongside with an Arkansas**

Provide AA cover to your fellow Arkansas. It will deal with the more dangerous ships at the distance, while you take down the destroyers that draw near. Also, learn to be patient with your fellow Arkansas. It can not catch up with faster vessels.

**When playing against an Arkansas**

Be on guard against a hostile Arkansas. They can deal damage early in the match due to its excellent shell dispersion. Sneaking up at an Arkansas and striking it with Torpedoes is a good solution, but be warned with its secondaries. Aircraft also is an excellent solution against an unescorted Arkansas.

## Advantages and Disadvantages

**Advantages**

* Tight shell dispersion.
* Has twelve main guns.
* Fast main gun reload.
* Has great fire setting capabilities.

**Disadvantages**

* Weak AA guns.
* Very slow.
* Dreadful turn time, 40 secs even when fully upgraded.

## Editor/Contributor's Opinion

1) **XercesDenial** :- " This is USS Arsonist when it comes to battleships... she has one of the best dispersion in the game IMO.. but better plan your positioning ahead of time.. because you can't run away in this thing.. "

2) **Thathsilu898** :-" This is USS Arsonist when it comes to battleships... she has one of the best dispersion in the game IMO.. but better plan your positioning ahead of time.. because you can't run away in this thing.. " ***Absolutely True, But She Is Underrated***

## Trivia

* The Arkansas earned a total of four battle stars during World War 2.
* The in game Arkansas originally only had one variant of AA guns. This was later changed to include an additional 3 more (Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3), with the weakest one being the default (Type 1).
	+ This is actually accurate as her pacific loadout contained a plethora of browning machine guns, 40mm Bofors, and 20mm oerlikons.
* The Arkansas within the community is known as the ultimate underdog. Since many players underestimate her abilities but later get smashed by her.