U.S.A.

## Destroyers/DD

The play style of American destroyers is best summarized as "annoy and harrass"; their fast-firing guns in quick-turning turrets can continuously rain fire on opponents with impunity while under cover of smoke or vision blockers such as islands (or simply out of vision range). Tier X *Gearing*, the crown jewel of USN destroyers, can blanket her targets with more than 120 rounds per minute. Unfortunately, slow shell velocities and incredulously high shell arcs, while allowing captains to fire over islands, make it near-impossible to hit anything but the largest of targets beyond medium ranges. They also have reasonable anti-aircraft firepower, allowing them to play the role of escort ship when the need arises; fire discipline and astute Smoke Generator usage are required, since gun and anti-aircraft battery fire can broadcast a ship's position. American torpedoes had variable speed settings; in World of Warships, only the high-speed setting is available (with the exception of Tier VII premium *Sims*). In-game, this means that lower tier American destroyers, instead of stealthily launching a spread out of visual range, are forced to weather fire from their targets' primary and secondary batteries well before they come within torpedo range.

## USN Cruisers

### Tier X

Des Moines, Worcester

American cruisers are all about the guns; their primary battery, secondary battery, and anti-aircraft armament are superlative. Forgoing torpedoes after *Omaha* at Tier V, they are instead able to lay down an incredible hail of gunfire in almost any direction, due to the fast-firing guns located along the sides of their lower-tier ships, or in their fast-turning turrets at higher tiers. Any enemies — especially destroyers — that come within firing range and do not take evasive action are quickly sent to the bottom of the ocean. Although the Japanese often have better range and firepower, the Americans have faster turret traverse, conventional layouts, and higher rates of fire; the high shell arc of some of their cruiser rifles — like their destroyer counterparts — is a double-edged sword, with a plunging trajectory hampered by their unimpressive shell velocities. Their anti-aircraft batteries easily dissuade aircraft from venturing too close or even approaching if they're not massed together for protection; yet even then, a well-timed Defensive AA Fire will quickly deplete the assets of enemy aircraft carriers. The American cruiser line splits after *Omaha* into a heavy cruiser branch - starting with *Pensacola* and topped by *Des Moines* - and a light cruiser branch starting with *Dallas* and topped by *Worcester*. *Des Moines* is the very pinnacle of the all-gun cruiser, as she has a very powerful anti-aircraft suite and main batteries that have unrivaled rate of fire. *Worcester* has rapid-fire guns, many consumables, and a great AA suite, which gives her unparalleled versatility on the battlefield.

## USN Battleships

### Tier X

Montana

American battleships follow more orthodox and consistent designs: while their guns may not be as large and powerful as those of the IJN, the USN ships make up for it by having more guns that fire more often, giving them unmatched broadside firepower. Their anti-air suites are also fairly decent at staving off aerial assaults, although it's still recommended to have cruiser escort. In spite of inferior firing ranges and poor mobility, American battleships are capable of absorbing major damage in order to bring their guns to bear—their citadel armor is impenetrable to all but the largest caliber shells (at the cost of having a more lightly-armored bow and stern). Moving up the tech tree, their mobility progressively improves and catches up with the Japanese with the *North Carolina* at Tier VIII, and their AA firepower grows to the point that they either become practically immune to all but the most concentrated of air attacks, or the aircraft will not survive the return trip. From Tier V to X, American battleships enjoy a Rapid Reload consumable, giving the line better DPM. The Tier X *Montana* is the pinnacle of the American battleship line: the evolution of the *Iowa*-class battleship design whose construction was cancelled some time after receiving congressional approval for construction in order to focus more on aircraft carrier production.

## USN Carriers

### Tier X

Midway

☀Early in the war, the overall state and quantity of USN naval aviation lagged behind their Japanese rivals. Thus, their early carriers can be painful to use. Their large sizes up-and-down the line mean that they can be seen from miles away (Tier X carrier *Midway* has one of the worst concealment values in the game, even worse than *Yamato*), and even though they are quite durable with surprisingly strong anti-aircraft defenses, remaining un-spotted or sticking with teammates for protection is still recommended. All American carriers carry HE bombers with the exception of Tier VIII premium *Enterprise*. The HE bombs are a devastating threat to destroyers and a nuisance to other ship types. Planes have high health pool compared to their IJN counterparts, allowing them to survive longer and keep full squadrons toward the end of the game. However, torpedo bombers carry very slow torpedoes with short range and a large dispersion even when fully aimed. Players are encouraged to drop their payload at close distances.

## USN Premiums

### Tier VII

West Virginia, Indianapolis, Helena, Atlanta, Sims

### Tier IX

Missouri

WOWSB currently has 11 Premium Ships for the USN.