Poltava
Contents
Description
The Sevastopol-class, Poltava, 1914 was the second ship of the Gangut-class dreadnoughts built for the Imperial Russian Navy in the early 1910s as Russia's first dreadnoughts. She was laid down on 16th June 1909 and commissioned on 30th December 1914. She was tasked with defending the Gulf of Finland from the Germans, but they never attacked so she conducted training missions and covered minelaying ships. Due to the lack of crew in 1918, she was laid up and suffered heavy damage from a fire the following year. She was a parts source for her sister ships and no repair was ever carried out on her. She was struck from the Navy List in 1940 and in late 1941 she was grounded to prevent her sinking by the Germans. Her wreck was refloated in 1944 and subsequently scrapped in 1949.
Poltava was introduced in Update "New Power". The Poltava is very similar to the Imperatritsa Mariya, as the latter was a development of the Gangut class. The Poltava features less armour compared to Mariya, with turrets being up to 203 mm thick and barbettes up to 150 mm instead of 250 mm thick armour found on Mariya. The ship is armed with four triple 305 mm guns distributed along the length of the ship. The guns fire either HE, APHEBC, or SAP shells. The SAP shells are one of the best in their class with 55.2 kg TNTeq and up to 223 mm penetration on 10 km range, allowing for destroying or heavily damaging heavy cruisers or even lighter armoured battleships with a single salvo.
General info
Survivability and armour
Poltava's main armour belt is 225 mm thick and protects the ship along the entire length between turret n°1 and n°4 and also part of the ship under the waterline. Casemates are protected by 125 mm of armour, although these are vulnerable to overpressure and cause significant crew loss when damaged. The deck is 38 mm thick and vulnerable against long range fire from certain ships such as Helena or Brooklyn due to their high angle of fire. Another layer of protection that protects machinery and magazines of turret n°2 and 3 consist of coal bunkers that add another significant protection. The other two magazines are protected by being very low under the waterline, making them very hard to hit and explode. Crew complement consists of 1,125 sailors, which is on par with contemporary battleships and less than more modern heavy cruisers, battlecruisers and battleships.
Mobility
Poltava, just like her contemporary Imperatritsa Mariya, is powered by coal-fueled engines which unfortunately do not produce enough power for the ship to be somewhat manoeuvrable. It takes a lot of time to reach top speed, rudder takes time to change direction of the ship aswell, but after reaching full tilt, the ship itself manoeuvres well. The maximum reverse speed of 22 km/h can be reached in approximately 25 seconds, while forward maximum speed of 43 km/h can be reached in approximately 40 seconds.
| Mobility Characteristics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Game Mode | Upgrade Status | Maximum Speed (km/h) | |
| Forward | Reverse | ||
| AB | |||
| Upgraded | 50 | 25 | |
| RB/SB | |||
| Upgraded | 43 | 22 | |
Modifications and economy
| Seakeeping | Unsinkability | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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As with all ships, it is recommended to prioritize the research of Tool Set, Fire Protection System, and SAP and AP shells for main guns, and then SAP shell for secondaries.
Armament
Primary armament
The Poltava is equipped with twelve 12-inch/52 pattern 1907 cannons in four turrets in triple mounts. The Poltava's rate of fire is slightly worse at 1.8 rounds per minute, compared to 2.2 rounds per minute found on the Parizhskaya kommuna. The cannons can use three types of shells: HE, APCBC and SAPCBC. Unlike the Parizhskaya kommuna, the Poltava does not have access to the better Pattern 1928 HE shell.
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 1,000 m | 2,500 m | 5,000 m | 7,500 m | 10,000 m | 15,000 m | ||
| HE patt.1911 | HE | 71 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 71 |
| AP patt.1911 | APCBC | 522 | 471 | 398 | 340 | 295 | 238 |
| SAP patt.1911 | SAPCBC | 395 | 356 | 301 | 257 | 223 | 180 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (s) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg) |
Ricochet | |||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| HE patt.1911 | HE | 762 | 470.9 | 0 | 0.1 | 47.48 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
| AP patt.1911 | APCBC | 762 | 470.9 | 0.05 | 17 | 12.96 | 48° | 63° | 71° | |||
| SAP patt.1911 | SAPCBC | 762 | 470.9 | 0.05 | 17 | 55.2 | 48° | 63° | 71° | |||
Secondary armament
Poltava's secondary armament suite consist of sixteen 120 mm guns in casemates with eight on each side of the hull. These guns are good as a filler of gunfire between reloads of main guns, although due to even lower muzzle velocity than the 305 mm guns, these are slightly harder to hit with at distance. The SAP shell is also quite weak, so it is advised to use HE to cause fire on the enemy ship.
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 1,000 m | 2,500 m | 5,000 m | 7,500 m | 10,000 m | 15,000 m | ||
| Patt.1911 HE | HE | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| Patt.1911 SAP | SAP | 143 | 125 | 100 | 81 | 67 | 52 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (s) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg) |
Ricochet | |||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| Patt.1911 HE | HE | 732 | 29 | 0 | 0.1 | 3.16 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
| Patt.1911 SAP | SAP | 792 | 28.97 | 0.035 | 5 | 3.73 | 47° | 60° | 65° | |||
Anti-aircraft armament
Poltava comes equipped with 3 anti-aircraft cannons, namely two 75 mm Canet pattern 1892 guns mounted on roof of turret n°4 while single 3-pounder Hotchkiss gun is mounted on the roof of turret n°1. As these guns are very obsolete, their rate of fire is extremely low and they also are low in number, making them extremely ineffective as protection against any aerial threat. Relying on other ships with much stronger AA suite is advised.
Additional armament
The Poltava has access to twelve Pattern 1912 torpedoes. Unfortunately their range without torpedo mode installed is only 2 km so their usage is limited. With a base speed of 80 km/h and small warhead of 100 kg TNTe, they are not very impressive. Installing torpedo mode extends their range to 6 km but decreases their speed in return to 52 km/h. It is advised to remove the torpedoes as they are very weak and dangerous since the torpedo tube can be hit and torpedo explode.
Usage in battles
Poltava excels at long range engagements where its 305 mm guns can be utilized to their full potential while still being at a distance so its armour will still matter. Poltava's SAP shell is one of the most potent rounds at top tier so it should be the main round you use. One of the flaws that does not allow for quick switching of targets is the long reload time and the slow turret traverse speed forcing sometimes the player to move the entire ship to aim faster. It is also advised to stay within range of your team's light and heavy cruisers to gain protection from enemy planes as Poltava does not posses adequate AA protection. Captain of Poltava should prioritize engaging USS 6-inch gun equipped cruisers as their high rate of fire allows for constant rain of shells causing fire and inability to repair your vessel. Battleships should be next top priority afterwards.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Powerful main guns with potent SAP shell
- Overall sufficient protection without any major flaw like unprotected magazines
- Quite high crew complement
Cons:
- Inadequate anti-aircraft protection
- Casemates vulnerable to overpressure
- Long reload paired with slow turret traverse speed
- Subpar mobility
History
The Poltava was the second Sevastopol-class (alternatively referred to as "Gangut-class") dreadnought battleship to be built for the Imperial Russian Navy prior to the First World War. Poltava was laid down on June 16, 1909 at the Admiralty Shipyard in Saint Petersburg simultaneously with her sister ship Gangut. She launched on June 27, 1911, and entered service on December 4, 1914.
The design of the Sevastopol-class battleships came after the Russians faced a withering defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, where it became immediately evident that the Russian navy was incapable and required newer and more effective vessels. The Russian Naval Ministry decided that new battleships should be built with greater above-the-waterline protection, as well as have more numerous and more powerful main guns. Thus, the Sevastopol-class was designed with full side armour to protect against HE shells, as well as 12"/52 calibre main guns. That being said, the Sevastopol class lacked some features that contemporary battleships had, such as reinforced underwater protection against torpedoes and mines, as well as superfiring turrets. Additionally, the ships sat low on the water and thus had poor sea-keeping; ocean water would frequently interfere with the optics and operation of guns on the deck of the ships.
The Poltava was built at the Admiralty Shipyard in Saint Petersburg, beginning construction in 1909 and launching in 1911. She had an uneventful start to her career, playing a passive role in World War I by preventing German access to the Gulf of Finland. In the turmoil following the Russian Revolution, Poltava was placed in long-term storage in 1918 due to crew shortages. A fire in 1919 gutted her interior, after which she was used as a source of spare parts for other battleships. Several plans were made in the 1920s to reconstruct Poltava, including a reconstruction as a aircraft carrier, but ultimately funding ran out and work ceased in 1935. Her scrapped hull was used as a floating battery during the Siege of Leningrad in World War II. After the war, some of her gun turrets were installed in coastal batteries that remained in service into the 1990s.
Media
- Skins
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
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
| Admiralty Shipyards (Адмиралтейские верфи) | |
|---|---|
| Light Cruisers | |
| Project 68 | Zheleznyakov |
| Pr.68-bis-ZiF | Shcherbakov |
| Battlecruisers | |
| Project 69 | Kronshtadt |
| Battleships | |
| Sevastopol-class | Poltava |
| USSR battleships | |
|---|---|
| Imperial Russia | |
| Sevastopol-class | Marat* · Parizhskaya Kommuna** · Poltava |
| Imperatritsa Mariya-class | Imperatritsa Mariya |
| * Laid down as Petropavlovsk; renamed and remodeled by the USSR ** Laid down as Sevastopol; renamed and remodeled by the USSR | |
| Trophies | Italy |
| Conte di Cavour-class | Novorossiysk* |
| * Laid down as RN Giulio Cesare for the Regia Marina | |
