USS Pittsburgh

USS Pittsburgh

USS New Orleans

USS Alaska

USS Pittsburgh

USS New Orleans

USS Alaska

USA

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
6.0	6.0	6.0

Class:

Heavy cruiser

Research:175 000

Purchase:490 000

Show in game

Description

Baltimore-class, USS Pittsburgh (CA-72), 1953 was the 5th member of the Baltimore-class of heavy cruisers, the first US heavy cruisers to be designed after the ending of the Washington and London naval treaties. Laid down in February 1943, Pittsburgh would be commissioned in October of 1944 and would serve through the rest of World War 2, mostly serving as part of the cover screen for Task Force 58. She would gain the nickname "Longest Ship in the War" after damage from Typhoon Viper caused her bow to snap off, leaving thousands of miles in between her bow and the rest of the ship as she returned to the states for repairs. She would be decommissioned in 1947, but recommissioned in 1951 with the commencement of hostilities in Korea. Though she saw no combat in this conflict, should would patrol the Atlantic and Mediterranean, finishing her last deployment in the Pacific before being decommissioned again in 1956. She would remain in the reserves until being sold for scrap in 1974.

Introduced in Update "Direct Hit", the USS Pittsburgh will be broadly similar to her classmate USS Baltimore, though coming in a later, 1953 refit. She has the same primary and secondary armament, but her anti-aircraft battery has been supplanted by 3-inch autocannons firing HE-VT shells, granting greater range at the cost of a slower fire rate. Pittsburgh also notable gains aircraft tracking radar, allowing her to serve well as an escort to larger, less protected ships such as dreadnought battleships.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Citadel152 / 152 / 64 mm

Main fire tower203 / 83 / 37 mm

Hull19 mm (steel)

Superstructure17 mm (steel)

Number of section8

Displacement17 031 t

Crew1 142 people

USS Pittsburgh, as a member of the Baltimore-class of heavy cruisers, was no longer subject to the terms of the Washington or London Naval Treaties, resulting in her having much thicker armour than her preceding classes. This is most evident in her main belt, which is up to a much more substantial 6 inches compared to earlier heavy cruisers with a less than 3-inch belt. This belt covers the midsection of the ship, protecting the machinery spaces from harm. These also form bulkheads fore and aft of the machinery spaces and protect the steering gear in the stern of the ship as well. Directly above and to the sides of the main belt, the armour drops to .75 inches of anti-fragmentation armour, and the rest of the hull has .5-inch plates of anti-fragmentation armour as covering all compartments. These swathes of anti-fragmentation armour will not stop any armour piercing shells, but will greatly reduce damage from HE shells, especially those of destroyers and light cruisers. The main armoured deck of 2.5 inches is positioned at the top of the 6-inch armour belt, and above the steering gear and magazines, protecting from any plunging fire that may enter at odd angles.

The turrets are well armoured like other American ships, with a 8-inch plate protecting the front of the turret, angled at 32° to increase effectiveness. This makes the turret effectively immune to most fire from destroyers and light cruisers, and at range against other heavy cruisers. Although it is incapable of stopping fire from enemy battlecruisers or battleships, it will still do well against other cruisers of the rank. This leads back into small 3.25-inch plates, angled sharply at approximately 73° before reaching the sides and rear of the turrets. These are protected by meagre 1.5-inch plates; these will protect against no more than 40 mm guns, and even destroyer shells will easily penetrate and knock the turret out of action. Captains should keep the turrets faced towards threats at all times, as the sides and rear of the turrets are very vulnerable areas. The turret barbettes are also protected against destroyer and light cruiser fire with 6.3 inches of armour, leading down to the magazines. These are positioned well below the waterline and are unlikely to be hit, but have 3 inches of armour surrounding them just in case.

Torpedo protection, as with other American cruisers, is provided only by fuel tanks. Captains should be wary of enemy torpedo spreads, as USS Pittsburgh is unlikely to be capable of taking hits from enemy torpedos without mortal damage to the ship.

Armour	Front	Side	Rear	Deck/Roof
Main calibre turret	203 mm	82.55 mm (front, cheeks) 38.1 mm (rear)	38.1 mm	76.2 mm
Auxiliary calibre turret	19.05 mm
Forward magazine	140 mm	76 mm (upper) 102 mm (lower)		28.575 mm (upper) 63.5 mm (lower)
Citadel	152 mm	152 mm (upper) 102 mm (lower)	152 mm	28.575 mm (upper) 63.5 mm (lower)
Aft magazine		76 mm (upper) 50.8 mm (lower)	127 mm	28.575 mm (upper) 63.5 mm (lower)
Bridge	165 mm	50.8 mm	139.7 mm	50.8 mm
Barbette	160 mm

Notes:

• Both magazines and the citadel are protected by fuel tanks.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB71 / 29 km/h

RB61 / 25 km/h

Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.

Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode	Upgrade Status	Maximum Speed (km/h)		Turn Time (s)	Turn Radius (m)
		Forward	Reverse
AB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	71	29
RB/SB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	61	25

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB13 238 → 17 169

RB13 205 → 17 126

Total cost of modifications173 000

270 000

Talisman cost2 000

Crew training140 000

Experts490 000

Aces1 500

Research Aces670 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

450 / 600 / 100 %

190 / 190 / 190 %

Modifications

Seakeeping	Unsinkability	Firepower
Dry-Docking Research: 8 700 Cost: 14 000 310 Rudder Replacement Research: 6 500 Cost: 10 000 230 Propeller Replacement Research: 7 200 Cost: 11 000 260 Engine Maintenance Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 500	Damage Control Division Research: 8 700 Cost: 14 000 310 Fire Division Research: 6 500 Cost: 10 000 230 Smokescreen Research: 6 500 Cost: 10 000 230 Shrapnel Protection Research: 7 200 Cost: 11 000 260 Ventilation Research: 7 200 Cost: 11 000 260 New Pumps Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 500 Ammo Wetting Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 500	Anti-Air Armament Targeting Research: 8 700 Cost: 14 000 310 203mm_us_mk21_navy_ap_ammo_pack Research: 8 700 Cost: 14 000 310 Auxiliary Armament Targeting Research: 6 500 Cost: 10 000 230 203mm_us_mk25_navy_hc_ammo_pack Research: 6 500 Cost: 10 000 230 127mm_usa_mk46_special_common_sap_ammo_pack Research: 6 500 Cost: 10 000 230 Primary Armament Targeting Research: 7 200 Cost: 11 000 260 Improved Rangefinder Research: 7 200 Cost: 11 000 260 127mm_usa_mk31_aavt_radio_fuse_ammo_pack Research: 7 200 Cost: 11 000 260 203mm_us_mk17_navy_special_common_ammo_pack Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 500

Armament

Primary armament

3 х Turret3 x 8 inch/55 Mark 12 cannon

Ammunition450 rounds

Vertical guidance-10° / 41°

Being a WW2 US cruiser, USS Pittsburgh shoots super-heavy AP shells out of her 203 mm guns. These shells are heavier than others, weighing over 150 kg. Most other nations' shells weigh usually 110 kg. This gives them a longer flight time, but a steeper angle. The idea was that, at long ranges, the shells would penetrate battleship's decks from above instead of hitting the much thicker side armour. In spite of this, they still have more than enough penetration below 8 km to cleave through the belt, magazine, and barbette armour of even the most well-protected cruiser at its BR and above, allowing the Pittsburgh to quickly disarm and dispatch enemy cruisers in but a few well-aimed salvos.

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
Mk.14 Common	Common	110	98	80	66	56	43
Mk.21 APCBC	APCBC	390	348	289	243	207	165
Mk.25 HC	HE	61	61	61	61	61	61
Mk.17 SP Common	SP Common	131	116	95	79	66	50

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%
Mk.14 Common	Common	823	117.9	0.035	9	4.84	47°	60°	65°
Mk.21 APCBC	APCBC	762	151.9	0.035	9	2.21	48°	63°	71°
Mk.25 HC	HE	823	117.9	0	0.1	9.49	79°	80°	81°
Mk.17 SP Common	SP Common	823	117.9	0.035	9	4.61	48°	63°	71°

Secondary armament

6 х Turret2 x 5 inch/38 Mk.12 cannon, mount Mk.32

Ammunition720 rounds

The secondary armament on the USS Pittsburgh are six dual-purpose, dual-mounted 127 mm turrets, weapons that a majority of other Bluewater ships use and so players are quite familiar in their operation at this stage. These turrets are the USS Pittsburgh's first line of defence against PT boats and aircraft.

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
AAC Mk.34	HE	36	36	36	36	36	36
AAVT Mk.31	HE-VT	36	36	36	36	36	36
SP Common Mk.46	SP Common	150	125	93	71	56	45

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (s)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
AAC Mk.34	HE	792	25	0	0.1	3,220	79°	80°	81°
SP Common Mk.46	SP Common	792	25	0.01	6	906.5	48°	63°	71°

Proximity-fused shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (s)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Arming distance (m)	Trigger radius (m)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
									0%	50%	100%
AAVT Mk.31	HE-VT	792	25	0	0.1	457	23	3,220	79°	80°	81°

Anti-aircraft armament

10 х Turret2 x 3 inch/50 Mk.33 cannon

Ammunition3000 rounds

Belt capacity150 rounds

Fire rate50 shots/min

USS Pittsburgh carries ten 3 inch Mk.33 automatic cannons in twin installation. As part of her AAA, the gun fires HE-VT shells in her default configuration and has no other ammo options. The gun has a rate of fire of 50 rpm and overheats in 35 seconds. Unlike the 40 mm Bofors, the 3-inch gun mount has no shield or surrounding parapet to defend against shrapnel; the side mounts can only rotate 180° so they can't shoot over the superstructure and cover another broadside, whereas the Bofors can rotate 360°. Overall, Pittsburgh's AA barrage is quite sparse, and she is completely exposed to air raid after all AA guns are overheated.

AI gunners that man them can target larger opponents such as destroyers and cruisers, although the effect that this has on the Pittsburgh's damage output is minimal.

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

Pros:

• Anti-fragmentation armour can help protect against cruiser-calibre HE shells
• Well-armoured hull increase its survivability
• Decent mobility
• Great overall firepower, with an access to super-heavy AP shell and large number of dual-purposes cannons
• Huge numbers of proximity fuse AA battery provide formidable anti-air defense

Cons:

• Dreadful stock grind thanks to its terrible default SAP shell
• No torpedo armaments
• Main magazine sits far above the waterline, can be detonated with a well-placed shot
• No scout planes, unlike her sister ship

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the ship and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the USS Pittsburgh from live.warthunder.com.

See also

• USS Baltimore

External links

• [Devblog] USS Pittsburgh: The Longest Ship in the World

Bethlehem Steel Corporation
Gun Destroyers (DD)
Porter-class	USS Phelps · USS Moffett
Fletcher-class	USS Cowell
Destroyer Leaders (DL)
Mitscher-class	USS Wilkinson
Cruiser, Light (CL)
Omaha-class	USS Raleigh · USS Detroit
Heavy Cruisers (CA)
Northampton-class	USS Northampton
Portland-class	USS Portland
Baltimore-class	USS Baltimore · USS Pittsburgh
Des Moines-class	USS Des Moines

USA heavy cruisers
Pensacola-class	USS Pensacola
Northampton-class	USS Northampton
Portland-class	USS Portland
New Orleans-class	USS New Orleans
Baltimore-class	USS Baltimore · USS Pittsburgh
Des Moines-class	USS Des Moines · USS Newport News