USS Bennion

USS Bennion

USS Bennion

USA

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
4.7	4.7	4.7

Class:

PREMIUM

Destroyer

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

Show in game

Description

The Fletcher-class, USS Bennion (DD-662), 1944 is a member of the Fletcher-class destroyers, the first generation of destroyers developed by the U.S. after the disintegration of the Washington and London Naval Treaties during World War II. The Fletcher class was meant to be larger and carry more armament due to dissatisfaction with earlier destroyer classes. She was named for Captain Mervyn S. Bennion, a commander of USS West Virginia who was killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor. She was laid down on 19th March 1943 and commissioned on 14th December 1943. During the Battle of Surigao Strait in October 1944, Bennion torpedoed and sunk Japanese Fusō-class battleship Yamashiro. Before the aforementioned battle and also after it, she served as picket ship and fighter director through the Marianas, Philippines, and Iwo Jima and Okinawa campaigns. For her duty, she received the Presidential Unit Citation and was awarded with eight battle stars. She was placed into reserve on 20th June 1946 and sold for scrap many years later on 30th May 1973.

It was introduced in Update 1.79 "Project X" as an Xbox-exclusive vehicle purchasable on the Microsoft Store. As a Fletcher-class destroyer, the USS Bennion resembles its sister ships USS Fletcher and USS Cowell in terms of performance characteristics. The most distinctive differences the USS Bennion has compared to its sisters is its unique dazzle camouflage, following the MS-32/13D design pattern. Compared to its closer relative, the Cowell, the Bennion possess an extra 5,000 rounds of 40 mm Bofors ammunition.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Main fire tower3 / 3 / 3 mm

Hull16 mm (steel)

Superstructure4 mm (steel)

Number of section7

Displacement2 924 t

Crew273 people

As part of the Fletcher-class family, the USS Bennion's armour profile is not so different from its sisters, with armour plates covering the individual 127 mm gun turrets and primarily hull protection at the sides and roof.

Armour type:

• Antifragmentation armour
• Cast homogeneous armour
• Hardened armour

Armour	Bow (Slope angle)	Sides	Stern	Deck
Hull	N/A	13 mm (0-24°)	N/A	13 mm (85-89°)
Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Turrets	3.2 mm Front 15 mm Gun mantlet	3.2 mm	3.2 mm	3.2 mm

Notes:

• The fire-control radar atop the bridge is covered with an antifragmentation armour with 19 mm thickness.
• Gun shields around the 20 mm Oerlikon autocannons are 12.7 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB79 / 31 km/h

RB65 / 25 km/h

Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode	Upgrade Status	Maximum Speed (km/h)		Turn Time (s)	Turn Radius (m)
		Forward	Reverse
AB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	79	31
RB/SB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	65	25

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB2 555

RB2 371

Crew training10 000

Experts290 000

Aces700

Research Aces790 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 270 / 600 / 50 %

2 × 154 / 154 / 154 %

Modifications

Seakeeping	Unsinkability	Firepower
Dry-Docking Rudder Replacement Propeller Replacement Engine Maintenance	Damage Control Division Fire Division Smokescreen Shrapnel Protection Ventilation New Pumps Ammo Wetting	127mm_usa_mk32_common_sap_ammo_pack 40 mm HE clips Anti-Air Armament Targeting 127mm_usa_mk46_special_common_sap_ammo_pack 40 mm AP clips Auxiliary Armament Targeting 127mm_usa_mk31_aavt_radio_fuse_ammo_pack Improved Rangefinder Primary Armament Targeting Torpedo Mode Bomb mortar

Armament

Primary armament

5 х Turret5 inch/38 Mk.12 cannon, mount Mk.30

Ammunition360 rounds

Vertical guidance-15° / 85°

5 inch/38 Mk.12 (x5)
Turrets (Bow to stern)
	Turret 1	Turret 2	Turret 3	Turret 4	Turret 5
Vertical guidance	-15°/+85°
Horizontal guidance	±150°		±143°	±150°
Ammo capacity	1,800

Ammunition

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
Common Mk.32	Common	124	103	77	58	46	37
SP Common Mk.46	SP Common	150	125	93	71	56	45
AAVT Mk.31	HE-VT	36	36	36	36	36	36

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°
Common Mk.32	Common	792	24.49	0.01	6	1,150	47°	60°	65°
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°

Secondary armament

5 х Turret2 x 40 mm Bofors L/60 Mark 1 gun

Ammunition4000 rounds

Belt capacity4 rounds

Fire rate156 shots/min

40 mm Bofors L/60 Mark 1 (x10)
Turrets (Bow to stern)
	Front port turret (x2)	Front starboard turret (x2)	Middle port turret (x2)	Middle starboard turret (x2)	Rear turret (x2)
Vertical guidance	-15°/+88°		-10°/+88°		-15°/+88°
Horizontal guidance	-150°/+90°	-90°/+150°	-180°/+20°	-20°/+180°	±180°
Ammo capacity	25,000

Ammunition

• Universal: AP-T · HEFI-T
• 40 mm HE clips: HEFI-T · HEFI-T · HEFI-T · AP-T
• 40 mm AP clips: AP-T · AP-T · AP-T · HEFI-T

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
HEFI-T	3	3	3	3	3	3
AP-T	81	78	68	58	49	41

Shell details
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
						0%	50%	100%
HEFI-T	874	0.9	0	0.1	67.13	79°	80°	81°
AP-T	874	0.89	-	-	-	47°	60°	65°

Anti-aircraft armament

7 х Turret20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II autocannon

Ammunition1800 rounds

Belt capacity60 rounds

Fire rate450 shots/min

20 mm Oerlikon Mk.II (x7)
Turrets (Bow to stern)
	Front port turret	Middle port turret	Front starboard turret	Middle starboard turret	Rear port turret	Rear starboard turret	Rear stern turret
Vertical guidance	-80°/+65°	±100°	-65°/+80°	±100°	±180°
Horizontal guidance	-4°/+50°
Ammo capacity	16,800

Additional armament

Setup 110 x 533 mm steam turbined Mk.15 torpedo

Setup 26 x Mk.6 mortar depth charge

Setup 310 x 533 mm steam turbined Mk.15 torpedo

6 x Mk.6 mortar depth charge

533 mm steam turbined Mk.15 torpedo (x10)
Mode	Mass (kg)	Maximum speed in water (km/h)	Travel distance (km)	Depth stroke (m)	Arming distance (m)	Explosive type	Explosive mass (kg)
Stock	1,559	83	5.50	1.0	50	TNT	224
Torpedo mode		62	9.15

Usage in battles

The Bennion is a powerful American destroyer that is very versatile. There can be 3 main jobs for the Cowell to do:

• Gunfighter

With its fast firing armament, it is definitely capable of fighting other destroyers. Load APHE for your main guns, and you can start firing against enemy ships from mid to long range. Try disabling the enemies' engine room or gun turrets to prevent them from escaping or fighting back effectively. You also have ten torpedoes, so you can use them in any tricky situation. Should you be outmatched, try turning away and using a smoke screen to conceal yourself.

• Anti-air ship

The Cowell has lots of anti-air weaponry. The deadliest will be your ten Bofors and five 127 mm cannons. Let your AI gunners shoot from long distance using radio fuse HE shells. Once enemy aircraft come close enough, you should either take control of the Bofors or the main guns themselves to deal with enemies. As always, lead your target and take into account your ship's momentum if you need to. The ship can fire all of its anti-aircraft guns when the enemy is directly above the ship. Try turning to the side to allow more guns to fire if the enemy is coming from an angle. The radio-fuse shells will make quick work of any enemy aircraft or at least critically damage them to the point that they will not be able to make their attack run, while the Bofors will chew down many smaller planes.

• Light craft hunter

The Bofors also allow the Cowell to hunt PT boats and other small craft very well. From longer distances, use HE or Radio HE shells to try to hit enemy PT boats and deal splash damage to them. Once you move in closer, take command of your Bofors, load their Universal or HE belts, and slice the PT boats to ribbons. For larger gunboats, using your main guns are still an option. Since you are a destroyer, you are armoured enough to be immune to most of their small cannon and machine gun fire. Your main threat at this point is torpedo boats. Try targetting any PT boats that are heading in your direction. PT boats such as the LS 3 and G-5 are dangerous since they are small, fast and can carry 2 torpedoes. Be sure you make your course erratic and hard to hit, and always be ready to change course in the event that you detect an incoming torpedo. Keep in mind, if a torpedo hits: game over.

In terms of opposition:

• BTD-1: This plane can carry 2 torpedoes which can kill you very quickly, or can attack you from high altitude with a 2,000 lb bomb. Try prioritizing these aircraft to shoot down first.
• SKR-1: This patrol ship can shoot very rapidly and deal a lot of damage to your ship. Try engaging it from long range, where your shells will have the advantage.
• Light cruisers: Light cruisers will have better guns that are capable of beating you in a straight-up gun duel. Try avoiding them or disabling their vital parts, or requesting help.
• PT boats: Certain PT boats who penetrate your line of defences might pose a danger by launching off torpedoes. Use your Bofors to try to mow down any PT boat that gets too close, and always be manoeuvring to dodge.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Dual-purpose 5-inch guns
• Access to proximity-fuze shells for anti-aircraft duties

Cons:

• More protected only against fragmentation and shrapnel than against shells

History

The Fletcher-class destroyers were conceived as a 2,100 ton class destroyer following the underwhelming construction of the Benson and Gleaves-class destroyers that could not equip a total of five 5-inch guns and ten torpedoes. The design was approved in 27 January 1940 by the Secretary of the Navy, Charles Edison, with construction plans expanded after the Battle of France in Europe when Congress passed the Two-Ocean Navy Act on July 19th, allowing for the construction of 115 destroyers. The Fletcher-class destroyers began construction in October 1941, with eleven shipyards involved in their production. By the war's end, 175 Fletcher-class destroyers were produced.

The USS Bennion was first laid down on 19 March 1943 at the Boston Navy Yard, named after Captain Mervyn S. Bennion, who was killed during the Japanese Pearl Harbor attack on 07 December 1941 while commanding the USS West Virginia battleship. The destroyer, christened by Bennion's widow, was launched on 04 July 1943, and following sea trials was commissioned into service on 14 December 1943 with Joshua W. Cooper in command. The USS Bennion was put into service in Destroyer Squadron 56 in Destroyer Division 111.

USS Bennion left for the Pacific on 03 March 1944, conducting training around Pearl Harbor until May 29th. From then, the USS Bennion joined the Pacific War as a fighter director and radar picket ship and saw action at Saipan, Tinian, Guam, Peliliu, Philippines, Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. At Leyte Gulf, the USS Bennion was involved in the Battle of Surigao Strait, where it assisted with the sinking of the Japanese battleship Yamashiro. For the USS Bennion's actions off of Okinawa, the destroyer received eight battle stars and a presidential unit citation.

After the war, the USS Bennion was sent to the Puget Sound Navy Yard on 21 October 1945 before being decommissioned on 20 June 1946 and became part of the reserve fleet. USS Bennion was stricken from the register on 15 April 1971 and was sold in 30 May 1973 and broken up for scrap.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Related development

• USS Fletcher - Sister ship, the lead ship of the Fletcher-class
• USS Cowell - Sister ship

External links

• [History Central] USS Bennion DD 662
• [Navsource.org] USS BENNION (DD-662)

References

Boston Navy Yard
Gun Destroyers (DD)
Fletcher-class	USS Bennion · JDS Yūgure (DD-184)*
	*USS Richard P. Leary in Japanese service