Geniere
| This page is about the premium Italian Fante-class destroyer Geniere. For the premium Italian Soldati-class destroyer, see RN Geniere. |
Contents
Description
The Fante-class, Geniere (D 555), 1972 is a premium rank II Italian destroyer with a battle rating of 4.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Danger Zone".
One of the hundreds of Fletcher-class destroyers built by the United States, the USS Pritchett (DD-561) saw extensive action during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War before being sold to the Italian Navy, who later renamed her as Geniere.
While her real life service with Italy was rather quiet and unremarkable, in War Thunder, the Geniere offers a drastic shift of play style. Unlike the other Italian destroyers that were restricted to support roles due to their slow reload, the Geniere features a suite of versatile 127 mm and 76 mm cannons, both of them are great against surface and aerial targets alike. This allows the ship to be a robust powerhouse for any Italian captain's lineup.
General info
Survivability and armour
Being a Fletcher-class ship, the Geniere's protection is generally the same as her sister ship USS Fletcher with some slight differences. The ship features the same anti-fragmentation armour as the Fletcher, with 19 mm at the belt and 13 mm at the deck respectively. Combined with the respectable crew count of 273, this allows the ship to take a considerable amount of punishment from the other destroyers she will usually face at her rank.
When it comes to differences, the Geniere's most noticeable change is the replacement of torpedo and anti-air armaments. The twin quintuple launchers were replaced with small triple anti-submarine torpedo launchers, and one of the turrets and other anti-air armaments were replaced with three sets of 76 mm autocannons. These optimized armaments helps the Geniere to retain her crew better than her sister, and significantly reduce the risk of torpedo detonation.
However, the Geniere still retains the first stage ammo rack as her critical weakspot. Any HE shell that detonates close to it has a change to trigger it, causing significant damage to the ship.
Mobility
Being a Fletcher-class, the Geniere features good overall mobility. The ship has a high top speed and good overall agility. This allows her to execute evasive manoeuvres against incoming shells or torpedoes alike.
| Mobility Characteristics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Game Mode | Upgrade Status | Maximum Speed (km/h) | |
| Forward | Reverse | ||
| AB | |||
| Upgraded | 86 | 35 | |
| RB/SB | |||
| Upgraded | 70 | 29 | |
Modifications and economy
2 × 160 / 380 / 50 % 2 × 130 / 130 / 130 % | Seakeeping | Unsinkability | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Armament
Primary armament
The Geniere features 4 x 5-inch (127 mm) Mk.12 cannons as the main armaments. The guns are mounted in a enclosed single turrets with two on the bow and stern each. The guns have an impressive fire rate of 22 rounds per minute (~2.7-second reload) with 25-round first stage ammo racks, and 15 rounds per minute (4-second reload) after depleting the ready racks. While one of the turrets was removed to make a room for anti-air system, these guns are more than capable of quickly eliminating opponents, and provide consistent firepower against early cruisers that she might have to face in uptiers.
Being standard-issued guns of the US Navy, the Geniere also has access to the standard US destroyer ammunition: a basic and potent HE shell with 3.2 kg of TNT equivalent filler, an HE-VT shell with the same characteristics as the HE shell but with a variable time fuse that will detonate within close proximity of any aircraft, a "common" SAP shell with respectable penetration and filler, and a "special" SAP shell which has improved penetration in exchange for somewhat reduced filler. As a premium ship, all of these shells are unlocked by default, so the HE-VT shell should be your "go-to" shell, as it is effective against both the surface and aerial targets, being able to deal the same external damage as the standard HE shell against enemy vessels while also being deadly against enemy aircraft. Due to having less penetration but slightly more filler, the "common" shell is somewhat more effective at dealing internal damage against destroyers compared to the "special" shell, but will lose its effectiveness against cruisers at mid-to-long range. Therefore, the "special" shell can be considered for versatility, especially in uptier matches.
As the ship is in the Cold War refit, the Geniere has access to a more modern fire control system with only 6 seconds of calculation time and 3 seconds of update time (compared to the 18-second calculation and 10-second update of the Fletcher). This allows the Geniere to accurately strike the enemy ship first at longer ranges for an advantage as well as making her capable of doing "snap shots" at multiple enemies at once.
| 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 | ||
| 127 mm AAC Mk.34 | HE | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 |
| 127 mm Common Mk.32 | Common | 124 | 103 | 77 | 58 | 46 | 37 |
| 127 mm SP Common Mk.46 | SP Common | 150 | 125 | 93 | 71 | 56 | 42 |
| 127 mm 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% | |||||||
| 127 mm AAC Mk.34 | HE | 792 | 25 | 0 | 0.1 | 3,220 | 79° | 80° | 81° |
| 127 mm Common Mk.32 | Common | 792 | 24.49 | 0.01 | 6 | 1,150 | 47° | 60° | 65° |
| 127 mm 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% | |||||||||
| 127 mm AAVT Mk.31 | HE-VT | 792 | 25 | 0 | 0.1 | 457 | 23 | 3,220 | 79° | 80° | 81° |
Secondary armament
The Geniere is armed with 6 x 76 mm Mk.33 semi-automatic cannons as the secondary armament, copies of the 3-inch Mk.33 cannons found on ships such as the USS Pittsburgh and the JDS Ayanami. These guns replaced the X (third) turret of the Geniere, with two of the three twin mounts placed between the smokestacks and the third mount located on the former X turret placement; up to two of these mounts can be directed against surface target at the same time. These autocannons more than make up for the missing turret, however, thanks to their good rate of fire of 40 rounds per minute, the mount's wide coverage, and their accuracy at mid-to-close range (~7 km). They allow the Geniere to harass the enemy ship by disabling their main guns, and are more than capable of dealing with enemy aircraft.
The gun has two shell options: a basic HE shell with respectable 500 g of TNT equivalent and an HE-VT shell with slightly lower filler at 352 g of TNT equivalent. Due to the filler size, the HE shell is slightly better at chipping away the enemy ship's crew and damaging their armaments, but lacks the versatility of the HE-VT shell.
The gun is not without downsides, however. As switching between ammunition can take a considerable time of 8 seconds (with ace crew), this will leave you temporarily vulnerable against PT boats and aircraft. Situational awareness is important to switch the rounds at the right moment, especially since there are no other auxillary weapons to deal with the incoming enemy, though the ship fortunately has access to a radar to detect inbound aircraft. In addition, the guns can also overheat relatively quickly, thus it is recommended to fire it in controlled bursts.
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 100 m | 1,000 m | 2,000 m | 3,000 m | 4,000 m | 5,000 m | ||
| 76 mm HC Mk.27 | HE | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| 76 mm HE-VT | HE-VT | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Shell details | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay | Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | ||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | |||||||
| 76 mm HC Mk.27 | HE | 823 | 5.9 | 0 | 0.1 | 500 | 79° | 80° | 81° |
| Proximity-fused shell details | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay | Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Arming distance (m) |
Trigger radius (m) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | ||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | |||||||||
| 76 mm HE-VT | HE-VT | 823 | 5.85 | 0 | 0.1 | 548 | 15 | 352.8 | 79° | 80° | 81° |
Additional armament
As the Geniere was converted into an escort destroyer prior to her transfer to Italy, her torpedo suite was replaced with dedicated anti-submarine armaments consisting of 6 x Mark 44 torpedoes in two triple launchers located just behind the second funnel, and a fixed Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar located between the B (second) turret and the ship's bridge.
Due to the absence of submarines in War Thunder, these armaments are less than ideal against surface combatants the Geniere has to face. The small Mark 44 torpedoes was designed to be used specifically against submarines, thus it only has just enough filler to critically damage them with ~54 kg of TNT warhead equivalent. The torpedo's relatively short range of ~5.5 km and mediocre speed of only 56 km/h further restricts is effectiveness. While very small, the torpedoes are not entirely useless, as it can be used to "spook" the enemy into making evasive manoeuvres and expose their vulnerable parts, as well as being useful against a preoccupied enemy to deal a surprise hit, potentially causing ammo rack explosion with well-placed hits.
On the other hand, the Hedgehog mortar does not have any niche use like the Mark 44 torpedoes, primarily due to the awkward fixed firing angle and very long flight time. Thus it is not recommended to take it into the battle, lest it become an additional fire hazard.
Usage in battles
As with the other Fletcher-class destroyers, the Geniere primarily excels at taking down the opposition and supress them with her rapid-firing 127 mm cannons. Because of her conversion into a destroyer escort, however, the Geniere is more specialized at gunnery compared to her sister ships, primarily due to her improved fire control system, an additional 76 mm semi-auto cannons, and less effective torpedoes. These firepower improvements allow the Geniere to be played more aggresively, as she can quickly react to the enemy ship and took the initiative by hitting them first while they are still calculating the the distance, then quickly disable their critical modules to prevent them from fighting back.
Other than pushing for the capture zone, the Geniere also excels at hit-and-run and fire support. Thanks to her agility, the Geniere is capable of utilizing "cover hopping" and "peek-a-boom" tactics. Which when combined with the aforementioned fire control system, allows you to quickly hit an enemy before retreating to safety before they can hit you back.
In exchange of improved firepower, the Geniere is equipped with a rather underwhelming set of anti-submarine torpedoes. However, you can still use these torpedoes as a bluff to force the enemy to dodge it and exposing their vulnerable sides, as well causing some damage to their hull when hit. Since the torpedoes are quite small, it has a rather slim chance of detonating, thus making it viable as a surprise weapon.
As the ship mostly rely on gunnery to deal damage, the Geniere will occasionally struggle when pitted against cruisers. In such situation, always make sure to have some cover or allies to fall back into when the enemy is too much for you to handle alone.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Great armaments
- Four fast-firing and accurate 127 mm gun offers great damage output
- Secondary 76 mm autocannons are effective against surface and aerial targets alike
- Fairly survivable for a destroyer due to armour and crew count
- High top speed and agility
- Access to an air search radar and modern fire control system
Cons:
- As with the other Fletcher-class destroyers, the first stage ammo racks is a vulnerable weak spot
- Secondary guns overheat quickly, restricting them to short-burst usage
- No auxillary anti-air armaments, have to rely on radar to spot an inbound aircraft
- Very weak torpedoes, restricting its usage to a surprise weapon at best
History
USS Pritchett (DD-561) was a Fletcher-class destroyer, built for the United States Navy during World War II. The ship saw extensive action during the war in an escort and bombardment roles. Most notably during the Battle of Okinawa, in which she was struck by a bomb and a Kamikaze attack in two separate occasions. After the war, she served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War as a fire support ship, before being sold to the Italian navy in 1970. She was renamed as Geniere (D 555) by the Italian and served for five years before being scrapped in 1975.
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
External links
| Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation | |
|---|---|
| Destroyers (DD) | |
| Fletcher-class | Geniere* |
| *USS Prichett in Italian service | |
| Italy destroyers | |
|---|---|
| Regia Marina | |
| Aquila-class | RN Aquila |
| Leone-class | RN Leone · RN Tigre |
| Turbine-class | RN Aquilone · RN Turbine |
| Navigatori-class | RN Da Verazzano |
| Dardo-class | RN Dardo |
| Soldati-class | RN Aviere · RN Corazziere · RN Geniere |
| Comandanti Medaglie d'Oro-class | RN Comandante Margottini |
| Marina Militare | |
| Fante-class* | Geniere |
| Indomito-class | Impetuoso |
| * Modified Fletcher-class destroyers | |
| Italy premium ships | |
|---|---|
| Motor torpedo boats | Freccia P-493 · MAS 569 · MC 485 |
| Motor gun boats | Sparviero |
| Sub-chasers | Folaga |
| Destroyers | RN Aquilone · RN Aviere · RN Geniere · RN Tigre · Geniere |
| Heavy cruisers | RN Pola |
| Battleships | RN Leonardo da Vinci |
