USS Nevada
Contents
Description
The Nevada-class, USS Nevada (BB-36), 1944 is one of two Nevada-class battleships built for the US Navy, laid down in 1912 and commissioned in 1916. USS Nevada was commissioned first, making her the first "Standard-Type" battleship. Her innovations would be carried forward into the future American battleships, including triple gun turrets and the introduction of the "all-or-nothing" armour scheme. She would serve with distinction through both World Wars, seeing extensive combat action during World War II in particular.
She was introduced in Update "Sky Guardians", and although having a slightly smaller main battery than the later USS Arizona, she stands out with her incredibly strong secondary and anti-aircraft batteries. Coming in her late war refit, USS Nevada gives American bluewater captains their first battleship with both strong firepower, and the ability to easily fend off air attack. This does come with the caveat of having at minimum a 40 second reload on the main battery; it's recommended to keep enemies at a distance where the long time between salvos can be mitigated.
General info
Survivability and armour
USS Nevada is a very well-armoured battleship. Like other American battleships of the time, she was designed to be able to resist guns similar to her own 14-inch guns at expected battle ranges. This gives her a main armour belt of 13.5 inches, the same as the later USS Arizona. Keep in mind that "expected battle ranges" as designed were usually much further than what is typical in War Thunder, so Captains can't always expect their armour to hold up against guns such as the British 13.5-inch and the various 14-inch guns; albeit 12-inch shells should usually be stopped. The belt goes from 13.5 inches at the waterline, to 8 inches slightly below the waterline and 3 inches further down. This leads into the torpedo protection, which on Nevada protects against torpedoes with warheads of up to 250 kg explosive mass.
The best armoured areas on the ship are the turrets; the angled 16-inch plates on the turret faces are almost impenetrable, the 43 degree angle making it incredibly unlikely for any fire to penetrate the face. The armour is lighter on the sides, rear and top with 10 inches, 9 inches, and 5 inches respectively. This leaves the sides and top of the turrets vulnerable to even heavy cruisers, so it's recommended to be cautious of exposing the sides of the turrets. The barbettes also have 13 inches of armour, which is quite good, more than most battleships of the same rank. The magazines are placed slightly below the waterline and against the waterline, mostly shielding them from enemy fire; however shots on a flat trajectory directly above the waterline do pose a slight risk of ammo rack detonation.
USS Nevada was the first ship ever to use the "all or nothing" armour scheme. This armour philosophy uses the most armour in critical areas like the citadel, and none in other areas. This is perfect for fighting enemy capital ships at range, as AP shells will pass through unimportant areas that lack armour armour without fusing, and allows for the thickest possible armour over important sections of the ship. However, keep in mind that this also makes the unprotected areas of the ship (especially the amidship deck) vulnerable to taking damage from smaller ships, even destroyers. These areas may not be important, but crew still resides in these areas and constant repairing will still bleed crew, even more so on Nevada since she has so many secondary and anti-aircraft guns.
Mobility
USS Nevada, as the first Standard-type battleship, was originally designed to hit 21.0 kn. However, as Nevada comes in her 1944 refit that speed has decreased by a knot to 20.0 kn due to the increased displacement caused by the prodigious amounts of anti-aircraft guns and the add-on torpedo bulges. This places her as the slowest battleship currently in the US Bluewater fleet, and slower than most of the contemporary battleships in other nations as well. This speed falls to only 14.0 kn when in a turn, which although making her an easier target, can be used by captains in a pinch to slow the ship to dodge long range enemy fire. USS Nevada is also rather slow to respond to the helm, taking approximately 4-5 seconds to begin turning from the initial command. Captains should plan their routes ahead, as Nevada is unable to navigate through sharp turns easily. She does however easily halt the turn, lacking the tendency of the USS Arizona to reverse the turn after the rudder is released.
| Mobility Characteristics | |||
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| Game Mode | Upgrade Status | Maximum Speed (km/h) | |
| Forward | Reverse | ||
| AB | |||
| Upgraded | 44 | 27 | |
| RB/SB | |||
| Upgraded | 38 | 23 | |
Modifications and economy
| Seakeeping | Unsinkability | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Armament
Primary armament
USS Nevada is armed with a total of 10 x 14-inch 45-calibre cannons, arranged in four turrets, two superfiring forward, two superfiring aft. Interestingly, the Nevada uses a mix of triple and double turrets, the double superfiring over the triple turrets. This arrangement was used instead of 4 triple turrets to minimize the space taken up by the barbettes and magazines, as larger triple turrets would have taken up the room which the machinery spaces currently occupy, forcing a larger and heavier displacement ship. Although the same calibre as the Arizona, these 14-inch guns are the Mark 12 version rather than the earlier Mark 8 of the Arizona, though the guns of both ships share the exact same shell performance, giving Arizona a slight edge in surface warfare due to the extra two guns. Interesting to note, the guns in A turret are actually the same barrels that were on USS Arizona when she was sunk on the attack on Pearl Harbor; these had been salvaged and were used to replace Nevada's worn out barrels, being relined to Mark 12 specifications.
Like the Arizona, the Nevada has the same cramped turrets, resulting in the same excruciating reload time of 40 seconds at best, meaning that any missed salvoes will seriously cut into the damage output. This can be partially mitigated by firing the turrets separately; this can be especially effective against light targets such as destroyers and light cruisers, and allow some ability to engage multiple targets.
The Mk.9 HE, with 46.67 kg TNT equivalent, can cause flooding and fire on any ship taking a hit, the damage may be severe enough from a concentrated salvo for many destroyers and sometimes even cruisers to roll over and capsize. It should be noted, however, that USN ammunition has historically contained less filler than other nations' navies. While containing more filler than the Japanese and German 12-inch shells, it does not compare favourably even against the 12-inch shells on Russian/Soviet capital ships, let alone against the monstrous 88.11 kg explosive mass found on the 13.5-inch of HMS Marlborough.
The Mk.8 AP shell has fairly respectable levels of penetration, with a maximum of 637 mm at 1 km and 444 mm at 10 km. This is the main shell to use on enemy capital ships, and especially those with effective armour layouts. The bursting charge is not bad either, standing at 15.24 kg, heavier than the charge in Japanese 14-inch AP, though lighter than the charge in British 13.5-inch Mk.Ia AP. To get the most out of the shell, it is recommended to aim for magazines, engines, shell magazines, and other essential components of the enemy ships. This shell is usually not suited for firing upon ships such as destroyers or lightly armoured cruisers (<70-100 mm armour) unless being fired directly down the centreline of the vessel, as it will more often than not fly through the ship and explode in the open, rather than on the inside 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 | ||
| Mk.9 HE | HE | 71 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 71 |
| Mk.8 APCBC | APCBC | 637 | 597 | 536 | 484 | 439 | 372 |
| 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.9 HE | HE | 823 | 635 | 0 | 0.1 | 46.67 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
| Mk.8 APCBC | APCBC | 823 | 635 | 0.035 | 17 | 15.24 | 48° | 63° | 71° | |||
Secondary armament
USS Nevada comes equipped with a secondary battery consisting of 8 x dual 5-inch/38 calibre guns, arranged 4 per side amidships. This effectively gives the Nevada the same secondary broadside as the Porter-class destroyers found earlier in the bluewater line. These guns have an incredibly quick reload rate of as low as 3.6 seconds; this allows captains to quickly dish out damage to destroyers and light cruisers, helping to cope with the exceptionally long reload found on the main battery. For this purpose the "SP Common" shells are recommended, as though they have less filler than the normal common shells, they still do good post-penetration damage and give sufficient penetration to damage light cruisers at close range.
The 5-inchers also have access to two types of high explosive shells; these are the AAC Mk.34 (HE) and AAVT Mk.31 (HE-VT). Both have identical quantities of explosive filler, therefore it's recommended to use the HE-VT in all circumstances. It will do equal damage to surface targets, while still being able to reliably engage air targets with the proximity fuse. This combined with the quick fire rate allows for effective anti-aircraft fire at ranges exceeding the smaller calibre guns. As Nevada has a radar, this can be used to spot enemy air targets approaching, although Nevada lacks a tracking radar director so captains would have to rely on aiming manually unlike other ships with fire directors like the USS Des Moines.
| 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° | |
Anti-aircraft armament
USS Nevada has an exceptional array of anti-aircraft armaments, and when combined with the secondary battery it makes her one of the most lethal targets for enemy aircraft to engage. Her dedicated anti-aircraft battery consists of both the 40 mm Bofors and 20 mm Oerlikon, both of which should be very familiar from other USN vessels of the time period. The heavy hitters from this battery will be the 40 mm Bofors, which are arranged in 8 quad turrets, for 32 barrels total. These are arranged around the superstructure, clear of the level of the 5-inch/38 calibre gun mounts. One quad mount each is placed forward and aft of the superstructure, with three more mounted on the wings of each side. This gives a broadside of 20 barrels, with the full quantity being available for targets well above the aircraft. These can also be very useful in destroying boats and crippling or destroying lightly armoured destroyers, the large quantity of fire can prove very effective.
If an aircraft manages to get past the 5-inch HE-VT fire and the 40 mm battery, Nevada also has 40 single mount 20 mm Oerlikons scattered across her decks and lower superstructure. These have much more limited range, and with the higher speed that aircraft attain at these ranks, they are unlikely to be able to take down enemy aircraft before they release their weapons. More often than not they'll do damage as the aircraft is releasing and flying over the ship instead. These guns can also be used at very close range against unarmoured boats, but they are unlikely to be nearly as effective as the Bofors in this regard.
Scout plane
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:
- Decent quality 356 mm shells
- Heavily armoured belt
- Reasonably powerful secondary armaments
- Large and effective AA suite
Cons:
- Incredibly slow
- Unarmoured deck can cause the ship to bleed a significant amount of crew from fire and HE damage
- Main turrets have extremely slow traverse speed, inability to fire reactively
- Long main battery reload limits the damage output
- AA suite highly vulnerable to explosive blasts
History
The USS Nevada was a pivotal design both for the US Navy and the world, with a long and storied service career. The Nevada-class was the first of the second-generation US dreadnoughts, and many of her design choices would set a new standard for the rest of the "Standard" type of battleships that the US would design until after the end of WW2. Design choices included a speed of 21.0 kn (average for a battleship at the time) and similar agility across all classes, which would allow multiple years of battleships to operate seamlessly together in a fleet; this both made maintaining formation much simpler and also ensured that one class of battleship wouldn't outstrip another if called to flank speed. Oil fuel for ease of refueling, geared steam turbines giving extra range to cover the Pacific, and the new and unique triple gun turret were all features pioneered by the Nevada that would be used by the rest of the US fleet going forward as well. And of course, the new "all or nothing" armour scheme. This was to provide maximum protection to the areas that needed it, with a larger and thicker belt than previous designs but without the thinner strips of armour covering the entire hull. Armour-piercing rounds would instead fly right through the ship without fusing, and the vitals of the ship were better protected. This would go on to be adopted by every other competent naval power after the end of the First World War.
World War One
She would begin construction in late 1912, and be launched in July of 1914. She would join the Atlantic fleet in May of 1916, where until the American involvement in WW1 she would conduct training cruises. With the onset of war for the United States in 1917, she would be unable to join the battleships heading to Britain due to a lack of fuel oil, though she would later join Battleship Division 6, based in Ireland, in August of 1918. The war would end soon after, and Nevada wouldn't get a chance to engage any targets in WW1. She would however escort President Woodrow Wilson to the Paris Peace Conference at the close of the war.
Interwar
In the interwar period nothing of major note would occur for Nevada, as she would conduct many cruises with both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets. She would however receive a large refit from 1927-1930, including newer and more efficient boilers and turbines, torpedo bulges, a new 5-inch/25 anti-aircraft battery (the predecessor to the infamous 5-inch/38) and spotter planes. She would go on in broadly this configuration until the start of WW2.
World War Two
The American involvement in the Second World War would begin with Pearl Harbor, which Nevada was present for. She would be the only American battleship to get underway, taking many hits in the progress. She would be hit by one torpedo while at berth, and at least 6 more bombs as the attack went on, though this number was most likely higher as the damage surveyed indicated that several of the hits were most likely too large to have been caused by one bomb. As she was caught off guard like the rest of the US fleet, her watertight doors and compartments were not shut before the attack, so the decision was made to beach her rather than have her sink and possibly block access to the harbor. She would then be refloated and sent off for repairs and refit, which included massively increasing her anti-aircraft battery, and upgrading her secondaries to the 5-inch/38 dual purpose gun.
Once out from her refit, she would go on to escort convoys before participating as fire support for the D-Day landings, ranging as far as 31 km from shore in support of allied troops. Some of the targets she hit were only 550 metres away from the front line, incredibly close and accurate for battleship fire. USS Nevada was the only battleship present for both Normandy and Pearl Harbor. She would go on to assist with another landing at Toulon; being one of the battleships to duel with "Big Willie", a well-armoured fortress with 4 13.4-inch battleship guns for firepower. This would go on for 10 days until the fortress finally fell, at which point Nevada needed to have her guns relined. As part of this process, her three forward guns were replaced with some salvaged from the wreck of USS Arizona, granting her some measure of revenge for her loss.
USS Nevada would then be sent to the Pacific, providing fire support at Iwo Jima and Okinawa, at some points coming within 550 metres of the shore in support of troops. She would take 2 hits during this time, a minor one from a shore battery and a direct hit from a kamikaze mission. Despite taking multiple hits from anti-aircraft fire, the kamikaze would make a direct hit, knocking turret 3 out of action. She would later come in range of the Japanese home islands before the war's end, though no bombardment was made.
Post-war
After hostilities ended, she would serve a short stint of occupation duty before returning to the United States. The Navy decided she was too old to be maintained post-war, and so the decision was made to her her as a target ship. She was painted bright orange and was then subjected to 2 atomic blasts. The first, "Able" was an airburst only 1.6 km away, and the second, known as "Baker" was an underwater explosion. Nevada, though slightly damaged, would survive both nuclear blasts and was still considered operational. At this point she was extremely radioactive, so the choice was made to sink her as gunnery practice. This would include fire from multiple cruisers and an Iowa-class battleship at as little as 8 km, but she also survived this. She was finally sunk by a TBF-1C dropping a torpedo, and would capsize and sink on 31st July 1948. Her wreck would not be found until 2020.
Media
- Skins
Market
- Videos
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
| Fore River Shipyard | |
|---|---|
| Battleships (BB) | |
| Delaware-class | USS North Dakota |
| Nevada-class | USS Nevada |
| Note | Fore River Shipyard was purchased by Bethlehem Steel Corp. in 1913. |
| USA battleships | |
|---|---|
| Delaware-class | USS North Dakota |
| Wyoming-class | USS Wyoming · USS Arkansas |
| New York-class | USS Texas |
| Nevada-class | USS Nevada |
| Pennsylvania-class | USS Arizona |
| New Mexico-class | USS Mississippi |
