Ship:West Virginia 1941

14.8

W. Virginia '41

Battleship | U.S.A. | Tier VI

Tech Tree Position

General

Purchase priceSpecial

Hit Points50,200

Main Battery

406 mm/45 Mk.5 in a turret4 х 2 pcs.

Rate of Fire2 shots/min

Reload Time30 sec

Rotation Speed4 deg/sec

180 Degree Turn Time45 sec

Firing Range16.1 km

Maximum Dispersion220 m

HE Shell406 mm HE/HC Mk13

Maximum HE Damage5,700

Chance of Fire36 %

Initial HE Velocity803 m/s

HE Shell Weight861.8 kg

AP Shell406 mm AP Mk5

Maximum AP Shell Damage12,400

Initial AP Shell Velocity768 m/s

AP Shell Weight1016 kg

Secondary Armament #1

127 mm/25 Mk.19 on a Mk.19 mount8 х 1 pcs.

Firing Range5 km

Rate of Fire13.3 shots/min

Reload Time4.5 sec

HE Shell127 mm HE/HC Mk36

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,800

Initial HE Shell Velocity657 m/s

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell9 %

Secondary Armament #2

127 mm/51 Mk.7 on a Mk.13 mount10 х 1 pcs.

Firing Range5 km

Rate of Fire8.6 shots/min

Reload Time7 sec

HE Shell127 mm HE/HC Mk39

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,800

Initial HE Shell Velocity960 m/s

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell6 %

AA Defense

12.7 mm Browning on a single mount8 х 1 pcs.

76 mm/50 Mk.22 on a single mount4 х 1 pcs.

127 mm/25 Mk.19 on a Mk.19 mount8 х 1 pcs.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed21 knot

Turning Circle Radius670 m

Rudder Shift Time13.7 sec

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range15.9 km

Air Detectability Range10 km

Battle Levels

12345678910

VI

Special

W. Virginia '41 — American special premium Tier VI battleship.

The third and final Colorado-class battleship. USS West Virginia spent the interwar period conducting training voyages and exercises. Before World War II, the battleship was supposed to receive bulges, reinforced deck armor, and air defenses, as well as new boilers and a new fire-control system, but the modernization was postponed until 1942, and the ship never went through it. During the Pearl Harbor raid, West Virginia received multiple torpedo and bomb hits, then sank on an even keel. In May 1942, the battleship was raised and repaired, and only then did she finally undergo a radical modernization.

Modules

	Rate of Fire (shots/min)	180° Turn Time (sec)	Maximum Dispersion (m)	Maximum HE Shell Damage (HP)	Chances of HE shells causing a fire on target (%)	Maximum AP Shell Damage (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
406 mm/45 Mk.5 in a turret	2	45	220	5,700	36	12,400		0	0

	Hit Points (HP)	Armor (mm)	Armor (mm)	Main Turrets (pcs.)	Secondary Gun Turrets (pcs.)	AA Mounts (pcs.)	Torpedo Tubes (pcs.)	Hangar Capacity (pcs.)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
West Virginia '41	50,200	16	457	4	8/10	8/4/8				0	0

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Mk6 mod. 1		0		0	0

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 28,900 hp	21		0	0

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4

Player Opinion

Performance

Warning: The data presented in the AA Defense sidebar section may be incorrect.
Refer to the in-game Port screens for more useful data.

W. Virginia '41 is quite similar to her tech-tree sister, Colorado. Armed with the same set of eight 16" guns, tough armor, and sluggish maneuverability, captains familiar with Colorado's play style will be right at home using W. Virginia '41.

W. Virginia '41 is placed at Tier VI, and as such has a few differences from her sister at Tier VII. She has a difference of 9,100 hit points, and almost 3 kilometers less range. She does however possess a faster rudder shift time. Her anti-aircraft firepower is also significantly worse than that of Colorado.

Like her sister, W. Virginia '41 excels at mid- and close-range engagements with her enemies. Her large, accurate guns are devastating against cruisers and battleships alike, and her thick armor, when angle properly, keeps her safe from being citadelled by enemy armor piercing ammunition, although guns larger than 356mm will still get overmatch penetration damage on her 25mm plating. She is quite vulnerable to high explosive shells, especially those found on higher tier cruisers and destroyers.

Her slow speed and short range requires captains to have a good grasp of positioning and map layouts to reach engagements in a safe and timely fashion. Captains should be wary of over extending, as her speed will prevent her from withdrawing safely. When top tier, W. Virginia '41 can easily lead a push; when up-tiered, W. Virginia '41 is best played as a mid-range support ship.

Captains who have experience playing Colorado — or any of the American battleships from Tier VII and below — should have no problems playing W. Virginia '41. She offers players something different from Arizona: fewer shells, but more punch.

Pros:

• Well armored citadel positioned low in the ship, making citadel penetrations uncommon.
• Durable against AP shells of 356mm and lower caliber when properly angled.
• Eight 406mm guns with the same penetration and damage as Colorado.
• Good turn radius and quick rudder shift for a battleship.

Cons:

• Mostly covered with 25mm thick plating vulnerable to HE penetrations and 380mm or larger battleship guns.
• Short main battery range makes Artillery Plotting Room Modification 1 almost mandatory.
• Slow top speed, a common weakness for American low- and mid-tier battleships.
• Weak AA defenses.
• Poor concealment.
  

Research

As a premium ship, W. Virginia '41 doesn't have any upgrades to research.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades for W. Virginia '41 are as follows:

• Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
• Slot 2: Damage Control System Modification 1 
• Slot 3: Artillery Plotting Room Modification 1
• Slot 4: Damage Control System Modification 2

Commander Skills

Key skills for W. Virginia '41 commanders include Basics of Survivability and Fire Prevention.

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Attack			Defense
1	Gun Feeder -40% time to switch shell type. ★	Demolition Expert +1% chance of main and secondary HE shells causing a fire +15% to the fragmentation damage area of HE ordnance when firing at submarines.	Consumable Specialist −7.5% cooldown time of all Consumables except:  Damage Control Party ,  Repair Party . ★★	Emergency Repair Specialist -3% cooldown time of Damage Control Party  and Repair Party .	Incoming Fire Alert Receive a warning about a salvo fired at your ship from more than 4.5 km.	Preventive Maintenance −30% chance of main armament, engines, steering becoming incapacitated +15% to HP of secondary and AA guns. ★★
2	Grease the Gears +20% main turret traverse speed. ★	Inertial Fuse for HE Shells +25% armor penetration of HE shells. Base fire chance reduced by half.	Brisk So long as the ship remains undetected: +10% ship speed.	Vigilance +25% detection range of enemy torpedoes +7% damage reduction of Torpedo Protection System. . ★	Priority Target The detection indicator will show the number of enemies targeting you with main battery.	AAA & ASW Expert +15% continuous AAA and flak damage . +10% damage inflicted by depth charges. While AAA is active: −40% ship consumables reload time.. ★★
3	Super-Heavy AP Shells +7.5% AP shell damage −10% fire and flood damage received +25% fire and flood duration.	Long-Range Secondary Battery Shells +20% secondary battery firing range.	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% reload time of all armaments per 1% HP lost +0.2% AA continuous damage per 1% HP lost. ★★	Basics of Survivability -15% repair, fire, and flooding duration. ★★★	Improved Repair Party Readiness −0.8% reload time of Repair Party each time your ship receives potential damage equal to 100% of the ship's base HP. After receiving 2M HP potential damage: +1 charge of Repair Party ..	Focus Fire Training In an active priority AA sector: •  +1.5% (to 5%) immediate damage. •  +25% continuous damage. •  +1 flak burst per salvo. −10% aircraft preparation time. −15% reload time of Airstrike armament.. ★★
4	Furious 1st fire / flood   −10% Main battery reload time 2nd etc. (up to 5), each   −5% Main battery reload time ★	Manual Secondary Battery Aiming −10% secondary battery reload time. −10% secondary battery dispersion. When firing at a manually selected target: dispersion gradually improves from -25% to -50%.	Close Quarters Combat -10% reload time of main battery if an enemy ship is spotted within secondary range.	Emergency Repair Expert Damage Control Party  and Repair Party : +1 charge (each). +10% action time . ★★	Concealment Expert -10% detectability range of the ship. ★	Fire Prevention Expert -10% risk of fire. Three fires maximum. ★★★
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful      ★★ - Frequently Useful      ★ - Occasionally Useful     No stars - Not Useful

Consumables

W. Virginia '41 equips the following consumables:

• Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
• Slot 2: Repair Party  – 4 charges
• Slot 3: Spotting Aircraft  – 4 charges

Camouflage

As a premium ship, W. Virginia '41 comes with Default permanent camouflage and a set of permanent combat bonuses.

Signals

W. Virginia '41 captains should mount standard signal flags to improve the ship's performance in battle. Sierra Mike () flags are recommended to increase the ship's top speed. India Delta () and India Yankee () flags should be mounted to improve the ship's survivability. November Foxtrot () flags can also be mounted to decrease consumable cooldown time.

Recommended Signal Flags
Combat
Charlie Kilo +5% ship HP; +2.5% squadron HP.	Juliet Yankee Bissotwo -20% to flooding duration. ★	India Yankee -20% to fire duration. ★★★	Hotel Yankee -20% to damage received when ramming the enemy. +50% to damage dealt when ramming the enemy.	Victor Lima +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +4% chance of torpedoes causing flooding.	India X-Ray +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire.
Juliet Whiskey Unaone +15% chance of causing flooding.	Mike Yankee Soxisix +5% to secondary battery maximum firing range. -5% to maximum dispersion of secondary battery shells. -5% to secondary battery loading time. ★	November Echo Setteseven +5% continuous AA damage at all ranges. +5% damage from flak bursts. ★	Sierra Mike +5% to the ship's maximum speed. ★★★	November Foxtrot -5% reload time on all consumables. ★★	India Delta +20% to the amount of HP recovered when Repair Party  is used. ★★★
X-Ray Papa Unaone +10% action time of a Smoke Generator .	Sierra Bravo +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search  -10% reload time of Defensive AA Fire .

Gallery

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Historical Info

USS West Virgnia, 1923

Construction

Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding; Newport News, United States

Laid down: 12 April 1920

Launched: 19 November 1921

Commissioned: 1 December 1923

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Specifications

32,600 tons displacement, standard

33,590 tons displacement, full

190.2m length

29.7m beam

9.2m draft

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Machinery

8 Babcock & Wilcox Boilers

4 General Electric turbo-electric Drives

4794 tons of oil

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Performance

21 knots at 28,900 shaft horsepower

8000 nm at 10 knots

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Armor

Main belt: 343mm tapering to 203mm

Decks: 89mm over citadel

Bulkheads: 343mm

Barbettes: 320mm

Turrets: 467mm face, 254mm sides, 127mm roof

Conning tower: 406mm sides, 203mm roof

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Armament

Main

Eight (4x2) 16"/45 (406mm) Mk.5

Secondary

Ten (10x1) 5"/51 (127mm) Mk.7

Eight (8x1) 5"/25 (127mm) Mk.19 mod.6

Anti-aircraft

Four (4x1) 3"/50 (76mm) Mk.22 mod.2

Eight (8x1) .50 cal (12.7mm) Browning M2 mod.2

Torpedoes

Two (2x1) 21" (533mm) submerged torpedo tubes

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Aircraft Facilities

Two (2) Catapults

Aircraft

Three (3) Seaplanes (either Vought UO or VE, Martin MO, or Loening OL)

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Complement

1080 officers and sailors

USS West Virginia sailing past Hawaii, 1935.

History

Design

The Colorado-class battleships were in most ways repeats of the preceding Tennessee-class, with the larger main battery guns.

In 1916 the US Navy ordered a class of four new battleships, which would be an improvement in firepower over the older classes while keeping the characteristics of the Tennesee hull. This order included sixteen ships of various classes and types, however only the three ships of the Colorado-class would be completed as the ships they were intended to be. Aside from two Lexington-class ships, which would be converted into aircraft carriers however.

Under the Washington Naval Treaty, the ships of the Colorado-class were included in the “Big Seven”: the seven battleships across all navies permitted to carry guns of a caliber of 406-410mm. The other four ships were HMS Nelson and HMS Rodney, and the Japanese Nagato and Mutsu.

With a 190.2 meter long and 29.7 meter wide hull, the compact design of the standard-type battleships was continued. The maximum displacement reached 40,400 tons when fully loaded, and the draft increased to 10.8 meters. With eight boilers producing steam for two turbo generators, these ships could reach 21 knots at a power output of 28,900 shaft horsepower on each of four shafts. Fuel supplies on board would permit a cruising range of up to 9,700 nautical miles.

The protection scheme was a continuation of the all-or-nothing scheme, which placed a lot of emphasis on protecting the vital compartments and main armament of the ship, while leaving the rest of the ship mostly unprotected. The main belt was 343mm thick, and would thin down to 203mm at its lower edge. The forward and rear bulkhead were protected by 343mm of armor. At the upper edge of the armored belt the main armor deck started, and would cover the entire machinery and magazines with a thickness of 89mm. The barbettes for the main battery turrets were 320mm thick, and the turrets themselves had 457mm faces, 229-254mm sides and a 127mm strong roof. The conning tower had 406mm sides and a 203mm strong roof.

The main battery was carried in four twin turrets of 406mm (16-inch) guns. The secondary armament at completion consisted of twelve to fourteen (Maryland carried the higher number) single mounted 127mm guns, and four or eight (Maryland packing the lower number) 76.2mm guns which would also be able to engage aircraft. Two underwater torpedo tubes were installed, and would later be removed during refits.

As with most ships of the era, the anti-aircraft armament was later deemed insufficient, and various modernizations would address that issue. These would result in Colorado carrying eight single mounted 127mm/25 guns, while her two classmates would receive eight 127mm/38 twins in enclosed turrets. Up to fifty-two (52) barrels of 40mm Bofors in quad and twin mounts, plus as many as sixty-four (64) 20mm Oerlikons in single, twin or even quad mountings would find themselves installed aboard the ships of the class. In the late 1920s, all three ships received at least one aircraft catapult and the ability to carry up to three seaplanes.

Laid down on 12 April 1920 at Newport News, Virginia, launched on 19 November 1921, and commissioned into the United States Navy as the final “standard-type battleship” on 1 December 1923, USS West Virginia (BB-48) would be the last American battleship commissioned into the USN until USS North Carolina (BB-55) joined the Navy 18 years later.

Service

In her early life, West Virginia suffered technological issues that lead to her becoming grounded in the Lynnhaven Channel when her engine room lost power. Once these issues were resolved, West Virginia became the flagship of the United States Navy in October 1924. West Virginia was present in every annual ‘Fleet Problem’ (military exercises carried out by the USN) from 1925 through to mid-1940, while participating in several goodwill voyages across the Pacific. In the final months of 1941, West Virginia underwent intensive training alongside the fleet based out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. She was moored at Berth F-6 when Japanese planes crossed the horizon on 7 December 1941.

The first wave of Japanese planes struck West Virginia hard. Seven aerial torpedoes struck her port side at a shallow depth: one dislodged her rudder; several others struck her belt and tore holes in her side; others exploded inside her armored second deck by entering the holes torn by previous torpedoes. Two improvised armor-piercing bombs made from 16” AP shells fitted with aerial fins struck her deck and destroyed her floatplane and penetrated the roof of Turret #3, but neither detonated. Her port side filled with seawater, and her crew raced to counter-flood her starboard side to prevent her from capsizing in the harbor. Fires from USS Arizona (BB-39) spread to West Virginia’s upper decks. Her captain, Captain Mervyn S. Bennion, was mortally wounded on the bridge but continued to give orders to keep his ship from sinking. The ship’s executive officer abandoned ship during the first attack, and Lt. Commander John S. Harper took over as commanding officer. He countermanded the captain’s dying order for all hands to abandon ship, ordering repair parties to fight the fires broken out on her decks. By the end of the day, West Virginia was a half-sunken wreck, but she was not lost.

Six months later, repairs to West Virginia were underway. A patch was applied to her hull, the water pumped out and the ship refloated, and she was moved to drydock Number One in June 1942. Despite the monumental task of repairing the serious damage to her port side, West Virginia sailed under her own steam from Pearl Harbor to the Puget Sound Navy Yard in Washington State for a complete rebuild. She remained in the Navy Yard until mid-1944, when her extensive refit and repairs were complete. She returned to Pearl Harbor in late September 1944, then sailed to Manus Island to join up with — and become the flagship of — Battleship Division 4. The division sailed north to join Task Force Group 77.2, and participated in the Invasion of the Philippines. West Virginia had sat idly by long enough; crippled the moment the war began, she could finally avenge herself at last.

West Virginia provided gunnery support for the initial landing forces, silencing Japanese coastal installations with her 16” and modern 5” guns. Her first real engagement came when the Imperial Japanese Navy attempted to repulse the Phillipine invasion forces. At 03:16 in the early morning of 25 October 1944, West Virginia’s radar picked up a Japanese fleet, with West Virginia herself leading a battle line of five other ‘standard-type’ battleships. This engagement would come to be the Battle of Surigao Strait, the second and last battleship-versus-battleship engagement in the Pacific War, and the last such engagement in history. The Japanese fleet under Admiral Shoji Nishimura consisted of the battleships Fuso and Yamashiro, the heavy cruiser Mogami, and four destroyers. The seven ships sailed into a deadly trap of half a dozen US battleships – led by West Virginia – supported by eight cruisers and over 60 smaller combat vessels. West Virginia opened fire with her eight 16” guns at 3:52 am at a distance of nearly 21km, with her first salvo striking true on Yamashiro. Her sixteen salvos fired as she crossed the "T" of the surviving Japanese fleet utterly decimated it, with the battle between battleships being over just over 20 minutes after it begun. She returned to Vanuatu for repairs on 29 October.

She returned to the Philippines in late November, resuming patrols in Leyte Gulf to screen against enemy aircraft, where she had her first encounters with kamikaze aircraft. West Virginia herself avoided being struck, but she recovered survivors from vessels sunk by such attacks during her tenure that continued into early 1945. On the 17 February 1945, she sailed to assist US Marines in the attack on the Japanese island fortress of Iwo Jima. She joined the ring of ships surrounding the island on the 19th, and opened fire with her 16” guns, wreaking havoc on the Japanese island garrison. She departed for the Caroline Islands on 4 March, although the fighting on the island continued until the end of the month. Her next deployment was to Okinawa, arriving off the coast of the island on 25 March, where she began to bombard the shoreline ahead of the American landings planned for 1 April. On that date, West Virginia was struck by a kamikaze which crashed into her superstructure, killing or wounding almost 30 men, but the damage was reported as “fixable” and she carried on. By 8 April, West Virginia was prowling the waters in preparation to intercept Japanese superbattleship Yamato, which was headed to Okinawa on a suicide mission. That morning, West Virginia received news that Yamato had been sunk by US aircraft.

West Virginia remained off the coast of Okinawa until the Japanese government agreed to surrender on 10 August. She sailed to Tokyo Bay on 24 August, and was present on 2 September for the signature of the formal surrender. She remained in Tokyo Bay until mid-September, then returned to the US West Coast via Okinawa, Pearl Harbor (where she received a fresh coat of paint), and then on to San Diego, California. She arrived at her destination on 22 October 1945 to take part in Navy Day, where over 25,000 visitors boarded the ship. After the celebrations, she did three runs between Pearl Harbor and the West Coast as a part of Operation Magic Carpet, disembarking her final load of passengers over Christmas in San Pedro. Afterwards, she sailed north to Washington state, arriving in Seattle on 16 January 1946, where she was moored alongside her sister ship Colorado. She was decommissioned a year later, becoming part of the Pacific Reserve Fleet. She remained in reserve status until March 1959, when West Virginia — alongside many WW2-era vessels — ere sold to the scrappers, slowly disappearing from the world piece-by-piece.

Historical Inaccuracies

• Measure 32/7D camouflage was actually applied to West Virginia after her reconstruction in 1944.
• Historical Measure 1 camouflage is missing. This was West Virginia's camouflage in December 1941. A similar paint scheme can be found on Arizona.
• Historical black paint on the roofs of turrets 'A' and 'B', and Insignia Red on turret 'Y' are missing.
• Spotter plane should have Intermediate Blue upper surfaces over Gull Grey undersides. The Silver fuselage, Chrome Yellow wings and Insignia Red tail only existed from 1940 to early 1941.

Historical Gallery

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  USS West Virginia (BB-48) in San Francisco Bay, c. 1934.
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  West Virginia after her reconstruction at Puget Sound, Bremerton WA, 1944.
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  West Virginia from the bow at Puget Sound, 1944.
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  A pic of USS Maryland (BB-46) from under West Virginia's rear guns.

References

1. USS West Virginia (BB-48) - Wikipedia
2. Colorado-class battleship - Wikipedia
3. World of Warships Museum: West Virginia - News - World of Warships
4. West Virginia - Coming Soon in World of Warships! - World of Warships Official Channel - YouTube

Ship Change Log

• Available for testing by supertesters in the game starting from Update 0.7.10.

Testing Changes

• September 17, 2018:
  • Preliminary characteristics.
• October 1, 2018:
  • West Virginia was renamed to West Virginia '41.
• October 16, 2018:
  • Surface detectability was increased from 12.42 to 16.42 km.
  • Detectability after firing main guns in smoke was increased from 12.34 to 15.86 km.
  • Air detectability was increased from 10.68 to 14.68 km.
  • Torpedo defense reduction was decreased from 35% to 22%
• October 16, 2018:
  • A special permanent camouflage featuring a unique horn was added for West Virginia.

• First appeared on sale at the end of November 2018.
• Update 0.7.12:
  • Minor fixes to geometry and textures.
• Update 0.8.0:
  • Minor fixes to geometry and textures.
• Update 0.10.0:
  • The firing range of the secondary battery was increased to 4.95 km.

Ships of U.S.A.

Battleships