Ship:Essex

14.8

Aircraft Carrier | U.S.A. | Tier X

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Battle Levels

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X

28,500,000

Essex — American Tier X aircraft carrier.

The first Essex-class aircraft carriers were ordered as part of the Navy's expansion program of 1938. The decision to construct more ships in the series was made after the Pacific war had broken out. The Essex-class aircraft carriers were significant for several reasons. They were large and fast; had strong air defenses; could carry and launch a large air group rapidly; and, importantly, they were available in substantial numbers. Through a combination of these qualities, they played a pivotal role in the U.S. Navy's achievements in the Pacific during the final 2 years of World War II.

Modules

	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 ()
Essex	59,500	13	102		4/4	56/17/4/4				0	3,000,000

	Speed (knot)	Average Damage per Second (HP/min)	Loadout	Hit Points (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
F8F Bearcat Tiny Tim						0	1,000,000
F8F Bearcat Tiny Tim						38,000	2,500,000

	Maximum Torpedo Damage (HP)	Speed (knot)	Hit Points (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
AD-1 Skyraider	5,067	126	2,040		0	1,000,000
BTD Destroyer	6,433	131	2,120		38,000	2,500,000

	Maximum Bomb Damage (HP)	Speed (knot)	Hit Points (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
TB2D Skypirate					0	1,000,000
TB2D Skypirate					38,000	2,500,000

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 150,000 hp	33		0	900,000

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4
Slot 5
Slot 6

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.

Essex is the Tier X United States support aircraft carrier, and the continuation of the gameplay introduced with Tier VIII support aircraft carrier Yorktown. She features tactical attack aircraft and tactical dive bombers with Jet Assisted Take Off (JATO), alongside standard torpedo bombers. This line’s primary feature is its ability to lay smoke screens with tactical squadrons, allowing Essex to support teammates with smoke cover while also deploying strong patrol fighters, but at the cost of lower damage output and worse spotting capabilities.

F8F Bearcat Tactical Attack Aircraft:

Essex’s attack aircraft is similar to that of Midway’s Tiny Tims, with high fire chance and penetration. Each squad consists of 6 aircraft that attack all at once, firing 2 rockets per plane for a total of 12 rockets. The rockets have a long machine gun delay time of 5 seconds, so good leading is required to hit targets. This squadron has a couple of advantages as a tactical squadron. First of all, every attack aircraft flight has JATO boosters, which increase the top speed of the aircraft when first launched from the flight deck. Secondly, plane losses do not matter with this squadron, as tactical squadrons regenerate a full squadron after the restoration time. Finally, this squadron launches all of its rockets at once, limiting the time spent in anti-aircraft auras. The damage output from the attack aircraft is not very impressive, but it carries important consumables that define the support aircraft carrier play style. These aircraft carry Combat Air Patrol s with increased patrol range and more health, which latch onto enemy planes faster at the cost of low spotting distance. The second consumable is the Smoke Curtain Generator , which lays a smoke screen for 10 seconds that has a dispersion time of 90 seconds. The planes carry 3 charges and the smoke screens can be used dynamically throughout the battle, either to provide cover for allies or conceal the carrier hull to prevent carrier snipes and long-range artillery fire.

TB2D Skypirate Tactical Dive Bombers:

Essex’s dive bomber squadrons consist of 6 aircraft that attack all at once, dropping 4 bombs per plane for a total of 24. The bombs individually have low alpha damage, penetration, and fire chance. However, she makes up for this by dropping a lot of bombs with a circular drop area that is similar to Hornet’s B-25 tactical bomber squadron. Due to these characteristics, this squadron is Essex’s best tool against destroyers, but can also be used against large targets to set fires. As a tactical squadron, every dive bomber flight has JATO boosters, which increase the top speed of the aircraft when first launched from the flight deck. Plane losses do not matter with this squadron, as tactical squadrons regenerate a full squadron after the restoration time. This squadron carries the same consumables as the tactical attack aircraft, featuring Combat Air Patrol and Smoke Curtain Generator. As such, this squadron should be used to help allies with smoke screens and fighters to destroy enemy aircraft.

BTD Destroyer Torpedo Bombers:

Essex’s torpedo bombers are a consistent form of damage against large targets. Each squad consists of 8 aircraft that attack in flights of 2, each dropping 2 torpedoes for a total of 4 per drop. These torpedoes have a fast aiming time, high flood chance (51%), and high damage. The torpedo bombers are the main way to deal damage against most targets, with their high alpha strike, multiple attack flights, and ease of use due to fast aiming time. This squadron should be used in conjunction with tactical squadrons to set damage over time effects in the form of fires and floods on enemy ships. This squadron carries Combat Air Patrol and the In-flight Repair  consumable to help mitigate plane losses during strikes. Because this squadron is a standard squadron, it is limited by the amount of planes left in reserve and its fairly long restoration time. Players must be careful to attack isolated targets and avoid anti-air blobs to preserve planes throughout the battle.

Ship:

Essex is a weakly armored aircraft carrier that travels at 33 knots. She has the weakest deck armor among Tier X aircraft carriers at 30 mm. This can be overmatched by guns above 431 mm in caliber and penetrated by most HE armaments from other ships and aircraft carriers. Her base concealment is good at 13.5 km. This allows players to push the carrier hull aggressively to strike enemy targets faster, especially when combined with her smoke screens.

Her anti-aircraft suite is good, comparable to that of Midway’s. However, her flak count of 5 is low and the anti-aircraft range is 5.8 km.

Tips:

Essex is a much more powerful carrier when played in divisions, as the Smoke Curtain Generator can be used to smoke communicating allies for strategic plays such as cap contesting and reaching aggressive islands undetected.
Use tactical squadrons to light fires and force damage control party consumables from enemy ships. Following up with torpedo bombers can yield permanent flooding damage.
Building into interceptors to enhance fighter characteristics is recommended to protect allied ships and deny the enemy carrier from striking and spotting key targets.

Combat Capability - Smoke Curtain Generator

Essex's tactical attack aircraft and tactical bomber squadrons can deploy smoke through Smoke Curtain Generators in battle. The consumable works the same as with smoke generators on surface ships, but uses the aircraft to direct the smoke screen. Her tactical aircraft, like most others, are equipped with boosters and consist of only one attack flight, and they do not return to the aircraft carrier.

Requirements:

Activate the consumable with its assigned key. Tactical squadrons are available at the start of the battle. The squadrons do not return to the carrier, the full preparation time must elapse again before they can be launched again.

Effects:

Tactical Attack Squadron preparation time: 126 seconds
Tactical Bomber Squadron preparation time: 144 seconds
Consumable action time: 10 s
Smoke screen dispersion time: 60 s
Action radius: 530 m
Cooldown time: 90 s
Number of consumables: 2

Pros:

Access to tactical squadrons with JATO boosters
Enhanced Combat Air Patrol  with faster reaction time
Torpedo bombers have short aiming time
Torpedo bombers have high alpha damage and flood chance
Good AA suite
Good concealment
Access to Smoke Curtain Generator  on tactical squadrons

Cons:

Weak deck armor
Long restoration time for Torpedo bombers
Low damage output on tactical squadrons
Combat Air Patrol s have low spotting distance
Low flak count

Research

Researchable upgrades for Essex:

Tactical Rocket Aircraft: Upgrade to F8F Bearcat Tiny Tim for improved plane HP, restoration time and an extra plane for the squadron.
Torpedo Bombers: Upgrade to BTD Destroyer for improved plane speed, HP and restoration time, as well as improved torpedo damage.
Tactical Dive Bombers: Upgrade to SB2C-4 Helldiver for improved plane HP, restoration time and an extra plane for the squadron.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades are:

Slot 1: Air Groups Modification 1
Slot 2: Aircraft Engines Modification 1
Slot 3: Torpedo Bombers Modification 1
Slot 4: Torpedo Bombers Modification 2
Slot 5: Squadron Consumables Modification 1
Slot 6: Flight Control Modification 2

Torpedo-focused upgrades are recommended as Essex’s main damage output comes from her standard torpedo bomber squadron. Squadron Consumables Modification 1 is recommended in Slot 5 to give an extra charge of Smoke Curtain Generator and Combat Air Patrol for each plane type that carries them.

Commander Skills

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Attack			Defense		Support
1	Last Gasp Completely restores engine boost for the last attack squadron. ★★★	Improved Engine Boost +10% Aircraft engine boost time. ★	Engine Techie -20% Engine Cooling cooldown time. ★	Air Supremacy -5% aircraft restoration time. ★★	Direction Center for Fighters +1 fighter to CAP squadrons.	Search and Destroy +10% to action radius of Patrol Fighter and Interceptor squadrons. ★★★
2	Torpedo Bomber -10% torpedo arming distance. ★★★	Swift Fish +5% to torpedo speed. ★	Improved Engines +2.5% aircraft squadron speed. ★★★	Repair Specialist +1 In-flight Repair consumable +10% its action time. ★	Secondary Armament Expert +10% flak and continuous damage -10% secondary battery reload time.	Patrol Group Leader +1 fighter to Patrol Fighter or Interceptor squadrons.
3	Sight Stabilization +7.5% aiming speed.	Enhanced Armor-Piercing Ammunition +3% damage from AP bombs and rockets.	Pyrotechnician +1% chance of HE rockets causing a fire. +5% chance of HE bombs causing a fire. ★	Aircraft Armor -10% continuous AA damage while in an aura. ★★★	Survivability Expert +25 aircraft HP per ship tier. ★★★	Interceptor Interceptors replace Patrol Fighters: +10% action radius. Invulnerable to fighters. Cannot attack fighters. Cannot spot ships. ★★
4	Bomber Flight Control +5% speed all bomber types.	Proximity Fuze -10% (absolute) to target's torpedo protection. ★★★	Close Quarters Expert Secondary batteries: +20% range -30% dispersion.	Enhanced Aircraft Armor -25% damage from flak. ★	Hidden Menace -15% ship detectability range. -20% Damage Control Party cooldown. +50% aircraft return time. ★	Enhanced Reactions -80% time before activated Patrol Fighters or Interceptors attack. +25% action time. +50% cooldown time. ★★
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful ★★ - Frequently Useful ★ - Occasionally Useful No stars - Not Useful

It is recommended to take the following skills in order

Air Supremacy - Decreases preparation time for all squadrons, especially helpful for tactical squadrons
Improved Engines - Increase speed on all squadrons
Aircraft Armor - decreasing anti air damage is useful for every carrier
Survivability Expert - increasing plane health is useful for every carrier
Interceptor - increases patrol radius and makes fighters immune to enemy fighters, helpful for dealing with enemy strike aircraft
Search and Destroy - increases patrol radius further for better air supremacy in battle
Proximity Fuse - increases damage dealt from the most consistent squadron
Torpedo Bomber - decreases arming distance allowing for easier drops with torpedo bombers
Last Gasp - allows the final 2 torpedo bombers in a squadron to escape or close distance faster for a drop
Improved Engine Boost - increases engine boost duration for more speed when needed

Consumables

Essex equips the following consumables:

Aircraft Carrier:

Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
Slot 2: CAP Fighter  – 4 charges

All aircraft carrier consumables are automatically activated.

Tactical Attack Aircraft:

Slot 1: Engine Cooling  – 2 charges
Slot 2: Combat Air Patrol  – 3 charges
Slot 3: Smoke Curtain Generator  – 2 charges

Torpedo Bombers:

Slot 1: Engine Cooling  – 2 charges
Slot 2: Combat Air Patrol  – 3 charges
Slot 3: In-flight Repair  – 4 charges

Tactical Bombers:

Slot 1: Engine Cooling  – 2 charges
Slot 2: Combat Air Patrol  – 3 charges
Slot 3: Smoke Curtain Generator  – 2 charges

Signals

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

References

Ships of U.S.A.

Destroyers	II Sampson • II Smith • III Wickes • IV Clemson • IV DD 214 • V Nicholas • V Hill • VI Farragut • VI Monaghan • VII Mahan • VII Sims • VII Hughes • VII Sims B • VIII Benson • VIII Osborne • VIII Kidd • IX Fletcher • IX Christopher • IX Benham • IX Halford • IX Black B • IX Black • IX Johnston • IX GQ Johnny • X Gearing • X Burrows • X Somers • X Forrest Sherman • X Laffey • X Hull • ★ Joshua Humphreys
Cruisers	I Erie • II Chester • II Albany • III St. Louis • III Charleston • IV Phoenix • V Omaha • V Marblehead • V Marblehead Lima • V Rattlehead • VI Pensacola • VI Dallas • VII Atlanta • VII New Orleans • VII Helena • VII Indianapolis • VII Atlanta B • VII Boise • VII Flint • VIII Baltimore • VIII Cleveland • VIII Wichita • VIII Anchorage • VIII Congress • VIII Rochester • VIII San Diego • VIII Bridgeport • VIII AL Montpelier • IX Buffalo • IX Seattle • IX Vallejo • IX Alaska • IX Tulsa • IX Alaska B • IX Cambridge • IX Fort Worth • IX Fort Worth Golden • X Des Moines • X Worcester • X Puerto Rico • X Salem • X Hawaii • X Austin • X Puerto Rico B • X Hawaii Golden • ★ Jacksonville • ★ Annapolis
Battleships	III South Carolina • IV Wyoming • IV Arkansas Beta • V New York • V Oklahoma • V Texas • VI New Mexico • VI Arizona • VI W. Virginia '41 • VII Colorado • VII Florida • VII West Virginia '44 • VII California • VIII North Carolina • VIII Kansas • VIII Nebraska • VIII Alabama • VIII Massachusetts • VIII Alabama VL • VIII Constellation • VIII Massachusetts B • VIII Alabama ST • VIII Tennessee • VIII North Carolina CLR • VIII Alabama B • VIII Kheper • VIII AL Massachusetts • IX Iowa • IX Minnesota • IX Delaware • IX Missouri • IX Kearsarge • IX Illinois • IX Kearsarge B • IX Indiana • IX Georgia • IX AL Kearsarge • IX Bird Cry • X Montana • X Vermont • X Louisiana • X Ohio • X Rhode Island • X Wisconsin • X BA Montana • X Rhode Island B • X Wisconsin Golden • ★ Maine
Aircraft Carriers	IV Langley • VI Independence • VI Ranger • VIII Yorktown • VIII Lexington • VIII Enterprise • VIII Saipan • VIII Hornet • VIII Saipan B • VIII AL Hornet • X Essex • X Midway • X Franklin D. Roosevelt • ★ United States

Aircraft Carriers

U.S.A.	IV Langley • VI Independence • VI Ranger • VIII Yorktown • VIII Lexington • VIII Enterprise • VIII Saipan • VIII Hornet • VIII Saipan B • VIII AL Hornet • X Essex • X Midway • X Franklin D. Roosevelt • ★ United States
Japan	IV Hōshō • VI Ryūjō • VIII Shōkaku • VIII Kaga • VIII Kaga B • X Hakuryū • X Shinano • X AL Shinano • ★ Sekiryu
Germany	IV Rhein • VI Weser • VI Erich Loewenhardt • VIII August von Parseval • VIII Graf Zeppelin • VIII Graf Zeppelin B • X Manfred von Richthofen • X Max Immelmann
U.S.S.R.	IV Komsomolets • VI Serov • VIII Pobeda • VIII Chkalov • VIII Chkalov B • X Admiral Nakhimov
Pan-Asia	VIII Sanzang
U.K.	IV Hermes • VI Furious • VI Ark Royal • VIII Implacable • VIII Indomitable • VIII Colossus • VIII Theseus • X Audacious • X Malta • X Ocean • ★ Eagle
Italy	VIII Aquila
France	VI Béarn
Pan-America	X Independencia

Navigation

Ship:Essex

Modules

Compatible Upgrades

Player Opinion

Performance

F8F Bearcat Tactical Attack Aircraft:

TB2D Skypirate Tactical Dive Bombers:

BTD Destroyer Torpedo Bombers:

Ship:

Tips:

Combat Capability - Smoke Curtain Generator

Requirements:

Effects:

Pros:

Cons:

Research

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

Commander Skills

Consumables

Signals

Gallery

Historical Info

Essex, 19??

Construction

Specifications

Machinery

Performance

Armor

Armament

Main

Secondary

Anti-Aircraft

Torpedoes

Aircraft

Historical Gallery

References

Ship Change Log

Testing Changes