Ship:Salem

14.8

Salem

Cruiser | U.S.A. | Tier X

Tech Tree Position

General

Purchase priceSpecial

Hit Points49,700

Main Battery

203 mm/55 RF Mk.16 in a turret3 х 3 pcs.

Rate of Fire10.9 shots/min

Reload Time5 sec

Rotation Speed6 deg/sec

180 Degree Turn Time30 sec

Firing Range15.8 km

Maximum Dispersion142 m

HE Shell203 mm HE/HC Mk25

Maximum HE Damage2,800

Chance of Fire14 %

Initial HE Velocity823 m/s

HE Shell Weight118 kg

AP Shell203 mm AP Mk21

Maximum AP Shell Damage5,000

Initial AP Shell Velocity762 m/s

AP Shell Weight152 kg

Secondary Armament #1

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.32 mount6 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range7.3 km

Rate of Fire10 shots/min

Reload Time6 sec

HE Shell127 mm HE Mk32

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,800

Initial HE Shell Velocity792 m/s

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell5 %

AA Defense

76.2 mm/50 Mk.22 on a Mk.33 mount12 х 2 pcs.

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.32 mount6 х 2 pcs.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed33 knot

Turning Circle Radius770 m

Rudder Shift Time8.6 sec

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range13.4 km

Air Detectability Range7.9 km

Battle Levels

12345678910

X

Special

Salem — American special premium Tier X cruiser.

USS Salem, a Des Moines-class cruiser, served mainly in the Mediterranean from 1950 to 1956, serving as the flagship of the U.S. 6th and 2nd Fleets on a regular basis. In 1956, she "starred" as German cruiser Admiral Graf Spee in the "Pursuit of the Graf Spee" film. In 1994, the cruiser was decommissioned and converted into a museum ship, which is now located in Quincy, Massachusetts.

Salem was first released for sale with Update 0.7.6 and is available exclusively in the Armory for  Coal.

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 ()
203 mm/55 RF Mk.16 in a turret	10.9	30	142	2,800	14	5,000		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 ()
Salem	49,700	6	203	3	6	12/6				0	0

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Mk10 mod. 1		0		0	0

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 120,000 hp	33		0	0

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.

The first non-tech tree Tier X ship in the game, Salem plays much like her tech tree sister Des Moines, albeit with more survivability at the trade off of less utility. Captains familiar with the American heavy cruiser branch should adapt to Salem’s minor quirks fairly quickly.

The largest difference between the two comes in the form of consumable choices. Des Moines can choose between Surveillance Radar  (with a 10.0 km range), Catapult Fighter , or Spotting Aircraft  for her Slot 3 consumable, and equips the standard version of Repair Party ; Salem — who wasn't completed with her aircraft catapults installed — eschews aircraft entirely and has access to either Surveillance Radar  (with a 8.5 km range) or Hydroacoustic Search  in Slot 3, and equips a specialized repair teams consumable similar to those on Royal Navy cruisers. Most other vital statistics remain identical — or roughly comparable — between the two.

The primary trait of Salem is her absurd rate of fire for a heavy cruiser: each of her barrels loads a fresh 203mm round every 5.5 seconds. The speed at which she pummels enemy targets is a sight to behold, whether she is punishing an enemy destroyer caught by her radar, or pumping super-heavy American armor-piercing shells into the sides of enemy cruisers and battleships.

Enemy aircraft carriers don't enjoy seeing a Salem on the other team either; her adequate AA suite is only a touch worse than Des Moines’, as Salem here is rendered without her short-range 20mm Oerlikons.

With the handling characteristics befitting her size and the utility offered by her consumables, Salem is an excellent support ship and a late-game terror. She serves equally well as both an anti-air and anti-destroyer screening vessel; however, unlike Des Moines, Salem’s radar is not as useful in assisting in the detection of enemy destroyers due to it's shorter range.

Like her sister ship, learning to use Salem's main battery guns to their fullest requires a bit of time and adaptation. The high shell arcs and long flight times at medium to long range give her both advantages and disadvantages that other Tier X cruisers lack. She is capable of sitting behind an island and using her high shell arcs to lob shells at distant targets from cover, or — more commonly — snuggle up to an island and point her bow at the enemy, while presenting a relatively small target profile. Exploiting this technique allows her captain to turn a disadvantage into an advantage. Lobbing armor-piercing shells at bigger targets such as battleships can deal a surprising amount of damage in a short time. And the high rate of fire of her HE shells can burn any battleship to the waterline.

Salem possesses a stronger repair consumable than Des Moines, functioning identically to that of British cruisers of Tiers VIII-X. When it comes to taking fire damage, Salem is functionally immune: her heal can repair up to four full duration fires (damage from the HE shells that triggered the fires not withstanding). While the enhanced repair gives her more flexibility and survivability in the event of positioning mistakes, captains should not be relying it to keep them alive in situations that Des Moines couldn't survive.

Unlike most other Tier X cruisers, Salem cannot effectively fight as an anti-surface combatant in open water, and her slower shells prevent her from faring well in ranged firefights. Instead, captains should focus on playing defensively during the initial stages of a game, and choose areas of the map that provide hard cover and allow them to fight enemies on their own terms at short and medium range. Despite lacking a torpedo armament, the closer Salem gets to a target, the more dangerous she becomes. It should not come as a surprise that if played well, Salem can dictate the early flow of a battle, then become more aggressive in the mid- and late-game stages, quickly mopping up the enemy team with her withering rate of fire. This isn't the only way to play Salem, of course, but it's a common one; captains should adjust their play style depending on the situation to give their team the best chance of winning. Knowing when to go defensive or aggressive is key to conning Salem to victory.

Pros:

• An insane rate of fire for such heavy guns.
• High shell arcs make firing over islands easier.
• AP SHS (super-heavy shells) retain penetration at range, and with superior ricochet angles (60-67.5°) can tear up all but the most heavily armored targets, especially in close.
• A fair-to-good AA suite that turns solid when the Defensive AA Fire consumable is activated.
• Contrary to the sidebar data on this page, Salem's long-range AA artillery reaches out to 5.8km.
• 27mm of armor protects against 15-inch guns, 30mm of midsection protects against 16-inch guns; citadel is protected by a thick 152mm belt and a 127mm transverse bulkhead.
• Specialized Repair Teams  with up to 48% of the health pool restored per charge (with the India Delta signal mounted).

Cons:

• Short ranged main battery with a stock reach of 15.8km.
• High shell arcs make hitting targets at range tricksy.
• Slow turret rotation for a cruiser.
• No torpedoes.
• Citadel is above water and easy to hit when showing broadside, and all 431mm or larger guns can overmatch her armor.
• Poor torpedo defense (7%).
• Mediocre agility.
• Surveillance Radar has a relatively short range (8.5 km).
• No Unique Upgrade (the first Tier X ship without one).

Research

As a Tier X ship, Salem has no module upgrades to research.

Optimal Configuration

The primary build for Salem is for the role of gunship to take advantage of her great strength: her main battery firepower. She can be built for long range, usually coupled with an open-water emphasis. Or more usually, as a shorter-range area control fighter.

Her AA suite does support a reasonable anti-aircraft build, though this build is somewhat situational unless divisioning with an aircraft carrier.

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades for a Long Range Gunship build. The longer range makes open water play more viable.

• Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
• Slot 2: Engine Room Protection  *
• Slot 3: Aiming Systems Modification 1
• Slot 4: Steering Gears Modification 1 ; Propulsion Modification 1 is a viable alternative.
• Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1  *
• Slot 6: Gun Fire Control System Modification 2

Playing Salem farther from the action, radar (especially her shorter range set) becomes less important. Slot 2 could better be used for Hydroacoustic Search Modification 1 .

For Slot 5, another viable build for open water maneuver is to select Propulsion Mod 1 in Slot 4 and Steering Gears Modification 2 in Slot 5. Torpedo Lookout System is also worth considering, particularly with SGM1 in Slot 4.

The recommended upgrades for a Short Range Gunship build. This build somewhat supposes the heavy use of terrain.

• Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
• Slot 2: Engine Room Protection  *
• Slot 3: Aiming Systems Modification 1  *
• Slot 4: Propulsion Modification 1
• Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1 
• Slot 6: Main Battery Modification 3

Slot 2 – Although Salem's radar has shorter range than others, it is still a useful tool so Surveillance Radar Modification 1 may be the better choice here.

Slot 3 – For close-in work, where quick targeting can be critical, accuracy may be less important than the time to get the battery on target. Thus many captains may prefer Main Battery Modification 2 , particularly since Main Battery Modification 3 in Slot 6 slows the turrets significantly.

The recommended upgrades for a maximum Anti-aircraft build:

• Slot 1: Auxiliary Armaments Modification 1
• Slot 2: Defensive AA Fire Modification 1 – Special Upgrade
• Slot 3: AA Guns Modification 1  *
• Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1  – 6.4km detection by air with all modifiers
• Slot 6: Auxiliary Armaments Modification 2

AA Guns Modification 1 for Slot 3 lowers the priority sector prep time (cooldown) from 10 seconds to 8 seconds, so another choice in this slot is justifiable.

Commander Skills

Consider Outnumbered for a flank holding role. Because serious damage to Salem tends to be catastrophic, i.e. from unseen torpedoes or heavy battleship guns, the extra heal from Superintendent is not as powerful as it first appears.

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Attack				Defense
1	Grease the Gears +15% main battery traverse speed. ★★★	Swift Fish +5% torpedo speed.	Consumable Specialist −7.5% cooldown time of all Consumables except:  Damage Control Party   Repair Party . ★	Gun Feeder -40% time to switch shell type.	Incoming Fire Alert Receive a warning of a salvo fired at your ship from more than 4.5km. ★	Last Stand The ship remains able to move and maneuver - slowly - while the engine or steering gears are incapacitated. ★
2	Demolition Expert +1% chance of main and secondary HE shells causing a fire. +15% to the fragmentation damage area of HE ordnance fired at submarines. ★★	Fill the Tubes -10% torpedo tubes reload time.	Consumables Enhancements +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search, Surveillance Radar, Smoke Generator, & Engine Boost.	Eye in the Sky Spotting Aircraft: • +2 charges • -50% cooldown time.	Priority Target The detection indicator will show the number of enemies targeting you with main battery. ★★	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.. ★★
3	Heavy HE and SAP Shells +10% HE and SAP shell damage. +15% ship detectability guns 149mm and up.	Pack a Punch +15% torpedo damage. +20% secondary battery range..	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% reload time of all armaments per 1% HP lost +0.2% AA continuous damage per 1% HP lost. ★★★	Heavy AP Shells +5% damage for AP shells 190mm and larger. ★★	Superintendent +1 charge to all consumables. ★	Survivability Expert +450 HP per ship tier. ★
4	Top Grade Gunner -10% reload time of secondary batteries If enemy ship is spotted within detectability range, -8% reload time of main battery. ★★	Outnumbered If there are fewer allies than visible enemies within the ship's base main caliber firing range: +8% ship speed -10% main battery dispersion. ★	Radio Location Shows the direction to the nearest enemy ship. The enemy is alerted that a bearing has been taken.. ★	Inertial Fuse for HE Shells +25% armor penetration of HE shells Base fire chance reduced by half.	Concealment Expert -10% detectability range of the ship. ★★★	AAA & ASW Expert +25% continuous AA and flak damage. +15% damage inflicted by depth charges. While AAA is active: −50% ship consumables reload time.. ★
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful      ★★ - Frequently Useful      ★ - Occasionally Useful     No stars - Not Useful

Consumables

Salem can equip the following consumables:

• Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
• Slot 2: Defensive AA Fire 
• Slot 3: Surveillance Radar  or Hydroacoustic Search  *
• Slot 4: Specialized Repair Teams 

In Slot 3, choose Surveillance Radar for a Short Range gunship build. and Hydroacoustic Search for a Long Range gunship or AA support build.

Camouflage

As a premium ship, Salem comes with Default permanent camouflage and a set of permanent combat bonuses.

Signals

Salem captains should mount standard signal flags to improve the ship's performance in battle. Charlie Kilo , India Delta and November Foxtrot flags are highly recommended to improve the ship's survivability. Sierra Mike is also recommended to increase the ship's top speed. India X-Ray and Victor Lima () signal flags can be mounted to make the main battery more lethal.

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

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Historical Info

USS Salem, 1949

Construction

Builder: Fore River Shipyard; Quincy, Massachusetts,
   United States

Laid down: 4 July 1945

Launched: 25 March 1947

Commissioned: 14 May 1949

---

Specifications

17,000 tons displacement, standard

219m length

23m beam

7.9m draft

---

Machinery

4 boilers, 4 turbines

---

Performance

33 knots at 120,000 shaft horsepower

10,500 nm at 15 knots

---

Armor

Main belt: 102-152mm

Decks: 89mm

Barbettes: 160mm

Turrets: 51-203mm

Conning tower: 165mm

---

Armament

Main

Nine (3x3) 203mm guns

Secondary

Twelve (6x2) 127mm guns

Anti-aircraft

Twelve (6x2) 127mm/38 dual-purpose guns

Twenty-four (12x2) 76mm guns

Twelve (12x1) 20mm 'Oerlikon' cannons

Load video

YouTube

YouTube might collect personal data. Privacy Policy

Continue Dismiss

History

Design

The Des Moines-class cruisers could be seen as the culmination of all the efforts the United States Navy put into designing heavy cruisers to serve their purposes. Therefore unsurprisingly, the Des Moines-class was a continuation of the progress made on the previous class: the Baltimore-class.

Compared to her predecessors, the new class of cruisers is larger, with an improved machinery layout similar to those found on USN battleships, and increased protection with the addition of a “bomb-deck” designed to detonate steep-angle bombs before they plunge into critical spaces.

But the most significant detail of the new class of heavy cruisers is the incorporation of a new main battery of auto-loading 8”/55 caliber guns. In fact, it could be argued that the entire ship was designed with the sole purpose of housing this new armament. Work began as early as late 1943 to transfer the work done on the research of 6” auto-loading cannons and attempt to incorporate the same features into 8” heavy cruiser armament.

The characteristics in question were appealing: tests of the Mk 16 guns showed that in sustained fire drills they could maintain a rate of fire of seven shots a minute, which was twice as much as any other heavy cruiser in the fleet. Furthermore, the loading machinery allowed the guns to be serviced even at high angles of elevation, which meant that the main armament could have some ability to engage enemy air elements if need be.

Early on the Board of Ordinance planned upon the construction of 2-3 gun turrets and mounts to house them; a 3-gun solution deemed most ideal. The motivation behind this technological marvel stemmed at the inability of then-wartime heavy cruisers to hit fast-moving Japanese warships in night engagements; the rate-of-fire was simply inadequate. Despite the apparent necessity, the design for a new cruiser to house the triple-gun turret was not rushed as by then the war was in the Allies’ favor and the Navy wished to provide a post-war service with a satisfactory warship.

To round off the suite of armaments for the new class of cruisers, the ships incorporated the same mid-caliber battery as that of her predecessors in the form of six twin 5”/38 Mk 12 guns, and the extra deck space of the larger cruisers meant that the Des Moines-class could carry up to 12 twin 3”/50 caliber Mk 33 guns for close range anti-aircraft defense; an upgrade from the venerable 40mm Bofors autocannon.

USS Salem (CA-139) was the second of the three completed Des Moines-class heavy cruisers. Laid down on Independence Day, 1945 by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation in Quincy, Massachusetts, she was launched on 25 March 1947 and commissioned into the United States Navy on 14 May 1949.

Service

The third USS Salem (CA-139) is one of three Des Moines-class heavy cruisers completed for the United States Navy shortly after World War II. Commissioned in 1949, she was the world's last heavy cruiser to enter service and the only one still in existence. She was decommissioned in 1959, after serving in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. She is open to the public as a museum ship in Quincy, Massachusetts.

Historical Inaccuracies

• Salem was never camouflaged as she was commissioned after World War II.
• The in-game permanent camouflage scheme is actually that of USS Guam, an Alaska-class cruiser.

Historical Gallery

• 
  USS Salem underway in May 1949.
• 
  The USS Salem/United States Naval Shipbuilding Museum at its former location in Quincy, Massachusetts.
• 
  USS Salem at its new berth.
• 
  USS Salem in 1952 in the Mediterranean Sea.
• 
  USS Salem in 1952 in the Mediterranean Sea.
• 
  A color picture from the front, showing the ship close up from the bow.
• 
  USS Salem moored in Venice, Italy in August 1951.

Video

Load video

YouTube

YouTube might collect personal data. Privacy Policy

Continue Dismiss

Load video

YouTube

YouTube might collect personal data. Privacy Policy

Continue Dismiss

Load video

YouTube

YouTube might collect personal data. Privacy Policy

Continue Dismiss

References

• USS Salem (CA-139) - Wikipedia
• Des Moines-class cruiser - Wikipedia
• Monthly Wiki Spotlight - Salem - News - World of Warships Nov 2018
• Naval Legends: USS Salem - News - World of Warships June 2015

Video from the above

• The 8in Automatic Guns of USS Salem - Tour of the ship's main battery. Nov 2021

Ship Change Log

Testing Changes

• November 7, 2017:
  • Preliminary characteristics.
• November 23, 2017:
  • The Damage Control Party consumable's cooldown was decreased from 90 to 60 s, and from 60 to 40 s for the premium version.
• December 13, 2017:
  • Surveillance Radar consumable characteristics changed to:
    • 20 seconds duration.
    • 7.5km range.
    • 180 seconds cooldown, 120 seconds cooldown with premium consumable.
    • 2 charges stock, 3 charges with premium consumable.
  • Repair Party consumable characteristics changed to:
    • 20 seconds duration.
    • 120 seconds cooldown, 80 seconds cooldown with premium consumable.
    • 2 charges stock, 3 charges with premium consumable.
• December 14, 2017:
  • Repair Party consumable characteristics changed to:
    • 20 seconds duration.
    • 2% of maximum HP healed per second.
      • 33% citadel damage queued.
      • 50% penetration damage queued.
      • 100% fire and flooding damage queued.
    • 120 seconds cooldown, 80 seconds cooldown with premium consumable.
    • 2 charges stock, 3 charges with premium consumable.
• December 31, 2017:
  • Hydroacoustic Search consumable moved to share a slot with the Surveillance Radar consumable.
  • Hydroacoustic Search consumable characteristics changed:
    • Ship detection range increased from 4.92km to 5.0km
    • Torpedo detection range increased from 3.42km to 3.5km.
    • Duration increased from 100 seconds to 120 seconds.
    • Cooldown changed to 180 seconds, 120 seconds with premium consumable.
    • Charges changed to 2 stock, 3 stock with premium consumable.
  • Surveillance Radar consumable characteristics changed:
    • Range increased from 7.5km to 8.5km
    • Duration increased from 20 seconds to 25 seconds.
    • Cooldown changed to 180 seconds, 120 seconds with premium consumable.
    • Charges changed to 2 stock, 3 stock with premium consumable.

• Available for testing by supertesters in the game starting from Update 0.6.14.
• Update 0.7.6:
  • Available for purchase in the Armory for 240,000 Coal.
• Update 0.8.11:
  • The operating time of the Surveillance Radar consumable was increased from 25 to 40 s.
• Update 0.9.2:
  • Armor thickness changed: side armor increased from 27 to 30 mm.
• Update 0.9.5:
  • Small changes to geometry and textures.
• Update 0.9.10:
  • The distribution of HP in the hull was slightly updated.
• Update 0.10.0:
  • The firing range of the secondary battery was increased to 7.3 km.
• Update 0.10.3:
  • The rearward firing angles of the bow turrets were fixed: now they are both 149 degrees.

Ships of U.S.A.

Cruisers