Ship:Kitakami

14.8

Kitakami

Cruiser | Japan | Tier X

Tech Tree Position

General

Purchase priceSpecial

Hit Points28,500

Main Battery

140 mm/50 3rd Year Type on a single mount4 х 1 pcs.

Rate of Fire20 shots/min

Reload Time3 sec

Rotation Speed8.49 deg/sec

180 Degree Turn Time21.2 sec

Firing Range11.2 km

Maximum Dispersion110 m

HE Shell140 mm HE Type0

Maximum HE Damage2,700

Chance of Fire11 %

Initial HE Velocity850 m/s

HE Shell Weight38 kg

Torpedo Tubes

610 mm Quad10 х 4 pcs.

Rate of Fire0.7 shots/min

Reload Time81 sec

Rotation Speed  deg/sec

180 Degree Turn Time7.2 sec

TorpedoType90 mod. 5

Maximum Damage11,833

Torpedo Speed86 knot

Torpedo Range12 km

AA Defense

25 mm/60 Type 96 on a twin mount2 х 2 pcs.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed36 knot

Turning Circle Radius640 m

Rudder Shift Time7 sec

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range9.8 km

Air Detectability Range5 km

Battle Levels

12345678910

X

Special

Kitakami — Japanese special premium Tier X cruiser.

At the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, Kitakami provided cover for landing operations of Japanese troops. In the second half of 1941, she was armed with ten quadruple-tube 610 mm torpedo launchers for night torpedo attacks. In 1942, the ship was converted into a high-speed transport for escorting troop convoys. In 1944, Kitakami took two torpedo hits from submarine HMS Templar. During repairs, the ship was converted into a Kaiten carrier. In 1945, the cruiser was damaged by Task Force 38 bombers and then used as a tender.

Kitakami was first released on 13 December 2023, as the reward for 80th stage of Update 12.11's Salvage for Victory event.

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 ()
140 mm/50 3rd Year Type on a single mount	20	21.2	110	2,700	11			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 ()
Kitakami	28,500	13	65	4		2	10			0	0

	Rate of Fire (shots/min)	Torpedo Tubes Reload Time (sec)	180° Turn Time (sec)	Maximum Damage (HP)	Torpedo Speed (knot)	Torpedo Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Type90	0.7	81	7.2	11,833	86	12		0	0

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Type10 mod. 1		0		0	0

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 78,000 hp	36		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.

Background

In history, Kitakami was a Kuma-class light cruiser laid down in 1919. The class was given high speed and long range to act as scouts and flotilla leaders. In her pre-war configuration she was armed with fourteen 140mm/50 3rd Year Type naval rifles, though only six could bear in broadside. To increase her lethality, in summer 1941 Kitakami was refitted as a “torpedo cruiser” mounting ten quad launchers aft, sacrificing the three aft gun mounts. This was a novel concept intended to saturate an area with torpedoes to strike or disrupt an opposing fleet. It is this configuration that is modeled in World of Warships.

In Game

Armament

Kitakami is a 'special' Tier X Japanese light cruiser sporting a unique configuration. For artillery she carries four 140mm/50 3rd Year Type naval rifles in single mounts. The base maximum range for each gun is 11.2 km.

What sets Kitakami apart from other cruisers is her ability to fire up to 40 torpedoes without reloading. She carries ten 610mm quad torpedo tubes, five per side. The tubes can fire both Type 90 mod.5 torpedoes with a maximum range of 12.0 km and Type 93 mod.2 deepwater Torpedoes with a 20.0 km range. She is capable of switching between torpedo types quickly while in-game, which is helpful depending on the type of ship she is engaging. To balance her armament, Kitakami reloads one launcher per side consecutively, rather than every launcher concurrently. A full reload takes nearly 7 minutes so captains must learn to balance launches against reloads.

Her anti-aircraft defense armament is lacking, with twin mount 25mm/60 Type 96 guns in a 2x2 layout, effective only out to 2.5 km without modification.

The Hull

Even though her armament is powerful, Kitakami is still an older light cruiser, with a hull that is essentially unarmored yet with a citadel. She has a base health pool of 28,500 HP. She can travel at 36.0 knots with a 640m turning radius supported by a 7.0 second rudder shift time.

Despite her inability to slug it out with other ships of her tier, Kitakami does have some tricks up her sleeve to increase the chances that captains won’t be returning to port the first time she is spotted by enemy ships. First, she’s hard to spot with a base concealment range of 9.8 km. By combining the 4-point Concealment Expert skill with the Concealment System Modification 1 upgrade, this can be reduced to under 8 km. Second is her consumables such as Exhaust Smoke Generator, Engine Boost, and Repair party.

Game Play

Kitakami is most effective in a long-range support style of game play. Captains should be careful to avoid enemy aircraft, as Kitakami can do little to defend herself from airborne attacks. Once spotted, immediate action should be taken to break line of sight with the enemy and return to concealment. This may entail the use of consumables in defensive maneuvers, such as deploying a smoke screen and using Engine Boost to create distance between her position and the threat. Accordingly, positioning is critically important. Good positioning will ensure that consumables are used only when necessary to facilitate retreating and repositioning. Captains will need to take special care to develop a strategy before launching an attack, because it is likely that the enemy team will prioritize Kitakami as a target when spotted. Other ships are incapable of launching the quantity of torpedoes Kitakami carries, so upon her torpedo waves being spotted, the enemy will have a general idea of where Kitakami is with regard to their own position. If Kitakami launches torpedoes when immediately loaded, captains will find themselves waiting for fresh torpedoes regularly. This means that if Kitakami were to engage an enemy Tier X battleship while it has full hit-points, it is unlikely to be able to neutralize it in one engagement. Furthermore, her guns are practically useless in high tier engagements, so Kitakami will more than likely be neutralized if she is caught without loaded torpedoes or consumables to escape.

Kitakami is recommended for intermediate and advanced players due to her reliance on concealment, planning, and the patience of her captain to wait for the right opportunity to attack. Her profile, consumables, and armament make Kitakami play more like a sluggish destroyer with poor concealment. Although she may not fit the traditional profile of a ship designed for competitive game play, her unique traits will assist her ability to find success when properly supported by team or division mates.

With high levels of excitement surrounding a ship such as Kitakami, there will be many players seeking to add her to their collections. Captains of all skill levels can enjoy Kitakami due to her ability to fire a “wall” of torpedoes, which is sure to create unforgettable memories. There can be no doubt, the enemy team will never forget the first time they spot 20 to 40 torpedoes speeding toward their ships!

Pros:

• Battery of ten quadruple torpedo tubes is unmatched by any other ship.
• Carries both standard and deepwater torpedoes, selectable in-game.
• Exhaust smoke generator.
• Low detectability for a cruiser.
• High speed.

Cons:

• Small health pool with almost non-existent armor.
• Weak artillery.
• Torpedoes reload one launcher at a time, making reload management an unprecedented skill requirement.
• Near non-existent AA defenses at 9 DPS.

Research

As a premium ship, Kitakami has no module upgrades to research.

Optimal Configuration

Information about the Torpedo Armament:

Deepwater Torpedoes

Normal Torpedoes

Upgrades

Kitakami's purpose in life is to launch her torpedoes. They should be strengthened as much as possible. Steering Gears Mod 1 will help with her generally sluggish maneuverability.

The recommended upgrades for Kitakami are:

• Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
• Slot 2: Engine Room Protection
• Slot 3: Torpedo Tubes Modification 1
• Slot 4: Steering Gears Modification 1
• Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1 
• Slot 6: Torpedo Tubes Modification 2

Commander Skills

Spend no point on enhancing her artillery.

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

Kitakami can equip the following consumables:

• Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
• Slot 2: Exhaust Smoke Generator  – 4 charges
• Slot 3: Engine Boost  – 3 charges
• Slot 4: Repair Party  – 3 charges

Camouflage

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

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

Historical Info

Kitakami, 19??

Construction

Builder:

Laid down:

Launched:

Commissioned:

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Specifications

? tons displacement, standard

?m length

?m beam

?m draft (mean)

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Machinery

12 boilers, 3 turbines [e.g.]

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Performance

? knots at ? shaft horsepower

?nm range at ? knots

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Armor

Main belt: ?mm

Torpedo bulkhead: ?mm

Decks: ?mm main, ?mm upper deck

Turrets: ?mm

Conning tower: ?mm

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Armament

Main

? (?x?) ?mm rifles

Secondary

? (?x?) ?mm dual purpose? rifles

Anti-Aircraft

? (?x?) ?mm guns

Torpedoes

? (?x?) ?mm torpedo tubes

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Aircraft

Three (3) ? float planes, one catapult

Historical Gallery

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References

Wargaming

• ST 0.9.7, Kitakami - Development Blog. 6 Jul 2020.

Wikipedia

• Japanese cruiser Kitakami

Ship Change Log

• Added to the game in Update 0.2.3 (alpha) as a Tier VIII premium ship.
• Kitakami was removed from the game in Update 0.4.0.
• Update 0.5.3.2:
  • The Type 7 camouflage was renamed to Type 10.
• Update 0.6.2:
  • The national flag was moved from the stern to the mast.
• Update 0.6.3:
  • Kitakami was completely removed from the client.
• Available for testing by supertesters in the game as a Tier X cruiser starting from Update 0.9.7 and again from Update 12.6.

Testing Changes

• DevBlog 46:
  • Preliminary characteristics.
• DevBlog 58:
  • Removed the option to install the Aiming Systems Modification 0 upgrade.
• DevBlog 449:
  • The geometry and textures of the ship have been updated.
  • Armor layout updated.
  • Redistributed HP in different parts of the ship without affecting the overall amount of HP:
    • Bow HP increased from 3,800 to 4,000.
    • Stern HP reduced from 2,800 to 2,700.
    • Superstructure HP reduced from 1,600 to 1,500.
  • Citadel deck armor reduced from 50 mm to 30 mm.
  • Auxiliary Room armor reduced from 30 mm to 16 mm.
• DevBlog 454:
  • New set of preliminary characteristics, incorporating the following changes:
    • HE and AP shells replaced with SAP shells with the following characteristics:
      • Maximum damage: 3,400.
      • Penetration: 39 mm.
      • Ricochet angles: 80 - 85 °.
    • Reload time reduced from 6 to 4 s.
    • Maximum firing range reduced from 13.3 to 11.2 km.
    • Sigma parameter increased from 2.0 to 2.05.
    • Torpedo characteristics changed:
      • Replaced the regular torpedo loading mechanic with torpedo loaders similar to submarines. The ship has two of them in total, one for each side of the ship. After firing all four torpedoes from one launcher, the torpedo launchers will reload 1 by 1. Each side of the ship can only reload one launcher at a time.
      • Reload time reduced from 141 to 81 s.
      • Maximum damage reduced from 15,633 to 11,833.
      • Range reduced from 15 to 14 km.
      • Speed increased from 57 to 81 knots.
    • Secondary gun/long-range AA removed.
    • Detectability range by sea reduced from 10.6 to 9.8 km.
      • Other types of detectability were increased accordingly.
• DevBlog 459:
  • Width of the narrow torpedo aiming cone reduced by 10%.
  • Engine Boost consumable parameters have been changed:
    • Duration: 180 s.
    • Maximum speed: +20%.
    • Reload time: 90 s.
    • Charges: 3.
• DevBlog 459:
  • Main battery reload time reduced from 4 to 3 s.
  • SAP shells replaced with HE shells with the following parameters:
    • Maximum damage: 2,700.
    • Fire chance: 11%.
  • Torpedo launching angles are now narrower.
• DevBlog 478:
  • Changed the parameters of the base torpedoes:
    • Torpedo speed increased from 82 to 86 knots.
    • Torpedo range reduced from 14 to 12 km.
  • Added alternative deepwater torpedoes with parameters similar to Asashio's:
    • Maximum damage: 20,967.
    • Can only hit battleships and aircraft carriers.
    • Torpedo speed: 67 knots.
    • Detectability: 0.9 km.
    • Torpedo range: 20 km.
    • Torpedo switching time: 5 s.
  • Changed torpedo spread angles to fit standard parameters.
  • Ship HP restoration by Repair Party increased:
    • Citadel repair increased from 33 to 50%.
    • Non-citadel damage repair increased from 50 to 60%.
  • Maximum speed increased from 32 to 36 knots. All other maneuverability parameters have been adjusted accordingly.
  • Engine Boost speed bonus decreased from 20% to 15%.
  • Short-Burst Smoke Generator was replaced with Exhaust Smoke Generator with the following parameters:
    • Consumable action time: 40 s.
    • Smoke Screen Dispersion time: 10 s.
    • Cooldown time: 80 s.
    • Number of consumables: 4.
• DevBlog 489:
  • Action time of the Exhaust Smoke Generator consumable reduced from 40 to 30 s.

• Update 12.11:
  • Added as the 80th stage reward for the update's Salvage for Victory event.
  • The Bitter Wind permanent camouflage was added.

Ships of Japan

Cruisers