Des Moines
Tier X · Cruiser · U.S.A.
Rating B (Average within its tier and class · overall score 51) · Gunnery cruiser
An American tech-tree heavy cruiser firing nine autoloading 203 mm guns every 6 s, with AP DPM 27% above the tier X cruiser average. Its theoretical HE fire rate is 5.47 per minute, 50% above average, and high-arc trajectories make lobbing shells over islands easy. AA is 31% above average and 3 charges of Air Defense Alert II let it shut down carrier aircraft well, making it strong as fleet air defense. 1 charge of Radar I and 3 charges of Rapid Reload II let it deal with destroyers that come close. However, its 11.82 km range is short, so it is often hit first in long-range battleship fights, and its value grows when moving with allies rather than alone.
Key stats
- HP: 39,204
- Top speed: 32.25 kn
- Surface detectability: 9.3 km
- Main battery: 203 mm 3X3 · reload 6 s · range 11.82 km
Des Moines and her sister ships were the last all-gun heavy cruisers built for the U.S. Navy. Their MK16 main guns were fed via autoloaders, giving them a fierce rate of fire. They also carried an effective suite of secondary guns and AA guns.