USS Des Moines (CA-134)

A ship more than capable of dishing out the punishment to those who don't respect her boundaries

Written by

Captn_Thatch

USS Des Moines (CA-134)

Radar Cruiser
Impressive DPM
Adaptable

Scope:

It's v 4.2 with spring and change in the air! Now with all those pesky spring farm projects wrapping up and a new gig demanding less hours, I've found the time to get back to my desk. USS Des Moines finds herself in a new Bureau Project, represents the crown jewel of the United States Navy CA line. Des Moines is a GREAT ship, with a MODERATE skill floor and an EXTREME skill ceiling. Des Moines is very capable, and behind a competent captain, contains almost chilling competitive tendencies.

Behind the scenes, I've since been moved from the ST program to and now have become a Community Contributor!!

Nothing could honestly make me happier than to be able to bring reviews and writing to you all full-time. If this interests you and you enjoy reading my work, please support me if you can, as every little bit helps. My goal is to keep my reviews free and public for all to read; and by supporting my Patreon you can help keep me at my desk.

Rating Matrix:

[BAD, WEAK, AVERAGE, GOOD, GREAT]
{LOW, MODERATE, HIGH, EXTREME}

History:

Named after the capitol of Iowa, the lead ship and namesake of her class; USS Des Moines (CA 134) was launched from the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts on the 27th of September 1946. The ship was commissioned into the United States Navy on the 16th of November 1948 with Captain Chandler in command. Des Moines represented several major firsts, including the ability to field helicopters instead of float planes, and her infamous autoloading 8" Mk 16 with a fierce rate of fire. The ship served until 1961 when she was decommissioned after participation in a variety of missions in support of NATO and US interests throughout the Atlantic and Mediterranean.

USS Des Moines was scrapped in 2007 after several failed attempts to turn her into a museum ship. Only one ship of the class remains intact, USS Salem (CA-139) is afloat as a museum ship at her home and birthplace at the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts.

Strengths:

Excellent Radar
Solid Gunnery
Strong DPM
Versatile/Adaptable
Team Player

Weaknesses:

Over-matchable Armor
Frail
Fragile Guns
No Torpedoes
Mediocre HP/EHP

The Basics:

I'll keep the basics brief as there is so much to dive into on this particular ship. Des Moines is a Radar CA which represents a step up from Baltimore. Akin to Baltimore, there are two particular builds which shine quite well: either DPM/Concealment or Range/Dispersion.

The DPM build features reigning protagonist Shelly Beaply as one of the stronger commanders currently in the game. The latter, Range and Dispersion, tends to focus on Norman Scott; and while arguably slightly less effective, he is free and readily available in game and can be built using all the in-game goodies one might naturally acquire on their own.

Though the builds vary slightly in their primary focus, the end goal is essentially the same, area control. Shelly has a better natural skill set for this, where Scott has to work a bit harder for it, they are both quite capable.

Offense:

GOOD

Ok, so let's start off running, shall we?

Baltimore and Des Moines (one being the other's successor...) are naturally quite similar and are quite literally a step of progression. Des Moines doesn't bring a whole lot of new things to the table that haven't already been brought, with the vaunted exception of doing those things quite a bit better. Des Moines is more than capable of halving Baltimore's reload and pushes further with her radar capabilities. The result is a ship with near unrivaled defensive and offensive capabilities to the point of blurring the lines beyond recognition. Des Moines can be so potent at area denial, she has survived an onslaught of additions and rivals alike, to still be relevant to World of Warships on the whole even being one of the oldest ships in the World of Warships orbit. Though she is new here, don't sell her short.

Let's brush up on the Baltimore really quick, the reasoning will become apparent.

There's quite a lot to dissect here in the sense that Baltimore has some quite excellently well-rounded gunnery despite their lackluster appearance at face value. As the metric used to compare and compile data becomes more in depth, the tools we have to measure these new metrics are improved. Let's start with the simple concepts and work our way through the more complex.

Captain's, you're going to read a lot of above average, and a lot about how certain weaknesses are well glossed over by cumulative strengths. This seems to be a redundant feature found in the US Naval Ships...

If you're like me, and you like looking for basic trends you can generally see one right before your eyes on this list. Light Cruisers tend to sink to the bottom with faster reloads, and heavier cruisers with longer reloads and larger guns tend to float up to the top with longer reloads. Baltimore in her equipped state has two somewhat direct focuses; counting lots of shots or making your shots count. If you're one of the fortunate few who happened to grab Azur Lane Baltimore when she briefly came through the shop during the first tour of the collaborations: you might just be in for a treat reading about some of the wonderful perks this ship has in particular.

By now, you probably noticed that AL Baltimore and her tech tree version have different reloads. The truth is simple, these ships do actually have different stats in some manners. As we progress, we'll dive into those differences and why these ships wound up with different stats and builds. Tech Tree Baltimore has a 12s stock reload, and AL Baltimore 11s. This may not seem like much but allows captains to effectively employ DPM builds where AL Baltimore can successfully fire off 3 full salvos in a single radar; and is the only Baltimore and shy of Wichita, the only heavy cruiser to be able to do so. Without getting too math-y, DPM build AL Baltimore has the ability to fire 3 full salvos during her Radar, something her TT version cannot do. Wichita sits on the cusp of being able to build into DPM, or Dispersion, but captains should thoroughly be advised that Wichita trials Baltimore in terms of DPM, Alpha, HP and EHP.

Don't re-invent the wheel, just re-align it.

The major takeaway from that paragraph on Baltimore is that is still quite vividly applies to Des Moines with the one critical exception. Instead of talking about 3 vs 4 salvos, with Des Moines, it's more like 8.

Main Battery Reload

Minotaur: 3.2
Worcester: 4.6
Des Moines 5.5
Alaska: 20
Stalingrad: 20
Colbert: --

And that's why. That 5.5s base reload.

Main Battery Range

Stalingrad 17.1
Alaska: 16
Des Moines 15.5
Minotaur: 15.3
Worcester: 15.3
Colbert: --

Personally, I find the 15.5km range to be more than adequate. However, I know there are some of you out there that prefer range. Just know, the further out you go, the more likely those shells are to enter Low Earth Orbit.

180***^(o)*** Turret Traverse Time (s)

Minotaur: 4.7
Worcester: 7
Alaska: 30
Stalingrad: 30
Des Moines 30
Colbert: --

This, and a lack of torpedoes represent the very few drawbacks to Des Moines. However, this issue is largely mitigated by the simple premise that Des Moines generally fights from a somewhat stationary position with adversaries contacting from a predictable location. (When compared to a kiter or flanker.)

Shells Fired per Minute

Minotaur: 188
Worcester: 157
Des Moines 98
Alaska: 27
Stalingrad: 27
Colbert: --

A large part into what makes Des Moines so great is that she fires near CL levels of CA heavy shells. Very, very few ships can sustain the constant harassment a Des Moines can unleash.

HE Alpha Strike

Alaska: 4300
Des Moines 2800
Worcester: 2200
Stalingrad: —
Minotaur: —
Colbert: --

One of the funny parts here is that Des Moines' 2800 HE Alpha is lower than Tech Tree Baltimore's 3000 but matches AL Baltimore. Captain's, there is a pattern here to find...

HE Broadside Weight

Alaska: 38,700
Worcester: 26,400
Des Moines 25,200
Minotaur: —
Stalingrad: —
Colbert: --

25k is a decent punch for a 203mm armed ship, but the ability to follow it up <5s later is the key feature here.

HE Damage Per Minute

Worcester: 344,347
Des Moines 274,909
Alaska: 116,100
Stalingrad: —
Colbert: --
Minotaur: —

And as a predicted result, Des Moines ranks 3rd overall with her HE DPM, despite firing larger shells than the 2 above her, and the next 5 below her. The yield is that Des Moines sports very effective HE for her tier spread.

HE DPM

Worcester: 344,347
Cleveland: 289,800
Des Moines: 274,909
Suzuya: 243,000
Kutuzov: 224,400
Montpelier: 220,800
Chapayev: 207,000
Ochakov: 180,400
AL Balti: 155,876
Baltimore: 152,700
Martel: 151,000
Wichita: 151,200
Albemarle: 142,560
Atago: 138,600
Mogami: 132,000
Hipper: 128,316
Bagration: 122,500
Amalfi: 118,723
Alaska: 116,100
*Riga: 106,258
Azuma: 105,750
P. Eugen: 90,000
Sigfried: 60,923
Edinburgh: --
Stalingrad: —
Colbert: --
Minotaur: —

Base HE Penetration (mm)

Alaska: 50
Des Moines 33
Worcester: 30
Stalingrad: —
Minotaur: —
Colbert R

It's not just about the DPM, but also base HE Penetration, which give Des Moines the ability to pen most battleships without the use of IFHE (or Equilibrium of Power, as it is known here.)

Fire Chance

Alaska: 27
Des Moines 14
Worcester: 12
Stalingrad: —
Minotaur: —
Colbert: --

Ok, 14% on 203's isn't bad, but it isn't Atago's 25% or Suzuya's 19%. Des Moines isn't an avid fire-starter in the sense that she won't seemingly burn everything to ash with a lower fire chance per salvo, however (keyword!) Des Moines spits up enough shells that she does not have to really worry about mediocre fire chances.

Is Des Moines the god of fire?

No. But that does not mean she is entirely incapable.

AP Alpha Strike

Alaska: 8900
Stalingrad: 8500
Des Moines 5000
Minotaur: 3200
Worcester: 3200
Colbert: --

Now, let's move onto the more punitive armament found in the Des Moines munitions locker.

AP Alpha Strike

Sigfried: 11,600
Alaska: 8900
Stalingrad: 8500
Azuma: 8150
Hipper: 6000
P. Eugen: 5900
Riga: 5750
Baltimore: 5300
Des Moines: 5000
AL Balti: 5000
Martel: 4900
Amalfi: 4800
Mogami: 4700
Atago: 4700
Bagration: 4550
Albemarle: 4500
Wichita: 4000
Mainz: 3900
Chapayev: 3400
Suzuya: 3300
Cleveland: 3300
Montpelier: 3300
Kutuzov: 3300
Ochakov: 3300
Worcester: 3200
Minotaur: 3200
Edinburgh: 3100

It's noteworthy to point out here that Tech Tree Baltimore and Des Moines have different shells. However, Azur Lane Baltimore and Des Moines do fire the same shells, with a monstrous difference in DPM and reload values.

AP Broadside Weight

Alaska: 81,100
Stalingrad: 76,500
Des Moines 45,000
Worcester: 38,400
Minotaur: 32,000
Colbert: --

Similar to her HE Broadside Weight, Des Moines has an adequately punchy broadside, further enhanced by following it up with a second salvo far quicker than most in the vicinity of that list.

AP Damage Per Minute

Minotaur: 600,000
Worcester: 500,869
Des Moines 490,000
Alaska: 240,300
Stalingrad: 229,500
Colbert: --

Mainz AP, round 4, anyone?

Much like the HE DPM Chart, the AP DPM chart is quite telling. Des Moines sports CL DPM on a CA, with shells that feature much more weight (152kg), which improves penetration values simply on the basis of inertia alone. (For those interested, Mainz has a 45.5kg AP shell, Cleveland a 59kg shell and Minotaur a 58.85kg AP shell.)

AP Damage Per Minute

Minotaur: 600,000
Worcester 500,869
Des Moines: 490,000
Mainz: 468,000
Cleveland: 415,800
Edinburgh: 337,900
Kutuzov: 336,600
Montpelier: 316,800
Chapayev: 306,000
Suzuya: 297,000
Hipper: 285,148
AL Balti: 278,000
Ochakov: 270,600
Baltimore: 270,000
Martel: 264,600
Alaska: 240,300
Stalingrad: 229,500
Bagration: 222,950
Wichita: 216,000
P. Eugen: 212,400
Riga: 200,322
Atago: 197,400
Albemarle: 194,400
Azuma: 191,525
Mogami: 188,000
Amalfi: 183,360
Sigfried: 160,615

But wait, there's more!

Ballistics:

The golden question...

How does this compare to Baltimore?

Velocity:

Muzzle Velocity for Tech Tree Baltimore

(AP): 853m/s
(HE): 823m/s

Muzzle Velocity for Azur Lane Baltimore

(AP): 762m/s
(HE): 823m/s

Muzzle Velocity for Des Moines

(AP): 762m/s
(HE): 823m/s

-Yes, they actually do have different gunnery characteristics. Des Moines is bold. Tech Tree in standard. Azur Lane is italicized.

Short-Mid Range Averaged Velocity (1s-5s) [DM:TT:AL]

(AP): 460m/s : 526m/s : 460m/s
(HE): 498m/s : 500m/s : 496m/s

Mid-Long Range Averaged Velocity (6s-10s) [DM:TT:AL]

(AP): 382m/s : 423m/s : 383m/s
(HE): 392m/s : 402m/s : 390m/s

By the numbers, Des Moines has the exact same shell velocity and flight patterns as Azur Lane's Baltimore, which has different stats than Tech Tree Baltimore. (Tech Tree Baltimore had her shell velocity buffed). While these differences are slightly palpable to the naked eye and more so the stopwatch, Des Moines along with both Baltimore's can easily be described as comfortable.

A long-winded way of saying, for those of you whom play USN Cruisers habitually, Des Moines will have an extremely familiar feel.

Ricochet Angles: Potential/Automatic

Minotaur: 60/75
Alaska: 60/67.5
Des Moines: 60/67.5
Stalingrad: 55/65
Worcester: 45/60
Colbert: --

Des Moines inherits the same improved AP ricochet values from her predecessors. This further pushes the argument in her favor for her AP utility. In terms of AP performance, Minotaur first, Des Moines second. The next closest is not really a noteworthy argument in the face of these two. Minotaur takes the cake with short fuse and improved penetration angles. Des Moines has improved angles, but no short fuse, though she does hit quite a bit harder cannot hit as fast.

Now, this is not to say that AP is incapable on any other ship, but rather, AP received excellent and noteworthy remarks and had to be highlighted. Mainz can still tear it up, but much more situationally than these two, while Worcester is included in that sentiment with Mainz sporting stronger, HE performance overall.

Main Battery Sigma

Stalingrad: 2.4
Des Moines: 2.05
Alaska: 2.05
Minotaur 2.05
Worcester: 2.05
Colbert: --

A wild sigma chart! Thank you CMs!

AP Fuse Arming Time

Minotaur: 0.005
Stalingrad: 0.022
Worcester: 0.025
Des Moines 0.033
Alaska: 0.033
Colbert: --

Much like Baltimore, Des Moines shares the same AP Arming time.

Shell Diameter

Alaska: 305
Stalingrad: 305
Des Moines: 203
Minotaur: 152
Worcester: 152
Colbert: 127

The funny thing here is that Des Moines has a lot of the perks of a light cruiser, wrapped up in wonderful 8" (203mm) guns.

Torpedoes:

Des Moines doesn't need your silly subsurface foolishness. She has autoloading guns which fire freedom at an amazingly liberating rate.

Torpedo Alpha Strike

Minotaur: 16,767
Worcester: —
Alaska: —
Stalingrad: —
Colbert: —
Des Moines: —

Torpedo Range

Minotaur: 10
Worcester: —
Alaska: —
Stalingrad: —
Colbert: —
Des Moines: —

Torpedo Reload

Minotaur: 96
Worcester: —
Alaska: —
Stalingrad: —
Colbert: —
Des Moines: —

Does the lack of torpedoes hurt the ranking?

Both yes and no.

Yes, because she sports lower marks for having less ability to strike larger targets.
No, because her gunnery is so good that it more or less erases the points, she'd lost from not having torpedoes to begin with.

Baltimore's gunnery could be best described as comfortable. Des Moines brings similar vibes but showing much more fang and with a nasty snarl while glaring back. While I can't comfortably say Des Moines has a stronger offensive capability than Minotaur, I can say that Des Moines certainly makes a case for it. GOOD hinging on GREAT, owing to improved concealability and offensive potential to Minotaur due to torpedoes. Des Moines HE can certainly be more efficient than Minotaur's torpedoes, however, outright lack the BANG in their stopping power. The logic here is simple, burning takes time while torpedoes tend to stop things in their tracks.

Though, it's quite important to note a well versed Des Moines captain can make any match a living HE spam nightmare.

Defense:

GOOD

Let's face it, Des Moines strength in her defense comes from two main points: her well-roundedness, and her excellent vision control. Otherwise, her defensive marks are rather average; she can take a punch but not several, she has functional AA but isn't atop the card, sports rather similar and familiar armor schemes, with acceptable to tolerable HP and effective HP.

Base HP

Stalingrad 65,000
Alaska: 54,720
Des Moines 50,600
Worcester: 45,400
Minotaur: 43,300

This is rather average, though it's worth noting Alaska has just 4k higher base HP than Des Moines, Alaska sports the extra stock heal which greatly increases her effective health pool. That being said and as previously highlighted, Des Moines can take a punch, but probably not two.

Base HP

Stalingrad: 65,000
Sigfried: 55,500
Alaska: 54,720
Azuma: 52,500
Des Moines: 50,600
Worcester: 45,400
P. Eugen: 45,000
Hipper: 43,800
Minotaur: 43,300
Amalfi: 42,800
Mainz: 42,500
Baltimore: 42,400
AL Balti: 42,400
Bagration: 42,000
Riga: 42,000
Kutuzov: 40,700
Atago: 40,100
Albemarle: 39,400
Mogami: 39,100
Suzuya: 38,000
Martel: 38,000
Wichita: 37,900
Chapayev: 37,000
Cleveland: 36,900
Montpelier: 36,900
Edinburgh: 36,400
Ochakov: 34,730

Des Moines HP seems higher than it actually is.

Effective HP

Alaska: 91,428
Stalingrad 83,144
Minotaur: 77,900
Des Moines 64,712
Worcester: 58,056

This is starting to paint that picture. Des Moines trades about 6k EHP over Worcester but sacrifices some DPM for increased penetration and weaker plating.

Effective HP

Alaska: 91,428
Azuma: 86,184
Stalingrad: 83,144
Minotaur: 77,900
Sigfried: 73,980
Albemarle: 70,880
Edinburgh: 65,480
Des Moines: 64,712
Amalfi: 60,692
P. Eugen: 60,120
Hipper: 58,472
Worcester: 58,056
Mainz: 56,780
Baltimore: 56,644
AL Balti: 56,644
Bagration: 56,112
Riga: 56,112
Atago: 54,440
Kutuzov: 54,364
Mogami: 52,204
Chapayev: 51,504
Suzuya: 50,768
Wichita: 50,612
Martel: 48,584
Cleveland: 47,204
Montpelier: 47,204
Ochakov: 46,378

And more thoroughly so, Des Moines barely scrapes past some CA's a tier lower in terms of EHP.

Armor Scheme

Alaska: 32 plating, 28 freeboard, 36 deck, 229 belt. Below Water Cit.
Stalingrad: 50 icebreaker, 32 plating, 50 freeboard, 50 deck, 180 belt. Above Water Cit
Worcester: 32 plating, 25 freeboard, 30 deck, 127 belt. Above Water Cit.
Des Moines 27 plating, 27 freeboard, 30 deck, 152 belt. Above Water Cit.
Minotaur: 16 plating, 16 freeboard, 16 deck, 101 belt. Above Water Cit.
Colbert: --

Now this is a very broad sense of armor in comparison. Des Moines walks away with just slightly thicker armor at the belt, for an over-matchable nose. Stalingrad has an overmatch-proof nose but is otherwise quite vulnerable from the side. Alaska features arguably the most reliable armor scheme for any current LT Cruiser.

Every ship on that list is capable of striking the citadel on any other ship on the list, some with greater ease than others. The point of this comparison is to paint how unreliable Des Moines armor can be, she's undoubtedly a step up from Minotaur but without the factory reset button, and less so reliable than Worcester with better HP/EHP.

This is why many captains will feel quite comfortable playing the island HE spammer game, as mastering her armor and exploiting vulnerabilities can take some practice. Akin to her predecessor, Des Moines ranks with a solid GOOD defensive rating, owing primarily to excellent offensive figures and strong vision control capabilities. It's not just enough to have radar but being able to capitalize on it is another huge bonus.

Anti-Air Suite:

GREAT

Des Moines has excellent an excellent AA suite and as a result she's currently a solid 3rd on the podium. She's quite strong here but does not have much of a horse in the race featuring Minotaur v Worcester. Minotaur has a lower figure, but her values are effective further out than Worcester, thus she takes the cake.

Anti-Air Damage per Second

Minotaur: 494
Worcester: 495
Des Moines 469
Alaska: 436
Stalingrad: 375
Colbert R

Anti-Air Damage per Second

Worcester: 495
Minotaur: 494
Des Moines: 469
Alaska: 436
Stalingrad: 375
Baltimore: 365
AL Balti: 365
Cleveland: 363
Montpelier: 363
Mainz: 357
Sigfried: 354
Azuma: 342
Hipper: 288
Bagration: 280
P. Eugen: 279
Kutuzov: 264
Edinburgh: 263
Riga: 262
Amalfi: 240
Wichita: 217
Albemarle: 211
Chapayev: 207
Martel: 204
Ochakov: 196
Mogami: 127
Atago: 90
Suzuya: 67

Anti-Air Range

Minotaur: 6
Worcester: 6
Stalingrad 5.7
Des Moines 5
Alaska: 5
Colbert: --

Like most USN Cruisers, Des Moines is considerably well protected from flying threats.

Concealment:

GOOD

Depending on your build, this could shift from good to great. While Scott's dispersion build leaves a rather wanting concealment values, where Shelly sports rather fantastic concealment values.

Stock Concealment

Minotaur: 12.1
Worcester: 12.8
Des Moines 13.0
Alaska: 13.3
Stalingrad: 14.4
Colbert: --

By the numbers, Des Moines concealment is rather predictably placed being smack between Worcester and Alaska.

Kit Surface Concealment Radius [Km] (Camo + Concealment Mod)

Riga: 13.1
Stalingrad: 13
Chapayev: 12.9
Kutuzov: 12
Sigfried: 11.8
P. Eugen: 11.7
Mainz: 11.8
Hipper: 11.6
Martel: 11.6
Ochakov: 11.4
Alaska: 11.4
Cleveland: 11.3
Des Moines: 11.2
Mogami: 11.1
Worcester: 11
Azuma: 10.9
Albemarle: 10.9
Bagration: 10.8
Edinburgh: 10.8
Montpelier: 10.8
Atago: 10.6
Baltimore: 10.5
AL Balti: 10.5
Minotaur: 10.4
Wichita: 10.4
Suzuya: 10.2
Amalfi: 9.2

11.2km kit isn't atrocious, primarily considering Des Moines will readily outgun anything below her, aside from perhaps a Minotaur. And thus, we tie back into how important that functional Radar is, it erases the concealment argument, almost entirely.

Max Air Concealment

Minotaur: 6.2
Worcester: 6.2
Des Moines 6.2
Alaska: 6.4
Stalingrad:
Colbert: --

Unlike Worcester and Minotaur, the CV will spot Des Moines before flying into her Air Suite. This may be narrow and less than 1 full kilometer, but it's still there.

Max Concealment

Minotaur: 9.4
Worcester: 9.4
Des Moines 9.5
Alaska: 9.8
Stalingrad: 11.7
Colbert: --

This is why Shelly is so important. 9.9km radar, 9.5km concealment. Captains, this means if you find yourself spotted and unsure of whom is detecting you, activating your radar will give you 40s of vision, of which you can fire off 8+ salvos.

Maneuverability:

AVERAGE

This column may rank average, but it's not the kind of average that will greatly hamper Des Moines playstyle.

Turn Radius (m)

Minotaur: 660
Worcester: 740
Des Moines 770
Alaska: 850
Stalingrad: 1130
Colbert R

770m isn't that horrid and with all things considered; Des Moines handles rather nicely.

Turn Radius (m)

Stalingrad: 1130
Azuma: 920
Riga: 920
Bagration: 890
Chapayev: 890
Sigfried: 880
Alaska: 850
Atago: 790
P. Eugen: 770
Des Moines: 770
Kutuzov: 760
Mogami: 750
Suzuya: 750
Ochakov: 750
Worcester: 740
Hipper: 740
Baltimore: 730
AL Balti: 730
Mainz: 720
Albemarle: 720
Martel: 690
Edinburgh: 680
Amalfi: 680
Wichita: 680
Cleveland: 660
Montpelier: 660
Minotaur: 660

However, 770m is certainly average.

Rudder Shift (s)

Worcester: 8.1
Des Moines 8.6
Minotaur: 10.4
Stalingrad: 12.5
Alaska: 13
Colbert: --

Des Moines does feature a rather quick rudder shift in comparison to her LT compatriots but will be blissfully outshined by specific builds that feature maneuverability, such as Suzuya or Atago.

Stock Top Speed

Stalingrad: 35
Minotaur: 33.5
Worcester: 33
Alaska: 33
Des Moines 33
Colbert: --

With a top speed of 33 knots, Des Moines is generally quick enough to get out of her own way. However, since speed is not her forte, captains will want to anticipate their moves accordingly, and plan their strategies about how they want to move about the map. Competitively, is not uncommon to find this ship dug into an island as the very last hold out on a flank or a cap, knowing that an attempt to flee will certainly insure her demise.

Consumables:

GOOD

I almost feel like Des Moines is deserving of a GREAT Rating here, but that's not what the numbers reflect. Her consumable loadout is inarguably strong, however subpar repair party values greatly handcuff Des Moines rating here.

Smoke Generator

Minotaur: 15s-113s. 240sr x2
Worcester: —
Alaska: —
Stalingrad: —
Colbert: —
Des Moines: —

Like most high tier cruisers, Des Moines cannot equip a smoke generator.

Stock Repair Party

Alaska: 437/s-28s. 50sr x3 (36,708)
Minotaur: 865/s-20s. 80sr x2 (34,600)
Stalingrad: 324/s-28s. 80sr x2 (18,144)
Des Moines: 252/s-28s. 80sr x2 (14,112)
Worcester: 226/s-28s. 80sr x2 (12,656)
Colbert: --

14k max heal-ability is rather weak. This narrowly escapes Worcester and is weaker than predecessor's AL Baltimore and TT Baltimore.

Stock Repair Party Effective Values

Alaska: 437/s-28s. 50sr x3 (36,708)
Albemarle: (35,000)
Minotaur: 865/s-20s. 80sr x2 (34,600)
Azuma: (33,684)
Edinburgh: (29,080)
Sigfried: (18,480)
Stalingrad: 324/s-28s. 80sr x2 (18,144)
P. Eugen: (15,120)
Hipper: (14,672)
Chapayev: (14,504)
Mainz: (14,280)
Baltimore: (14,224)
AL Balti: (14,224)
Des Moines: 252/s-28s. 80sr x2 (14,112)
Riga: (14,112)
Bagration: (14,112)
Kutuzov: (13,664)
Atago: (13,440)
Mogami: (13,104)
Suzuya: (12,768)
Wichita: (12,712)
Worcester: 226/s-28s. 80sr x2 (12,656)
Amalfi: (11,928)
Ochakov: (11,648)
Cleveland: (10,304)
Montpelier: (10,304)
Martel: (10,080)

Pairing with Minotaur, Des Moines features the same slightly improved sonar.

Hydro-Acoustic Search

Minotaur: 3.4/4.9-100s. 180sr x2
Des Moines: 3.4/4.9-100s. 180sr x2
Worcester: 3.1/4.4-96s. 180sr x2
Alaska: 3.1/4.4-96s. 180sr x2
Stalingrad: —
Colbert: --

In another pair with Minotaur, Des Moines sports the identical 9.9km radar.

Surveillance Radar

Minotaur: 9.9km 40s. 180sr x2
Des Moines 9.9km 40s. 180sr x2
Worcester: 9km 30s. 180sr x2
Alaska: 9km 30s. 180sr x2
Stalingrad: 11.7km 20s. 180sr x2
Colbert: --

The tools Des Moines are equipped with are rather functional and excellent, and she has the opportunity to effectively cash in on them. However, this weaker heal holds her back from what would otherwise be stellar ratings in this category.

Commanders:

GOOD

This is going to be a bit more polarized here in the sense that either you have it or you don't. Seasoned veterans will likely rejoice, while newer players may have a bit harder time trying to acclimate. While there are some commanders that can partially replicate either one build or the other, I focused on specifically the best build of each type rather than listing every single build from every single USN CA/CL commander.

Commanders tend to be either feast or famine, with some trees and lines featuring a plethora of commanders, and others, just the base two. That being said USN Cruisers are most certainly not hurting in the commander department. Sometimes, commander builds can be quite grey and blurred between the lines with plausibility, however, this race is very clearly defined with an outright winner.

Shelly Beapley:

Shelly continues her elegant reign as THE Queen of the USN Cruisers Commander slot. Her skill slots are very hard to argue against which allows the wonderfully adaptable USN Cruisers (both CA's and CL's) to master their more complete potential of cap control and area denial. This reign is courtesy of the dynastic combination of incredible concealment, radio detection, surveillance radar and blissful DPM values. Shelly's specialized fourth row skill allows for the chemistry of the above ingredients to create among the scariest anti-destroyer, cap possessive nightmares, further improved by hostile damage per minute values, (4.8s reload on 203s!!) and a formidable anti-air suite homogenize to one of the most territorial creatures found in the game.

Des Moines takes it a step further here. Like Minotaur, Des Moines can be kit to stealth radar. However, Des Moines actually has armor, and with arguably more impressive firepower, can forgo the need for smoke or concealment.

Shelly presents a near perfect fit for Des Moines and taking the slight step up in skill floor unlocks an extreme skill ceiling. If you don't have her, you're missing out.

Inspirations Jerzy Swirski (Hide n Seek -4% Concealment), Gunichi Mikawa (Clandestine -6% Cruiser Concealment)

Refractory: -8% Chance of Catching Fire
Ingenious: +1.6^(o)/s Turret Traverse, -7% Incoming Damage, Number of Ships Targeting You.
Full Speed Ahead: +5% Speed, -10% Rudder Shift
Velocious: +5% Speed
Private Zone: -8% Detectability
Fully Packed: +1 Consumables, -5% Consumable Reload

Norman Scott:

Norman would be my second choice here undisputedly. It's not that he pairs poorly with Des Moines, but rather, Norman tends to play more from range and leans more into making his shots count than counting a lot of shots. This is a ship that lives on the cusp of almost absurd DPM values for 203's and with a downright nasty reload. While 18.5km+ of reach is useful, this is a ship with ballistics that would result in dreary...and a somewhat dreadful 11.2km concealment. The key point here is to add the main battery range mod in place of the reload mod.

Don't get me wrong, this is a build that is almost haunting for its penchant to hide behind an island and burn the entire map to ash, but to me, there's a lot more to Des Moines than just that and she will gladly reward you for mastering said challenge. One serious consideration, he's free and readily available.

Inspirations Nikolay Kuznetsov (Follow the Sun +6% Gun Range), AL Scharnhorst (Sniper -4% Dispersion) or Gunichi Mikawa (Clandestine -6% Cruiser Concealment)

Directed Impact: +5% Sigma
Beyond Range: +10% Gun Range
Igniter: +3% Fire Chance
Punch Through: +10% AP Alpha, +6% AP Penetration
Fixated: +5% Sigma, -5% Dispersion
Fully Packed: +1 Consumables, -5% Consumable Reload

Modifications

Aiming Systems Mod. 1: The standard piece for just about every ship in the first slot. 7% to dispersion is the winner here.
Propulsion Mod. 2: Propulsion Mod is the way. DM has a manageable stock rudder shift, which improves with specific commander skills. Take this mod to enable short speed jukes, which are fantastic for dodging both incoming CV strikes, and salvos alike.
Concealment Mod. 1: This is the only correct choice here, take this to enable the ability to get close to islands and contestable positions.
Main Battery Mod. 3: DPM over gun range all day, even with the atrocious gun traverse. <5s reload is the smartest option here, but the range mod will also work with longer range dispersion focused builds like Scott.

Upgrades:

Des Moines is a Legendary Tier Ship and does not have any researchable upgrades.

Research:

Des Moines is new and is not currently featured in any Bureau Projects. She is available through her own Bureau Project.

Summary:

GREAT

What becomes my first ship reviewed as a part of the Community Contributor Program, Des Moines was an unexpected and special treat. My time with her was brief, but I managed to get a comfortable feel for her nonetheless and look forward to completing her bureau project to bring her to my port to stay.

This is a ship which champions all the native traits of her predecessors while improving on them in such a way that increases her efficacy. Des Moines may not be as overly resilient as some cruisers, but she is more than capable of dishing out the punishment to those who don't respect her boundaries. Though Des Moines' EHP may be on the frailer side, this is considerably balanced by her fierce DPM. She is quite well-rounded, and able to adapt to the many situations she will encounter, especially if she is working as part of a functional team; Des Moines becomes the quintessential support cruiser with a panache for area control.

There are a couple ways of playing this ship, each with varying levels of skill floor and skill ceilings. Captains who practice and learn the strengths and nuances of the Des Moines will be well rewarded with a ship that is as fundamentally and strategically sound as she is effective and consistent. The numbers leaned more on the GOOD side but considering her influence she more than warranted the kick up to GREAT. I will make the stand here and argue, that being fundamentally good is a great strength.