USS North Carolina: The Showboat

Today we’re pleased to present USS North Carolina, one of the most iconic American battleships of the mid-20th century!

USS North Carolina: A Battleship for the USA at Rank VII

At a glance:

  • Nine 406 mm guns!
  • Extensive secondary armament
  • Effective radar array
  • Decent mobility

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Using the USS North Carolina in Battle!

North Carolina is another well-armed addition to the US ranks, a truly classic American battleship with a devastating 406 mm broadside, a reasonably sturdy belt, but a relatively vulnerable deck. North Carolina will excel the most in long range engagements. Here, her own armor will be more effective, and her powerful guns will still be able to punch through most enemy battleships.

Feature Spotlight: Firepower

USS North Carolina’s primary battery is unquestionably her strongest asset. Her nine 406 mm guns are among the finest and most destructive weapons in War Thunder naval combat. Her secondary weapon set is equally impressive, with twenty (!) rapid-fire dual-purpose 127 mm guns. The short range AA battery is a tad weaker though, enemy aircraft will be met with four quadruple 28 mm “Chicago Piano” mounts, forty 20 mm Oerlikon cannons, and various heavy machine guns.

Interesting: Being the US Navy’s first modern battleship in nearly 20 years, USS North Carolina drew extensive media attention at the time, enough to earn her the nickname “Showboat”.

Developer comment

We’re adding USS North Carolina in her 1942 refit, this is the classic configuration with the “Chicago Pianos” mounts. It was in this form where she fought through the fiercest battles of the early Pacific campaign, so it’s only fitting that we add her to War Thunder in this setup too. In game, she’ll feel the most at home in the penultimate bracket, where she’ll be a worthy opponent to Richelieu and Bismarck, and a reliable teammate for South Dakota.

Vehicle History

The North Carolina-class battleships were the first American “fast” battleships designed after a lengthy hiatus imposed by naval treaties. Two ships of this class were built: USS North Carolina (BB-55) and USS Washington (BB-56). North Carolina was laid down in October 1937, launched in June 1940, and commissioned in April 1941. The ship saw extensive action in the Pacific theater; in September 1942, she was struck by a torpedo from a Japanese submarine, which took her out of commission for a while. Throughout the war her anti-aircraft armament, which initially included the temperamental 28 mm “Chicago Piano” mounts, was progressively replaced with 40 mm Bofors and 20 mm Oerlikon guns, whose numbers steadily grew. Over the course of the war, she earned 12 battle stars. In 1962, she was preserved as a museum and memorial ship in Wilmington, North Carolina.


Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.

You can greatly speed up the research of the USS North Carolina with this pack:

USS Maryland Pack

This pack includes:

  • USS Maryland (USA, Rank VI)
  • 3000 Golden Eagles
  • Premium account for 30 days

79.99 Store

11 Likes

Nice

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were is this picture? :
image

2 Likes

Nice, I hope we see the Tirpitz in the future too

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North Carolina!!!
IMG_3365

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On the one hand, it’s technically worse than South Dakota and Iowa;

On the other hand, it’s interesting that, in real life, a North Carolina-class ship saved a South Dakota from certain doom by engaging in one of the few Capital ship engagements of WW2 with extreme effectiveness. Even if it’s technically worse than the other American fast BBs, the historical aspect makes many players particularly interested on this class!

I also forgot to mention it in other dev blogs, but I really like the new format! Combining history, gameplay aspects and developer commentary.

2 Likes

How many $80 premiums we trying to milk this update?

1 Like

Tips to grind it.

The Chicago Piano’s last song.

North Carolina isn’t a premium.

My bad I saw the USS Maryland being advertised at the bottom.


She’s a beauty

image

8 Likes

Very cool, but where’s Tirpitz?

2 Likes

Expect November as it was when she sank

3 Likes

homer drool

I’ve been waiting for USS North Carolina for a long time, it sucks to see she’s pre-refit without the 40mms. I would have loved to be able to play the configuration of the ship i grew up visiting. I hope gaijin eventually adds a modification to allow you to switch between versions of ships in-game.

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Sooooo… can we get that Os2u camo in game?

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nice another OP ship for america south dakota having a 7.28 KD ratio while next highest being is 4.36KD isnt bad enough bruh

Hope it will be possible to actually sink it, unlike Iowa or S Dakota.

2 Likes

Would be nice if the amount of onboard planes usable in game would match the displayed quantity and not limited arbitrarily to a max of 2, regardless if the ship could carry more (USS North Carolina isn’t the only ship that has more than 2 in game, but limited).

Oh, and obligatory request to make scout planes also unlockable in the normal aviation tree similar to how the OS2Us are already treated or alternatively unlocked once one unlocks the plane on a ship carrying the plane. (Of course, not relevant for the OS2Us or Ar 196s)

Overall though, finally BB-55 is in game, have been waiting for her a long time.