Country
United States of America (USA)
Class
Cruiser
MMweight
9.6
Obtain Method
Tech Tree
Arena rating
PVP rating
Des Moines CA-134 was the lead ship of the Des Moines-class cruiser. It was the first ship in the United States Navy to feature the auto loading Mark 16 8-inch/55 caliber gun, the first of its type in the world. The design was derived from Baltimore-class heavy cruisers but with better protection and firepower. Des Moines was the flagship of the US sixth fleet until decommissioned.
Des Moines has nine fast reloading 203 mm guns, mounted in triple turrets. The reload speed is absurd; rivaling light cruisers even though it’s a heavy cruiser. This makes Des Moines’ DPM the highest among cruisers. Unlike 152 mm guns on light cruisers, 203 mm HE can penetrate battleship armor. This means Des Moines has better fighting chance against battleships compared to Worcester. However, Des Moines still lacks accuracy to reliably deal damage at more than 14 km range. The slow shell velocity also makes it hard to aim at maneuvering targets. The shell arc is high, so Des Moines can lob shells from behind island easily.
Des Moines has great armor for a cruiser. Des Moines’ bow armor can bounce 410 mm caliber. This is a huge advantage over other cruisers that can only cower in front of a battleship. Des Moines can become a tank and rush a battleship as long as the caliber is not more than 410 mm or the enemy doesn’t have MAP. Unfortunately, most top tier battleships have larger caliber than that. Des Moines’ superstructure and stern is pretty fragile. If the enemy BB can aim at those areas, Des Moines will go down very quickly. The belt armor is very good, with careful angling it can bounce 450 mm guns. Des Moines’ speed is slow and the maneuverability is below average. The surface detectability is average. The AA is very strong, comparable to Montana.
Playstyle
Observe the team list of the enemy. Des Moines’ counters are battleships with 420 mm guns or above, battleships with MAP ammunition, destroyers, CV, or strong HE spammers. If the enemy has its counter, don’t play aggressively. Sail to a flank. Don’t sail too forward. Don’t get yourself spotted first. Remember, shooting will increase your detectability range so don’t do that unless you absolutely need to. If the enemy is spotted, let your battleships shoot the enemy first. You need to find a big island to hide behind. Ideally, you want to be able to lob shells to the enemy but the enemy can’t see or shoot you back. Shoot after you get a good position. If you’re getting shot, just move closer to the island to hide or run away.
If there’s no such island, fight in open water at more than 13 km from enemy battleship. Angle your ship away from the enemy (kiting position). Speed juke to dodge shells. You can try this simple speed juke tactic: sail at 1/4 speed when the enemy isn’t shooting, accelerate to full speed when the enemy shoots at you, reverse if the enemy shoots in front of your ship. Turn your ship away to increase its effectiveness. Don’t show broadside. If you can’t dodge, try to take the shells on the belt armor while angled. If your HP is low, just run away and stop shooting. Once you get out of your basic detection range, you won’t be spotted anymore.
If there’s no enemy that can counter Des Moines, you can play aggressively. Point your bow towards the enemy. Stay beside an island to cover your citadel. If there’s no island, alter your speed regularly (between half speed and reverse) to throw off the enemy’s aim. This playstyle allows you to get much higher damage output, gain map control, and help your teammates survive.
To maximize your effectiveness, try to create a crossfire with your teammates. If your teammate is tanking, you sail to the side of the enemy ship and shoot at their broadside.
Des Moines’ playstyle in CV battle is different from regular battle. The way to play Des Moines (and other AA-focused cruisers) in a CV battle is to move to a position where it can protect many allies, creating overlapping AA bubbles, and make the enemy CV afraid to attack. No need to shoot your guns unless the enemy is very close to you. Your job is to catch the enemy CV off guard.
Observe the flying direction of the enemy planes and anticipate where the planes will attack. Once you make a prediction, quickly move to protect the ally. Ideally, when the enemy planes are still 10 km away from their target, Des Moines is also already at less than 10 km moving closer to the target. If the planes are within 5 km of your ship, activate the anti-air barrage consumable. Next is just hope that the CV is dumb so their planes get wrecked. A competent CV player can still bypass its AA. A strong CV player will kill Des Moines instead. Keep in mind that Des Moines can be deleted by BB salvos while it’s being detected by planes. Every time you’re detected, angle your ship away from the enemy. Careful positioning is very important. Your damage output will be low but you can be useful by staying alive and protecting your allies.
Is it worth to buy?
Des Moines is strong in MMweight 9.0-9.6 battles but not in MMweight 10.0 because there are too many battleships that can ignore its armor. If the enemy has no ship that can counter it, Des Moines can tank for a long time and gun down the opponent instead.
Des Moines is a tech tree ship. If you want to get it, you just have to grind it. It’s worth to grind especially for new players.
Strengths
Very fast reload, good penetration, great AA, good armor, has fighter planes
Weaknesses
Slow shell velocity, bad accuracy, slow speed, bad maneuverability
Consumables
Elite DC, elite repair (4 charges), anti-air barrage (4 charges)
General playstyle
Kiting, flanking, pushing, bowtank with island cover, lobbing shells from behind island
Role/specialty
Offtank, damage dealer, wide AA protection.
Preferred enemy target
Cruiser, BB, planes
Recommended Build
Equipment
Slot 1: adv. disaster retardant module
Slot 2: engine enhancement module
Slot 3: cruiser aiming system module
Consumables
Slot 1: elite damage control
Slot 2: elite repair
Slot 3: elite anti-air barrage
Crew Skills (after basic skill)
Captain: artillery warning – hull protection – boost morale
Gun: crack gunner – high speed aiming – burn the ship behind
Engine: quick shift – adv. quick shift – steering master – noise reduction
Damage control: buoyancy reserve – emergency flooding – extinguish
Naval Creed: Warships Guides 
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