OREGON CITY

Country
United States of America (USA)

Class
Cruiser

MMweight
8.5

Obtain Method
Tech Tree

Arena rating

B

PVP rating

C

Oregon City CA-122 is the lead ship of the Oregon City-class cruisers. This class is the modified version of the previous Baltimore-class cruisers. The main difference is a more compact pyramidal superstructure with single trunked funnel, intended to improve the arcs of fire of the anti-aircraft (AA) guns. Oregon City became a flagship of the US fourth fleet.

Oregon City has nine 203 mm guns, mounted in triple turrets. The reload and damage are good. Unlike 152 mm guns on light cruisers, 203 mm HE can penetrate battleship armor. This means Oregon City has better fighting chance against battleships compared to Fargo. However, Oregon City still lacks accuracy to reliably deal damage. The slow shell velocity also makes it hard to aim at maneuvering targets. The shell arc is high, so Oregon City can lob shells from behind island easily.

Oregon City has great armor for a cruiser. Oregon City’s bow armor can bounce 406 mm caliber. This is a huge advantage over other cruisers that can only cower in front of a battleship. Oregon City can become a tank and rush a battleship as long as the caliber is not more than 406 mm or the enemy doesn’t have MAP. The belt armor is similar to Baltimore. There are more large caliber battleships with high penetration at high tier so Oregon City’s belt armor doesn’t feel as effective. Oregon City’ speed is rather slow but the maneuverability is good. The surface detectability is average. The AA is similar to Baltimore, but it doesn’t have fighter planes. In its MMweight, that amount of AA is no longer sufficient to defend itself.

Playstyle

At the start of the battle, 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. Because in open water you need to fight at long range, your damage output will be low. But at least you can live longer.

If you’re brave and there’s no enemy that can overmatch your armor (410 mm+ caliber or MAP ammunition), 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.

Oregon City has mediocre concealment. It’s not good for capturing bases and spotting enemies. In a CV battle, always stay close to allied ships (especially BBs and CV) so you can protect each other with overlapping AA and anti-air barrage consumable. Your damage output will be low but you can be useful.

Is it worth to buy?

Oregon City is a strong cruiser simply because of its tankiness. If the enemy has no ship that can overmatch its bow, Oregon City can tank for a long time and gun down the opponent instead.

Oregon City is a tech tree ship. If you want to get it, you just have to grind it. The continuation, Des Moines, is also strong. It’s worth to grind especially for new players.

Strengths
Fast reload, good penetration, good bow armor
Weaknesses
Slow shell velocity, slow turret rotation speed, bad accuracy, slow speed, bad AA, no planes
Consumables
Elite DC, elite repair (3 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
Preferred enemy target
BB, cruiser

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

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