WICHITA

Country
United States of America (USA)

Class
Cruiser

MMweight
7.5

Obtain Method
Gem

Arena rating

B

PVP rating

C

Wichita CA-45 was initially intended to be a New Orleans-class heavy cruiser. However, the navy experimented with her design. They mounted 203 mm guns on an improved Brooklyn-class cruiser hull. This design would go on to form the basis for the later World War II-era heavy cruisers such as the Baltimore-class cruisers and Oregon City-class cruisers.

Wichita has nine 203 mm guns, mounted in triple turrets. The initial shell velocity is good, but the air drag is high. This means in the air the shells slow down significantly. The slow shell velocity makes it hard to aim at maneuvering targets. The shell arc is high, so Wichita can lob shells from behind island easily. Unlike 152 mm guns on light cruisers, 203 mm HE can penetrate higher tier battleship armor. Wichita’s guns are still capable of reliably damaging MMweight 8.0 battleships (unlike Cleveland) even though Wichita is lower tier. However, Wichita’s accuracy is very bad. It’s hard to hit targets more than 12 km away. Wichita’s fire chance has been nerfed to almost non-existent.

Wichita has great armor. Wichita’s bow armor can bounce 406 mm caliber. Ironically, this makes Wichita tankier than most MMweight 7.0 battleships. When other battleships snipe from long range, Wichita can fight at close range. Wichita can become a tank and rush a battleship as long as the caliber is not more than 406 mm, the enemy doesn’t have MAP ammunition, and no torpedo threat. Wichita’s belt and deck armor has been nerfed, now it takes more damage even when angled. Battleship shells aimed at the deck or cheek (angled bow) can delete more than 50% of Wichita’s HP in 1 salvo. Wichita has a bad firing angle so it must show a lot of broadside to fire all guns. If Wichita is caught broadsiding, it can get deleted just like any other cruiser. This means the player must pay extra caution when angling and kiting.

Wichita’s speed and maneuverability are decent. The surface detectability is average. The AA is trash but it has fighter planes as an additional defense from CV strikes.

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 12 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.

Wichita has mediocre concealment. It’s not good for capturing bases. However, Wichita has long range radar that can help it detect the enemy and prevent getting ambushed. It’s often very useful in team battles due to 15 km range. However, hunting DDs is hard because radar only shows silhouette. You still need an ally DD in front that can spot the enemy DD. 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?

Wichita is a strong medium range tank. More often than not, Wichita becomes the primary tank instead of the battleships. Wichita’s tankiness and gun caliber makes it still competitive in higher tier battles. If the enemy has no ship that can counter it, Wichita can tank for a long time. However, after several nerfs, this cruiser’s firepower has been reduced drastically.

Wichita is a gem ship. If you want to get it, you need to save gems from daily missions and events. It’s worth buying if you like playing as a tank, but not worth if you want something with high damage output.

Strengths
Good penetration, great bow armor, decent speed, decent maneuverability, has fighter planes
Weaknesses
High air drag, slow turret rotation speed, bad accuracy, bad turret firing angle, bad AA
Consumables
Elite DC, elite repair (3 charges), anti-air barrage (unlimited) / 15 km radar (4 times)
General playstyle
Kiting, flanking, pushing, bowtank with island cover, lobbing shells from behind island
Role/specialty
Radar spotting, offtank, damage dealer
Preferred enemy target
BB, cruiser

Recommended Build

Equipment
Slot 1: adv. disaster retardant module
Slot 2: engine enhancement module
Slot 3: aiming system module
Consumables
Slot 1: elite damage control
Slot 2: elite repair
Slot 3: elite radar (no CV) or elite anti-air barrage (CV battle)
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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