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USS Pittsburgh: The Longest Ship in the World

USS Pittsburgh is an American heavy cruiser of the Baltimore-class which entered service with the U.S. Navy in the final years of WWII. Inheriting the class’ signature combination of firepower, protection and mobility, USS Pittsburgh is arriving to War Thunder naval forces as the new top American cruiser with the next major update!

USS Pittsburgh, heavy cruiser, USA, rank V

Pros

  • Well-balanced characteristics
  • Enhanced secondary arsenal
  • 8 director control towers and well protected fire control room

Cons

  • No rapid-firing weapons

Briefly: A Cold War refit of an American Baltimore-class heavy cruiser featuring an extremely versatile and heavy-duty secondary arsenal.

History

USS Pittsburgh was laid down in February 1943 as part of the second series of Baltimore-class heavy cruisers ordered by the U.S. Navy. The ship was launched roughly a year later and officially entered service with the Navy in October 1944. Upon commissioning, USS Pittsburgh was assigned to the Pacific theatre where she joined up with Task Force 58 at Hawaii for its first operation: the assault on Iwo Jima.

Although not taking part in the invasion itself, USS Pittsburgh assisted in raids against airfields on the Japanese Home Islands. Similarly, USS Pittsburgh guarded the carrier fleet during the Invasion of Okinawa, downing Japanese aircraft making attack runs on the American carriers. Following the Battle of Okinawa, USS Pittsburgh was caught in a powerful typhoon which left the ship heavily damaged as its bow sheared off. However, USS Pittsburgh managed to return to port and was still undergoing repairs as WWII ended in 1945. As the war came to a close and USS Pittsburgh’s repairs were completed, the ship was placed into reserve in 1946 and subsequently decommissioned in 1947.

However, with conflicts around the world arising again with the dawn of the Cold War, USS Pittsburgh was once recommissioned in September 1951. After conducting exercises and other operations in the west Atlantic, USS Pittsburgh then went on a goodwill cruise to the Indian ocean before heading into drydock for major modernization work in 1953. After taking part in conflicts in Asia in the mid 1950s, USS Pittsburgh was decommissioned for the last time in 1956. The warship was subsequently stricken from the naval register and sold for scrap in the mid 1970s.

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In War Thunder, USS Pittsburgh will be a new heavy cruiser arriving to the top ranks of the American naval tree with the release of the next major update “Direct hit”. Coming to the game in its 1953 Cold War refit, USS Pittsburgh promises its captains a considerable upgrade to heavy anti-air firepower over previous vessels and as such will also rightfully take the place of the new top American cruiser at rank V!

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Similarly to its sister ship - USS Baltimore - which some captains may already have had the chance of commanding, USS Pittsburgh offers its aspiring captains an excellent balance between firepower, mobility and protection thanks to the ship’s powerful 8’’ (203 mm) cannons, top speed of 32 kts (61 km/h) and an armored belt going up to 152 mm. In short, USS Pittsburgh inherits the class’ superb versatility, being a sound warship choice for nearly any type of engagement captains may find themselves in.

Fun Fact: USS Pittsburgh earned itself the nickname ‘The Longest Ship in the World” after its bow broke off during a tropical storm, which was later salvaged, thousands of miles away from the ship.

Unlike USS Baltimore however, USS Pittsburgh features an augmented anti-air arsenal in which the 40 and 20 mm cannons of its sister ship have been replaced by 10 twin 3’’ (76 mm) automatic cannons while retaining the excellent six twin 5’’ (127 mm) cannons. As a result, USS Pittsburgh can more effectively combat aerial targets at longer ranges as well as smaller vessels trying to ambush the large warship in shallower waters in particular.

However, losing access to the smaller automatic weapons means that USS Pittsburgh will be more cumbersome in responding to surprise aerial attacks and is thus more vulnerable to skilled pilots who manage to bring their deadly payload close enough without being detected. Furthermore, USS Pittsburgh also comes crewed by a complement of 1,142 sailors. While this crew size isn’t small by any stretch and is also much larger than that of the preceding USS Brooklyn, it’s also smaller than that of its sister ship USS Baltimore. As a result, USS Pittsburgh may not have the same endurance as its sister ship, as the warship will run out of sailors available to repair combat damage at a slightly faster rate.

USS Pittsburgh is scheduled to dock at the top of the American cruiser line with the arrival of the next major update for War Thunder. In the meantime, be sure to stay tuned to the news as we continue unveiling what other exciting new additions and features await you in the upcoming update. Until then, calm seas and happy hunting captains!

You can greatly speed up the research on this vehicle with:

USS HELENA PACK
This pack includes
  • Cruiser USS Helena (Rank 4, USA);
  • Premium account for 30 days;
  • 2000 Golden Eagles;
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