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USS Black (DD-666)
USS Black (DD-666): A World of Warships Legends Review
USS Black (DD-666)
Scope:
It’s v 4.4 during the Lucky 6 campaign rewarding either Independence or Black as the ultimate goal. Bound into a what is a premium Fletcher Class Destroyer, Black sports separately slotted Radar and a long duration smoke screen. Black is a GOOD ship, with a HIGH skill floor and a HIGH skill ceiling.
This ship was given to me by Wargaming for review.
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Rating Matrix:
- [BAD, WEAK, AVERAGE, GOOD, GREAT]
- {LOW, MODERATE, HIGH, EXTREME}
History:
USS Black was laid down November 1942 at the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Kearny, New Jersey and she would be launched the following March. Commissioned into the United States Navy of May the same year (1943) Black would enter service and steam for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. She served until she was decommissioned September 1961, and she was sold for scrap February 1971.
The ship was built as a Fletcher Class Destroyer, which was designed in 1939 following the US Navy's growing dissatisfaction with the current Porter and Somers Classes. 175 Fletcher Class Destroyers would be commissioned into the United States Navy, more than any other class; and was heralded as one of the most successful designs of her generation. The design was incredibly well rounded and capable of handling any of the many tasks assigned to a long-range destroyer. A Herculean effort from the US Shipbuilding Industry saw these ships cranked out in awe-inspiring numbers.
The ship would go on to be sold to 14 countries, 11 of which the ship was designed to fight against and would go on to serve for decades after their decommission from the US Navy.
USS Black herself saw participation in many key campaigns, including Marshall Islands, Saipan, Guam and Leyte.
The ship was named for Lieutenant Commander Hugh Black, who was Killed in Action 28 February 1942 after being torpedoed by German Submarine U-578. The ship was sponsored by the late Commander's widow.
Strengths:
- Radar Destroyer
- Long Range Sea-Mines
- USN Smoke
- Workable DPM
- Good Reload
Weaknesses:
- Meager HP
- Poor EHP
- Short Radar Duration
- SLOW torpedoes
- Brittle Modules
The Basics:
What sums up as a pretty straight forward Premium Destroyer, Black occupies a great number of strengths found in the Nation, namely, excellent well-rounded capabilities and team play capacity. The nice addition here is that Black sports a Radar, which shares this spot with her Speed Boost. Otherwise, Black is quite unremarkable and ties in very nicely with her Nation's Tech Tree Destroyer Line. This is another unquestionable advantage, as many of the same strategies, builds and commanders work just as well.
Due to the extra base charge of Radar, Black is quite a formidable team player as this ensures she has the capacity for multiple engagements veiled by the longevity of her smoke screen.
Offense:
- GOOD
Short, sweet and to the point. Let's break Black down in typical fashion and get to the nitty-gritty.
| Main Battery Range (Km) | Reload (s) | |
|---|---|---|
| Hsienyang | 11.5 | 3.3 |
| Paolo Emilio | 11.4 | 10.7 |
| Udaloi | 11.0 | 7.5 |
| Le Fantasque | 11.0 | 6.0 |
| Black | 11.0 | 3.6 |
| Akizuki | 10.9 | 3.0 |
| Somers | 10.9 | 6.0 |
| Tashkent | 10.9 | 5.0 |
| Ostergotland | 10.9 | 2.3 |
| Friesland | 10.9 | 1.8 |
| Lightning | 10.8 | 4.5 |
| ZF-6 | 10.8 | 4.0 |
| Lo Yang | 10.8 | 3.3 |
| Yudachi | 10.7 | 6.8 |
| Kagero | 10.6 | 6.8 |
| Z-23 | 10.6 | 6.7 |
| Fletcher | 10.0 | 3.0 |
Now, out the gate we see in terms of range, that Black has pretty average reach, and a decent reload of 3.6 to tag along with it. She notably out-reaches her sister by a full kilometer and takes an extra 0.6s onto her reload.
The big takeaway here is that Black is better than most in terms of reload and range.
| HE Damage Per Minute | HE Alpha Strike | |
|---|---|---|
| Friesland | 233,333 | 1750 |
| Akizuki | 192,000 | 1200 |
| Fletcher | 190,000 | 1900 |
| Ostergotland | 177,391 | 1700 |
| Black | 150,000 | 1800 |
| Somers | 144,000 | 1800 |
| Hsienyang | 138,182 | 1900 |
| Lo Yang | 138,182 | 1900 |
| Tashkent | 136,800 | 1900 |
| Lightning | 136,000 | 1700 |
| ZF-6 | 108,750 | 1450 |
| Le Fantasque | 105,000 | 2100 |
| Z-23 | 98,507 | 2200 |
| Kagero | 95,294 | 1800 |
| Yudachi | 94,853 | 2150 |
| Udaloi | 91,200 | 1900 |
| Paolo Emilio | 87,477 | 1950 |
Like most USN Ships, Black chimes right on credo. Black will not out-right dominate any given list, but instead, will rank highly among most of them. Coy overture aside, Black has very workable damage per minute numbers. I wouldn't say they are the best, but they are absolutely useable.
This next chart, the TtK (Time to Kill) Table paints a much more vivid picture of Destroyer Gunfighting. TtK measures how long it will take any given destroyer to generate a damage figure, in this case, 18,5k which marks above average Health Pool for T7 Destroyers. Basically, this represents how long it will take the given destroyer to sink a Fantasque that is sitting still.
That being said, 22.20s is not a bad value, and the interpretation is that Black will generally outgun more times than she is herself outgunned.
| Salvos Per Time | Time To Kill (s) | Time To Kill w/MBRB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friesland | 7.9 | 15.01 | - |
| ZF-6 | 7.6 | 30.63 | 15.2 |
| Le Fantasque | 5.5 | 33.30 | 16.5 |
| Akizuki | 5.7 | 17.34 | - |
| Fletcher | 5.8 | 17.53 | - |
| Ostergotland | 8.1 | 18.77 | - |
| Black | 6.1 | 22.20 | - |
| Somers | 3.8 | 23.13 | - |
| Lo Yang | 7.3 | 24.10 | - |
| Hsienyang | 7.3 | 24.10 | - |
| Tashkent | 4.9 | 24.34 | - |
| Lightning | 5.4 | 24.48 | - |
| Z-23 | 5.0 | 33.81 | - |
| Kagero | 5.1 | 34.94 | - |
| Yudachi | 5.2 | 35.11 | - |
| Udaloi | 4.9 | 36.51 | - |
| Paolo Emilio | 3.6 | 38.07 | - |
Now, at some point I would have to mention Ballistics in some degree of formality beyond the simple. It's not that Destroyer Ballistics are not fascinating or worth the study, but rather, all Destroyers in this tier have the exact same 2.0 sigma, 45^(o) Potential / 60^(o) Automatic Ricochet Angles, and all buy in large share the same 0.01s fuse time, unless the guns are over 130mm; in which case the fuse time value is 0.025s.
One notable bullet point, is that Fletcher has faster muzzle velocity due to her buff, and Black has the unbuffed (or shares the PC) value of 792m/s. This velocity gives the shell a high arc, which allows Black to be a nuisance while protected from behind cover.
Sea Mines:
- GOOD
I can't in good conscience call these things torpedoes, when they are in fact outpaced by a handful of ships. Black has lazily drifting sea mines, which, will entirely ruin your fucking day. They have a slightly lower than average reaction time despite their abysmal speed and they also conveniently drift across the entire map. While Black really does not have the worst torpedo reload, I would not consider these to be her primary weapon. It should be noted, shorter reload and high alpha does produce some very solid DPM numbers.
Black does have workable arcs, generally speaking. However, this is limited on average to one torpedo rack rather than both. The fore rack has decent forward angles and weaker aft angles, and conversely, the aft rack has weaker fore angles and stronger aft angles. Firing them simultaneously on target requires either a turn, or a relatively loose broadside.
No, this does not automatically make Albert Gleaves the primary commander for this ship.
*Deep Water Torpedoes
| Alpha ^ | Range | Speed | Reaction | Reload | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paolo Emilio | 23,767 | 6.0 | 67 | 9.76 | 120 |
| Black | 21,600 | 13.7 | 43 | 8.05 | 96 |
| Akizuki | 20,967 | 10 | 67 | 9.76 | 112 |
| Kagero | 20,967 | 10 | 67 | 9.76 | 91 |
| Yudachi | 20,967 | 10 | 67 | 9.76 | 100 |
| Le Fantasque | 18,400 | 8.3 | 70 | 10.44 | 86 |
| ZF-6 | 18,400 | 8.0 | 75 | 9.23 | 90 |
| Hsienyang* | 18,000 | 10 | 60 | 4.49 | 120 |
| Somers | 17,900 | 12 | 66 | 8.16 | 130 |
| Fletcher | 16,636 | 9.2 | 55 | 6.99 | 122 |
| Lightning | 15,533 | 10 | 62 | 8.06 | 96 |
| Udaloi | 15,100 | 8.0 | 65 | 8.28 | 100 |
| Tashkent | 14,400 | 8.0 | 60 | 7.05 | 69 |
| Z-23 | 14,400 | 9.5 | 66 | 8.16 | 90 |
| Lo Yang | 11,600 | 9.2 | 55 | 7.69 | 109 |
| Ostergotland | 10,700 | 13.5 | 86 | 8.05 | 100 |
| Friesland | - | - | - | - | - |
All in all, they are good torpedoes, that are quite comical to watch hit when they do hit. It's not all bad, they do outpace a speeding Kansas, but not by that much. Good is a gift, mostly due to that absurd 21k Alpha, more like a really strong AVERAGE. That being said, 8s flat torpedo reaction time is a fairly strong value.
Defense:
- GOOD
Radar, Smoke, breathable AA, decent handling marks. Alone, Black is rather weak in terms of defense like most destroyers. Black's forte is undoubtedly in team play, where she makes for an excellent anti-destroyer escort. When engaging distracted targets, Black is a scary threat to leave unaccounted for. Coupled with both vision control consumables, Black walks away with GOOD marks.
| Base Health Pool | Effective Health Pool | |
|---|---|---|
| Paolo Emilio | 24,400 | - |
| Tashkent | 21,500 | 27,520 |
| Akizuki | 20,400 | - |
| Z-23 | 19,500 | - |
| Udaloi | 18,800 | 24,064 |
| Le Fantasque | 18,500 | - |
| Friesland | 17,600 | - |
| Somers | 17,300 | - |
| ZF-6 | 17,000 | - |
| Fletcher | 16,700 | - |
| Black | 16,700 | - |
| Lo Yang | 16,100 | - |
| Lightning | 15,900 | - |
| Ostergotland | 15,800 | 20,224 |
| Hsienyang | 15,500 | - |
| Kagero | 15,100 | - |
| Yudachi | 13,200 | - |
This HP/EHP chart is somewhat deceiving: most destroyers do nothing to build into padding their base HP values. Black with Mordoff is no different. 16,7k isn't the strongest value, and sits relatively below average.
The coupling of Radar and Long Duration Smoke gives Black the ability to conceal from, and simultaneously identify, threats. That strategic concept brings in very high marks, which are then brought back down to earth by more above average weapons systems, HP/EHP, AA, and concealment. The delicate radiance of this art is that it is beautifully enveloped by the skill of the player. A smart captain at the helm of a Black who understands her fragility and vulnerabilities can be one of the more formidable destroyers to encounter.
Armor
- AVERAGE
19mm plating. Like the overwhelming majority of most destroyers, Black has the typical 19mm plating.
Anti-Air Suite:
- AVERAGE
Black has enough of an AA presence to be felt. However, you're really not in the spot to down full squads beyond fully kitting for AA which is a waste of energy and skills. CV's will be deterred, but this won't stop them in their flight path as with the EU DDs. ABOVE AVERAGE on paper and practice but doesn't cross the threshold into GOOD territory. This chart is deceiving and represents more of a spike than a true bell curve.
| Anti-Air Damage per Second | Anti-Air Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Friesland | 286 | 5.2 |
| Ostergotland | 232 | 5.0 |
| Akizuki | 158 | 5.0 |
| Fletcher | 135 | 5.0 |
| Black | 125 | 5.0 |
| ZF-6 | 110 | 5.2 |
| Tashkent | 86 | 5.0 |
| Udaloi | 84 | 5.2 |
| Lo Yang | 80 | 5.0 |
| Lightning | 79 | 4.5 |
| Hsienyang | 77 | 5.0 |
| Z-23 | 73 | 3.5 |
| Le Fantasque | 68 | 3.5 |
| Paolo Emilio | 63 | 4.0 |
| Kagero | 36 | 3.1 |
| Somers | 22 | 3.1 |
| Yudachi | 11 | 2.0 |
Simply put, most destroyers just don't have good anti air values because they're tiny and cannot put up enough lead. Inversely, Battleships tend to have garbage concealment values because they're huge and cannot hide. On this metric, functionality receives high scores where less than functionality can give you away and get you killed. Black hinges more on the latter than the former.
Concealment:
- AVERAGE
More like a below average. Despite this 5.2 is quite workable, especially for a gun heavy, hybridized destroyer. Radar on this ship tends to make this category an almost moot point entirely.
| Max Concealment ^ | Stock Air Concealment | Stock Smoke-Firing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yudachi | 4.8 | 3.3 | 2.4 |
| Kagero | 4.8 | 3.3 | 2.5 |
| Hsienyang | 5.0 | 3.5 | 2.6 |
| ZF-6 | 5.0 | 3.4 | 2.6 |
| Z-23 | 5.0 | 3.4 | 2.5 |
| Akizuki | 5.0 | 3.4 | 2.1 |
| Le Fantasque | 5.1 | 3.5 | 2.8 |
| Lo Yang | 5.1 | 3.5 | 2.6 |
| Lightning | 5.1 | 3.4 | 2.4 |
| Ostergotland | 5.1 | 3.4 | 2.4 |
| Fletcher | 5.2 | 3.5 | 2.6 |
| Black | 5.2 | 3.5 | 2.6 |
| Friesland | 5.3 | 3.6 | 2.6 |
| Somers | 5.3 | 3.6 | 2.6 |
| Paolo Emilio | 5.5 | 3.7 | 2.9 |
| Tashkent | 5.6 | 3.8 | 2.9 |
| Udaloi | 5.6 | 3.8 | 2.9 |
However, Black sort of gets a pass here due to her forever smoke and radar.
Maneuverability:
- AVERAGE
More of a low Average, but an average, nonetheless. This ship is average on paper and weaker in practice, due to her availability of radar. This nearly forces the choice of radar, making Black one of the very few destroyers to lack a speed boost in practice. Black has a slow top speed with a tight turn radius and a good rudder shift. Her agility marks a very reasonable defense against destroyers.
For those not in the know, Destroyer strength or weakness to torpedoes is generally considered heavily by this category along with the capability of the torpedoes. Khabarovsk, Udaloi, Tashkent and Akizuki are all very strong examples of ships that are profoundly weak to torpedoes, due to wide turn radii, slow rudder shift, larger size, weaker acceleration/deceleration values, or a combination therein.
Black is reasonably well kit to protect herself from said threats.
| Top Speed ^ | Turn Radius | Rudder Shift | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paolo | 43.5 | 810 | 5.3 |
| Le Fantasque | 42.7 | 690 | 4.3 |
| Tashkent | 42.5 | 730 | 5.4 |
| Somers | 38.6 | 620 | 3.9 |
| Udaloi | 38.0 | 610 | 5.3 |
| Hsienyang | 38.0 | 570 | 4.9 |
| Lo Yang | 38.0 | 570 | 2.7 |
| Z-23 | 37.0 | 680 | 4.5 |
| Fletcher | 36.5 | 560 | 3.0 |
| Friesland | 36.0 | 620 | 4.0 |
| Lightning | 36.0 | 590 | 3.8 |
| ZF-6 | 35.0 | 670 | 3.9 |
| Kagero | 35.0 | 640 | 2.7 |
| Ostergotland | 35.0 | 610 | 3.7 |
| Yudachi | 35.0 | 570 | 3.2 |
| Black | 35.0 | 560 | 3.0 |
| Akizuki | 33.0 | 730 | 3.9 |
There are definitely ships that are faster, but few present so well rounded in terms of handling and agility.
Commanders:
- GREAT
Vincent Mordoff:
Black is a Fletcher-Class with a different loadout. While there are some minute changes between the two sisters, Black inherits enough of her sisters' traits that she also inherits the same kits. Mordoff is the golden standard here for USN Hybridized/Gunnery Focused Destroyers, which hits Black on the head so well it's nearly a fault. There are certainly other builds, but this shoe fits Cinderella like her Glass Slipper.
Like most other destroyers, the meta here is double concealment inspirations, found on Jerzy Swirski (Hide N Seek -4% Concealment) and Erich Bey (Shifty -5% DD Concealment).
- Observant Rage: -8% Gun Reload, +15% Torpedo Detection, +10% Rudder Shift
- Look at Me Now: -6% Concealment
- Twist N Track: +3.5*^(o)**/s Gun Traverse, Direction of Closest Enemy*
- Sheltered Arms: -100% to Gun/Torpedo Incapacitation
- Unstoppable: -15% Engine Repair Time, Gain reduced mobility on incapacitation.
The true glamor of this category is that Black has access to a number of fitting commanders, with Halsey and Burke both being strong choices for the captain lacking Vincent Mordoff.
Consumables:
- GOOD
Black has access to a pretty niche set of consumables which makes alienating most destroyers a breeze. She may need a little help from her friends, but who doesn't?
| Range | Duration | Salvo per Radar ^ | Reload | Charges | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hsiengyang | 7.5 | 15 | 4.5 | 180 | 2 |
| Black | 7.5 | 13 | 3.6 | 150 | 3 |
Salvos per Radar is excellent determination of anti-destroyer prowess, particularly in conjunction with Time to Kill values. That being said, Black has a TtK of 22s, and Hsienyang of 24s, which means neither will particularly be able to cook off an opponent within the duration of their radar. Hsienyang technically has the better radar, where Black the better TtK.
| Duration | Dissipation | Reload | Charges | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 28 | 124 | 240 | 2 |
| Somers | 28 | 124 | 240 | 2 |
| Fletcher | 28 | 124 | 240 | 2 |
| Akizuki | 20 | 85 | 240 | 2 |
| Kagero | 20 | 89 | 240 | 2 |
| Yudachi | 20 | 89 | 240 | 2 |
| Lightning | 10 | 40 | 60 | 6 |
| Z-23 | 21 | 69 | 240 | 2 |
| ZF-6 | 21 | 69 | 240 | 2 |
| Le Fantasque | - | - | - | - |
| Tashkent | 20 | 89 | 240 | 2 |
| Udaloi | 20 | 89 | 240 | 2 |
| Paolo Emilio | 22/44 | 89/22 | 240/180 | 2/2 |
| Friesland | 22 | 99 | 240 | 2 |
| Ostergotland | - | - | - | - |
| Lo Yang | 28 | 124 | 240 | 2 |
| Hsienyang | 30 | 70 | 120 | 4 |
Black's access to the golden standard of USN smoke allows her a great deal of wiggle room in most situations. Solid marks here, for both individual and team-based strategies.
GOOD, but not great. Short duration radar and a lack of an independently slotted speed boost are the biggest knockdowns here.
Modifications
- Aiming Systems Mod 1: -7% Dispersion, other goodies.
- Propulsion Mod 2: -50% time to full engine power
- Concealment System Mod 1: -10% Detectability Range, +5% Incoming Fire Dispersion
- Main Battery Mod 3: -12% to Gun Reload, -13% Turret Traverse
This kit neatly reflects the same builds for Fletcher.
Upgrades:
- USS Black is a premium ship without any researchable upgrades.
Research:
- Black is very heavily featured in Broad Stripes and Bright Stars Time Limited Research Bureau Project.
Summary:
- GOOD
Another USN Ship, really Thatch?
The release of two high tier destroyers this update caught my fancy quite early on, and both of them rather flattering ships in their own right. While one partakes with a more traditional or orthodox playstyle, the other does not. Both are staggeringly effective when it comes to the transition from paper to practice, and from theory to battle.
USS Black brought in one of the more competitively renown destroyers from other versions, a title she resolutely carries into this version of World of Warships. Easily relegated into the top 5 of her niches, Black offers genuine solutions for many predicaments. Smoke and Radar are often a killer combination, and when found coupled with a successful ship such as the Fletcher Class, the results are devastating. Humbly balanced by strong above average strengths and few relative weaknesses polished into those strengths, Black offers a brief 13s foray into efficacy not previously found on Fletcher.
Captains graced with the love of the tech tree line and well versed in its habitual strategies will find a suiting home in Black, with many of these strategies being somewhat improved on with the access of improved vision control. This is a sister ship where the apple plopped straight down from the tree, and foundationally holds the same builds, kits and skills.
With the implementation of Tier 8, and now improved economies of Tier 7 Premiums, Black offers a very strong package with a very familiar face. This ship easily takes on her GOOD rating, and behind the guiding hand of an elite player will undoubtedly be featured in the competitive circuit. Access to devastating torpedoes, well rounded gunnery, radar and team play smoke makes this ship a no-brainer.