USS Houston - Tier VIII American Premium Cruiser

She was known as the “Galloping Ghost of the Java Coast”. USS Houston, one of the Northampton-class cruisers, was commissioned in 1930. By the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, she served as a flagship of the Asiatic Fleet. During the first months of the Pacific War, the cruiser fought alongside British, Dutch, and Australian ships against Japanese forces in the Dutch East Indies. She met her fate during the Battle of the Sunda Strait on the night of March 1, 1942.

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Work In Progress

Key Features and Battle Tips

Key Features

• Heavy Firepower: Nine 203 mm guns with high damage per minute, floaty ballistics, and signature American improved AP ricochet angles.
• Enhanced Survivability: Access to a Specialized Repair Teams consumable combined with 27 mm bow and stern plating capable of bouncing AP shells up to 381 mm.
• No Torpedoes: Entirely reliant on main battery gunnery for offensive output.
• Utility Trade-off: Lacks Surveillance Radar, but offers a choice between Hydroacoustic Search and Auxiliary and Torpedo Weaponry Coordination.

Battle Tips

• Hug Island Cover: Utilize your floaty shell arcs to lob salvos over terrain while shielding your vulnerable citadel from open-water crossfires.
• Optimize Ammo Selection: Load HE to contest destroyers and set fires on angled targets; swap to AP to punish broadsides, bypass steep angles on enemy cruisers, and penetrate the upper belts of battleships.
• Angle Against 381 mm Guns: Point your 27 mm bow directly at battleships armed with 381 mm guns or smaller to deflect incoming AP salvos while grinding them down with your high rate of fire.
• Sustain the Mid-to-Close Range: Leverage your Specialized Repair Teams to recover substantial HP during drawn-out brawls around Key Areas, but avoid wide turns in view of the enemy.

Ship Info

Ship Name:   VIII USS Houston

Tier / Level: VIII / 8

Rarity Level: Soon

WG introduction: October 29, 2026

WG base value: 11,000

Estimated release: Update 16.1

Nation: USA

How to obtain:

Details will be added closer to release

Armor

Hit points: 33,900

Fore- and aft-end plating: 27 mm

Torpedo protection. Damage reduction: 7 %

Fires duration: 30 s

Main Battery Armament

3x3 203 mm:

Firing Range: 15.8 km

Reload Time: 7.2 s

180 Degree Turn Time: 30 s

Maximum Dispersion: 142 m

Sigma Value: 2.0σ

Shell Types

HE Shells

9x 203 mm HE:

Alpha Damage: 2,800

Alpha Piercing HE: 34 mm

Ammo Type: High Explosive

Velocity: 823 m/s

Chance of causing fire: 14 %

AP Shells

9x 203 mm AP:

Alpha Damage: 4,600

Ammo Type: Armor Piercing

Velocity: 823 m/s

Secondaries

8x1 127 mm/25 Mk.13 on a Mk.27 mount:

Maximum range: 6.6 km

Reload time: 4.5 s

Maximum damage: 1,800

Chances of causing a fire on target: 9 %

Armor penetration capacity: 21 mm

Initial velocity: 657 m/s

Depth Charge Airstrike

Plane: Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer (Level 6)

Aircraft HP: 2000

Maximum bomb damage: 4,200

Reload time: 30 s

Available flights: 2

Attack aircraft per flight: 1

Range: 7 km

Bombs per payload: 2x 650 lb Depth Bomb

Burn Probability: 24 %

Anti Aircraft Armament

Continuous damage: 127

Long Range

8x1 127 mm/25 Mk.13 on a Mk.27 mount:

Firing range: 4.8 km

Hit Probability: 90 %

Damage Within an Explosion: 1400

Damage by long-range AA guns: 91

Number of Explosions Per Salvo: 4

Priority sector reinforcement: 50%

Action Zone: 3.5 - 4.8 km

Mid Range

None Available

Short Range

8x1 12.7 mm;
4 x 4 28 mm:

Firing range: 2.4 km

Damage by short-range AA guns: 106

Hit Probability: 85%

Concentrated AA Fire

Long-Press Key or

Activated Effect

Continuous AA damage increase: 50 %

Damage from AA shell explosions increase: 100 %

Instantaneous damage interval: 5.0 s

Action Time: 40.0 s

Cooldown time: 10.0 s

Progress Accumulation and Loss

Progress gain per second: 2.5 %

Time before you start losing progress: 130.0 s

Progress loss per second: 5 %

Mobility

Maximum speed: 32.5 kt

Turning circle radius: 660 m

Rudder shift time: 7.5 s

Propulsion: soon hp

Detection

Detectability range by sea: 12.0 km

Detectability after firing a main gun shell: 15.8 km

Detectability after firing main guns in smoke: 7.0 km

Detectability when ship is on fire: 14.0 km

Detectability range by depths: 0.0-6.1 km

Detectability range by air: 6.1 km

Detectability when ship is on fire: 8.1 km

Available Consumables

Slot 1: Damage Control Party

Charges: unlimited

Work time: 5 s

Reload time: 60 s

Slot 2: Specialized Repair Teams

Charges: 3

HP per second: +678

Duration time: 20 s

Reload time: 80 s

Slot 3: Hydroacoustic Search

Charges: 3

Torpedo detection range: 3.0 km

Ship detection range: 4.0 km

Duration time: 100 s

Reload time: 120 s

Slot 3: Auxiliary and Torpedo Weaponry Coordination

Charges: 3

Airstrike armament reload time -20%

Torpedo tube reload time -20%

Secondary battery damage +10%

Concentrated AA Fire progress per second +1.2%

Duration time: 30 s

Reload time: 120 s

Slot 5: Fighters

Charges: 3

Fighters: 2

Action radius: 3 km

Duration time: 60 s

Reload time: 90 s

Note: All stats are listed without crew and upgrade modifiers but with best available modules. The stats are subject to change at any time.