USS Arizona is one of two Pennsylvania-class battleships built for the U.S. Navy during WWI and incorporating many new technologies which would find themselves in subsequent American battleship designs. Soon, captains will have the chance to take command of the famous USS Arizona as it arrives in War Thunder naval battles with the next major update!

Briefly: An American WWI-era super dreadnought battleship, incorporating heavy armor protection and firepower, but lacking in mobility.

USS Arizona (BB-39), battleship, USA, rank V

Features:

• Excellent armor protection
• Numerous hard-hitting cannons
• Poor AA defenses
• Low mobility

[expand type=showmore]After the design of the preceding Nevada-class battleships that employed the novel all or nothing armor scheme, the Navy sought a slightly larger, improved design to be ordered for construction in the fiscal year of 1913. As such, the Bureau for Construction & Repair came up with a number of design sketches to satisfy the Navys requirement. In April 1912, the final design of what was to become the Pennsylvania class was chosen with further work on refining the design continuing until September. The decision to order the design into construction was met with some political opposition over concerns that the design was too weak and expensive. Nonetheless, the class was approved for construction, with USS Pennsylvania being ordered in August 1912 while its sistership USS Arizona followed suit in March 1913. USS Arizona was laid down in March 1914, launched in June 1915 and commissioned in October 1916. Due to oil shortages in Europe at the time, the ship didnt take part in hostilities during WWI, but instead escorted the American president Woodrow Wilson on his trip to Brest for the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 along with other warships. Subsequently, both Arizona and its sistership were transferred to the Pacific Fleet, undergoing substantial modernization in 1929 through 1931. Throughout the 1930s, both ships took part in regular fleet exercises. However, during the Attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, USS Arizona was sunk following a catastrophic explosion of her fore magazines, after an aerial bomb managed to penetrate the ships deck.[/expand]
In War Thunder, USS Arizona will be the new battleship to join the ranks of the U.S. Navy in the game with the release of the next major update! Featuring heavy-duty armor protection and tremendous firepower, this American so-called super dreadnought is sure to shake things up with its upcoming arrival to War Thunder naval battles! Being a battleship, USS Arizona features some of the most substantial firepower found among this type of warship in War Thunder. As such, the ship comes fitted with four triple 14 (356 mm) turrets comprising its primary weapons arsenal. Far-reaching and hard-hitting, the heavy 14 rounds fired by these cannons possess an average muzzle velocity, but excellent penetrating capabilities even at longer engagement distances. On the flip side of the coin however, these large caliber guns come with the caveat of also having a substantially lower rate of fire than most other guns captains in War Thunder may have already gotten accustomed to.
In addition to the 14 primary guns, USS Arizona also possesses a secondary weapons complement consisting of 12 5/51 cal (127mm) cannons mounted in casemates on the ships sides, dedicated to engage other surface targets. In addition, eight 5/25 cal cannons located on the weather deck aid the ship in defending itself from air attack. Lastly, an additional eight .50 cal heavy machine guns situated in platforms on the mainmast aid the secondary cannons in the latter role. However, while USS Arizonas capabilities against surface targets are unquestioned, the evident lack in anti-air protection leaves her relatively vulnerable to aircraft, meaning that aspiring captains of this formidable warship shouldnt stray too far from their allies unless they wish to be sent to the deep blue by a zealous pilot!

Interesting Fact: USS Arizonas wreck still remains in her final resting place in Pearl Harbor and was turned into a memorial after WWII.

As the second ship class in the U.S. Navy to adopt the all or nothing armor scheme, USS Arizona possesses extremely thick armor plating around her machinery and magazines while the rest of the ship remains virtually unprotected - just as implied by the armor schemes name itself! In fact, USS Arizonas belt armor ranges between 343 - 203 mm in thickness, while the turrets feature 457-228mm of armor. Overall, this high level of protection in addition to having a large complement of 1,390 sailors makes the USS Arizona a true juggernaut on the high seas, but also a rather cumbersome vessel as a result, being able to attain a top speed of just 20.89 kts (38.7 km/h).
USS Arizona has set course for War Thunder naval battles and is expected to arrive in the game as part of the next major update coming in the near future. In the meantime, keep your binoculars at hand and keep scanning the news section as we continue to release new info on the upcoming update. Until then, calm seas captains!