It's undoubtedly a great honor to serve on a big and powerful battleship.
To be a part of a team of brave guys launching airplanes
from the broad, highway-like, deck of an aircraft carrier.
But sailors from any nation's fleet would respectfully pause their story
as soon as a sailor from a destroyer had the floor,
because these guys from their not-so-large ships
knew the truth of real hardship in naval service.
This is because destroyers are always on the front line, always on the edge…
Captains, welcome one such ship―
Tier IX Destroyer Benham― to World of Warships.
Benham is the lead ship of a ten-ship class,
and she arrived to the Pacific Ocean
long before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.
During the war, she served with the famous Task Force 16,
and took part in both the Battle of Midway
and the Battle of Eastern Solomons in summer of 1942.
Benham didn’t hide from her enemies’ salvoes,
and sank from a Japanese torpedo strike
in the Battle of Guadalcanal on November 15, 1942.
A destroyer is a truly multi-purpose ship.
They can escort convoys, hunt submarines,
provide anti-aircraft support,
provide fire support to landing forces, and carry out patrol duties.
A destroyer never lacks a sense of duty to prevail.
They can operate near the shore and at sea,
and reach the enemy both in the air and underwater.
That's why other sailors respectfully go silent
when a sailor from a destroyer begins telling a story.
The same applies in our game.
If you like stepping into battle with a destroyer,
a relaxed game is surely not for you.
Speed up, launch torpedoes, evade enemies, and get back into the fray—
this playstyle is familiar to anyone
who fights with destroyers in World of Warships.
The "trademark" style of Benham is in guerrilla battles.
This style has its roots in the most prominent feature of the ship—
16 torpedoes with a 10.5 km range and 65 knot speed.
Torpedo tubes are installed on both hull sides,
which isn't typical for high-tier destroyers.
So you can launch eight torpedoes from one side,
then turn your other side to the enemy and launch eight more.
In addition, the reload time is fast—85 seconds.
Got out of the smoke, launched torpedoes,
and hid behind an island, where we could only wait for the message
that the enemy ship had been destroyed.
Benham is equipped with four 127-mm guns,
which can fire shells up to 12 km and have fast reload and traverse times.
However, it's not recommended to partake in artillery duels
with enemy destroyers, and, even more so, cruisers.
The ship’s tiny HP pool suggests avoiding that.
Benham, like basically all US destroyers,
is equipped with their "trademark" Smoke Generator,
for which smoke disperses after more than two minutes,
and the fast Engine Boost.
If you so choose, you can always replace Engine Boost with Defensive AA Fire.
Extra credits per battle and 50% more XP provided by the permanent camouflage
come as a pleasant bonus.
If you're a fan of dynamic battles and like taking risks,
destroyer Benham is for you!
Good luck, Captains!