Armada: Benham

Benham has sixteen torpedoes and she’s not afraid to use them.

At less than 2,000 tons, U.S.S. Benham embodies the pre-war American concept of a small Treaty destroyer, loosely based on the overall concept of the Mahan-class, but with one big difference: Benham carries the deadliest torpedo arsenal ever placed on a U.S. destroyer.
https://youtu.be/8FiMPTBXlbw

U.S.S. Benham was the lead ship of her class of 10 destroyers, built between 1936 and 1939. She was laid down in Kearny, New Jersey, and completed in early 1939. After a few patrols off the U.S. East coast, she was ordered to make for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in the buildup to the Pacific War in 1940.

When the Japanese mobile carrier force struck Pearl Harbor’s naval base on December 7, 1941, Benham was luckily only about a day’s sail away on escort duties for the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Enterprise. Following this first battle of the war, Benham continued serving as an escort for carrier task forces throughout the first half of 1942. This landed her a front-row seat at important events such as the start of the Doolittle raid in April and the decisive battle of Midway in June, during which Benham participated in rescue efforts for survivors of the sinking U.S.S. Yorktown.


In August 1942, the ship would shore up the ranks of the naval force assembled to take part in the first major U.S. offensive of the Pacific war: the Guadalcanal Campaign. This brutal, months-long battle was an exemplary instance of combined arms fighting, with fierce infantry skirmishes taking place just a few kilometers away from some of the most intensely fought naval battles of the war. On the night of November 14–15, Benham would be called on to step away from the relative safety of carrier escort missions to take on a far deadlier task.

The second naval battle of Guadalcanal unfolded in the narrow strait between the islands of Guadalcanal and Savo. The American fleet, consisting of two battleships and four destroyers, advanced under the cover of darkness to intercept Japan’s last hope of keeping a hold over the island. The Japanese fleet—made up of the Kongo-class battleship Kirishima, four cruisers, and nine destroyers—was making one last effort to retake the vital airfield in the North of Guadalcanal.

Benham and the other destroyers led the formation of battleships South Dakota and Washington, when the latter two opened fire on distant radar contacts. The destroyers first fired illuminating shells, and then began firing off 5-inch shells at a forward group of Fubuki-class destroyers. However, before the Americans could prepare their torpedoes, a hail of enemy shellfire and torpedoes overwhelmed the destroyers, sinking two immediately and mortally wounding Benham. A single Long Lance torpedo struck her in the bow, completely destroying everything forward of the bridge and causing severe flooding. Throughout the rest of the night and most of the next day, she would carefully attempt to make her way back to land, but after nearly 16 hours Benham’s condition worsened and the order was given to abandon ship.



In World of Warships, Benham appears as she would have in 1942, just prior to the second naval battle of Guadalcanal.

Main Battery: four 127mm/38 Mk12 dual purpose guns, with the forward two in enclosed turrets, and the rear two without any shielding.

Torpedo launchers: sixteen individual launchers in a quartet of quadruple 533 mm mounts.

Anti-aircraft armament: four single 12.7 mm Browning M2 mod. 2 heavy machine guns.

• Priority Target
  
• Last Stand
  
• Torpedo Armament Expertise
  
• Concealment Expert

• Priority Target
  
• Last Stand
  
• Torpedo Armament Expertise
  
• Concealment Expert
  
• Superintendent
  
• Survivability Expert
  
• Adrenaline Rush
  
• Preventive Maintenance

The destroyer has access to Damage Control Party and Smoke Generator in the first two slots; and in the third you have a choice between Engine Boost, if you favor rapid deployment and maneuverability, or Defensive AA Fire, if you’re more concerned with fending off the attacks of enemy bombers.

• Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
  
• Slot 2: Propulsion Modification 1 or Steering Gears Modification 1
  
• Slot 3: AA Guns Modification 1
  
• Slot 4: Steering Gears Modification 2
  
• Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1
  
• Slot 6: Torpedo Tubes Modification 3

IX Benham is the lead ship in a series of ten destroyers. This destroyer is proudly placed at Tier IX in the U.S. Tech Tree. Destroyers of this nation are known for their versatility, but Benham has a clear-cut specialization: her torpedoes. In terms of artillery power, the ship is inferior to many of her peers, and her HP is one of the lowest among her counterparts, but she is packed with sixteen dangerous torpedoes and equipped with trademark American smokes. There's nothing more you might need to become a daunting and stealthy fighter!

• Four 127 mm guns. Firing range: 12.6 km; reload time: 3.3 seconds; 180-degree gun traverse time: 6 seconds. These characteristics are quite decent, but the small number of guns doesn't make the ship's artillery her best asset.
  
• Sixteen torpedoes with a range of 10.5 km, speed of 65 knots, and damage of 15,200 HP, with a fast reload time of just 85 seconds. Her broadside torpedo tube mounts are a noteworthy, but rather unusual feature for high-tier destroyers.
  
• Low detectability range by sea (5.9 km, with upgrade, skills, and camo used) and the American Smoke Generator. It takes more than two minutes for her smoke screens to disperse.
  
• The Engine Boost or Defensive AA Fire consumables are available in slot 3.
  
• Extra credits per battle and 100% more XP provided by the camouflage.