Warship profile: USS Caldwell (DD-69)

The USS Caldwell was one of six Caldwell class destroyers constructed during World War I

The Caldwell class destroyers were a transition upgrade from the Samson class destroyers, they had a length of 315 feet and could reach speeds of up to 30 knots. The crews consisted of 95 men and 5 officers. Caldwell class destroyers were also among the first class of ship to introduce flush decks.

Armed with four 4-nch guns in single mounts and two 1 pounder AA guns along with four triple mounted torpedo tubes, the USS Caldwell began her career on the 10th of July in 1917. Her namesake was Lt James R. Caldwell, a United States officer who served in the Quasi-War from 1798 to 1800. He died in 1804 at the age of 24.

She joined the Atlantic Fleet and would take part in patrols and convoy escort duties. Caldwell would survive the war and transported troops to Brest,France and assisted with escorting US President Woodrow Wilson who was onboard the SS George Washington.

In Popular Culture

The Caldwell (with a horrible skin) in Steel Ocean

The Caldwell class destroyers appears in the free-to-play online naval game "Steel Ocean", the ship is playable right at the very start in Tier 1. It has good damage and accuracy on the guns and good reload speed for the torpedoes.

It's my favourite of the Tier 1 ships

Warship Profile: USS Chester (CL-1)

On the 26th of June 1907, the USS Chester was launched by Bath Iron Works in Maine before being commissioned on the 25th of April in 1908. Her name was in honor of Chester, Pennsylvania.

The USS Chester actually a fairly interesting career prior to her involvement in the First World War.  In early December of 1911, she patrolled the Gulf of Mexico protecting American citizens and property during the Mexican Revolution.

In April of 1912, she was in charge of escorting the HMS Carpathia after the Carpathia had picked up survivors of the sunken cruise liner, the Titanic.

She also ended up playing a vital role in the Revolution of Mexico, patrolling the Gulf of Mexico guarding US Citizens and property.

World War I

The USS Chester mostly served on patrols and escorting allied convoys between Gibraltar and Plymouth, England. This was until she came into contact with an enemy submarine, she charged the submarine in an attempt to ram it but only caused light damage to herself. However the submarine was unable to sink the Chester and slipped away.

The Chester would play a role in duties being carried out after the war's end, including inspection of German ports and carried troops operating in Northern Russia. She returned to New York on the 7th of May in 1919 before undergoing a name change to "York"

She would be sold for scrap in 1930.

In popular culture

The Chester is a playable ship in World of Warships, she is unlocked at Tier II and in my opinion is a very fun ship to play.

Top 5 Warships in World of Warships

I love this game so much, so here are my 5 favourite ships from the game, this is just a personal opinion

Number 5: Hermelin from Germany

I have to include the ship I started with, this is the ship that I played for my first few hours of this game. So this ship deserves a spot, it was playing this ship that got me hooked. It only has two main batteries but it has good rotation, reloading speed and maneuverability. Damage is what you would expect from a Tier 1 ship.

Number 4: HMS Campbeltown

I don't main Destroyers but when I feel playing them, I always choose the Campbeltown...the drawbacks are the usual for destroyers...low armor and low damage guns but she has incredible speed and maneuverability. Those three torpedos have saved my butt numerous times in game!

Number 3: USS Arizona

The Arizona was the first battleship I ever built a Revell model kit of it, so the ship always carried a special place in my heart for me, so when I saw it was in the game..I got it without hesitation and what a purchase. Slow speed and maneuverability but it packs one hell of a punch and it's a very accurate battleship to, I found it a joy to play in the "Killer Whale" scenario.

Number 2: HMS Hood

Despite some adjustments in updates in regards to AA defenses the Hood has emerged as one of my favourites for passing difficult scenarios, I never suffer any problems playing Narai after using the Hood. The guns are nice and accurate, turning feels very slow but that's to be expected. The Hood was done justice in World of Warships.

Number 1: USS Indianapolis

Having been a fan of the movie "Mission of the Shark: The Saga of USS Indianapolis", I was incredibly excited to try it out and it didn't disappoint. The Indianapolis feels perfect to me, everything feels right. The reloading times aren't to fast but they aren't to slow, the turning feels right...the USS Indianapolis feels right. I don't know why, but this is my favourite ship in the game, whenever I feel like some Co-Op shooting I start my session with this one.

What about you? What are some of your favourite ships?