The United States uses tougher but slower ships in their campaigns. The heaviest unit in the game, unfortunately, goes to the Japanese - at least until the Iowa mission expansion.
The USN features generally tougher units. A lot more of the USN is playable since you play them throughout the campaign.
Playable Warships
Elco PT Boat
- Armaments:
- AA Weapons: .50 calibre machine gun x2, 20mm machine gun x1
- Torpedoes: Torpedo tubes x4
- Depth Charges: Depth Charge Rack
- Class: PT (Patrol/Torpedo Boat)
- Speed: 50 knots
- Strong Against: Torpedo Bombers, Submarines, Destroyers
- Weak Against: Bigger warships, machine guns, anti-aircraft fire
- Comparable Allied Equivalent: Gyoraitei Patrol Boat
The Elco controls similarly to the Gyoraitei, and you get to control these small, swift boats for the first two missions of the campaign. Both have a single depth charge rack and both are too shallow to be struck with torpedoes, making both types of PT boats highly effective against enemy submarines. Both are also easily sunk with machine gun fire.
Power-wise, the two are roughly comparable. The Elco lacks the massive cannon the Gyoraitei has, making the Gyoraitei effective at longer ranges. The Gyoraitei's cannon is also a flak gun, which allows it to strike at high-flying dive bombers, whereas the Elco only sports machine guns, which lack the power and range to strike high.
The Elco, however, sports two more torpedo tubes than the Gyoraitei, making the Elco superior in attacking warships at closer ranges. The Gyoraitei's cannon is difficult to aim, especially against fast-moving surface targets, especially Elcos. This means that a typical battle between a Gyoraitei and an Elco tends to favour the Elco. The Gyoraitei's slow loading time for its cannon and single machine gun also detriments it against the Elco's fast-firing triple machine guns.
One notable PT boat is PT-109, which is under the command of Lieutenant John F. Kennedy. It only makes one appearance, in Defence of the Phillipines.
Official Description: There are several PT (patrol torpedo) boat designs in service with the U.S. Navy, but the most common is the 80-foot long model built by New Jersey's Elco Boat Company. These sleek, very fast boats - well-armed with torpedoes, depth charges, and 20mm antiaircraft guns - are capable of engaging any target, be it in the air, on the sea, or below it. However, they are very vulnerable to enemy fire, particularly mahine gun fire, and are best employed to harass enemy merchant shipping or to attack submarines.
Clemson class
- Armaments:
- AA Weapons: .50 calibre machine gun x2, 20mm machine gun x1
- Torpedoes: Torpedo tubes x4
- Depth Charges: Depth Charge Rack
- Class: DD (Destroyer)
- Speed: 50 knots
- Strong Against: Submarines, Patrol boats
- Weak Against: Cruisers, Battleships, Aircraft
- Comparable Allied Equivalent: Minekaze class
The Clemson is an old, venerable warship and you can easily tell by its massive smokestacks. Its weapons are quite outdated now, but it can try to hold its own against enemy warships, particularly the Minekaze-class. For the first several missions though, all you'll have is the Clemson, and it should serve you well for the first missions. Once you manage to get your hands on the Fletcher-class though, you'll learn to love it far more than the Clemson. It's a good warship, but as one of the weakest in the game, it will have issues trying to find its place in the battlefield.
Notable Clemson-class warships include the Gamble, Kane, Parrot, Tucker, Walke, and Wordern. Official Description: These venerable destroyers have been in service since 1919, but they are still worthy ships that are useful in a variety of roles. They carry a depth charge launcher, making them capable of engaging enemy submarines, and they feature a number of torpedo tubes, which gives trhem a powerful punch against larger ships. unfortunately, they are quite weak in the antiaircraft role, thanks to their small number of AA guns and the fact that they do not mount any dual-purpose guns.