Independence
Also called: 独立 Beta- Stay a full map cell behind the brawl line, far enough back that a rotated DD or radar cruiser cannot threaten the hull
- Launch from positions where the recall path stays inside your team's AA umbrella
- Avoid: Trading a full squadron for one high-value kill
On this page
Independence Community Stats
Across 5,700+ Standard battles from 220+ players, Independence averages a 69% win rate, 72,600 damage and 1.5 kills per battle, and survives 73% of them.
Independence Community Stats
Log in to GamingDiver and upload your data to see Community Data for Independence: community win rate, damage, survival, spotting, and your own comparison.
Independence Community Stats
Record History
Playstyle
Overview
Independence is the premium Tier V American bomber carrier. Her damage comes from HE dive bombs hitting for up to 5,900 per drop, plus the fires they start, so match impact builds from repeated strikes rather than one decisive torpedo drop. HE ignores armor angle, so unlike an AP-bomb carrier she does not need a broadside to profit and can work an angled or bow-in target. Air torpedoes are a secondary option. The trade is worst visible air torps in T5 CVs (1.4 km, 8th of 8). Each squadron flies 9 planes and they come back 29.3 s apiece, so losing a full wave costs 264 seconds of reserves.
Positioning
Stay a full map cell behind the brawl line, far enough back that a rotated DD or radar cruiser cannot threaten the hull. Launch from positions where the recall path stays inside your team's AA umbrella, not over open water where intercepting fighters can finish off limping squadrons. Longer trip back, fewer waves per match. You are spotted at 12.5 km and run at 31.5 kn, so that distance plus your speed is the whole margin for noticing a DD has slipped past and getting out. Once the rudder is over she turns tightly for her cohort (820 m), so a committed turn costs less water than most of what she is fighting.
Potato Avoidance
Trading a full squadron for one high-value kill
Match impact comes from cycling waves across multiple targets, not committing a dive into layered AA for one battleship. When a target's AA is heavy, route around and find a softer pick rather than burning planes through the wall. Replacing a lost aircraft takes 82 s at best, and your most fragile squadron flies at 1,700 HP, so a wave sent into a wall of AA thins the reserve for the rest of the match.
Signature Traits
- Thickest plate · 127 mm
- Thick stern plate · 20 mm
- Heavy citadel belt · 127 mm
- Heavy belt
53.4 mm bomb penetration, best of T5 CVs. Punches through decks peers' bombs bounce off.
1.4 km torpedo detect, worst of T5 CVs. Targets spot the drop early.
3.5 km AA reach, bottom quartile of T5 CVs. Bombs and torpedoes drop before AA bites.
How to get Independence
Independence is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition paths: Event currency, Campaign, Doubloons, and Containers. Container chances are shown as the listed odds of receiving this exact ship, dividing grouped ship-pool odds across the resolved ships and including nested container paths when a crate can drop another crate.
- Event currencyBought with Drachmas, a time-limited event currency (Aug 2024).
- CampaignEarned in the campaign “Lucky Six” (Jun 2022); campaign ships can later return through other limited methods.
- DoubloonsThe campaign let you choose one of two ships; the one you did not pick was sold for 10,000 doubloons.
- ContainersAppears in official container odds below; availability depends on the container being sold or awarded.
While you save up, check active promo codes for free doubloons, camouflages, and other rewards.
Best listed chance for this ship
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Spectral Vault 4.0
0.26087%
Tier V Premium ship
Archived · Spectral Vault 4.0 · 1 of 23 ships
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Spectral Vault 3.0
0.239565%
Tier V Premium ship
Archived · Spectral Vault 3.0 · 2 paths combined · 1 of 23 ships
Show 2 paths
- Spectral Vault 3.00.21087%
- Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.028696%
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Mystic Lantern
0.2%
Tier V Premium ship
Event · Mystic Lantern · 1 of 25 ships
Show all 6 containers (3 more)
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Spectral Vault 2.0
0.090043%
Tier V Premium ship
Archived · Spectral Vault 2.0 · 4 paths combined · 1 of 23 ships
Show 4 paths
- Spectral Vault 2.00.06087%
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.00.021087%
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.005217%
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.00287%
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Spectral Vault 1.0
0.019108%
Tier V Premium ship
Archived · Spectral Vault 1.0 · 7 paths combined · 1 of 23 ships
Show 7 paths
- Spectral Vault 1.00.008609%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.00.005478%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 3.00.002109%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.00.001898%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.00047%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.000287%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.000258%
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Mystic Box
0.012%
Tier V Premium ship
Event · Mystic Box · 1 of 25 ships
Official WG availability sources
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"Lucky Six" Campaign Breakdown
Campaign
Start: 2022-06-20 · End: 2022-07-24
- Comprising 100 stages over the course of 5 weeks with the catch-up mechanic enabled, the Lucky Six campaign features a choice between two different ships for players with an active Admiralty Backing as its milestone-100 reward—U.S. Tier V aircraft carrier Independence or U.S. Tier VII destroyer Black!
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Legendary 2022
Campaign
Start: 2022-12-30
- They even included a Tier V aircraft carrier, USS Independence, which became the first carrier to feature as an ultimate campaign reward.
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Anniversary Update: Champion's Journey
Event currency
Start: 2024-08-01
- You'll also be able to spend Drachmas to purchase five old ships that we've brought back for this Anniversary update: Georgia, Belfast '43, Siegfried, Aigle, and Independence.
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5 Years on the Waves: a Greek-Style Birthday
Event currency
Start: 2024-08-05
- First off, you can purchase several ships in the Store for Drachmas, including five old ships that we've brought back for this anniversary update: Georgia, Belfast '43, Siegfried, Aigle, and Independence.
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Independence Day '25: New U.S. Ships, Skins, and More!
Sale
Start: 2025-06-27
- In addition, you’ll find discounted U.S. ships Rochester and Independence, discounted Bureau Projects for Midway and Vermont, and Across the Storm and Golden Eagle skins available for Independium.
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Independence Day: Fireworks & BB(Q)s
Campaign
Start: 2022-06-21
- This update's campaign—Lucky Six—focuses on Tier VII Premium destroyer Black and Tier V Premium aircraft carrier Independence.
- You can get one of those American ships if you have an active Admiralty Backing and complete the campaign. If you want to add the ship you don't pick to your collection, you can also do that for 10,000 doubloons.
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Summer Update: The High Roll
10,000 Doubloons
2022-06-16
- Additional rewards you can get with the Admiralty Backing (2,500 doubloons):
- American Tier VII Premium destroyer Black or American Tier V Premium aircraft carrier Independence; the ship you don't choose as the reward will be obtainable for 10,000 doubloons
Show direct source rows
- Mystic Box 0.012% · Tier V Premium ship
- Mystic Lantern 0.2% · Tier V Premium ship
- Spectral Vault 1.0 0.008609% · Tier V Premium ship
- Spectral Vault 2.0 0.06087% · Tier V Premium ship
- Spectral Vault 3.0 0.21087% · Tier V Premium ship
Want the full picture? Each container page charts the odds as you open more crates - including pity guaranteed-reward timers and, for GD Supporters, pack math personalized to your port.
Builds
Pair with a commander whose unique skill complements her main armament; check the build tool for current recommendations.
Have a build you swear by? Open it in the Build Tool and hit Save build to share it here, or browse the Ship Builds guide for proven loadouts across the fleet.
Cohort position
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Where Independence sits among Tier V CVs (7 ships). Notable standouts are shown first; the rest of the cohort-ranked stats are in the expand below. Acquisition variants (Black Friday, Founders Edition) are counted once with their base ship, not as separate peers.
See 11 mid-pack stats
Not standouts for Independence -- here's where she sits on every other ranked stat in the cohort. Stats tagged NORM are tied across more than half the cohort, so the value is the cohort default rather than a standout.
Stats & specs
Customize in the Build Tool →ƒ
3 planes per drop x 2 bombs each = 6.ƒ
6 bombs x 5,900 alpha = 35,400, if every bomb hits. Before armor, saturation and the target's damage reduction; a real drop lands a share of it.ƒ
2 planes per drop x 1 torpedo each = 2.ƒ
2 torpedoes x 6,100 alpha = 12,200, if every torpedo hits. Before armor, saturation and the target's damage reduction; a real drop lands a share of it.ƒ
Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3.5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.ƒ
Effective DPS: 74 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 1 hit probability = 259 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.ƒ
Effective DPS: 33 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.95 hit probability = 110 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.ƒ
Medium 259 + Near 110 = 369ƒ
top speed / 4 + 4.9 = 31.5 / 4 + 4.9 = 12.8 kt. Base value; speed modifiers scale it.ƒ
Seconds from top speed to a dead stop after ordering full reverse: reverse power winds in over the reverse spool-up while water drag does most of the braking, using the ship's own reverse-power ratio. The full curve is on the acceleration chart. Full reverse stops about a quarter faster than a plain Stop order from top speed.ƒ
Speed below which the engine's built-in power boost applies in reverse.ƒ
Time to reach 90% of top speed (28.4 kt of 31.5 kt).ƒ
Time to reach 99% of top speed (31.2 kt of 31.5 kt). 99% rather than 100% because true top speed is asymptotic (thrust meets drag), so the last fraction of a knot is never quite gained.ƒ
Base value, no camouflage. With a Grade IV permanent camo (or any disposable camo): 12.47 km x 0.955 = 11.91 km. Camouflage does not change detectability by air.ƒ
Detectability by sea 12.47 km x 0.955 (Grade IV permanent camo or any disposable camo) = 11.91 km.ƒ
Air detectability 8.73 km + gun-firing bloom 0 km = 8.73 km. The bloom tracks main-battery caliber x 0.020.ƒ
Sea detectability 12.47 km + 2.0 km while burning = 14.47 km.ƒ
Air detectability 8.73 km + 3.0 km while burning = 11.73 km.
Automatic Damage Control Party∞ charges · 90 s reload · 60 s active
Automatic Fighter4 charges · 40 s reload · 150 s active · 5 km patrol radius ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000):
Under the hood
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All values are ship base stats with modifications and upgrade changes denoted inline.
The constants behind the formulas and the long tail: shell and dispersion inputs, fixed-range anchors, salvo math, layered AA. Click the formula chip on any row to see how it is calculated.
AA defense
Only families that reach 3.5 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 40mm Bofors Mk1 9x2 -> 212 DPS @ 3.5 km; 40mm Bofors Mk2 2x4 -> 47 DPS @ 3.5 km; 20mm Oerlikon MK4 14x1 -> 110 DPS @ 2 km.@ 3.5 km: 212 + 47 = 259; @ 2 km: 212 + 47 + 110 = 369. Cumulative AA DPS at each family range threshold. Inner ranges stack the outer families, so a target closing the distance hits stronger AA bubbles as it crosses each band.212 + 47 + 110 = 369 DPS: the sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (2 km).212 × 3.5 + 47 × 3.5 + 110 × 2 = 1126. SUM over AA auras of (aura DPS x aura range km). A plane crossing the AA bubble is exposed to each aura for a time proportional to that aura's range, so long-reach DPS is worth more than the same DPS in a short bubble. Units: DPS*km; used to rank overall AA threat across the cohort.Ship Charts
Background
A successful light aircraft carrier based on the Cleveland-class cruiser. The ship was well-armored, had a high speed, and carried numerous AA artillery. Small displacement limited the aircraft carrier's hangar capacity.
Armor Beta
Hull HP 39,000, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds.
Overmatched by 93+ AP guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.
AP can citadel a flat broadside even at range. Stay angled and avoid showing the full side.
Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 23%, fires burn 60s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →
| Section | Plates | HP cap | Threats | Tactic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bow | 16 mm primary (range 16–102 mm) | 800 (2% of HP) | Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Moltke, Graf Spee)Angle bounces 203mm16 mm: HE pens from 127mm+ | Bow-tank fits behind this exterior plate. Saturation is FAST here; the cap is often only a few thousand HP. |
| Hull (midship) | 6 mm primary (range 6–127 mm) | 27,500 (71% of HP) | Overmatched by 127mm+ AP (Nicholas, Fubuki)6 mm: HE pens from 127mm+ | Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest. |
| Stern | 20 mm primary (range 13–51 mm) | 1,400 (4% of HP) | Overmatched by 305mm+ AP (Indefatigable, Toulon)Angle bounces 283mm20 mm: HE pens from 127mm+ | Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation. |
| Citadel | 127 mm primary (range 6–127 mm) | ≈ 165,500 (effectively no cap) | Citadel pen: full damageOver-pen: ×0.10 damage | Effectively no cap; citadel pool sits at ~165k HP on every ship. An AP citadel penetration deals the shell's full damage, the biggest single hit available; only over-penetrations are damped, to ×0.10. |
| Superstructure | 6 mm primary (range 6–127 mm) | 100 (0% of HP) | Any HE ≥16 mm pens at full damage | Any HE ≥16 mm pens at full damage. HE-spam target, and the section saturates fast (often only a few thousand HP). |
| AA mount (40 mm mount) | separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP | 200 per-mount HP | Destroyed at 0 HP | Per-mount HP for the heaviest AA on this ship. An AA mount destroyed at 0 HP stops shooting down planes for the rest of the battle; DCP does not repair destroyed mounts. HE shells specifically target AA mounts since the small-caliber HP pool falls fast. |
| Rudder (module) | separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP | 11,000 module HP | Incapacitated at 0 HP | When module HP reaches 0 the rudder locks at its current angle until DCP repairs it. Repair via Damage Control Party. |
Saturation cap = HP a section can absorb before further damage to it is reduced (the "bow-tank" effect). Citadel pool is ~165k on every ship (effectively no cap); damage is gated by pen/over-pen multipliers instead. Superstructure saturates fast but HE always pens regardless of the plate thickness. Rudder (and other module HPs) are a separate pool from ship HP: damaging a module doesn't drain ship HP. Incapacitated modules like the rudder and engine are restored by DCP, but secondary and AA mounts destroyed at 0 HP stay out for the rest of the battle.
Balance History
Balance updates affecting Independence. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.
Ministry of Balance: Declaration of Changes
- Increasing accuracy rate while aiming increased by 20%.
- Chance to hit central circle increased by 15%.
- Central circle size decreased by 33%.
- Aircraft HP increased from 1,850 to 1,950.
- The Powerful AA Defenses ship trait has been replaced with Precise Bombs. This doesn't affect the ship's performance.
Ministry of Balance: Season of Change
- Dive bomber maximum flight range (fuel limit) increased from 31 to 32 km.
- Maximum bomb damage increased from 5,700 to 5,900.
- Torpedo strike aiming time reduced from 5.5 to 4.5 seconds.
Ministry of Balance: Aerial Adjustments
- Torpedo bombers:
- Torpedo bomber restoration time increased from 57 to 82 s.
- Torpedo bomber base speed reduced from 115 to 108 kts.
- Torpedo arming time increased from 3.33 to 5.5 s.
- Torpedo damage increased from 6,653 to 7,200.
- Dive bombers:
- Dive bomber restoration time increased from 57 to 88 s.
- Bomb damage increased from 5,500 to 5,700.
- HE bomb penetration increased from 42.7 to 53.4 mm.
- Bomb fire-setting chances increased from 24 to 32%.
Ministry of Balance: Carriers 2.0 – First Update
- Dive bombers:
- Bombs per aircraft reduced from 3 to 2.
- Dive bomber accuracy (likelihood of an individual bomb hitting the inner circle) reduced from 50 to 35%.
Ministry of Balance: Carriers 2.0 – First Wave
- Dive Bombers:
- Bombs per aircraft increased from 1 to 3.
- Number of aircraft in squadron increased from 6 to 9.
- Number of attacking aircraft per strike increased from 2 to 3.
- Dive bomber accuracy (likelihood of an individual bomb hitting the inner circle) increased from 25 to 50%.
- Dive bomber inner and outer dispersion circle size increased.
- Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 2,200 to 1,850 (squadron HP increased from 13,200 to 16,650).
- Base speed increased from 115 to 127 knots.
- Maximum flight range set to 31 kilometers.
- Maximum & starting hangar aircraft increased from 16 to 18.
- Aircraft restoration time reduced from 65 to 57 seconds.
- Aircraft restored increased from 1 to 3.
- Bomb damage reduced from 15,500 to 5,500.
- HE bomb penetration reduced from 53.4 to 42.7 mm.
- Bomb fire-setting chances reduced from 40 to 24%.
- Torpedo Bombers:
- Number of aircraft in squadron increased from 6 to 8.
- Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 2,550 to 1,700 (squadron HP reduced from 15,300 to 13,600).
- Base speed increased from 105 to 115 knots.
- Maximum flight range set to 29 kilometers.
- Maximum & starting hangar aircraft increased from 12 to 16.
- Aircraft restoration time reduced from 67 to 57 seconds.
- Aircraft restored increased from 1 to 2.
Halloween Update: New Friends, Old Foes
- Surface detectability range changed from 13.7 to 12.5 km; air detectability range changed from 10.9 to 8.7 km.
Skins & permanent camouflages
Every custom exterior Independence can equip.
DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior
Primary official WG sources
Filtered to official World of Warships: Legends pages where this ship is a focus, reward, line member, or high-context variant mention.
