World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Bismarck

Also called: 俾斯麦 Beta
Turtleback brawlerSloped armor bounces close-range shells; brawl with secondaries inside the citadel-safe band.
Playstyle
  • Push to within secondary range (~7.5 km) so the auto-fire battery starts contributing
  • Avoid: Torpedo Boat Brawling; with no torpedoes you cannot trade back a fight fought inside enemy torpedo range
Key characteristics
Strong secondaries (8 km)Improved HE penSonarSpotter planeTurtleback armorLate auto-bounce
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Community Data

Bismarck Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Bismarck is a Tier VII German turtleback brawler: her angled deck armor roofs the citadel and deflects low-angle fire up and away, so the citadel is safer inside secondary range than at long-line trades. The kit is brawl-positive with secondaries out to 7.5 km that punish anyone who closes. HE pen sits at the 1/4 caliber ratio instead of the standard 1/6, so HE spam is a real damage option here. Standout traits: top-decile punch-through secondaries in T7 BBs (38 mm) and top-decile AP guaranteed-ricochet angle in T7 BBs (65°).

Positioning

Push to within secondary range (~7.5 km) so the auto-fire battery starts contributing. The turtleback bounces plunging shells, so close range protects the citadel better than long-line trades do; let peers think you are overextending while the kit's brawl angle eats their AP. Bow on between salvos still matters; the bow plate handles overmatch where the turtleback handles plunge.

Potato Avoidance

Torpedo Boat Brawling

With no torpedoes you cannot trade back a fight fought inside enemy torpedo range. Hold the band where your guns and secondaries punish them while their fish still fall short, and lean on armor and volume of fire instead of closing the last few kilometers into a spread you have no answer for.

Signature Traits

Turtleback armor

Deck armor angled downward over the citadel, forming a roof outside it. Deflects shells arriving at a low angle up and away, so flat-trajectory fire from close range struggles to reach the citadel.

Improved HE penetration

HE pen at the 1/4 caliber ratio instead of the standard 1/6. HE-spam is a real damage option here, not just a fire-starter, shared by 15/49 T7 BBs.

ELITE SECONDARIES
  • Punch-through secondaries · 38 mm
  • Secondary brawler BB
Late auto-bounce

65° AP guaranteed ricochet angle, top decile of T7 BBs. Auto-bounce kicks in later than peers'.

All-Weather

No stat falls into the cohort's bottom decile across T7 BBs. Stable baseline in every category, no glaring weakness to play around.

Acquisition

How to get Bismarck

Bismarck is available in the Brawler Battleships branch of the Germany Tech Tree for 18,000,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 4,500,000 credits.

Show Germany tech-tree branch diagram
Germany Tech Tree

Bismarck sits in the Brawler Battleships branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full Germany tree.

Builds

Pair with a commander whose unique skill complements her main armament; check the build tool for current recommendations.

Günther Lütjens

Secondary brawler

Lutjens was on Bismarck for a reason. His secondary bonuses push range and damage to make close-in brawls lopsided in your favor.

Reinhard Scheer

Armored advance

Scheer's durability focus keeps Bismarck in the fight longer. Angle toward incoming fire, let the armor work, and use secondaries to punish anything that tries to disengage.

AL Bismarck

Secondary brawler

Secondary dispersion 458 m to 249 m, a 45 percent cut, with reload 3.4 s to 2.7 s and range out to 8.4 km. Brawler trades 1.4 km of main battery range for a 22.9 s reload, and the heal goes 346 to 727 HP/s.

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Cohort position

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Where Bismarck sits among Tier VII BBs (48 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.

Top 10%AP auto-bounce angle65° (3/49) Top 10%Secondary range7.5 km (4/49) Top 25%Hit points69,200 HP (11/49) Top 25%Main battery reload23.4 s (12/49) Top 25%Sigma1.95 (11/49) Top 25%Secondary HE pen38 mm (7/46) Top 25%AP arming threshold63 mm (11/49) Bottom 25%Main battery caliber380 mm (39/49) Bottom 25%HE DPM90,256 (41/48) Bottom 25%Main dispersion236 m (41/49) Bottom 25%Secondary HE alpha1,700 (41/46) Bottom 25%Effective HE DPM (incl. fire)141,958 (37/48) Bottom 25%AA range4.5 km (39/49) Bottom 25%Citadel belt245 mm (41/48) WorstNo torpedoes (33 of 49 in cohort)
See 35 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Bismarck -- 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.

Max speed31 kt(17/49) Concealment15.44 km(35/49) Smoke fire bloom14.12 km(19/49) Air detection12.35 km(35/49) Rudder shift16 s(37/49) Turning circle850 m(27/49) Traverse-to-turn ratio4.65 ×(23/49) Main battery range17.35 km(15/49) HE fire chance34%(33/48) Fires per minute6.97(30/48) AP shell damage11,600(35/49) AP DPM237,949(33/49) Secondary DPM (per side)253,540(15/49) Secondary fire chance8%(29/46) AP velocity820 m/s(23/49) HE velocity820 m/s(25/48) Acceleration36.1 s(31/49) Engine power163,000 hp(20/49) Turn-speed retention191.8 hp/m(21/49) Displacement49,406 t(32/49) Power-to-weight3.3 hp/t(26/49) AP pen at 10 km549 mm(37/49) AA DPS461(28/49) AA threat1,433(30/49) Flak per wave (expected)1,575(17/49) Repair charges3(23/49) Max armor350 mm(35/49) Deck armor50 mm(25/46) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(34 of 49 tied at this value) NormSecondary sigma1(48 of 49 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.03 s(40 of 49 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(47 of 49 tied at this value) NormRepair heal rate0.5 %/s(35 of 49 tied at this value) NormBow armor32 mm(36 of 48 tied at this value) NormStern armor32 mm(35 of 48 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit PointsInitial: 64,500 → 69,200
Displacement49,406 t
Hull dimensions
ƒLength x beam at the waterline, with the hull's draft where the client carries one. Ships whose client entry holds only the 260 x 20 m placeholder use a curated real-world figure instead, and any ship we have no trustworthy size for omits this row rather than print the placeholder. Length matters when dodging torpedoes; beam and draft shape how hard the ship is to hit.
251 x 36 m (published figure)
Armor range19–350 mm
Plate armor thicknesses19, 20, 25, 32, 38, 45, 50, 57, 60, 80, 100, 110, 120, 145, 150, 160, 180, 220, 245, 320, 350 mm
Armor material/layer entries48
Fire resistance
ƒDoes not reduce the damage a burning fire does per second: replay-measured burn ticks run at the full rate on every ship. By elimination it lowers how often hits set you on fire; ignition-rate replay data is consistent with that but too confounded by attacker mix to measure the reduction directly.
Initial: 33.3% → 36.6%
Fire duration60 s
Fire damage
ƒEach fire ticks 0.3% of max HP per second for the full 60 s, so one unattended fire burns 18% of the pool (12,456 HP on this ship). 4 fire points can burn at once. Verified against measured burn ticks in replay data.
0.3% of HP per second
Flood duration40 s
Flood damage
ƒA flood ticks 0.5% of max HP per second for the 40 s duration, so one unattended flood costs 20% of the pool (13,840 HP on this ship). Verified against measured flood ticks in replay data.
0.5% of HP per second
Torp Reduction
ƒReduces torpedo hit damage. Replay data shows no effect on floods: flood ticks run at the full rate and flood frequency does not decline with protection.
22%
Magazine HP
ƒPer-turret powder-magazine HP, a separate pool from the ship's. Penetrating hits wear it down and the turret is likelier to be knocked out as it falls, so a larger pool keeps the guns firing through punishment that silences a peer's.
34,600
Steering gear HP
ƒDurability of the steering gears. As this pool drops, hits are likelier to jam the rudder; unlike most modules the steering can be knocked out and repaired but is never permanently destroyed.
20,800
Effective HP
ƒBase 69,200 HP plus everything Repair Party can restore: 0.5%/s x 28 s = 9,688 HP per charge, x3 charges = 29,064 HP. Ceiling, not a prediction: a charge only restores damage actually taken, and only the regeneratable share of it. Across 1,826 players in our replay corpus the median ship realized about half of this, mostly because half the charges go unspent — when Repair Party IS pressed it returns ~97% of the per-charge figure above.
98,264
Repairable: penetration50%
Repairable: citadel10%
Repairable: steering gear50%
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 380 mm L/52 Drh LC/34
Mounts / barrels4 mounts / 8 barrels
Reload time26 s
Firing range (base)15.8 km
Firing range (top fire control)17.3 km
Turret traverse5 °/s
Turret armor360 mm
Turret traverse arcs
ƒHow far each mount can train, in degrees to either side of the mount's own facing, read from in-game data. A rear turret with ±150° leaves a 60° blind wedge over the bow; one-sided arcs are wing mounts that cover a single side. The data does not say which way each mount faces, so the arcs are listed per mount without bow/stern angles.
3x ±145°, ±138°
Guns to bear
ƒHow far off the bow (or stern) the ship must angle before every main turret can fire: the widest blind wedge among the rear-facing (or forward-facing) mounts, from each mount's trainable arc. Mount facing is inferred from turret stations and verified against known layouts, including Izumo's aft-facing forward turret.
35° off bow / 42° off stern
AP pen max range446 mm
HE fire DPM vs T7 BB46561
Effective HE DPM vs T7 BB127792
Shell Grouping (σ)1.95
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: σH=(R30·idealRadiusminRadiusidealDistance+minRadius)·30 =(17348.130·122.21000+2.2)·30=236m
236 m at 17.3 km
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =236·0.6=141.6m
141.6 m at 17.3 km
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·0.6σ =236·0.61.95=72.6m
72.6 m at 17.3 km
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·0.6σ =141.6·0.61.95=43.6m
43.6 m at 17.3 km
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 5 deg/s traverse speed = 36 s.
36 s
Shells/min
ƒZero upgrades: 8 broadside guns x 60 / 26 s base reload = 18.5. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 8 broadside guns x 60 / 23.4 s all-upgrades reload = 20.5.
Initial: 18.5 → 20.5
HE shells
HE Damage4,400
HE Velocity820 m/s
Fire Chance34%
HE penetration
ƒ95 mm ≈ 380 mm caliber / 4 (improved HE penetration: German BBs, Yamato-class, and a handful of others).
95 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ4,400 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 35,200.
35,200
HE DPM
ƒZero upgrades: 35,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 26 s base reload = 81,231. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 35,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 23.4 s all-upgrades reload = 90,256.
Initial: 81,231 → 90,256
Fires/min
ƒZero upgrades: 18.5 shells/min x 34% fire chance = 6.28. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 20.5 shells/min x 34% fire chance = 6.97.
Initial: 6.28 → 6.97
AP shells
AP Damage11,600
AP Velocity820 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet65 deg
Fuse Timer0.033 s
Fuse Threshold63 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(380 mm caliber / 14.3) = 26 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
26 mm
AP Pen Close
ƒCanonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v01.38 =107·2550·8000.69·0.381.07·8201.38=759.2mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
759.2 mm point-blank
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (17.3 km), where the shell has slowed to 556.8 m/s: P=107·2550·8000.69·0.381.07·556.81.38=445mm.
445 mm at 17.3 km
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ11,600 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 92,800.
92,800
AP DPM
ƒZero upgrades: 92,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 26 s base reload = 214,154. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 92,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 23.4 s all-upgrades reload = 237,949.
Initial: 214,154 → 237,949
AP AOE Radius
ƒAP shell over-penetration splash radius; scales with shell mass. Wickes 102mm = 3, standard 152mm CL ~ 20, Iowa 406mm ~ 270, Yamato 460mm = 400, Incomparable 650mm = 550 (max). Larger value = bigger splash damage area when AP over-pens.
120
AA Defense
AA mount pointsInitial: 22 → 40
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3.5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.
4.5 km
37 mm Flak LM/42Initial: 37 mm Flakzwilling 30 (8×2) → 37 mm Flak LM/42 (10×2)
20 mm Flak 38Initial: 12×1 → 14×1 20mm
20 mm Flakvierling 38Initial: 2×4 → 16×4 20mm
105 mm L/65 Dop. L. C/31 (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.
4×2 105mm
105 mm L/65 Dop. L. C/37 (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.
4×2 105mm
Far aura
Guns105 mm L/65 Dop. L. C/31 (DP) + 105 mm L/65 Dop. L. C/37 (DP)
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS in in-game units (raw aura damage × 3.5 × hit probability, summed per contributing aura) - matches the Close-range AA DPS headline's currency. Includes 123 from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
123
Range4.5 km
Medium aura
Guns37 mm Flak LM/42
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 51 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.75 hit probability = 134 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
Initial: 29 → 134
Range3.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 123 + Medium 134 = 257
257
Near aura
Guns20 mm Flak 38 + 20 mm Flakvierling 38
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 83 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.7 hit probability = 203 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
Initial: 78 → 203
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 123 + Medium 134 + Near 203 = 460
460
Flak bursts
Bursts
ƒEach ~2 s wave fires 2 quick salvos of 4 clouds ahead of the attacking squadron, plus 2 stray clouds farther out that appear off-beat between waves - up to 10 clouds per wave × 210 damage each. Planes that fly into a cloud take its damage; clouds dissipate before the next wave lands. Defensive AA Fire, where fitted, multiplies the salvo repeats within each wave.
2 salvos × 4 clouds + 2 outer
Cloud damage
ƒDamage a plane takes for flying into one flak cloud, before any reductions.
210
Cloud spawn chance
ƒEach cloud in the pattern rolls this chance to spawn, so waves average fewer clouds than the maximum. Often called flak 'hit chance', but spawned clouds always damage planes that fly into them - the roll is on spawning.
75%
Wave rate
ƒA flak wave spawns roughly every 2 s - timed frame-by-frame from gameplay footage and consistent across ships.
every ~2 s
Fired by
ƒFlak keeps firing while at least one secondary battery mount is operational - even losing every other AA mount does not stop it.
Secondary battery
Flak zone
ƒThe activation band: flak fires while attacking planes are inside it. Clouds are placed ahead of the planes' path, so bursts can land short of 2.5 km or past 4.5 km - once planes get inside the band, new waves stop. AA range bonuses push the outer edge out; the 2.5 km inner edge does not move.
2.5-4.5 km
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts14
Firing range7.5 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
Secondary dispersion type
ƒMax dispersion = range (km) × 57 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.
Standard
Max secondary dispersion @ 7.5 km
ƒ7.5 km × 57 + 30 = 457.5 m.
457.5 m
105 mm L/65 Dop. L. C/31 (×4) (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: the same mounts also fire at aircraft, so they appear on the AA Defense card too - shared guns, not extra hardware.
Caliber105 mm
Reload time3.35 s
HE Damage1,200
Muzzle Velocity900 m/s
Fire Chance5%
Armor Pen20 mm
Show 3 more gun families
105 mm L/65 Dop. L. C/37 (×4) (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: the same mounts also fire at aircraft, so they appear on the AA Defense card too - shared guns, not extra hardware.
Caliber105 mm
Reload time3.35 s
HE Damage1,200
Muzzle Velocity900 m/s
Fire Chance5%
Armor Pen20 mm
150 mm L/55 SK C/28 (×4)
Caliber150 mm
Reload time7.5 s
HE Damage1,700
Muzzle Velocity875 m/s
Fire Chance8%
Armor Pen38 mm
150 mm L/55 SK C/28 (×2)
Caliber150 mm
Reload time7.5 s
HE Damage1,700
Muzzle Velocity875 m/s
Fire Chance8%
Armor Pen38 mm
Maneuverability
Engine power163,000 hp
Maximum speed31 kt
Turning circle radius850 m
Rudder shift time16 s
Engine power-boost threshold7 kt
Engine spool-up time23 s
Reverse spool-up time11.5 s
Reverse speed
ƒtop speed / 4 + 4.9 = 31 / 4 + 4.9 = 12.7 kt. The community reverse-speed model from the WoWs ShipBuilder project, the same source as the acceleration model on this card. Base value; speed modifiers scale it. Not shown on the in-game card.
12.7 kt
Crash stop
ƒSeconds 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. Same community-model simulation as the acceleration times, using the ship's own reverse-power ratio from in-game data. The full curve is on the acceleration chart.
43.1 s
Engine boost threshold (reverse)
ƒSpeed below which the engine's built-in power boost applies in reverse. Matches the in-game maneuverability card's reverse threshold (Vampire II reads 10.5 here and the card shows 11; the card rounds half up).
9 kt
Acceleration 0-90%
ƒTime to reach 90% of top speed (27.9 kt of 31 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.
36.1 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (30.7 kt of 31 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.
58.1 s
Traverse-to-turn ratio
ƒHow many degrees the turret can swing for each degree the hull turns. Turn rate ωhull=180π·Vmax(m/s)Rturn=180π·31.0·0.5144850=1.07°/s, so ratio=ωturretωhull=51.07=4.7×. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.
4.7× drags
Concealment
Detectability by sea15.44 km
Detectability by air12.35 km
Smoke firing penalty14.12 km
Detect when firing (sea)
ƒEqual to the ship's main battery range (never below base detectability): firing makes you visible to everyone you can reach. Matches the in-game 'Detect Firing Sea' value on all 8 unmodified captures, and range-modified captures track the modified range.
17.35 km
Detect when firing (air)
ƒAir detectability plus the gun-firing bloom (7.6 km, which tracks main-battery caliber x 0.020). Matches the in-game 'Detect Firing Air' value on every captured ship.
19.95 km
Detect when on fire (sea)
ƒBase sea detectability + 2.0 km while burning; matches the in-game 'Detect Fire Sea' value on every captured ship.
17.44 km
Detect when on fire (air)
ƒBase air detectability + 3.0 km while burning; matches the in-game 'Detect Fire Air' value on every captured ship.
15.35 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 80 s reload · 15 s active
Repair Party3 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 9,688 HP (14% of max HP) total heal (per charge)
ƒHeal per second (0.5%) x effective active time (28 s) = up to 14% of max HP restored per charge.
· 29,064 HP (42% of max HP) total heal (all charges)
ƒ14% per charge x 3 charges = up to 42% of max HP if the whole Repair Party loadout is used.
· 346 HP/s (0.5% of max HP) heal per second
ƒ0.5% of max HP (69,200 HP) per second = 346 HP/s. WoWS heals a flat percent of MAX HP each second, so this rate holds at any health level.
Choose one
Catapult Fighter4 charges · 80 s reload · 90 s active · 5 km patrol radius
ƒDerived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): 167×301000=5 km
· 1 squadron size
Observation Seaplane4 charges · 200 s reload · 30 s active · 1 squadron size · Tightens main-battery shell grouping
Secondary Battery Booster3 charges · 160 s reload · 30 s active · +100% grouping · -50% dispersion
Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 96 s active · 4.44 km ship detect
ƒDerived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): 148×301000=4.44 km
· 3.12 km torpedo detect
ƒDerived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): 104×301000=3.12 km
Module options (3)

Stats above use the fully-upgraded modules. These are the research-tree alternatives; trade-offs are flagged.

HullUpgrade
  • Hit points64,500 → 69,200
  • Rudder shift29.2 → 20.9 s
  • AA mounts22 → 40
  • Close-range AA DPS43 → 134
Fire controlUpgrade
  • Main battery range15,771 → 17348.1 m
EngineUpgrade
  • Time to 90% speed36.9 → 36.1 s

See all derived stats

Show

All values are ship base stats with modifications and upgrade changes denoted inline.

Numbers the spec table cannot show directly: alpha-strike math, DPM, dispersion, AP penetration. Click the formula chip on any row to reveal how it is calculated.

Main battery formulas

Shell Grouping (σ)1.95
Max Horiz Disp236 m at 17.3 km
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: σH=(R30·idealRadiusminRadiusidealDistance+minRadius)·30 =(17348.130·122.21000+2.2)·30=236m
Shell scatter width @ 5 km115 m
Horizontal scatter at a fixed 5 km, from the same verified dispersion model as the rows below - a knife-fight-range anchor comparable across ships.
Shell scatter width @ 10 km164 m
How wide your shells scatter at 10 km, from the same dispersion model as the max-range figure above. Picking a fixed range makes this number directly comparable from ship to ship: max-range dispersion makes a longer-range gun look worse even when it's tighter at any common range. The interactive Dispersion tab on the Charts card plots the full curve from 0 to max range.
Shell scatter width @ 15 km213 m
Horizontal scatter at a fixed 15 km, from the same verified dispersion model - the long-range anchor. Only shown when the ship's guns reach 15 km.
Max Vert Disp141.6 m at 17.3 km
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =236·0.6=141.6m
Shell scatter height @ 10 km84.5 m
How tall the same scatter ellipse is at 10 km. Comparable from ship to ship for the same reason as the width value above. The height/width ratio is a piecewise-linear curve through three points from the ship's own dispersion data: radiusOnZero=0.2 at 0 m, radiusOnDelim=0.5 at delim·Rmax=0.5·17348.1=8674 m, and radiusOnMax=0.6 at 17348.1 m. Above the kink: k=0.5+(0.60.5)·10000867417348.18674=0.5153, so σV=σH·k=164·0.5153=84.5m.
Med Horiz Disp72.6 m at 17.3 km
50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·0.6σ =236·0.61.95=72.6m
Med Vert Disp43.6 m at 17.3 km
50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·0.6σ =141.6·0.61.95=43.6m
AP Pen Close759.2 mm point-blank
Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v01.38 =107·2550·8000.69·0.381.07·8201.38=759.2mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far445 mm at 17.3 km
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (17.3 km), where the shell has slowed to 556.8 m/s: P=107·2550·8000.69·0.381.07·556.81.38=445mm.
AP pen 5 km644 mm
AP penetration at a fixed 5 km, read off the same PC-validated ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the canonical community AP formula P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v1.38. Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.
AP pen 10 km549 mm
AP penetration at a fixed 10 km, read off the same PC-validated ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the canonical community AP formula P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v1.38. Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.
AP pen 15 km474 mm
AP penetration at a fixed 15 km, read off the same PC-validated ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the canonical community AP formula P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v1.38. Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.
AP flight time @ 10 km4.99 s
How long an AP shell takes to reach a target at a fixed 10 km, from the same numerically integrated trajectory the Charts card plots. The shell slows under quadratic air drag, adrag=kρv2, where ρ is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and k bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass: k=πCdd28m=π·0.2763·0.3828·800=1.96×105. That runs from a 820 m/s muzzle velocity in 0.02 s steps under gravity 9.8 m/s² until the shell lands, then divides by 2.77: the game clock runs faster than real time, and that factor was measured against stopwatch runs in the Training Room. Lower is better, since a faster shell is harder to dodge and needs less lead.
HE flight time @ 10 km4.99 s
How long an HE shell takes to reach a target at a fixed 10 km, from the same numerically integrated trajectory the Charts card plots. The shell slows under quadratic air drag, adrag=kρv2, where ρ is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and k bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass: k=πCdd28m=π·0.2763·0.38128·800=1.97×105. That runs from a 820 m/s muzzle velocity in 0.02 s steps under gravity 9.8 m/s² until the shell lands, then divides by 2.77: the game clock runs faster than real time, and that factor was measured against stopwatch runs in the Training Room. Lower is better, since a faster shell is harder to dodge and needs less lead.
HE penetration95 mm
95 mm ≈ 380 mm caliber / 4 (improved HE penetration: German BBs, Yamato-class, and a handful of others).
Improved HE PenYes
This ship's HE shells use a 1/4 (~0.25) caliber-to-pen ratio instead of the standard 1/6 (~0.167) - 0.249 in this case. Lets HE pen ~95mm armor instead of ~63mm. Hits every German cruiser (150mm CL, 203mm CA) and BB (350mm+), British heavy cruisers / Lion / Nelson, a handful of other premiums.
AP overmatch26 mm
floor(380 mm caliber / 14.3) = 26 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius120
AP shell over-penetration splash radius; scales with shell mass. Wickes 102mm = 3, standard 152mm CL ~ 20, Iowa 406mm ~ 270, Yamato 460mm = 400, Incomparable 650mm = 550 (max). Larger value = bigger splash damage area when AP over-pens.
Broadside guns used for alpha8
All 8 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time36 s
180 degrees / 5 deg/s traverse speed = 36 s.
HE full-salvo alpha35,200
4,400 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 35,200.
AP full-salvo alpha92,800
11,600 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 92,800.
HE DPMInitial: 81,231 → 90,256
Zero upgrades: 35,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 26 s base reload = 81,231. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 35,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 23.4 s all-upgrades reload = 90,256.
AP DPMInitial: 214,154 → 237,949
Zero upgrades: 92,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 26 s base reload = 214,154. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 92,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 23.4 s all-upgrades reload = 237,949.
Shells/minInitial: 18.5 → 20.5
Zero upgrades: 8 broadside guns x 60 / 26 s base reload = 18.5. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 8 broadside guns x 60 / 23.4 s all-upgrades reload = 20.5.
Fires/minInitial: 6.28 → 6.97
Zero upgrades: 18.5 shells/min x 34% fire chance = 6.28. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 20.5 shells/min x 34% fire chance = 6.97.

AA defense

AA DPS at max range124
Only families that reach 4.5 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 37mm Flak M42 Zwilling 10x2 -> 134 DPS @ 3.5 km; 20mm Flak 38 14x1 -> 95 DPS @ 2 km; 20mm Flack 38 quad 16x4 -> 108 DPS @ 2 km; 105 mm SKC 33 4x2 -> 62 DPS @ 4.5 km; 105 mm SKC 37 4x2 -> 62 DPS @ 4.5 km.
Maximum AA range4.5 km
Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3.5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.
AA DPS layered by range124 DPS @ 4.5 km, 258 DPS @ 3.5 km, 461 DPS @ 2 km
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.
AA DPS at point-blank461
Sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (2 km).
AA threat index1433
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.
Near aura range2 km

Secondary battery dispersion

Secondary dispersion typeStandard
Max dispersion = range (km) × 57 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.
Max secondary dispersion @ 7.5 km457.5 m
7.5 km × 57 + 30 = 457.5 m.
Secondary dispersion @ 5 km315 m
Same per-type line evaluated at a fixed 5 km: 5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)253,540
Sum across all secondary families of (per-side barrels × 60 / reload_s × alpha), where per-side barrels = mounts × barrels-per-mount / 2 (the guns that bear on one broadside target). Per-family: 4×2 105 mm (4/side) × 60/3.35 × 1200 = 85,970 + 4×2 105 mm (4/side) × 60/3.35 × 1200 = 85,970 + 4×2 150 mm (4/side) × 60/7.5 × 1700 = 54,400 + 2×2 150 mm (2/side) × 60/7.5 × 1700 = 27,200. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).
Max HE alpha1700
Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1700 from the 150 mm family.
Max HE fire chance8%
Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 8% from the 150 mm family.
Max HE pen38 mm
Maximum HE armor penetration across secondary HE families (caliber × 1/6 for most nations; 1/4 for German/UK BBs). Shells whose pen falls under a plate's armor thickness shatter for 0 hull damage though fire chance still applies. Best on this ship: 38 mm from the 150 mm family.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 64,50069,200 with hull upgrade, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds. HP caps are the exact in-game values, not estimated.

Bow & stern32 mm

Overmatched by AP from only MusashiARP Musashi. Angled, everything else bounces.

Belt / citadel320 mm

Citadels come from a flat broadside at close range; held past ~30° of angle, AP shatters or bounces.

Farming19 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 37%, fires burn 60s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow32 mm primary (range 20–60 mm)2,100 (3% of HP)
Overmatched by 460mm+ AP (Aki, Musashi)Angle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Bow-tank fits behind this exterior plate. Saturation is FAST here; the cap is often only a few thousand HP.
Hull (midship)110 mm primary (range 38–320 mm)51,900 (75% of HP)
No common AP caliber overmatches110 mm: standard HE shatters; improved HE (DE / FR BB) pens from 460mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern32 mm primary (range 32–110 mm)1,400 (2% of HP)
Overmatched by 460mm+ AP (Aki, Musashi)Angle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel320 mm primary (range 25–245 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.
Superstructure19 mm primary (range 19–50 mm)4,700 (7% 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).
Turret (module, per magazine)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP34,600 magazine HPTurret knocked outPer-turret powder-magazine HP, a separate pool that does not drain ship HP. As it is worn down the turret is likelier to be knocked out, and a smaller pool gets there faster.
Secondary mount (150 mm mount)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP800 per-mount HPDestroyed at 0 HPPer-mount HP for the heaviest secondary on this ship. A mount destroyed at 0 HP is out for the rest of the battle; DCP does not repair destroyed mounts. Smaller (lighter-caliber) secondaries typically share the same HP value.
AA mount (37 mm mount)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP200 per-mount HPDestroyed at 0 HPPer-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.
Engine (module, research)engine coefficient (unconfirmed)-0.080 research estimateLargest on BB/BC; zero on destroyersEngine durability isn't a per-ship value in the game data. This small negative coefficient is non-zero only on battleships, battlecruisers, and the heaviest cruisers, and is exactly zero on every destroyer, so it scales with hull displacement rather than any commander skill. Most likely an engine drag or power term in the same family as the deceleration stats; its exact meaning is not yet confirmed.
Rudder (module)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP20,800 module HPIncapacitated at 0 HPWhen 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.

Open in Charting Tool

Ship Charts

Balance History

Balance updates affecting Bismarck. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Buff ×4Main Battery ×4
2021-04-08

Two Years Strong: The April Update

  • 105 mm secondary guns of German battleships can now penetrate 20 mm armor, which they weren't able to do before. This means that Bismarck and Tirpitz become more of a threat to any destroyers that wander too close, especially if the battleships have enhanced secondaries.
Read the full official post
2021-03-04

Marchin' on: The First Update of Spring 2021

  • Main battery accuracy improved by about 3%.
  • Guaranteed ricochet angle for main battery shells increased from 60 to 65 degrees, which means that Bismarck will be able to damage even more angled targets whose armor cannot be overmatched by 380 mm shells.
  • Penetration of AP shells increased by about 4%, which should lead to a few more citadels when shooting angled but penetrable targets.
Read the full official post

Historical context

The real Bismarck that gave this ship her name. Facts cross-checked against the linked Wikipedia article.

ClassBismarck-class battleship
OperatorKriegsmarine (Germany)
Era1940–1941
WarsWorld War II
BuilderBlohm & Voss, Hamburg
Launched14 February 1939
Commissioned24 August 1940
DeploymentsOne operational sortie (Operation Rheinübung, May 1941).

Notable engagements

  • Battle of the Denmark Strait (24 May 1941) - Sank HMS Hood in roughly six minutes; damaged HMS Prince of Wales.
  • Final action and sinking (26–27 May 1941) - Rudder jammed by Swordfish torpedo from HMS Ark Royal; pummeled by HMS King George V and HMS Rodney.

Fate

Sunk 27 May 1941 in the North Atlantic. Crew scuttled the ship to prevent capture after sustained gunfire and torpedo damage. Roughly 2,200 dead; 114 survivors. Wreck discovered by Robert Ballard in 1989 at ~4,800 m depth.

Read more on Wikipedia ↗

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Bismarck can equip, from in-game data.

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.