World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Cristoforo Colombo

Also called: 克里斯托弗·哥伦布 Beta
Italy · Tier ★ · Battleship · Premium
Secondary battleshipA brawler: close the distance and the secondaries work alongside the mains.
Playstyle
  • Push to within secondary range (~7 km) so the secondary battery starts contributing damage
  • Avoid: Torpedo Boat Brawling; with no torpedoes you cannot trade back a fight fought inside enemy torpedo range
Key characteristics
Strong secondaries (7 km)High HE DPMWide always-pen zoneExhaust SmokeSpotter planeLoose grouping
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Community Data

Cristoforo Colombo Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Cristoforo Colombo is a Legendary Italian secondary battleship with top-decile secondary reach out to 7 km: the kit rewards closing inside secondary range and letting the auto-fire battery work alongside the mains, not holding mid-range AP lines. Her secondaries fire SAP, so the auto-fire battery punches through angled plating that shatters standard HE. Standout traits: best heavy secondary DPM in Legendary BBs (481,412) and best flat arc HE shells in Legendary BBs (880).

Positioning

Push to within secondary range (~7 km) so the secondary battery starts contributing damage. A secondary BB at mid range is wasting half her kit; the geometry that pays out is close enough that the secondaries DPM peer BBs instead of the main battery alone. Shooting from the cloud gives you away at 10.9 km, wider than a destroyer's own concealment here (about 7.1 km), so one can watch you shoot for 3.7 km before you know it is there, with the smoke holding you broadside and stopped. Treat it as cover to leave from, not a firing position. Vision is mutual: past the 2 km guaranteed ring you cannot see out either, and nothing in her kit sees through it, so you would be blind as well as stopped. Enemy sonar (about 4.9 km) and radar (about 9.9 km) read straight in regardless. The screen is 900 m across, twice the usual, which makes it a team asset rather than a personal one: dropped across a friendly push it covers ships either side of you, not just your own hull.

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

ELITE SECONDARIES
  • Extended secondary range · 7 km
  • Heavy secondary DPM · 481412 secondary
ELITE MAIN BATTERY
  • Flat arc HE shells · 880 m
  • Wide always-pen zone · 50°
  • Late auto-bounce · 65°
Extra heal charges

4 Repair Party charges, best of Legendary BBs. More total HP available across a match.

Loose grouping

Sigma 1.6, bottom decile of Legendary BBs. Shells scatter more; bracketing matters.

No torpedo backup

A brawler with no torpedoes: every trade is guns and secondaries. The sweet spot is inside secondary range but outside easy torpedo range -- close enough that the auto-fire battery works, not so close that a destroyer or torpedo cruiser lands a salvo you can't answer.

Acquisition

How to get Cristoforo Colombo

Cristoforo Colombo is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition path: Premium/Event.

Builds

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

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Cohort position

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Where Cristoforo Colombo sits among Legendary BBs (21 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.

BestSmoke fire bloom10.86 km (1/22) BestSecondary DPM (per side)481,412 (1/22) BestHE velocity880 m/s (1/21) BestAP ricochet start50° (1 of 3 tied) BestAP auto-bounce angle65° (1 of 3 tied) BestRepair charges4 (1/22) Top 10%HE DPM171,656 (3/21) Top 10%AP velocity850 m/s (3/22) Top 25%AP arming threshold64 mm (5/22) Top 25%Secondary range7 km (4/22) Bottom 25%Main battery caliber381 mm (18/22) Bottom 25%AP shell damage10,250 (19/22) Bottom 25%Main dispersion235.1 m (19/22) Bottom 10%Main battery reload30.2 s (21/22) WorstSigma1.6 (22/22) WorstHE fire chance24% (21/21) WorstAA range4 km (1 of 2 tied) WorstNo torpedoes (17 of 22 in cohort) WorstCitadel belt100 mm (22/22)
See 28 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Cristoforo Colombo -- 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.

Hit points80,000 HP(16/22) Max speed29.6 kt(14/22) Concealment15.8 km(7/22) Air detection12.64 km(7/22) Rudder shift18.1 s(13/22) Turning circle960 m(15/22) Traverse-to-turn ratio5.17 ×(12/22) Main battery range17.25 km(15/22) HE shell damage5,400(15/21) Fires per minute7.63(14/21) AP DPM325,828(10/22) Acceleration38 s(13/22) Engine power160,000 hp(15/22) Turn-speed retention166.7 hp/m(15/22) Displacement66,666 t(11/22) Power-to-weight2.4 hp/t(11/22) AP pen at 10 km593 mm(17/22) Effective HE DPM (incl. fire)234,201(8/21) AA DPS618(15/22) AA threat1,976(17/22) Flak per wave (expected)2,205(12/22) Max armor400 mm(16/22) Deck armor100 mm(7/21) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(15 of 22 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.03 s(20 of 22 tied at this value) NormRepair heal rate0.5 %/s(15 of 22 tied at this value) NormBow armor32 mm(18 of 22 tied at this value) NormStern armor32 mm(18 of 22 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit Points80,000
Displacement66,666 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.
282 x 40.9 m
Armor range19–400 mm
Plate armor thicknesses19, 25, 32, 38, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 100, 120, 150, 200, 250, 330, 375, 400 mm
Armor material/layer entries70
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.
40%
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 (14,400 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 (16,000 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.
31%
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.
41,500
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.
24,000
Effective HP
ƒBase 80,000 HP plus everything Repair Party can restore: 0.5%/s x 28 s = 11,200 HP per charge, x4 charges = 44,800 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.
124,800
Repairable: penetration50%
Repairable: citadel10%
Repairable: steering gear50%
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 381 mm/50 1934
Mounts / barrels4 mounts / 16 barrels
Reload time33.5 s
Firing range17.3 km
Turret traverse4.7 °/s
Turret armor406 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.
2x ±144°
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.
25° off bow / 36° off stern
AP pen max range484 mm
HE fire DPM vs T8 BB56377
Effective HE DPM vs T8 BB211123
Shell Grouping (σ)1.6
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: σH=(R30·idealRadiusminRadiusidealDistance+minRadius)·30 =(1725330·122.21000+2.2)·30=235.1m
235.1 m at 17.3 km
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =235.1·0.6=141m
141 m at 17.3 km
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·0.6σ =235.1·0.61.6=88.2m
88.2 m at 17.3 km
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·0.6σ =141·0.61.6=52.9m
52.9 m at 17.3 km
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 4.7 deg/s traverse speed = 38.3 s.
38.3 s
Shells/min
ƒZero upgrades: 16 broadside guns x 60 / 33.5 s base reload = 28.7. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 16 broadside guns x 60 / 30.2 s all-upgrades reload = 31.8.
Initial: 28.7 → 31.8
HE shells
HE Damage5,400
HE Velocity880 m/s
Fire Chance24%
HE penetration
ƒ64 mm ≈ 381 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
64 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ5,400 HE damage x 16 broadside guns = 86,400.
86,400
HE DPM
ƒZero upgrades: 86,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 33.5 s base reload = 154,746. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 86,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30.2 s all-upgrades reload = 171,656.
Initial: 154,746 → 171,656
Fires/min
ƒZero upgrades: 28.7 shells/min x 24% fire chance = 6.88. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 31.8 shells/min x 24% fire chance = 7.63.
Initial: 6.88 → 7.63
AP shells
AP Damage10,250
AP Velocity850 m/s
Min Ricochet50 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet65 deg
Fuse Timer0.033 s
Fuse Threshold64 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(381 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 =107·2434·884.80.69·0.3811.07·8501.38=814.1mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
814.1 mm point-blank
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (17.3 km), where the shell has slowed to 583 m/s: P=107·2434·884.80.69·0.3811.07·5831.38=483.8mm.
483.8 mm at 17.3 km
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ10,250 AP damage x 16 broadside guns = 164,000.
164,000
AP DPM
ƒZero upgrades: 164,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 33.5 s base reload = 293,731. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 164,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30.2 s all-upgrades reload = 325,828.
Initial: 293,731 → 325,828
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 points36
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 km
37 mm/54 Breda 19388×2 37mm
37 mm/54 Breda 19398×4 37mm
20 mm/70 Breda 194120×6 20mm
90 mm/50 OTO 1939 (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.
12×2 90mm
Far aura
Guns90 mm/50 OTO 1939 (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 142 from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
142
Range4 km
Medium aura
Guns37 mm/54 Breda 1938 + 37 mm/54 Breda 1939
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 116 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.75 hit probability = 304 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
304
Range3.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 142 + Medium 304 = 446
446
Near aura
Guns20 mm/70 Breda 1941
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 70 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.7 hit probability = 172 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
172
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 142 + Medium 304 + Near 172 = 618
618
Flak bursts
Bursts
ƒEach ~2 s wave fires 3 quick salvos of 4 clouds ahead of the attacking squadron, plus 2 stray clouds farther out that appear off-beat between waves - up to 14 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.
3 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 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 km
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts18
Firing range7.0 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 km
ƒ7 km × 57 + 30 = 429 m.
429 m
152 mm/55 OTO 1936 (×6)
Caliber152 mm
Reload time8.5 s
SAP Damage3,800
Muzzle Velocity930 m/s
Armor Pen42.3 mm
Min Ricochet70°
Max Ricochet90°
Show 1 more gun family
90 mm/50 OTO 1939 (×12) (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: the same mounts also fire at aircraft, so they appear on the AA Defense card too - shared guns, not extra hardware.
Caliber90 mm
Reload time6 s
SAP Damage2,000
Muzzle Velocity850 m/s
Armor Pen26 mm
Min Ricochet70°
Max Ricochet90°
Maneuverability
Engine power160,000 hp
Maximum speed29.6 kt
Turning circle radius960 m
Rudder shift time18.1 s
Engine power-boost threshold7 kt
Engine spool-up time23 s
Reverse spool-up time11.5 s
Reverse speed
ƒtop speed / 4 + 4.9 = 29.6 / 4 + 4.9 = 12.3 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.
12.3 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.
39.1 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).
9.4 kt
Acceleration 0-90%
ƒTime to reach 90% of top speed (26.6 kt of 29.6 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.
38 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (29.3 kt of 29.6 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.
62.1 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·29.6·0.5144960=0.91°/s, so ratio=ωturretωhull=4.70.91=5.2×. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.
5.2× slow
Concealment
Detectability by sea15.8 km
Detectability by air12.64 km
Smoke firing penalty10.86 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.
17.25 km
Detect when firing (air)
ƒAir detectability plus the gun-firing bloom (7.62 km, which tracks main-battery caliber x 0.020). Matches the in-game 'Detect Firing Air' value on every captured ship.
20.26 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.
17.8 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.
15.64 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 80 s reload · 15 s active
Repair Party4 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 11,200 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.
· 44,800 HP (56% of max HP) total heal (all charges)
ƒ14% per charge x 4 charges = up to 56% of max HP if the whole Repair Party loadout is used.
· 400 HP/s (0.5% of max HP) heal per second
ƒ0.5% of max HP (80,000 HP) per second = 400 HP/s. WoWS heals a flat percent of MAX HP each second, so this rate holds at any health level.
Exhaust Smoke Generator3 charges · 150 s reload · 45 s emit / 10 s cloud active · 900 m radius
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 Booster4 charges · 120 s reload · 30 s active · +150% grouping · -60% dispersion

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)1.6
Max Horiz Disp235.1 m at 17.3 km
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: σH=(R30·idealRadiusminRadiusidealDistance+minRadius)·30 =(1725330·122.21000+2.2)·30=235.1m
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 m at 17.3 km
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =235.1·0.6=141m
Shell scatter height @ 10 km84.6 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=0.5·17253=8626 m, and radiusOnMax=0.6 at 17253 m. Above the kink: k=0.5+(0.60.5)·100008626172538626=0.5159, so σV=σH·k=164·0.5159=84.6m.
Med Horiz Disp88.2 m at 17.3 km
50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·0.6σ =235.1·0.61.6=88.2m
Med Vert Disp52.9 m at 17.3 km
50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·0.6σ =141·0.61.6=52.9m
Dispersion familyEU BB Disp.
Standard BB dispersion. Used as the baseline for cross-family comparisons.
AP Pen Close814.1 mm point-blank
Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v01.38 =107·2434·884.80.69·0.3811.07·8501.38=814.1mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far483.8 mm at 17.3 km
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (17.3 km), where the shell has slowed to 583 m/s: P=107·2434·884.80.69·0.3811.07·5831.38=483.8mm.
AP pen 5 km693 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 km593 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 km514 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 km4.79 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·0.2954·0.38128·884.8=1.9×105. That runs from a 850 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 km4.63 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·0.275·0.38128·824.3=1.9×105. That runs from a 880 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 penetration64 mm
64 mm ≈ 381 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch26 mm
floor(381 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 alpha16
All 16 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time38.3 s
180 degrees / 4.7 deg/s traverse speed = 38.3 s.
HE full-salvo alpha86,400
5,400 HE damage x 16 broadside guns = 86,400.
AP full-salvo alpha164,000
10,250 AP damage x 16 broadside guns = 164,000.
HE DPMInitial: 154,746 → 171,656
Zero upgrades: 86,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 33.5 s base reload = 154,746. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 86,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30.2 s all-upgrades reload = 171,656.
AP DPMInitial: 293,731 → 325,828
Zero upgrades: 164,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 33.5 s base reload = 293,731. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 164,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30.2 s all-upgrades reload = 325,828.
Shells/minInitial: 28.7 → 31.8
Zero upgrades: 16 broadside guns x 60 / 33.5 s base reload = 28.7. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 16 broadside guns x 60 / 30.2 s all-upgrades reload = 31.8.
Fires/minInitial: 6.88 → 7.63
Zero upgrades: 28.7 shells/min x 24% fire chance = 6.88. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 31.8 shells/min x 24% fire chance = 7.63.

AA defense

AA DPS at max range142
Only families that reach 4 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: Breda 37mm double 8x2 -> 152 DPS @ 3.5 km; 37mm Breda barrels 4 8x4 -> 152 DPS @ 3.5 km; 20mm70 Breda barrels 6 20x6 -> 172 DPS @ 2 km; 90mm50 barrels 2 M1939 12x2 -> 142 DPS @ 4 km.
Maximum AA range4 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 range142 DPS @ 4 km, 446 DPS @ 3.5 km, 618 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-blank618
Sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (2 km).
AA threat index1976
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 km429 m
7 km × 57 + 30 = 429 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)481,412
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: 6×3 152 mm (9/side) × 60/8.5 × 3800 = 241,412 + 12×2 90 mm (12/side) × 60/6 × 2000 = 240,000. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).
Max SAP alpha3800
Maximum SAP damage per shell across secondary SAP families. Best on this ship: 3800 from the 152 mm family.
Max SAP pen42.3 mm
Maximum SAP armor penetration across secondary SAP families. SAP auto-bounces past its ricochet angles but never shatters on plate it can pen, and it starts no fires. Best on this ship: 42.3 mm from the 152 mm family.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 80,000, 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 7 AP guns here: Incomparable SE 25IncomparableYamato and 4 more. Angling still helps against the rest.

Belt / citadel375 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 40%, fires burn 60s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow32 mm primary (range 32–60 mm)3,000 (4% 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)400 mm primary (range 25–400 mm)60,000 (75% of HP)
No common AP caliber overmatches400 mm: no common HE pens
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern32 mm primary (range 32–250 mm)3,500 (4% of HP)
Overmatched by 460mm+ AP (Aki, Musashi)Angle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel375 mm primary (range 38–100 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 mm3,400 (4% 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 HP41,500 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 (152 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.
Rudder (module)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP24,000 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 Cristoforo Colombo. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Nerf ×11Buff ×6Main Battery ×5
2026-04-30

Ministry of Balance: Viva la Marina!

  • Secondary battery firing range increased from 6.5 to 7 km.
  • Improved the Enhanced Secondary Targeting consumable:
  • Number of charges increased from 3 to 4.
  • Cooldown time reduced from 160 to 120 s.
  • Secondary battery shell grouping increased by 25% (from 2 to 2.5 sigma).
  • Secondary battery dispersion reduced by 20%.
Read the full official post
2024-09-05

Ministry of Balance: Season of Change

  • Main battery AP shell damage reduced from 11,000 to 10,250.
  • Main battery AP minimum penetration angle reduced from 55 to 50 degrees.
  • Main battery AP maximum penetration angle reduced from 70 to 65 degrees.
  • Upgraded hull total health reduced from 83,000 to 80,000.
  • Upgraded hull engine HP reduced from 89,900 to 80,000.
  • Upgraded hull bow HP reduced from 3,200 to 3,000.
  • Upgraded hull stern HP reduced from 3,600 to 3,500.
  • Upgraded hull HP reduced from 62,300 to 60,000.
  • Upgraded hull steering gear HP reduced from 24,900 to 24,000.
  • Upgraded hull superstructure HP reduced from 3,500 to 3,400.
  • +1 more official change line in the source post.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Cristoforo Colombo 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.