World of Warships: Legends ship guide

California

Also called: 加利福尼亚 Beta
U.S.A. · Tier V · Battleship · Premium
Tank battleshipBuilt to absorb; the HP bar holds a lane long after peer battleships fold.
Playstyle
  • Anchor a flank at 12-15 km where the team can rotate behind you
  • Avoid: Taking the long way round the map edge to flank
Key characteristics
High HE / fire outputStrong AAHeavy AP penSpotter planeStrong torpedo beltSlow
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Community Data

California Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

California is a Tier V American tank battleship (58,300 HP): top-decile hit points let her hold trades that drain peer BBs out faster than the shells they fire back. The kit is line-holder, not striker. AA (721 AA DPS at 5 km) is heavy enough to make her the team's air-defense anchor on top of the lead role; CV strikes route around her, not through. Standout traits: best torpedo belt percent in T5 BBs (40) and best armor plate in T5 BBs (406 mm).

Positioning

Anchor a flank at 12-15 km where the team can rotate behind you. The HP pool lets you absorb focus that drains peer BBs out, but absorbing focus without trading is just wasted HP; pick salvo targets that exploit the angle others avoid. Her handling reads as a contradiction and is not one: 14.8 s on the rudder means she starts turning late, while a 640 m circle means she comes around inside most of her cohort once she does. Decide a beat early and the turn itself will not let you down.

Potato Avoidance

Taking the long way round the map edge to flank

At 20.5 kn five minutes of sailing buys about 3.2 km, so a border run costs most of the mid-game and arrives after the fight it was meant to decide. She wins by holding a lane and trading from it: pick the flank before the first salvo, then let the guns do the travelling.

Signature Traits

ELITE ARMOR
  • Strong torpedo belt · 40%
  • Thickest plate · 406 mm
  • Thick end plates · 26 mm
  • Thick stern plate · 26 mm
Top-tier AA

721 AA DPS, best of T5 BBs (median 182.5).

Long DCP window

20 s Damage Control duration, best of T5 BBs. Stays fire / flood immune longer per activation.

WEAK MOBILITY
  • Slow for the class · 20.5 kt
  • Sluggish for the tonnage · 0.73 hp
Acquisition

How to get California

California is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition path: 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.

Best listed chance for this ship

Show all 21 containers (18 more)
  • Santa Level 4 0.272727% Tier V Premium ship Archived · Santa Level 4 · 1 of 22 ships
  • Santa Level 3 0.261364% Tier V Premium ship Archived · Santa Level 3 · 2 paths combined · 1 of 22 ships
    Show 2 paths
    • Santa Level 30.220455%
    • Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 40.040909%
  • Spectral Vault 4.0 0.26087% Tier V Premium ship Archived · Spectral Vault 4.0 · 1 of 23 ships
  • Super Santa '22 0.25% Tier IV or V Premium ship Archived · Super Santa '22 · 1 of 28 ships
  • Winter Big Crate '23 0.25% Tier V Premium ship Common · Winter Big Crate '23 · 1 of 2 ships
  • Super Santa '23 0.242273% Tier V Premium ship Archived · Super Santa '23 · 1 of 22 ships
  • 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%
  • Mystic Lantern 0.2% Tier V Premium ship Event · Mystic Lantern · 1 of 25 ships
  • Mega Santa '23 0.143955% Tier V Premium ship Archived · Mega Santa '23 · 1 of 22 ships
  • Santa Level 2 0.116477% Tier V Premium ship Archived · Santa Level 2 · 4 paths combined · 1 of 22 ships
    Show 4 paths
    • Santa Level 20.063636%
    • Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 30.033068%
    • Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 40.013636%
    • Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 40.006136%
  • 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%
  • Champion's Box 0.052273% Tier V Premium ship Archived · Champion's Box · 2 paths combined · 1 of 22 ships
    Show 2 paths
    • Champion's Box → Santa Level 30.044091%
    • Champion's Box → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 40.008182%
  • Piñata Chest 0.05% Tier V or VI Premium ship Event · Piñata Chest → Chest of Rarities · 1 of 8 ships
  • Santa Level 1 0.037494% Tier V Premium ship Archived · Santa Level 1 · 6 paths combined · 1 of 22 ships
    Show 6 paths
    • Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 30.011023%
    • Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 20.009545%
    • Santa Level 10.009%
    • Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 30.00496%
    • Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 40.002045%
    • Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 40.00092%
  • Ultimate Crate 0.024227% Tier V Premium ship Archived · Ultimate Crate → Super Santa '23 · 1 of 22 ships
  • 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%
  • Mystic Box 0.012% Tier V Premium ship Event · Mystic Box · 1 of 25 ships
  • Secret Santa '23 0.0009% Tier V Premium ship Archived · Secret Santa '23 · 1 of 22 ships
Official WG availability sources
Show direct source rows

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

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Cohort position

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Where California sits among Tier V BBs (25 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.

BestAA DPS721 (1/26) BestAA threat2,166 (1/26) BestFlak per wave (expected)1,350 (1/26) BestMax armor406 mm (1 of 6 tied) BestEnd plates26 mm (5/26 / 1 of 6 tied) Top 25%Hit points58,300 HP (4/26) Top 25%Stealth profile14.13 km / 11.3 km (7/26 / 7/26) Top 25%Turning circle640 m (5/26) Top 25%Fires per minute7.2 (4/26) Top 25%HE DPM120,000 (6/26) Top 25%AP DPM252,000 (6/26) Top 25%AP velocity823 m/s (6/26) Top 25%HE velocity861 m/s (5/26) Top 25%AP pen at 10 km489 mm (5/26) Top 25%Effective HE DPM (incl. fire)174,224 (7/26) Top 25%Citadel belt343 mm (5/26) Bottom 25%Rudder shift14.8 s (21/26) Bottom 25%Secondary DPM (per side)144,000 (23/26) Bottom 25%Acceleration39.6 s (24/26) Bottom 25%Turn-speed retention46.1 hp/m (24/26) Bottom 25%Displacement40,345 t (23/26) Bottom 25%Deck armor31 mm (19/23) Bottom 10%Engine power29,500 hp (25/26) WorstMax speed20.5 kt (26/26) WorstSecondary fire chance5% (25/25) WorstPower-to-weight0.73 hp/t (26/26)
See 21 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for California -- 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.

Smoke fire bloom12.24 km(9/26) Traverse-to-turn ratio3.18 ×(17/26) Main battery caliber356 mm(14/26) Main battery range15.55 km(19/26) Main battery reload30 s(17/26) Sigma1.8(11/26) HE shell damage5,000(16/26) HE fire chance30%(15/26) AP shell damage10,500(12/26) Main dispersion215.5 m(17/26) Secondary HE alpha1,800(15/25) Secondary HE pen21 mm(17/25) AP arming threshold59 mm(12/26) AA range5 km(8/26) Repair charges3(13/26) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(21 of 26 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.03 s(21 of 26 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(25 of 26 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(25 of 26 tied at this value) NormSecondary range4 km(17 of 26 tied at this value) NormRepair heal rate0.5 %/s(24 of 26 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit Points58,300
Displacement40,345 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.
190.6 x 25.67 m
Armor range16–406 mm
Plate armor thicknesses16, 19, 25, 26, 31, 35, 38, 40, 44, 76, 140, 152, 159, 165, 203, 273, 343, 406 mm
Armor material/layer entries51
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.
23.3%
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 (10,494 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 (11,660 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.
40%
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.
29,200
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.
17,500
Effective HP
ƒBase 58,300 HP plus everything Repair Party can restore: 0.5%/s x 28 s = 8,162 HP per charge, x3 charges = 24,486 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.
82,786
Repairable: penetration50%
Repairable: citadel10%
Repairable: steering gear50%
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 356 mm/50 Mk7
Mounts / barrels4 mounts / 12 barrels
Reload time30 s
Firing range15.6 km
Turret traverse3 °/s
Turret armor457 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 ±143°, 2x ±140°
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.
40° off bow / 37° off stern
AP pen max range402 mm
HE fire DPM vs T5 BB54224
Effective HE DPM vs T5 BB174224
Shell Grouping (σ)1.8
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: σH=(R30·idealRadiusminRadiusidealDistance+minRadius)·30 =(1555230·1221000+2)·30=215.5m
215.5 m at 15.6 km
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =215.5·0.6=129.3m
129.3 m at 15.6 km
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·0.6σ =215.5·0.61.8=71.8m
71.8 m at 15.6 km
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·0.6σ =129.3·0.61.8=43.1m
43.1 m at 15.6 km
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 3 deg/s traverse speed = 60 s.
60 s
Shells/min
ƒ12 broadside guns x 60 / 30 s base reload = 24.
24
HE shells
HE Damage5,000
HE Velocity861 m/s
Fire Chance30%
HE penetration
ƒ59 mm ≈ 356 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
59 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ5,000 HE damage x 12 broadside guns = 60,000.
60,000
HE DPM
ƒ60,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 120,000.
120,000
Fires/min
ƒ24 shells/min x 30% fire chance = 7.2.
7.2
AP shells
AP Damage10,500
AP Velocity823 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.033 s
Fuse Threshold59 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(356 mm caliber / 14.3) = 24 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
24 mm
AP Pen Close
ƒCanonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v01.38 =107·2545·680.40.69·0.3561.07·8231.38=730.3mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
730.3 mm point-blank
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (15.6 km), where the shell has slowed to 533.4 m/s: P=107·2545·680.40.69·0.3561.07·533.41.38=401.4mm.
401.4 mm at 15.6 km
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ10,500 AP damage x 12 broadside guns = 126,000.
126,000
AP DPM
ƒ126,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 252,000.
252,000
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.
90
AA Defense
AA mount points55
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.
5 km
40 mm Bofors Mk214×4 40mm
20 mm Oerlikon Mk2041×2 20mm
127 mm Mk32 (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.
8×2 127mm
Far aura
Guns127 mm Mk32 (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 105 from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
105
Range5 km
Medium aura
Guns40 mm Bofors Mk2
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 104 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.75 hit probability = 273 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
273
Range3.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 105 + Medium 273 = 378
378
Near aura
Guns20 mm Oerlikon Mk20
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 140 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.7 hit probability = 343 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
343
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 105 + Medium 273 + Near 343 = 721
721
Flak bursts
Bursts
ƒEach ~2 s wave fires 2 quick salvos of 4 clouds ahead of the attacking squadron, plus 1 stray cloud farther out that appear off-beat between waves - up to 9 clouds per wave × 200 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 + 1 outer
Cloud damage
ƒDamage a plane takes for flying into one flak cloud, before any reductions.
200
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 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.
2.5-5 km
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts8
Firing range4.0 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
127 mm Mk32 (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: the same mounts also fire at aircraft, so they appear on the AA Defense card too - shared guns, not extra hardware.
8×2 127mm
Caliber127 mm
Reload time6 s
HE Damage1,800
Muzzle Velocity792 m/s
Fire Chance5%
Armor Pen21 mm
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 @ 4 km
ƒ4 km × 57 + 30 = 258 m.
258 m
Maneuverability
Engine power29,500 hp
Maximum speed20.5 kt
Turning circle radius640 m
Rudder shift time14.8 s
Engine power-boost threshold7 kt
Engine spool-up time23 s
Reverse spool-up time11.5 s
Reverse speed
ƒtop speed / 4 + 4.9 = 20.5 / 4 + 4.9 = 10 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.
10 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.
53.2 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).
6.2 kt
Acceleration 0-90%
ƒTime to reach 90% of top speed (18.4 kt of 20.5 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.
39.6 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (20.3 kt of 20.5 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.
67 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·20.5·0.5144640=0.94°/s, so ratio=ωturretωhull=30.94=3.2×. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.
3.2× drags
Concealment
Detectability by sea14.13 km
Detectability by air11.3 km
Smoke firing penalty12.24 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.
15.55 km
Detect when firing (air)
ƒAir detectability plus the gun-firing bloom (7.12 km, which tracks main-battery caliber x 0.020). Matches the in-game 'Detect Firing Air' value on every captured ship.
18.42 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.
16.13 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.
14.3 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 80 s reload · 20 s active
Repair Party3 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 8,162 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.
· 24,486 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.
· 292 HP/s (0.5% of max HP) heal per second
ƒ0.5% of max HP (58,300 HP) per second = 292 HP/s. WoWS heals a flat percent of MAX HP each second, so this rate holds at any health level.
Choose one
Catapult Fighter3 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 Seaplane3 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

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)1.8
Max Horiz Disp215.5 m at 15.6 km
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: σH=(R30·idealRadiusminRadiusidealDistance+minRadius)·30 =(1555230·1221000+2)·30=215.5m
Shell scatter width @ 5 km110 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 km160 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 km210 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 Disp129.3 m at 15.6 km
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =215.5·0.6=129.3m
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=0.5·15552=7776 m, and radiusOnMax=0.6 at 15552 m. Above the kink: k=0.5+(0.60.5)·100007776155527776=0.5286, so σV=σH·k=160·0.5286=84.6m.
Med Horiz Disp71.8 m at 15.6 km
50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·0.6σ =215.5·0.61.8=71.8m
Med Vert Disp43.1 m at 15.6 km
50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·0.6σ =129.3·0.61.8=43.1m
AP Pen Close730.3 mm point-blank
Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v01.38 =107·2545·680.40.69·0.3561.07·8231.38=730.3mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far401.4 mm at 15.6 km
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (15.6 km), where the shell has slowed to 533.4 m/s: P=107·2545·680.40.69·0.3561.07·533.41.38=401.4mm.
AP pen 5 km595 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 km489 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 km409 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.
HE flight time @ 10 km5.01 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·0.325·0.35628·578.34=2.8×105. That runs from a 861 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.
AP flight time @ 10 km5.11 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·0.331·0.35628·680.4=2.42×105. That runs from a 823 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 penetration59 mm
59 mm ≈ 356 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch24 mm
floor(356 mm caliber / 14.3) = 24 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius90
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 alpha12
All 12 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time60 s
180 degrees / 3 deg/s traverse speed = 60 s.
HE full-salvo alpha60,000
5,000 HE damage x 12 broadside guns = 60,000.
AP full-salvo alpha126,000
10,500 AP damage x 12 broadside guns = 126,000.
HE DPM120,000
60,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 120,000.
AP DPM252,000
126,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 252,000.
Shells/min24
12 broadside guns x 60 / 30 s base reload = 24.
Fires/min7.2
24 shells/min x 30% fire chance = 7.2.

AA defense

AA DPS at max range105
Only families that reach 5 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 40mm Bofors Mk2 14x4 -> 273 DPS @ 3.5 km; 20mm Oerlikon Twin 41x2 -> 343 DPS @ 2 km; 5in38 Mk32 Mod12 8x2 -> 105 DPS @ 5 km.
Maximum AA range5 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 range105 DPS @ 5 km, 378 DPS @ 3.5 km, 721 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-blank721
Sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (2 km).
AA threat index2166
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 @ 4 km258 m
4 km × 57 + 30 = 258 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)144,000
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: 8×2 127 mm (8/side) × 60/6 × 1800 = 144,000. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).
Max HE alpha1800
Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1800 from the 127 mm family.
Max HE fire chance5%
Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 5% from the 127 mm family.
Max HE pen21 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: 21 mm from the 127 mm family.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 58,300, 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 & stern26 mm

Overmatched by 32+ AP guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Belt / citadel343 mm

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

Farming16 mm

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
Bow26 mm primary (range 26–40 mm)2,000 (3% of HP)
Overmatched by 380mm+ AP (Bayern, Gneisenau)Angle bounces 356mm26 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)343 mm primary (range 25–343 mm)43,700 (75% of HP)
No common AP caliber overmatches343 mm: no common HE pens
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern26 mm primary (range 26–203 mm)1,300 (2% of HP)
Overmatched by 380mm+ AP (Bayern, Gneisenau)Angle bounces 356mm26 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel343 mm primary (range 19–343 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.
Superstructure16 mm primary (range 16–406 mm)3,600 (6% 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 HP29,200 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 (127 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 (40 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 HP17,500 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

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • California default exterior
    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.