GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Cherbourg

World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Cherbourg

Also called: 瑟堡 Beta

France · Tier VII · CB Cruiser · Tech Tree: Cruiser Hunters

Super-cruiserHeavy-caliber guns on a cruiser body: bully cruisers with AP, avoid battleship brawls.

Playstyle

Hold 14-17 km from a contested cap with an island close enough to shadow back into, and bow toward the closest BB
Avoid: Burning Main Battery Reload Booster on a hopeful salvo

Key characteristics

305 mm AP overmatchHeavy AP pen16 km gun rangeHeavy HE shellsSonarSlow

On this page

Community stats
Playstyle
How to get Cherbourg
Builds
Cohort position
Stats and specs
Armor
Charts
Balance history
Exteriors

Community Data

Cherbourg Community Stats

Log in to GamingDiver and upload your data to see Community Data for Cherbourg: community win rate, damage, survival, spotting, and your own comparison.

Playstyle

Overview

Cherbourg is a Tier VII French super-cruiser: a battleship-sized hull with a 305mm main battery on a cruiser frame. She is built to overmatch broadside cruisers with AP, not to brawl with battleships. Sonar (4.4 km on ships and 3.1 km on torpedoes, 96 s active, 180 s reload, long uptime) lights up DDs and torpedoes inside its bubble, which lets her contest the cap edge without taking the spotting cycle. Standout traits: top-decile AP overmatch threshold in T7 CAs (21.3 mm) and top-decile long-range AP brick in T7 CAs (344.4 mm).

Positioning

Hold 14-17 km from a contested cap with an island close enough to shadow back into, and bow toward the closest BB. The heavy bow plate lets you hold the angle against same-tier guns, which is the protection the citadel needs; the hull does not tank battleship volleys broadside even if it can absorb them bow-on. The big guns reach for full AP citadels at that distance. Her handling reads as a contradiction and is not one: 12.5 s on the rudder means she starts turning late, while a 670 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

Burning Main Battery Reload Booster on a hopeful salvo

With only 2 charges it is a finisher rather than an opener: spend it on a target that cannot turn away, a broadside battleship or a cruiser already committed to its own attack, where the extra salvo lands as damage instead of splashes. A booster pressed on a maybe is one you will not have when the certainty shows up.

Signature Traits

Engine Boost

+20% speed (about +6.4 kt), 180 s duration. Engine Boost consumable temporarily raises top speed. Mobility on demand to reposition, chase a kill, or break contact. Uncommon in T7 CAs.

ELITE MAIN BATTERY ↗

Big-caliber AP overmatch · 21.3 mm
Long-range AP brick · 344.45 mm
Close-range AP brick · 571.4 mm
Fast HE shells · 4.67 s

Strong torpedo belt ↗

25% torpedo damage reduction, best of T7 CAs.

Burny secondaries ↗

9% best HE fire chance per secondary shell (before target resistance), best of T7 CAs. Stacks fires faster than peers in a brawl.

Slow reload ↗

25.2 s reload, worst of T7 CAs. Salvos punish more, but cycle is slower than peers.

Acquisition

How to get Cherbourg

Cherbourg is available in the Cruiser Hunters branch of the France Tech Tree for 18,000,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 4,500,000 credits. 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.

Show France tech-tree branch diagram

France Tech Tree

Cherbourg sits in the Cruiser Hunters branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full France tree.

3 ships in highlighted branch · scroll to inspect all France lines.

FranceIIIIIIIVVVIVIIVIII★

Destroyer

Destroyer Split

Cruiser

Cruiser Split

Battleship

Tier ★BourgognePFSB510 Tier VIIIBrestPFSC209 Tier VIICherbourgPFSC208 Tier VIToulonPFSC207 Tier ★KléberPFSD110 Tier ★Henri IVPFSC110 Tier VIIIMogadorPFSD109 Tier VIIISaint-LouisPFSC109 Tier VIIIAlsacePFSB109 Tier VIILe FantasquePFSD108 Tier VIICharles MartelPFSC108 Tier VIIRichelieuPFSB108 Tier VIVauquelinPFSD107 Tier VIAlgériePFSC107 Tier VILyonPFSB107 Tier VGuépardPFSD106 Tier VLa GalissonnièrePFSC106 Tier VNormandiePFSB106 Tier IVJaguarPFSD105 Tier IVÉmile BertinPFSC105 Tier IVBretagnePFSB105 Tier IIIBourrasquePFSD104 Tier IIIDuguay-TrouinPFSC104 Tier IIICourbetPFSB104 Tier IIFusilierPFSD103 Tier IIFriantPFSC103 Tier IJurienPFSC102 Tier VIIIOragePFSD019 Tier VIIL'AventurierPFSD018 Tier VILe HardiPFSD017 Tier VDuchaffaultPFSD016 Tier IVL'AdroitPFSD015

Best listed chance for this ship

Anniversary '24 French-German crate 1.25% VII Cherbourg Event · Anniversary '24 French-German crate
French Cruisers and German Destroyers crate 0.1% Cherbourg Archived · French Cruisers and German Destroyers crate

Official WG availability sources

Official WoWS Legends container odds Containers Official container drop rows linked below include direct and nested effective ship odds.

Show direct source rows

Anniversary '24 French-German crate 1.25% · VII Cherbourg
French Cruisers and German Destroyers crate 0.1% · Cherbourg

Want the full picture? Each container page charts the odds as you open more crates - including ~~pity~~ guaranteed-reward timers and, for GD Supporters, pack math personalized to your port.

Builds

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

Open in Build Tool →

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Cohort position

Hide ▾

Where Cherbourg sits among Tier VII CAs (56 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.

BestSecondary fire chance9% (1/50) BestAP fuse timer0.03 s (1 of 24 tied) Top 10%Hit points49,500 HP (5/57) Top 10%Main battery caliber305 mm (3/57) Top 10%Main battery range16 km (4/57) Top 10%Secondary dispersion bracket33 (3/50) Top 10%Secondary HE pen22 mm (5/50) Top 10%AP pen at 10 km420 mm (3/57) Top 10%Max armor280 mm (2/57) Top 25%Stealth profile11.95 km / 7.17 km (13/57 / 11/57) Top 25%Turning circle670 m (8/57) Top 25%Secondary DPM (per side)159,600 (12/50) Top 25%Secondary HE alpha1,900 (7/50) Top 25%Turn-speed retention194 hp/m (10/56) Top 25%AA range5.2 km (7/57) Top 25%Citadel belt160 mm (7/54) Bottom 10%Max speed31.9 kt (53/57) Bottom 10%Smoke fire bloom9.15 km (53/57) Bottom 10%Rudder shift12.5 s (55/57) Bottom 10%Traverse-to-turn ratio4.28 × (55/57) Bottom 10%HE DPM77,143 (47/49) Bottom 10%Main dispersion182.4 m (55/57) Bottom 10%Acceleration28.8 s (53/56) Bottom 10%AP arming threshold51 mm (55/57) Bottom 10%Displacement26,529 t (54/57) WorstMain battery reload25.2 s (57/57) WorstSigma1.8 (1 of 4 tied) WorstFires per minute3.24 (49/49) WorstAP DPM156,190 (57/57) WorstPower-to-weight4.9 hp/t (1 of 2 tied) WorstEffective HE DPM (incl. fire)101,177 (49/49) WorstNo torpedoes (15 of 57 in cohort)

See 15 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Cherbourg -- 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.

AP velocity870 m/s(31/57) HE velocity905 m/s(20/49) Engine power130,000 hp(19/56) AA DPS363(37/57) AA threat1,333(32/57) Flak per wave (expected)1,386(32/57) Repair heal rate0.6 %/s(23/56) Bow armor25 mm(33/54) Stern armor25 mm(33/54) Deck armor50 mm(27/52) NormAP ricochet start45°(40 of 57 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(40 of 57 tied at this value) NormTurn speed retained81%(53 of 57 tied at this value) NormSecondary range5 km(46 of 50 tied at this value) NormRepair charges2(50 of 56 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Compare Tier VII Cruisers

Show all 56 peers

Stats & specs

Customize in the Build Tool →

Survivability

Hit PointsInitial: 43,100 → 49,500

Displacement26,529 t

Hull dimensions

Length 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.

196.9 x 28.27 m

Armor range16–280 mm

Plate armor thicknesses16, 20, 25, 27, 30, 40, 45, 50, 85, 90, 100, 110, 120, 160, 170, 200, 280 mm

Armor material/layer entries51

Fire resistance

Does 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 duration45 s

Fire damage

Each fire ticks 0.3% of max HP per second for the full 45 s, so one unattended fire burns 13.5% of the pool (6,682 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

A flood ticks 0.25% of max HP per second for the 40 s duration, so one unattended flood costs 10% of the pool (4,950 HP on this ship). Verified against measured flood ticks in replay data.

0.25% of HP per second

Torp Reduction

Reduces 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.

25%

Magazine HP

Per-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.

24,800

Steering gear HP

Durability 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.

14,900

Effective HP

Base 49,500 HP plus everything Repair Party can restore: 0.6%/s x 28 s = 8,316 HP per charge, x2 charges = 16,632 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. Repair Party is one choice in its slot on this ship, so this applies only if you take it.

66,132

Repairable: penetration50%

Repairable: citadel10%

Repairable: steering gear50%

Main Battery

ModuleArtillery: 305 mm/50 Mle 1930

Mounts / barrels2 mounts / 8 barrels

Reload time28 s

Firing range (base)14.6 km

Firing range (top fire control)16 km

Turret traverse6 °/s

Turret armor305 mm

Turret traverse arcs

How 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 ±147°

Guns to bear

How 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.

all guns bear at the bow

See the firing-arcs diagram ↓

AP pen max range345 mm

HE fire DPM vs T7 BB21618

Effective HE DPM vs T7 BB91046

Shell Grouping (σ)1.8

Max Horiz Disp

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model:

σ_{H} = (\frac{R}{30} \cdot \frac{idealRadius - minRadius}{idealDistance} + minRadius) \cdot 30

= (\frac{16005}{30} \cdot \frac{10 - 1.6}{1000} + 1.6) \cdot 30 = 182.4 m

182.4 m at 16 km

Max Vert Disp

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range:

σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot radiusOnMax

= 182.4 \cdot 0.6 = 109.5 m

109.5 m at 16 km

Med Horiz Disp

50%-hit horizontal radius:

σ_{H, 50} = σ_{H} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 182.4 \cdot \frac{0.6}{1.8} = 60.8 m

60.8 m at 16 km

Med Vert Disp

50%-hit vertical radius:

σ_{V, 50} = σ_{V} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 109.5 \cdot \frac{0.6}{1.8} = 36.5 m

36.5 m at 16 km

Turret turn time

180 degrees / 6 deg/s traverse speed = 30 s.

30 s

Shells/min

Zero upgrades: 8 broadside guns x 60 / 28 s base reload = 17.1. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 8 broadside guns x 60 / 25.2 s all-upgrades reload = 19.

Initial: 17.1 → 19

HE shells

HE Damage4,050

HE Velocity905 m/s

Fire Chance17%

HE penetration

51 mm ≈ 305 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

51 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

4,050 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 32,400.

32,400

HE DPM

Zero upgrades: 32,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 28 s base reload = 69,429. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 32,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 25.2 s all-upgrades reload = 77,143.

Initial: 69,429 → 77,143

Fires/min

Zero upgrades: 17.1 shells/min x 17% fire chance = 2.91. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 19 shells/min x 17% fire chance = 3.24.

Initial: 2.91 → 3.24

AP shells

AP Damage8,200

AP Velocity870 m/s

Min Ricochet45 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg

Fuse Timer0.033 s

Fuse Threshold51 mm

AP overmatch

floor(305 mm caliber / 14.3) = 21 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

21 mm

AP Pen Close

Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity:

P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v_{0}^{1.38}

= 10^{- 7} \cdot 2225 \cdot 442^{0.69} \cdot {0.305}^{- 1.07} \cdot 870^{1.38} = 604 mm

. Matches the in-game spec card.

604 mm point-blank

AP Pen Far

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (16 km), where the shell has slowed to 579.2 m/s:

P = 10^{- 7} \cdot 2225 \cdot 442^{0.69} \cdot {0.305}^{- 1.07} \cdot {579.2}^{1.38} = 344.5 mm

344.5 mm at 16 km

AP full-salvo alpha

8,200 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 65,600.

65,600

AP DPM

Zero upgrades: 65,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 28 s base reload = 140,571. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 65,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 25.2 s all-upgrades reload = 156,190.

Initial: 140,571 → 156,190

AP AOE Radius

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.

AA Defense

AA mount points22

Maximum AA range

Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.

5.2 km

37 mm/70 ACAD Mle 1936Initial: 37 mm/50 Mle 1933 (6×2) → 37 mm/70 ACAD Mle 1936 (6×2)

25 mm/60 CAD Mle 1939Initial: 25 mm Hotchkiss CAS Mle 1939 (4×1) → 25 mm/60 CAD Mle 1939 (16×2)

13.2 mm/76 CAQ Mle 1929 (stock hull only)12×4 13mm

130 mm/45 Mle 1932 (DP)

Dual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.

7×2 130mm

Guns130 mm/45 Mle 1932 (DP)

Continuous DPS

Effective 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 76 from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.

Range5.2 km

Guns37 mm/70 ACAD Mle 1936

Continuous DPS

Effective DPS: 38 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.9 hit probability = 120 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.

120

Range3.5 km

Total DPS in Aura

Far 76 + Medium 120 = 196

196

Guns25 mm/60 CAD Mle 1939

Continuous DPS

Effective DPS: 56 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.85 hit probability = 167 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.

167

Range3.1 km

Total DPS in Aura

Far 76 + Medium 120 + Near 167 = 363

363

Bursts

Each ~2 s wave fires 2 quick salvos of 3 clouds ahead of the attacking squadron, plus 1 stray cloud farther out that appear off-beat between waves - up to 7 clouds per wave × 220 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 × 3 clouds + 1 outer

Cloud damage

Damage a plane takes for flying into one flak cloud, before any reductions.

220

Cloud spawn chance

Each 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.

90%

Wave rate

A flak wave spawns roughly every 2 s - timed frame-by-frame from gameplay footage and consistent across ships.

every ~2 s

Fired by

Flak 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

The 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 5.2 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.

2.5-5.2 km

See the AA layers diagram ↓

Secondary Battery

Mounts7

Firing range5.0 km

Shell Grouping (σ)1

130 mm/45 Mle 1932 (DP)

Dual-purpose: the same mounts also fire at aircraft, so they appear on the AA Defense card too - shared guns, not extra hardware.

7×2 130mm

Caliber130 mm

Reload time5 s

HE Damage1,900

Muzzle Velocity840 m/s

Fire Chance9%

Armor Pen22 mm

Secondary dispersion type

Max dispersion = range (km) × 33 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.

Improved (40%, German battlecruiser type)

Max secondary dispersion @ 5 km

5 km × 33 + 30 = 195 m.

195 m

Maneuverability

Engine power130,000 hp

Maximum speed31.9 kt

Turning circle radius670 m

Rudder shift time12.5 s

Engine power-boost threshold7 kt

Engine spool-up time15.3 s

Reverse spool-up time7.7 s

Reverse speed

top speed / 4 + 4.9 = 31.9 / 4 + 4.9 = 12.9 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.

12.9 kt

Crash stop

Seconds from top speed to a dead stop after ordering full reverse: reverse power winds in over the reverse spool-up while water drag does most of the braking. 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.

30.9 s

Engine boost threshold (reverse)

Speed 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%

Time to reach 90% of top speed (28.7 kt of 31.9 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.

28.8 s

Acceleration 0-99%

Time to reach 99% of top speed (31.6 kt of 31.9 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.

48 s

Traverse-to-turn ratio

How many degrees the turret can swing for each degree the hull turns. Turn rate

ω_{hull} = \frac{180}{π} \cdot \frac{V_{max} (m/s)}{R_{turn}} = \frac{180}{π} \cdot \frac{31.9 \cdot 0.5144}{670} = 1.40 ° / s

, so

ratio = \frac{ω_{turret}}{ω_{hull}} = \frac{6}{1.40} = 4.3 \times

. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.

4.3× drags

See the full acceleration curve ↓

Concealment

Detectability by sea11.95 km

Detectability by air7.17 km

Smoke firing penalty9.15 km

Detect when firing (sea)

Equal 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.

16.01 km

Detect when firing (air)

Air detectability plus the gun-firing bloom (6.1 km, which tracks main-battery caliber x 0.020). Matches the in-game 'Detect Firing Air' value on every captured ship.

13.27 km

Detect when on fire (sea)

Base sea detectability + 2.0 km while burning; matches the in-game 'Detect Fire Sea' value on every captured ship.

13.95 km

Detect when on fire (air)

Base air detectability + 3.0 km while burning; matches the in-game 'Detect Fire Air' value on every captured ship.

10.17 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active

Choose one

Main Battery Reload Booster2 charges · 120 s reload · 15 s active · +50% reload boost

Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 96 s active · 4.44 km ship detect
ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): $\frac{148 \times 30}{1000} = 4.44 km$
· 3.12 km torpedo detect
ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): $\frac{104 \times 30}{1000} = 3.12 km$

Defensive AA Fire3 charges · 140 s reload · 25 s active · ×2 flak burst boost
ƒ
Repeats the flak burst pattern ×2 within each wave - more clouds in the air over the wave, at the same spots.

Choose one

Repair Party2 charges · 60 s reload · 28 s active · 8,316 HP (16.8% of max HP) total heal (per charge)
ƒ
Heal per second (0.6%) x effective active time (28 s) = up to 16.8% of max HP restored per charge.
· 16,632 HP (33.6% of max HP) total heal (all charges)
ƒ
16.8% per charge x 2 charges = up to 33.6% of max HP if the whole Repair Party loadout is used.
· 297 HP/s (0.6% of max HP) heal per second
ƒ
0.6% of max HP (49,500 HP) per second = 297 HP/s. WoWS heals a flat percent of MAX HP each second, so this rate holds at any health level.

Catapult Fighter3 charges · 80 s reload · 90 s active · 5 km patrol radius
ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): $\frac{167 \times 30}{1000} = 5 km$
· 1 squadron size

Engine Boost2 charges · 120 s reload · 180 s active · +20% speed bonus

Module options (2)

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

HullUpgrade

Hit points43,100 → 49,500
Rudder shift22.8 → 16.3 s
Close-range AA DPS59 → 94
Maximum AA range3 → 3.5 km

Fire controlUpgrade

Main battery range14,550 → 16,005 m

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 Disp182.4 m at 16 km

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model:  $σ_{H} = (\frac{R}{30} \cdot \frac{idealRadius - minRadius}{idealDistance} + minRadius) \cdot 30$   $= (\frac{16005}{30} \cdot \frac{10 - 1.6}{1000} + 1.6) \cdot 30 = 182.4 m$

Shell scatter width @ 5 km90 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 km132 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 km174 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 Disp109.5 m at 16 km

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot radiusOnMax$ $= 182.4 \cdot 0.6 = 109.5 m$

Shell scatter height @ 10 km69.3 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  $delim \cdot R_{m a x} = 0.5 \cdot 16005 = 8002$  m, and  $radiusOnMax = 0.6$  at 16005 m. Above the kink:  $k = 0.5 + (0.6 - 0.5) \cdot \frac{10000 - 8002}{16005 - 8002} = 0.525$ , so  $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot k = 132 \cdot 0.525 = 69.3 m$ .

Med Horiz Disp60.8 m at 16 km

50%-hit horizontal radius: $σ_{H, 50} = σ_{H} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}$ $= 182.4 \cdot \frac{0.6}{1.8} = 60.8 m$

Med Vert Disp36.5 m at 16 km

50%-hit vertical radius: $σ_{V, 50} = σ_{V} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}$ $= 109.5 \cdot \frac{0.6}{1.8} = 36.5 m$

Dispersion familyBC Disp.

Battlecruiser dispersion. The standard mid-tier reference family that Georgia, Stalingrad, and Siegfried are compared against.

AP Pen Close604 mm point-blank

Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity:  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v_{0}^{1.38}$   $= 10^{- 7} \cdot 2225 \cdot 442^{0.69} \cdot {0.305}^{- 1.07} \cdot 870^{1.38} = 604 mm$ . Matches the in-game spec card.

AP Pen Far344.5 mm at 16 km

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (16 km), where the shell has slowed to 579.2 m/s:  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot 2225 \cdot 442^{0.69} \cdot {0.305}^{- 1.07} \cdot {579.2}^{1.38} = 344.5 mm$ .

AP pen 5 km502 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  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$ . Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.

AP pen 10 km420 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  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$ . Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.

AP pen 15 km355 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  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$ . Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.

HE flight time @ 10 km4.67 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,  $a_{drag} = k ρ v^{2}$ , where  $ρ$  is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and  $k$  bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.21 \cdot {0.305}^{2}}{8 \cdot 308} = 2.49 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 905 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 km4.77 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,  $a_{drag} = k ρ v^{2}$ , where  $ρ$  is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and  $k$  bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.265 \cdot {0.305}^{2}}{8 \cdot 442} = 2.19 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 870 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 penetration51 mm

51 mm ≈ 305 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

AP overmatch21 mm

floor(305 mm caliber / 14.3) = 21 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

AP AOE Radius75

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 time30 s

180 degrees / 6 deg/s traverse speed = 30 s.

HE full-salvo alpha32,400

4,050 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 32,400.

AP full-salvo alpha65,600

8,200 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 65,600.

HE DPMInitial: 69,429 → 77,143

Zero upgrades: 32,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 28 s base reload = 69,429. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 32,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 25.2 s all-upgrades reload = 77,143.

AP DPMInitial: 140,571 → 156,190

Zero upgrades: 65,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 28 s base reload = 140,571. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 65,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 25.2 s all-upgrades reload = 156,190.

Shells/minInitial: 17.1 → 19

Zero upgrades: 8 broadside guns x 60 / 28 s base reload = 17.1. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 8 broadside guns x 60 / 25.2 s all-upgrades reload = 19.

Fires/minInitial: 2.91 → 3.24

Zero upgrades: 17.1 shells/min x 17% fire chance = 2.91. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 19 shells/min x 17% fire chance = 3.24.

AA defense

AA DPS at max range76

Only families that reach 5.2 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 37 50 ACAD 6x2 -> 120 DPS @ 3.5 km; 25mm Hotchkiss Mle 1940 16x2 -> 167 DPS @ 3.1 km; 130 45 Mle 1932 twin 7x2 -> 76 DPS @ 5.2 km.

Maximum AA range5.2 km

Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.

AA DPS layered by range76 DPS @ 5.2 km, 196 DPS @ 3.5 km, 363 DPS @ 3.1 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-blank363

Sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (3.1 km).

AA threat index1333

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 range3.1 km

Secondary battery dispersion

Secondary dispersion typeImproved (40%, German battlecruiser type)

Max dispersion = range (km) × 33 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.

Max secondary dispersion @ 5 km195 m

5 km × 33 + 30 = 195 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)159,600

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: 7×2 130 mm (7/side) × 60/5 × 1900 = 159,600. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).

Max HE alpha1900

Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1900 from the 130 mm family.

Max HE fire chance9%

Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 9% from the 130 mm family.

Max HE pen22 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: 22 mm from the 130 mm family.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 43,100 → 49,500 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 & stern25 mm

Overmatched by 102+ AP guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Belt / citadel170 mm

AP can citadel a flat broadside even at range. Stay angled and avoid showing the full side.

Farming16 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 37%, fires burn 45s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →

Section	Plates	HP cap	Threats	Tactic
Bow	25 mm primary (range 25–40 mm)	1,600 (3% of HP)	Overmatched by 380mm+ AP (Gneisenau, Richelieu)Angle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+	Bow-tank fits behind this exterior plate. Saturation is FAST here; the cap is often only a few thousand HP.
Hull (midship)	45 mm primary (range 20–280 mm)	37,100 (75% of HP)	No common AP caliber overmatches45 mm: most HE shatters, standard pen from 283mm+	Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern	25 mm primary (range 25–110 mm)	2,200 (4% of HP)	Overmatched by 380mm+ AP (Gneisenau, Richelieu)Angle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	170 mm primary (range 25–160 mm)	≈ 165,500 (effectively no cap)	Citadel pen: full damageOver-pen: ×0.10 damage	Effectively no cap; citadel pool sits at ~165k HP on every ship. An AP citadel penetration deals the shell's full damage, the biggest single hit available; only over-penetrations are damped, to ×0.10.
Superstructure	16 mm primary (range 16–50 mm)	1,400 (3% 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 HP	24,800 magazine HP	Turret knocked out	Per-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 (130 mm mount)	separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP	800 per-mount HP	Destroyed at 0 HP	Per-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 HP	200 per-mount HP	Destroyed at 0 HP	Per-mount HP for the heaviest AA on this ship. An AA mount destroyed at 0 HP stops shooting down planes for the rest of the battle; DCP does not repair destroyed mounts. HE shells specifically target AA mounts since the small-caliber HP pool falls fast.
Engine (module, research)	engine coefficient (unconfirmed)	-0.100 research estimate	Largest on BB/BC; zero on destroyers	Engine 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 HP	14,900 module HP	Incapacitated at 0 HP	When module HP reaches 0 the rudder locks at its current angle until DCP repairs it. Repair via Damage Control Party.

Saturation cap = HP a section can absorb before further damage to it is reduced (the "bow-tank" effect). Citadel pool is ~165k on every ship (effectively no cap); damage is gated by pen/over-pen multipliers instead. Superstructure saturates fast but HE always pens regardless of the plate thickness. Rudder (and other module HPs) are a separate pool from ship HP: damaging a module doesn't drain ship HP. Incapacitated modules like the rudder and engine are restored by DCP, but secondary and AA mounts destroyed at 0 HP stay out for the rest of the battle.

Open in Charting Tool

Ship Charts

Balance History

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

Buff ×1Main Battery ×2

2024-03-21

Ministry of Balance: Spring Changes

The primary pain point anyone playing the French large cruisers will notice is the lengthy reload time, so we're slightly improving Cherbourg's rate of fire to address this. She's only slightly behind most other Tier VII cruisers, so the change is small.
Main Battery reload time reduced from 29 to 28 seconds.

Read the full official post

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior

Primary official WG sources

GamingDiver has indexed official WG mentions for this ship, but none are focused enough to show as a primary source card here. Low-context list, crate, comparison, or passing mentions are intentionally filtered out.

Source status No high-context source card yet Filtered for precision

Cherbourg

Cherbourg Community Stats

Cherbourg Community Stats

Playstyle

Overview

Positioning

Potato Avoidance

Signature Traits →

How to get Cherbourg

Best listed chance for this ship

Builds

Cohort position

Peers in this cohort

Stats & specs

See all derived stats

Main battery formulas

AA defense

Secondary battery dispersion

Secondary battery firepower

Armor Beta

Ship Charts

Balance History

Ministry of Balance: Spring Changes

Skins & permanent camouflages

Primary official WG sources

Signature Traits