Cossack '38
Also called: 哥萨克人 '38 · Cossack ’38 Beta- Hold mid-cap distance and lean into gunboat trades from cover where the peer destroyer cannot match your fires-per-minute
- Avoid: Trading guns in open water against peer DDs
Variant of Cossack
This ship shares its hull with Cossack. Specific stat and loadout differences are shown on the Specs tab.
On this page
Cossack '38 Community Stats
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Cossack '38 Community Stats
Record History
Playstyle
Overview
Cossack '38 is a Tier VI British gunboat destroyer: her damage comes from sustained main battery pressure on caps and open-water trades. Torpedoes are a secondary threat for closing lanes, not her main damage. Her 120mm guns win on volume rather than weight: a 5 s reload is the damage, so uptime matters more than any single salvo. Standout traits: best HE DPM in T6 DDs (163,200) and best extra smoke charges in T6 DDs (6).
Positioning
Hold mid-cap distance and lean into gunboat trades from cover where the peer destroyer cannot match your fires-per-minute. Avoid open-water duels with ships running smoke or radar; the torpedoes are a closer, not the plan, so gunfire from cover wins more than from blue water. Concretely: 10.6 km of reach against 6.8 km of detection leaves about 3.8 km in which you can shoot before the answer arrives. Your guns lose penetration at range, so aim AP at broadsides you can still citadel and put HE into superstructures and upper-hull sections, rather than the bow-in or belt armor your shells bounce and shatter on. Shooting from the cloud gives you away at 2.4 km, and a destroyer here is spotted at about 6.9 km, so you see it coming with roughly 4.5 km to spare. Vision is mutual: past the 2 km guaranteed ring you cannot see out either, and only your Sonar bubble (3.5 km) sees out; past that you are shooting at what a teammate holds lit. Enemy sonar (about 4.2 km) and radar (about 9 km) read straight in regardless. At 600 m the screen is wider than standard, so it can cover a teammate holding the same line as well as your own hull.
Potato Avoidance
Trading guns in open water against peer DDs
Your damage is sustained main-battery pressure from cover (the torpedoes are a secondary threat), so open-water duels just stack incoming HE on you while you fire back. You are visible from 6.8 km with 14,800 HP to spend, so the second ship to join the trade decides it.
Signature Traits
+8% speed (about +2.9 kt), 120 s duration. Engine Boost consumable gives a small speed nudge - useful for closing a gap or steadying a torpedo run, not for running anything down.
- HE DPM machine · 163200 HE
- High fire pressure · 7.68 fires
6 Smoke Generator charges, best of T6 DDs.
180 s Sonar duration, best of T6 DDs.
- Thickest plate · 20 mm
- Heavy citadel belt · 20 mm
59 AA DPS, bottom decile of T6 DDs. Aircraft chew through with impunity; lean on positioning over AA.
How to get Cossack '38
Cossack '38 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
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Spectral Vault 5.0
0.448718%
Tier VI Premium ship
Archived · Spectral Vault 5.0 · 1 of 39 ships
-
Spectral Vault 4.0
0.195513%
Tier VI Premium ship
Archived · Spectral Vault 4.0 · 2 paths combined · 1 of 39 ships
Show 2 paths
- Spectral Vault 4.00.128205%
- Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.067308%
-
Spectral Vault 3.0
0.111891%
Tier VI Premium ship
Archived · Spectral Vault 3.0 · 4 paths combined · 1 of 39 ships
Show 4 paths
- Spectral Vault 3.00.076923%
- Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.014103%
- Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.013462%
- Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.007404%
Show all 7 containers (4 more)
-
Mystic Lantern
0.104651%
Tier VI Premium ship
Event · Mystic Lantern · 1 of 43 ships
-
Spectral Vault 2.0
0.04074%
Tier VI Premium ship
Archived · Spectral Vault 2.0 · 7 paths combined · 1 of 39 ships
Show 7 paths
- Spectral Vault 2.00.025641%
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.00.007692%
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.002564%
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.00141%
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.001346%
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.001346%
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.00074%
-
Spectral Vault 1.0
0.004837%
Tier VI Premium ship
Archived · Spectral Vault 1.0 · 12 paths combined · 1 of 39 ships
Show 12 paths
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.00.002308%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 3.00.000769%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.00.000692%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.000231%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.000141%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.000135%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.000127%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.000121%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.000121%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.000074%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.000067%
- Spectral Vault 1.00.000051%
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Mystic Box
0.002326%
Tier VI Premium ship
Event · Mystic Box · 1 of 43 ships
Official WG availability sources
- Official WoWS Legends container odds Containers Official container drop rows linked below include direct and nested effective ship odds.
- Through the Spy Glass: HMS Cossack '38 Ship feature / release Start: 2022-10-31 · End: open/unknown end Official Through the Spy Glass feature for this ship; useful as a release/availability source, but not a guaranteed current-store listing.
Show direct source rows
- Mystic Box 0.002326% · Tier VI Premium ship
- Mystic Lantern 0.104651% · Tier VI Premium ship
- Spectral Vault 1.0 0.000051% · Tier VI Premium ship
- Spectral Vault 2.0 0.025641% · Tier VI Premium ship
- Spectral Vault 3.0 0.076923% · Tier VI Premium ship
Want the full picture? Each container page charts the odds as you open more crates - including pity guaranteed-reward timers and, for GD Supporters, pack math personalized to your port.
Builds
Pair with a commander whose unique skill complements her main armament; check the build tool for current recommendations.
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Cohort position
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Where Cossack '38 sits among Tier VI DDs (40 ships). Notable standouts are shown first; the rest of the cohort-ranked stats are in the expand below. Acquisition variants (Black Friday, Founders Edition) are counted once with their base ship, not as separate peers.
See 27 mid-pack stats
Not standouts for Cossack '38 -- 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.
Peers in this cohort
Compare Tier VI DestroyersShow all 40 peers
Stats & specs
Customize in the Build Tool →patched
- baseline10633In-game data
- 2025-06-2610600Ministry of Balance: Declaration of Changes Main battery firing range increased from 10.1 to 10.6 km.
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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.ƒ
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.ƒ
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model:ƒ
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range:ƒ
50%-hit horizontal radius:ƒ
50%-hit vertical radius:ƒ
180 degrees / 10 deg/s traverse speed = 18 s.ƒ
8 broadside guns x 60 / 5 s base reload = 96.HE shells
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20 mm ≈ 120 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).ƒ
1,700 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 13,600.ƒ
13,600 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5 s base reload = 163,200.ƒ
96 shells/min x 8% fire chance = 7.68.AP shells
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floor(120 mm caliber / 14.3) = 8 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).ƒ
Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: . Matches the in-game spec card.ƒ
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (10.6 km), where the shell has slowed to 256.9 m/s: .ƒ
2,100 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 16,800.ƒ
16,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5 s base reload = 201,600.ƒ
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.ƒ
Estimate of WG's in-game value; matches the in-game port screen within ±5%. Saturation: most targets only intersect one hull section, so the sim transfers ~1/3 of the warhead alpha (2/3 when the warhead blast >= 5000 and the burst reaches a second section). For this ship: .ƒ
The ammunition card's 'Maximum Damage' stat, exact: warhead alpha / 3 plus the blast addend. This is the per-torpedo number most references quote; the 'Maximum simulated damage' row above is WG's separate geometry-sim stat from the launcher spec panel.ƒ
How long a target has to dodge after your torpedo is spotted at its detectability range (lower means less warning): . The 2.6855 m/s-per-knot game-speed factor is calibrated from in-game measurement; the community's traditional 2.6 reads about 3% slower. Base value; commander torpedo-concealment skills lower it further. Community torpedo-reaction calculator by u/LorenDovah and u/The_ColorOutofSpace.ƒ
Read straight from the game's own data: this torpedo carries a flooding-chance value of 2.57 per hit, shown as . Torpedo flood values above 100% are normal: in battle the base chance is scaled down by the target's torpedo protection (the Torp Reduction stat on its Survivability card) and any flood-resistance modifiers, so a value above 100% keeps flooding likely even through partial protection. Not shown on the in-game port screen.ƒ
Time to rotate the launchers 180 deg: .ƒ
One side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 4 x 14,333 = 57,332.ƒ
Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 2.5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.ƒ
Effective DPS: 12 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 1 hit probability = 42 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.ƒ
Effective DPS: 5 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.95 hit probability = 17 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.ƒ
Medium 42 + Near 17 = 59ƒ
top speed / 4 + 4.9 = 36 / 4 + 4.9 = 13.9 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.ƒ
Seconds from top speed to a dead stop after ordering full reverse: reverse power winds in over the reverse spool-up while water drag does most of the braking. 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.ƒ
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).ƒ
Time to reach 90% of top speed (32.4 kt of 36 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.ƒ
Time to reach 99% of top speed (35.6 kt of 36 kt). 99% rather than 100% because true top speed is asymptotic (thrust meets drag), so the last fraction of a knot is never quite gained.ƒ
How many degrees the turret can swing for each degree the hull turns. Turn rate , so . Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.ƒ
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.ƒ
Air detectability plus the gun-firing bloom (2.4 km, which tracks main-battery caliber x 0.020). Matches the in-game 'Detect Firing Air' value on every captured ship.ƒ
Base sea detectability + 2.0 km while burning; matches the in-game 'Detect Fire Sea' value on every captured ship.ƒ
Base air detectability + 3.0 km while burning; matches the in-game 'Detect Fire Air' value on every captured ship.
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 40 s reload · 5 s active
Smoke Generator6 charges · 60 s reload · 10 s emit / 40 s cloud active · 600 m radius
Engine Boost2 charges · 180 s reload · 120 s active · +8% speed bonus
Sonar3 charges · 120 s reload · 180 s active · 3.5 km ship detect ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000):ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000):
See all derived stats
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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
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: 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.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.Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: 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: at 0 m, at m, and at 10633 m. Above the kink: , so .50%-hit horizontal radius: 50%-hit vertical radius: Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: . Matches the in-game spec card.Same formula at the ship's max firing range (10.6 km), where the shell has slowed to 256.9 m/s: .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 . Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.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 . Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.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, , where is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass: . That runs from a 808 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.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, , where is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass: . That runs from a 808 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.20 mm ≈ 120 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).floor(120 mm caliber / 14.3) = 8 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).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.All 8 barrels bear on the broadside.180 degrees / 10 deg/s traverse speed = 18 s.1,700 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 13,600.2,100 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 16,800.13,600 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5 s base reload = 163,200.16,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5 s base reload = 201,600.8 broadside guns x 60 / 5 s base reload = 96.96 shells/min x 8% fire chance = 7.68.Torpedoes
detectability / (speed kt x 2.6855 game-speed factor, m/s per knot, calibrated from in-game measurement; the community's traditional 2.6 reads about 3% slower).range / (speed kt x 2.6855 game-speed factor, m/s per knot, calibrated from in-game measurement).Per-torpedo module/blast damage parameter from in-game data. Most torpedoes carry 500 to 2,000; ships announced by WG as dealing increased module damage carry 9,000 to 12,000, so their hits knock out engines, rudders, and turrets far more often. Comparative figure; the exact module-HP conversion is not published.1 launchers x 4 tubes.4 (centerline launchers train across - full salvo to either side).All tubes hitting one target: tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 4 x 14,333 = 57,332.One side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 4 x 14,333 = 57,332.AA defense
Only families that reach 2.5 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 2 pdr MkVII Quad 1x4 -> 42 DPS @ 2.5 km; 12mm62 HI 2x4 -> 17 DPS @ 1.2 km.Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 2.5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.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.Sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (1.2 km).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.Armor Beta
Hull HP 14,800, 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.
Overmatched by 125+ AP guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.
Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 30%, fires burn 30s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →
| Section | Plates | HP cap | Threats | Tactic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bow | 16 mm primary (range 15–19 mm) | 2,300 (16% of HP) | Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Graf Spee, Scharnhorst)Angle bounces 203mm16 mm: HE pens from 127mm+ | Bow-tank fits behind this exterior plate. Saturation is FAST here; the cap is often only a few thousand HP. |
| Hull (midship) | 19 mm | 11,100 (75% of HP) | Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Graf Spee, Scharnhorst)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+ | Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest. |
| Stern | 16 mm primary (range 15–19 mm) | 1,400 (9% of HP) | Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Graf Spee, Scharnhorst)Angle bounces 203mm16 mm: HE pens from 127mm+ | Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation. |
| Citadel | 20 mm primary (range 10–20 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. |
| Turret (module, per magazine) | separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP | 7,400 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. |
| AA mount (40 mm mount) | separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP | 200 per-mount HP | Destroyed at 0 HP | Per-mount HP for the heaviest AA on this ship. An AA mount destroyed at 0 HP stops shooting down planes for the rest of the battle; DCP does not repair destroyed mounts. HE shells specifically target AA mounts since the small-caliber HP pool falls fast. |
| Rudder (module) | separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP | 4,400 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.
Ship Charts
Balance History
Balance updates affecting Cossack '38. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.
Ministry of Balance: Declaration of Changes
- Main battery firing range increased from 10.1 to 10.6 km.
- Torpedo reload time reduced from 96 to 80 seconds.
- Smoke Generator consumable updated:
- Number of charges increased from 2 to 6.
- Reload time reduced from 240 to 60 seconds.
- Smoke screen dispersion time reduced from 85 to 40 seconds.
- Consumable duration reduced from 20 to 10 seconds.
- Smoke radius increased from 450 to 600 m.
- Added Sonar consumable to slot 4:
- Number of charges: 3.
- +4 more official change lines in the source post.
Skins & permanent camouflages
Every custom exterior Cossack '38 can equip, from in-game data.
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.
