GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Midway
World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Midway

Also called: 中途岛 Beta
U.S.A. · Tier ★ · Aircraft Carrier · Premium
HE bomber carrierRolling HE bomber waves; farm broadsides and angled decks, and nurse your plane reserves.
Playstyle
  • Stay a full map cell behind the brawl line, far enough back that a rotated DD or radar cruiser cannot threaten the hull
  • Launch from positions where the recall path stays inside your team's AA umbrella
  • Avoid: Trading a full squadron for one high-value kill
Key characteristics
Big squadronsTorpedo bombersTough planesStrong AATough flight deckSluggish rudder
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Community Data

Midway Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Midway is the Legendary American bomber carrier. HE dive bombers are her main battery, hitting for up to 5,300 per drop, so match impact comes from repeated bombing runs on broadside and angled targets rather than a single torpedo strike. Air torpedoes are a secondary option. AA (992 AA DPS at 5.2 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.

Positioning

Stay a full map cell behind the brawl line, far enough back that a rotated DD or radar cruiser cannot threaten the hull. Launch from positions where the recall path stays inside your team's AA umbrella, not over open water where intercepting fighters can finish off limping squadrons. Longer trip back, fewer waves per match. You are spotted at 15 km and run at 33 kn, so that distance plus your speed is the whole margin for noticing a DD has slipped past and getting out. With 18.3 s on the rudder she starts turning late, so the angle has to be set before you are shot at.

Potato Avoidance

Trading a full squadron for one high-value kill

Match impact comes from cycling waves across multiple targets, not committing a dive into layered AA for one battleship. When a target's AA is heavy, route around and find a softer pick rather than burning planes through the wall. Reserves refill in 24 s per aircraft at best, the quickest in the cohort, so you can spend planes others cannot - but your thinnest-skinned squadron flies at 2,250 HP and decides how much of each wave comes home.

Signature Traits

ELITE AIRCRAFT ↗
  • Long air-torp range · 7 km
  • Tough flight deck · 33800 HP
High HP pool ↗

67600 HP, best of Legendary CVs.

ELITE SECONDARIES ↗
  • Punchy HE · 1800 max
  • Burny secondaries · 9%
  • Punch-through secondaries · 21 mm
WEAK MOBILITY ↗
  • Sluggish rudder · 18.3 s
  • Slow acceleration
Acquisition

How to get Midway

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

Official WG availability sources

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 Midway sits among Legendary CVs (3 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.

BestHit points67,600 HP (1 of 2 tied) BestSecondary HE alpha1,800 (1 of 2 tied) BestSecondary fire chance9% (1 of 2 tied) BestSecondary HE pen21 mm (1 of 2 tied) BestAA DPS992 (1/4) BestAA range5.2 km (1 of 2 tied) BestAA threat3,383 (1/4) BestCitadel belt193 mm (1 of 2 tied) BestDeck armor87 mm (1 of 2 tied) BestAir torpedo range7 km (1/4) BestSquadron restore time24 s (1/4) BestDeck HP33,800 HP (1 of 2 tied) Top 25%Air torpedo damage5,500 (2/4) Top 25%Air torpedo stealth1.3 km (2/4) Top 25%Plane HP2,250 HP (2/4) WorstRudder shift18.3 s (4/4) WorstAcceleration37.1 s (1 of 2 tied) WorstDisplacement59,901 t (1 of 2 tied) WorstBomb fire chance28% (3/3) WorstBomb penetration53.4 mm (3/3)
See 17 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Midway -- here's where she sits on every other ranked stat in the cohort. Stats tagged NORM are tied across more than half the cohort, so the value is the cohort default rather than a standout.

Max speed33 kt(3/4) Concealment15.02 km(3/4) Air detection10.51 km(3/4) Turning circle1,230 m(3/4) Secondary DPM (per side)243,000(3/4) Engine power212,000 hp(3/4) Turn-speed retention172.4 hp/m(3/4) Power-to-weight3.54 hp/t(3/4) Max armor193 mm(3/4) Bomb damage5,300(3/4) Air torpedo speed40 kn(3/4) NormSmoke fire bloom0 km(3 of 4 tied at this value) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(3 of 4 tied at this value) NormSecondary range5.5 km(3 of 4 tied at this value) NormFlak per wave (expected)3,220(3 of 4 tied at this value) NormBow armor19 mm(3 of 4 tied at this value) NormSquadron size24(3 of 4 tied at this value)

Stats & specs

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Survivability
Hit Points67,600
Displacement59,901 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.
295 x 41.45 m
Armor range13–193 mm
Plate armor thicknesses13, 19, 25, 38, 40, 50, 63, 74, 87, 127, 160, 165, 178, 193 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.
40%
Fire duration60 s
Fire damage
ƒEach fire ticks 0.4% of max HP per second for the full 60 s, so one unattended fire burns 24% of the pool (16,224 HP on this ship). 4 fire points can burn at once. Verified against measured burn ticks in replay data.
0.4% of HP per second
Flood duration30 s
Flood damage
ƒA flood ticks 0.25% of max HP per second for the 30 s duration, so one unattended flood costs 7.5% of the pool (5,070 HP on this ship). Verified against measured flood ticks in replay data.
0.25% 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.
25%
Steering gear HP
ƒDurability of the steering gears. As this pool drops, hits are likelier to jam the rudder; unlike most modules the steering can be knocked out and repaired but is never permanently destroyed.
20,300
Repairable: penetration50%
Repairable: citadel10%
Repairable: steering gear50%
✈
Squadrons
Total plane capacity116
Flight deck HP33,800
Hangar HP33,800
Dive bomber
Plane HP2,250
Cruising speed130 kt
OrdnanceHE bomb, 5,300 dmg
Fire chance28%
Bomb penetration53.4 mm
Hangar max24
Hangar restore+1 every 24 s, start 16
Recovery time24 s
Torpedo bomber
Plane HP2,600
Cruising speed129 kt
Ordnancetorpedo, 5,500 dmg
Flooding chance42%
Torpedo arming time5 s
Torpedo arming distance103 m
Hangar max20
Hangar restore+1 every 31 s, start 15
Recovery time31 s
Squadron consumables
Patrol Fighters
Charges3
Duration60 s
Reload10 s
Evasive Maneuver
Charges2
Duration10 s
Reload150 s
Damage reduction-50%
Return to Carrier
EffectAll aircraft return to carrier.
AA Defense
AA mount points49
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.
5.2 km
40 mm Bofors Mk111×2 40mm
40 mm Bofors Mk210×4 40mm
20 mm Oerlikon Mk2028×2 20mm
127 mm Mk39 (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.
18×1 127mm
Far aura
Guns127 mm Mk39 (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 224 from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
224
Range5.2 km
Medium aura
Guns40 mm Bofors Mk1 + 40 mm Bofors Mk2
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 130 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 1 hit probability = 455 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
455
Range3.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 224 + Medium 455 = 679
679
Near aura
Guns20 mm Oerlikon Mk20
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 94 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.95 hit probability = 313 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
313
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 224 + Medium 455 + Near 313 = 992
992
Flak bursts
Bursts
ƒEach ~2 s wave fires 3 quick salvos of 4 clouds ahead of the attacking squadron, plus 2 stray clouds farther out that appear off-beat between waves - up to 14 clouds per wave × 230 damage each. Planes that fly into a cloud take its damage; clouds dissipate before the next wave lands. Defensive AA Fire, where fitted, multiplies the salvo repeats within each wave.
3 salvos × 4 clouds + 2 outer
Cloud damage
ƒDamage a plane takes for flying into one flak cloud, before any reductions.
230
Cloud spawn chance
ƒEvery potential cloud spawns - the full pattern, every wave. Often called flak 'hit chance', but spawned clouds always damage planes that fly into them - the roll is on spawning.
100%
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 5.2 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 ↓
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts18
Firing range5.5 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
127 mm Mk39 (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: the same mounts also fire at aircraft, so they appear on the AA Defense card too - shared guns, not extra hardware.
18×1 127mm
Caliber127 mm
Reload time4 s
HE Damage1,800
Muzzle Velocity808 m/s
Fire Chance9%
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 @ 5.5 km
ƒ5.5 km × 57 + 30 = 343.5 m.
343.5 m
Maneuverability
Engine power212,000 hp
Maximum speed33 kt
Turning circle radius1230 m
Rudder shift time18.3 s
Engine power-boost threshold7 kt
Engine spool-up time23 s
Reverse spool-up time11.5 s
Reverse speed
ƒtop speed / 4 + 4.9 = 33 / 4 + 4.9 = 13.2 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.
13.2 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.
44.5 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).
10.9 kt
Acceleration 0-90%
ƒTime to reach 90% of top speed (29.7 kt of 33 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.
37.1 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (32.7 kt of 33 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.
59.8 s
See the full acceleration curve ↓
Concealment
Detectability by sea15.2 km
Detectability by air10.51 km
Detect when firing (air)
ƒAir detectability plus the gun-firing bloom (0 km, which tracks main-battery caliber x 0.020). Matches the in-game 'Detect Firing Air' value on every captured ship.
10.51 km
Detect when on fire (sea)
ƒBase sea detectability + 2.0 km while burning; matches the in-game 'Detect Fire Sea' value on every captured ship.
17.2 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.
13.51 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
✦
Consumables
Automatic Damage Control Party∞ charges · 90 s reload · 60 s active
Automatic Fighter4 charges · 40 s reload · 150 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
· 4 squadron size

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.

AA defense

AA DPS at max range224
Only families that reach 5.2 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 40mm Bofors Mk1 11x2 -> 238 DPS @ 3.5 km; 40mm Bofors 10x4 -> 217 DPS @ 3.5 km; 20mm Oerlikon MK20 Twin12 28x2 -> 313 DPS @ 2 km; 5in54 MK16 18x1 -> 224 DPS @ 5.2 km.
Maximum AA range5.2 km
Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3.5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.
AA DPS layered by range224 DPS @ 5.2 km, 679 DPS @ 3.5 km, 992 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-blank992
Sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (2 km).
AA threat index3383
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 @ 5.5 km343.5 m
5.5 km × 57 + 30 = 343.5 m.
Secondary dispersion @ 5 km315 m
Same per-type line evaluated at a fixed 5 km: 5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)243,000
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: 18×1 127 mm (9/side) × 60/4 × 1800 = 243,000. 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 chance9%
Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 9% 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 67,600, 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 & stern19 mm

Overmatched by 74+ AP guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Belt / citadel193 mm

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

Farming13 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 40%, fires burn 60s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow19 mm2,100 (3% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Gouden Leeuw)Angle bounces 203mm19 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)87 mm primary (range 13–160 mm)50,700 (75% of HP)
No common AP caliber overmatches87 mm: standard HE shatters; improved HE (DE / FR BB) pens from 356mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern19 mm primary (range 19–193 mm)3,400 (5% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Gouden Leeuw)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel193 mm primary (range 19–193 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.
Superstructure13 mm primary (range 13–165 mm)200 (0% 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).
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 HP20,300 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.

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Ship Charts

Balance History

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

Nerf ×16Buff ×11Rework ×1Airstrike ×4Torpedo ×5
2026-05-28

Ministry of Balance: Summertime Refit

  • Midway wasn't performing optimally, so we buffed her strongest aspects to make them stand out more.
  • Maximum HE bomb damage increased from 5,000 to 5,300.
  • HE bomb fire-starting chance increased from 25% to 28%.
Read the full official post
2024-06-27

Ministry of Balance: Aerial Adjustments

  • Torpedo.
  • Torpedo bomber restoration time increased from 24 to 31 s.
  • Torpedo bomber base speed reduced from 138 to 129 kts.
  • Dive bomber restoration time increased from 18 to 24 s.
  • Dive bomber base speed reduced from 140 to 130 kts.
Read the full official post
2024-05-31

Ministry of Balance: Carriers 2.0 – First Update

  • Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 2,500 to 2,250 (squadron HP reduced from 30,000 to 27,000).
  • Dive bomber accuracy (likelihood of an individual bomb hitting the inner circle) reduced from 50 to 35%.
  • Bomb damage reduced from 6,000 to 5,000.
  • Bomb fire-setting chances reduced from 35 to 25%.
  • Base speed reduced from 144 to 140 knots.
  • Torpedo Bombers:
  • Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 2,900 to 2,600 (squadron HP reduced from 29,000 to 26,000).
  • Torpedo damage reduced from 7,767 to 6,600.
  • Base speed reduced from 144 to 138 knots.
Read the full official post
2024-05-24

Ministry of Balance: Carriers 2.0 – First Wave

  • Aiming speed increased (aiming circle shrinks faster).
  • Dive bomber accuracy (likelihood of an individual bomb hitting the inner circle) increased from 25 to 50%.
  • Number of aircraft in squadron increased from 9 to 12.
  • Bombs per aircraft increased from 2 to 4.
  • Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 2,800 to 2,500 (squadron HP increased from 25,200 to 30,000).
  • Base speed increased from 128 to 144 knots.
  • Aircraft maximum flight range set to 38 kilometers.
  • Bomb damage reduced from 11,200 to 6,000.
  • HE bomb penetration reduced from 67.1 to 53.4 mm.
  • Bomb fire-setting chances reduced from 64 to 35%.
  • +4 more official change lines in the source post.
Read the full official post
2022-09-29

Halloween Update: New Friends, Old Foes

  • Surface detectability range changed from 16.1 to 15.2 km; air detectability range changed from 12.9 to 10.5 km.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Midway 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.

2026-05-29 · Official ship feature / stats Battle of Midway: Themed Missions & Historical Ships Official source 2022-08-25 · Patch notes Autumn Update: In the Shadow of Leaves Patch notes 2022-09-29 · Patch notes Halloween Update: New Friends, Old Foes Patch notes 2024-05-23 · Patch notes June Update: Wings Over Waves Patch notes 2025-05-15 · Patch notes May Update: The Cat and the Eagle Patch notes 2026-05-28 · Patch notes June Update: The Ages Betwixt Patch notes