GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Z-23

World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Z-23

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Germany · Tier VII · Destroyer · Tech Tree: Area-Control Destroyers

Smoke destroyerThe smoke cycle holds cap edges and trades gunfire from cover.

Playstyle

Anchor near a smoke cycle on a contested cap and trade gunfire from inside the cloud
The smoke is your sustain tool; rotating mid-smoke wastes the cycle for the next contest
Avoid: Rotating mid-smoke

Key characteristics

Heavy HE shellsHigh fire chanceSmoke + SonarEngine BoostDeep-fuse APStiff AP fuse

On this page

Community stats
Playstyle
How to get Z-23
Builds
Cohort position
Stats and specs
Armor
Charts
Balance history
Exteriors

Community Data

Z-23 Community Stats

Log in to GamingDiver and upload your data to see Community Data for Z-23: community win rate, damage, survival, spotting, and your own comparison.

Playstyle

Overview

Z-23 is a Tier VII German smoke destroyer: the many smokes are the kit, setting up aggressive and defensive plays that one-smoke DDs cannot. Hold cap edges and trade gunfire from cover, then re-smoke before the next window closes. Standout traits: best HE alpha in T7 DDs (2,200) and best HE fire chance in T7 DDs (12).

Positioning

Anchor near a smoke cycle on a contested cap and trade gunfire from inside the cloud. The smoke is your sustain tool; rotating mid-smoke wastes the cycle for the next contest. 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 2.5 km, and a destroyer here is spotted at about 7 km, so you see it coming with roughly 4.4 km to spare. Vision is mutual: past the 2 km guaranteed ring you cannot see out either, and only your Sonar bubble (4.4 km) sees out; past that you are shooting at what a teammate holds lit. Enemy sonar (about 4.4 km) and radar (about 9.5 km) read straight in regardless. Both phases of a turn are slow (4.5 s on the rudder, a 680 m circle), so course changes are a plan rather than a reaction: set the angle before you are shot at.

Potato Avoidance

Rotating mid-smoke

The smoke is a static firing position; if you leave it before the cycle ends, you give up the trade you set up and the next contest opens without a smoke to fall back on.

Signature Traits

Engine Boost

+8% speed (about +3 kt), 120 s duration. Engine Boost consumable lifts top speed enough to open or close a gap deliberately, though not to outrun a committed chase.

ELITE MAIN BATTERY ↗

Heavy HE shells · 2200 damage
High fire chance · 12%
Deep-fuse AP · 0.03 s

MIXED MAIN BATTERY ↗

Stiff AP fuse · 25 mm
Pattern widens fast with range

Acquisition

How to get Z-23

Z-23 is available in the Area-Control Destroyers branch of the Germany Tech Tree for 18,000,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 4,950,000 credits.

Show Germany tech-tree branch diagram

Germany Tech Tree

Z-23 sits in the Area-Control Destroyers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full Germany tree.

8 ships in highlighted branch · scroll to inspect all Germany lines.

GermanyIIIIIIIVVVIVIIVIII★

Destroyer

Destroyer Split

Cruiser

Battleship

Battleship Split

Carrier

Tier VIIIFelix SchultzPGSD209 Tier VIIIPrinz RupprechtPGSB209 Tier VIIGustav Julius MaerkerPGSD208 Tier VIIZietenPGSB208 Tier VIZ-31PGSD207 Tier VIPrinz HeinrichPGSB207 Tier VMackensenPGSB206 Tier IVDerfflingerPGSB205 Tier ★Z-52PGSD110 Tier ★Großer KurfürstPGSB110 Tier ★Manfred von RichthofenPGSA110 Tier VIIIZ-46PGSD109 Tier VIIIRoonPGSC109 Tier VIIIFriedrich der GroßePGSB109 Tier VIIZ-23PGSD108 Tier VIIHipperPGSC108 Tier VIIBismarckPGSB108 Tier VIIAugust von ParsevalPGSA108 Tier VIMaassPGSD107 Tier VIYorckPGSC107 Tier VIGneisenauPGSB107 Tier VGaedePGSD106 Tier VNürnbergPGSC106 Tier VBayernPGSB106 Tier VWeserPGSA106 Tier IVT-22PGSD105 Tier IVKönigsbergPGSC105 Tier IVKönigPGSB105 Tier IIIV-170PGSD104 Tier IIIKarlsruhePGSC104 Tier IIIKaiserPGSB104 Tier IIIRheinPGSA104 Tier IIKolbergPGSC103 Tier IIV-25PGSD102 Tier IDresdenPGSC002

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

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Where Z-23 sits among Tier VII DDs (39 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.

BestHE shell damage2,200 (1 of 5 tied) BestHE fire chance12% (1 of 4 tied) BestAP fuse timer0.03 s (1 of 8 tied) Top 10%AP shell damage3,700 (4/31) Top 25%Stealth profile6.82 km / 3.41 km (11/40 / 11/40) Top 25%Main dispersion94.8 m (7/35) Top 25%Engine power70,000 hp (10/40) Top 25%Torpedo reload81 s (9/36) Bottom 25%Rudder shift4.5 s (34/40) Bottom 25%Turning circle680 m (31/40) Bottom 10%Traverse-to-turn ratio4.99 × (33/35) Bottom 10%Main battery range10.64 km (33/35) WorstNo secondaries (33 of 40 in cohort) WorstAP arming threshold25 mm (1 of 6 tied) WorstAP pen at 10 km44 mm (1 of 2 tied)

See 29 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Z-23 -- here's where she sits on every other ranked stat in the cohort. Stats tagged NORM are tied across more than half the cohort, so the value is the cohort default rather than a standout.

Hit points19,500 HP(13/40) Max speed37 kt(13/40) Smoke fire bloom2.54 km(13/40) Main battery caliber128 mm(17/35) Main battery reload5.4 s(27/35) Fires per minute6.67(13/34) HE DPM122,222(21/34) AP DPM205,556(14/31) AP velocity835 m/s(20/31) HE velocity835 m/s(22/34) Acceleration17.8 s(25/40) Turn-speed retention102.9 hp/m(15/40) Displacement3,660 t(29/40) Power-to-weight19.13 hp/t(23/40) Effective HE DPM (incl. fire)171,699(19/34) AA DPS192(17/40) AA range3.5 km(23/40) AA threat537(19/40) Torpedo range9.51 km(18/36) Torpedo damage≈13,400(26/36) Torpedo speed66 kt(17/36) Torpedo reaction time7.9 s(21/36) Max armor20 mm(25/40) Citadel belt20 mm(25/40) Bow armor19 mm(21/40) Stern armor19 mm(21/40) NormAP ricochet start45°(24 of 31 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(24 of 31 tied at this value) NormTurn speed retained81%(38 of 40 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Compare Tier VII Destroyers

Show all 39 peers

Gustav Julius Maerker

Stats & specs

Customize in the Build Tool →

Survivability

Hit PointsInitial: 14,700 → 19,500

Displacement3,660 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.

127 x 12 m (published figure)

Armor range13–20 mm

Plate armor thicknesses13, 16, 19, 20 mm

Armor material/layer entries25

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 duration30 s

Fire damage

Each fire ticks 0.3% of max HP per second for the full 30 s, so one unattended fire burns 9% of the pool (1,755 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 (1,950 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.

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.

9,800

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.

5,900

Repairable: penetration50%

Repairable: steering gear50%

Main Battery

ModuleArtillery: 150 mm L/48 Tbts KC/36

Mounts / barrels4 mounts / 4 barrels

Reload timeInitial: 4 s → 6 s

Firing range (base)9.7 km

Firing range (top fire control)10.6 km

Turret traverse8 °/s

Turret armorInitial: 10 mm → 30 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.

±142°, ±151°, ±153°, ±154°

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.

38° off bow / 26° off stern

See the firing-arcs diagram ↓

HE fire DPM vs T7 BB17803

Effective HE DPM vs T7 BB77803

Shell Grouping (σ)2

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{10642.5}{30} \cdot \frac{8 - 0.5}{1000} + 0.5) \cdot 30 = 94.8 m

94.8 m at 10.6 km

Max Vert Disp

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range:

σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot radiusOnMax

= 94.8 \cdot 0.6 = 56.9 m

56.9 m at 10.6 km

Med Horiz Disp

50%-hit horizontal radius:

σ_{H, 50} = σ_{H} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 94.8 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2} = 28.4 m

28.4 m at 10.6 km

Med Vert Disp

50%-hit vertical radius:

σ_{V, 50} = σ_{V} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 56.9 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2} = 17.1 m

17.1 m at 10.6 km

Turret turn time

180 degrees / 8 deg/s traverse speed = 22.5 s.

22.5 s

Shells/min

Zero upgrades: 4 broadside guns x 60 / 4 s base reload = 60. All upgrades (top gun, 5-gun broadside + top hull shells + Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 5 broadside guns x 60 / 5.4 s all-upgrades reload = 55.6.

Initial: 60 → 55.6

HE shells

HE Damage1,500 → 2,200

HE Velocity830 m/s → 835 m/s

Fire Chance6% → 12%

HE penetration

In-game data: 25 mm = 128 mm caliber / 5.12 (non-standard HE penetration ratio).

25 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

Zero upgrades: 1,500 HE damage x 4 broadside guns = 6,000. All upgrades (top gun, 5-gun broadside + top hull shells + Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 2,200 HE damage x 5 broadside guns = 11,000.

Initial: 6,000 → 11,000

HE DPM

Zero upgrades: 6,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4 s base reload = 90,000. All upgrades (top gun, 5-gun broadside + top hull shells + Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 11,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5.4 s all-upgrades reload = 122,222.

Initial: 90,000 → 122,222

Fires/min

Zero upgrades: 60 shells/min x 12% fire chance = 7.2. All upgrades (top gun, 5-gun broadside + top hull shells + Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 55.6 shells/min x 12% fire chance = 6.67.

Initial: 7.2 → 6.67

AP shells

AP Damage3,000 → 3,700

AP Velocity830 m/s → 835 m/s

Min Ricochet45 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg

Fuse Timer0.01 s

Fuse Threshold21 mm

AP overmatch

floor(128 mm caliber / 14.3) = 8 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

8 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 1933 \cdot {45.3}^{0.69} \cdot {0.15}^{- 1.07} \cdot 835^{1.38} = 220 mm

. Matches the in-game spec card.

220 mm point-blank

AP Pen Far

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (10.6 km), where the shell has slowed to 315.8 m/s:

P = 10^{- 7} \cdot 1933 \cdot {45.3}^{0.69} \cdot {0.15}^{- 1.07} \cdot {315.8}^{1.38} = 57.5 mm

57.5 mm at 10.6 km

AP full-salvo alpha

Zero upgrades: 3,000 AP damage x 4 broadside guns = 12,000. All upgrades (top gun, 5-gun broadside + top hull shells + Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 3,700 AP damage x 5 broadside guns = 18,500.

Initial: 12,000 → 18,500

AP DPM

Zero upgrades: 12,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4 s base reload = 180,000. All upgrades (top gun, 5-gun broadside + top hull shells + Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 18,500 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5.4 s all-upgrades reload = 205,556.

Initial: 180,000 → 205,556

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.

Torpedoes

ModuleTorpedoes: G7 Schildbutt

Launchers / tubes2 launchers × 4 tubes = 8 tubes

Reload time

Base reload of the top torpedo module (all-upgrades configuration); the stock module reloads in 90 s. In-game port tooltips additionally fold in your installed modernizations and commander effects - e.g. Torpedo Launchers Mod. 3 alone is x0.85:

81 \times 0.85 = 68.8

81 s

Projectile speed

Speed of the top torpedo module (all-upgrades configuration, 66 kt); the stock torpedo module runs 65 kt. Site stats assume the full-upgrades fit unless a row shows a stock → top pair.

66 kt

Range9.51 km

Maximum simulated damage

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:

D_{sim} = α \cdot c = 40, 200 \cdot 0.333 = 13, 400

≈ 13,400

Maximum damage (ammunition)

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.

14,400

Torpedo detectability1.4 km

Reaction time

How long a target has to dodge after your torpedo is spotted at its detectability range (lower means less warning):

t_{react} = \frac{1.4 km}{66 kt \times 2.6855} = 7.9 s

. 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.

7.9 s

Flooding chance

Read straight from the game's own data: this torpedo carries a flooding-chance value of 2.4 per hit, shown as

2.4 \times 100 = 240 %

. 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.

240%

Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s

Torp Turn

Time to rotate the launchers 180 deg:

t_{turn} = \frac{180 °}{25 ° / s} = 7.2 s

7.2 s

Torp Arming207 m

Per-side salvo damage

One side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 8 x 13,400 = 107,200.

107,200

AA Defense

AA mount pointsInitial: 8 → 10

Maximum AA range

Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3.5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.

3.5 km

37 mm Flak LM/42Initial: 37 mm Flakzwilling 30 (2×2) → 37 mm Flak LM/42 (4×2)

20 mm Flakvierling 38 (upgraded hull only)4×4 20mm

20 mm Flakzwilling 38 (upgraded hull only)2×2 20mm

20 mm Flak 38 (stock hull only)6×1 20mm

Guns37 mm Flak LM/42

Continuous DPS

Effective DPS: 29 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 1 hit probability = 102 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.

Initial: 18 → 102

Range3.5 km

Guns20 mm Flakvierling 38 + 20 mm Flakzwilling 38

Continuous DPS

Effective DPS: 27 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.95 hit probability = 90 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.

Initial: 63 → 90

Range2 km

Total DPS in Aura

Medium 102 + Near 90 = 192

192

See the AA layers diagram ↓

Maneuverability

Engine power70,000 hp

Maximum speed37 kt

Turning circle radius680 m

Rudder shift time4.5 s

Engine power-boost threshold7 kt

Engine spool-up time7.7 s

Reverse spool-up time3.8 s

Reverse speed

top speed / 4 + 4.9 = 37 / 4 + 4.9 = 14.2 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.

14.2 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.

15.2 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).

10 kt

Acceleration 0-90%

Time to reach 90% of top speed (33.3 kt of 37 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.

17.8 s

Acceleration 0-99%

Time to reach 99% of top speed (36.6 kt of 37 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.

30.4 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{37.0 \cdot 0.5144}{680} = 1.60 ° / s

, so

ratio = \frac{ω_{turret}}{ω_{hull}} = \frac{8}{1.60} = 5.0 \times

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

5.0× drags

See the full acceleration curve ↓

Concealment

Detectability by sea6.82 km

Detectability by air3.41 km

Smoke firing penalty2.54 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.

10.64 km

Detect when firing (air)

Air detectability plus the gun-firing bloom (3 km, which tracks main-battery caliber x 0.020). Matches the in-game 'Detect Firing Air' value on every captured ship.

6.41 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.

8.82 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.

6.41 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

Damage Control Party∞ charges · 40 s reload · 5 s active

Smoke Generator2 charges · 240 s reload · 20 s emit / 69 s cloud active · 450 m radius

Engine Boost2 charges · 180 s reload · 120 s active · +8% speed bonus

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): $\frac{104 \times 30}{1000} = 3.12 km$

Module options (4)

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

HullUpgrade

Hit points14,700 → 19,500
Rudder shift8.2 → 5.9 s
AA mounts8 → 10
Close-range AA DPS24 → 56

Fire controlUpgrade

Main battery range9,675 → 10642.5 m

ArtilleryUpgrade

Base reload4 → 6 s

TorpedoesUpgrade

Range8.49 → 9.51 km
Reload90 → 81 s
Speed65 → 66 kt

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)2

Max Horiz Disp94.8 m at 10.6 km

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model:  $σ_{H} = (\frac{R}{30} \cdot \frac{idealRadius - minRadius}{idealDistance} + minRadius) \cdot 30$   $= (\frac{10642.5}{30} \cdot \frac{8 - 0.5}{1000} + 0.5) \cdot 30 = 94.8 m$

Shell scatter width @ 5 km52.5 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 km90 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.

Max Vert Disp56.9 m at 10.6 km

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot radiusOnMax$ $= 94.8 \cdot 0.6 = 56.9 m$

Shell scatter height @ 10 km52.9 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  $delim \cdot R_{m a x} = 0.5 \cdot 10642.5 = 5321$  m, and  $radiusOnMax = 0.6$  at 10642.5 m. Above the kink:  $k = 0.5 + (0.6 - 0.5) \cdot \frac{10000 - 5321}{10642.5 - 5321} = 0.5879$ , so  $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot k = 90 \cdot 0.5879 = 52.9 m$ .

Med Horiz Disp28.4 m at 10.6 km

50%-hit horizontal radius: $σ_{H, 50} = σ_{H} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}$ $= 94.8 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2} = 28.4 m$

Med Vert Disp17.1 m at 10.6 km

50%-hit vertical radius: $σ_{V, 50} = σ_{V} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}$ $= 56.9 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2} = 17.1 m$

Dispersion familyDD Disp.

Standard destroyer dispersion baseline.

AP Pen Close220 mm point-blank

Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity:  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v_{0}^{1.38}$   $= 10^{- 7} \cdot 1933 \cdot {45.3}^{0.69} \cdot {0.15}^{- 1.07} \cdot 835^{1.38} = 220 mm$ . Matches the in-game spec card.

AP Pen Far57.5 mm at 10.6 km

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (10.6 km), where the shell has slowed to 315.8 m/s:  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot 1933 \cdot {45.3}^{0.69} \cdot {0.15}^{- 1.07} \cdot {315.8}^{1.38} = 57.5 mm$ .

AP pen 5 km81 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 km44 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 flight time @ 10 km7.32 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:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.3447 \cdot {0.128}^{2}}{8 \cdot 28} = 7.92 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 830 m/s muzzle velocity in 0.02 s steps under gravity 9.8 m/s² until the shell lands, then divides by 2.77: the game clock runs faster than real time, and that factor was measured against stopwatch runs in the Training Room. Lower is better, since a faster shell is harder to dodge and needs less lead.

HE flight time @ 10 km7.32 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:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.3447 \cdot {0.128}^{2}}{8 \cdot 28} = 7.92 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 830 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 penetration25 mm

In-game data: 25 mm = 128 mm caliber / 5.12 (non-standard HE penetration ratio).

AP overmatch8 mm

floor(128 mm caliber / 14.3) = 8 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

AP AOE Radius15

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 alphaInitial: 4 → 5

Stock guns: 4 of 4 barrels bear on one beam. Top guns: 5 of 5. Alpha and DPM pair each configuration's salvo with its own reload.

Turret turn time22.5 s

180 degrees / 8 deg/s traverse speed = 22.5 s.

HE full-salvo alphaInitial: 6,000 → 11,000

Zero upgrades: 1,500 HE damage x 4 broadside guns = 6,000. All upgrades (top gun, 5-gun broadside + top hull shells + Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 2,200 HE damage x 5 broadside guns = 11,000.

AP full-salvo alphaInitial: 12,000 → 18,500

Zero upgrades: 3,000 AP damage x 4 broadside guns = 12,000. All upgrades (top gun, 5-gun broadside + top hull shells + Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 3,700 AP damage x 5 broadside guns = 18,500.

HE DPMInitial: 90,000 → 122,222

Zero upgrades: 6,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4 s base reload = 90,000. All upgrades (top gun, 5-gun broadside + top hull shells + Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 11,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5.4 s all-upgrades reload = 122,222.

AP DPMInitial: 180,000 → 205,556

Zero upgrades: 12,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4 s base reload = 180,000. All upgrades (top gun, 5-gun broadside + top hull shells + Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 18,500 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5.4 s all-upgrades reload = 205,556.

Shells/minInitial: 60 → 55.6

Zero upgrades: 4 broadside guns x 60 / 4 s base reload = 60. All upgrades (top gun, 5-gun broadside + top hull shells + Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 5 broadside guns x 60 / 5.4 s all-upgrades reload = 55.6.

Fires/minInitial: 7.2 → 6.67

Zero upgrades: 60 shells/min x 12% fire chance = 7.2. All upgrades (top gun, 5-gun broadside + top hull shells + Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 55.6 shells/min x 12% fire chance = 6.67.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.4 km

Estimated torpedo reaction time7.9 s

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).

Torpedo speed66 kt

Travel time to max range53.7 s

range / (speed kt x 2.6855 game-speed factor, m/s per knot, calibrated from in-game measurement).

Torpedo module damage1,000

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.

Tube count8

2 launchers x 4 tubes.

Per-side salvo8 torpedoes

8 (centerline launchers train across - full salvo to either side).

Full-salvo damage107,200

All tubes hitting one target: tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 8 x 13,400 = 107,200.

Per-side salvo damage107,200

One side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 8 x 13,400 = 107,200.

AA defense

AA DPS at max range102

Only families that reach 3.5 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 37mm Flak M42 Zwilling 4x2 -> 102 DPS @ 3.5 km; 20mm Flack 38 quad 4x4 -> 60 DPS @ 2 km; 20mm Flak 38 2x2 -> 30 DPS @ 2 km.

Maximum AA range3.5 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 range102 DPS @ 3.5 km, 192 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-blank192

Sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (2 km).

AA threat index537

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

Armor Beta

Hull HP 14,700 → 19,500 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 & stern19 mm

Overmatched by 136+ AP guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Farming16 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 37%, fires burn 30s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →

Section	Plates	HP cap	Threats	Tactic
Bow	19 mm primary (range 19–20 mm)	2,900 (15% of HP)	Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Scharnhorst, Scharnhorst '43)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)	16 mm primary (range 16–19 mm)	14,600 (75% of HP)	Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Scharnhorst, Scharnhorst '43)Angle bounces 203mm16 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern	19 mm primary (range 16–20 mm)	1,700 (9% of HP)	Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Scharnhorst, Scharnhorst '43)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	20 mm primary (range 13–20 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	9,800 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.
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.
Rudder (module)	separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP	5,900 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 Z-23. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Buff ×3Main Battery ×3

2025-11-27

Holiday Update: Christmas on the Waves

Upgraded main battery reload time reduced from 6.4 to 6.0 seconds.

Read the full official post

2023-06-15

Ministry of Balance: Italian Concerto

Upgraded Main Battery reload time reduced from 6.7 to 6.4 s.
Upgraded Torpedo reload time reduced from 90 to 81 s.

Read the full official post

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Z-23 can equip, from in-game data.

DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior
Z 23 Hw24Halloween
Z 23 RatHalloween

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.

2022-07-14 · Official ship feature / stats Strive for Greatness: Tier VIII development blog Official source 2025-11-27 · Patch notes Holiday Update: Christmas on the Waves Patch notes 2026-06-25 · Patch notes July Update: Born to Sail Free Patch notes

Z-23

Z-23 Community Stats

Z-23 Community Stats

Playstyle

Overview

Positioning

Potato Avoidance

Signature Traits →

How to get Z-23

Builds

Cohort position

Peers in this cohort

Stats & specs

See all derived stats

Main battery formulas

Torpedoes

AA defense

Armor Beta

Ship Charts

Balance History

Holiday Update: Christmas on the Waves

Ministry of Balance: Italian Concerto

Skins & permanent camouflages

Primary official WG sources

Signature Traits