GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Z-52

World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Z-52

Beta

Germany · Tier ★ · Destroyer · Premium

Torpedo destroyerFast, hard-hitting torpedoes; a torpedo-spam kit, not a gun trader.

Playstyle

Push deep into caps with 7.1 km detection - closer than peer DDs can match
Avoid: Burning the 7.1 km concealment advantage on guns

Key characteristics

Improved HE penSmoke + SonarEngine BoostLong-range sonarPattern widens fast with range

On this page

Community stats
Playstyle
How to get Z-52
Builds
Cohort position
Stats and specs
Armor
Charts
Balance history
Exteriors

Community Data

Z-52 Community Stats

Log in to GamingDiver and upload your data to see Community Data for Z-52: community win rate, damage, survival, spotting, and your own comparison.

Playstyle

Overview

Z-52 is a Legendary German stealth destroyer with cohort-best surface detection (7.1 km). The kit opens detection windows other DDs cannot, so her value is contesting caps her peer DDs cannot reach unspotted. Standout traits: best Sonar ship range in Legendary DDs (5.7 km) and best Sonar torpedo range in Legendary DDs (3.9 km).

Positioning

Push deep into caps with 7.1 km detection - closer than peer DDs can match. The advantage opens windows for free torpedo drops and unspotted reposition; treat the cap as yours to take rather than yours to contest.

Potato Avoidance

Burning the 7.1 km concealment advantage on guns

Every salvo lights you up and gives back the detection edge that makes the kit work; reserve guns for finishing damage on already-spotted ships, and prioritize torpedo drops you can fire while undetected.

Signature Traits

Improved HE penetration

HE pen at the 1/4 caliber ratio instead of the standard 1/6. HE-spam is a real damage option here, not just a fire-starter, shared by 3/12 Legendary DDs.

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 SONAR ↗

Long-range sonar · 5.7 km
Wide torpedo · 3.9 km

Pattern widens fast with range ↗

Shell pattern widens about 8.9 m per km of range, bottom decile of Legendary DDs. Salvos spread more at any given distance than peers', so bracketing matters (this is range-normalized, so out-ranging peers does not count against her).

Acquisition

How to get Z-52

Z-52 is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition path: Premium/Event.

Premium/EventAvailability usually depends on store rotations, event reruns, collaborations, coupons, or special offers.

Builds

Build for concealment, survivability, gun reload, torpedo reload, and utility control. The ship wins by information advantage.

Erich Bey

WG official

InspirationsWilliam Sims · Jerzy Świrski

WG official build from Bureau Overview: Vermont and Z-52.

Source: Bureau Overview: Vermont and Z-52

Open in Build Tool →

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Cohort position

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Where Z-52 sits among Legendary DDs (11 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.

Top 25%Air detection3.5 km (3/12) Top 25%AP shell damage3,000 (3/10) Top 25%Main dispersion96.1 m (3/12) Top 25%AA DPS284 (3/12) Top 25%AA threat1,173 (3/12) Top 25%Flak per wave (expected)1,250 (3/9) Bottom 25%Main battery range10.81 km (11/12) Bottom 25%HE fire chance7% (10/12) WorstHE shell damage1,500 (1 of 2 tied)

See 36 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Z-52 -- 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 points20,800 HP(7/12) Max speed37.5 kt(7/12) Concealment7.1 km(5/12) Smoke fire bloom2.6 km(5/12) Rudder shift4.5 s(7/12) Turning circle700 m(7/12) Traverse-to-turn ratio11.4 ×(7/12) Main battery caliber128 mm(7/12) Main battery reload3.7 s(5/12) Fires per minute6.81(7/12) HE DPM145,946(9/12) AP DPM291,892(5/10) AP velocity830 m/s(6/10) HE velocity830 m/s(7/12) Acceleration17.6 s(6/11) AP arming threshold21 mm(5/10) Engine power76,000 hp(5/11) Turn-speed retention108.6 hp/m(7/11) Displacement3,703 t(5/12) Power-to-weight20.52 hp/t(5/11) AP pen at 10 km57 mm(7/10) Effective HE DPM (incl. fire)201,769(9/12) AA range5 km(6/12) Torpedo range10.5 km(7/12) Torpedo damage≈13,400(9/12) Torpedo speed69 kt(5/12) Torpedo reaction time7.6 s(5/12) Torpedo reload90 s(5/12) NormSigma2(11 of 12 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.01 s(9 of 10 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(7 of 10 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(7 of 10 tied at this value) NormTurn speed retained81%(9 of 12 tied at this value) NormMax armor20 mm(10 of 12 tied at this value) NormCitadel belt20 mm(10 of 12 tied at this value) NormDeck armor19 mm(8 of 10 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Compare Legendary Destroyers

Show all 11 peers

Stats & specs

Customize in the Build Tool →

Survivability

Hit Points20,800

Displacement3,703 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.

132.1 x 12.6 m

Armor range13–20 mm

Plate armor thicknesses13, 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.

40%

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 (1,872 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 (2,080 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.

10,400

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.

6,200

Repairable: penetration50%

Repairable: steering gear50%

Main Battery

These main guns are dual-purpose: they also fire at aircraft and feed the AA Defense card.

ModuleArtillery: 6×128 mm

Mounts / barrels3 mounts / 6 barrels

Reload time4.1 s

Firing range10.8 km

Turret traverse18 °/s

Turret armor16 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 ±151°, ±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.

29° off bow / 29° off stern

See the firing-arcs diagram ↓

HE fire DPM vs T8 BB50383

Effective HE DPM vs T8 BB182090

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{10810}{30} \cdot \frac{8 - 0.5}{1000} + 0.5) \cdot 30 = 96.1 m

96.1 m at 10.8 km

Max Vert Disp

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range:

σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot radiusOnMax

= 96.1 \cdot 0.6 = 57.6 m

57.6 m at 10.8 km

Med Horiz Disp

50%-hit horizontal radius:

σ_{H, 50} = σ_{H} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 96.1 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2} = 28.8 m

28.8 m at 10.8 km

Med Vert Disp

50%-hit vertical radius:

σ_{V, 50} = σ_{V} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 57.6 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2} = 17.3 m

17.3 m at 10.8 km

Turret turn time

180 degrees / 18 deg/s traverse speed = 10 s.

10 s

Shells/min

Zero upgrades: 6 broadside guns x 60 / 4.1 s base reload = 87.8. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 6 broadside guns x 60 / 3.7 s all-upgrades reload = 97.3.

Initial: 87.8 → 97.3

HE shells

HE Damage1,500

HE Velocity830 m/s

Fire Chance7%

HE penetration

32 mm ≈ 128 mm caliber / 4 (improved HE penetration: German BBs, Yamato-class, and a handful of others).

32 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

1,500 HE damage x 6 broadside guns = 9,000.

9,000

HE DPM

Zero upgrades: 9,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4.1 s base reload = 131,707. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 9,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.7 s all-upgrades reload = 145,946.

Initial: 131,707 → 145,946

Fires/min

Zero upgrades: 87.8 shells/min x 7% fire chance = 6.15. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 97.3 shells/min x 7% fire chance = 6.81.

Initial: 6.15 → 6.81

AP shells

AP Damage3,000

AP Velocity830 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 1647 \cdot 28^{0.69} \cdot {0.128}^{- 1.07} \cdot 830^{1.38} = 158.1 mm

. Matches the in-game spec card.

158.1 mm point-blank

AP Pen Far

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (10.8 km), where the shell has slowed to 374.2 m/s:

P = 10^{- 7} \cdot 1647 \cdot 28^{0.69} \cdot {0.128}^{- 1.07} \cdot {374.2}^{1.38} = 52.7 mm

52.7 mm at 10.8 km

AP full-salvo alpha

3,000 AP damage x 6 broadside guns = 18,000.

18,000

AP DPM

Zero upgrades: 18,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4.1 s base reload = 263,415. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 18,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.7 s all-upgrades reload = 291,892.

Initial: 263,415 → 291,892

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: 533 mm Vierling

Launchers / tubes2 launchers × 4 tubes = 8 tubes

Reload time90 s

Projectile speed69 kt

Range10.5 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}{69 kt \times 2.6855} = 7.6 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.

7.6 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 Arming215 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 points10

Maximum AA range

Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 4.5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.

5 km

55 mm L/77 Gerät 583×1 55mm

37 mm Flak LM/427×2 37mm

Gunsmain battery (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 56 from dual-purpose main battery firing as AA in this range band.

Range5 km

Guns55 mm L/77 Gerät 58

Continuous DPS

Effective DPS: 27 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 1 hit probability = 94 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.

Range4.5 km

Total DPS in Aura

Far 56 + Outer Medium 94 = 150

150

Guns37 mm Flak LM/42

Continuous DPS

Effective DPS: 38 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 1 hit probability = 133 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.

133

Range3.5 km

Total DPS in Aura

Far 56 + Outer Medium 94 + Inner Medium 133 = 283

283

Bursts

Each ~2 s wave fires 2 quick salvos of 2 clouds ahead of the attacking squadron, plus 1 stray cloud farther out that appear off-beat between waves - up to 5 clouds per wave × 250 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 × 2 clouds + 1 outer

Cloud damage

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

250

Cloud spawn chance

Every 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

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 main battery mount is operational - even losing every other AA mount does not stop it.

Main 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 km - once planes get inside the band, new waves stop. AA range bonuses push the outer edge out; the 2.5 km inner edge does not move.

2.5-5 km

See the AA layers diagram ↓

Maneuverability

Engine power76,000 hp

Maximum speed37.5 kt

Turning circle radius700 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 = 37.5 / 4 + 4.9 = 14.3 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.

14.3 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 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).

13 kt

Acceleration 0-90%

Time to reach 90% of top speed (33.8 kt of 37.5 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.

17.6 s

Acceleration 0-99%

Time to reach 99% of top speed (37.1 kt of 37.5 kt). 99% rather than 100% because true top speed is asymptotic (thrust meets drag), so the last fraction of a knot is never quite gained.

30 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{37.5 \cdot 0.5144}{700} = 1.58 ° / s

, so

ratio = \frac{ω_{turret}}{ω_{hull}} = \frac{18}{1.58} = 11.4 \times

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

11.4× ok

See the full acceleration curve ↓

Concealment

Detectability by sea7.1 km

Detectability by air3.5 km

Smoke firing penalty2.6 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.

10.81 km

Detect when firing (air)

Air detectability plus the gun-firing bloom (2.6 km, which tracks main-battery caliber x 0.020). Matches the in-game 'Detect Firing Air' value on every captured ship.

6.1 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.

9.1 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.

6.5 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

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

Smoke Generator2 charges · 240 s reload · 20 s emit / 77 s cloud active · 450 m radius

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

Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 120 s active · 5.73 km ship detect
ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): $\frac{191 \times 30}{1000} = 5.73 km$
· 3.93 km torpedo detect
ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): $\frac{131 \times 30}{1000} = 3.93 km$

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 Disp96.1 m at 10.8 km

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model:  $σ_{H} = (\frac{R}{30} \cdot \frac{idealRadius - minRadius}{idealDistance} + minRadius) \cdot 30$   $= (\frac{10810}{30} \cdot \frac{8 - 0.5}{1000} + 0.5) \cdot 30 = 96.1 m$

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 Disp57.6 m at 10.8 km

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot radiusOnMax$ $= 96.1 \cdot 0.6 = 57.6 m$

Shell scatter height @ 10 km52.7 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  $delim \cdot R_{m a x} = 0.5 \cdot 10810 = 5405$  m, and  $radiusOnMax = 0.6$  at 10810 m. Above the kink:  $k = 0.5 + (0.6 - 0.5) \cdot \frac{10000 - 5405}{10810 - 5405} = 0.585$ , so  $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot k = 90 \cdot 0.585 = 52.7 m$ .

Med Horiz Disp28.8 m at 10.8 km

50%-hit horizontal radius: $σ_{H, 50} = σ_{H} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}$ $= 96.1 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2} = 28.8 m$

Med Vert Disp17.3 m at 10.8 km

50%-hit vertical radius: $σ_{V, 50} = σ_{V} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}$ $= 57.6 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2} = 17.3 m$

Dispersion familyDD Disp.

Standard destroyer dispersion baseline.

AP Pen Close158.1 mm point-blank

Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity:  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v_{0}^{1.38}$   $= 10^{- 7} \cdot 1647 \cdot 28^{0.69} \cdot {0.128}^{- 1.07} \cdot 830^{1.38} = 158.1 mm$ . Matches the in-game spec card.

AP Pen Far52.7 mm at 10.8 km

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (10.8 km), where the shell has slowed to 374.2 m/s:  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot 1647 \cdot 28^{0.69} \cdot {0.128}^{- 1.07} \cdot {374.2}^{1.38} = 52.7 mm$ .

AP pen 5 km93 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 km57 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 km6.56 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:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.2752 \cdot {0.128}^{2}}{8 \cdot 28} = 6.32 \times 10^{- 5}$ . 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 km6.56 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:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.2752 \cdot {0.128}^{2}}{8 \cdot 28} = 6.32 \times 10^{- 5}$ . 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 penetration32 mm

32 mm ≈ 128 mm caliber / 4 (improved HE penetration: German BBs, Yamato-class, and a handful of others).

Improved HE PenYes

This ship's HE shells use a 1/4 (~0.25) caliber-to-pen ratio instead of the standard 1/6 (~0.167) - 0.25 in this case. Lets HE pen ~32mm armor instead of ~21mm. Hits every German cruiser (150mm CL, 203mm CA) and BB (350mm+), British heavy cruisers / Lion / Nelson, a handful of other premiums.

AP overmatch8 mm

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

AP AOE Radius10

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 alpha6

All 6 barrels bear on the broadside.

Turret turn time10 s

180 degrees / 18 deg/s traverse speed = 10 s.

HE full-salvo alpha9,000

1,500 HE damage x 6 broadside guns = 9,000.

AP full-salvo alpha18,000

3,000 AP damage x 6 broadside guns = 18,000.

HE DPMInitial: 131,707 → 145,946

Zero upgrades: 9,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4.1 s base reload = 131,707. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 9,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.7 s all-upgrades reload = 145,946.

AP DPMInitial: 263,415 → 291,892

Zero upgrades: 18,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4.1 s base reload = 263,415. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 18,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.7 s all-upgrades reload = 291,892.

Shells/minInitial: 87.8 → 97.3

Zero upgrades: 6 broadside guns x 60 / 4.1 s base reload = 87.8. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 6 broadside guns x 60 / 3.7 s all-upgrades reload = 97.3.

Fires/minInitial: 6.15 → 6.81

Zero upgrades: 87.8 shells/min x 7% fire chance = 6.15. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 97.3 shells/min x 7% fire chance = 6.81.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.4 km

Estimated torpedo reaction time7.6 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 speed69 kt

Travel time to max range56.7 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 range56

Only families that reach 5 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 37mm Flak M42 Zwilling 7x2 -> 133 DPS @ 3.5 km; 55mm 77 Gerat 3x1 -> 95 DPS @ 4.5 km; Far AA (?) -> 56 DPS @ 5 km.

Maximum AA range5 km

Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 4.5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.

AA DPS layered by range56 DPS @ 5 km, 151 DPS @ 4.5 km, 284 DPS @ 3.5 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-blank284

Sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (3.5 km).

AA threat index1173

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 20,800, 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.

Bow & stern19 mm

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

Farming13 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 40%, fires burn 30s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →

Section	Plates	HP cap	Threats	Tactic
Bow	19 mm primary (range 19–20 mm)	2,800 (13% 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)	19 mm	15,600 (75% of HP)	Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Gouden Leeuw)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	19 mm primary (range 19–20 mm)	1,600 (8% of HP)	Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Gouden Leeuw)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	20 mm primary (range 19–20 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.
Superstructure	13 mm primary (range 13–19 mm)	1,900 (9% 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	10,400 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 (55 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	6,200 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-52. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Nerf ×7Main Battery ×2Concealment ×4Consumable ×1

2024-09-05

Ministry of Balance: Season of Change

Main battery reload time increased from 3.9 to 4.1 seconds.
Torpedo reload time increased from 85 to 90 seconds.
Detectability range by sea increased from 6.9 to 7.1 km.
Detectability range by air increased from 3.4 to 3.5 km.
Detectability range by sea while firing in smoke increased from 2.5 to 2.6 km.
Detectability range by air while firing main battery increased from 2.56 to 2.6 km.
Sonar range reduced from 5.9 to 5.7 km.

Read the full official post

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Z-52 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.

2024-03-19 · Official ship feature / stats Bureau Overview: Vermont and Z-52 Official source 2024-02-15 · Patch notes March Update: Tides of Spring Patch notes 2024-09-05 · Patch notes September Update: Breeze of Inspiration Patch notes

Z-52

Z-52 Community Stats

Z-52 Community Stats

Playstyle

Overview

Positioning

Potato Avoidance

Signature Traits →

How to get Z-52

Builds

Erich Bey

Cohort position

Peers in this cohort

Stats & specs

See all derived stats

Main battery formulas

Torpedoes

AA defense

Armor Beta

Ship Charts

Balance History

Ministry of Balance: Season of Change

Skins & permanent camouflages

Primary official WG sources

Signature Traits