GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Albany

World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Albany

Beta

U.S.A. · Tier I · Cruiser · Tech Tree: Early U.S. Cruisers

Utility cruiserFlexible support -- spot, screen, and farm where the team needs it.

Playstyle

Stay near your team; do not push ahead alone
Avoid: Sailing in a straight line

Key characteristics

2 sigma accuracySluggish rudder

Community Data

Albany Community Stats

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

Playstyle

Overview

Albany is a Tier I American cruiser - a tutorial-tier ship. The kit is for learning basic mechanics: movement, aiming, shell travel time, gun rotation, and reading the minimap. Match impact comes from making fewer mistakes than the other Tier I players, not from gear advantages. Notable: best bow armor in T1 CAs (32 mm) and top-decile AP overmatch threshold in T1 CAs (10.6 mm).

Positioning

Stay near your team; do not push ahead alone. At Tier I the goal is practicing the basics, so pick a teammate to follow and learn how to lead your shots while their ship is in your field of vision.

Potato Avoidance

Sailing in a straight line

Even Tier I players will lead a predictable target; learn to make small course changes between salvos to break enemy aim. This is the single highest-impact habit to build at this tier.

Signature Traits

Thick bow plate

32.0 mm bow, best of T1 CAs. Harder for same-tier guns to overmatch.

Big-caliber overmatch

10.6 mm overmatch threshold, top decile of T1 CAs. Punishes bow-tanking ships peers can't crack.

Tight dispersion

80.0 m max horizontal dispersion, top decile of T1 CAs. Accurate at range.

Fast HE shells

9.24 s HE flight time to max range, top decile of T1 CAs. Harder to dodge.

Sluggish rudder

9.2 s rudder shift, bottom decile of T1 CAs. Hard to dodge incoming AP; lean on island cover.

Short gun range

9.54 km main battery reach, bottom decile of T1 CAs. Outranged by peers; close distance or lean on terrain.

Acquisition

How to get Albany

Albany is available in the Early U.S. Cruisers branch of the U.S. Tech Tree as an early line ship.

Show U.S.A. tech-tree branch diagram

U.S. Tech Tree

Albany sits in the Early U.S. Cruisers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full U.S. tree.

The early U.S. cruisers focus on providing a powerful broadside from their rapid-firing guns, and they are your starting point to the U.S. Tech Trees. From Tier III, you gain access to a useful self-defense tool: Sonar.

Advantages: High rate of fire, Sonar consumable starting at Tier III
Disadvantages: Limited main battery firing angles, Low-velocity shells

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

U.S.A.IIIIIIIVVVIVIIVIII

Destroyer

Cruiser

Light cruiser split

Battleship

Alternative battleship

Hybrid battleship

Carrier

Tier IIWickesPASD027 Tier IIIClemsonPASD019 Tier IVFarragutPASD005 Tier VMahanPASD006 Tier VIBensonPASD008 Tier VIIFletcherPASD021 Tier VIIIA. M. SumnerPASD114 Tier IAlbanyPASC003 Tier IISt. LouisPASC004 Tier IIIPhoenixPASC024 Tier IVOmahaPASC005 Tier VPensacolaPASC012 Tier VINew OrleansPASC014 Tier VIIBaltimorePASC017 Tier VIIIBuffaloPASC109 Tier VDallasPASC206 Tier VIHelenaPASC207 Tier VIIClevelandPASC208 Tier VIIISeattlePASC209 Tier IIIWyomingPASB004 Tier IVNew YorkPASB006 Tier IVNevadaPASB105 Tier VNew MexicoPASB034 Tier VIColoradoPASB008 Tier VIIIowaPASB018 Tier VIIIMainePASB118 Tier VTennesseePASB106 Tier VINorth CarolinaPASB012 Tier VIIKansasPASB108 Tier VIIIMinnesotaPASB109 Tier VIConnecticutPASB207 Tier VIINebraskaPASB208 Tier VIIIDelawarePASB209 Tier IIILangleyPASA004 Tier VRangerPASA006 Tier VIILexingtonPASA012

Builds Beta

Norman Scott is the clean American cruiser baseline, with Thomas Kinkaid or AL Baltimore-style options depending on account roster. Inspirations can focus on gun accuracy, reload, or survivability.

Open in Build Tool →

Commanders frequently paired with this ship AL Baltimore Norman Scott

Have a build you swear by? Open it in the Build Tool and hit Save build to share it here.

Cohort position

Hide ▾

Where Albany sits among Tier I CAs (13 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.

BestMain dispersion80 m (1/13) BestBow armor32 mm (1/13) Top 25%Main battery caliber152 mm (4/13) Top 25%HE velocity853 m/s (3/12) Top 25%Acceleration7 s (4/13) Top 25%Stern armor25 mm (3/13) Bottom 25%Hit points11,500 HP (12/13) Bottom 25%Max speed20 kt (11/13) Bottom 25%Rudder shift9.2 s (12/13) Bottom 25%Engine power7,500 hp (11/13) Bottom 25%Turn-speed retention21.4 hp/m (11/13) WorstMain battery range9.54 km (13/13) WorstPower-to-weight1.88 hp/t (13/13)

See 13 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Albany -- here's where she sits on every other ranked stat in the cohort.

Concealment8.32 km(6/13) Air detection4.99 km(7/13) Traverse-to-turn ratio5.94 ×(7/13) Main battery reload6.3 s(7/13) HE shell damage2,100(5/12) HE fire chance7%(7/12) Fires per minute2.67(9/12) HE DPM80,000(6/12) Displacement4,000 t(5/13) AA threat38(7/13) Max armor76 mm(7/13) Citadel belt38 mm(7/13) Deck armor16 mm(9/13)

Peers in this cohort

Show all 12 peers

Stats & specs

Customize in the Build Tool →Shell ballistics chart More tools in the WoWS Legends Data Lab

All values are ship base stats with modifications and upgrade changes denoted inline.

Survivability

Hit Points11,500

Displacement4,000 t

Armor range6–76 mm

Plate armor thicknesses6, 10, 13, 16, 19, 25, 32, 38, 76 mm

Armor material/layer entries38

Fire resistance0%

Fire duration30 s

Torp Reduction0%

Magazine HP

The magazine is the module a detonation comes from. Penetrating hits to it raise the detonation chance from 1% toward 30% as its HP is worn down, so a larger magazine pool rides out citadel hits longer before a detonation becomes likely.

5,900

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.

5,000

Main Battery

ModuleArtillery: 152 mm/50 Mk6

Mounts / barrels6 mounts / 6 barrels

Reload time7 s

Firing range (base)8.7 km

Firing range (top fire control)9.5 km

Turret traverse10 °/s

Shell Grouping (σ)

Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.

Max Horiz Disp

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (8670/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 80 m

80 m

Max Vert Disp

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 80 × 0.6 = 48 m

48 m

Med Horiz Disp

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 80 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 25.6 m

25.6 m

Med Vert Disp

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 48 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 15.3 m

15.3 m

Turret turn time

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

18 s

Base shells/min

4 broadside guns x 60 / 7 s base reload = 34.3.

34.3

HE shells

HE Damage2,100

HE Velocity853 m/s

Fire Chance7%

HE penetration

25 mm ≈ 152 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

25 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

2,100 HE damage x 4 broadside guns = 8,400.

8,400

Base HE DPM

8,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 7 s base reload = 72,000.

72,000

Base fires/min

4 HE shells x 60 / 7 s reload x 7% fire chance = 2.4.

2.4

AP shells

Min Ricochet91 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg

AP overmatch

floor(152 mm caliber / 14.3) = 10 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

10 mm

AA Defense

AA mount points4

Close-range AA DPS

Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (6×3.5×0.9) = 19. Covers AA-only mounts plus dual-purpose secondaries (Bismarck 105mm, USN 5"/38 cruiser secondaries) and dual-purpose main batteries (Sumner-class 5"/38, Akizuki-line 100mm). Formula validated against in-game captures on California, Sumner, Manfred von Richthofen, Dante Alighieri (exact) and within +/-17% on the remaining verified ships.

Maximum AA range

Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.

2 km

37 mm Maxim4×1 37mm

DPS6

Range2 km

Maneuverability

Engine moduleEngine: 7,500 hp

Engine power7,500 hp

Maximum speed20 kt

Turning circle radius350 m

Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt

Traverse-to-turn ratio5.9× slow

Concealment

Detectability by sea8.32 km

Detectability by air4.99 km

Smoke firing penalty3.6 km

Detect after firing main guns8.32 km

Detect Fire Sea10.32 km

Detect Fire Air7.99 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

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

Module options (2)

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

HullUpgrade

Turret traverse10 → 5 °/s

Fire controlUpgrade

Main battery range8,670 → 9,537 m

See all derived stats

Show ▾

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

Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.

Max Horiz Disp80 m

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (8670/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 80 m

Max Vert Disp48 m

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 80 × 0.6 = 48 m

Med Horiz Disp25.6 m

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 80 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 25.6 m

Med Vert Disp15.3 m

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 48 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 15.3 m

Dispersion familyCruiser Disp.

Standard cruiser dispersion baseline.

HE penetration25 mm

25 mm ≈ 152 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

AP overmatch10 mm

floor(152 mm caliber / 14.3) = 10 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

Broadside guns used for alpha4

Barrels that can bear on one beam (4 of 6); casemate/wing mounts only fire one side.

Turret turn time18 s

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

HE full-salvo alpha8,400

2,100 HE damage x 4 broadside guns = 8,400.

Base HE DPM72,000

8,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 7 s base reload = 72,000.

Base shells/min34.3

4 broadside guns x 60 / 7 s base reload = 34.3.

Base fires/min2.4

4 HE shells x 60 / 7 s reload x 7% fire chance = 2.4.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS19

Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (6×3.5×0.9) = 19. Covers AA-only mounts plus dual-purpose secondaries (Bismarck 105mm, USN 5"/38 cruiser secondaries) and dual-purpose main batteries (Sumner-class 5"/38, Akizuki-line 100mm). Formula validated against in-game captures on California, Sumner, Manfred von Richthofen, Dante Alighieri (exact) and within +/-17% on the remaining verified ships.

Maximum AA range2 km

Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.

AA threat index38

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

Hull HP 11,500, 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.

Section	Plates	HP cap	Threats	Tactic
Bow	32 mm primary (range 6–76 mm)	1,100 (10% of HP)	Overmatch not possible at T IIAngle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+	Bow-tank fits behind this exterior plate. Saturation is FAST here; the cap is often only a few thousand HP.
Hull (midship)	6 mm primary (range 6–13 mm)	9,600 (83% of HP)	Overmatched by 127mm+ (Farragut)6 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern	25 mm primary (range 6–38 mm)	900 (8% of HP)	Overmatch not possible at T IIAngle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	38 mm primary (range 10–38 mm)	≈ 165,500 (effectively no cap)	Citadel pen ×0.10 damageOver-pen: ×0.10 damage	Effectively no cap; citadel pool sits at ~165k HP on every ship. Damage is gated by pen/over-pen multipliers instead (×0.10 direct pen, ×0.10 over-pen).
Superstructure	6 mm primary (range 6–16 mm)	200 (2% 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	5,900 magazine HP	Magazine detonation1–30% chance · below ~75% HP	Per-turret powder-magazine HP. Detonation chance scales from 1% (no mag damage) to 30% (full mag damage); this range is the in-game value. Detonation can't roll while the ship is above ~75% HP (the standard detonation-protection threshold, not a per-ship stat). Smaller magazines saturate to the 30% ceiling 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	5,000 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.

Shell ballistics chart

AP penetration, impact velocity, flight time and impact angle vs range. Click to load the interactive chart.

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior

Primary official WG sources

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

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