World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Almirante Cervera

Beta
Open-water kiting cruiserKite at range, bleed fires, and never get pinned.
Playstyle
  • Sit 10-13 km from a contested cap where an island shadows you from the opposite battleship line
  • Avoid: Open-water broadside trading
Key characteristics
2.15 sigma accuracyStrong secondaries (4 km)SonarSlow torp reload
Community Data

Almirante Cervera Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Almirante Cervera is a Tier III Spanish light cruiser with Sonar as her vision tool. Hydro lets her contest islands and smoke without exposing the hull to vision cycles, which shapes how she pressures caps. Standout traits: best sigma in T3 CAs (2.1) and best turret traverse rate in T3 CAs (10).

Positioning

Sit 10-13 km from a contested cap where an island shadows you from the opposite battleship line. Hydro (4.4 km on ships, 3.3 km on torpedoes) lights up DDs and incoming torpedoes inside its bubble, so you can push the cap edge from cover without taking the spotting cycle; prefer cover positions over open-water flanks.

Potato Avoidance

Open-water broadside trading

Her 152mm shells citadel cruisers on the wrong frame, and her 26,500-HP hull does not recover from a punished salvo. Pick rotations and angles deliberately; the chip-damage role pays better than the trade-blow role on a cruiser of this profile.

Signature Traits

Tight grouping

Sigma 2.15, best of T3 CAs. More shells land near aim.

Fast turret traverse

12.0°/s turret traverse, best of T3 CAs. Tracks fast-rotating targets peers can't keep up with.

Flat AP shells

900.0 m/s AP muzzle velocity, best of T3 CAs. Flatter trajectory, less lead, harder to dodge.

Flat HE shells

900.0 m/s HE muzzle velocity, best of T3 CAs. Flatter trajectory, easier to land at range.

Slow torp reload

90.0 s torpedo reload, worst of T3 CAs. Long wait between drops.

Sluggish rudder

10.1 s rudder shift, bottom decile of T3 CAs. Hard to dodge incoming AP; lean on island cover.

Acquisition

How to get Almirante Cervera

Almirante Cervera is available in the Early Spanish Cruisers branch of the Spain Tech Tree for 85,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 21,240 credits. Official source cards below may also show its temporary Early Access window before it became a normal Tech Tree unlock. Container chances are shown as the listed odds of receiving this exact ship, dividing grouped ship-pool odds across the resolved ships and including nested container paths when a crate can drop another crate.

Show Spain tech-tree branch diagram
Spain Tech Tree

Almirante Cervera sits in the Early Spanish Cruisers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full Spain tree.

Best listed chance for this ship

Official WG availability sources
Show direct source rows

Builds Beta

Build for reload, mobility, concealment, Sonar utility, and survivability. Torpedoes are a threat tool, not the whole identity.

Open in Build Tool →

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Cohort position

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Where Almirante Cervera sits among Tier III CAs (12 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.

BestTraverse-to-turn ratio8.39 × (1/12) BestSigma2.15 (1/12) BestAP velocity900 m/s (1 of 2 tied) BestHE velocity900 m/s (1 of 2 tied) BestSecondary range4 km (1/4) BestAA range4.5 km (1 of 2 tied) BestCitadel belt76 mm (1 of 4 tied) BestDeck armor100 mm (1 of 2 tied) Top 10%Hit points26,500 HP (2/12) Top 10%End plates26 mm (3/12 / 2/12) Top 25%Main battery caliber152 mm (4/12) Top 25%Main battery range13.09 km (4/12) Top 25%Secondary DPM (per side)36,000 (2/4) Top 25%Secondary HE pen18 mm (2/4) Top 25%Torpedo speed59 kt (3/11) Top 25%Max armor100 mm (3/12) Bottom 25%Rudder shift10.1 s (11/12) Bottom 25%Main battery reload10.3 s (10/12) Bottom 25%Fires per minute3.73 (10/11) Bottom 25%AP DPM116,505 (10/12) Bottom 25%Acceleration10.5 s (11/12) Bottom 25%Displacement9,237 t (11/12) Bottom 25%AA DPS86 (10/12) WorstHE shell damage1,750 (11/11) WorstTorpedo reload90 s (11/11)
See 17 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Almirante Cervera -- 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(7/12) Concealment9.76 km(5/12) Air detection5.86 km(5/12) HE DPM81,553(9/11) Main dispersion115.1 m(7/12) HE alpha1,200(3/4) Secondary fire chance5%(3/4) AP arming threshold25 mm(9/12) Engine power80,000 hp(5/12) Turn-speed retention117.6 hp/m(6/12) Power-to-weight8.66 hp/t(8/12) AA threat268(9/12) Torpedo range6 km(7/11) Torpedo damage11,967(5/11) NormAP fuse timer0.03 s(9 of 12 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(11 of 12 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(11 of 12 tied at this value)

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

Sonar 4.44 km
Survivability
Hit PointsInitial: 23,300 → 26,500
Displacement9,237 t
Armor range10–100 mm
Plate armor thicknesses10, 13, 16, 20, 25, 26, 38, 50, 57, 76, 100 mm
Armor material/layer entries41
Fire resistanceInitial: 6.7% → 10%
Fire duration30 s
Torp Reduction0%
Magazine HP
ƒThe 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.
13,300
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.
8,000
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 152 mm/50 Vickers-Carraca
Mounts / barrels5 mounts / 8 barrels
Reload time11.5 s
Firing range (base)11.9 km
Firing range (top fire control)13.1 km
Turret traverse12 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)
ƒShell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
2.15
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (11900/30·(8−1.1)/1000 + 1.1)·30 = 115.1 m
115.1 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 115.1 × 0.6 = 69.1 m
69.1 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 115.1 × 0.302 (σ=2.15) = 34.8 m
34.8 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 69.1 × 0.302 (σ=2.15) = 20.9 m
20.9 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 12 deg/s traverse speed = 15 s.
15 s
Base shells/min
ƒ8 broadside guns x 60 / 11.5 s base reload = 41.7.
41.7
HE shells
HE Damage1,750
HE Velocity900 m/s
Fire Chance8%
HE penetration
ƒ25 mm ≈ 152 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
25 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ1,750 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 14,000.
14,000
Base HE DPM
ƒ14,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 11.5 s base reload = 73,043.
73,043
Base fires/min
ƒ8 HE shells x 60 / 11.5 s reload x 8% fire chance = 3.34.
3.34
AP shells
AP Damage2,500
AP Velocity900 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.025 s
Fuse Threshold25 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(152 mm caliber / 14.3) = 10 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
10 mm
AP Pen Close
ƒCanonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: 1e-7 × Krupp × mass^0.69 × caliber_m^-1.07 × v0^1.38 = 1e-7 × 2100 × 45.4^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 900^1.38 = 261.7 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
261.7 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (16.4 km), where the shell has slowed to 325.1 m/s: 1e-7 × 2100 × 45.4^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 325.1^1.38 = 64.2 mm.
64.2 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ2,500 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 20,000.
20,000
Base AP DPM
ƒ20,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 11.5 s base reload = 104,348.
104,348
AP AOE Radius
ƒAP 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.
10
Torpedoes
ModuleTorpedoes: 533 mm Triple
Launchers / tubes4 launchers × 3 tubes = 12 tubes
Reload time90 s
Projectile speed59 kt
Range6 km
Maximum simulated damage11,067 (est.)
Alpha damage33,200
Torpedo detectability1.2 km
Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s
Torp Turn7.2 s
Torp Arming182 m
Per-side salvo damage
ƒper-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.
66,402
AA Defense
AA mount pointsInitial: 4 → 8
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (7×3.5×0.9) + (13×3.5×0.85) + (8×3.5×0.9) = 86. 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.
86
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
4.5 km
37 mm/83 SK Dopp LC/30 (upgraded hull only)4×2 37mm
20 mm/65 C/38 L/304×1 20mm
105 mm/45 SK C/32nS (DP)4×1 105mm
Far aura
DPS
ƒIncludes 8 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
8
Range4.5 km
Medium aura
DPS7
Range3.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 8 + Medium 7 = 15
15
Near aura
DPSInitial: 14 → 13
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 8 + Medium 7 + Near 13 = 28
28
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts4
Firing range4.0 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
Caliber105 mm
Reload time4 s
HE Damage1,200
Muzzle Velocity780 m/s
Fire Chance5%
Armor Pen18 mm
Min Ricochet91°
Max Ricochet60°
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 @ 4 km
ƒ4 km × 57 + 30 = 258 m.
258 m
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 80,000 hp
Engine power80,000 hp
Maximum speed33 kt
Turning circle radius680 m
Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt
Traverse-to-turn ratio8.4× ok
Concealment
Detectability by sea9.76 km
Detectability by air5.86 km
Smoke firing penalty4.32 km
Detect after firing main guns9.76 km
Detect Fire Sea11.76 km
Detect Fire Air8.86 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active
Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 100 s active · 4.44 km ship detect · 3.33 km torpedo detect
Module options (2)

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

HullTrade-off
  • Hit points23,300 → 26,500
  • Rudder shift14.1 → 10.1 s
  • AA mounts4 → 8
  • Close-range AA DPS14 → 20
  • Maximum AA range2 → 3.5 km
  • Turret traverse12 → 10 °/s
Fire controlUpgrade
  • Main battery range11,900 → 13,090 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)2.15
Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
Max Horiz Disp115.1 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (11900/30·(8−1.1)/1000 + 1.1)·30 = 115.1 m
Max Vert Disp69.1 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 115.1 × 0.6 = 69.1 m
Med Horiz Disp34.8 m
50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 115.1 × 0.302 (σ=2.15) = 34.8 m
Med Vert Disp20.9 m
50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 69.1 × 0.302 (σ=2.15) = 20.9 m
Dispersion familyCruiser Disp.
Standard cruiser dispersion baseline.
AP Pen Close261.7 mm
Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: 1e-7 × Krupp × mass^0.69 × caliber_m^-1.07 × v0^1.38 = 1e-7 × 2100 × 45.4^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 900^1.38 = 261.7 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far64.2 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (16.4 km), where the shell has slowed to 325.1 m/s: 1e-7 × 2100 × 45.4^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 325.1^1.38 = 64.2 mm.
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).
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 alpha8
All 8 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time15 s
180 degrees / 12 deg/s traverse speed = 15 s.
HE full-salvo alpha14,000
1,750 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 14,000.
AP full-salvo alpha20,000
2,500 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 20,000.
Base HE DPM73,043
14,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 11.5 s base reload = 73,043.
Base AP DPM104,348
20,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 11.5 s base reload = 104,348.
Base shells/min41.7
8 broadside guns x 60 / 11.5 s base reload = 41.7.
Base fires/min3.34
8 HE shells x 60 / 11.5 s reload x 8% fire chance = 3.34.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.2 km
Estimated torpedo reaction time7.8 s
detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Torpedo speed59 kt
Travel time to max range39.1 s
range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Tube count12
4 launchers x 3 tubes.
Per-side salvo6 torpedoes
tube count / 2 (symmetric port/starboard launcher layout; common on cruisers and battleships with deck torpedoes).
Full-salvo damage132,804
tube count x per-torpedo simulated damage (all torpedoes hitting).
Per-side salvo damage66,402
per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS86
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (7×3.5×0.9) + (13×3.5×0.85) + (8×3.5×0.9) = 86. 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 range4.5 km
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
AA threat index268
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 @ 4 km258 m
4 km × 57 + 30 = 258 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)36,000
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: 4×1 105 mm (2/side) × 60/4 × 1200 = 36,000. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).
Max HE alpha1200
Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1200 from the 105 mm family.
Max HE fire chance5%
Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 5% from the 105 mm family.
Max HE pen18 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: 18 mm from the 105 mm family.

Armor

Hull HP 23,30026,500 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.

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow26 mm primary (range 13–76 mm)3,800 (14% of HP)
Overmatch not possible at T IVAngle bounces 356mm26 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)25 mm primary (range 16–25 mm)19,900 (75% of HP)
Overmatch not possible at T IVAngle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern26 mm primary (range 13–76 mm)2,100 (8% of HP)
Overmatch not possible at T IVAngle bounces 356mm26 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel76 mm primary (range 10–76 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).
Superstructure10 mm primary (range 10–100 mm)2,100 (8% 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 HP13,300 magazine HPMagazine detonation1–30% chance · below ~75% HPPer-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.
Secondary mount (105 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 (37 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 HP8,000 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.

Shell ballistics chart

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

Balance History

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

Buff ×2
2026-03-26

Ministry of Balance: Spring Renewal

  • Thickness of stock hull external citadel plating increased from 25 to 26 mm.
  • Thickness of upgraded hull external citadel plating increased from 25 to 26 mm.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Almirante Cervera 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.