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

Benson

Beta
U.S.A. · Tier VI · Destroyer · Tech Tree: Universal Destroyers
Destroyer gunboatWin DD duels and cap fights with gun DPM.
Playstyle
  • Hold the concealment edge of the contested cap
  • Avoid: Forcing a specialist role the ship was not built for
Key characteristics
2 sigma accuracyHigh HE / fire outputSmokeEngine BoostLow fire chance
Community Data

Benson Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Benson is a Tier VI American all-rounder destroyer (7.1 km surface detection and 9.2 km torpedoes): balanced between gun pressure, torpedoes, and concealment without a cohort-best trait in any one. The kit pays out by reading the match - contest the cap when the matchup favors you, kite when it doesn't. Standout traits: best AA reach in T6 DDs (5 km) and top-decile turret traverse rate in T6 DDs (18).

Positioning

Hold the concealment edge of the contested cap. Cycle between cap contesting (when peer DDs are not outranging you) and torpedo lanes (when they are); without a dominant kit trait the value is choosing the right matchup, not committing to one playstyle.

Potato Avoidance

Forcing a specialist role the ship was not built for

An all-rounder pays out by reading the match and adapting, not by treating the ship like a brawler or a sniper or a cap contester when she is none of those. If you find yourself thinking 'this ship would be better at X,' pick a ship built for X next match.

Signature Traits

Fast turret traverse

34.0°/s turret traverse, best of T6 DDs. Tracks fast-rotating targets peers can't keep up with.

Long-reach AA

5.0 km AA reach, best of T6 DDs.

HE DPM machine

174194 HE DPM, top decile of T6 DDs. Sustained fire pressure.

Sharp rudder

3.5 s rudder shift, top decile of T6 DDs. Snappy weave.

Gun-boat DD

Main battery DPM in the top quartile for the cohort. Out-trades most DDs in open water.

Low fire chance

5.0% fire chance per HE shell, bottom quartile of T6 DDs. AP carries more weight.

Acquisition

How to get Benson

Benson is available in the Universal Destroyers branch of the U.S. Tech Tree for 9,000,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 1,800,000 credits.

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

Benson sits in the Universal Destroyers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full U.S. tree.

U.S. destroyers are "jacks-of-all-trades" and masters of none. They can perform in nearly any role needed from a destroyer: spotting the enemy, showering them in fire-starting shells, or unleashing torpedoes.
Advantages
Adaptable, Long-duration Smoke Generator
Disadvantages
Lackluster torpedo armament, Low-velocity shells
7 ships in highlighted branch · scroll to inspect all U.S. lines.
U.S.A.IIIIIIIVVVIVIIVIII
Destroyer
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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

Build for concealment, gun reload, survivability, smoke utility, and torpedo reload/range.

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Cohort position

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Where Benson sits among Tier VI DDs (33 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.

BestRudder shift3.5 s (1 of 3 tied) BestAA range5 km (1 of 10 tied) Top 10%Traverse-to-turn ratio17.3 × (2/33) Top 10%HE DPM174,194 (3/33) Top 25%Main battery reload3.1 s (5/33) Top 25%AP DPM203,226 (7/30) Top 25%Main dispersion87.3 m (5/33) Top 25%AA threat514 (7/33) Bottom 25%Hit points14,300 HP (27/33) Bottom 25%AP velocity792 m/s (27/30) Bottom 25%HE velocity792 m/s (28/33) Bottom 25%Torpedo damage11,600 (26/33) Bottom 25%Torpedo speed55 kt (29/33) Bottom 25%Torpedo reload109 s (27/33) Bottom 25%Deck armor13 mm (19/22) WorstHE fire chance5% (1 of 4 tied) WorstNo secondaries (30 of 33 in cohort)
See 22 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Benson -- 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 speed38 kt(11/33) Concealment7.09 km(25/33) Air detection3.55 km(23/33) Main battery caliber127 mm(17/33) Main battery range10.61 km(25/33) HE shell damage1,800(15/33) Fires per minute4.84(23/33) Acceleration10.2 s(15/33) AP arming threshold21 mm(15/30) Engine power50,000 hp(21/33) Turn-speed retention87.7 hp/m(19/33) Displacement2,591 t(16/33) Power-to-weight19.3 hp/t(20/33) AA DPS139(15/33) Torpedo range9.15 km(15/33) NormAP fuse timer0.01 s(26 of 30 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(27 of 30 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(27 of 30 tied at this value) NormMax armor16 mm(20 of 33 tied at this value) NormCitadel belt16 mm(22 of 32 tied at this value) NormBow armor16 mm(20 of 32 tied at this value) NormStern armor16 mm(21 of 32 tied at this value)

Stats & specs

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

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

SmokeEngine Boost
Survivability
Hit PointsInitial: 11,900 → 14,300
Displacement2,591 t
Armor range10–16 mm
Plate armor thicknesses10, 13, 15, 16 mm
Armor material/layer entries29
Fire resistanceInitial: 26.6% → 30%
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.
7,200
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.
4,300
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 5×127 mm
Mounts / barrels5 mounts / 5 barrels
Reload time3.5 s
Firing range (base)9.6 km
Firing range (top fire control)10.6 km
Turret traverse34 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)
ƒShell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
2
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (9644/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 87.3 m
87.3 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 87.3 × 0.6 = 52.4 m
52.4 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 87.3 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 27.9 m
27.9 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 52.4 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 16.7 m
16.7 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 34 deg/s traverse speed = 5.3 s.
5.3 s
Base shells/min
ƒ5 broadside guns x 60 / 3.5 s base reload = 85.7.
85.7
HE shells
HE Damage
patched
  1. baseline1800
    In-game data
  2. 2021-05-131900
    May Update: Things Are Heating Up! Maximum damage increased from 1,800 to 1,900.
1,900
HE Velocity792 m/s → 830 m/s
Fire Chance5%
HE penetration
ƒ21 mm ≈ 127 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
21 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ1,900 HE damage x 5 broadside guns = 9,500.
9,500
Base HE DPM
ƒ9,500 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.5 s base reload = 162,857.
162,857
Base fires/min
ƒ5 HE shells x 60 / 3.5 s reload x 5% fire chance = 4.29.
4.29
AP shells
AP Damage
patched
  1. baseline2100
    In-game data
  2. 2021-05-132200
    May Update: Things Are Heating Up! Maximum damage increased from 2,100 to 2,200.
2,200
AP Velocity792 m/s → 830 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.01 s
Fuse Threshold21 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(127 mm caliber / 14.3) = 8 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
8 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 × 2598 × 25^0.69 × 0.127^-1.07 × 830^1.38 = 232.5 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
232.5 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (13.3 km), where the shell has slowed to 249.9 m/s: 1e-7 × 2598 × 25^0.69 × 0.127^-1.07 × 249.9^1.38 = 44.4 mm.
44.4 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ2,200 AP damage x 5 broadside guns = 11,000.
11,000
Base AP DPM
ƒ11,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.5 s base reload = 188,571.
188,571
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: Mk15 mod. 0
Launchers / tubes2 launchers × 5 tubes = 10 tubes
Reload time109 s
Projectile speed55 kt
Range9.15 km
Maximum simulated damage10,700 (est.)
Alpha damage32,100
Torpedo detectability1.1 km
Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s
Torp Turn7.2 s
Torp Arming170 m
Per-side salvo damage
ƒper-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.
107,000
AA Defense
AA mount points6
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (10×3.5×1) + (6×3.5×0.95) + (24×3.5×1) = 139. 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.
139
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
5 km
20 mm Oerlikon Mk4 (upgraded hull only)4×1 20mm
12.7 mm Browning M2 mod. 2Initial: 6×1 → 2×1 13mm
Far aura
DPS
ƒIncludes 24 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose main battery firing as AA in this range band.
24
Range5 km
Medium aura
DPS10
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 24 + Medium 10 = 34
34
Near aura
DPSInitial: 20 → 6
Range1.2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 24 + Medium 10 + Near 6 = 40
40
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 50,000 hp
Engine power50,000 hp
Maximum speed38 kt
Turning circle radius570 m
Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt
Traverse-to-turn ratio17.3× snappy
Concealment
Detectability by sea7.09 km
Detectability by air3.55 km
Smoke firing penalty2.64 km
Detect after firing main guns7.09 km
Detect Fire Sea9.09 km
Detect Fire Air6.55 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
✦
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 40 s reload · 5 s active
Smoke Generator2 charges · 240 s reload · 15 s emit / 121 s cloud active
Engine Boost2 charges · 180 s reload · 120 s active · +8% speed bonus
Module options (3)

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

HullTrade-off
  • Hit points11,900 → 14,300
  • Rudder shift5.2 → 3.5 s
  • Close-range AA DPS20 → 16
  • Maximum AA range1.2 → 2 km
  • Turret traverse34 → 18 °/s
Fire controlUpgrade
  • Main battery range9,644 → 10608.4 m
TorpedoesTrade-off
  • Range8 → 9.15 km
  • Reload110 → 109 s
  • Alpha damage32,500 → 32,100
  • Display damage10,833 → 10,700
  • Speed64 → 55 kt

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 Disp87.3 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (9644/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 87.3 m
Max Vert Disp52.4 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 87.3 × 0.6 = 52.4 m
Med Horiz Disp27.9 m
50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 87.3 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 27.9 m
Med Vert Disp16.7 m
50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 52.4 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 16.7 m
AP Pen Close232.5 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 × 2598 × 25^0.69 × 0.127^-1.07 × 830^1.38 = 232.5 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far44.4 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (13.3 km), where the shell has slowed to 249.9 m/s: 1e-7 × 2598 × 25^0.69 × 0.127^-1.07 × 249.9^1.38 = 44.4 mm.
HE penetration21 mm
21 mm ≈ 127 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch8 mm
floor(127 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 alpha5
All 5 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time5.3 s
180 degrees / 34 deg/s traverse speed = 5.3 s.
HE full-salvo alpha9,500
1,900 HE damage x 5 broadside guns = 9,500.
AP full-salvo alpha11,000
2,200 AP damage x 5 broadside guns = 11,000.
Base HE DPM162,857
9,500 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.5 s base reload = 162,857.
Base AP DPM188,571
11,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.5 s base reload = 188,571.
Base shells/min85.7
5 broadside guns x 60 / 3.5 s base reload = 85.7.
Base fires/min4.29
5 HE shells x 60 / 3.5 s reload x 5% fire chance = 4.29.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.1 km
Estimated torpedo reaction time7.7 s
detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Torpedo speed55 kt
Travel time to max range64 s
range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Tube count10
2 launchers x 5 tubes.
Per-side salvo10 torpedoes
10 (centerline launchers train across - full salvo to either side).
Full-salvo damage107,000
tube count x per-torpedo simulated damage (all torpedoes hitting).
Per-side salvo damage107,000
per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS139
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (10×3.5×1) + (6×3.5×0.95) + (24×3.5×1) = 139. 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 range5 km
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
AA threat index514
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 range1.2 km

Armor

Hull HP 11,900 → 14,300 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
Bow16 mm primary (range 10–16 mm)2,100 (15% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Graf Spee, Scharnhorst)Angle bounces 203mm16 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 mm10,700 (75% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Graf Spee, Scharnhorst)Angle bounces 203mm16 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern16 mm primary (range 13–16 mm)1,300 (9% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Graf Spee, Scharnhorst)Angle bounces 203mm16 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel16 mm primary (range 10–16 mm)≈ 165,500 (effectively no cap)
Citadel pen ×0.50 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 (×0.50 direct pen, ×0.10 over-pen).
Superstructure10 mm primary (range 10–13 mm)1,000 (7% 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 HP7,200 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.
AA mount (20 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 HP4,300 module HPIncapacitated at 0 HPWhen module HP reaches 0 the rudder locks at its current angle until DCP repairs it. Repair via Damage Control Party.

Saturation cap = HP a section can absorb before further damage to it is reduced (the "bow-tank" effect). Citadel pool is ~165k on every ship (effectively no cap); damage is gated by pen/over-pen multipliers instead. Superstructure saturates fast but HE always pens regardless of the plate thickness. Rudder (and other module HPs) are a separate pool from ship HP: damaging a module doesn't drain ship HP. Incapacitated modules like the rudder and engine are restored by DCP, but secondary and AA mounts destroyed at 0 HP stay out for the rest of the battle.

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 Benson. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Buff ×5Main Battery ×2Torpedo ×2
2024-11-14

Ministry of Balance: Torpedo Chaos

  • To ease the stock grind for Benson, we're improving her stock torpedo range.
  • Stock torpedo range increased from 6.4 to 8.0 km.
Read the full official post
2021-05-13

May Update: Things Are Heating Up!

  • New artillery module added to ship progression:
  • AP shell:
  • Maximum damage increased from 2,100 to 2,200.
  • Muzzle speed increased from 792 to 830 m/s.
  • HE shell:
  • Maximum damage increased from 1,800 to 1,900.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

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.

2021-05-13 · Patch notes May Update: Things Are Heating Up! Patch notes 2021-09-30 · Patch notes Halloween Update: Double the Fun, Double the Trouble Patch notes 2023-05-11 · Patch notes May Update: Sea Giants Patch notes