GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Charleston M

World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Charleston M

Also called: 查尔斯顿 M Beta

U.S.A. · Tier II · CL Cruiser · Premium · Charleston Variant

All-rounder cruiserCompetent at AP citadels, HE pressure, and cap support; adapt to the matchup.

Playstyle

Hold islands tight enough to break vision on demand
Avoid: Firing the moment an enemy appears

Key characteristics

High HE / fire outputHigh HP poolHeavy citadel beltHeavy beltShort gun range

On this page

Community stats
Playstyle
How to get Charleston M
Builds
Cohort position
Stats and specs
Charts
Background
Armor
Exteriors

Community Data

Charleston M Community Stats

Across 310+ Standard battles from 94 players, Charleston M averages a 59% win rate, 26,500 damage and 1.1 kills per battle, and survives 34% of them.

Community Data

Charleston M Community Stats

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

Playstyle

Overview

Charleston M is a Tier II American all-rounder light cruiser with 152mm guns at 10.1 km: no single dominant trait, but competent at AP citadels, HE pressure, and cap support. Adapt to the team comp - DD hunter, BB chip, or cap contester - rather than locking into one role. Standout traits: high HP pool in T2 CAs (29,500 HP, 4th of 26) and fires per minute in T2 CAs (4.8, 3rd of 25). The trade is short gun range in T2 CAs (10.1 km, 25th of 26).

Positioning

Hold islands tight enough to break vision on demand. The HE pressure rewards a steady firing arc more than rotation play; pick a corner of the map you can hold and work fires from there. 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. With 8.5 s on the rudder she starts turning late, so the angle has to be set before you are shot at.

Potato Avoidance

Firing the moment an enemy appears

The guns are what reveal you: one salvo lights you up from 9.1 km away, and a battleship that suddenly has a broadside cruiser to shoot at will take the free citadels, which is 29,500 HP back to port in a single salvo. Choose the angle and the cover you will shoot from BEFORE anything spots you, so your first salvo is one you can turn away from rather than one that starts a trade you cannot win.

Signature Traits

High HP pool ↗

29500 HP, top decile of T2 CAs.

ELITE MAIN BATTERY ↗

High fire pressure · 4.8 fires/min
Fire-starter cruiser

ELITE ARMOR ↗

Heavy citadel belt · 102 mm
Heavy belt

MAIN BATTERY DOWNSIDES ↗

Short gun range · 10.1 km
Loose grouping

Acquisition

How to get Charleston M

Charleston M is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition path: Free reward.

Free rewardMobile login reward.

While you save up, check active promo codes for free doubloons, camouflages, and other rewards.

Official WG availability sources

November Update: All In Black Free reward Start: 2023-11-02
- For upgrading from the "slim" to the "full" version of client, the exclusive reward is: American Tier II Premium cruiser Charleston M

Builds

Pair with a commander whose unique skill complements her main armament; check the build tool for current recommendations.

Open in Build Tool →

Commanders frequently paired with this ship AL Baltimore AL Montpelier Captain Janeway

Have a build you swear by? Open it in the Build Tool and hit Save build to share it here, or browse the Ship Builds guide for proven loadouts across the fleet.

Cohort position

Hide ▾

Where Charleston M sits among Tier II CAs (25 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 10%Fires per minute4.8 (3/25) Top 25%Hit points29,500 HP (4/26) Top 25%HE DPM117,600 (5/25) Top 25%AP DPM171,429 (5/25) Top 25%Main dispersion102.6 m (5/26) Top 25%AP velocity853 m/s (7/25) Top 25%HE velocity853 m/s (7/25) Top 25%Citadel belt102 mm (5/26) Bottom 25%Rudder shift8.5 s (23/26) Bottom 25%Secondary HE alpha1,100 (13/16) Bottom 25%Displacement10,850 t (23/26) Bottom 25%AA range1 km (15/17) WorstMain battery range10.09 km (1 of 2 tied) WorstSigma1.8 (1 of 4 tied) WorstSecondary HE pen13 mm (1 of 8 tied) WorstSecondary range2.5 km (1 of 7 tied) WorstNo torpedoes (20 of 26 in cohort)

See 25 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Charleston M -- 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 speed21 kt(19/26) Concealment9.09 km(14/26) Smoke fire bloom3.97 km(13/26) Air detection5.45 km(13/26) Turning circle450 m(12/26) Main battery caliber152 mm(9/26) Main battery reload7 s(9/26) Secondary DPM (per side)118,800(9/16) Time to 90% speed25.3 s(14/26) Acceleration (0-12 kt)13.1 s(20/26) AP arming threshold25 mm(16/25) Engine power21,000 hp(13/26) Power / turn radius46.7 hp/m(13/26) Power-to-weight1.94 hp/t(19/26) AP pen at 10 km64 mm(9/25) AA DPS21(11/17) AA threat21(13/17) Max armor102 mm(13/26) NormSecondary fire chance4%(11 of 16 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.025 s(14 of 25 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(24 of 25 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(24 of 25 tied at this value) NormTurn speed retained81%(24 of 26 tied at this value) NormBow armor6 mm(24 of 26 tied at this value) NormStern armor6 mm(23 of 26 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Compare Tier II Cruisers

Show all 25 peers

Stats & specs

Customize in the Build Tool →

Survivability

Hit Points29,500

Displacement10,850 t

Hull dimensions

Length x beam at the waterline, plus draft. Length matters when dodging torpedoes; beam and draft shape how hard the ship is to hit.

129.9 x 20.1 m, draft 6.9 m

Armor range6–102 mm

Plate armor thicknesses6, 10, 13, 38, 51, 76, 102 mm

Armor material/layer entries35

Fire resistance

top hull: 1 − 0.9667 fire coefficient = 3.3%. Lowers how often hits set you on fire. It does not reduce the damage a burning fire does per second; fires burn at the full rate on every ship.

3.3%

Fire duration30 s

Fire damage

One unattended fire: 0.003 of max HP per second (0.3%) × 30 s = 0.09 of the pool; 0.09 × 29,500 HP = 2,655 HP on this ship. 4 fire points can burn at once.

0.3% of HP per second

Flood duration40 s

Flood damage

One unattended flood: 0.0025 of max HP per second (0.25%) × 40 s = 0.1 of the pool; 0.1 × 29,500 HP = 2,950 HP on this ship.

0.25% of HP per second

Torp Reduction

1 − 0.333 hull torpedo-damage coefficient / 0.333 unprotected baseline = 0%. Reduces torpedo hit damage. It does not affect flooding: floods start as often and tick at the full rate.

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.

14,800

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.

8,900

Repairable: penetration50%

Repairable: citadel10%

Repairable: steering gear50%

Bow section HP

Damage saturation pool for the bow: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 2,600 = 5,200), then further hits on it deal half damage. A penetration deals 0.33 × the shell's max damage; once the section is saturated it deals exactly half of that (0.5 × 0.33 = 0.165 × max damage), so a 3,000-damage shell's pen goes from 990 to 495. Overpens (0.1 × max damage) and citadels (1.0 ×) ignore saturation. Pens on the ship's other, unsaturated sections still deal the normal 0.33 ×. A larger pool keeps that part of the ship taking full damage for longer; a small one saturates fast and protects the ship's HP.

2,600

Casemate section HP

Damage saturation pool for the casemate: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 3,700 = 7,400), then further hits on it deal half damage. A penetration deals 0.33 × the shell's max damage; once the section is saturated it deals exactly half of that (0.5 × 0.33 = 0.165 × max damage), so a 3,000-damage shell's pen goes from 990 to 495. Overpens (0.1 × max damage) and citadels (1.0 ×) ignore saturation. Pens on the ship's other, unsaturated sections still deal the normal 0.33 ×. A larger pool keeps that part of the ship taking full damage for longer; a small one saturates fast and protects the ship's HP.

3,700

Hull section HP

Damage saturation pool for the hull: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 22,100 = 44,200), then further hits on it deal half damage. A penetration deals 0.33 × the shell's max damage; once the section is saturated it deals exactly half of that (0.5 × 0.33 = 0.165 × max damage), so a 3,000-damage shell's pen goes from 990 to 495. Overpens (0.1 × max damage) and citadels (1.0 ×) ignore saturation. Pens on the ship's other, unsaturated sections still deal the normal 0.33 ×. A larger pool keeps that part of the ship taking full damage for longer; a small one saturates fast and protects the ship's HP.

22,100

Superstructure section HP

Damage saturation pool for the superstructure: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 900 = 1,800), then further hits on it deal half damage. A penetration deals 0.33 × the shell's max damage; once the section is saturated it deals exactly half of that (0.5 × 0.33 = 0.165 × max damage), so a 3,000-damage shell's pen goes from 990 to 495. Overpens (0.1 × max damage) and citadels (1.0 ×) ignore saturation. Pens on the ship's other, unsaturated sections still deal the normal 0.33 ×. The superstructure is not exempt: it saturates exactly like the bow and stern, so shells aimed at it stop dealing full damage once this pool is used up. A larger pool keeps that part of the ship taking full damage for longer; a small one saturates fast and protects the ship's HP.

900

Stern section HP

Damage saturation pool for the stern: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 1,700 = 3,400), then further hits on it deal half damage. A penetration deals 0.33 × the shell's max damage; once the section is saturated it deals exactly half of that (0.5 × 0.33 = 0.165 × max damage), so a 3,000-damage shell's pen goes from 990 to 495. Overpens (0.1 × max damage) and citadels (1.0 ×) ignore saturation. Pens on the ship's other, unsaturated sections still deal the normal 0.33 ×. A larger pool keeps that part of the ship taking full damage for longer; a small one saturates fast and protects the ship's HP.

1,700

Citadel section HP

This section has no practical saturation cap: every hit here keeps dealing its normal share of damage (on most ships the citadel; on many destroyers the casemate).

No saturation cap

Main Battery

ModuleArtillery: 152 mm Mk6

Mounts / barrels14 mounts / 14 barrels

Reload time7 s

Firing range10.1 km

Turret traverse8 °/s

Turret armor19 mm

Turret traverse arcs

How far each mount can train, in degrees to either side of the mount's own facing. 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.

6x 115° arc, 2x ±140°, 2x 112° port-only, 2x 112° starboard-only, 2x 120° arc

Guns to bear

180° − 140° (the most restricted aft-facing mount's arc) = 40° off bow; 180° − 140° (the most restricted forward-facing mount's arc) = 40° off stern. 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.

40° off bow / 40° off stern

Shell Grouping (σ)1.8

Dispersion type

In practice: the baseline curve for a standard cruiser -- at max range (10.1 km) shells land in an ellipse about 103 m wide and 62 m tall. Also on this curve (215): AL Baltimore, AL Chapayev, AL Cheshire, AL Harbin, AL Montpelier, AL Tallinn, AL Zara, Aberdeen, Accord, Agano, Albemarle, Algérie and 203 more.

Standard cruiser

Max Horiz Disp

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the dispersion model:

σ_{H} = (\frac{R}{30} \cdot \frac{idealRadius - minRadius}{idealDistance} + minRadius) \cdot 30

= (\frac{10093}{30} \cdot \frac{8 - 1.1}{1000} + 1.1) \cdot 30 = 102.6 m

102.6 m at 10.1 km

Max Vert Disp

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range:

σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot radiusOnMax

= 102.6 \cdot 0.6 = 61.6 m

61.6 m at 10.1 km

Med Horiz Disp

50%-hit horizontal radius:

σ_{H, 50} = σ_{H} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 102.6 \cdot \frac{0.6}{1.8} = 34.2 m

34.2 m at 10.1 km

Med Vert Disp

50%-hit vertical radius:

σ_{V, 50} = σ_{V} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 61.6 \cdot \frac{0.6}{1.8} = 20.5 m

20.5 m at 10.1 km

Turret turn time

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

22.5 s

Shells/min

8 broadside guns x 60 / 7 s base reload = 68.6.

68.6

HE shells

HE alpha1,715

HE Velocity853 m/s

Fire Chance7%

HE penetration

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

25 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

1,715 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 13,720.

13,720

HE DPM

13,720 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 7 s base reload = 117,600.

117,600

Fires/min

68.6 shells/min × 0.07 (7% fire chance) = 4.8.

4.8

AP shells

AP alpha2,500

AP Velocity853 m/s

Min Ricochet45 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg

Fuse Timer0.025 s

Fuse Threshold25 mm

AP overmatch

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

10 mm

AP Pen Close

AP formula 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 1830 \cdot {47.7}^{0.69} \cdot {0.152}^{- 1.07} \cdot 853^{1.38} = 219.2 mm

219.2 mm point-blank

AP Pen Far

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (10.1 km), where the shell has slowed to 345.3 m/s:

P = 10^{- 7} \cdot 1830 \cdot {47.7}^{0.69} \cdot {0.152}^{- 1.07} \cdot {345.3}^{1.38} = 62.9 mm

62.9 mm at 10.1 km

AP full-salvo alpha

2,500 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 20,000.

20,000

AP DPM

20,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 7 s base reload = 171,429.

171,429

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.

AA Defense

AA mount points8

Maximum AA range

Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 1 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.

1 km

7.6 mm Hotchkiss Mk18×1 8mm

Guns7.6 mm Hotchkiss Mk1

Continuous DPS

Effective DPS: 7 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.85 hit probability = 21 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.

Range1 km

See the AA layers diagram ↓

Secondary Battery

Mounts18

Firing range2.5 km

Shell Grouping (σ)1

Secondary DPM (per side)

Sum across all secondary families of (per-side barrels × 60 / reload_s × alpha), with each reload counted in whole 1/7 s ticks (guns fire on the first tick after the reload), where per-side barrels = mounts × barrels-per-mount / 2 (the guns that bear on one broadside target). Per-family: 18×1 76.2 mm (9/side) × 60/5 s × 1100 = 118,800. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).

118,800

76.2 mm Mk4 A18×1 76.2mm

Caliber76.2 mm

Reload time5 s

HE alpha1,100

Muzzle Velocity823 m/s

Fire Chance4%

Secondary fires/min (per side)

18×1 barrels / 2 sides × 60 / 5 s × 0.04 (4% fire chance) = 4.3. Per side: the barrels that bear on one broadside target (mounts × barrels / 2). A ceiling: assumes every shell hits and ignores the four-fire cap and Fire Prevention.

4.3

HE Pen13 mm

Secondary dispersion type

Max 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 @ 2.5 km

2.5 km × 57 + 30 = 172.5 m.

172.5 m

Maneuverability

Engine power21,000 hp

Maximum speed21.0 kt

Turning circle radius450 m

Rudder shift time8.5 s

Engine power-boost threshold7.0 kt

Engine spool-up time15.3 s

Reverse spool-up time7.7 s

Reverse speed

top speed / 4 + 4.9 = 21 / 4 + 4.9 = 10.2 kt. Base value; speed modifiers scale it.

10.2 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, using the ship's own reverse-power ratio. The full curve is on the acceleration chart. Full reverse stops about a quarter faster than a plain Stop order from top speed.

31.3 s

Engine boost threshold (reverse)

Speed below which the engine's built-in power boost applies in reverse.

6.0 kt

Acceleration 0-90%

Time to reach 90% of top speed (18.9 kt of 21.0 kt).

25.3 s

Acceleration 0-99%

Time to reach 99% of top speed (20.8 kt of 21.0 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.

42 s

Guns in a full turn

With the rudder hard over the hull turns 5.7°/s, so a target drifts across the bow at that rate. Turret traverse minus hull turn: 8 − 5.7 = +2.3°/s, so the guns hold the target through the turn. Main Battery Mod. 2 (+20% traverse) and Mod. 3 (−15%) move this line.

hold target (+2.3°/s spare)

See the full acceleration curve ↓

Concealment

Detectability by sea

Base value, no camouflage. With a Grade IV permanent camo (or any disposable camo): 9.09 km x 0.955 = 8.68 km. Camouflage does not change detectability by air.

9.09 km

With Grade IV camouflage (sea)

Detectability by sea 9.09 km x 0.955 (Grade IV permanent camo or any disposable camo) = 8.68 km.

8.68 km

Detectability by air5.45 km

Smoke firing penalty3.97 km

Detect when firing (sea)

max(main battery range, sea detectability 9.09 km) = 10.09 km. Equal to the ship's main battery range (never below base detectability): firing makes you visible to everyone you can reach.

10.09 km

Detect when firing (air)

Air detectability 5.45 km + gun-firing bloom 3.04 km = 8.49 km. The bloom tracks main-battery caliber 152 mm × 0.020 = 3.04 km.

8.49 km

Detect when on fire (sea)

Sea detectability 9.09 km + 2.0 km while burning = 11.09 km.

11.09 km

Detect when on fire (air)

Air detectability 5.45 km + 3.0 km while burning = 8.45 km.

8.45 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

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

Under the hood

Show ▾

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

The constants behind the formulas and the long tail: shell and dispersion inputs, fixed-range anchors, salvo math, layered AA. Click the formula chip on any row to see how it is calculated.

Main battery formulas

vs standard cruiserStandard

The standard cruiser dispersion curve.

Shell scatter width @ 5 km67.5 m

(166.7 × (8 − 1.1) / 1000 + 1.1) × 30 = 67.5 m. Horizontal scatter at a fixed 5 km, from the same dispersion model as the rows below - a knife-fight-range anchor comparable across ships.

Shell scatter width @ 10 km102 m

(333.3 × (8 − 1.1) / 1000 + 1.1) × 30 = 102 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.

Shell scatter height @ 5 km33.6 m

How tall the scatter ellipse is at a fixed 5 km, from the same model, comparable from ship to ship. 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  $delim \cdot R_{m a x} = 0.5 \cdot 10093 = 5046$  m, and  $radiusOnMax = 0.6$  at 10093 m. Below the kink:  $k = 0.2 + (0.5 - 0.2) \cdot \frac{5000}{5046} = 0.4972$ , so  $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot k = 67.5 \cdot 0.4972 = 33.6 m$ .

Shell scatter height @ 10 km61 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  $delim \cdot R_{m a x} = 0.5 \cdot 10093 = 5046$  m, and  $radiusOnMax = 0.6$  at 10093 m. Above the kink:  $k = 0.5 + (0.6 - 0.5) \cdot \frac{10000 - 5046}{10093 - 5046} = 0.5982$ , so  $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot k = 102 \cdot 0.5982 = 61 m$ .

AP pen 5 km115 mm

AP penetration at a fixed 5 km, from the same ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the AP formula  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$   $= 10^{- 7} \cdot 1830 \cdot {47.7}^{0.69} \cdot {0.152}^{- 1.07} \cdot {533.9}^{1.38} = 115 mm$ , where 533.9 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 5 km (from 853 m/s at the muzzle). Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.

AP pen 10 km64 mm

AP penetration at a fixed 10 km, from the same ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the AP formula  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$   $= 10^{- 7} \cdot 1830 \cdot {47.7}^{0.69} \cdot {0.152}^{- 1.07} \cdot 348^{1.38} = 64 mm$ , where 348 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 10 km (from 853 m/s at the muzzle). Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.

HE flight time @ 10 km7 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:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.4036 \cdot {0.152}^{2}}{8 \cdot 47.7} = 7.68 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 853 m/s muzzle velocity in 0.02 s steps under gravity 9.8 m/s² until the shell lands, then divides by 2.77 because the game clock runs faster than real time. Lower is better, since a faster shell is harder to dodge and needs less lead.

AP flight time @ 10 km7 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:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.4036 \cdot {0.152}^{2}}{8 \cdot 47.7} = 7.68 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 853 m/s muzzle velocity in 0.02 s steps under gravity 9.8 m/s² until the shell lands, then divides by 2.77 because the game clock runs faster than real time. Lower is better, since a faster shell is harder to dodge and needs less lead.

Guns per full salvo (alpha, DPM)8

Counted from each mount's firing arc: most barrels that bear at once: 8 of 14, on the beam; casemate/wing mounts only fire one side.

Model inputs

Krupp (AP)1,830

Armor-penetration constant of the AP shell; penetration scales straight with it, so a 10% higher Krupp is 10% more penetration at every range.

AP shell mass47.7 kg

Enters penetration as mass^0.69 and slows the shell's drag deceleration, so a heavier shell keeps more velocity at range.

AP drag coefficient0.4036

Air drag on the AP shell in flight; lower keeps velocity, and with it penetration, at long range.

AP muzzle velocity853 m/s

Starting speed of the AP shell; penetration scales with velocity^1.38.

HE muzzle velocity853 m/s

Starting speed of the HE shell; sets its flight time and lead.

idealRadius8

Horizontal dispersion growth per idealDistance of range, in 30 m units; the slope of the scatter-width line.

minRadius1.1

Horizontal dispersion at zero range, in 30 m units; the intercept of the scatter-width line.

idealDistance1,000 m

Range step over which horizontal dispersion grows by idealRadius.

taperDist4,000 m

Inside this range the scatter width tapers toward minRadius instead of following the line.

radiusOnZero0.2

Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at zero range.

radiusOnDelim0.5

Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at the delim point.

radiusOnMax0.6

Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at maximum range.

delim0.5

Where the vertical-scatter curve bends, as a share of maximum range.

AA defense

AA DPS at max range21

Only families that reach 1 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: Hotchkiss MG Mk1 8x1 -> 21 DPS @ 1 km.

AA DPS layered by range21 DPS @ 1 km

@ 1 km: 21 from one family. 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-blank21

21 = 21 DPS: the sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (1 km).

AA threat index21

21 × 1 = 21. 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 km

Secondary battery firepower

Max HE alpha1100

The only family (76.2 mm): 1100. Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1100 from the 76.2 mm family.

Max HE fire chance4%

The only family (76.2 mm): 4%. Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 4% from the 76.2 mm family.

Max HE pen13 mm

The only family (76.2 mm): 13 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: 13 mm from the 76.2 mm family.

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Ship Charts

Background

A St. Louis-class cruiser. A large ship with moderate speed, equipped with a large number of rapid-firing guns. The propulsion unit of the cruiser was protected with side-armor.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 29,500, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds. HP caps are estimates.

Bow & stern6 mm

Overmatched by 105+ AP guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Belt / citadel102 mm

Thin belt: battleship AP citadels straight through it broadside. Rely on angle, speed and concealment, never sit flat.

Farming6 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 3%, fires burn 30s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →

Section	Plates	HP cap	Threats	Tactic
Bow	6 mm primary (range 6–38 mm)	≈ 1,475 (~5% of HP)	Overmatched by 127mm+ AP (Farragut, Shenyang)6 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)	13 mm primary (range 13–51 mm)	≈ 22,125 (~75% of HP)	Overmatched by 203mm+ AP (Furutaka)Angle bounces 152mm13 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern	6 mm primary (range 6–13 mm)	≈ 1,475 (~5% of HP)	Overmatched by 127mm+ AP (Farragut, Shenyang)6 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	102 mm primary (range 6–102 mm)	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	6 mm primary (range 6–13 mm)	no cap	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).

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.

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Charleston M can equip.

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.

2023-11-02 · Patch notes November Update: All In Black Patch notes 2023-12-07 · Patch notes Holiday Update: Waves of Presents Patch notes

Charleston M

Charleston M Community Stats

Charleston M Community Stats

Charleston M Community Stats

Playstyle

Overview

Positioning

Potato Avoidance

Signature Traits →

How to get Charleston M

Builds

Cohort position

Peers in this cohort

Stats & specs

Under the hood

Main battery formulas

Model inputs

AA defense

Secondary battery firepower

Ship Charts

Background

Armor Beta

Skins & permanent camouflages

Primary official WG sources

Signature Traits