World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Charleston

Beta
Utility cruiserFlexible support -- spot, screen, and farm where the team needs it.
Playstyle
  • Hold under 10 km with islands tight enough to break vision on demand
  • Avoid: Open-water broadside trading
Key characteristics
High HE / fire outputShort gun range
Community Data

Charleston Community Stats

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

Log in & upload to see Community Data

Playstyle

Overview

Charleston 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: best HE DPM in T2 CAs (124,444) and top-decile high HP pool in T2 CAs (29,500 HP).

Positioning

Hold under 10 km with 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.

Potato Avoidance

Open-water broadside trading

Her 152mm shells citadel cruisers on the wrong frame, and her 29,500-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

HE DPM machine

124444 HE DPM, best of T2 CAs. Sustained fire pressure.

High HP pool

29500.0 HP, top decile of T2 CAs.

Heavy citadel belt

102.0 mm citadel belt, top decile of T2 CAs. Citadels through angle are rare.

Fast acceleration

~6.0 s to max forward speed, top quartile of T2 CAs. Rebuilds speed quickly after a turn or stop. (Acceleration decode is validated in-game but not yet confirmed across every ship.)

Short gun range

10.09 km main battery reach, bottom decile of T2 CAs. Outranged by peers; close distance or lean on terrain.

Sluggish rudder

11.1 s rudder shift, bottom decile of T2 CAs. Hard to dodge incoming AP; lean on island cover.

Acquisition

How to get Charleston

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

Builds Beta

AL Baltimore, AL Montpelier, and Captain Janeway are useful American cruiser commander directions. Inspirations usually support accuracy, reload, concealment, agility, or survivability so the ship can keep influencing fights without giving up easy citadels.

Open in Build Tool →

Commanders frequently paired with this ship AL BaltimoreAL Montpelier

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

Cohort position

Hide

Where Charleston sits among Tier II CAs (19 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.

BestHE DPM124,444 (1 of 3 tied) BestAcceleration6 s (1 of 4 tied) Top 10%Hit points29,500 HP (2/19) Top 25%AP DPM177,778 (3/18) Top 25%Citadel belt102 mm (3/19) Bottom 25%Rudder shift11.1 s (18/19) Bottom 25%HE fire chance7% (15/18) Bottom 25%Displacement10,850 t (17/19) Bottom 25%AA threat21 (11/13) WorstMain battery range10.09 km (19/19) WorstSigma1.8 (1 of 2 tied) WorstSecondary HE pen13 mm (1 of 5 tied) WorstSecondary range2.5 km (1 of 5 tied) WorstNo torpedoes (14 of 19 in cohort) WorstBow armor10 mm (1 of 8 tied)
See 26 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Charleston -- 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 speed22 kt(15/19) Concealment9.09 km(11/19) Air detection5.45 km(11/19) Traverse-to-turn ratio5.55 ×(8/19) Main battery caliber152 mm(7/19) Main battery reload8.1 s(11/19) HE shell damage2,100(9/18) Fires per minute4.15(8/18) Main dispersion102.6 m(7/19) Secondary DPM (per side)118,800(5/11) HE alpha1,100(9/11) AP velocity853 m/s(6/18) HE velocity853 m/s(6/18) AP arming threshold25 mm(11/18) Engine power21,000 hp(11/19) Turn-speed retention46.7 hp/m(11/19) Power-to-weight1.94 hp/t(15/19) AA DPS21(9/19) AA range1 km(11/19) Max armor102 mm(9/19) Stern armor13 mm(11/19) Deck armor13 mm(15/19) NormSecondary fire chance4%(8 of 11 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.03 s(11 of 18 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(17 of 18 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(17 of 18 tied at this value)

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

Survivability
Hit Points29,500
Displacement10,850 t
Armor range6–102 mm
Plate armor thicknesses6, 10, 13, 38, 51, 76, 102 mm
Armor material/layer entries35
Fire resistance3.3%
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.
14,800
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.
8,900
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 152 mm Mk6
Mounts / barrels14 mounts / 14 barrels
Reload time9 s
Firing range10.1 km
Turret traverse8 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)
ƒShell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
1.8
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (10093/30·(8−1.1)/1000 + 1.1)·30 = 102.6 m
102.6 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 102.6 × 0.6 = 61.6 m
61.6 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 102.6 × 0.344 (σ=1.8) = 35.3 m
35.3 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 61.6 × 0.344 (σ=1.8) = 21.2 m
21.2 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 8 deg/s traverse speed = 22.5 s.
22.5 s
Base shells/min
ƒ8 broadside guns x 60 / 9 s base reload = 53.3.
53.3
HE shells
HE Damage2,100
HE Velocity853 m/s
Fire Chance7%
HE penetration
ƒ25 mm ≈ 152 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
25 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ2,100 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 16,800.
16,800
Base HE DPM
ƒ16,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 9 s base reload = 112,000.
112,000
Base fires/min
ƒ8 HE shells x 60 / 9 s reload x 7% fire chance = 3.73.
3.73
AP shells
AP Damage3,000
AP Velocity853 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 × 1830 × 47.7^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 853^1.38 = 219.2 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
219.2 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (12.6 km), where the shell has slowed to 294.1 m/s: 1e-7 × 1830 × 47.7^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 294.1^1.38 = 50.4 mm.
50.4 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ3,000 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 24,000.
24,000
Base AP DPM
ƒ24,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 9 s base reload = 160,000.
160,000
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
AA Defense
AA mount points8
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (7×3.5×0.85) = 21. 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.
21
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
1 km
7.6 mm Hotchkiss Mk18×1 8mm
Near aura
DPS7
Range1 km
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts18
Firing range2.5 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
Caliber76.2 mm
Reload time5 s
HE Damage1,100
Muzzle Velocity823 m/s
Fire Chance4%
Armor Pen13 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 @ 2.5 km
ƒ2.5 km × 57 + 30 = 172.5 m.
172.5 m
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 21,000 hp
Engine power21,000 hp
Maximum speed22 kt
Turning circle radius450 m
Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt
Traverse-to-turn ratio5.6× slow
Concealment
Detectability by sea9.09 km
Detectability by air5.45 km
Smoke firing penalty3.97 km
Detect after firing main guns9.09 km
Detect Fire Sea11.09 km
Detect Fire Air8.45 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active
Module options (1)

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

HullUpgrade
  • Turret traverse8 → 5 °/s

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)1.8
Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
Max Horiz Disp102.6 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (10093/30·(8−1.1)/1000 + 1.1)·30 = 102.6 m
Max Vert Disp61.6 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 102.6 × 0.6 = 61.6 m
Med Horiz Disp35.3 m
50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 102.6 × 0.344 (σ=1.8) = 35.3 m
Med Vert Disp21.2 m
50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 61.6 × 0.344 (σ=1.8) = 21.2 m
AP Pen Close219.2 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 × 1830 × 47.7^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 853^1.38 = 219.2 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far50.4 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (12.6 km), where the shell has slowed to 294.1 m/s: 1e-7 × 1830 × 47.7^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 294.1^1.38 = 50.4 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
Barrels that can bear on one beam (8 of 14); casemate/wing mounts only fire one side.
Turret turn time22.5 s
180 degrees / 8 deg/s traverse speed = 22.5 s.
HE full-salvo alpha16,800
2,100 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 16,800.
AP full-salvo alpha24,000
3,000 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 24,000.
Base HE DPM112,000
16,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 9 s base reload = 112,000.
Base AP DPM160,000
24,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 9 s base reload = 160,000.
Base shells/min53.3
8 broadside guns x 60 / 9 s base reload = 53.3.
Base fires/min3.73
8 HE shells x 60 / 9 s reload x 7% fire chance = 3.73.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS21
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (7×3.5×0.85) = 21. 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 range1 km
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
AA threat index21
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 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 @ 2.5 km172.5 m
2.5 km × 57 + 30 = 172.5 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)118,800
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: 18×1 76.2 mm (9/side) × 60/5 × 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).
Max HE alpha1100
Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1100 from the 76.2 mm family.
Max HE fire chance4%
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
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.

Armor

Hull HP 29,500, 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
Bow10 mm primary (range 6–38 mm)2,600 (9% of HP)
Overmatched by 150mm+ (Celebes, Königsberg)Angle bounces 127mm10 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)22,100 (75% of HP)
Overmatched by 203mm+ (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.
Stern13 mm primary (range 6–13 mm)1,700 (6% of HP)
Overmatched by 203mm+ (Furutaka)Angle bounces 152mm13 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel102 mm primary (range 6–102 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).
Superstructure6 mm primary (range 6–13 mm)900 (3% 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 HP14,800 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 (76.2 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 (8 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 HP8,900 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.
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Charleston 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.