Clemson Build & Guide | WoWs Legends

Playstyle

Overview

Clemson is a Tier III American stealth-leaning destroyer with strong surface detection (5.9 km). The kit opens detection windows most peer DDs cannot match, so her value is contesting caps from concealment edges where the detection band holds. Standout traits: best armor plate in T3 DDs (21 mm).

Positioning

Hold concealment edges on the contested cap at 5.9 km detection. The band opens windows for unspotted torpedo drops and clean repositions; lean into the gaps your peer DDs cannot read, and back out before detection closes.

Potato Avoidance

Burning the 5.9 km concealment advantage on guns

Every salvo lights you up and gives back the detection edge that makes the kit work; reserve guns for finishing damage on already-spotted ships, and prioritize torpedo drops you can fire while undetected.

Signature Traits

Heavy armor

21.0 mm max plate, best of T3 DDs.

Thick bow plate

21.0 mm bow, best of T3 DDs. Harder for same-tier guns to overmatch.

Thick deck armor

21.0 mm armor deck, best of T3 DDs. Eats plunging fire and HE that peers don't.

Long-reach AA

3.0 km AA reach, top decile of T3 DDs.

Slow reload

6.3 s reload, bottom decile of T3 DDs. Salvos punish more, but cycle is slower than peers.

Easily spotted

5.92 km surface detect, bottom decile of T3 DDs. Visible before you can react; position early.

Acquisition

How to get Clemson

Clemson is available in the Universal Destroyers branch of the U.S. Tech Tree for 85,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 17,000 credits.

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

U.S. Tech Tree

Clemson 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

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

Albert Gleaves, Arleigh Burke, and Bumblebee are useful American destroyer commander directions. Inspirations usually start with concealment, then add HP, torpedo reload, gun performance, or speed depending on whether you want safer scouting or harder cap fights.

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Commanders frequently paired with this ship Albert Gleaves Arleigh Burke

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Cohort position

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Where Clemson sits among Tier III DDs (11 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.

BestAP arming threshold17 mm (1 of 3 tied) BestMax armor21 mm (1/11) BestBow armor21 mm (1/11) BestDeck armor21 mm (1/11) Top 10%Main dispersion77.2 m (2/11) Top 10%HE velocity884 m/s (2/10) Top 25%AP velocity884 m/s (2/9) Top 25%AA range3 km (3/11) Top 25%Torpedo damage11,733 (3/11) WorstMain battery caliber102 mm (1 of 3 tied) WorstFires per minute1.14 (10/10) WorstHE DPM28,571 (10/10) WorstAP DPM32,381 (9/9)

See 23 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Clemson -- 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.

Hit points10,900 HP(4/11) Max speed35 kt(5/11) Concealment5.92 km(9/11) Air detection2.96 km(9/11) Rudder shift3.6 s(7/11) Traverse-to-turn ratio5.04 ×(7/11) Main battery range9.12 km(8/11) Main battery reload6.3 s(9/11) HE shell damage1,500(7/10) HE fire chance6%(5/10) Acceleration9.7 s(5/11) Engine power27,500 hp(7/11) Turn-speed retention52.9 hp/m(9/11) Displacement1,700 t(8/11) Power-to-weight16.18 hp/t(9/11) AA DPS20(7/11) AA threat30(9/11) Torpedo range5.49 km(9/11) Torpedo speed56 kt(8/11) Torpedo reload66 s(7/11) Citadel belt13 mm(5/11) Stern armor13 mm(5/11) NormAP fuse timer0.01 s(8 of 9 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Show all 10 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.

SmokeEngine Boost

Survivability

Hit PointsInitial: 8,800 → 10,900

Displacement1,700 t

Armor range6–21 mm

Plate armor thicknesses6, 10, 13, 21 mm

Armor material/layer entries25

Fire resistanceInitial: 6.7% → 10%

Fire duration30 s

Torp Reduction0%

Magazine HP

ƒ

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.

5,500

Steering gear HP

ƒ

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.

3,300

Main Battery

ModuleArtillery: 102 mm/50 Mk14

Mounts / barrels4 mounts / 4 barrels

Reload time7 s

Firing range (base)8.3 km

Firing range (top fire control)9.1 km

Turret traverse10 °/s

Shell Grouping (σ)

ƒ

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

2

Max Horiz Disp

ƒ

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (8292/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 77.2 m

77.2 m

Max Vert Disp

ƒ

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 77.2 × 0.6 = 46.3 m

46.3 m

Med Horiz Disp

ƒ

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 77.2 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 24.7 m

24.7 m

Med Vert Disp

ƒ

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 46.3 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 14.8 m

14.8 m

Turret turn time

ƒ

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

18 s

Base shells/min

ƒ

2 broadside guns x 60 / 7 s base reload = 17.1.

17.1

HE shells

HE Damage1,500

HE Velocity884 m/s

Fire Chance6%

HE penetration

ƒ

17 mm ≈ 102 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

17 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

ƒ

1,500 HE damage x 2 broadside guns = 3,000.

3,000

Base HE DPM

ƒ

3,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 7 s base reload = 25,714.

25,714

Base fires/min

ƒ

2 HE shells x 60 / 7 s reload x 6% fire chance = 1.03.

1.03

AP shells

AP Damage1,700

AP Velocity884 m/s

Min Ricochet45 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg

Fuse Timer0.01 s

Fuse Threshold17 mm

AP overmatch

ƒ

floor(102 mm caliber / 14.3) = 7 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

7 mm

AP Pen Close

ƒ

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 × 1451 × 14.97^0.69 × 0.102^-1.07 × 884^1.38 = 125.7 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

125.7 mm

AP Pen Far

ƒ

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (11.4 km), where the shell has slowed to 280.4 m/s: 1e-7 × 1451 × 14.97^0.69 × 0.102^-1.07 × 280.4^1.38 = 25.8 mm.

25.8 mm

AP full-salvo alpha

ƒ

1,700 AP damage x 2 broadside guns = 3,400.

3,400

Base AP DPM

ƒ

3,400 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 7 s base reload = 29,143.

29,143

AP AOE Radius

ƒ

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.

3

◇

Torpedoes

ModuleTorpedoes: Mark 11

Launchers / tubes4 launchers × 3 tubes = 12 tubes

Reload time66 s

Projectile speed56 kt

Range5.49 km

Maximum simulated damage10,833 (est.)

Alpha damage32,500

Torpedo detectability1.1 km

Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s

Torp Turn7.2 s

Torp Arming173 m

Per-side salvo damage

ƒ

per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

129,996

AA Defense

AA mount pointsInitial: 1 → 3

Close-range AA DPS

ƒ

Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (1×3.5×1) + (5×3.5×0.95) = 20. 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.

20

Maximum AA range

ƒ

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

3 km

76.2 mm/23 Mk71×1 76mm

12.7 mm Browning M2 mod. 2 (upgraded hull only)2×1 13mm

DPS1

Range3 km

DPS5

Range1.2 km

Total DPS in Aura

ƒ

Far 1 + Near 5 = 6

6

Maneuverability

Engine moduleEngine: 27,000 hp

Engine power27,500 hp

Maximum speed35 kt

Turning circle radius520 m

Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt

Traverse-to-turn ratio5.0× slow

Concealment

Detectability by sea5.92 km

Detectability by air2.96 km

Smoke firing penalty2 km

Detect after firing main guns5.92 km

Detect Fire Sea7.92 km

Detect Fire Air5.96 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

Damage Control Party∞ charges · 40 s reload · 5 s active

Smoke Generator2 charges · 240 s reload · 15 s emit / 112 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.

HullUpgrade

Hit points8,800 → 10,900
Rudder shift5.4 → 3.6 s
AA mounts1 → 3
Close-range AA DPS1 → 6

Fire controlUpgrade

Main battery range8,292 → 9121.2 m

TorpedoesTrade-off

Range5.04 → 5.49 km
Reload40 → 66 s
Alpha damage27,000 → 32,500
Display damage9,000 → 10,833

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 Disp77.2 m

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (8292/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 77.2 m

Max Vert Disp46.3 m

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 77.2 × 0.6 = 46.3 m

Med Horiz Disp24.7 m

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 77.2 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 24.7 m

Med Vert Disp14.8 m

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 46.3 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 14.8 m

AP Pen Close125.7 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 × 1451 × 14.97^0.69 × 0.102^-1.07 × 884^1.38 = 125.7 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

AP Pen Far25.8 mm

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (11.4 km), where the shell has slowed to 280.4 m/s: 1e-7 × 1451 × 14.97^0.69 × 0.102^-1.07 × 280.4^1.38 = 25.8 mm.

HE penetration17 mm

17 mm ≈ 102 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

AP overmatch7 mm

floor(102 mm caliber / 14.3) = 7 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

AP AOE Radius3

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 alpha2

Barrels that can bear on one beam (2 of 4); casemate/wing mounts only fire one side.

Turret turn time18 s

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

HE full-salvo alpha3,000

1,500 HE damage x 2 broadside guns = 3,000.

AP full-salvo alpha3,400

1,700 AP damage x 2 broadside guns = 3,400.

Base HE DPM25,714

3,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 7 s base reload = 25,714.

Base AP DPM29,143

3,400 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 7 s base reload = 29,143.

Base shells/min17.1

2 broadside guns x 60 / 7 s base reload = 17.1.

Base fires/min1.03

2 HE shells x 60 / 7 s reload x 6% fire chance = 1.03.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.1 km

Estimated torpedo reaction time7.6 s

detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).

Torpedo speed56 kt

Travel time to max range37.7 s

range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).

Tube count12

4 launchers x 3 tubes.

Per-side salvo12 torpedoes

12 (centerline launchers train across - full salvo to either side).

Full-salvo damage129,996

tube count x per-torpedo simulated damage (all torpedoes hitting).

Per-side salvo damage129,996

per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS20

Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (1×3.5×1) + (5×3.5×0.95) = 20. 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 range3 km

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

AA threat index30

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 8,800 → 10,900 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
Bow	21 mm primary (range 10–21 mm)	1,700 (16% of HP)	Overmatched by 305mm+ (Mikasa, Courbet)Angle bounces 283mm21 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.
Stern	13 mm primary (range 10–13 mm)	1,000 (9% of HP)	Overmatched by 203mm+ (Desert Falcon, Genova)Angle bounces 152mm13 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	13 mm primary (range 10–13 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).
Superstructure	6 mm primary (range 6–21 mm)	600 (6% 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	5,500 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 (76 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	3,300 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 Clemson can equip, from in-game data.

DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior

Clemson

Clemson Community Stats