World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Des Moines

Beta
Radar support cruiserLight caps and smoke-firing DDs; farm from cover.
Playstyle
  • Hold 12-15 km from a contested cap with an island close enough to break sightline when focus shifts
  • Avoid: Using radar like a destroyer hunter rather than a position tool
Key characteristics
Strong AARadar (11 km)Spotter planeDefensive AALight secondaries
Community Data

Des Moines Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Des Moines is a Legendary American heavy cruiser whose signature kit is Surveillance Radar (11 km). The radar drop is what makes her valuable in cap fights; the guns are the secondary story. AA (733 AA DPS at 5 km, +100% Defensive AA flak burst) is heavy enough to make her the team's air-defense anchor on top of the lead role; CV strikes route around her, not through. Standout traits: best AP always-pen window in Legendary CAs (60°).

Positioning

Hold 12-15 km from a contested cap with an island close enough to break sightline when focus shifts. Push the radar forward only once the destroyer fight is yours; burning the drop to fish for a lone DD kill leaves the next push with no answer to smoke or vision.

Potato Avoidance

Using radar like a destroyer hunter rather than a position…

The consumable's value is locking down a cap your team can take, not stealing a single salvo on a lone DD. Burn it early to fish for a kill and the next push has no answer to smoke or vision.

Signature Traits

Surveillance Radar

11 km range, 30 s duration. Detects all enemy ships within a fixed radius regardless of line-of-sight. Controls caps and punishes smoke-firing DDs.

Wide always-pen zone

60.0° AP min ricochet angle, best of Legendary CAs. Larger impact-angle window where shells always penetrate.

Top-tier AA

733.0 AA DPS, best of Legendary CAs (median 566.0).

Late auto-bounce

67.5° AP guaranteed ricochet angle, top decile of Legendary CAs. Auto-bounce kicks in later than peers'.

Punchy HE secondaries

1800.0 max HE alpha per secondary shell, top decile of Legendary CAs. Bigger per-shell damage than peers.

Light secondaries

108000.0 secondary DPM (theoretical), bottom quartile of Legendary CAs. Less per-minute secondary throughput than peers; brawl trade depends more on the mains.

Acquisition

How to get Des Moines

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

Official WG availability sources
  • Autumn Update: In the Shadow of Leaves Patch/update availability Start: 2022-08-25 · End: open/unknown end Official update notes with ship availability, release, store, event, or tech-tree context.
  • Through the Spy Glass: USS Black, Independence, South Carolina Ship feature / release Start: 2022-06-21 · End: open/unknown end Official Through the Spy Glass feature for this ship; useful as a release/availability source, but not a guaranteed current-store listing.
  • Through the Spy Glass: Salem Ship feature / release Start: 2023-06-29 · End: open/unknown end Official Through the Spy Glass feature for this ship; useful as a release/availability source, but not a guaranteed current-store listing.
  • Through the Spy Glass: Anchorage Ship feature / release Start: 2023-10-03 · End: open/unknown end Official Through the Spy Glass feature for this ship; useful as a release/availability source, but not a guaranteed current-store listing.

Builds Beta

Build for reload, radar utility, concealment, AP performance, and survivability. Island positioning multiplies the ship’s value.

Open in Build Tool →

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Cohort position

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Where Des Moines sits among Legendary CAs (21 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 ricochet start60° (1 of 5 tied) BestAA DPS733 (1/21) BestAA threat3,450 (1/21) Top 10%Acceleration9.9 s (3/21) Top 10%AP auto-bounce angle67.5° (3/21) Top 25%Rudder shift11.2 s (5/21) Top 25%Fires per minute14 (5/20) Top 25%HE alpha1,800 (4/13) Top 25%Bow armor27 mm (6/21) Top 25%Deck armor140 mm (5/21) Bottom 25%Max speed33 kt (18/21) Bottom 25%Traverse-to-turn ratio4.75 × (18/21) Bottom 25%Main battery range15.47 km (17/21) Bottom 25%AP velocity762 m/s (19/21) Bottom 25%Turn-speed retention155.8 hp/m (17/21) WorstSecondary DPM (per side)108,000 (1 of 2 tied) WorstSecondary fire chance5% (1 of 5 tied) WorstNo torpedoes (8 of 21 in cohort) WorstRepair heal rate0.5 %/s (1 of 10 tied)
See 26 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Des Moines -- 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 points50,600 HP(13/21) Concealment13 km(11/21) Air detection7.8 km(11/21) Main battery caliber203 mm(13/21) Main battery reload5.4 s(8/21) Sigma2.05(13/21) HE shell damage2,750(13/20) HE fire chance14%(13/20) HE DPM275,000(7/20) AP shell damage4,750(14/21) AP DPM475,000(7/21) Main dispersion139.7 m(8/21) Secondary HE pen21 mm(5/13) HE velocity823 m/s(11/20) AP arming threshold34 mm(10/21) Engine power120,000 hp(15/21) Displacement20,950 t(8/21) Power-to-weight5.73 hp/t(15/21) AA range5 km(15/21) Max armor160 mm(13/21) Citadel belt160 mm(10/21) Stern armor27 mm(7/21) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(11 of 14 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.03 s(11 of 21 tied at this value) NormSecondary range5 km(11 of 14 tied at this value) NormRepair charges2(15 of 21 tied at this value)

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

Radar 11 kmSonar 5.47 kmRepair 2Def-AAFighter
Survivability
Hit Points50,600
Displacement20,950 t
Armor range6–160 mm
Plate armor thicknesses6, 16, 27, 30, 40, 90, 102, 127, 140, 152, 160 mm
Armor material/layer entries45
Fire resistance40%
Fire duration30 s
Torp Reduction19%
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.
25,300
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.
15,200
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 203 mm Mk16
Mounts / barrels3 mounts / 9 barrels
Reload time6 s
Firing range15.5 km
Turret traverse6 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)
ƒShell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
2.05
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (15469/30·(8−1.1)/1000 + 1.1)·30 = 139.7 m
139.7 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 139.7 × 0.6 = 83.8 m
83.8 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 139.7 × 0.314 (σ=2.05) = 43.8 m
43.8 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 83.8 × 0.314 (σ=2.05) = 26.3 m
26.3 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 6 deg/s traverse speed = 30 s.
30 s
Base shells/min
ƒ9 broadside guns x 60 / 6 s base reload = 90.
90
HE shells
HE Damage2,750
HE Velocity823 m/s
Fire Chance14%
HE penetration
ƒ34 mm ≈ 203 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
34 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ2,750 HE damage x 9 broadside guns = 24,750.
24,750
Base HE DPM
ƒ24,750 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6 s base reload = 247,500.
247,500
Installed HE DPM
ƒ24,750 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5.4 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 275,000.
275,000
Base fires/min
ƒ9 HE shells x 60 / 6 s reload x 14% fire chance = 12.6.
12.6
AP shells
AP Damage4,750
AP Velocity762 m/s
Min Ricochet60 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet67.5 deg
Fuse Timer0.033 s
Fuse Threshold34 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(203 mm caliber / 14.3) = 14 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
14 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 × 2919 × 152^0.69 × 0.203^-1.07 × 762^1.38 = 488.4 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
488.4 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (19.3 km), where the shell has slowed to 368.3 m/s: 1e-7 × 2919 × 152^0.69 × 0.203^-1.07 × 368.3^1.38 = 179.1 mm.
179.1 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ4,750 AP damage x 9 broadside guns = 42,750.
42,750
Base AP DPM
ƒ42,750 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6 s base reload = 427,500.
427,500
Installed AP DPM
ƒ42,750 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5.4 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 475,000.
475,000
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.
45
AA Defense
AA mount points24
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (152×3.5×0.9) + (24×3.5×0.85) + (29×3.5×0.9) + (29×3.5×0.9) = 733. 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.
733
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
5 km
76.2 mm Mk3310×2 76mm
76.2 mm Mk332×2 76mm
20 mm Oerlikon Mk412×1 20mm
127 mm Mk32 (DP)6×2 127mm
Far + Medium aura
Far DPS
ƒIncludes 58 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
58
Medium DPS152
Range5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 58 + Medium 152 = 210
210
Near aura
DPS24
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 58 + Medium 152 + Near 24 = 234
234
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts6
Firing range5.0 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
Caliber127 mm
Reload time6 s
HE Damage1,800
Muzzle Velocity792 m/s
Fire Chance5%
Armor Pen21 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 @ 5 km
ƒ5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.
315 m
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 120,000 hp
Engine power120,000 hp
Maximum speed33 kt
Turning circle radius770 m
Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt
Traverse-to-turn ratio4.8× drags
Concealment
Detectability by sea13 km
Detectability by air7.8 km
Smoke firing penalty7.49 km
Detect after firing main guns13 km
Detect Fire Sea15 km
Detect Fire Air10.8 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active
Choose one
Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 100 s active · 5.47 km ship detect · 3.8 km torpedo detect
Defensive AA Fire3 charges · 140 s reload · 25 s active · +100% flak burst boost
Choose one
Catapult Fighter4 charges · 70 s reload · 55 s active · 5.56 km patrol radius · 1 squadron size
Observation Seaplane4 charges · 200 s reload · 30 s active · 1 squadron size · +10% main-battery range bonus
Surveillance Radar2 charges · 180 s reload · 30 s active · 11 km radar range
Repair Party2 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 0.5% heal per second · 14% of max HP total heal
Module options (1)

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

HullUpgrade
  • Turret traverse6 → 8.2 °/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)2.05
Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
Max Horiz Disp139.7 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (15469/30·(8−1.1)/1000 + 1.1)·30 = 139.7 m
Max Vert Disp83.8 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 139.7 × 0.6 = 83.8 m
Med Horiz Disp43.8 m
50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 139.7 × 0.314 (σ=2.05) = 43.8 m
Med Vert Disp26.3 m
50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 83.8 × 0.314 (σ=2.05) = 26.3 m
Dispersion familyCruiser Disp.
Standard cruiser dispersion baseline.
AP Pen Close488.4 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 × 2919 × 152^0.69 × 0.203^-1.07 × 762^1.38 = 488.4 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far179.1 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (19.3 km), where the shell has slowed to 368.3 m/s: 1e-7 × 2919 × 152^0.69 × 0.203^-1.07 × 368.3^1.38 = 179.1 mm.
HE penetration34 mm
34 mm ≈ 203 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch14 mm
floor(203 mm caliber / 14.3) = 14 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius45
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 alpha9
All 9 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time30 s
180 degrees / 6 deg/s traverse speed = 30 s.
HE full-salvo alpha24,750
2,750 HE damage x 9 broadside guns = 24,750.
AP full-salvo alpha42,750
4,750 AP damage x 9 broadside guns = 42,750.
Base HE DPM247,500
24,750 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6 s base reload = 247,500.
Base AP DPM427,500
42,750 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6 s base reload = 427,500.
Installed HE DPM275,000
24,750 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5.4 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 275,000.
Installed AP DPM475,000
42,750 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5.4 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 475,000.
Base shells/min90
9 broadside guns x 60 / 6 s base reload = 90.
Installed shells/min100
9 broadside guns x 60 / 5.4 s installed Artillery reload = 100.
Base fires/min12.6
9 HE shells x 60 / 6 s reload x 14% fire chance = 12.6.
Installed fires/min14
9 HE shells x 60 / 5.4 s installed reload x 14% fire chance = 14.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS733
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (152×3.5×0.9) + (24×3.5×0.85) + (29×3.5×0.9) + (29×3.5×0.9) = 733. 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 index3450
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 @ 5 km315 m
5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)108,000
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: 6×2 127 mm (6/side) × 60/6 × 1800 = 108,000. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).
Max HE alpha1800
Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1800 from the 127 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 127 mm family.
Max HE pen21 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: 21 mm from the 127 mm family.

Armor

Hull HP 50,600, 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
Bow27 mm primary (range 27–40 mm)2,500 (5% of HP)
Overmatched by 406mm+ (Hawke, Iowa)Angle bounces 380mm27 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)16 mm primary (range 6–140 mm)38,000 (75% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Scharnhorst '43, Schill)Angle bounces 203mm16 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern27 mm primary (range 6–102 mm)3,900 (8% of HP)
Overmatched by 406mm+ (Hawke, Iowa)Angle bounces 380mm27 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel160 mm primary (range 6–160 mm)≈ 165,500 (effectively no cap)
Citadel pen ×0.33 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 (×0.33 direct pen, ×0.10 over-pen).
Superstructure6 mm primary (range 6–160 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).
Turret (module, per magazine)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP25,300 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 (127 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 (76 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 HP15,200 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.
Streamer videos

Watch Des Moines in live play

Balance History

Balance updates affecting Des Moines. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Nerf ×4Buff ×2Main Battery ×5Consumable ×1
2025-10-30

Ministry of Balance: Preparing for Winter

  • Main battery AP shell damage increased from 4,500 to 4,750.
  • Main battery HE shell damage increased from 2,550 to 2,750.
Read the full official post
2022-08-25

Autumn Update: In the Shadow of Leaves

  • Main battery reload time increased from 5.5 s to 6 s.
  • HE maximum shell damage decreased from 2,800 to 2,550.
  • AP maximum shell damage decreased from 5,000 to 4,500.
  • Radar consumable duration decreased from 40 s to 30 s.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Des Moines 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.