GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Dunkerque B

World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Dunkerque B

Beta

France · Tier V · Battleship

Fast flanking battleshipUse speed to take flanks and cross-fire from angles.

Playstyle

Anchor a flank at 14-17 km with bow toward the closest threat, then use the speed advantage at 29.5 kn…
Avoid: Using the 29.5-kn speed to push rather than to rotate

Key characteristics

Heavy AP penSpotter planeHigh fire chanceWide dispersion

Variant of Dunkerque

Cosmetic-only variant of Dunkerque. Identical to Dunkerque on every audited stat (main and secondary battery, survivability, maneuverability, concealment, AA, modules, consumables, and secondary dispersion type); differs in appearance and acquisition only.

Community Data

Dunkerque B Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Dunkerque B is a Tier V French fast battleship at 29.5 kn. Mobility lets her rotate flanks battleship-fast and pick fights where her guns get the first salvo. Standout traits: best AP shell velocity in T5 BBs (870) and best AA reach in T5 BBs (5.2 km).

Positioning

Anchor a flank at 14-17 km with bow toward the closest threat, then use the speed advantage at 29.5 kn to rotate to the cap that needs a second battleship rather than the one your team already has. Mobility means you can pick which fight you are in; do not waste it by holding center the whole match.

Potato Avoidance

Using the 29.5-kn speed to push rather than to rotate

The mobility advantage is about picking which cap fight you arrive at, not about leading the brawl line; a fast BB that overextends loses HP that the kit cannot trade back.

Signature Traits

Long-range AP brick

368.2 mm AP pen at max range, top decile of T5 BBs. Threatens citadels even from range.

Flat AP shells

870.0 m/s AP muzzle velocity, best of T5 BBs. Flatter trajectory, less lead, harder to dodge.

Long-reach AA

5.2 km AA reach, best of T5 BBs.

Fast AP shells

11.02 s flight time to max range, top decile of T5 BBs. Harder for targets to dodge.

Fast HE shells

11.0 s HE flight time to max range, top decile of T5 BBs. Harder to dodge.

Wide dispersion

224.0 m max horizontal dispersion, worst of T5 BBs. Long-range salvos are noticeably wider than peers'.

Acquisition

How to get Dunkerque B

Dunkerque B is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition path: Containers. Container chances are shown as the listed odds of receiving this exact ship, dividing grouped ship-pool odds across the resolved ships and including nested container paths when a crate can drop another crate.

ContainersAppears in official container odds below; availability depends on the container being sold or awarded.

Best listed chance for this ship

Black Friday '23 crate 7% V Dunkerque B Event containers · Black Friday '23 crate
Champion's Box 1.4% V Dunkerque B Event containers · Champion's Box → Black Friday '23 crate
Black Friday Ultimate Crate 1.1662% V Dunkerque B Event containers · Black Friday Ultimate Crate → Black Friday '23 crate

Show all 4 containers (1 more)

Piñata Chest 0.16% Tier V or VI Premium ship Event containers · Piñata Chest · 1 of 25 ships

Official WG availability sources

Official WoWS Legends container odds Containers Official container drop rows linked below include direct and nested effective ship odds.
Through the Spy Glass: Carnot Ship feature / release Start: 2023-03-06 · 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: Sevastopol Ship feature / release Start: 2025-12-02 · 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.

Show direct source rows

Black Friday '23 crate 7% · V Dunkerque B
Piñata Chest 0.16% · Tier V or VI Premium ship

Builds Beta

AL Dunkerque, AL Richelieu, and Commander Spock are useful French battleship commander directions. Inspirations usually favor accuracy, reload, AP performance, HP, survivability, or secondary/brawling bonuses depending on how aggressively you want to play.

Open in Build Tool →

Commanders frequently paired with this ship AL Dunkerque AL Richelieu

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

Cohort position

Hide ▾

Where Dunkerque B sits among Tier V BBs (24 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 velocity870 m/s (1/24) BestAA range5.2 km (1/24) Top 10%Max speed29.5 kt (3/24) Top 10%HE velocity885 m/s (2/24) Top 10%AP arming threshold55 mm (3/24) Top 10%Engine power107,000 hp (3/24) Top 10%Turn-speed retention146.6 hp/m (2/24) Top 10%Deck armor150 mm (3/24) Top 25%Traverse-to-turn ratio4.2 × (5/24) Top 25%Main battery range16.12 km (5/24) Top 25%Main battery reload25.2 s (7/24) Top 25%HE fire chance35% (5/24) Top 25%Power-to-weight3.01 hp/t (4/24) Bottom 25%Stealth profile14.62 km / 11.7 km (19/24 / 19/24) Bottom 25%Main battery caliber330 mm (22/24) Bottom 25%HE DPM91,429 (19/24) Bottom 25%AP DPM184,762 (22/24) Bottom 25%Acceleration8.7 s (21/24) WorstMain dispersion224 m (24/24)

See 23 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Dunkerque B -- 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 points52,600 HP(17/24) Rudder shift18.3 s(12/24) Sigma1.7(15/24) HE shell damage4,800(18/24) Fires per minute6.67(14/24) Secondary DPM (per side)182,400(12/24) HE alpha1,900(9/23) Secondary fire chance9%(11/23) Secondary HE pen22 mm(12/23) Displacement35,500 t(8/24) AA DPS165(17/24) AA threat498(17/24) Repair charges3(12/24) Max armor340 mm(11/24) Citadel belt340 mm(8/24) Bow armor25 mm(17/24) Stern armor25 mm(17/24) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(20 of 24 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.03 s(19 of 24 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(23 of 24 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(23 of 24 tied at this value) NormSecondary range4 km(16 of 24 tied at this value) NormRepair heal rate0.5 %/s(22 of 24 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

AL Fusou vs

AL Queen Elizabeth vs

Show all 24 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.

Repair 3Fighter

Survivability

Hit Points52,600

Displacement35,500 t

Armor range16–340 mm

Plate armor thicknesses16, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 98, 100, 120, 130, 150, 160, 175, 198, 225, 228, 250, 300, 340 mm

Armor material/layer entries64

Fire resistance23.3%

Fire duration60 s

Torp Reduction25%

Magazine HP

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.

26,300

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.

15,800

Main Battery

ModuleArtillery: 330 mm/52 St. Chamond Mle 1932

Mounts / barrels2 mounts / 8 barrels

Reload time28 s

Firing range16.1 km

Turret traverse5 °/s

Shell Grouping (σ)

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

1.7

Max Horiz Disp

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (16118/30·(12−2.2)/1000 + 2.2)·30 = 224 m

224 m

Max Vert Disp

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 224 × 0.6 = 134.4 m

134.4 m

Med Horiz Disp

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 224 × 0.356 (σ=1.7) = 79.8 m

79.8 m

Med Vert Disp

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 134.4 × 0.356 (σ=1.7) = 47.9 m

47.9 m

Turret turn time

180 degrees / 5 deg/s traverse speed = 36 s.

36 s

Base shells/min

8 broadside guns x 60 / 28 s base reload = 17.1.

17.1

HE shells

HE Damage4,800

HE Velocity885 m/s

Fire Chance35%

HE penetration

55 mm ≈ 330 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

55 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

4,800 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 38,400.

38,400

Base HE DPM

38,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 28 s base reload = 82,286.

82,286

Base fires/min

8 HE shells x 60 / 28 s reload x 35% fire chance = 6.

AP shells

AP Damage9,700

AP Velocity870 m/s

Min Ricochet45 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg

Fuse Timer0.033 s

Fuse Threshold55 mm

AP overmatch

floor(330 mm caliber / 14.3) = 23 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

23 mm

AP Pen Close

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 × 2428 × 560^0.69 × 0.33^-1.07 × 870^1.38 = 713.2 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

713.2 mm

AP Pen Far

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (20.1 km), where the shell has slowed to 538.9 m/s: 1e-7 × 2428 × 560^0.69 × 0.33^-1.07 × 538.9^1.38 = 368.3 mm.

368.3 mm

AP full-salvo alpha

9,700 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 77,600.

77,600

Base AP DPM

77,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 28 s base reload = 166,286.

166,286

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 points13

Close-range AA DPS

Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (8×3.5×0.75) + (32×3.5×0.7) + (25×3.5×0.75) = 165. 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.

165

Maximum AA range

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

5.2 km

37 mm/50 Mle 19335×2 37mm

13.2 mm/76 CAQ Mle 19298×4 13mm

130 mm/45 Mle 1932 (DP)2×4 130mm

130 mm/45 Mle 1932 (DP)2×2 130mm

130 mm/45 Mle 1932 (DP)1×4 130mm

DPS

Includes 25 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.

Range5.2 km

DPS8

Range3 km

Total DPS in Aura

Far 25 + Medium 8 = 33

DPS32

Range1.2 km

Total DPS in Aura

Far 25 + Medium 8 + Near 32 = 65

Secondary Battery

Mounts5

Firing range4.0 km

Shell Grouping (σ)1

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 @ 4 km

4 km × 57 + 30 = 258 m.

258 m

Caliber130 mm

Reload time5 s

HE Damage1,900

Muzzle Velocity840 m/s

Fire Chance9%

Armor Pen22 mm

Min Ricochet91°

Max Ricochet60°

Show 2 more gun families

Caliber130 mm

Reload time5 s

HE Damage1,900

Muzzle Velocity840 m/s

Fire Chance9%

Armor Pen22 mm

Min Ricochet91°

Max Ricochet60°

Caliber130 mm

Reload time5 s

HE Damage1,900

Muzzle Velocity840 m/s

Fire Chance9%

Armor Pen22 mm

Min Ricochet91°

Max Ricochet60°

Maneuverability

Engine moduleEngine: 107,000 hp

Engine power107,000 hp

Maximum speed29.5 kt

Turning circle radius730 m

Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt

Traverse-to-turn ratio4.2× drags

Concealment

Detectability by sea14.62 km

Detectability by air11.7 km

Smoke firing penalty11.94 km

Detect after firing main guns14.62 km

Detect Fire Sea16.62 km

Detect Fire Air14.7 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

Damage Control Party∞ charges · 80 s reload · 15 s active

Repair Party3 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 0.5% heal per second · 14% of max HP total heal

Choose one

Catapult Fighter3 charges · 60 s reload · 55 s active · 5.56 km patrol radius · 1 squadron size

Observation Seaplane3 charges · 200 s reload · 30 s active · 1 squadron size · +10% main-battery range bonus

Secondary Battery Booster3 charges · 160 s reload · 30 s active · +100% damage boost · +50% reload boost

Module options (1)

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

HullUpgrade

Turret traverse5 → 6 °/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)1.7

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

Max Horiz Disp224 m

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (16118/30·(12−2.2)/1000 + 2.2)·30 = 224 m

Max Vert Disp134.4 m

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 224 × 0.6 = 134.4 m

Med Horiz Disp79.8 m

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 224 × 0.356 (σ=1.7) = 79.8 m

Med Vert Disp47.9 m

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 134.4 × 0.356 (σ=1.7) = 47.9 m

AP Pen Close713.2 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 × 2428 × 560^0.69 × 0.33^-1.07 × 870^1.38 = 713.2 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

AP Pen Far368.3 mm

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (20.1 km), where the shell has slowed to 538.9 m/s: 1e-7 × 2428 × 560^0.69 × 0.33^-1.07 × 538.9^1.38 = 368.3 mm.

HE penetration55 mm

55 mm ≈ 330 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

AP overmatch23 mm

floor(330 mm caliber / 14.3) = 23 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

AP AOE Radius50

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

All 8 barrels bear on the broadside.

Turret turn time36 s

180 degrees / 5 deg/s traverse speed = 36 s.

HE full-salvo alpha38,400

4,800 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 38,400.

AP full-salvo alpha77,600

9,700 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 77,600.

Base HE DPM82,286

38,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 28 s base reload = 82,286.

Base AP DPM166,286

77,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 28 s base reload = 166,286.

Base shells/min17.1

8 broadside guns x 60 / 28 s base reload = 17.1.

Base fires/min6

8 HE shells x 60 / 28 s reload x 35% fire chance = 6.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS165

Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (8×3.5×0.75) + (32×3.5×0.7) + (25×3.5×0.75) = 165. 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 range5.2 km

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

AA threat index498

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

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 @ 4 km258 m

4 km × 57 + 30 = 258 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)182,400

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: 2×4 130 mm (4/side) × 60/5 × 1900 = 91,200 + 2×2 130 mm (2/side) × 60/5 × 1900 = 45,600 + 1×4 130 mm (2/side) × 60/5 × 1900 = 45,600. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).

Max HE alpha1900

Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1900 from the 130 mm family.

Max HE fire chance9%

Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 9% from the 130 mm family.

Max HE pen22 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: 22 mm from the 130 mm family.

Armor

Hull HP 52,600, 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
Bow	25 mm primary (range 25–40 mm)	1,900 (4% of HP)	Overmatched by 380mm+ (Bayern, Gneisenau)Angle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+	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 16–228 mm)	39,500 (75% of HP)	Overmatched by 283mm+ (Moltke, Graf Spee)Angle bounces 203mm16 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern	25 mm primary (range 25–150 mm)	2,100 (4% of HP)	Overmatched by 380mm+ (Bayern, Gneisenau)Angle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	340 mm primary (range 16–340 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).
Superstructure	20 mm primary (range 20–340 mm)	1,800 (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 HP	26,300 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.
Secondary mount (130 mm mount)	separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP	800 per-mount HP	Destroyed at 0 HP	Per-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 (37 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	15,800 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 Dunkerque B can equip, from in-game data.

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.

2023-11-06 · Official ship feature / stats Black Friday: Ships & Sales Variant source