GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Gustav Julius Maerker

World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Gustav Julius Maerker

Also called: 古斯塔夫·尤里乌斯·梅克尔 · Gustav-Julius Maerker Beta

Germany · Tier VII · Destroyer · Tech Tree: Hunter Destroyers

Long-range gunboatOut-range peer DDs and kite cruisers; HE pressure from outside their reach.

Playstyle

Sit in open water at the edge of 11.9 km where peer DDs cannot return fire and most cruisers have to push to engage
Avoid: Idling beam-on in an obvious torpedo lane

Key characteristics

Heavy AP pen11.9 km gun rangeWide always-pen zoneSmokeEngine BoostStiff AP fuse

On this page

Community stats
Playstyle
How to get Gustav Julius Maerker
Builds
Cohort position
Stats and specs
Charts
Background
Armor
Balance history
Exteriors

Community Data

Gustav Julius Maerker Community Stats

Across 5,100+ Standard battles from 200+ players, Gustav Julius Maerker averages a 62% win rate, 46,500 damage and 1.1 kills per battle, and survives 46% of them.

Community Data

Gustav Julius Maerker Community Stats

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

Playstyle

Overview

Gustav Julius Maerker is a Tier VII German long-range gunboat destroyer reaching 11.9 km: her guns out-reach peer DDs and most cruisers can be kited at the edge of her range. The kit is long-range AP work from open water rather than cap contesting; the torpedoes are a backup, not the primary threat. Standout traits: best heavy AP shells in T7 DDs (4,000, 1st of 33) and best AP overmatch threshold in T7 DDs (10.4 mm, 3rd of 37). The trade is worst AP arming threshold in T7 DDs (25 mm, 31st of 33).

Positioning

Sit in open water at the edge of 11.9 km where peer DDs cannot return fire and most cruisers have to push to engage. The kit is HE pressure from distance, not cap contesting; let your peer DDs take the cap while you kite the rotating cruisers and BBs that come to support it. Shooting from the cloud gives you away at 3.1 km, and a destroyer here is spotted at about 7 km, so you see it coming with roughly 3.8 km to spare. Vision is mutual: past the 2 km guaranteed ring you cannot see out either, and nothing in her kit sees through it, so pop the smoke where someone is already lighting the enemy or you will sit in it with nothing to shoot. Enemy sonar (about 4.4 km) and radar (about 9.4 km) read straight in regardless. Both phases of a turn are slow (6.3 s on the rudder, a 760 m circle), so course changes are a plan rather than a reaction: set the angle before you are shot at.

Potato Avoidance

Idling beam-on in an obvious torpedo lane

Unspotted is not unseen: once the enemy has reason to think a destroyer is holding this cap they will put torpedoes into the water you are probably in, and one fish the size of your own (14,500 damage against 26,700 HP) takes 54% of the ship. Keep way on, cross lanes bow or stern first, and never sit still beam-on to a chokepoint you would torpedo yourself.

Signature Traits

Torpedoes on both beams

One launcher on each beam plus a centreline launcher, 6 tubes per side. Each launcher reloads on its own, so she can fire one side, turn and fire the other without waiting, or ambush ships on both sides of an island at once, shared by 9/42 T7 DDs.

Engine Boost

+8% speed (about +2.8 kt), 120 s duration. Engine Boost consumable gives a small speed nudge - useful for closing a gap or steadying a torpedo run, not for running anything down.

ELITE MAIN BATTERY ↗

Heavy AP shells · 4000 damage
Big-caliber AP overmatch · 10.4 mm
Long gun range · 11.9 km
Close-range AP brick · 267.7 mm
Long-range AP brick · 129.28 mm

Stiff AP fuse ↗

25 mm AP arming threshold, worst of T7 DDs. Over-pens thin plates; the trade-off pays off when most targets are battleship belt armor.

Sluggish rudder ↗

6.3 s rudder shift, worst of T7 DDs. Hard to dodge incoming AP; lean on island cover.

Acquisition

How to get Gustav Julius Maerker

Gustav Julius Maerker is available in the Hunter Destroyers branch of the Germany Tech Tree for 18,000,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 4,500,000 credits. Official source cards below may also show its temporary Early Access window before it became a normal Tech Tree unlock. 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.

History: Early Access Dec 2023 (temporary crate drops, now ended).

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

Show Germany tech-tree branch diagram

Germany Tech Tree

Gustav Julius Maerker sits in the Hunter Destroyers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full Germany tree.

3 ships in highlighted branch · scroll to inspect all Germany lines.

GermanyIIIIIIIVVVIVIIVIII★

Destroyer

Destroyer Split

Cruiser

Battleship

Battleship Split

Carrier

Tier VIIIFelix SchultzPGSD209 Tier VIIIPrinz RupprechtPGSB209 Tier VIIGustav Julius MaerkerPGSD208 Tier VIIZietenPGSB208 Tier VIZ-31PGSD207 Tier VIPrinz HeinrichPGSB207 Tier VMackensenPGSB206 Tier IVDerfflingerPGSB205 Tier ★Z-52PGSD110 Tier ★Großer KurfürstPGSB110 Tier ★Manfred von RichthofenPGSA110 Tier VIIIZ-46PGSD109 Tier VIIIRoonPGSC109 Tier VIIIFriedrich der GroßePGSB109 Tier VIIZ-23PGSD108 Tier VIIHipperPGSC108 Tier VIIBismarckPGSB108 Tier VIIAugust von ParsevalPGSA108 Tier VIMaassPGSD107 Tier VIYorckPGSC107 Tier VIGneisenauPGSB107 Tier VGaedePGSD106 Tier VNürnbergPGSC106 Tier VBayernPGSB106 Tier VWeserPGSA106 Tier IVT-22PGSD105 Tier IVKönigsbergPGSC105 Tier IVKönigPGSB105 Tier IIIV-170PGSD104 Tier IIIKarlsruhePGSC104 Tier IIIKaiserPGSB104 Tier IIIRheinPGSA104 Tier IIKolbergPGSC103 Tier IIV-25PGSD102 Tier IDresdenPGSC002

Best listed chance for this ship

Anniversary '24 French-German crate 1.25% VII Gustav-Julius Maerker Event · Anniversary '24 French-German crate
French Cruisers and German Destroyers crate 0.1% Gustav-Julius Maerker Archived · French Cruisers and German Destroyers crate

Official WG availability sources

Early Access: Doubling Up Early Access Start: 2023-12-19
- During this update, you can get these ships from French Cruiser and German Destroyer crates (these can be obtained through the campaign or Brawl Season 16, coming next year) or from dedicated random bundles.
- German Tier VII Destroyer G. J. Maerker

Show direct source rows

Anniversary '24 French-German crate 1.25% · VII Gustav-Julius Maerker
French Cruisers and German Destroyers crate 0.1% · Gustav-Julius Maerker

Want the full picture? Each container page charts the odds as you open more crates - including ~~pity~~ guaranteed-reward timers and, for GD Supporters, pack math personalized to your port.

Builds

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

Open in Build Tool →

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 Gustav Julius Maerker sits among Tier VII DDs (41 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.

BestMain battery caliber150 mm (1 of 6 tied) BestHE fire chance12% (1 of 4 tied) BestAP shell damage4,000 (1/33) LongestAP fuse timer0.025 s (1 of 8 tied) BestAP ricochet start60° (1 of 7 tied) Top 10%Main battery range11.88 km (2/37) Top 10%Main dispersion56.6 m (2/37) Top 10%Engine power90,360 hp (3/42) Top 10%Power / turn radius118.9 hp/m (4/42) Top 10%AP pen at 10 km146 mm (2/34) Top 25%Hit points26,700 HP (6/42) Top 25%HE shell damage2,050 (9/35) Top 25%AP auto-bounce angle67.5° (5/33) Top 25%AA DPS234 (11/42) Top 25%Max armor25 mm (8/42) Top 25%Citadel belt25 mm (8/42) Bottom 25%Stealth profile7.24 km / 3.62 km (36/42 / 35/42) Bottom 25%Smoke fire bloom3.11 km (38/42) Bottom 25%Main battery reload6 s (29/37) Bottom 25%Torpedo range7.98 km (32/38) Bottom 25%Torpedo reaction time8.6 s (30/38) Bottom 10%Turning circle760 m (41/42) Bottom 10%Displacement5,100 t (39/42) Bottom 10%Torpedo speed52 kt (36/38) WorstRudder shift6.3 s (42/42) WorstNo secondaries (35 of 42 in cohort) WorstAP arming threshold25 mm (1 of 6 tied)

See 17 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Gustav Julius Maerker -- 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 speed35 kt(29/42) Fires per minute6(13/35) HE DPM102,500(27/35) AP DPM200,000(13/33) AP velocity880 m/s(11/33) HE velocity835 m/s(23/35) Time to 90% speed16.4 s(21/42) Acceleration (0-12 kt)5.2 s(32/42) Power-to-weight17.72 hp/t(29/42) Effective HE DPM (incl. fire)147,007(21/35) AA range3.5 km(25/42) AA threat615(14/42) Torpedo damage≈14,500(23/38) Torpedo reload100 s(26/38) Bow armor19 mm(22/42) Stern armor19 mm(23/42) NormTurn speed retained81%(40 of 42 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Compare Tier VII Destroyers

Show all 41 peers

Stats & specs

Customize in the Build Tool →

Survivability

Hit PointsInitial: 24,500 → 26,700

Displacement5,100 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.

141.3 x 13.56 m

Armor range13–25 mm

Plate armor thicknesses13, 19, 20, 25 mm

Armor material/layer entries21

Fire resistance

stock hull: 1 − 0.667 fire coefficient = 33.3%; top hull: 1 − 0.6337 fire coefficient = 36.6%. 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.

Initial: 33.3% → 36.6%

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 × 26,700 HP = 2,403 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 × 26,700 HP = 2,670 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.

12,800

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.

7,700

Repairable: penetration50%

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 × 3,300 = 6,600), 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.

3,300

Casemate 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

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 × 19,200 = 38,400), 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.

19,200

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 × 2,300 = 4,600), 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.

2,300

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 × 2,100 = 4,200), 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.

2,100

Main Battery

ModuleArtillery: 150 mm L/48 Tbts LC/36

Mounts / barrels5 mounts / 5 barrels

Reload time6 s

Firing range (base)10.8 km

Firing range (top fire control)11.9 km

Turret traverse14 °/s

Turret armor10 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.

2x ±147°, ±136°, 2x ±143°

Guns to bear

180° − 136° (the most restricted aft-facing mount's arc) = 44° off bow; 180° − 143° (the most restricted forward-facing mount's arc) = 37° 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.

44° off bow / 37° off stern

See the firing-arcs diagram ↓

Shell Grouping (σ)2

Dispersion type

In practice: 46% tighter (better) horizontal dispersion and 46% less vertical spread at max range (11.9 km) than a standard destroyer: about 57 m wide × 34 m tall, against 104 m × 62 m. Also on this curve (5): Elbing, Felix Schultz, Sovremenny, Tiger '59, Z-31.

Pinpoint destroyer

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{11880}{30} \cdot \frac{4 - 0.5}{1000} + 0.5) \cdot 30 = 56.6 m

56.6 m at 11.9 km

Max Vert Disp

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range:

σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot radiusOnMax

= 56.6 \cdot 0.6 = 33.9 m

33.9 m at 11.9 km

Med Horiz Disp

50%-hit horizontal radius:

σ_{H, 50} = σ_{H} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 56.6 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2} = 17 m

17 m at 11.9 km

Med Vert Disp

50%-hit vertical radius:

σ_{V, 50} = σ_{V} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 33.9 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2} = 10.2 m

10.2 m at 11.9 km

Turret turn time

180 degrees / 14 deg/s traverse speed = 12.9 s.

12.9 s

Shells/min

Zero upgrades: 5 broadside guns x 60 / 6 s base reload = 50. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 5 broadside guns x 60 / 5.429 s (5.4 s = 38 ticks) all-upgrades reload (6 s × 0.9 Main Battery Mod. 3 = 5.4 s) = 55.3.

Initial: 50 → 55.3

HE shells

HE alpha2,050

HE Velocity835 m/s

Fire Chance12%

HE fire DPM vs T7 BB44507

Effective HE DPM vs T7 BB147007

HE penetration

38 mm ≈ 150 mm caliber / 4 (improved HE penetration: German BBs, Yamato-class, and a handful of others).

38 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

2,050 HE damage x 5 broadside guns = 10,250.

10,250

HE DPM

Zero upgrades: 10,250 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6 s base reload = 102,500. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 10,250 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5.429 s (5.4 s = 38 ticks) all-upgrades reload (6 s × 0.9 Main Battery Mod. 3 = 5.4 s) = 113,289.

Initial: 102,500 → 113,289

Fires/min

Zero upgrades: 50 shells/min × 0.12 (12% fire chance) = 6. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 55.3 shells/min × 0.12 (12% fire chance) = 6.63.

Initial: 6 → 6.63

AP shells

AP alpha4,000

AP Velocity880 m/s

Min Ricochet60 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet67.5 deg

Fuse Timer0.025 s

Fuse Threshold25 mm

AP overmatch

floor(150 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 2250 \cdot 51^{0.69} \cdot {0.15}^{- 1.07} \cdot 880^{1.38} = 298.8 mm

298.8 mm point-blank

AP Pen Far

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (11.9 km), where the shell has slowed to 479.6 m/s:

P = 10^{- 7} \cdot 2250 \cdot 51^{0.69} \cdot {0.15}^{- 1.07} \cdot {479.6}^{1.38} = 129.3 mm

129.3 mm at 11.9 km

AP full-salvo alpha

4,000 AP damage x 5 broadside guns = 20,000.

20,000

AP DPM

Zero upgrades: 20,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6 s base reload = 200,000. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 20,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5.429 s (5.4 s = 38 ticks) all-upgrades reload (6 s × 0.9 Main Battery Mod. 3 = 5.4 s) = 221,053.

Initial: 200,000 → 221,053

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.

Torpedoes

ModuleTorpedoes: 533 mm Zwilling

Launchers / tubes4 + 2 + 2 tubes = 8 tubes

Reload time100 s

Projectile speed52.0 kt

Range7.98 km

Maximum simulated damage

Most targets only intersect one hull section, so a hit transfers about 1/3 of the warhead alpha (2/3 when the warhead blast >= 5000 and the burst reaches a second section). For this ship:

D_{sim} = α \cdot c = 43, 500 \cdot 0.333 = 14, 500

. In battle, a hit on the torpedo belt deals the per-hit figure × (1 − the target's torpedo protection %), a bow or stern hit deals it in full, and a torpedo never counts as a citadel hit.

≈ 14,500

Maximum damage (ammunition)

43,500 warhead alpha / 3 + 1,000 blast = 15,500. Warhead alpha / 3 plus the blast addend: the per-torpedo damage figure. The 'Maximum simulated damage' row above applies target geometry to the same warhead.

15,500

Torpedo module damage

Per-torpedo module/blast damage parameter. Most torpedoes carry 500 to 2,000; ships announced by WG as dealing increased module damage carry 9,000 to 12,000, so their hits knock out engines, rudders, and turrets far more often. Comparative figure.

1,000

Torpedo detectability1.2 km

Reaction time

How long a target has to dodge after your torpedo is spotted at its detectability range (lower means less warning):

t_{react} = \frac{1.2 km}{52 kt \times 2.6855} = 8.6 s

. 2.6855 converts knots to m/s on the game clock. Base value; commander torpedo-concealment skills lower it further.

8.6 s

Flooding chance

This torpedo carries a flooding-chance value of 2.79 per hit, shown as

2.79 \times 100 = 279 %

. Values above 100% are normal: in battle the base chance is scaled down by the target's torpedo protection (the Torp Reduction stat on its Survivability card) and any flood-resistance modifiers, so a value above 100% keeps flooding likely even through partial protection.

279%

Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s

Launch arcscentreline; wing 155° (one launcher per beam)

Torp Turn

Time to rotate the launchers 180 deg:

t_{turn} = \frac{180 °}{25 ° / s} = 7.2 s

7.2 s

Torp Arming170 m

Per-side salvo damage

One side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 6 x 14,500 = 87,000. Each hit on the target's torpedo belt is reduced by its torpedo protection %.

87,000

AA Defense

AA mount points12

Maximum AA range

Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3.5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.

3.5 km

37 mm Flak LM/42Initial: 37 mm Flakzwilling 30 (4×2) → 37 mm Flak LM/42 (4×2)

20 mm Flakvierling 38Initial: 20 mm Flakzwilling 38 (8×2) → 20 mm Flakvierling 38 (8×4)

Guns37 mm Flak LM/42

Continuous DPS

Initial: 9 × 3.5 × 1 = 32 → 28 × 3.5 × 1 = 98. Raw aura damage × 3.5 × hit probability, the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.

Initial: 32 → 98

Range3.5 km

Guns20 mm Flakvierling 38

Continuous DPS

Initial: 33 × 3.5 × 0.95 = 110 → 41 × 3.5 × 0.95 = 136. Raw aura damage × 3.5 × hit probability, the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.

Initial: 110 → 136

Range2 km

Total DPS in Aura

Medium 98 + Near 136 = 234

234

See the AA layers diagram ↓

Maneuverability

Engine power90,360 hp

Maximum speed35.0 kt

Turning circle radius760 m

Rudder shift timeInitial: 8.8 s → 6.3 s

Engine power-boost threshold7.0 kt

Engine spool-up time7.7 s

Reverse spool-up time3.8 s

Reverse speed

top speed / 4 + 4.9 = 35 / 4 + 4.9 = 13.7 kt. Base value; speed modifiers scale it.

13.7 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.

15.4 s

Engine boost threshold (reverse)

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

10.0 kt

Acceleration 0-90%

Time to reach 90% of top speed (31.5 kt of 35.0 kt).

16.4 s

Acceleration 0-99%

Time to reach 99% of top speed (34.6 kt of 35.0 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.

27.4 s

Guns in a full turn

With the rudder hard over the hull turns 6.3°/s, so a target drifts across the bow at that rate. Turret traverse minus hull turn: 14 − 6.3 = +7.7°/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 (+7.7°/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): 7.24 km x 0.955 = 6.91 km. Camouflage does not change detectability by air.

7.24 km

With Grade IV camouflage (sea)

Detectability by sea 7.24 km x 0.955 (Grade IV permanent camo or any disposable camo) = 6.91 km.

6.91 km

Detectability by air3.62 km

Smoke firing penalty3.11 km

Detect when firing (sea)

max(main battery range, sea detectability 7.24 km) = 11.88 km. Equal to the ship's main battery range (never below base detectability): firing makes you visible to everyone you can reach.

11.88 km

Detect when firing (air)

Air detectability 3.62 km + gun-firing bloom 3 km = 6.62 km. The bloom tracks main-battery caliber 150 mm × 0.020 = 3 km.

6.62 km

Detect when on fire (sea)

Sea detectability 7.24 km + 2.0 km while burning = 9.24 km.

9.24 km

Detect when on fire (air)

Air detectability 3.62 km + 3.0 km while burning = 6.62 km.

6.62 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

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

Smoke Generator2 charges · 240 s reload · 20 s emit / 69 s cloud active · 450 m radius

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 points24,500 → 26,700
Rudder shift8.8 → 6.3 s
Close-range AA DPS42 → 69

Fire controlUpgrade

Main battery range10,800 → 11,880 m

EngineUpgrade

Time to 12 kt5.8 → 5.2 s

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 DD46% tighter H · 46% shorter V

H = horizontal, V = vertical spread. This ship's curve against the standard destroyer curve, both evaluated at this ship's max range (11.9 km) with the same model as Max Horiz/Vert Disp: horizontal 57 / 104 m − 1 = -46%, vertical 34 / 62 m − 1 = -46%. Shell grouping (σ) is separate: it sets how shells bunch toward the centre of this ellipse.

Shell scatter width @ 5 km32.5 m

(166.7 × (4 − 0.5) / 1000 + 0.5) × 30 = 32.5 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 km50 m

(333.3 × (4 − 0.5) / 1000 + 0.5) × 30 = 50 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 km14.7 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  $delim \cdot R_{m a x} = 0.5 \cdot 11880 = 5940$  m, and  $radiusOnMax = 0.6$  at 11880 m. Below the kink:  $k = 0.2 + (0.5 - 0.2) \cdot \frac{5000}{5940} = 0.4525$ , so  $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot k = 32.5 \cdot 0.4525 = 14.7 m$ .

Shell scatter height @ 10 km28.4 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  $delim \cdot R_{m a x} = 0.5 \cdot 11880 = 5940$  m, and  $radiusOnMax = 0.6$  at 11880 m. Above the kink:  $k = 0.5 + (0.6 - 0.5) \cdot \frac{10000 - 5940}{11880 - 5940} = 0.5684$ , so  $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot k = 50 \cdot 0.5684 = 28.4 m$ .

AP pen 5 km207 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  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$   $= 10^{- 7} \cdot 2250 \cdot 51^{0.69} \cdot {0.15}^{- 1.07} \cdot {675.3}^{1.38} = 207 mm$ , where 675.3 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 5 km (from 880 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 km146 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  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$   $= 10^{- 7} \cdot 2250 \cdot 51^{0.69} \cdot {0.15}^{- 1.07} \cdot {524.3}^{1.38} = 146 mm$ , where 524.3 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 10 km (from 880 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 km5.71 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:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.25 \cdot {0.15}^{2}}{8 \cdot 51} = 4.33 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 835 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 km5.41 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:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.25 \cdot {0.15}^{2}}{8 \cdot 51} = 4.33 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 880 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.

Improved HE PenYes

This ship's HE shells use a 1/4 (~0.25) caliber-to-pen ratio instead of the standard 1/6 (~0.167) - 0.253 in this case. Lets HE pen ~37mm armor instead of ~25mm. Hits every German cruiser (150mm CL, 203mm CA) and BB (350mm+), British heavy cruisers / Lion / Nelson, a handful of other premiums.

Guns per full salvo (alpha, DPM)5

5 mounts × 1 barrels = 5; all 5 bear on the broadside.

Model inputs

Krupp (AP)2,250

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 mass51 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 coefficient0.25

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

AP muzzle velocity880 m/s

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

HE muzzle velocity835 m/s

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

idealRadius4

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

minRadius0.5

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.

Torpedoes

Estimated torpedo reaction time8.6 s

1200 m / (52.0 kt × 2.6855) = 8.6 s. detectability / (speed kt x 2.6855 m/s per knot on the game clock).

Torpedo speed52.0 kt

Travel time to max range57.1 s

7980 m / (52.0 kt × 2.6855) = 57.1 s. range / (speed kt x 2.6855 m/s per knot on the game clock).

Tube count8

4 + 2 + 2 tubes.

Per-side salvo6 torpedoes

4 centreline + (4 wing tubes / 2) = 6: centreline launchers train to either side; wing launchers sit one per beam, so only half of them reach any one side. Each launcher reloads on its own, so she can fire one beam, turn, and fire the other without waiting.

Full-salvo damage116,000

All tubes hitting one target: tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 8 x 14,500 = 116,000. Each hit on the target's torpedo belt is reduced by its torpedo protection %.

AA defense

AA DPS at max range98

Only families that reach 3.5 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 37mm Flak M42 Zwilling 4x2 -> 98 DPS @ 3.5 km; 20mm Flak 38 C35 8x4 -> 136 DPS @ 2 km.

AA DPS layered by range98 DPS @ 3.5 km, 234 DPS @ 2 km

@ 3.5 km: 98 from one family; @ 2 km: 98 + 136 = 234. 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-blank234

98 + 136 = 234 DPS: the sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (2 km).

AA threat index615

98 × 3.5 + 136 × 2 = 615. 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

Open in Charting Tool

Ship Charts

Background

The 1937-class destroyer was developed as a ship with a long effective range. She was envisioned as a protector or attacker of Atlantic convoys, and she was designed to be able to operate in the tropics. Variant 1937J was selected as the base for the project. However, in April 1938, the development was discontinued because merging adequate combat power, range, speed, and reliability in one hull wasn't realistic.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 24,500 → 26,700 with hull upgrade, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds.

Bow & stern19 mm

Overmatched by 137+ AP guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Farming19 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 37%, fires burn 30s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →

Section	Plates	HP cap	Threats	Tactic
Bow	19 mm primary (range 19–20 mm)	3,300 (12% of HP)	Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Scharnhorst, Scharnhorst '43)Angle bounces 203mm19 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)	19 mm	19,200 (72% of HP)	Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Scharnhorst, Scharnhorst '43)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern	19 mm primary (range 19–20 mm)	2,100 (8% of HP)	Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Scharnhorst, Scharnhorst '43)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	25 mm primary (range 13–25 mm)	≈ 165,500 (effectively 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	19 mm	2,300 (9% 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	12,800 magazine HP	Turret knocked out	Per-turret powder-magazine HP, a separate pool that does not drain ship HP. As it is worn down the turret is likelier to be knocked out, and a smaller pool gets there faster.
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.
Engine (module, research)	engine coefficient (unconfirmed)	-0.100 research estimate	Largest on BB/BC; zero on destroyers	Engine durability isn't a per-ship value. This small negative coefficient is non-zero only on battleships, battlecruisers, and the heaviest cruisers, and is exactly zero on every destroyer, so it scales with hull displacement rather than any commander skill. Most likely an engine drag or power term in the same family as the deceleration stats; its exact meaning is not yet confirmed.
Rudder (module)	separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP	7,700 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.

Balance History

Balance updates affecting Gustav Julius Maerker. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Nerf ×1Buff ×4Main Battery ×6

2026-07-30

Ministry of Balance: Anniversary Tune-Up

Maerker's AP shells also lacked sufficient penetration, so we are improving it significantly. However, their penetration will remain lower than that of Felix Schultz to prevent them from becoming too powerful.
HE shell maximum damage increased from 1,800 to 2,050.
AP shell armor penetration improved by ~16%.
AP shell speed increased from 835 to 880 m/s.
Torpedo armament reload time increased from 90 to 100 seconds.

Read the full official post

2025-11-27

Holiday Update: Christmas on the Waves

Torpedo reload time reduced from 110 to 90 seconds.

Read the full official post

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Gustav Julius Maerker 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.

2025-11-27 · Patch notes Holiday Update: Christmas on the Waves Patch notes

Gustav Julius Maerker

Gustav Julius Maerker Community Stats

Gustav Julius Maerker Community Stats

Gustav Julius Maerker Community Stats

Playstyle

Overview

Positioning

Potato Avoidance

Signature Traits →

How to get Gustav Julius Maerker

Best listed chance for this ship

Builds

Cohort position

Peers in this cohort

Stats & specs

Under the hood

Main battery formulas

Model inputs

Torpedoes

AA defense

Ship Charts

Background

Armor Beta

Balance History

Ministry of Balance: Anniversary Tune-Up

Holiday Update: Christmas on the Waves

Skins & permanent camouflages

Primary official WG sources

Signature Traits