GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Hawke

World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Hawke

Beta

U.K. · Tier VII · Battleship · Tech Tree: Pursuit Battlecruisers

Bow-tank anchorHold the line bow-in and soak fire while the team trades.

Playstyle

Hold 14-17 km from a contested cap with an island close enough to shadow back into, and bow toward the…
Avoid: Trading the super-heal advantage in open water

Key characteristics

Long torps (8 km)High HE / fire outputHigh fire chanceStealthy (14.8 km)Slow reload

Community Data

Hawke Community Stats

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

Playstyle

Overview

Hawke is a Tier VII British super-cruiser: a battleship-sized hull with a 406mm main battery on a cruiser frame. She is built to overmatch broadside cruisers with AP, not to brawl with battleships. She also packs the super-heal (0.6%/s, for 28 s, every 60 s, 3 charges): each Repair Party charge returns dramatically more HP than a standard heal, so her durability comes from sustain alongside the lead trait. AA (566 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 high HP pool in T7 CAs (73,800 HP) and best main battery range in T7 CAs (16.8 km).

Positioning

Hold 14-17 km from a contested cap with an island close enough to shadow back into, and bow toward the closest BB. The heavy bow plate lets you hold the angle against same-tier guns, which is the protection the citadel needs; the hull does not tank battleship volleys broadside even if it can absorb them bow-on. The big guns reach for full AP citadels at that distance.

Potato Avoidance

Trading the super-heal advantage in open water

The kit rewards finishing the trade behind cover so the heal recovers what the salvo took; sustained open-water exposure burns through all 3 charges before the cooldown completes.

Signature Traits

Flat AP trajectory

Retains 72.7% of muzzle velocity at max range, best of T7 BBs. Flatter shots, less lead.

Thick deck armor

152.0 mm armor deck, top decile of T7 BBs. Eats plunging fire and HE that peers don't.

Tight dispersion

176.0 m max horizontal dispersion, top decile of T7 BBs. Accurate at range.

High HP pool

73800.0 HP, top decile of T7 BBs.

Slow reload

27.9 s reload, bottom decile of T7 BBs. Salvos punish more, but cycle is slower than peers.

Thin armor

305.0 mm max plate, bottom decile of T7 BBs. Citadel windows open against peer-tier guns.

Acquisition

How to get Hawke

Hawke is available in the Pursuit Battlecruisers branch of the U.K. 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.

Early AccessOfficial WG line/source notes indicate a temporary Early Access window before normal acquisition.

Show U.K. tech-tree branch diagram

U.K. Tech Tree

Hawke sits in the Pursuit Battlecruisers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full U.K. tree.

5 ships in highlighted branch · scroll to inspect all U.K. lines.

U.K.IIIIIIIVVVIVIIVIII★

Destroyer

Cruiser

Cruiser Split

Battleship

Battleship Split

Carrier

Tier VRenownPBSB547 Tier VIIVanguardPBSB508 Tier VIIIDrakePBSC209 Tier VIIIDuncanPBSB209 Tier VIIAlbemarlePBSC208 Tier VIIHawkePBSB208 Tier VISurreyPBSC207 Tier VIRookePBSB207 Tier VDevonshirePBSC206 Tier IVHawkinsPBSC205 Tier IVTigerPBSB205 Tier IIIHermesPBSA204 Tier VIIITemerairePBSB112 Tier ★DaringPBSD110 Tier ★MinotaurPBSC110 Tier ★ConquerorPBSB110 Tier VIIIJutlandPBSD109 Tier VIIINeptunePBSC109 Tier VIILightningPBSD108 Tier VIIEdinburghPBSC108 Tier VIIImplacablePBSA108 Tier VIJervisPBSD107 Tier VIFijiPBSC107 Tier VIKing George VPBSB107 Tier VIcarusPBSD106 Tier VLeanderPBSC106 Tier VQueen ElizabethPBSB106 Tier VFuriousPBSA106 Tier IVAcastaPBSD105 Tier IVEmeraldPBSC105 Tier IVIron DukePBSB105 Tier IIIWakefulPBSD104 Tier IIIDanaePBSC104 Tier IIIOrionPBSB104 Tier IIValkyriePBSD103 Tier IICaledonPBSC103 Tier IWeymouthPBSC102

Best listed chance for this ship

Anniversary '24 British Crate 1% Hawke Event containers · Anniversary '24 British Crate
British Battleships Big Crate 1% Hawke Early access containers · British Battleships Big Crate
British Battleships crate 0.01% Hawke Early access containers · British Battleships crate

Official WG availability sources

For King and Country: British Alternate Battleships in Early Access Early Access Start: 2023-10-05 · End: 2023-11-01 Official early-access or tech-tree-line article. Tech-tree ships are temporary crate drops during Early Access, then move to the Tech Tree.
Official WoWS Legends container odds Containers Official container drop rows linked below include direct and nested effective ship odds.

Show direct source rows

Anniversary '24 British Crate 1% · Hawke
British Battleships Big Crate 1% · Hawke
British Battleships crate 0.01% · Hawke

Builds Beta

Build for main-battery reload, grouping, turret handling, and survivability. Her official buffs improved reload, sigma, and rudder shift, so current guidance should emphasize mobile gun performance rather than generic British heal trading.

Open in Build Tool →

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

Cohort position

Hide ▾

Where Hawke sits among Tier VII BBs (39 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.

Top 10%Hit points73,800 HP (3/39) Top 10%Stealth profile14.82 km / 11.85 km (4/39 / 3/39) Top 10%Fires per minute8.71 (4/38) Top 10%Main dispersion176 m (2/39) Top 10%Deck armor152 mm (2/36) Top 25%Traverse-to-turn ratio5.57 × (8/39) Top 25%Torpedo range8.01 km (4/12) Bottom 25%Main battery range16.76 km (33/39) Bottom 25%Main battery reload27.9 s (34/39) Bottom 25%Sigma1.7 (33/39) Bottom 25%AP velocity747 m/s (34/39) Bottom 25%Acceleration10 s (32/39) Bottom 25%AP fuse timer0.01 s (35/39) Bottom 25%Displacement50,529 t (33/39) WorstHE velocity792 m/s (1 of 4 tied) WorstMax armor305 mm (1 of 3 tied) WorstBow armor25 mm (1 of 4 tied)

See 29 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Hawke -- 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 speed30.5 kt(14/39) Rudder shift20 s(17/39) Main battery caliber406 mm(15/39) HE shell damage5,950(11/38) HE DPM115,161(13/38) AP shell damage12,600(16/39) AP DPM243,871(22/39) Secondary DPM (per side)206,200(21/39) HE alpha2,150(16/37) Secondary fire chance9%(19/37) Secondary HE pen25 mm(18/37) AP arming threshold68 mm(27/39) Engine power150,200 hp(21/39) Turn-speed retention165.1 hp/m(27/39) Power-to-weight2.97 hp/t(25/39) Secondary range5.5 km(15/39) AA DPS566(15/39) AA range5 km(15/39) AA threat1,791(15/39) Torpedo damage15,867(7/12) Torpedo speed61 kt(9/12) Torpedo reload80 s(5/12) Repair charges3(19/39) Repair heal rate0.6 %/s(11/39) Citadel belt305 mm(19/37) Stern armor32 mm(15/37) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(28 of 39 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(38 of 39 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(37 of 39 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Show all 38 peers

Marcantonio Colonna vs

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 3Def-AAEngine Boost

Survivability

Hit PointsInitial: 66,000 → 73,800

Displacement50,529 t

Armor range16–305 mm

Plate armor thicknesses16, 19, 25, 32, 50, 51, 76, 102, 152, 165, 254, 279, 305 mm

Armor material/layer entries53

Fire resistanceInitial: 33.3% → 36.6%

Fire duration60 s

Torp Reduction20%

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.

36,900

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.

22,100

Main Battery

ModuleArtillery: 406 mm/45 Mk.I Vickers A

Mounts / barrels3 mounts / 9 barrels

Reload time31 s

Firing range (base)15.2 km

Firing range (top fire control)16.8 km

Turret traverse5.5 °/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 = (15240/30·(10−1.6)/1000 + 1.6)·30 = 176 m

176 m

Max Vert Disp

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 176 × 0.6 = 105.6 m

105.6 m

Med Horiz Disp

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 176 × 0.356 (σ=1.7) = 62.7 m

62.7 m

Med Vert Disp

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 105.6 × 0.356 (σ=1.7) = 37.6 m

37.6 m

Turret turn time

180 degrees / 5.5 deg/s traverse speed = 32.7 s.

32.7 s

Base shells/min

9 broadside guns x 60 / 31 s base reload = 17.4.

17.4

HE shells

HE Damage5,950

HE Velocity792 m/s

Fire Chance45%

HE penetration

68 mm ≈ 406 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

68 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

5,950 HE damage x 9 broadside guns = 53,550.

53,550

Base HE DPM

53,550 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 31 s base reload = 103,645.

103,645

Installed HE DPM

53,550 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 27.9 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 115,161.

115,161

Base fires/min

9 HE shells x 60 / 31 s reload x 45% fire chance = 7.84.

7.84

AP shells

AP Damage12,600

AP Velocity747 m/s

Min Ricochet45 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg

Fuse Timer0.015 s

Fuse Threshold68 mm

AP overmatch

floor(406 mm caliber / 14.3) = 28 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

28 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 × 2527 × 1080^0.69 × 0.406^-1.07 × 747^1.38 = 758.1 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

758.1 mm

AP Pen Far

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (21 km), where the shell has slowed to 543.1 m/s: 1e-7 × 2527 × 1080^0.69 × 0.406^-1.07 × 543.1^1.38 = 488.3 mm.

488.3 mm

AP full-salvo alpha

12,600 AP damage x 9 broadside guns = 113,400.

113,400

Base AP DPM

113,400 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 31 s base reload = 219,484.

219,484

Installed AP DPM

113,400 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 27.9 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 243,871.

243,871

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.

250

◇

Torpedoes

ModuleTorpedoes: 533 mm PR Mk II

Launchers / tubes4 launchers × 1 tubes = 4 tubes

Reload time80 s

Projectile speed61 kt

Range8.01 km

Maximum simulated damage14,767 (est.)

Alpha damage44,300

Torpedo detectability1.3 km

Torpedo launcher traverse12 °/s

Torp Turn15 s

Per-side salvo damage

per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

29,534

AA Defense

AA mount pointsInitial: 18 → 36

Close-range AA DPS

Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (37×3.5×0.75) + (107×3.5×0.75) + (51×3.5×0.7) + (24×3.5×0.75) = 566. 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.

566

Maximum AA range

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

5 km

40 mm Vickers 2-pdr. Mk VIII (upgraded hull only)4×8 40mm

40 mm Bofors Mk IV10×2 40mm

20 mm Oerlikon Mk IVInitial: 4×1 → 8×1 20mm

20 mm Oerlikon Mk V (upgraded hull only)4×2 20mm

20 mm Oerlikon Mk.IIIA (upgraded hull only)10×1 20mm

40 mm Vickers 2-pdr. Mk VII (stock hull only)4×4 40mm

114 mm/45 Mark II BD (DP)8×2 114mm

DPS

Includes 24 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.

Range5 km

DPSInitial: 110 → 107

Range3.5 km

Total DPS in Aura

Far 24 + Outer Medium 107 = 131

131

DPSInitial: 27 → 37

Range2.5 km

Total DPS in Aura

Far 24 + Outer Medium 107 + Inner Medium 37 = 168

168

DPSInitial: 8 → 51

Range2 km

Total DPS in Aura

Far 24 + Outer Medium 107 + Inner Medium 37 + Near 51 = 219

219

Secondary Battery

Mounts12

Firing range5.5 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 @ 5.5 km

5.5 km × 57 + 30 = 343.5 m.

343.5 m

Caliber114 mm

Reload time5 s

HE Damage1,700

Muzzle Velocity746 m/s

Fire Chance8%

Armor Pen19 mm

Min Ricochet91°

Max Ricochet60°

Show 1 more gun family

Caliber152 mm

Reload time12 s

HE Damage2,150

Muzzle Velocity884 m/s

Fire Chance9%

Armor Pen25 mm

Min Ricochet91°

Max Ricochet60°

Maneuverability

Engine moduleEngine: 150,200 hp

Engine power150,200 hp

Maximum speed30.5 kt

Turning circle radius910 m

Engine power multiplier speed threshold22.4 kt

Traverse-to-turn ratio5.6× slow

Concealment

Detectability by sea14.82 km

Detectability by air11.85 km

Smoke firing penalty14.31 km

Detect after firing main guns14.82 km

Detect Fire Sea16.82 km

Detect Fire Air14.85 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

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

Repair Party3 charges · 60 s reload · 28 s active · 0.6% heal per second · 16.8% of max HP total heal

Engine Boost2 charges · 120 s reload · 120 s active · +8% speed bonus

Choose one

Defensive AA Fire3 charges · 140 s reload · 25 s active · +100% flak burst boost

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

Module options (2)

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

HullUpgrade

Hit points66,000 → 73,800
Rudder shift25 → 20 s
AA mounts18 → 36
Close-range AA DPS145 → 195
Turret traverse5.5 → 10 °/s

Fire controlUpgrade

Main battery range15,240 → 16,764 m

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 Disp176 m

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (15240/30·(10−1.6)/1000 + 1.6)·30 = 176 m

Max Vert Disp105.6 m

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 176 × 0.6 = 105.6 m

Med Horiz Disp62.7 m

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 176 × 0.356 (σ=1.7) = 62.7 m

Med Vert Disp37.6 m

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 105.6 × 0.356 (σ=1.7) = 37.6 m

Dispersion familyBC Disp.

Battlecruiser dispersion. The standard mid-tier reference family that Georgia, Stalingrad, and Siegfried are compared against.

AP Pen Close758.1 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 × 2527 × 1080^0.69 × 0.406^-1.07 × 747^1.38 = 758.1 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

AP Pen Far488.3 mm

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (21 km), where the shell has slowed to 543.1 m/s: 1e-7 × 2527 × 1080^0.69 × 0.406^-1.07 × 543.1^1.38 = 488.3 mm.

HE penetration68 mm

68 mm ≈ 406 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

AP overmatch28 mm

floor(406 mm caliber / 14.3) = 28 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

AP AOE Radius250

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 time32.7 s

180 degrees / 5.5 deg/s traverse speed = 32.7 s.

HE full-salvo alpha53,550

5,950 HE damage x 9 broadside guns = 53,550.

AP full-salvo alpha113,400

12,600 AP damage x 9 broadside guns = 113,400.

Base HE DPM103,645

53,550 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 31 s base reload = 103,645.

Base AP DPM219,484

113,400 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 31 s base reload = 219,484.

Installed HE DPM115,161

53,550 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 27.9 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 115,161.

Installed AP DPM243,871

113,400 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 27.9 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 243,871.

Base shells/min17.4

9 broadside guns x 60 / 31 s base reload = 17.4.

Installed shells/min19.4

9 broadside guns x 60 / 27.9 s installed Artillery reload = 19.4.

Base fires/min7.84

9 HE shells x 60 / 31 s reload x 45% fire chance = 7.84.

Installed fires/min8.71

9 HE shells x 60 / 27.9 s installed reload x 45% fire chance = 8.71.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.3 km

Estimated torpedo reaction time8.2 s

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

Torpedo speed61 kt

Travel time to max range50.5 s

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

Tube count4

4 launchers x 1 tubes.

Per-side salvo2 torpedoes

tube count / 2 (symmetric port/starboard launcher layout; common on cruisers and battleships with deck torpedoes).

Full-salvo damage59,068

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

Per-side salvo damage29,534

per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS566

Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (37×3.5×0.75) + (107×3.5×0.75) + (51×3.5×0.7) + (24×3.5×0.75) = 566. 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 index1791

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 @ 5.5 km343.5 m

5.5 km × 57 + 30 = 343.5 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)206,200

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: 8×2 114 mm (8/side) × 60/5 × 1700 = 163,200 + 4×2 152 mm (4/side) × 60/12 × 2150 = 43,000. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).

Max HE alpha2150

Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 2150 from the 152 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 152 mm family.

Max HE pen25 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: 25 mm from the 152 mm family.

Armor

Hull HP 66,000 → 73,800 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	25 mm primary (range 25–51 mm)	3,600 (5% of HP)	Overmatched by 380mm+ (Gneisenau, Richelieu)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)	19 mm primary (range 16–279 mm)	55,400 (75% of HP)	Overmatched by 283mm+ (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	32 mm primary (range 25–279 mm)	4,800 (7% of HP)	Overmatched by 460mm+ (Aki, Musashi)Angle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	305 mm primary (range 16–305 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	102 mm primary (range 102–305 mm)	5,800 (8% of HP)	Any HE ≥16 mm pens at full damageDamage multiplier ×0.6	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	36,900 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 (152 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 (40 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	22,100 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.

Balance History

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

Nerf ×1Buff ×2Main Battery ×2

2024-03-21

Ministry of Balance: Spring Changes

Due to Hawke's increased citadel vulnerability and longer reload than most other battleships, she currently feels uncomfortable to play and underperforms. To combat this, we're improving her reload substantially this update.
Stock Main Battery reload time reduced from 34 to 31 seconds.
Upgraded Main Battery reload time reduced from 31 to 28 seconds.

Read the full official post

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior
Medieval
Dover Castle skin for HawkeMedieval

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.

2023-10-05 · Early access / tech tree line For King and Country: British Alternate Battleships in Early Access Line source 2024-03-21 · Patch notes April Update: The Stars Align Patch notes 2025-11-27 · Patch notes Holiday Update: Christmas on the Waves Patch notes