GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Helena

World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Helena

Also called: 海伦娜 Beta

U.S.A. · Tier VI · CL Cruiser · Tech Tree: Fire-Starting Light Cruisers

HE fire-spam cruiserGuns farm HE fires and sustained DPM; Sonar contests islands and smoke without exposing the hull.

Playstyle

Work the islands rather than a firing line
Avoid: Pushing in blind because the kit says brawler

Key characteristics

High HE / fire outputHigh AP DPMSonarDefensive AAThick stern plateCitadel broadsides

On this page

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

Community Data

Helena Community Stats

Across 15,000+ Standard battles from 340+ players, Helena averages a 57% win rate, 49,500 damage and 0.9 kills per battle, and survives 35% of them.

Community Data

Helena Community Stats

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

Playstyle

Overview

Helena is a Tier VI American light cruiser whose 152mm guns bring 12.0 fires a minute (1st of 37), with Sonar as her vision tool: it lets her contest islands and smoke without exposing the hull. She carries no torpedoes, so everything has to come through the guns and the sonar bubble. Sonar reaches 4 km. Both shells run cohort-strong (top-decile AP at 320,000 AP DPM and cohort-strong HE at 220,000 HE DPM), making her a dual-threat gunship: keep AP up against broadsides and citadels, and switch to HE against bow-in ships, superstructures, and the thin or angled targets AP over-penetrates or bounces off. Standout traits: best stern plate in T6 CAs (30 mm, 1st of 44) and Sonar duration in T6 CAs (100 s, 7th of 39). The trade is short gun range in T6 CAs (14.2 km, 41st of 44).

Positioning

Work the islands rather than a firing line. Sonar (4 km on ships, 3 km on torpedoes) is the whole kit, and it only pays inside that radius, so hold the cover beside a contested cap and use it to catch destroyers and torpedoes coming around the corner: HE into the destroyer, AP into any cruiser that shows you a broadside while it sits in smoke. Firing from a friendly smoke reveals you at 5.8 km, so pick the salvo rather than holding the trigger. Her citadel sits high enough that even glancing broadside shots can land citadel pens; treat island cover as a hard requirement, not a preference. Trade only when the angle keeps the citadel sides hidden.

Potato Avoidance

Pushing in blind because the kit says brawler

4-km Sonar is what makes the close fight winnable, and it only helps once you are already committed; it does not tell you what is waiting two islands over. Push when a destroyer is lit or a teammate holds vision, not to find out who is there.

Signature Traits

Exposed citadel

Citadel sits unusually high relative to the waterline. Broadside trades get citadelled where peers would shrug off the salvo. Stay angled and avoid full broadside even briefly.

ELITE MAIN BATTERY ↗

AP DPM machine · 320000 AP
HE DPM machine · 220000 HE
High fire pressure · 12 fires/min

Thick stern plate ↗

30 mm stern, best of T6 CAs.

Long-duration sonar ↗

100 s Sonar duration, top decile of T6 CAs.

Punch-through secondaries ↗

21 mm best HE pen across secondary families, top decile of T6 CAs. Pens hull plates peers' secondaries shatter on.

MAIN BATTERY DOWNSIDES ↗

Short gun range · 14.2 km
Pattern widens fast with range

Acquisition

How to get Helena

Helena is available in the Fire-Starting Light Cruisers branch of the U.S. Tech Tree for 9,000,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 1,800,000 credits. 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.

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

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

U.S. Tech Tree

Helena sits in the Fire-Starting Light Cruisers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full U.S. tree.

U.S. light cruisers are perfect for starting fires with hails of high-explosive shells thanks to their numerous rapid-firing guns, but they lack torpedoes entirely. Starting from Tier VII, they bring Radar and Sonar together to the battle to detect hidden enemy warships.

Advantages: High rate of fire, Long-duration Radar starting at Tier VII
Disadvantages: Low-velocity shells, Poor protection

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

U.S.A.IIIIIIIVVVIVIIVIII

Destroyer

Cruiser

Light cruiser split

Battleship

Alternative battleship

Hybrid battleship

Carrier

Tier IIWickesPASD027 Tier IIIClemsonPASD019 Tier IVFarragutPASD005 Tier VMahanPASD006 Tier VIBensonPASD008 Tier VIIFletcherPASD021 Tier VIIIAllen M. SumnerPASD114 Tier IAlbanyPASC003 Tier IISt. LouisPASC004 Tier IIIPhoenixPASC024 Tier IVOmahaPASC005 Tier VPensacolaPASC012 Tier VINew OrleansPASC014 Tier VIIBaltimorePASC017 Tier VIIIBuffaloPASC109 Tier VDallasPASC206 Tier VIHelenaPASC207 Tier VIIClevelandPASC208 Tier VIIISeattlePASC209 Tier IIIWyomingPASB004 Tier IVNew YorkPASB006 Tier IVNevadaPASB105 Tier VNew MexicoPASB034 Tier VIColoradoPASB008 Tier VIIIowaPASB018 Tier VIIIMainePASB118 Tier VTennesseePASB106 Tier VINorth CarolinaPASB012 Tier VIIKansasPASB108 Tier VIIIMinnesotaPASB109 Tier VIConnecticutPASB207 Tier VIINebraskaPASB208 Tier VIIIDelawarePASB209 Tier IIILangleyPASA004 Tier VRangerPASA006 Tier VIILexingtonPASA012

Best listed chance for this ship

USN Cruisers Big Crate 9.51% V Dallas, VI Helena, or VI Boise* Archived · USN Cruisers Big Crate · 1 of 2 ships
USN Cruisers Crate 7.37% V Dallas, VI Helena, or VI Boise* Archived · USN Cruisers Crate

Show direct source rows

USN Cruisers Big Crate 9.51% · V Dallas, VI Helena, or VI Boise*
USN Cruisers Crate 7.37% · V Dallas, VI Helena, or VI Boise*

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 Helena sits among Tier VI CAs (43 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.

BestFires per minute12 (1/37) BestStern armor30 mm (1 of 2 tied) Top 10%AP DPM320,000 (4/43) Top 10%Effective HE DPM (incl. fire)309,737 (4/37) Top 25%HE DPM220,000 (5/37) Top 25%Main dispersion131.3 m (7/44) Top 25%Secondary HE pen21 mm (9/39) Top 25%AA DPS364 (11/44) Top 25%Flak damage per salvo (expected)990 (10/43) Bottom 25%Secondary fire chance5% (35/39) Bottom 25%HE velocity812 m/s (33/37) ShorterAP fuse timer0.01 s (37/43) Bottom 10%Main battery range14.25 km (41/44) WorstAP velocity762 m/s (1 of 2 tied) WorstNo torpedoes (10 of 44 in cohort)

See 33 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Helena -- 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 points33,300 HP(25/44) Max speed32.5 kt(28/44) Concealment12.07 km(28/44) Smoke fire bloom5.78 km(17/44) Air detection7.24 km(29/44) Rudder shift9.2 s(31/44) Turning circle680 m(22/44) Main battery caliber152 mm(32/44) Main battery reload9 s(15/44) Sigma2(24/44) HE shell damage2,200(26/37) HE fire chance12%(19/37) AP shell damage3,200(33/43) Secondary DPM (per side)72,000(30/39) Secondary HE alpha1,800(11/39) Time to 90% speed24 s(20/44) Acceleration (0-12 kt)8.8 s(25/44) AP arming threshold25 mm(13/43) Engine power100,000 hp(24/44) Power / turn radius147.1 hp/m(21/44) Displacement12,283 t(21/44) Power-to-weight8.14 hp/t(21/44) AP pen at 10 km130 mm(31/43) AA range5 km(15/44) AA threat1,208(13/44) Max armor127 mm(18/44) Citadel belt127 mm(13/44) Bow armor16 mm(25/44) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(38 of 39 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(33 of 43 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(32 of 43 tied at this value) NormTurn speed retained81%(39 of 44 tied at this value) NormSecondary range4.5 km(26 of 39 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Compare Tier VI Cruisers

Show all 43 peers

Stats & specs

Customize in the Build Tool →

Survivability

Hit PointsInitial: 28,700 → 33,300

Displacement12,283 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.

182.9 x 19.6 m

Armor range6–127 mm

Plate armor thicknesses6, 13, 16, 25, 30, 38, 51, 57, 76, 95, 120, 127 mm

Armor material/layer entries49

Fire resistance

stock hull: 1 − 0.7336 fire coefficient = 26.6%; top hull: 1 − 0.7003 fire coefficient = 30%. 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: 26.6% → 30%

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 × 33,300 HP = 2,997 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 × 33,300 HP = 3,330 HP on this ship.

0.25% of HP per second

Torp Reduction

1 − 0.32 hull torpedo-damage coefficient / 0.333 unprotected baseline = 4%. 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.

16,700

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.

10,000

Repairable: penetration50%

Repairable: citadel10%

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 × 1,200 = 2,400), 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.

1,200

Auxiliary section HP

Damage saturation pool for the auxiliary room: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 5,200 = 10,400), 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.

5,200

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 × 25,000 = 50,000), 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.

25,000

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 × 1,400 = 2,800), 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.

1,400

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 × 2,200 = 4,400), 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.

2,200

Citadel 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

Main Battery

ModuleArtillery: 152 mm Mk16

Mounts / barrels5 mounts / 15 barrels

Reload timeInitial: 10 s → 9 s

Firing range (base)13 km

Firing range (top fire control)14.2 km

Turret traverseInitial: 8 °/s → 9 °/s

Turret armor165 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.

5x ±150°

Guns to bear

180° − 150° (the most restricted aft-facing mount's arc) = 30° off bow; 180° − 140° (the most restricted forward-facing mount's arc) = 40° 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.

30° off bow / 40° off stern

See the firing-arcs diagram ↓

Shell Grouping (σ)2

Dispersion type

In practice: the baseline curve for a standard cruiser -- at max range (14.2 km) shells land in an ellipse about 131 m wide and 79 m tall. Also on this curve (215): AL Baltimore, AL Chapayev, AL Cheshire, AL Harbin, AL Montpelier, AL Tallinn, AL Zara, Aberdeen, Accord, Agano, Albemarle, Algérie and 203 more.

Standard cruiser

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{14247.2}{30} \cdot \frac{8 - 1.1}{1000} + 1.1) \cdot 30 = 131.3 m

131.3 m at 14.2 km

Max Vert Disp

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range:

σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot radiusOnMax

= 131.3 \cdot 0.6 = 78.8 m

78.8 m at 14.2 km

Med Horiz Disp

50%-hit horizontal radius:

σ_{H, 50} = σ_{H} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 131.3 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2} = 39.4 m

39.4 m at 14.2 km

Med Vert Disp

50%-hit vertical radius:

σ_{V, 50} = σ_{V} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 78.8 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2} = 23.6 m

23.6 m at 14.2 km

Turret turn time

180 degrees / 8 deg/s traverse speed = 22.5 s.

22.5 s

Shells/min

Zero upgrades: 15 broadside guns x 60 / 10 s base reload = 90. All upgrades (top gun): 15 broadside guns x 60 / 9 s all-upgrades reload = 100.

Initial: 90 → 100

HE shells

HE alpha2,200

HE Velocity812 m/s

Fire Chance12%

HE fire DPM vs T6 BB89737

Effective HE DPM vs T6 BB309737

HE penetration

25 mm ≈ 152 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

25 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

2,200 HE damage x 15 broadside guns = 33,000.

33,000

HE DPM

Zero upgrades: 33,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 10 s base reload = 198,000. All upgrades (top gun): 33,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 9 s all-upgrades reload = 220,000.

Initial: 198,000 → 220,000

Fires/min

Zero upgrades: 90 shells/min × 0.12 (12% fire chance) = 10.8. All upgrades (top gun): 100 shells/min × 0.12 (12% fire chance) = 12.

Initial: 10.8 → 12

AP shells

AP alpha3,200

AP Velocity762 m/s

Min Ricochet45 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg

Fuse Timer0.01 s

Fuse Threshold25 mm

AP overmatch

floor(152 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 2445 \cdot 59^{0.69} \cdot {0.152}^{- 1.07} \cdot 762^{1.38} = 290.2 mm

290.2 mm point-blank

AP Pen Far

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (14.2 km), where the shell has slowed to 352.2 m/s:

P = 10^{- 7} \cdot 2445 \cdot 59^{0.69} \cdot {0.152}^{- 1.07} \cdot {352.2}^{1.38} = 100 mm

100 mm at 14.2 km

AP full-salvo alpha

3,200 AP damage x 15 broadside guns = 48,000.

48,000

AP DPM

Zero upgrades: 48,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 10 s base reload = 288,000. All upgrades (top gun): 48,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 9 s all-upgrades reload = 320,000.

Initial: 288,000 → 320,000

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 points22

Maximum AA range

Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3.1 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.

5 km

40 mm Bofors Mk1 (upgraded hull only)4×2 40mm

40 mm Bofors Mk2 (upgraded hull only)4×4 40mm

20 mm Oerlikon Mk410×1 20mm

20 mm Oerlikon Mk204×2 20mm

28 mm Mk2 mod. 2 (stock hull only)8×4 28mm

127 mm/38 Mk29 mod. 0 (DP)

Dual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.

4×2 127mm

Guns127 mm/38 Mk29 mod. 0 (DP)

Continuous DPS

Effective DPS in in-game units (raw aura damage × 3.5 × hit probability, summed per contributing aura) - matches the Close-range AA DPS headline's currency. Includes 69 from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.

Range5 km

Guns40 mm Bofors Mk1 + 40 mm Bofors Mk2

Continuous DPS

Effective DPS: 58 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.9 hit probability = 183 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.

183

Range3.5 km

Total DPS in Aura

Far 69 + Medium 183 = 252

252

Guns20 mm Oerlikon Mk20 + 20 mm Oerlikon Mk4

Continuous DPS

Initial: 39 × 3.5 × 0.85 = 116 → 38 × 3.5 × 0.85 = 113. Raw aura damage × 3.5 × hit probability, the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.

Initial: 116 → 113

Range2 km

Total DPS in Aura

Far 69 + Medium 183 + Near 113 = 365

365

AA explosions

Each ~2 s salvo fires 2 AA explosions in quick succession, each leaving 2 clouds ahead of the attacking squadron, plus 1 stray cloud farther out that appear off-beat between salvos - up to 5 clouds per salvo × 220 damage each. Planes that fly into a cloud take its damage; clouds dissipate before the next salvo lands. Defensive AA Fire, where fitted, multiplies the AA explosions within each salvo, and commander skills that raise the Number of AA explosions add to it.

2 per salvo, 2 clouds each + 1 outer cloud

Cloud damage

Damage a plane takes for flying into one flak cloud, before any reductions.

220

Cloud spawn chance

Each cloud in the pattern rolls this chance to spawn, so salvos average fewer clouds than the maximum. Often called flak 'hit chance', but spawned clouds always damage planes that fly into them - the roll is on spawning.

90%

Salvo interval

A new flak salvo (the AA explosions above) fires roughly every 2 s.

every ~2 s

Fired by

Flak keeps firing while at least one secondary battery mount is operational - even losing every dedicated AA mount does not stop it.

Secondary battery

Flak zone

The activation band: flak fires while attacking planes are inside it. Clouds are placed ahead of the planes' path, so clouds can land short of 2.5 km or past 5 km - once planes get inside the band, new salvos stop. AA range bonuses push the outer edge out; the 2.5 km inner edge does not move.

2.5-5 km

See the AA layers diagram ↓

Secondary Battery

Mounts4

Firing range4.5 km

Shell Grouping (σ)1

Secondary DPM (per side)

Sum across all secondary families of (per-side barrels × 60 / reload_s × alpha), with each reload counted in whole 1/7 s ticks (guns fire on the first tick after the reload), where per-side barrels = mounts × barrels-per-mount / 2 (the guns that bear on one broadside target). Per-family: 4×2 127 mm (4/side) × 60/6 s × 1800 = 72,000. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).

72,000

Secondary fire DPM vs T6 BB (per side)

Fires/min (per side) 2 × (1 − 0.3 fire resistance) × 60 s × 0.003 of max HP per second × 59,350 HP = 14,956. Per side: the barrels that bear on one broadside target (mounts × barrels / 2). A ceiling: assumes every shell hits and ignores the four-fire cap and Fire Prevention.

14,956

Total secondary DPM vs T6 BB (per side)

Secondary DPM (per side) 72,000 + secondary fire DPM 14,956 = 86,956: shell damage plus fire damage against one T6 battleship, every shell hitting.

86,956

127 mm/38 Mk29 mod. 0 (DP)

Dual-purpose: the same mounts also fire at aircraft, so they appear on the AA Defense card too - shared guns, not extra hardware.

4×2 127mm

Caliber127 mm

Reload time6 s

HE alpha1,800

Muzzle Velocity792 m/s

Fire Chance5%

Secondary fires/min (per side)

4×2 barrels / 2 sides × 60 / 6 s × 0.05 (5% fire chance) = 2. Per side: the barrels that bear on one broadside target (mounts × barrels / 2). A ceiling: assumes every shell hits and ignores the four-fire cap and Fire Prevention.

HE Pen21 mm

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 @ 4.5 km

4.5 km × 57 + 30 = 286.5 m.

286.5 m

Maneuverability

Engine power100,000 hp

Maximum speed32.5 kt

Turning circle radius680 m

Rudder shift timeInitial: 12.9 s → 9.2 s

Engine power-boost threshold7.0 kt

Engine spool-up time15.3 s

Reverse spool-up time7.7 s

Reverse speed

top speed / 4 + 4.9 = 32.5 / 4 + 4.9 = 13.0 kt. Base value; speed modifiers scale it.

13.0 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.

26.7 s

Engine boost threshold (reverse)

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

9.8 kt

Acceleration 0-90%

Time to reach 90% of top speed (29.2 kt of 32.5 kt).

24 s

Acceleration 0-99%

Time to reach 99% of top speed (32.2 kt of 32.5 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.

38.1 s

Guns in a full turn

With the rudder hard over the hull turns 5.9°/s, so a target drifts across the bow at that rate. Turret traverse minus hull turn: 8 − 5.9 = +2.1°/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 (+2.1°/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): 12.07 km x 0.955 = 11.53 km. Camouflage does not change detectability by air.

12.07 km

With Grade IV camouflage (sea)

Detectability by sea 12.07 km x 0.955 (Grade IV permanent camo or any disposable camo) = 11.53 km.

11.53 km

Detectability by air7.24 km

Smoke firing penalty5.78 km

Detect when firing (sea)

max(main battery range, sea detectability 12.07 km) = 14.25 km. Equal to the ship's main battery range (never below base detectability): firing makes you visible to everyone you can reach.

14.25 km

Detect when firing (air)

Air detectability 7.24 km + gun-firing bloom 3.04 km = 10.28 km. The bloom tracks main-battery caliber 152 mm × 0.020 = 3.04 km.

10.28 km

Detect when on fire (sea)

Sea detectability 12.07 km + 2.0 km while burning = 14.07 km.

14.07 km

Detect when on fire (air)

Air detectability 7.24 km + 3.0 km while burning = 10.24 km.

10.24 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 · 4 km ship detect
ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): $\frac{133 \times 30}{1000} = 4 km$
· 3 km torpedo detect
ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): $\frac{100 \times 30}{1000} = 3 km$

Defensive AA Fire3 charges · 140 s reload · 25 s active · ×2 flak burst boost
ƒ
Repeats the flak burst pattern ×2 within each salvo - more clouds in the air over the salvo, at the same spots.

Catapult Fighter4 charges · 80 s reload · 70 s active · 5 km patrol radius
ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): $\frac{167 \times 30}{1000} = 5 km$
· 1 squadron size

Module options (3)

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

HullUpgrade

Hit points28,700 → 33,300
Rudder shift12.9 → 9.2 s
Close-range AA DPS74 → 96
Maximum AA range3.1 → 3.5 km
Turret traverse8 → 9 °/s

Fire controlUpgrade

Main battery range12,952 → 14247.2 m

ArtilleryUpgrade

Base reload10 → 9 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 cruiserStandard

The standard cruiser dispersion curve.

Shell scatter width @ 5 km67.5 m

(166.7 × (8 − 1.1) / 1000 + 1.1) × 30 = 67.5 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 km102 m

(333.3 × (8 − 1.1) / 1000 + 1.1) × 30 = 102 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 km27.7 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  $delim \cdot R_{m a x} = 0.5 \cdot 14247.2 = 7124$  m, and  $radiusOnMax = 0.6$  at 14247.2 m. Below the kink:  $k = 0.2 + (0.5 - 0.2) \cdot \frac{5000}{7124} = 0.4106$ , so  $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot k = 67.5 \cdot 0.4106 = 27.7 m$ .

Shell scatter height @ 10 km55.1 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  $delim \cdot R_{m a x} = 0.5 \cdot 14247.2 = 7124$  m, and  $radiusOnMax = 0.6$  at 14247.2 m. Above the kink:  $k = 0.5 + (0.6 - 0.5) \cdot \frac{10000 - 7124}{14247.2 - 7124} = 0.5404$ , so  $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot k = 102 \cdot 0.5404 = 55.1 m$ .

AP pen 5 km191 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  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$   $= 10^{- 7} \cdot 2445 \cdot 59^{0.69} \cdot {0.152}^{- 1.07} \cdot {563.5}^{1.38} = 191 mm$ , where 563.5 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 5 km (from 762 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 km130 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  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$   $= 10^{- 7} \cdot 2445 \cdot 59^{0.69} \cdot {0.152}^{- 1.07} \cdot {425.2}^{1.38} = 130 mm$ , where 425.2 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 10 km (from 762 m/s at the muzzle). Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.

AP flight time @ 10 km6.52 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:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.322 \cdot {0.152}^{2}}{8 \cdot 59} = 4.95 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 762 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.

HE flight time @ 10 km6.77 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:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.339 \cdot {0.152}^{2}}{8 \cdot 47.6} = 6.46 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 812 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.

Guns per full salvo (alpha, DPM)15

5 mounts × 3 barrels = 15; all 15 bear on the broadside.

Model inputs

Krupp (AP)2,445

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 mass59 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 coefficient0.322

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

AP muzzle velocity762 m/s

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

HE muzzle velocity812 m/s

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

idealRadius8

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

minRadius1.1

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.

AA defense

AA DPS at max range69

Only families that reach 5 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 40mm Bofors Mk1 4x2 -> 91 DPS @ 3.5 km; 40mm Bofors Mk2 4x4 -> 91 DPS @ 3.5 km; 20mm Oerlikon MK4 10x1 -> 81 DPS @ 2 km; 20mm Oerlikon MK20 Twin12 4x2 -> 32 DPS @ 2 km; 5in38 Mk29 Mod0 4x2 -> 69 DPS @ 5 km.

AA DPS layered by range69 DPS @ 5 km, 251 DPS @ 3.5 km, 364 DPS @ 2 km

@ 5 km: 69 from one family; @ 3.5 km: 91 + 91 + 69 = 251; @ 2 km: 91 + 91 + 81 + 32 + 69 = 364. 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-blank364

91 + 91 + 81 + 32 + 69 = 364 DPS: the sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (2 km).

AA threat index1208

91 × 3.5 + 91 × 3.5 + 81 × 2 + 32 × 2 + 69 × 5 = 1208. 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 firepower

Max HE alpha1800

The only family (127 mm): 1800. Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1800 from the 127 mm family.

Max HE fire chance5%

The only family (127 mm): 5%. 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

The only family (127 mm): 21 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.

Open in Charting Tool

Ship Charts

Background

A light cruiser close to Brooklyn-class ships, but with a different architecture and full-fledged dual-purpose artillery. One of the few ships of her type in the world that carried fifteen 152 mm guns as her main battery.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 28,700 → 33,300 with hull upgrade, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds.

Bow & stern16 mm

Overmatched by 126+ AP guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Belt / citadel127 mm

AP can citadel a flat broadside even at range. Stay angled and avoid showing the full side.

Farming13 mm

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

Section	Plates	HP cap	Threats	Tactic
Bow	16 mm primary (range 16–57 mm)	1,200 (4% of HP)	Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Graf Spee, Scharnhorst)Angle bounces 203mm16 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)	16 mm primary (range 16–127 mm)	25,000 (75% of HP)	Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Graf Spee, Scharnhorst)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	30 mm primary (range 16–120 mm)	2,200 (7% of HP)	Overmatch not possible in its bracketAngle bounces 410mm30 mm: HE pens from 203mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	127 mm primary (range 6–127 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	13 mm primary (range 13–127 mm)	1,400 (4% 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	16,700 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.
Secondary mount (127 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	10,000 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 Helena. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Nerf ×4Buff ×1Main Battery ×5

2024-04-25

Ministry of Balance: Old Gold

Stock main battery reload speed increased from 8.5 to 10 seconds.
Upgraded main battery reload speed reduced from 9.5 to 9 seconds.
Removed "side-grade" change of shells from the artillery upgrade:
Upgraded main battery AP shell damage reduced from 3,400 to 3,200.
Upgraded main battery HE shell damage reduced from 2,300 to 2,200.

Read the full official post

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Helena can equip.

DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior
Red WedgeDecorative
Stars and Stripes
Stars and Stripes permanent camouflage for HelenaStars and Stripes

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.

2023-03-18 · Official ship feature / stats Racing Legends: Part 2 Official source 2024-10-28 · Official ship feature / stats Full Acceleration: Racing Legends Content Is Back! Official source 2020-06-18 · Patch notes Update: June 2020 Patch notes 2020-07-23 · Patch notes Update: July 2020 Patch notes 2024-04-25 · Patch notes May Update: Gold and Crimson Patch notes 2024-10-10 · Patch notes Halloween Update: Crimson Tale Patch notes

Helena

Helena Community Stats

Helena Community Stats

Helena Community Stats

Playstyle

Overview

Positioning

Potato Avoidance

Signature Traits →

How to get Helena

Best listed chance for this ship

Builds

Cohort position

Peers in this cohort

Stats & specs

Under the hood

Main battery formulas

Model inputs

AA defense

Secondary battery firepower

Ship Charts

Background

Armor Beta

Balance History

Ministry of Balance: Old Gold

Skins & permanent camouflages

Primary official WG sources

Signature Traits