World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Iwaki A

Beta
Japan · Tier IV · Cruiser · Premium
Smoke farming cruiserFarm from smoke; lean on team or radar for spotting.
Playstyle
  • Play off flanks and island edges where you can disengage
  • Avoid: Do not open-water broadside trade with battleships
Key characteristics
Long torps (10 km)2 sigma accuracySmoke + SonarFragile
Community Data

Iwaki A Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Iwaki A is a fragile Japanese premium cruiser that wants to farm from angles, punish exposed destroyers and cruisers, and use torpedoes as area denial rather than as a reason to yolo.

Positioning

Play off flanks and island edges where you can disengage. Keep enough sea room to dodge, avoid being the first ship spotted, and use torpedo lanes to discourage pushes.

Potato Avoidance

Open-water broadside trade with battleships

Iwaki A lacks the durability to survive greedy damage farming when focused.

Signature Traits

Fast reload

5.4 s reload, top decile of T4 CAs. Top-tier salvo cycle.

Nimble for the tonnage

14.18 hp per ton, top decile of T4 CAs. Engine punch outclasses the hull's mass, so the ship retains speed through sustained turns better than peers.

Sharp rudder

3.8 s rudder shift, top decile of T4 CAs. Snappy weave.

Long-range torps

9.99 km torpedo range, top decile of T4 CAs.

Fragile HP pool

18600.0 HP, bottom decile of T4 CAs. Trade hits sparingly.

Burns easily

10.0% fire resistance, bottom decile of T4 CAs. HE pressure compounds; manage DCP carefully.

Acquisition

How to get Iwaki A

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

Builds Beta

Use a Japanese cruiser commander that improves concealment, fire chance, and rudder/propulsion handling; inspirations for concealment, range, or agility fit the ship's fragile-kiter plan.

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Cohort position

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Where Iwaki A sits among Tier IV CAs (23 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.

BestRudder shift3.8 s (1 of 2 tied) BestMain battery reload5.4 s (1/23) BestDisplacement4,812 t (1/23) Top 10%Stealth profile9.8 km / 5.88 km (3/23 / 3/23) Top 10%AP arming threshold23 mm (3/23) Top 10%Power-to-weight14.18 hp/t (2/23) Top 25%Main dispersion116.9 m (5/23) Top 25%Torpedo range9.99 km (5/22) Top 25%Torpedo damage≈14,967 (5/22) Bottom 25%AP DPM120,000 (21/23) Bottom 25%AA range3.1 km (21/23) Bottom 25%Max armor63 mm (20/23) Bottom 10%Main battery caliber140 mm (22/23) WorstHit points18,600 HP (23/23) WorstMain battery range12.15 km (23/23) WorstNo secondaries (7 of 23 in cohort)
See 18 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Iwaki A -- 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(7/23) Traverse-to-turn ratio4.78 ×(15/23) HE shell damage2,400(8/22) HE fire chance10%(15/22) Fires per minute4.44(17/22) HE DPM106,667(16/22) AP velocity850 m/s(15/23) HE velocity850 m/s(15/22) AP fuse timer0.03 s(13/23) Engine power68,250 hp(18/23) Turn-speed retention117.7 hp/m(17/23) AA DPS88(17/23) AA threat273(18/23) Torpedo speed59 kt(13/22) Torpedo reload76 s(14/22) NormSigma2(21 of 23 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(21 of 23 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(21 of 23 tied at this value)

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

Sonar 3.87 kmSmoke
Survivability
Hit Points18,600
Displacement4,812 t
Armor range3–63 mm
Plate armor thicknesses3, 10, 15, 19, 25, 38, 51, 63 mm
Armor material/layer entries29
Fire resistance10%
Fire duration30 s
Torp Reduction0%
Magazine HP
ƒThe magazine is the module a detonation comes from. Penetrating hits to it raise the detonation chance from 1% toward 30% as its HP is worn down, so a larger magazine pool rides out citadel hits longer before a detonation becomes likely.
9,300
Steering gear HP
ƒDurability of the steering gears. As this pool drops, hits are likelier to jam the rudder; unlike most modules the steering can be knocked out and repaired but is never permanently destroyed.
5,600
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 140 mm 3rd Year Type
Mounts / barrels5 mounts / 5 barrels
Reload time6 s
Firing range12.2 km
Turret traverse8.5 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)
ƒShell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
2
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: σH=(R30·idealRadiusminRadiusidealDistance+minRadius)·30 =(1215330·81.11000+1.1)·30=116.9m
116.9 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =116.9·0.6=70.1m
70.1 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =116.9·0.319(σ=2)=37.3m
37.3 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =70.1·0.32(σ=2)=22.4m
22.4 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 8.5 deg/s traverse speed = 21.2 s.
21.2 s
Base shells/min
ƒ4 broadside guns x 60 / 6 s base reload = 40.
40
HE shells
HE Damage2,400
HE Velocity850 m/s
Fire Chance10%
HE penetration
ƒ23 mm ≈ 140 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
23 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ2,400 HE damage x 4 broadside guns = 9,600.
9,600
Base HE DPM
ƒ9,600 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6 s base reload = 96,000.
96,000
Base fires/min
ƒ4 HE shells x 60 / 6 s reload x 10% fire chance = 4.
4
AP shells
AP Damage2,700
AP Velocity850 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.025 s
Fuse Threshold23 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(140 mm caliber / 14.3) = 9 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
9 mm
AP Pen Close
ƒCanonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v01.38 =107·1794·380.69·0.141.07·8501.38=199.6mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
199.6 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (15.2 km), where the shell has slowed to 274.3 m/s: P=107·1794·380.69·0.141.07·274.31.38=41.9mm.
41.9 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ2,700 AP damage x 4 broadside guns = 10,800.
10,800
Base AP DPM
ƒ10,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6 s base reload = 108,000.
108,000
AP AOE Radius
ƒAP shell over-penetration splash radius; scales with shell mass. Wickes 102mm = 3, standard 152mm CL ~ 20, Iowa 406mm ~ 270, Yamato 460mm = 400, Incomparable 650mm = 550 (max). Larger value = bigger splash damage area when AP over-pens.
8
Torpedoes
ModuleTorpedoes: Type8 mod. 2
Launchers / tubes2 launchers × 3 tubes = 6 tubes
Reload time76 s
Projectile speed59 kt
Range9.99 km
Maximum simulated damage
ƒEstimate of WG's in-game value; matches the in-game port screen within ±5%. Saturation: most targets only intersect one hull section, so the sim transfers ~1/3 of the warhead alpha (2/3 when the warhead blast >= 5000 and the burst reaches a second section). For this ship: Dsim=α·c=44,900·0.333=14,967.
≈ 14,967
Torpedo detectability1.5 km
Flooding chance269%
Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s
Torp Turn
ƒTime to rotate the launchers 180 deg: tturn=180°25°/s=7.2s.
7.2 s
Torp Arming182 m
Per-side salvo damage
ƒOne side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 3 x 14,967 = 44,901.
44,901
AA Defense
AA mount points5
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (28×3.5×0.9) = 88. 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.
88
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
3.1 km
25 mm Type96 mod. 15×3 25mm
Medium aura
DPS28
Range3.1 km
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 68,250 hp
Engine power68,250 hp
Maximum speed35 kt
Turning circle radius580 m
Engine power-boost threshold7 kt
Traverse-to-turn ratio
ƒHow many degrees the turret can swing for each degree the hull turns. Turn rate ωhull=180π·Vmax(m/s)Rturn=180π·35.0·0.5144580=1.78°/s, so ratio=ωturretωhull=8.51.78=4.8×. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.
4.8× drags
Concealment
Detectability by sea9.8 km
Detectability by air5.88 km
Smoke firing penalty4.12 km
Detect after firing main guns
ƒmax(base sea detectability, gun-firing bloom range). Firing never pulls your detection closer than base concealment.
9.8 km
Detect Fire Sea11.8 km
Detect Fire Air8.88 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active
Smoke Generator2 charges · 240 s reload · 15 s emit / 80 s cloud active
Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 90 s active · 3.87 km ship detect · 2.8 km torpedo detect

See all derived stats

Show

Numbers the spec table cannot show directly: alpha-strike math, DPM, dispersion, AP penetration. Click the formula chip on any row to reveal how it is calculated.

Main battery formulas

Shell Grouping (σ)2
Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
Max Horiz Disp116.9 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: $\sigma_H = \left(\dfrac{R}{30}\cdot\dfrac{\text{idealRadius}-\text{minRadius}}{\text{idealDistance}} + \text{minRadius}\right)\cdot 30$ $= \left(\dfrac{12153}{30}\cdot\dfrac{8-1.1}{1000} + 1.1\right)\cdot 30 = 116.9\,\text{m}$
Max Vert Disp70.1 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: $\sigma_V = \sigma_H \cdot \text{radiusOnMax}$ $= 116.9 \cdot 0.6 = 70.1\,\text{m}$
Med Horiz Disp37.3 m
50%-hit horizontal radius: $\sigma_{H,50} = \sigma_H \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 116.9 \cdot 0.319\;(\sigma = 2) = 37.3\,\text{m}$
Med Vert Disp22.4 m
50%-hit vertical radius: $\sigma_{V,50} = \sigma_V \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 70.1 \cdot 0.32\;(\sigma = 2) = 22.4\,\text{m}$
AP Pen Close199.6 mm
Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{-1.07} \cdot v_0^{1.38}$ $= 10^{-7}\cdot 1794 \cdot 38^{0.69} \cdot 0.14^{-1.07} \cdot 850^{1.38} = 199.6\,\text{mm}$. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far41.9 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (15.2 km), where the shell has slowed to 274.3 m/s: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot 1794 \cdot 38^{0.69} \cdot 0.14^{-1.07} \cdot 274.3^{1.38} = 41.9\,\text{mm}$.
HE penetration23 mm
23 mm ≈ 140 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch9 mm
floor(140 mm caliber / 14.3) = 9 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius8
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 alpha4
Barrels that can bear on one beam (4 of 5); casemate/wing mounts only fire one side.
Turret turn time21.2 s
180 degrees / 8.5 deg/s traverse speed = 21.2 s.
HE full-salvo alpha9,600
2,400 HE damage x 4 broadside guns = 9,600.
AP full-salvo alpha10,800
2,700 AP damage x 4 broadside guns = 10,800.
Base HE DPM96,000
9,600 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6 s base reload = 96,000.
Base AP DPM108,000
10,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6 s base reload = 108,000.
Base shells/min40
4 broadside guns x 60 / 6 s base reload = 40.
Base fires/min4
4 HE shells x 60 / 6 s reload x 10% fire chance = 4.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.5 km
Estimated torpedo reaction time9.8 s
detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Torpedo speed59 kt
Travel time to max range65.1 s
range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Tube count6
2 launchers x 3 tubes.
Per-side salvo3 torpedoes
tube count / 2 (symmetric port/starboard launcher layout; common on cruisers and battleships with deck torpedoes).
Full-salvo damage89,802
All tubes hitting one target: tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 6 x 14,967 = 89,802.
Per-side salvo damage44,901
One side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 3 x 14,967 = 44,901.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS88
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (28×3.5×0.9) = 88. 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 range3.1 km
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
AA threat index273
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.
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Acceleration and Ballistics Chart

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Iwaki A default exterior
    DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior

Primary official WG sources

GamingDiver has not indexed a focused official WG source card for this ship yet. The guide still uses the spreadsheet, in-game data, balance history, and community-data pipeline where available.

Source status No high-context source card yet Filtered for precision

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