GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Java

World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Java

Beta

The Netherlands · Tier II · Cruiser · Tech Tree: Early Dutch Cruisers

AP citadel cruiserPunish broadsides with AP; angle to deny return citadels.

Playstyle

Hold under 10 km with islands tight enough to break vision on demand
Avoid: Open-water broadside trading

Key characteristics

Heavy AP pen2 sigma accuracy11 km gun rangeStrong AASlow acceleration

Community Data

Java Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Java is the Tier II Dutch AA-specialist light cruiser with 166 AA DPS at 3 km. Match value is air denial as much as direct damage; she anchors the team's AA umbrella so peer ships rotate into the air-defended cell rather than away from it. Standout traits: best AP shell velocity in T2 CAs (900) and best flat HE shells in T2 CAs (900).

Positioning

Hold under 10 km with islands tight enough to break vision on demand. The HE pressure rewards a steady firing arc more than rotation play; pick a corner of the map you can hold and work fires from there.

Potato Avoidance

Open-water broadside trading

Her 150mm shells citadel cruisers on the wrong frame, and her 24,500-HP hull does not recover from a punished salvo. Pick rotations and angles deliberately; the chip-damage role pays better than the trade-blow role on a cruiser of this profile.

Signature Traits

Close-range AP brick

246.9 mm AP pen at 1.5 km, best of T2 CAs. Citadels broadside cruisers up close.

Long-range AP brick

84.1 mm AP pen at max range, top decile of T2 CAs. Threatens citadels even from range.

Flat AP shells

900.0 m/s AP muzzle velocity, best of T2 CAs. Flatter trajectory, less lead, harder to dodge.

Flat HE shells

900.0 m/s HE muzzle velocity, best of T2 CAs. Flatter trajectory, easier to land at range.

Top-tier AA

166.0 AA DPS, best of T2 CAs (median 15.0).

Slow acceleration

~10.0 s to max forward speed, worst of T2 CAs. Sluggish rebuild after a turn or stop. (Acceleration decode is validated in-game but not yet confirmed across every ship.)

Acquisition

How to get Java

Java is available in the Early Dutch Cruisers branch of the Netherlands Tech Tree for 13,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 2,600 credits.

Show The Netherlands tech-tree branch diagram

Netherlands Tech Tree

Java sits in the Early Dutch Cruisers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full Netherlands tree.

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

NetherlandsIIIIIIIVVVIVIIVIII★

Cruiser

Tier ★Gouden LeeuwPHSC110 Tier VIIIJohan de WittPHSC109 Tier VIIHaarlemPHSC108 Tier VIEendrachtPHSC107 Tier VKijkduinPHSC106 Tier IVCelebesPHSC105 Tier IIIDe RuyterPHSC104 Tier IIJavaPHSC103 Tier IGelderlandPHSC102

Official WG availability sources

March Update: Thirst for Combat Store price varies 2025-02-27

Builds Beta

Use a The Netherlands cruiser commander focused on reload, range, agility, and survivability. Inspirations that improve dispersion, rudder/steering, concealment, or damage consistency fit the safe mid-range cruiser plan.

Open in Build Tool →

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Cohort position

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Where Java sits among Tier II CAs (19 ships). Notable standouts are shown first; the rest of the cohort-ranked stats are in the expand below. Acquisition variants (Black Friday, Founders Edition) are counted once with their base ship, not as separate peers.

BestAP velocity900 m/s (1 of 3 tied) BestHE velocity900 m/s (1 of 3 tied) BestEngine power65,000 hp (1/19) BestTurn-speed retention114 hp/m (1/19) BestAA DPS166 (1/19) BestEnd plates25 mm (5/19 / 1 of 7 tied) Top 10%Deck armor125 mm (2/19) Top 25%Hit points24,500 HP (4/19) Top 25%Max speed30 kt (3/19) Top 25%Stealth profile8.45 km / 5.07 km (3/19 / 3/19) Top 25%Main battery range11.46 km (3/19) Top 25%HE shell damage2,150 (5/18) Top 25%Fires per minute4.49 (5/18) Top 25%AP shell damage3,000 (5/18) Top 25%Power-to-weight7.92 hp/t (3/19) Top 25%AA threat387 (3/13) Bottom 25%Rudder shift9.4 s (17/19) Bottom 25%Displacement8,206 t (16/19) WorstNo secondaries (8 of 19 in cohort) WorstAcceleration10 s (19/19) WorstNo torpedoes (14 of 19 in cohort)

See 14 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Java -- 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.

Traverse-to-turn ratio5.16 ×(9/19) Main battery caliber150 mm(13/19) Main battery reload10.3 s(15/19) Sigma2(9/19) HE DPM87,670(12/18) AP DPM122,330(10/18) Main dispersion104.9 m(12/19) AP arming threshold25 mm(11/18) AA range3 km(8/19) Max armor125 mm(7/19) Citadel belt60 mm(15/19) NormAP fuse timer0.03 s(11 of 18 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(17 of 18 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(17 of 18 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Show all 18 peers

Stats & specs

Customize in the Build Tool →Shell ballistics chart More tools in the WoWS Legends Data Lab

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

Survivability

Hit PointsInitial: 21,600 → 24,500

Displacement8,206 t

Armor range6–125 mm

Plate armor thicknesses6, 10, 15, 25, 50, 60, 75, 80, 100, 125 mm

Armor material/layer entries42

Fire resistanceInitial: 0% → 3.3%

Fire duration30 s

Torp Reduction4%

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.

12,300

Steering gear HP

Durability of the steering gears. As this pool drops, hits are likelier to jam the rudder; unlike most modules the steering can be knocked out and repaired but is never permanently destroyed.

7,400

Main Battery

ModuleArtillery: 150 mm/50 Mk.6

Mounts / barrels10 mounts / 10 barrels

Reload time11.5 s

Firing range (base)10.4 km

Firing range (top fire control)11.5 km

Turret traverse8 °/s

Shell Grouping (σ)

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

Max Horiz Disp

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (10420/30·(8−1.1)/1000 + 1.1)·30 = 104.9 m

104.9 m

Max Vert Disp

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 104.9 × 0.6 = 62.9 m

62.9 m

Med Horiz Disp

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 104.9 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 33.5 m

33.5 m

Med Vert Disp

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 62.9 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 20.1 m

20.1 m

Turret turn time

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

22.5 s

Base shells/min

7 broadside guns x 60 / 11.5 s base reload = 36.5.

36.5

HE shells

HE Damage2,150

HE Velocity900 m/s

Fire Chance11%

HE penetration

25 mm ≈ 150 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

25 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

2,150 HE damage x 7 broadside guns = 15,050.

15,050

Base HE DPM

15,050 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 11.5 s base reload = 78,522.

78,522

Base fires/min

7 HE shells x 60 / 11.5 s reload x 11% fire chance = 4.02.

4.02

AP shells

AP Damage3,000

AP Velocity900 m/s

Min Ricochet45 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet60 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

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 × 2200 × 46.7^0.69 × 0.15^-1.07 × 900^1.38 = 283.6 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

283.6 mm

AP Pen Far

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (14.3 km), where the shell has slowed to 372.9 m/s: 1e-7 × 2200 × 46.7^0.69 × 0.15^-1.07 × 372.9^1.38 = 84.1 mm.

84.1 mm

AP full-salvo alpha

3,000 AP damage x 7 broadside guns = 21,000.

21,000

Base AP DPM

21,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 11.5 s base reload = 109,565.

109,565

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 pointsInitial: 4 → 8

Close-range AA DPS

Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (33×3.5×0.9) + (21×3.5×0.85) = 166. 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.

166

Maximum AA range

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

3 km

75 mm/55 Bofors Model 19294×1 75mm

12.7 mm Browning M1921 (upgraded hull only)4×1 13mm

DPSInitial: 32 → 33

Range3 km

DPS21

Range1.2 km

Total DPS in Aura

Medium 33 + Near 21 = 54

Maneuverability

Engine moduleEngine: 65,000 hp

Engine power65,000 hp

Maximum speed30 kt

Turning circle radius570 m

Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt

Traverse-to-turn ratio5.2× slow

Concealment

Detectability by sea8.45 km

Detectability by air5.07 km

Smoke firing penalty3.62 km

Detect after firing main guns8.45 km

Detect Fire Sea10.45 km

Detect Fire Air8.07 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active

Module options (2)

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

HullUpgrade

Hit points21,600 → 24,500
Rudder shift13.2 → 9.4 s
AA mounts4 → 8
Close-range AA DPS32 → 54

Fire controlUpgrade

Main battery range10,420 → 11,462 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)2

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

Max Horiz Disp104.9 m

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (10420/30·(8−1.1)/1000 + 1.1)·30 = 104.9 m

Max Vert Disp62.9 m

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 104.9 × 0.6 = 62.9 m

Med Horiz Disp33.5 m

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 104.9 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 33.5 m

Med Vert Disp20.1 m

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 62.9 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 20.1 m

Dispersion familyCruiser Disp.

Standard cruiser dispersion baseline.

AP Pen Close283.6 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 × 2200 × 46.7^0.69 × 0.15^-1.07 × 900^1.38 = 283.6 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

AP Pen Far84.1 mm

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (14.3 km), where the shell has slowed to 372.9 m/s: 1e-7 × 2200 × 46.7^0.69 × 0.15^-1.07 × 372.9^1.38 = 84.1 mm.

HE penetration25 mm

25 mm ≈ 150 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

AP overmatch10 mm

floor(150 mm caliber / 14.3) = 10 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

AP AOE Radius10

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 alpha7

Barrels that can bear on one beam (7 of 10); casemate/wing mounts only fire one side.

Turret turn time22.5 s

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

HE full-salvo alpha15,050

2,150 HE damage x 7 broadside guns = 15,050.

AP full-salvo alpha21,000

3,000 AP damage x 7 broadside guns = 21,000.

Base HE DPM78,522

15,050 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 11.5 s base reload = 78,522.

Base AP DPM109,565

21,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 11.5 s base reload = 109,565.

Base shells/min36.5

7 broadside guns x 60 / 11.5 s base reload = 36.5.

Base fires/min4.02

7 HE shells x 60 / 11.5 s reload x 11% fire chance = 4.02.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS166

Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (33×3.5×0.9) + (21×3.5×0.85) = 166. 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 km

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

AA threat index387

SUM over AA auras of (aura DPS x aura range km). A plane crossing the AA bubble is exposed to each aura for a time proportional to that aura's range, so long-reach DPS is worth more than the same DPS in a short bubble. Units: DPS*km; used to rank overall AA threat across the cohort.

Near aura range1.2 km

Armor

Hull HP 21,600 → 24,500 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 6–50 mm)	400 (2% of HP)	Overmatch not possible at T IIIAngle 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)	6 mm	18,400 (75% of HP)	Overmatched by 127mm+ (Farragut, Shenyang)6 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern	25 mm primary (range 6–50 mm)	300 (1% of HP)	Overmatch not possible at T IIIAngle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	60 mm primary (range 6–60 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	10 mm primary (range 10–125 mm)	1,000 (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	12,300 magazine HP	Magazine detonation1–30% chance · below ~75% HP	Per-turret powder-magazine HP. Detonation chance scales from 1% (no mag damage) to 30% (full mag damage); this range is the in-game value. Detonation can't roll while the ship is above ~75% HP (the standard detonation-protection threshold, not a per-ship stat). Smaller magazines saturate to the 30% ceiling faster.
AA mount (75 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	7,400 module HP	Incapacitated at 0 HP	When module HP reaches 0 the rudder locks at its current angle until DCP repairs it. Repair via Damage Control Party.

Saturation cap = HP a section can absorb before further damage to it is reduced (the "bow-tank" effect). Citadel pool is ~165k on every ship (effectively no cap); damage is gated by pen/over-pen multipliers instead. Superstructure saturates fast but HE always pens regardless of the plate thickness. Rudder (and other module HPs) are a separate pool from ship HP: damaging a module doesn't drain ship HP. Incapacitated modules like the rudder and engine are restored by DCP, but secondary and AA mounts destroyed at 0 HP stay out for the rest of the battle.

Shell ballistics chart

AP penetration, impact velocity, flight time and impact angle vs range. Click to load the interactive chart.

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior

Primary official WG sources

Filtered to official World of Warships: Legends pages where this ship is a focus, reward, line member, or high-context variant mention.

2025-01-23 · Patch notes February Update: Legendary Pilgrimage Patch notes 2025-02-27 · Patch notes March Update: Thirst for Combat Patch notes 2025-04-03 · Patch notes April Update: The Bonds of Loyalty Patch notes 2026-02-19 · Patch notes March Update: Echoes at Sea Patch notes