World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Langley

Also called: 兰利 Beta
HE bomber carrierRepeated HE dive-bomber runs; farm broadsides and angles, manage planes.
Playstyle
  • Stay a full map cell behind the brawl line, far enough back that a rotated DD or radar cruiser cannot t…
  • Avoid: Trading a full squadron for one high-value kill
Key characteristics
Big squadronsTorpedo bombersAP bombsStrong AATough flight deckSlow acceleration
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Community Data

Langley Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Langley is the Tier III American bomber carrier. HE dive bombers are her main battery, hitting for 4,000 per drop, so match impact comes from repeated bombing runs on broadside and angled targets rather than a single torpedo strike. Air torpedoes are a secondary option. The hull also tanks unusually well for a CV (33,700 HP, cohort-best), so she can stay in match longer than peer carriers. AA (288 DPS at 3.5 km) is heavy enough to make her the team's air-defense anchor; CV strikes route around her, not through. Standout traits: stealthy air torps (1.1 km).

Positioning

Stay a full map cell behind the brawl line, far enough back that a rotated DD or radar cruiser cannot threaten the hull. Launch from positions where the recall path stays inside your team's AA umbrella, not over open water where intercepting fighters can finish off limping squadrons. Longer trip back, fewer waves per match.

Potato Avoidance

Trading a full squadron for one high-value kill

Match impact comes from cycling waves across multiple targets, not committing a dive into layered AA for one battleship. When a target's AA is heavy, route around and find a softer pick rather than burning planes through the wall.

Signature Traits

ELITE AIRCRAFT
  • Tough flight deck · 16900.0 HP
  • Stealthy air torps · 1.1 km
  • Fast squadron restore · 48.0 s
High HP pool

33700.0 HP, best of T3 CVs.

ELITE AA
  • Top-tier AA · 288.0 AA
  • AA specialist
WEAK MOBILITY
  • Slow acceleration
  • Underpowered engine · 7150.0 hp
Acquisition

How to get Langley

Langley is available in the Bomber Carriers branch of the U.S. Tech Tree for 270,000 credits after researching it in the branch.

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

Langley sits in the Bomber Carriers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full U.S. tree.

U.S. aircraft carriers are all-rounders, effective with both dive bombers and torpedo bombers. However, they have a bias toward their powerful high-explosive bombs over torpedoes.
Advantages
Powerful HE dive bombers, Large hangars
Disadvantages
Poor torpedo performance

Builds Beta

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

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Cohort position

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Where Langley sits among Tier III CVs (6 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.

BestHit points33,700 HP (1/6) BestAA DPS288 (1/6) BestAir torpedo stealth1.1 km (1/6) BestSquadron restore time48 s (1/6) BestDeck HP16,900 HP (1/6) Top 25%AA threat417 (2/6) Top 25%Air torpedo damage4,900 (2/6) WorstAcceleration40 s (6/6) WorstEngine power7,150 hp (6/6) WorstTurn-speed retention9.8 hp/m (6/6) WorstDisplacement15,150 t (6/6) WorstPower-to-weight0.47 hp/t (6/6) WorstFlak per wave (expected)220 (5/5) WorstMax armor20 mm (1 of 3 tied) WorstCitadel belt20 mm (1 of 3 tied) WorstEnd plates13 mm (1 of 2 tied / 1 of 2 tied) WorstDeck armor13 mm (1 of 2 tied) WorstBomb fire chance24% (5/5)
See 16 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Langley -- 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 speed18 kt(5/6) Concealment10.74 km(4/6) Air detection7.52 km(4/6) Rudder shift9.2 s(4/6) Secondary DPM (per side)30,857(5/6) HE alpha1,800(4/6) Secondary fire chance6%(5/6) Secondary HE pen21 mm(4/6) AA range3.5 km(3/6) Bomb damage4,000(3/6) Bomb AP penetration42.7 mm(3/5) Air torpedo range3.5 km(3/6) Air torpedo speed44 kn(3/6) Plane HP1,500 HP(3/6) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(5 of 6 tied at this value) NormSquadron size12(5 of 6 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit PointsInitial: 33,300 → 33,700
Displacement15,150 t
Armor range6–20 mm
Plate armor thicknesses6, 10, 13, 15, 19, 20 mm
Armor material/layer entries45
Fire resistanceInitial: 6.7% → 10%
Fire duration60 s
Torp Reduction0%
Squadrons
Total plane capacity24
Flight deck HP16,900
Hangar HP16,900
Dive bomber
Plane HP1,500
Cruising speed103 kt
OrdnanceHE bomb, 4,000 dmg
Fire chance24%
Bomb penetration42.7 mm
Hangar max12
Hangar restore+1 every 48 s, start 9
Recovery time48 s
Torpedo bomber
Plane HP1,600
Cruising speed97 kt
Ordnancetorpedo, 4,900 dmg
Flooding chance33%
Torpedo arming time3 s
Torpedo arming distance68 m
Hangar max12
Hangar restore+1 every 52 s, start 9
Recovery time52 s
AA Defense
AA mount pointsInitial: 0 → 20
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (9×3.5×1) + (77×3.5×0.95) = 288. 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. Flak is NOT included: flak stops triggering once planes are inside 2.5 km, and its avoidable burst damage is shown separately in the Flak bursts section.
288
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
3.5 km
76.2 mm Mk22 mod. 24×1 76mm
12.7 mm Browning M2 mod. 116×1 13mm
Far aura
Guns76.2 mm Mk22 mod. 2
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 9 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 1 hit probability = 32 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
32
Range3.5 km
Near aura
Guns12.7 mm Browning M2 mod. 1
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 77 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.95 hit probability = 256 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
256
Range1.2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 32 + Near 256 = 288
288
Flak bursts
Bursts
ƒEach ~2 s wave fires 2 quick salvos of 1 clouds ahead of the attacking squadron - up to 2 clouds per wave × 110 damage each. Planes that fly into a cloud take its damage; clouds dissipate before the next wave lands. Defensive AA Fire, where fitted, multiplies the salvo repeats within each wave.
2 salvos × 1 clouds
Cloud damage
ƒDamage a plane takes for flying into one flak cloud, before any reductions.
110
Cloud spawn chance
ƒEvery potential cloud spawns - the full pattern, every wave. Often called flak 'hit chance', but spawned clouds always damage planes that fly into them - the roll is on spawning.
100%
Wave rate
ƒA flak wave spawns roughly every 2 s - timed frame-by-frame from gameplay footage and consistent across ships.
every ~2 s
Fired by
ƒFlak keeps firing while at least one AA mounts mount is operational - even losing every other AA mount does not stop it.
Aa mounts
Flak zone
ƒThe activation band: flak fires while attacking planes are inside it. Clouds are placed ahead of the planes' path, so bursts can land short of 2.5 km or past 3.5 km - once planes get inside the band, new waves stop.
2.5-3.5 km
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts4
Firing range3.5 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
127 mm Mk74×1 127mm
Caliber127 mm
Reload time7 s
HE Damage1,800
Muzzle Velocity960 m/s
Fire Chance6%
Armor Pen21 mm
Min Ricochet91°
Max Ricochet60°
Secondary dispersion type
ƒMax 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 @ 3.5 km
ƒ3.5 km × 57 + 30 = 229.5 m.
229.5 m
Maneuverability
Engine power7,150 hp
Maximum speed18 kt
Turning circle radius730 m
Rudder shift time9.2 s
Engine power-boost threshold7 kt
Engine spool-up time23 s
Reverse spool-up time11.5 s
Acceleration 0-90%
ƒTime to reach 90% of top speed (16.2 kt of 18 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.
40 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (17.8 kt of 18 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.
69 s
Concealment
Detectability by sea10.7 km
Detectability by air7.5 km
Detect after firing main guns
ƒmax(base sea detectability, gun-firing bloom range). Firing never pulls your detection closer than base concealment.
10.7 km
Detect Fire Sea12.7 km
Detect Fire Air10.5 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Automatic Damage Control Party∞ charges · 90 s reload · 60 s active
Automatic Fighter4 charges · 40 s reload · 150 s active · 5 km patrol radius
ƒDerived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): 167×301000=5 km
· 4 squadron size
Module options (1)

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

HullUpgrade
  • Hit points33,300 → 33,700
  • Rudder shift16.8 → 12 s
  • AA mounts0 → 20
  • Close-range AA DPS0 → 86
  • Maximum AA range0 → 3.5 km

See all derived stats

Show

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

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.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS288
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (9×3.5×1) + (77×3.5×0.95) = 288. 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. Flak is NOT included: flak stops triggering once planes are inside 2.5 km, and its avoidable burst damage is shown separately in the Flak bursts section.
Maximum AA range3.5 km
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
AA threat index417
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

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 @ 3.5 km229.5 m
3.5 km × 57 + 30 = 229.5 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)30,857
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: 4×1 127 mm (2/side) × 60/7 × 1800 = 30,857. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).
Max HE alpha1800
Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1800 from the 127 mm family.
Max HE fire chance6%
Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 6% from the 127 mm family.
Max HE pen21 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.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 33,30033,700 with hull upgrade, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds. HP caps are estimated from the standard WoWs damage-allocation model.

Bow & stern13 mm

Overmatched by 52+ guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Farming6 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 10%, fires burn 60s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow13 mm primary (range 10–19 mm)≈ 1,685 (~5% of HP)
Overmatch not possible in its bracketAngle bounces 152mm13 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)20 mm primary (range 6–20 mm)≈ 25,275 (~75% of HP)
Overmatch not possible in its bracketAngle bounces 283mm20 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern13 mm primary (range 6–13 mm)≈ 1,685 (~5% of HP)
Overmatch not possible in its bracketAngle bounces 152mm13 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel20 mm primary (range 6–20 mm)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.
Superstructure6 mm primary (range 6–13 mm)no cap
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).

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.

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Ship Charts

Balance History

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

Nerf ×11Buff ×8Rework ×2Airstrike ×2Torpedo ×5
2024-06-27

Ministry of Balance: Aerial Adjustments

  • Torpedo.
  • Torpedo bomber restoration time increased from 40 to 52 s.
  • Dive bomber restoration time increased from 36 to 48 s.
  • Dive bomber base speed reduced from 109 to 103 kts.
Read the full official post
2024-05-24

Ministry of Balance: Carriers 2.0 – First Wave

  • Bombs per aircraft increased from 1 to 3.
  • Bomb damage reduced from 9,950 to 4,000.
  • Bomb fire-setting chances reduced from 43 to 24%.
  • Bomb splash radius reduced.
  • Maximum hangar aircraft increased from 10 to 12.
  • Starting hangar aircraft reduced from 10 to 9.
  • Aircraft restoration time reduced from 55 to 36 seconds.
  • Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 1,900 to 1,500 (squadron HP reduced from 11,400 to 9,000).
  • Base speed increased from 99 to 109 knots.
  • Aircraft maximum flight range set to 31 kilometers.
  • +4 more official change lines in the source post.
Read the full official post
2022-09-29

Halloween Update: New Friends, Old Foes

  • Surface detectability range changed from 10.6 to 10.7 km; air detectability range changed from 7.4 to 7.5 km.
  • Dive bomber HP changed from 1,800 to 1,900; torpedo bomber HP changed from 1,710 to 1,800.
Read the full official post
2022-03-03

March update: All That is Gold Does Not Glitter

  • Damage from both dive and torpedo bombers increased by 5%.
  • Their speed increased by 10 kts.
Read the full official post
2021-09-30

Halloween Update: Double the Fun, Double the Trouble

  • Detectability range by sea increased from 8.4 to 10.6 km.
  • Detectability range by air increased from 6.2 to 7.5 km.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Langley default exterior
    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.