World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Mahan

Beta
Destroyer gunboatWin DD duels and cap fights with gun DPM.
Playstyle
  • Hold concealment edges on the contested cap at 6.8 km detection
  • Avoid: Burning the 6.8 km concealment advantage on guns
Key characteristics
2 sigma accuracyHigh HE / fire outputHigh AP DPMSmokeLow fire chance
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Community Data

Mahan Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Mahan is a Tier V American stealth-leaning destroyer with strong surface detection (6.8 km). The kit opens detection windows most peer DDs cannot match, so her value is contesting caps from concealment edges where the detection band holds. Standout traits: best armor plate in T5 DDs (21 mm) and best turret traverse rate in T5 DDs (18).

Positioning

Hold concealment edges on the contested cap at 6.8 km detection. The band opens windows for unspotted torpedo drops and clean repositions; lean into the gaps your peer DDs cannot read, and back out before detection closes.

Potato Avoidance

Burning the 6.8 km concealment advantage on guns

Every salvo lights you up and gives back the detection edge that makes the kit work; reserve guns for finishing damage on already-spotted ships, and prioritize torpedo drops you can fire while undetected.

Signature Traits

Engine Boost

+8% speed, 120 s duration. Engine Boost consumable temporarily raises top speed. Mobility on demand to reposition, chase a kill, or break contact.

Heavy armor

21.0 mm max plate, best of T5 DDs.

Fast turret traverse

15.0°/s turret traverse, best of T5 DDs. Tracks fast-rotating targets peers can't keep up with.

HE DPM machine

168750 HE DPM, best of T5 DDs. Sustained fire pressure.

Long-reach AA

5.0 km AA reach, best of T5 DDs.

Low fire chance

5.0% fire chance per HE shell, bottom decile of T5 DDs. AP carries more weight.

Acquisition

How to get Mahan

Mahan is available in the Universal Destroyers branch of the U.S. Tech Tree for 2,400,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 480,000 credits.

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

Mahan sits in the Universal Destroyers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full U.S. tree.

U.S. destroyers are "jacks-of-all-trades" and masters of none. They can perform in nearly any role needed from a destroyer: spotting the enemy, showering them in fire-starting shells, or unleashing torpedoes.
Advantages
Adaptable, Long-duration Smoke Generator
Disadvantages
Lackluster torpedo armament, Low-velocity shells

Builds Beta

Build for concealment, gun reload, survivability, smoke utility, and torpedo range/reload.

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Cohort position

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Where Mahan sits among Tier V DDs (26 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.

BestTraverse-to-turn ratio8.14 × (1/26) BestHE DPM168,750 (1/26) BestAA range5 km (1 of 3 tied) BestMax armor21 mm (1/26) BestDeck armor21 mm (1/16) Top 10%Rudder shift2.7 s (3/26) Top 10%Main battery reload3.2 s (3/26) Top 10%AP DPM196,875 (3/24) Top 25%Main dispersion86 m (6/26) Top 25%Acceleration16.2 s (7/25) Top 25%Power-to-weight22.08 hp/t (6/26) Bottom 25%Max speed35 kt (23/26) Bottom 25%Stealth profile6.76 km / 3.38 km (22/26 / 22/26) Bottom 25%AP velocity792 m/s (21/24) Bottom 25%HE velocity792 m/s (22/26) Bottom 25%Torpedo damage≈10,833 (23/26) WorstHE fire chance5% (1 of 2 tied)
See 20 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Mahan -- 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 points13,400 HP(17/26) Main battery caliber127 mm(15/26) Main battery range10.42 km(15/26) HE shell damage1,800(13/26) Fires per minute4.69(9/26) AP arming threshold21 mm(12/24) Engine power49,000 hp(11/26) Turn-speed retention87.5 hp/m(8/26) Displacement2,219 t(11/26) AA DPS78(18/26) AA threat251(13/26) Torpedo range8 km(18/26) Torpedo speed64 kt(12/26) Torpedo reload88 s(18/26) NormAP fuse timer0.01 s(20 of 24 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(23 of 24 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(23 of 24 tied at this value) NormCitadel belt16 mm(19 of 20 tied at this value) NormBow armor16 mm(19 of 20 tied at this value) NormStern armor16 mm(19 of 20 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit PointsInitial: 10,400 → 13,400
Displacement2,219 t
Armor range6–21 mm
Plate armor thicknesses6, 10, 15, 16, 21 mm
Armor material/layer entries28
Fire resistanceInitial: 20% → 23.3%
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.
6,700
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.
4,000
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 127 mm/38 Mk21
Mounts / barrels5 mounts / 5 barrels
Reload time3.6 s
Firing range (base)9.5 km
Firing range (top fire control)10.4 km
Turret traverse15 °/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 =(947330·80.51000+0.5)·30=86m
86 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =86·0.6=51.6m
51.6 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =86·0.32(σ=2)=27.5m
27.5 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =51.6·0.32(σ=2)=16.5m
16.5 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 15 deg/s traverse speed = 12 s.
12 s
Base shells/min
ƒ5 broadside guns x 60 / 3.6 s base reload = 83.3.
83.3
HE shells
HE Damage1,800
HE Velocity792 m/s
Fire Chance5%
HE penetration
ƒ21 mm ≈ 127 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
21 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ1,800 HE damage x 5 broadside guns = 9,000.
9,000
Base HE DPM
ƒ9,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.6 s base reload = 150,000.
150,000
Base fires/min
ƒ5 HE shells x 60 / 3.6 s reload x 5% fire chance = 4.17.
4.17
AP shells
AP Damage2,100
AP Velocity792 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.01 s
Fuse Threshold21 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(127 mm caliber / 14.3) = 8 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
8 mm
AP Pen Close
ƒCanonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v01.38 =107·2598·250.69·0.1271.07·7921.38=218mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
218 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (13 km), where the shell has slowed to 250.9 m/s: P=107·2598·250.69·0.1271.07·250.91.38=44.6mm.
44.6 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ2,100 AP damage x 5 broadside guns = 10,500.
10,500
Base AP DPM
ƒ10,500 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.6 s base reload = 175,000.
175,000
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.
10
Torpedoes
ModuleTorpedoes: Mark 12
Launchers / tubes3 launchers × 4 tubes = 12 tubes
Reload time88 s
Projectile speed64 kt
Range8 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=32,500·0.333=10,833.
≈ 10,833
Torpedo detectability1.3 km
Flooding chance192%
Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s
Torp Turn
ƒTime to rotate the launchers 180 deg: tturn=180°25°/s=7.2s.
7.2 s
Torp Arming395 m
Per-side salvo damage
ƒOne side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 12 x 10,833 = 129,996.
129,996
AA Defense
AA mount points4
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (14×3.5×0.95) + (9×3.5×1) = 78. 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.
78
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
5 km
20 mm Oerlikon Mk4 (upgraded hull only)4×1 20mm
12.7 mm Browning M2 mod. 2 (stock hull only)4×1 13mm
Far aura
DPS
ƒIncludes 9 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose main battery firing as AA in this range band.
9
Range5 km
Near aura
DPS14
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 9 + Near 14 = 23
23
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 49,000 hp
Engine power49,000 hp
Maximum speed35 kt
Turning circle radius560 m
Engine power-boost threshold7 kt
Acceleration 0-90%
ƒTime to accelerate from 0 kt to 90% of top speed (31.5 kt of 35). Numerical integration of the WoWS engine model with the inputs decoded for this ship: maxPower=(Pm)0.42=(49,0002,219)0.42=3.6686; drag(v)=v|v|Vmax2·maxPower; piecewise acceleration a(v)={maxPower·2+drag(v)v<7 ktP(t)+drag(v)v7 kt; the engine ramps over τ=Tup2.61=202.61=7.7s. Euler step vn+1=vn+a(vn)Δt,Δt=0.01s until t90=min{t:v(t)0.9Vmax}=16.2s. The 0.42 exponent, quadratic drag and the TimeScale 2.61 are the calibrated game constants (New York's 60/2.61 = 23.0 s spool-up matches in-game); no closed form.
16.2 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to accelerate from 0 kt to 99% of top speed (34.6 kt of 35). Same integration as the 0-90% row, read where t99=min{t:v(t)0.99Vmax}=27.4s. 99% (not 100%) because exact top speed is asymptotic - thrust equals drag at Vmax, so the last fraction of a knot is never quite gained.
27.4 s
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·35.0·0.5144560=1.84°/s, so ratio=ωturretωhull=151.84=8.1×. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.
8.1× ok
Concealment
Detectability by sea6.76 km
Detectability by air3.38 km
Smoke firing penalty2.52 km
Detect after firing main guns
ƒmax(base sea detectability, gun-firing bloom range). Firing never pulls your detection closer than base concealment.
6.76 km
Detect Fire Sea8.76 km
Detect Fire Air6.38 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 40 s reload · 5 s active
Smoke Generator2 charges · 240 s reload · 15 s emit / 118 s cloud active
Engine Boost2 charges · 180 s reload · 120 s active · +8% speed bonus
Module options (3)

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

HullTrade-off
  • Hit points10,400 → 13,400
  • Rudder shift5.2 → 3.5 s
  • Close-range AA DPS16 → 14
  • Maximum AA range1.2 → 2 km
Fire controlUpgrade
  • Main battery range9,473 → 10420.3 m
TorpedoesTrade-off
  • Range5.49 → 8 km
  • Reload74 → 88 s
  • Speed56 → 64 kt

See all derived stats

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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.

Main battery formulas

Shell Grouping (σ)2
Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
Max Horiz Disp86 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: $\sigma_H = \left(\dfrac{R}{30}\cdot\dfrac{\text{idealRadius}-\text{minRadius}}{\text{idealDistance}} + \text{minRadius}\right)\cdot 30$ $= \left(\dfrac{9473}{30}\cdot\dfrac{8-0.5}{1000} + 0.5\right)\cdot 30 = 86\,\text{m}$
Max Vert Disp51.6 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: $\sigma_V = \sigma_H \cdot \text{radiusOnMax}$ $= 86 \cdot 0.6 = 51.6\,\text{m}$
Med Horiz Disp27.5 m
50%-hit horizontal radius: $\sigma_{H,50} = \sigma_H \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 86 \cdot 0.32\;(\sigma = 2) = 27.5\,\text{m}$
Med Vert Disp16.5 m
50%-hit vertical radius: $\sigma_{V,50} = \sigma_V \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 51.6 \cdot 0.32\;(\sigma = 2) = 16.5\,\text{m}$
AP Pen Close218 mm
Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{-1.07} \cdot v_0^{1.38}$ $= 10^{-7}\cdot 2598 \cdot 25^{0.69} \cdot 0.127^{-1.07} \cdot 792^{1.38} = 218\,\text{mm}$. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far44.6 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (13 km), where the shell has slowed to 250.9 m/s: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot 2598 \cdot 25^{0.69} \cdot 0.127^{-1.07} \cdot 250.9^{1.38} = 44.6\,\text{mm}$.
HE penetration21 mm
21 mm ≈ 127 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch8 mm
floor(127 mm caliber / 14.3) = 8 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 alpha5
All 5 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time12 s
180 degrees / 15 deg/s traverse speed = 12 s.
HE full-salvo alpha9,000
1,800 HE damage x 5 broadside guns = 9,000.
AP full-salvo alpha10,500
2,100 AP damage x 5 broadside guns = 10,500.
Base HE DPM150,000
9,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.6 s base reload = 150,000.
Base AP DPM175,000
10,500 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.6 s base reload = 175,000.
Base shells/min83.3
5 broadside guns x 60 / 3.6 s base reload = 83.3.
Base fires/min4.17
5 HE shells x 60 / 3.6 s reload x 5% fire chance = 4.17.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.3 km
Estimated torpedo reaction time7.8 s
detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Torpedo speed64 kt
Travel time to max range48.1 s
range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Tube count12
3 launchers x 4 tubes.
Per-side salvo12 torpedoes
12 (centerline launchers train across - full salvo to either side).
Full-salvo damage129,996
All tubes hitting one target: tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 12 x 10,833 = 129,996.
Per-side salvo damage129,996
One side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 12 x 10,833 = 129,996.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS78
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (14×3.5×0.95) + (9×3.5×1) = 78. 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 index251
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

Armor Beta

Hull HP 10,40013,400 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.

Bow & stern16 mm

Overmatched by 90+ 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 23%, fires burn 30s. Range-by-range in the ballistics tool →

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow16 mm primary (range 15–21 mm)1,900 (14% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Moltke, Graf Spee)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)15 mm10,100 (75% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Moltke, Graf Spee)Angle bounces 203mm15 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern16 mm primary (range 15–16 mm)1,300 (10% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Moltke, Graf Spee)Angle bounces 203mm16 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel16 mm primary (range 10–16 mm)≈ 165,500 (effectively no cap)
Citadel pen ×0.50 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 (×0.50 direct pen, ×0.10 over-pen).
Superstructure6 mm primary (range 6–21 mm)800 (6% 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 HP6,700 magazine HPMagazine detonation1–30% chance · below ~75% HPPer-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 (20 mm mount)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP200 per-mount HPDestroyed at 0 HPPer-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 HP4,000 module HPIncapacitated at 0 HPWhen 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.

Approximated side profile.
Open the 3D armor viewer →
3D armor viewer
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Acceleration and Ballistics Chart

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Mahan default exterior
    DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior

Primary official WG sources

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