World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Massachusetts B

Beta
U.S.A. · Tier VII · Battleship · Premium · Massachusetts Variant
Secondary battleshipClose to secondary range and stack auto-fire with your main guns.
Playstyle
  • Start at mid-range, preserve HP, then push when secondaries can contribute without exposing the ship to…
  • Keep main guns punishing broadsides throughout
  • Avoid: Do not yolo for secondaries at the opening
Key characteristics
Strong secondaries (7 km)Spotter planeSlow
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Community Data

Massachusetts B Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Massachusetts is a Tier VII American premium battleship whose official commander guidance emphasizes both main and secondary battery effectiveness, with stronger secondary damage focus. Play her as a durable mid-range pressure battleship.

Positioning

Start at mid-range, preserve HP, then push when secondaries can contribute without exposing the ship to full-team focus. Keep main guns punishing broadsides throughout.

Potato Avoidance

Yolo for secondaries at the opening

Massachusetts is strongest when secondary pressure supports a controlled push.

Signature Traits

Long DCP window

20.0 s Damage Control duration, best of T7 BBs. Stays fire / flood immune longer per activation.

Strong torpedo belt

46.0% torpedo damage reduction, top decile of T7 BBs.

Heavy armor

439.0 mm max plate, top decile of T7 BBs.

Tight secondaries

Improved secondary dispersion bracket (slope 27.0), top decile of T7 BBs. The bracket determines per-meter-of-range dispersion; lower slope = tighter cone.

Slow AP shells

701.0 m/s AP muzzle velocity, bottom decile of T7 BBs. Lobby trajectory, more lead, easier to dodge at range.

Low fire chance secondaries

5.0% best HE fire chance per secondary shell, bottom quartile of T7 BBs. Lights fewer fires in a brawl than peers.

Acquisition

How to get Massachusetts B

Massachusetts B is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition paths: Containers and Campaign. 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.

Best listed chance for this ship

  • Black Friday 2021 0.5% VII Massachusetts B Event containers · Black Friday 2021
  • Piñata Chest 0.125% Tier V, VI, or VII Premium ship Event containers · Piñata Chest · 1 of 24 ships
  • Champion's Box 0.1% VII Massachusetts B Event containers · Champion's Box → Black Friday 2021
Show all 5 containers (2 more)
  • Black Friday Ultimate Crate 0.0833% VII Massachusetts B Event containers · Black Friday Ultimate Crate → Black Friday 2021
  • Ultimate Crate 0.05% VII Massachusetts B Event containers · Ultimate Crate → Black Friday 2021
Official WG availability sources
  • Big Mamie campaign breakdown Campaign Start: 2020-12-21 · End: 2021-01-31 Official campaign breakdown naming this ship as a campaign/reward-context ship; explicit source windows are used when present, otherwise the end date is inferred from the next indexed campaign breakdown when available.
  • Official WoWS Legends container odds Containers Official container drop rows linked below include direct and nested effective ship odds.
  • Through the Spy Glass: Tulsa Ship feature / release Start: 2023-06-21 · End: open/unknown end Official Through the Spy Glass feature for this ship; useful as a release/availability source, but not a guaranteed current-store listing.
  • Through the Spy Glass: Salem Ship feature / release Start: 2023-06-29 · End: open/unknown end Official Through the Spy Glass feature for this ship; useful as a release/availability source, but not a guaranteed current-store listing.
Show direct source rows

Builds Beta

Build for survivability, secondary range/accuracy, main-battery consistency, and fire resistance. Big Mamie-style secondary damage support fits the role.

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Cohort position

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Where Massachusetts B sits among Tier VII BBs (47 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.

BestSecondary dispersion bracket27 (1 of 3 tied) Top 10%Max armor439 mm (5/46) Top 25%AP shell damage13,100 (10/46) Top 25%Secondary range7 km (8/46) Top 25%AA DPS592 (11/46) Top 25%AA threat2,018 (11/46) Bottom 25%Max speed27.5 kt (41/46) Bottom 25%Stealth profile15.47 km / 12.38 km (36/46 / 36/46) Bottom 25%Engine power130,000 hp (37/46) Bottom 25%Power-to-weight2.77 hp/t (37/46) Bottom 10%Traverse-to-turn ratio3.5 × (45/46) WorstSecondary fire chance5% (1 of 10 tied) WorstSecondary HE pen21 mm (1 of 10 tied) WorstAP velocity701 m/s (1 of 3 tied) WorstNo torpedoes (32 of 47 in cohort)
See 24 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Massachusetts B -- 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 points66,300 HP(20/46) Rudder shift15.7 s(28/46) Main battery caliber406 mm(17/46) Main battery range17 km(27/46) Main battery reload27 s(31/46) Sigma1.8(27/46) HE shell damage5,700(23/45) HE fire chance36%(21/45) Fires per minute7.2(23/45) HE DPM114,000(17/45) AP DPM262,000(17/46) Main dispersion230 m(33/46) Secondary DPM (per side)180,000(33/46) HE alpha1,800(29/43) HE velocity803 m/s(34/45) AP arming threshold68 mm(32/46) Turn-speed retention183.1 hp/m(23/46) Displacement47,006 t(24/46) AA range5 km(17/46) Repair charges3(23/46) NormAP fuse timer0.03 s(38 of 46 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(44 of 46 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(43 of 46 tied at this value) NormRepair heal rate0.5 %/s(32 of 46 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit Points66,300
Displacement47,006 t
Armor range6–439 mm
Plate armor thicknesses6, 16, 19, 22, 25, 32, 38, 50, 60, 76, 102, 121, 154, 156, 157, 168, 184, 274, 287, 305, 310, 343, 406, 439 mm
Armor material/layer entries58
Fire resistance36.6%
Fire duration60 s
Torp Reduction46%
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.
33,200
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.
19,900
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 406 mm Mk6
Mounts / barrels3 mounts / 9 barrels
Reload time30 s
Firing range17 km
Turret traverse4 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)
ƒShell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
1.8
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: σH=(R30·idealRadiusminRadiusidealDistance+minRadius)·30 =(1700030·1221000+2)·30=230m
230 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =230·0.6=138m
138 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =230·0.344(σ=1.8)=79.1m
79.1 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =138·0.344(σ=1.8)=47.5m
47.5 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 4 deg/s traverse speed = 45 s.
45 s
Base shells/min
ƒ9 broadside guns x 60 / 30 s base reload = 18.
18
HE shells
HE Damage5,700
HE Velocity803 m/s
Fire Chance36%
HE penetration
ƒ68 mm ≈ 406 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
68 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ5,700 HE damage x 9 broadside guns = 51,300.
51,300
Base HE DPM
ƒ51,300 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 102,600.
102,600
Installed HE DPM
ƒ51,300 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 27 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 114,000.
114,000
Base fires/min
ƒ9 HE shells x 60 / 30 s reload x 36% fire chance = 6.48.
6.48
AP shells
AP Damage13,100
AP Velocity701 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.033 s
Fuse Threshold68 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(406 mm caliber / 14.3) = 28 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
28 mm
AP Pen Close
ƒCanonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v01.38 =107·2598·12250.69·0.4061.07·7011.38=778.8mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
778.8 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (21.2 km), where the shell has slowed to 468.4 m/s: P=107·2598·12250.69·0.4061.07·468.41.38=446.5mm.
446.5 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ13,100 AP damage x 9 broadside guns = 117,900.
117,900
Base AP DPM
ƒ117,900 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 235,800.
235,800
Installed AP DPM
ƒ117,900 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 27 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 262,000.
262,000
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.
150
AA Defense
AA mount points45
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (112×3.5×0.75) + (68×3.5×0.7) + (50×3.5×0.75) = 592. 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.
592
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
5 km
40 mm Bofors Mk215×4 40mm
20 mm Oerlikon Mk425×1 20mm
20 mm Oerlikon Mk205×2 20mm
127 mm Mk32 (DP)10×2 127mm
Far aura
DPS
ƒIncludes 50 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
50
Range5 km
Medium aura
DPS112
Range3.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 50 + Medium 112 = 162
162
Near aura
DPS68
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 50 + Medium 112 + Near 68 = 230
230
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts10
Firing range7.0 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
Caliber127 mm
Reload time6 s
HE Damage1,800
Muzzle Velocity792 m/s
Fire Chance5%
Armor Pen21 mm
Min Ricochet91°
Max Ricochet60°
Secondary dispersion type
ƒMax dispersion = range (km) × 27 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.
Improved (50%, Massachusetts type)
Max secondary dispersion @ 7 km
ƒ7 km × 27 + 30 = 219 m.
219 m
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 130,000 hp
Engine power130,000 hp
Maximum speed27.5 kt
Turning circle radius710 m
Engine power-boost threshold7 kt
Acceleration 0-90%
ƒTime to accelerate from 0 kt to 90% of top speed (24.8 kt of 27.5). Numerical integration of the WoWS engine model with the inputs decoded for this ship: maxPower=(Pm)0.42=(130,00047,006)0.42=1.533; 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=602.61=23s. Euler step vn+1=vn+a(vn)Δt,Δt=0.01s until t90=min{t:v(t)0.9Vmax}=34.8s. 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.
34.8 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to accelerate from 0 kt to 99% of top speed (27.2 kt of 27.5). Same integration as the 0-90% row, read where t99=min{t:v(t)0.99Vmax}=55.8s. 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.
55.8 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·27.5·0.5144710=1.14°/s, so ratio=ωturretωhull=41.14=3.5×. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.
3.5× drags
Concealment
Detectability by sea15.47 km
Detectability by air12.38 km
Smoke firing penalty14.92 km
Detect after firing main guns
ƒmax(base sea detectability, gun-firing bloom range). Firing never pulls your detection closer than base concealment.
15.47 km
Detect Fire Sea17.47 km
Detect Fire Air15.38 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 80 s reload · 20 s active
Repair Party3 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 0.5% heal per second · 14% of max HP total heal
Choose one
Catapult Fighter4 charges · 60 s reload · 55 s active · 5.56 km patrol radius · 1 squadron size
Observation Seaplane4 charges · 200 s reload · 30 s active · 1 squadron size · +10% main-battery range bonus
Secondary Battery Booster3 charges · 160 s reload · 30 s active · +100% damage boost · +50% reload boost

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)1.8
Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
Max Horiz Disp230 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: $\sigma_H = \left(\dfrac{R}{30}\cdot\dfrac{\text{idealRadius}-\text{minRadius}}{\text{idealDistance}} + \text{minRadius}\right)\cdot 30$ $= \left(\dfrac{17000}{30}\cdot\dfrac{12-2}{1000} + 2\right)\cdot 30 = 230\,\text{m}$
Max Vert Disp138 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: $\sigma_V = \sigma_H \cdot \text{radiusOnMax}$ $= 230 \cdot 0.6 = 138\,\text{m}$
Med Horiz Disp79.1 m
50%-hit horizontal radius: $\sigma_{H,50} = \sigma_H \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 230 \cdot 0.344\;(\sigma = 1.8) = 79.1\,\text{m}$
Med Vert Disp47.5 m
50%-hit vertical radius: $\sigma_{V,50} = \sigma_V \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 138 \cdot 0.344\;(\sigma = 1.8) = 47.5\,\text{m}$
AP Pen Close778.8 mm
Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{-1.07} \cdot v_0^{1.38}$ $= 10^{-7}\cdot 2598 \cdot 1225^{0.69} \cdot 0.406^{-1.07} \cdot 701^{1.38} = 778.8\,\text{mm}$. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far446.5 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (21.2 km), where the shell has slowed to 468.4 m/s: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot 2598 \cdot 1225^{0.69} \cdot 0.406^{-1.07} \cdot 468.4^{1.38} = 446.5\,\text{mm}$.
HE penetration68 mm
68 mm ≈ 406 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch28 mm
floor(406 mm caliber / 14.3) = 28 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius150
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 alpha9
All 9 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time45 s
180 degrees / 4 deg/s traverse speed = 45 s.
HE full-salvo alpha51,300
5,700 HE damage x 9 broadside guns = 51,300.
AP full-salvo alpha117,900
13,100 AP damage x 9 broadside guns = 117,900.
Base HE DPM102,600
51,300 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 102,600.
Base AP DPM235,800
117,900 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 235,800.
Installed HE DPM114,000
51,300 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 27 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 114,000.
Installed AP DPM262,000
117,900 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 27 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 262,000.
Base shells/min18
9 broadside guns x 60 / 30 s base reload = 18.
Installed shells/min20
9 broadside guns x 60 / 27 s installed Artillery reload = 20.
Base fires/min6.48
9 HE shells x 60 / 30 s reload x 36% fire chance = 6.48.
Installed fires/min7.2
9 HE shells x 60 / 27 s installed reload x 36% fire chance = 7.2.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS592
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (112×3.5×0.75) + (68×3.5×0.7) + (50×3.5×0.75) = 592. 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 index2018
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 dispersion

Secondary dispersion typeImproved (50%, Massachusetts type)
Max dispersion = range (km) × 27 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.
Max secondary dispersion @ 7 km219 m
7 km × 27 + 30 = 219 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)180,000
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: 10×2 127 mm (10/side) × 60/6 × 1800 = 180,000. 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 chance5%
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
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.
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Acceleration and Ballistics Chart

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Massachusetts B 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.

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