GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Rhode Island
World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Rhode Island

Beta
U.S.A. · Tier ★ · Battleship
Secondary battleshipClose to secondary range and stack auto-fire with your main guns.
Playstyle
  • Anchor a flank at 14-17 km with bow toward the closest threat, then use the speed advantage at 33 kn to…
  • Avoid: Using the 33-kn speed to push rather than to rotate
Key characteristics
Strong secondaries (8 km)High HE / fire outputStrong AALobs over islandsEasily spotted
Community Data

Rhode Island Community Stats

Log in to GamingDiver and upload your data to see Community Data for Rhode Island: community win rate, damage, survival, spotting, and your own comparison.

Log in & upload to see Community Data

Playstyle

Overview

Rhode Island is a Legendary American fast battleship at 33 kn with Engine Boost on the consumable slot. Mobility lets her rotate flanks battleship-fast and pick fights where her guns get the first salvo. AA (827 AA DPS at 5 km) is heavy enough to make her the team's air-defense anchor on top of the lead role; CV strikes route around her, not through. Standout traits: best AP always-pen window in Legendary BBs (50°) and best AP guaranteed-ricochet angle in Legendary BBs (65°).

Positioning

Anchor a flank at 14-17 km with bow toward the closest threat, then use the speed advantage at 33 kn to rotate to the cap that needs a second battleship rather than the one your team already has. Mobility means you can pick which fight you are in; do not waste it by holding center the whole match.

Potato Avoidance

Using the 33-kn speed to push rather than to rotate

The mobility advantage is about picking which cap fight you arrive at, not about leading the brawl line; a fast BB that overextends loses HP that the kit cannot trade back.

Signature Traits

Surveillance Radar

10.56 km range, 35 s duration. Detects all enemy ships within a fixed radius regardless of line-of-sight. Controls caps and punishes smoke-firing DDs.

Wide always-pen zone

50.0° AP min ricochet angle, best of Legendary BBs. Larger impact-angle window where shells always penetrate.

Late auto-bounce

65.0° AP guaranteed ricochet angle, best of Legendary BBs. Auto-bounce kicks in later than peers'.

Top-tier AA

827.0 AA DPS, best of Legendary BBs (median 667.0).

Holds speed in turns

258.4 hp per metre of turn radius, best of Legendary BBs. Engine power overpowers lateral drag, so speed loss in sustained turns is mild.

Easily spotted

16.12 km surface detect, bottom decile of Legendary BBs. Visible before you can react; position early.

Acquisition

How to get Rhode Island

Rhode Island is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition path: Campaign.

Official WG availability sources
  • Merry Shipmas Campaign Breakdown Campaign Start: 2025-12-01 · End: 2026-01-18 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.
  • Through the Spy Glass: Rhode Island Ship feature / release Start: 2025-12-02 · 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.

Builds Beta

Use the official-style setup: Secondary Battery Mod. 2, Propulsion Mod. 2, Concealment System Mod. 1, and Main Battery Mod. 3, with Sims-style survivability support.

Open in Build Tool →

Commanders frequently paired with this ship William Sims

Have a build you swear by? Open it in the Build Tool and hit Save build to share it here.

Cohort position

Hide ▾

Where Rhode Island sits among Legendary BBs (17 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.

BestMain battery reload19.8 s (1/17) BestSecondary dispersion bracket27 (1/17) BestAP arming threshold59 mm (1/17) BestAP ricochet start50° (1 of 3 tied) BestAP auto-bounce angle65° (1 of 3 tied) BestTurn-speed retention258.4 hp/m (1/17) BestPower-to-weight4.3 hp/t (1/17) BestAA DPS827 (1/17) BestAA threat3,575 (1/17) Top 10%Rudder shift15.7 s (2/17) Top 10%HE DPM181,818 (2/16) Top 10%HE velocity861 m/s (2/16) Top 10%Secondary range7.5 km (2/17) Top 25%Max speed33 kt (3/17) Top 25%Fires per minute11.27 (3/16) Top 25%AP DPM345,455 (5/17) Top 25%Main dispersion192.1 m (4/17) Top 25%Secondary DPM (per side)308,571 (3/17) Top 25%AP velocity823 m/s (4/17) Top 25%Engine power230,000 hp (3/17) Top 25%Displacement53,440 t (3/17) Bottom 25%Stealth profile16.12 km / 12.9 km (16/17 / 16/17) Bottom 25%Sigma1.7 (15/17) Bottom 25%Citadel belt297 mm (14/16) Bottom 25%End plates27 mm (15/16 / 15/16) WorstMain battery caliber356 mm (17/17) WorstSecondary fire chance5% (1 of 2 tied)
See 12 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Rhode Island -- 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 points87,500 HP(10/17) Traverse-to-turn ratio4.58 ×(13/17) Main battery range17.16 km(13/17) HE alpha1,800(9/15) Secondary HE pen21 mm(12/15) Acceleration9 s(7/17) AA range5 km(13/17) Repair charges3(7/17) Max armor439 mm(9/17) Deck armor127 mm(6/16) NormAP fuse timer0.03 s(15 of 17 tied at this value) NormRepair heal rate0.5 %/s(12 of 17 tied at this value)

Stats & specs

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

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

Radar 10.56 kmRepair 3Engine BoostFighter
Survivability
Hit Points87,500
Displacement53,440 t
Armor range6–439 mm
Plate armor thicknesses6, 16, 19, 25, 27, 32, 38, 50, 58, 76, 127, 130, 142, 157, 163, 181, 184, 216, 297, 310, 343, 439 mm
Armor material/layer entries56
Fire resistance40%
Fire duration60 s
Torp Reduction26%
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.
37,100
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.
26,300
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 356 mm Mk.11
Mounts / barrels3 mounts / 12 barrels
Reload time22 s
Firing range17.2 km
Turret traverse5 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)
ƒShell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
1.7
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (17160/30·(10−1.6)/1000 + 1.6)·30 = 192.1 m
192.1 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 192.1 × 0.6 = 115.3 m
115.3 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 192.1 × 0.357 (σ=1.7) = 68.5 m
68.5 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 115.3 × 0.356 (σ=1.7) = 41.1 m
41.1 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 5 deg/s traverse speed = 36 s.
36 s
Base shells/min
ƒ12 broadside guns x 60 / 22 s base reload = 32.7.
32.7
HE shells
HE Damage5,000
HE Velocity861 m/s
Fire Chance31%
HE penetration
ƒ59 mm ≈ 356 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
59 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ5,000 HE damage x 12 broadside guns = 60,000.
60,000
Base HE DPM
ƒ60,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 22 s base reload = 163,636.
163,636
Installed HE DPM
ƒ60,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 19.8 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 181,818.
181,818
Base fires/min
ƒ12 HE shells x 60 / 22 s reload x 31% fire chance = 10.15.
10.15
AP shells
AP Damage9,500
AP Velocity823 m/s
Min Ricochet50 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet65 deg
Fuse Timer0.033 s
Fuse Threshold59 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(356 mm caliber / 14.3) = 24 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
24 mm
AP Pen Close
ƒCanonical 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 × 2995 × 585^0.69 × 0.356^-1.07 × 823^1.38 = 774.3 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
774.3 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (21.4 km), where the shell has slowed to 474.7 m/s: 1e-7 × 2995 × 585^0.69 × 0.356^-1.07 × 474.7^1.38 = 362.4 mm.
362.4 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ9,500 AP damage x 12 broadside guns = 114,000.
114,000
Base AP DPM
ƒ114,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 22 s base reload = 310,909.
310,909
Installed AP DPM
ƒ114,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 19.8 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 345,455.
345,455
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.
250
AA Defense
AA mount points56
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (197×3.5×0.75) + (76×3.5×0.7) + (47×3.5×0.75) = 827. 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.
827
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
5 km
76.2 mm Mk3314×2 76mm
76.2 mm Mk332×2 76mm
20 mm Oerlikon Mk440×1 20mm
127 mm Mk38 mod. 0 (DP)10×2 127mm
Far + Medium aura
Far DPS
ƒIncludes 47 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
47
Medium DPS197
Range5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 47 + Medium 197 = 244
244
Near aura
DPS76
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 47 + Medium 197 + Near 76 = 320
320
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts10
Firing range7.5 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
Caliber127 mm
Reload time3.5 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 @ 7.5 km
ƒ7.5 km × 27 + 30 = 232.5 m.
232.5 m
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 230,000 hp
Engine power230,000 hp
Maximum speed33 kt
Turning circle radius890 m
Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt
Traverse-to-turn ratio4.6× drags
Concealment
Detectability by sea16.12 km
Detectability by air12.9 km
Smoke firing penalty14.09 km
Detect after firing main guns16.12 km
Detect Fire Sea18.12 km
Detect Fire Air15.9 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
Secondary Battery Reload Booster3 charges · 140 s reload · 30 s active · +50% damage boost · +25% reload boost
Choose one
Engine Boost2 charges · 180 s reload · 180 s active · +8% speed bonus
Surveillance Radar2 charges · 180 s reload · 35 s active · 10.56 km radar range
Catapult Fighter4 charges · 60 s reload · 55 s active · 5.56 km patrol radius · 1 squadron size
Observation Seaplane4 charges · 200 s reload · 40 s active · 1 squadron size · +10% main-battery range bonus
Module options (1)

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

HullUpgrade
  • Turret traverse5 → 8 °/s

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)1.7
Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
Max Horiz Disp192.1 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (17160/30·(10−1.6)/1000 + 1.6)·30 = 192.1 m
Max Vert Disp115.3 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 192.1 × 0.6 = 115.3 m
Med Horiz Disp68.5 m
50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 192.1 × 0.357 (σ=1.7) = 68.5 m
Med Vert Disp41.1 m
50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 115.3 × 0.356 (σ=1.7) = 41.1 m
AP Pen Close774.3 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 × 2995 × 585^0.69 × 0.356^-1.07 × 823^1.38 = 774.3 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far362.4 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (21.4 km), where the shell has slowed to 474.7 m/s: 1e-7 × 2995 × 585^0.69 × 0.356^-1.07 × 474.7^1.38 = 362.4 mm.
HE penetration59 mm
59 mm ≈ 356 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch24 mm
floor(356 mm caliber / 14.3) = 24 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius250
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 alpha12
All 12 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time36 s
180 degrees / 5 deg/s traverse speed = 36 s.
HE full-salvo alpha60,000
5,000 HE damage x 12 broadside guns = 60,000.
AP full-salvo alpha114,000
9,500 AP damage x 12 broadside guns = 114,000.
Base HE DPM163,636
60,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 22 s base reload = 163,636.
Base AP DPM310,909
114,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 22 s base reload = 310,909.
Installed HE DPM181,818
60,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 19.8 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 181,818.
Installed AP DPM345,455
114,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 19.8 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 345,455.
Base shells/min32.7
12 broadside guns x 60 / 22 s base reload = 32.7.
Installed shells/min36.4
12 broadside guns x 60 / 19.8 s installed Artillery reload = 36.4.
Base fires/min10.15
12 HE shells x 60 / 22 s reload x 31% fire chance = 10.15.
Installed fires/min11.27
12 HE shells x 60 / 19.8 s installed reload x 31% fire chance = 11.27.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS827
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (197×3.5×0.75) + (76×3.5×0.7) + (47×3.5×0.75) = 827. 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 index3575
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 @ 7.5 km232.5 m
7.5 km × 27 + 30 = 232.5 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)308,571
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) × 60/3.5 × 1800 = 308,571. 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.

Armor

Hull HP 87,500, 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
Bow27 mm primary (range 27–50 mm)4,600 (5% of HP)
Overmatched by 406mm+ (Hawke, Iowa)Angle bounces 380mm27 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Bow-tank fits behind this exterior plate. Saturation is FAST here; the cap is often only a few thousand HP.
Hull (midship)19 mm primary (range 16–439 mm)65,600 (75% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Scharnhorst '43, Schill)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern27 mm primary (range 6–343 mm)4,700 (5% of HP)
Overmatched by 406mm+ (Hawke, Iowa)Angle bounces 380mm27 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel297 mm primary (range 32–297 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).
Superstructure38 mm primary (range 38–439 mm)6,700 (8% of HP)
Any HE ≥16 mm pens at full damageDamage multiplier ×0.6
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 HP37,100 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.
Secondary mount (127 mm mount)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP800 per-mount HPDestroyed at 0 HPPer-mount HP for the heaviest secondary on this ship. A mount destroyed at 0 HP is out for the rest of the battle; DCP does not repair destroyed mounts. Smaller (lighter-caliber) secondaries typically share the same HP value.
AA mount (76 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 HP26,300 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.

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 Rhode Island can equip, from in-game data.

  • Rhode Island 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.

2025-12-02 · Through the Spy Glass Through the Spy Glass: Rhode Island Ship feature 2025-11-27 · Patch notes Holiday Update: Christmas on the Waves Patch notes