GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Salem
World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Salem

Beta
U.S.A. · Tier VIII · Cruiser
HE fire-spam cruiserSustained HE and fires from range or island cover.
Playstyle
  • Hold 12-15 km from a contested cap with an island close enough to break sightline when focus shifts
  • Avoid: Using radar like a destroyer hunter rather than a position tool
Key characteristics
2.05 sigma accuracyHigh HE / fire outputHigh AP DPMRadar (9 km)Soft superstructure
Community Data

Salem Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Salem is a Tier VIII American cruiser built around the super-heal: each Repair Party charge returns dramatically more HP than a standard heal, so her durability comes from sustain rather than armor. Surveillance Radar (9.4 km, 40 s active) is the cap-control consumable on top, so she sets fights as well as winning them. Standout traits: best AP always-pen window in T8 CAs (60°).

Positioning

Hold 12-15 km from a contested cap with an island close enough to break sightline when focus shifts. Push the radar forward only once the destroyer fight is yours; burning the drop to fish for a lone DD kill leaves the next push with no answer to smoke or vision.

Potato Avoidance

Using radar like a destroyer hunter rather than a position…

The consumable's value is locking down a cap your team can take, not stealing a single salvo on a lone DD. Burn it early to fish for a kill and the next push has no answer to smoke or vision.

Signature Traits

Surveillance Radar

9.44 km range, 40 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

60.0° AP min ricochet angle, best of T8 CAs. Larger impact-angle window where shells always penetrate.

Super-heal

Repair Party heals 2.0%/s, best of T8 CAs. Restores more HP per active second than peers.

Long-duration radar

40.0 s Surveillance Radar duration, best of T8 CAs. Keeps caps lit longer.

Late auto-bounce

67.5° AP guaranteed ricochet angle, top decile of T8 CAs. Auto-bounce kicks in later than peers'.

Soft superstructure

6.0 mm superstructure, bottom decile of T8 CAs. HE farms harder.

Acquisition

How to get Salem

Salem is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition path: Premium/Event.

Official WG availability sources
  • 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.

Builds Beta

Build around hard-hitting AP, concealment, and turret handling. The official feature highlights improving main battery traverse and concealment, so prioritize keeping the guns on target while preserving the ability to disengage or reposition.

Open in Build Tool →

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

Cohort position

Hide ▾

Where Salem sits among Tier VIII CAs (27 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 ricochet start60° (1 of 4 tied) BestAA threat2,866 (1/27) BestRepair heal rate2 %/s (1 of 5 tied) Top 10%AP auto-bounce angle67.5° (3/27) Top 25%Rudder shift11.2 s (7/27) Top 25%Main battery reload5.9 s (7/27) Top 25%Fires per minute12.81 (4/25) Top 25%HE DPM210,508 (5/25) Top 25%AP DPM366,102 (4/27) Top 25%HE alpha1,800 (5/20) Top 25%AA DPS573 (6/27) Top 25%Bow armor27 mm (5/27) Top 25%Deck armor140 mm (5/26) Bottom 25%HE velocity823 m/s (20/25) WorstSecondary DPM (per side)108,000 (1 of 3 tied) WorstSecondary fire chance5% (1 of 7 tied) WorstAP velocity762 m/s (1 of 5 tied) WorstNo torpedoes (11 of 27 in cohort)
See 26 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Salem -- 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 points44,700 HP(18/27) Max speed33 kt(17/27) Concealment13 km(15/27) Air detection7.8 km(15/27) Traverse-to-turn ratio4.75 ×(20/27) Main battery caliber203 mm(15/27) Main battery range15.47 km(18/27) Sigma2.05(13/27) HE fire chance14%(15/25) AP shell damage4,000(19/27) Main dispersion139.7 m(19/27) Secondary HE pen21 mm(9/20) Acceleration10.16 s(8/27) AP arming threshold34 mm(13/27) Engine power120,000 hp(18/27) Turn-speed retention155.8 hp/m(16/27) Displacement20,950 t(17/27) Power-to-weight5.73 hp/t(17/27) AA range5 km(19/27) Max armor160 mm(13/27) Citadel belt160 mm(10/27) Stern armor27 mm(9/27) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(16 of 21 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.03 s(18 of 27 tied at this value) NormSecondary range5 km(17 of 21 tied at this value) NormRepair charges2(25 of 27 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 9.44 kmSonar 5.56 kmRepair 2Def-AA
Survivability
Hit Points44,700
Displacement20,950 t
Armor range6–160 mm
Plate armor thicknesses6, 16, 27, 30, 40, 51, 90, 102, 127, 140, 152, 160 mm
Armor material/layer entries45
Fire resistance40%
Fire duration30 s
Torp Reduction7%
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.
22,400
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.
13,400
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 203 mm Mk16
Mounts / barrels3 mounts / 9 barrels
Reload time6.5 s
Firing range15.5 km
Turret traverse6 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)
ƒShell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
2.05
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (15469/30·(8−1.1)/1000 + 1.1)·30 = 139.7 m
139.7 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 139.7 × 0.6 = 83.8 m
83.8 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 139.7 × 0.314 (σ=2.05) = 43.8 m
43.8 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 83.8 × 0.314 (σ=2.05) = 26.3 m
26.3 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 6 deg/s traverse speed = 30 s.
30 s
Base shells/min
ƒ9 broadside guns x 60 / 6.5 s base reload = 83.1.
83.1
HE shells
HE Damage2,300
HE Velocity823 m/s
Fire Chance14%
HE penetration
ƒ34 mm ≈ 203 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
34 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ2,300 HE damage x 9 broadside guns = 20,700.
20,700
Base HE DPM
ƒ20,700 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6.5 s base reload = 191,077.
191,077
Installed HE DPM
ƒ20,700 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5.9 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 210,508.
210,508
Base fires/min
ƒ9 HE shells x 60 / 6.5 s reload x 14% fire chance = 11.63.
11.63
AP shells
AP Damage4,000
AP Velocity762 m/s
Min Ricochet60 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet67.5 deg
Fuse Timer0.033 s
Fuse Threshold34 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(203 mm caliber / 14.3) = 14 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
14 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 × 2919 × 152^0.69 × 0.203^-1.07 × 762^1.38 = 488.4 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
488.4 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (19.3 km), where the shell has slowed to 368.3 m/s: 1e-7 × 2919 × 152^0.69 × 0.203^-1.07 × 368.3^1.38 = 179.1 mm.
179.1 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ4,000 AP damage x 9 broadside guns = 36,000.
36,000
Base AP DPM
ƒ36,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6.5 s base reload = 332,308.
332,308
Installed AP DPM
ƒ36,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5.9 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 366,102.
366,102
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.
45
AA Defense
AA mount points12
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (153×3.5×0.9) + (29×3.5×0.9) = 573. 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.
573
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
5 km
76.2 mm Mk3310×2 76mm
76.2 mm Mk332×2 76mm
127 mm Mk32 (DP)6×2 127mm
Far + Medium aura
Far DPS
ƒIncludes 29 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
29
Medium DPS153
Range5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 29 + Medium 153 = 182
182
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts6
Firing range5.0 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) × 57 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.
Standard
Max secondary dispersion @ 5 km
ƒ5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.
315 m
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 120,000 hp
Engine power120,000 hp
Maximum speed33 kt
Turning circle radius770 m
Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt
Traverse-to-turn ratio4.8× drags
Concealment
Detectability by sea13 km
Detectability by air7.8 km
Smoke firing penalty7.49 km
Detect after firing main guns13 km
Detect Fire Sea15 km
Detect Fire Air10.8 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
✦
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active
Defensive AA Fire3 charges · 140 s reload · 25 s active · +100% flak burst boost
Choose one
Surveillance Radar2 charges · 180 s reload · 40 s active · 9.44 km radar range
Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 100 s active · 5.56 km ship detect · 3.89 km torpedo detect
Repair Party2 charges · 80 s reload · 20 s active · 2% heal per second · 40% of max HP total heal
Module options (1)

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

HullUpgrade
  • Turret traverse6 → 8.2 °/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)2.05
Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
Max Horiz Disp139.7 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (15469/30·(8−1.1)/1000 + 1.1)·30 = 139.7 m
Max Vert Disp83.8 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 139.7 × 0.6 = 83.8 m
Med Horiz Disp43.8 m
50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 139.7 × 0.314 (σ=2.05) = 43.8 m
Med Vert Disp26.3 m
50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 83.8 × 0.314 (σ=2.05) = 26.3 m
AP Pen Close488.4 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 × 2919 × 152^0.69 × 0.203^-1.07 × 762^1.38 = 488.4 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far179.1 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (19.3 km), where the shell has slowed to 368.3 m/s: 1e-7 × 2919 × 152^0.69 × 0.203^-1.07 × 368.3^1.38 = 179.1 mm.
HE penetration34 mm
34 mm ≈ 203 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch14 mm
floor(203 mm caliber / 14.3) = 14 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius45
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 time30 s
180 degrees / 6 deg/s traverse speed = 30 s.
HE full-salvo alpha20,700
2,300 HE damage x 9 broadside guns = 20,700.
AP full-salvo alpha36,000
4,000 AP damage x 9 broadside guns = 36,000.
Base HE DPM191,077
20,700 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6.5 s base reload = 191,077.
Base AP DPM332,308
36,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6.5 s base reload = 332,308.
Installed HE DPM210,508
20,700 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5.9 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 210,508.
Installed AP DPM366,102
36,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5.9 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 366,102.
Base shells/min83.1
9 broadside guns x 60 / 6.5 s base reload = 83.1.
Installed shells/min91.5
9 broadside guns x 60 / 5.9 s installed Artillery reload = 91.5.
Base fires/min11.63
9 HE shells x 60 / 6.5 s reload x 14% fire chance = 11.63.
Installed fires/min12.81
9 HE shells x 60 / 5.9 s installed reload x 14% fire chance = 12.81.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS573
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (153×3.5×0.9) + (29×3.5×0.9) = 573. 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 index2866
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.

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 @ 5 km315 m
5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)108,000
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: 6×2 127 mm (6/side) × 60/6 × 1800 = 108,000. 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.

Armor

Hull HP 44,700, 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 27–40 mm)2,200 (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)16 mm primary (range 16–140 mm)33,500 (75% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Scharnhorst '43, Schill)Angle bounces 203mm16 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 6–102 mm)3,400 (8% of HP)
Overmatched by 406mm+ (Hawke, Iowa)Angle bounces 380mm27 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel160 mm primary (range 6–160 mm)≈ 165,500 (effectively no cap)
Citadel pen ×0.33 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 (×0.33 direct pen, ×0.10 over-pen).
Superstructure6 mm primary (range 6–160 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).
Turret (module, per magazine)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP22,400 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 HP13,400 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.

Balance History

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

Nerf ×3Buff ×2Rework ×1Main Battery ×2
2023-09-28

Halloween Update: Spooky Waves

  • Main Battery reload time increased from 5.5 to 6.5 s.
  • Armor plating for casemate sides reduced from 30 to 27 mm.
  • Conning tower armor improved from 102 to 140 mm.
  • on the roof and reduced from 165 to 160 mm.
  • Based on your feedback and stats during the open test of Anchorage, her stats were changed prior to the release:
  • Main Battery Reload Time improved from 15.5 to 14.5 s 180-degree turret traverse time improved from 30 to 27 s.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Salem 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.

2023-06-29 · Through the Spy Glass Through the Spy Glass: Salem Ship feature 2023-06-20 · Official ship feature / stats Colors of Freedom Official source 2023-06-15 · Patch notes Summer Update: Always Courageous Patch notes 2023-09-28 · Patch notes Halloween Update: Spooky Waves Patch notes