GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Santander

World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Santander

Also called: 桑坦德 Beta

Pan-America · Tier VIII · CL Cruiser · Tech Tree: Advanced Sonar Cruisers

Super-heal cruiserThe heal, not the armor, keeps it alive: trade aggressively and patch it back.

Playstyle

Hold 12-15 km where rotated focus can find island cover within one heal cycle
Avoid: Trading the super-heal advantage in open water

Key characteristics

Long torps (10 km)High HE DPMSmokeRepairs citadel hitsLong-reach AAThin deck

On this page

Community stats
Playstyle
How to get Santander
Builds
Cohort position
Stats and specs
Armor
Charts
Balance history
Exteriors

Community Data

Santander Community Stats

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

Playstyle

Overview

Santander is a Tier VIII Pan-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. Standout traits: best AA reach in T8 CAs (6 km) and best lingering smoke in T8 CAs (110 s).

Positioning

Hold 12-15 km where rotated focus can find island cover within one heal cycle. The super-heal (~1.2%/s, roughly twice a standard heal) makes sustained trades profitable that would not be on a standard cruiser, but only if you finish the trade behind cover; open-water sustain just feeds shells.

Potato Avoidance

Trading the super-heal advantage in open water

The kit rewards finishing the trade behind cover so the heal recovers what the salvo took; sustained open-water exposure burns through all 2 charges before the cooldown completes.

Signature Traits

Repairs citadel hits ↗

70% of citadel damage heals back, best of T8 CAs. Most peers recover a tenth of it.

Long-reach AA ↗

6 km AA reach, best of T8 CAs.

Lingering smoke ↗

110 s smoke cloud linger, best of T8 CAs. Each puff stays up longer after you stop laying it, holding the shield.

ELITE MAIN BATTERY ↗

Tight pattern at max range · 130.9 m
Fast turret traverse · 25°

Thin deck ↗

13 mm armor deck, bottom decile of T8 CAs. Plunging fire and HE eat through.

Low fire chance ↗

7.5% fire chance per HE shell, bottom decile of T8 CAs. AP carries more weight.

Acquisition

How to get Santander

Santander is available in the Advanced Sonar Cruisers branch of the Pan-America Tech Tree for 25,000,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 6,250,000 credits. Official source cards below may also show its temporary Early Access window before it became a normal Tech Tree unlock. 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.

Early AccessOfficial WG line/source notes indicate a temporary Early Access window before normal acquisition.

Show Pan-America tech-tree branch diagram

Pan-America Tech Tree

Santander sits in the Advanced Sonar Cruisers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full Pan-America tree.

5 ships in highlighted branch · scroll to inspect all Pan-America lines.

Pan-AmericaIIIIIIIVVVIVIIVIII

Cruiser

Tier VIIISantanderPVSC109 Tier VIIIgnacio AllendePVSC108 Tier VICoronel BolognesiPVSC107 Tier VAlmirante CochranePVSC106 Tier IVLa ArgentinaPVSC105 Tier IIICórdobaPVSC104 Tier IIVicente GuerreroPVSC103 Tier IHérculesPVSC101

Best listed chance for this ship

Anniversary '26 Pan-American crate 0.5% VIII Santander New · Anniversary '26 Pan-American crate
Pan-American Cruiser crate 0.01% VIII Santander Early access · Pan-American Cruiser crate

Official WG availability sources

Pan-American Cruisers Are Coming to Early Access Early Access Start: 2026-03-27 · End: 2026-04-29 Official early-access or tech-tree-line article. Tech-tree ships are temporary crate drops during Early Access, then move to the Tech Tree.
Official WoWS Legends container odds Containers Official container drop rows linked below include direct and nested effective ship odds.

Show direct source rows

Anniversary '26 Pan-American crate 0.5% · VIII Santander
Pan-American Cruiser crate 0.01% · VIII Santander

Want the full picture? Each container page charts the odds as you open more crates - including ~~pity~~ guaranteed-reward timers and, for Fleet Members, pack math personalized to your port.

Builds

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

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 Santander sits among Tier VIII CAs (34 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.

BestAA range6 km (1 of 6 tied) Top 10%Traverse-to-turn ratio20.05 × (3/35) Top 10%HE DPM237,600 (4/31) Top 10%Main dispersion130.9 m (2/35) Top 25%Main battery reload5 s (5/35) Top 25%AP DPM367,200 (7/34) Top 25%AP arming threshold25 mm (7/34) Top 25%Torpedo range10.5 km (5/21) Top 25%Torpedo speed66 kt (6/21) Top 25%Repair heal rate1.2 %/s (8/35) Bottom 25%Main battery caliber152 mm (28/35) Bottom 25%HE velocity812 m/s (27/31) Bottom 25%AP fuse timer0.03 s (27/34) Bottom 25%AA threat1,564 (31/35) Bottom 25%Flak per wave (expected)1,260 (32/35) Bottom 25%Max armor127 mm (28/35) WorstHE fire chance7.5% (31/31) WorstNo secondaries (8 of 35 in cohort) WorstDeck armor13 mm (34/34)

See 27 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Santander -- 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 points44,300 HP(25/35) Max speed33 kt(23/35) Concealment13.45 km(26/35) Air detection8.07 km(26/35) Rudder shift10.7 s(17/35) Main battery range15.45 km(24/35) Sigma2.05(17/35) Fires per minute8.1(17/31) AP shell damage3,400(26/34) AP velocity812 m/s(24/34) Acceleration27.1 s(15/35) Engine power120,000 hp(22/35) Turn-speed retention153.8 hp/m(23/35) Displacement18,100 t(12/35) Power-to-weight6.63 hp/t(17/35) AP pen at 10 km177 mm(26/34) Effective HE DPM (incl. fire)303,997(9/31) AA DPS435(27/35) Torpedo damage≈16,400(7/21) Torpedo reload106 s(14/21) Citadel belt127 mm(22/35) Bow armor25 mm(20/35) Stern armor25 mm(21/35) NormAP ricochet start45°(25 of 34 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(24 of 34 tied at this value) NormTurn speed retained81%(32 of 35 tied at this value) NormRepair charges2(33 of 35 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Compare Tier VIII Cruisers

Show all 34 peers

Stats & specs

Customize in the Build Tool →

Survivability

Hit PointsInitial: 40,200 → 44,300

Displacement18,100 t

Armor range6–127 mm

Plate armor thicknesses6, 13, 25, 27, 40, 89, 102, 127 mm

Armor material/layer entries40

Fire resistance40%

Fire duration30 s

Torp Reduction7%

Magazine HP

Per-turret powder-magazine HP, a separate pool from the ship's. Penetrating hits wear it down and the turret is likelier to be knocked out as it falls, so a larger pool keeps the guns firing through punishment that silences a peer's.

22,200

Steering gear HP

Durability 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.

13,300

Effective HP

Base 44,300 HP plus everything Repair Party can restore: 1.2%/s x 28 s = 14,885 HP per charge, x2 charges = 29,770 HP. Ceiling, not a prediction: a charge only restores damage actually taken, and only the regeneratable share of it. Across 1,826 players in our replay corpus the median ship realized about half of this, mostly because half the charges go unspent — when Repair Party IS pressed it returns ~97% of the per-charge figure above. Repair Party is one choice in its slot on this ship, so this applies only if you take it.

74,070

Repairable: penetration70%

Repairable: citadel70%

Repairable: steering gear50%

Main Battery

These main guns are dual-purpose: they also fire at aircraft and feed the AA Defense card.

ModuleArtillery: 9×152 mm

Mounts / barrels3 mounts / 9 barrels

Reload timeInitial: 6 s → 5.5 s

Firing range (base)14 km

Firing range (top fire control)15.5 km

Turret traverse25 °/s

Turret armor178 mm

AP pen max range130 mm

HE fire DPM vs T8 BB60361

Effective HE DPM vs T8 BB276361

Shell Grouping (σ)2.05

Max Horiz Disp

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model:

σ_{H} = (\frac{R}{30} \cdot \frac{idealRadius - minRadius}{idealDistance} + minRadius) \cdot 30

= (\frac{15451.7}{30} \cdot \frac{8 - 0.5}{1000} + 0.5) \cdot 30 = 130.9 m

130.9 m

Max Vert Disp

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range:

σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot radiusOnMax

= 130.9 \cdot 0.6 = 78.5 m

78.5 m

Med Horiz Disp

50%-hit horizontal radius:

σ_{H, 50} = σ_{H} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 130.9 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2.05} = 38.3 m

38.3 m

Med Vert Disp

50%-hit vertical radius:

σ_{V, 50} = σ_{V} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 78.5 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2.05} = 23 m

23 m

Turret turn time

180 degrees / 25 deg/s traverse speed = 7.2 s.

7.2 s

Shells/min

Zero upgrades: 9 broadside guns x 60 / 6 s base reload = 90. All upgrades (top gun + Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 9 broadside guns x 60 / 5 s all-upgrades reload = 108.

Initial: 90 → 108

HE shells

HE Damage2,200

HE Velocity812 m/s

Fire Chance7.5%

HE penetration

In-game data: 30 mm = 152 mm caliber / 5.07 (non-standard HE penetration ratio).

30 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

2,200 HE damage x 9 broadside guns = 19,800.

19,800

HE DPM

Zero upgrades: 19,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6 s base reload = 198,000. All upgrades (top gun + Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 19,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5 s all-upgrades reload = 237,600.

Initial: 198,000 → 237,600

Fires/min

Zero upgrades: 90 shells/min x 7.5% fire chance = 6.75. All upgrades (top gun + Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 108 shells/min x 7.5% fire chance = 8.1.

Initial: 6.75 → 8.1

AP shells

AP Damage3,400

AP Velocity812 m/s

Min Ricochet45 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg

Fuse Timer0.025 s

Fuse Threshold25 mm

AP overmatch

floor(152 mm caliber / 14.3) = 10 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

10 mm

AP Pen Close

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 2692 \cdot 59^{0.69} \cdot {0.152}^{- 1.07} \cdot 812^{1.38} = 348.8 mm

. Matches the in-game spec card.

348.8 mm

AP Pen Far

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (19.3 km), where the shell has slowed to 379.7 m/s:

P = 10^{- 7} \cdot 2692 \cdot 59^{0.69} \cdot {0.152}^{- 1.07} \cdot {379.7}^{1.38} = 122.2 mm

122.2 mm

AP full-salvo alpha

3,400 AP damage x 9 broadside guns = 30,600.

30,600

AP DPM

Zero upgrades: 30,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6 s base reload = 306,000. All upgrades (top gun + Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 30,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5 s all-upgrades reload = 367,200.

Initial: 306,000 → 367,200

AP AOE Radius

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.

Torpedoes

ModuleTorpedoes: 533 mm Quad

Launchers / tubes2 launchers × 4 tubes = 8 tubes

Reload time106 s

Projectile speed66 kt

Range10.5 km

Maximum simulated damage

Estimate 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:

D_{sim} = α \cdot c = 49, 200 \cdot 0.333 = 16, 400

≈ 16,400

Maximum damage (ammunition)

The ammunition card's 'Maximum Damage' stat, exact: warhead alpha / 3 plus the blast addend. This is the per-torpedo number most references quote; the 'Maximum simulated damage' row above is WG's separate geometry-sim stat from the launcher spec panel.

17,500

Torpedo detectability1.3 km

Reaction time

How long a target has to dodge after your torpedo is spotted at its detectability range (lower means less warning):

t_{react} = \frac{1.3 km}{66 kt \times 2.6} = 7.6 s

, equivalently

5000 \times detectability / (13 \times speed)

. Base value; commander torpedo-concealment skills lower it further. Community torpedo-reaction calculator by u/LorenDovah and u/The_ColorOutofSpace.

7.6 s

Flooding chance

Read straight from the game's own data: this torpedo carries a flooding-chance value of 2.96 per hit, shown as

2.96 \times 100 = 296 %

. Torpedo flood values above 100% are normal: in battle the base chance is scaled down by the target's torpedo protection (the Torp Reduction stat on its Survivability card) and any flood-resistance modifiers, so a value above 100% keeps flooding likely even through partial protection. Not shown on the in-game port screen.

296%

Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s

Torp Turn

Time to rotate the launchers 180 deg:

t_{turn} = \frac{180 °}{25 ° / s} = 7.2 s

7.2 s

Torp Arming204 m

Per-side salvo damage

One side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 4 x 16,400 = 65,600.

65,600

AA Defense

AA mount points22

Maximum AA range

Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 4 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.

6 km

20 mm Oerlikon Mk20Initial: 20 mm Oerlikon Mk4 (16×1) → 20 mm Oerlikon Mk20 (16×2)

76.2 mm/50 Mk.226×2 76mm

Gunsmain battery (DP)

Continuous DPS

Effective DPS in in-game units (raw aura damage × 3.5 × hit probability, summed per contributing aura) - matches the Close-range AA DPS headline's currency. Includes 79 from dual-purpose main battery firing as AA in this range band.

Range6 km

Guns76.2 mm/50 Mk.22

Continuous DPS

Effective DPS: 60 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.9 hit probability = 189 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.

189

Range4 km

Total DPS in Aura

Far 79 + Medium 189 = 268

268

Guns20 mm Oerlikon Mk20

Continuous DPS

Effective DPS: 56 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.85 hit probability = 167 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.

Initial: 98 → 167

Range2 km

Total DPS in Aura

Far 79 + Medium 189 + Near 167 = 435

435

Bursts

Each ~2 s wave fires 2 quick salvos of 2 clouds ahead of the attacking squadron, plus 1 stray cloud farther out that appear off-beat between waves - up to 5 clouds per wave × 280 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 × 2 clouds + 1 outer

Cloud damage

Damage a plane takes for flying into one flak cloud, before any reductions.

280

Cloud spawn chance

Each cloud in the pattern rolls this chance to spawn, so waves average fewer clouds than the maximum. Often called flak 'hit chance', but spawned clouds always damage planes that fly into them - the roll is on spawning.

90%

Wave rate

A flak wave spawns roughly every 2 s - timed frame-by-frame from gameplay footage and consistent across ships.

every ~2 s

Fired by

Flak keeps firing while at least one main battery mount is operational - even losing every other AA mount does not stop it.

Main battery

Flak zone

The 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 6 km - once planes get inside the band, new waves stop.

2.5-6 km

See the AA layers diagram ↓

Maneuverability

Engine power120,000 hp

Maximum speed33 kt

Turning circle radius780 m

Rudder shift time10.7 s

Engine power-boost threshold7 kt

Engine spool-up time15.3 s

Reverse spool-up time7.7 s

Acceleration 0-90%

Time to reach 90% of top speed (29.7 kt of 33 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.

27.1 s

Acceleration 0-99%

Time to reach 99% of top speed (32.7 kt of 33 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.

44.6 s

Traverse-to-turn ratio

How many degrees the turret can swing for each degree the hull turns. Turn rate

ω_{hull} = \frac{180}{π} \cdot \frac{V_{max} (m/s)}{R_{turn}} = \frac{180}{π} \cdot \frac{33.0 \cdot 0.5144}{780} = 1.25 ° / s

, so

ratio = \frac{ω_{turret}}{ω_{hull}} = \frac{25}{1.25} = 20.0 \times

. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.

20.0× snappy

See the full acceleration curve ↓

Concealment

Detectability by sea13.45 km

Detectability by air8.07 km

Smoke firing penalty6.83 km

Detect after firing main guns

max(base sea detectability, gun-firing bloom range). Firing never pulls your detection closer than base concealment.

13.45 km

Detect Fire Sea15.45 km

Detect Fire Air11.07 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active

High-Frequency Sonar2 charges · 120 s reload · 90 s active · 4.68 km ship detect
ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): $\frac{156 \times 30}{1000} = 4.68 km$
· 3.93 km torpedo detect
ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): $\frac{131 \times 30}{1000} = 3.93 km$

Choose one

Smoke Generator2 charges · 240 s reload · 15 s emit / 110 s cloud active · 450 m radius

Repair Party2 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 14,885 HP (33.6% of max HP) total heal (per charge)
ƒ
Heal per second (1.2%) x effective active time (28 s) = up to 33.6% of max HP restored per charge.
· 29,770 HP (67.2% of max HP) total heal (all charges)
ƒ
33.6% per charge x 2 charges = up to 67.2% of max HP if the whole Repair Party loadout is used.
· 532 HP/s (1.2% of max HP) heal per second
ƒ
1.2% of max HP (44,300 HP) per second = 532 HP/s. WoWS heals a flat percent of MAX HP each second, so this rate holds at any health level.

Choose one

Catapult Fighter2 charges · 80 s reload · 90 s active · 5 km patrol radius
ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): $\frac{167 \times 30}{1000} = 5 km$
· 1 squadron size

Defensive AA Fire3 charges · 140 s reload · 25 s active · ×2 flak burst boost
ƒ
Repeats the flak burst pattern ×2 within each wave - more clouds in the air over the wave, at the same spots.

Module options (3)

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

HullUpgrade

Hit points40,200 → 44,300
Rudder shift19.5 → 14 s
Close-range AA DPS93 → 116

Fire controlUpgrade

Main battery range14,047 → 15451.7 m

ArtilleryUpgrade

Base reload6 → 5.5 s

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.

Main battery formulas

Shell Grouping (σ)2.05

Max Horiz Disp130.9 m

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model:  $σ_{H} = (\frac{R}{30} \cdot \frac{idealRadius - minRadius}{idealDistance} + minRadius) \cdot 30$   $= (\frac{15451.7}{30} \cdot \frac{8 - 0.5}{1000} + 0.5) \cdot 30 = 130.9 m$

Shell scatter width @ 5 km52.5 m

Horizontal scatter at a fixed 5 km, from the same verified dispersion model as the rows below - a knife-fight-range anchor comparable across ships.

Shell scatter width @ 10 km90 m

How wide your shells scatter at 10 km, from the same dispersion model as the max-range figure above. Picking a fixed range makes this number directly comparable from ship to ship: max-range dispersion makes a longer-range gun look worse even when it's tighter at any common range. The interactive Dispersion tab on the Charts card plots the full curve from 0 to max range.

Shell scatter width @ 15 km127.5 m

Horizontal scatter at a fixed 15 km, from the same verified dispersion model - the long-range anchor. Only shown when the ship's guns reach 15 km.

Max Vert Disp78.5 m

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot radiusOnMax$ $= 130.9 \cdot 0.6 = 78.5 m$

Shell scatter height @ 10 km47.6 m

How tall the same scatter ellipse is at 10 km. Comparable from ship to ship for the same reason as the width value above. The height/width ratio is a piecewise-linear curve through three points from the ship's own dispersion data:  $radiusOnZero = 0.2$  at 0 m,  $radiusOnDelim = 0.5$  at  $delim \cdot R_{m a x} = 0.5 \cdot 15451.7 = 7726$  m, and  $radiusOnMax = 0.6$  at 15451.7 m. Above the kink:  $k = 0.5 + (0.6 - 0.5) \cdot \frac{10000 - 7726}{15451.7 - 7726} = 0.5294$ , so  $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot k = 90 \cdot 0.5294 = 47.6 m$ .

Med Horiz Disp38.3 m

50%-hit horizontal radius: $σ_{H, 50} = σ_{H} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}$ $= 130.9 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2.05} = 38.3 m$

Med Vert Disp23 m

50%-hit vertical radius: $σ_{V, 50} = σ_{V} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}$ $= 78.5 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2.05} = 23 m$

Dispersion familyDD Disp.

Standard destroyer dispersion baseline.

AP Pen Close348.8 mm

Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity:  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v_{0}^{1.38}$   $= 10^{- 7} \cdot 2692 \cdot 59^{0.69} \cdot {0.152}^{- 1.07} \cdot 812^{1.38} = 348.8 mm$ . Matches the in-game spec card.

AP Pen Far122.2 mm

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (19.3 km), where the shell has slowed to 379.7 m/s:  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot 2692 \cdot 59^{0.69} \cdot {0.152}^{- 1.07} \cdot {379.7}^{1.38} = 122.2 mm$ .

AP pen 5 km246 mm

AP penetration at a fixed 5 km, read off the same PC-validated ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the canonical community AP formula  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$ . Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.

AP pen 10 km177 mm

AP penetration at a fixed 10 km, read off the same PC-validated ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the canonical community AP formula  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$ . Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.

AP pen 15 km133 mm

AP penetration at a fixed 15 km, read off the same PC-validated ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the canonical community AP formula  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$ . Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.

HE flight time @ 10 km5.68 s

How long an HE shell takes to reach a target at a fixed 10 km, from the same numerically integrated trajectory the Charts card plots. The shell slows under quadratic air drag,  $a_{drag} = k ρ v^{2}$ , where  $ρ$  is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and  $k$  bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.25 \cdot {0.152}^{2}}{8 \cdot 59} = 3.84 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 812 m/s muzzle velocity in 0.02 s steps under gravity 9.8 m/s² until the shell lands, then divides by 2.77: the game clock runs faster than real time, and that factor was measured against stopwatch runs in the Training Room. Lower is better, since a faster shell is harder to dodge and needs less lead.

AP flight time @ 10 km5.68 s

How long an AP shell takes to reach a target at a fixed 10 km, from the same numerically integrated trajectory the Charts card plots. The shell slows under quadratic air drag,  $a_{drag} = k ρ v^{2}$ , where  $ρ$  is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and  $k$  bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.25 \cdot {0.152}^{2}}{8 \cdot 59} = 3.84 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 812 m/s muzzle velocity in 0.02 s steps under gravity 9.8 m/s² until the shell lands, then divides by 2.77: the game clock runs faster than real time, and that factor was measured against stopwatch runs in the Training Room. Lower is better, since a faster shell is harder to dodge and needs less lead.

HE penetration30 mm

In-game data: 30 mm = 152 mm caliber / 5.07 (non-standard HE penetration ratio).

AP overmatch10 mm

floor(152 mm caliber / 14.3) = 10 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

AP AOE Radius20

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 time7.2 s

180 degrees / 25 deg/s traverse speed = 7.2 s.

HE full-salvo alpha19,800

2,200 HE damage x 9 broadside guns = 19,800.

AP full-salvo alpha30,600

3,400 AP damage x 9 broadside guns = 30,600.

HE DPMInitial: 198,000 → 237,600

Zero upgrades: 19,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6 s base reload = 198,000. All upgrades (top gun + Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 19,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5 s all-upgrades reload = 237,600.

AP DPMInitial: 306,000 → 367,200

Zero upgrades: 30,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6 s base reload = 306,000. All upgrades (top gun + Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 30,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5 s all-upgrades reload = 367,200.

Shells/minInitial: 90 → 108

Zero upgrades: 9 broadside guns x 60 / 6 s base reload = 90. All upgrades (top gun + Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 9 broadside guns x 60 / 5 s all-upgrades reload = 108.

Fires/minInitial: 6.75 → 8.1

Zero upgrades: 90 shells/min x 7.5% fire chance = 6.75. All upgrades (top gun + Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 108 shells/min x 7.5% fire chance = 8.1.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.3 km

Estimated torpedo reaction time7.6 s

detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).

Torpedo speed66 kt

Travel time to max range61.2 s

range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).

Tube count8

2 launchers x 4 tubes.

Per-side salvo4 torpedoes

tube count / 2 (symmetric port/starboard launcher layout; common on cruisers and battleships with deck torpedoes).

Full-salvo damage131,200

All tubes hitting one target: tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 8 x 16,400 = 131,200.

Per-side salvo damage65,600

One side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 4 x 16,400 = 65,600.

AA defense

AA DPS at max range79

Only families that reach 6 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 3in50 Twin Mark 33 6x2 -> 189 DPS @ 4 km; 20mm Oerlikon MK20 Twin 16x2 -> 167 DPS @ 2 km; Far AA (?) -> 79 DPS @ 6 km.

Maximum AA range6 km

Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 4 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.

AA DPS layered by range79 DPS @ 6 km, 268 DPS @ 4 km, 435 DPS @ 2 km

Cumulative AA DPS at each family range threshold. Inner ranges stack the outer families, so a target closing the distance hits stronger AA bubbles as it crosses each band.

AA DPS at point-blank435

Sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (2 km).

AA threat index1564

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 40,200 → 44,300 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 & stern25 mm

Overmatched by 100+ guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Belt / citadel102 mm

Thin belt: battleship AP citadels straight through it broadside. Rely on angle, speed and concealment, never sit flat.

Farming13 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 40%, fires burn 30s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →

Section	Plates	HP cap	Threats	Tactic
Bow	25 mm primary (range 25–40 mm)	2,800 (6% of HP)	Overmatched by 380mm+ (Bismarck, Richelieu)Angle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+	Bow-tank fits behind this exterior plate. Saturation is FAST here; the cap is often only a few thousand HP.
Hull (midship)	25 mm primary (range 25–127 mm)	33,200 (75% of HP)	Overmatched by 380mm+ (Bismarck, Richelieu)Angle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+	Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern	25 mm primary (range 6–89 mm)	2,800 (6% of HP)	Overmatched by 380mm+ (Bismarck, Richelieu)Angle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	102 mm primary (range 13–127 mm)	≈ 165,500 (effectively 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.
Superstructure	13 mm	2,000 (5% 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 HP	22,200 magazine HP	Turret knocked out	Per-turret powder-magazine HP, a separate pool that does not drain ship HP. As it is worn down the turret is likelier to be knocked out, and a smaller pool gets there faster.
AA mount (76 mm mount)	separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP	200 per-mount HP	Destroyed at 0 HP	Per-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 HP	13,300 module HP	Incapacitated at 0 HP	When 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.

Open in Charting Tool

Ship Charts

Balance History

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

Nerf ×4Buff ×5Main Battery ×2Consumable ×1

2026-06-25

Ministry of Balance: Skillful Adjustments

Stock main battery reload time reduced from 7 to 6 s.
Upgraded main battery reload time reduced from 6 to 5.5 s.
Stock and upgraded hull HP regeneration increased from 50 to 70%.
Repair Party consumable has been improved: repair rate increased from 0.7 to 1.2% per second.

Read the full official post

2026-04-30

Ministry of Balance: Viva la Marina!

Stock 76 mm AA gun average damage per second reduced from 198 to 189.
Stock 20 mm AA gun average damage per second reduced from 104 to 98.
Upgraded 76 mm AA gun average damage per second reduced from 195 to 189.
Upgraded 20 mm AA gun average damage per second reduced from 173 to 167.
Added Stock Artillery 152 mm AA guns.

Read the full official post

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

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.

2026-03-27 · Early access / tech tree line Pan-American Cruisers Are Coming to Early Access Line source 2026-04-30 · Patch notes May Update: From Rome to Edo Patch notes 2026-06-25 · Patch notes July Update: Born to Sail Free Patch notes

Santander

Santander Community Stats

Santander Community Stats

Playstyle

Overview

Positioning

Potato Avoidance

Signature Traits →

How to get Santander

Best listed chance for this ship

Builds

Cohort position

Peers in this cohort

Stats & specs

See all derived stats

Main battery formulas

Torpedoes

AA defense

Armor Beta

Ship Charts

Balance History

Ministry of Balance: Skillful Adjustments

Ministry of Balance: Viva la Marina!

Skins & permanent camouflages

Primary official WG sources

Signature Traits