World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Shiratsuyu

Beta
Torpedo destroyerSpot and strike with torps; trade guns only when ahead.
Playstyle
  • Hold concealment edges on the contested cap at 6.8 km detection
  • Avoid: Burning the 6.8 km concealment advantage on guns
Key characteristics
Long torps (10 km)SmokeTorp Reload BoosterSlowFragile
Community Data

Shiratsuyu Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Shiratsuyu is a Tier VI Japanese stealth-leaning destroyer with strong surface detection (6.8 km). The kit opens detection windows most peer DDs cannot match, so her value is contesting caps from concealment edges where the detection band holds. Standout traits: top-decile AP shell velocity in T6 DDs (915) and top-decile flat HE shells in T6 DDs (915).

Positioning

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

Potato Avoidance

Burning the 6.8 km concealment advantage on guns

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

Signature Traits

Flat AP shells

915.0 m/s AP muzzle velocity, top decile of T6 DDs. Flatter trajectory, less lead, harder to dodge.

Flat HE shells

915.0 m/s HE muzzle velocity, top decile of T6 DDs. Flatter trajectory, easier to land at range.

Fast acceleration

~9.5 s to max forward speed, top decile of T6 DDs. Rebuilds speed quickly after a turn or stop. (Acceleration decode is validated in-game but not yet confirmed across every ship.)

Visible torps

1.8 km torpedo detect, worst of T6 DDs. Easy to dodge if targets are looking.

Fragile HP pool

12800.0 HP, bottom decile of T6 DDs. Trade hits sparingly.

Acquisition

How to get Shiratsuyu

Shiratsuyu is available in the Gunboat Destroyers branch of the Japan Tech Tree for 9,000,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 2,250,000 credits.

Show Japan tech-tree branch diagram
Japan Tech Tree

Shiratsuyu sits in the Gunboat Destroyers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full Japan tree.

Builds Beta

Build for concealment, torpedo reload/damage, speed, survivability, and enough gun reload for self-defense.

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Cohort position

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Where Shiratsuyu sits among Tier VI DDs (33 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.

BestDisplacement1,980 t (1/33) Top 10%AP velocity915 m/s (3/30) Top 10%HE velocity915 m/s (4/33) Top 10%Acceleration9.5 s (3/33) Top 25%Stealth profile6.78 km / 3.39 km (7/33 / 7/33) Top 25%Rudder shift4.1 s (5/33) Top 25%Torpedo damage16,900 (7/33) Bottom 25%AA range3.1 km (27/33) Bottom 25%Deck armor13 mm (19/22) Bottom 10%Max speed34 kt (32/33) Bottom 10%Traverse-to-turn ratio3.53 × (32/33) Bottom 10%Engine power42,000 hp (32/33) Bottom 10%Turn-speed retention71.2 hp/m (31/33) WorstHit points12,800 HP (33/33) WorstNo secondaries (30 of 33 in cohort)
See 24 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Shiratsuyu -- 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.

Main battery caliber127 mm(17/33) Main battery range10.76 km(12/33) Main battery reload4.5 s(17/33) HE shell damage1,800(15/33) HE fire chance7%(25/33) Fires per minute4.67(25/33) HE DPM120,000(23/33) AP shell damage2,200(17/30) AP DPM146,667(22/30) Main dispersion88.3 m(11/33) AP arming threshold21 mm(15/30) Power-to-weight21.21 hp/t(12/33) AA DPS150(10/33) AA threat467(13/33) Torpedo range9.99 km(10/33) Torpedo speed62 kt(17/33) Torpedo reload101 s(25/33) NormAP fuse timer0.01 s(26 of 30 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(27 of 30 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(27 of 30 tied at this value) NormMax armor16 mm(20 of 33 tied at this value) NormCitadel belt16 mm(22 of 32 tied at this value) NormBow armor16 mm(20 of 32 tied at this value) NormStern armor16 mm(21 of 32 tied at this value)

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

TRBSmokeEngine Boost
Survivability
Hit PointsInitial: 11,600 → 12,800
Displacement1,980 t
Armor range6–16 mm
Plate armor thicknesses6, 10, 13, 15, 16 mm
Armor material/layer entries24
Fire resistanceInitial: 26.6% → 30%
Fire duration30 s
Torp Reduction0%
Magazine HP
ƒThe magazine is the module a detonation comes from. Penetrating hits to it raise the detonation chance from 1% toward 30% as its HP is worn down, so a larger magazine pool rides out citadel hits longer before a detonation becomes likely.
6,400
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.
3,800
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 127 mm/50 Type3
Mounts / barrels3 mounts / 5 barrels
Reload time5 s
Firing range (base)9.8 km
Firing range (top fire control)10.8 km
Turret traverse6 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)
ƒShell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
2
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (9779/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 88.3 m
88.3 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 88.3 × 0.6 = 53 m
53 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 88.3 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 28.2 m
28.2 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 53 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 16.9 m
16.9 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 6 deg/s traverse speed = 30 s.
30 s
Base shells/min
ƒ5 broadside guns x 60 / 5 s base reload = 60.
60
HE shells
HE Damage1,800
HE Velocity915 m/s
Fire Chance7%
HE penetration
ƒ21 mm ≈ 127 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
21 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ1,800 HE damage x 5 broadside guns = 9,000.
9,000
Base HE DPM
ƒ9,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5 s base reload = 108,000.
108,000
Base fires/min
ƒ5 HE shells x 60 / 5 s reload x 7% fire chance = 4.2.
4.2
AP shells
AP Damage2,200
AP Velocity915 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.01 s
Fuse Threshold21 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(127 mm caliber / 14.3) = 8 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
8 mm
AP Pen Close
ƒCanonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: 1e-7 × Krupp × mass^0.69 × caliber_m^-1.07 × v0^1.38 = 1e-7 × 2266 × 23^0.69 × 0.127^-1.07 × 915^1.38 = 219 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
219 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (13.4 km), where the shell has slowed to 254.3 m/s: 1e-7 × 2266 × 23^0.69 × 0.127^-1.07 × 254.3^1.38 = 37.4 mm.
37.4 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ2,200 AP damage x 5 broadside guns = 11,000.
11,000
Base AP DPM
ƒ11,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5 s base reload = 132,000.
132,000
AP AOE Radius
ƒAP shell over-penetration splash radius; scales with shell mass. Wickes 102mm = 3, standard 152mm CL ~ 20, Iowa 406mm ~ 270, Yamato 460mm = 400, Incomparable 650mm = 550 (max). Larger value = bigger splash damage area when AP over-pens.
10
Torpedoes
ModuleTorpedoes: Type90 mod. 1
Launchers / tubes2 launchers × 4 tubes = 8 tubes
Reload time101 s
Projectile speed62 kt
Range9.99 km
Maximum simulated damage15,600 (est.)
Alpha damage46,800
Torpedo detectability1.8 km
Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s
Torp Turn7.2 s
Torp Arming383 m
Per-side salvo damage
ƒper-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.
124,800
AA Defense
AA mount pointsInitial: 4 → 14
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (43×3.5×1) = 150. 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.
150
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
3.1 km
25 mm Type96 mod. 1 (upgraded hull only)2×3 25mm
25 mm/60 Type96 mod. 14×1 25mm
25 mm Type96 mod. 1 (upgraded hull only)8×2 25mm
Medium aura
DPSInitial: 3 → 43
Range3.1 km
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 42,000 hp
Engine power42,000 hp
Maximum speed34 kt
Turning circle radius590 m
Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt
Traverse-to-turn ratio3.5× drags
Concealment
Detectability by sea6.78 km
Detectability by air3.39 km
Smoke firing penalty2.53 km
Detect after firing main guns6.78 km
Detect Fire Sea8.78 km
Detect Fire Air6.39 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 40 s reload · 5 s active
Choose one
Smoke Generator2 charges · 240 s reload · 15 s emit / 81 s cloud active
Torpedo Reload Booster2 charges · 240 s reload · 5 s active · Rapid torpedo reload
Engine Boost2 charges · 180 s reload · 120 s active · +8% speed bonus
Module options (3)

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

HullUpgrade
  • Hit points11,600 → 12,800
  • Rudder shift5.7 → 4.1 s
  • AA mounts4 → 14
  • Close-range AA DPS3 → 43
  • Turret traverse6 → 12 °/s
Fire controlUpgrade
  • Main battery range9,779 → 10756.9 m
TorpedoesTrade-off
  • Reload94 → 101 s
  • Alpha damage44,900 → 46,800
  • Display damage14,967 → 15,600
  • Speed59 → 62 kt

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
Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
Max Horiz Disp88.3 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (9779/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 88.3 m
Max Vert Disp53 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 88.3 × 0.6 = 53 m
Med Horiz Disp28.2 m
50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 88.3 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 28.2 m
Med Vert Disp16.9 m
50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 53 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 16.9 m
Dispersion familyDD Disp.
Standard destroyer dispersion baseline.
AP Pen Close219 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 × 2266 × 23^0.69 × 0.127^-1.07 × 915^1.38 = 219 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far37.4 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (13.4 km), where the shell has slowed to 254.3 m/s: 1e-7 × 2266 × 23^0.69 × 0.127^-1.07 × 254.3^1.38 = 37.4 mm.
HE penetration21 mm
21 mm ≈ 127 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch8 mm
floor(127 mm caliber / 14.3) = 8 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius10
AP shell over-penetration splash radius; scales with shell mass. Wickes 102mm = 3, standard 152mm CL ~ 20, Iowa 406mm ~ 270, Yamato 460mm = 400, Incomparable 650mm = 550 (max). Larger value = bigger splash damage area when AP over-pens.
Broadside guns used for alpha5
All 5 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time30 s
180 degrees / 6 deg/s traverse speed = 30 s.
HE full-salvo alpha9,000
1,800 HE damage x 5 broadside guns = 9,000.
AP full-salvo alpha11,000
2,200 AP damage x 5 broadside guns = 11,000.
Base HE DPM108,000
9,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5 s base reload = 108,000.
Base AP DPM132,000
11,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5 s base reload = 132,000.
Base shells/min60
5 broadside guns x 60 / 5 s base reload = 60.
Base fires/min4.2
5 HE shells x 60 / 5 s reload x 7% fire chance = 4.2.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.8 km
Estimated torpedo reaction time11.2 s
detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Torpedo speed62 kt
Travel time to max range62 s
range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Tube count8
2 launchers x 4 tubes.
Per-side salvo8 torpedoes
8 (centerline launchers train across - full salvo to either side).
Full-salvo damage124,800
tube count x per-torpedo simulated damage (all torpedoes hitting).
Per-side salvo damage124,800
per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS150
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (43×3.5×1) = 150. 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 range3.1 km
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
AA threat index467
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.

Armor

Hull HP 11,60012,800 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.

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow16 mm primary (range 15–16 mm)1,800 (14% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Graf Spee, Scharnhorst)Angle bounces 203mm16 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Bow-tank fits behind this exterior plate. Saturation is FAST here; the cap is often only a few thousand HP.
Stern16 mm primary (range 13–16 mm)1,500 (12% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Graf Spee, Scharnhorst)Angle bounces 203mm16 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel16 mm primary (range 10–16 mm)≈ 165,500 (effectively no cap)
Citadel pen ×0.50 damageOver-pen: ×0.10 damage
Effectively no cap; citadel pool sits at ~165k HP on every ship. Damage is gated by pen/over-pen multipliers instead (×0.50 direct pen, ×0.10 over-pen).
Superstructure6 mm primary (range 6–13 mm)600 (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 HP6,400 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.
AA mount (25 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 HP3,800 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 Shiratsuyu. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Buff ×2Main Battery ×1Torpedo ×1
2021-12-16

Holiday Update: Chilling With the Beasts

  • Main battery reload time decreased from 7.2s to 5s.
  • We found that Shiratsuyu does suffer in destroyer duels that don't end in torpedo carnage, but the main concern was that her ability to set fires was a little lower than we would have liked it to be, hence this buff.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Shiratsuyu 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.