World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Tennessee

Beta
Mid-range battleship anchorHold a mid-range lane and trade with the enemy line.
Playstyle
  • Anchor a flank at 12-15 km with bow toward the closest threat
  • Avoid: Leading the push alone
Key characteristics
Heavy AP penSpotter planeSluggish for the tonnage
Community Data

Tennessee Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Tennessee is a Tier V American all-rounder battleship with 356mm guns at 15.7 km: she has no single dominant kit trait but is competent across the board. The role flexes by team comp - mid-range AP anchor by default, brawl support when the team commits, sniper when the line sits back. Versatility is the value, not specialization. Standout traits: best turret traverse rate in T5 BBs (9).

Positioning

Anchor a flank at 12-15 km with bow toward the closest threat. Rotate one or two map cells with the team rather than holding solo; a battleship alone on a flank is a free focus target for the enemy.

Potato Avoidance

Leading the push alone

A battleship caught broadside by two same-tier guns at mid range loses more HP than any single salvo trades back, so rotate with the team or hold your angle instead of charging in first.

Signature Traits

Close-range AP brick

686.9 mm AP pen at 1.5 km, top decile of T5 BBs. Citadels broadside cruisers up close.

Heavy armor

406.0 mm max plate, best of T5 BBs.

Long DCP window

20.0 s Damage Control duration, best of T5 BBs. Stays fire / flood immune longer per activation.

Heavy citadel belt

343.0 mm citadel belt, top decile of T5 BBs. Citadels through angle are rare.

Flat AP shells

823.0 m/s AP muzzle velocity, top decile of T5 BBs. Flatter trajectory, less lead, harder to dodge.

Sluggish for the tonnage

0.76 hp per ton, bottom decile of T5 BBs. Engine struggles to overcome the hull's mass, so the ship bleeds speed harder than peers in sustained turns.

Acquisition

How to get Tennessee

Tennessee is available in the Heavy Battleships branch of the U.S. Tech Tree for 2,400,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 480,000 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.

Show U.S.A. tech-tree branch diagram
U.S. Tech Tree

Tennessee sits in the Heavy Battleships branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full U.S. tree.

The heavy battleship line starts with Tennessee, focusing on maximum firepower at the cost of speed and flexibility in battle. Plan ahead, pick a position, and punish the enemy with a heavy broadside.
Advantages
Long-range main battery guns, Large main battery salvo
Disadvantages
Slow, Slow reload, Inflexible

Best listed chance for this ship

Official WG availability sources
Show direct source rows

Builds Beta

Build for main-battery accuracy, survivability, fire resistance, and reload support where possible. Planning positioning early matters.

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Cohort position

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Where Tennessee sits among Tier V BBs (24 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.

BestMax armor406 mm (1 of 6 tied) Top 25%Stealth profile14.18 km / 11.34 km (7/24 / 7/24) Top 25%Fires per minute7.5 (5/24) Top 25%AP DPM262,500 (6/24) Top 25%AP velocity823 m/s (5/24) Top 25%HE velocity861 m/s (5/24) Top 25%Acceleration7.2 s (5/24) Top 25%Citadel belt343 mm (5/24) Bottom 25%Max speed21 kt (21/24) Bottom 25%Rudder shift19 s (19/24) Bottom 25%Main battery reload28.8 s (20/24) Bottom 25%Engine power31,000 hp (21/24) Bottom 25%Turn-speed retention46.3 hp/m (21/24) Bottom 10%Displacement40,950 t (23/24) Bottom 10%Power-to-weight0.76 hp/t (23/24) WorstDeck armor76 mm (1 of 9 tied)
See 27 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Tennessee -- 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 points52,600 HP(17/24) Traverse-to-turn ratio3.25 ×(14/24) Main battery caliber356 mm(13/24) Main battery range15.69 km(16/24) Sigma1.8(10/24) HE shell damage5,000(15/24) HE fire chance30%(15/24) HE DPM125,000(8/24) AP shell damage10,500(12/24) Main dispersion202.6 m(10/24) Secondary DPM (per side)163,500(17/24) HE alpha1,800(15/23) Secondary fire chance9%(11/23) Secondary HE pen21 mm(17/23) AP arming threshold59 mm(11/24) AA DPS251(9/24) AA range4.2 km(15/24) AA threat797(10/24) Repair charges3(12/24) Bow armor25 mm(17/24) Stern armor25 mm(17/24) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(20 of 24 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.03 s(19 of 24 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(23 of 24 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(23 of 24 tied at this value) NormSecondary range4 km(16 of 24 tied at this value) NormRepair heal rate0.5 %/s(22 of 24 tied at this value)

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

Repair 3Fighter
Survivability
Hit PointsInitial: 48,600 → 52,600
Displacement40,950 t
Armor range16–406 mm
Plate armor thicknesses16, 19, 25, 31, 35, 38, 40, 44, 76, 89, 152, 159, 203, 273, 343, 406 mm
Armor material/layer entries48
Fire resistanceInitial: 20% → 23.3%
Fire duration60 s
Torp Reduction37%
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.
26,300
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.
15,800
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 356 mm/50 Mk7
Mounts / barrels4 mounts / 12 barrels
Reload time32 s
Firing range (base)14.3 km
Firing range (top fire control)15.7 km
Turret traverse3 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)
ƒShell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
1.8
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (14261/30·(12−2)/1000 + 2)·30 = 202.6 m
202.6 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 202.6 × 0.6 = 121.6 m
121.6 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 202.6 × 0.344 (σ=1.8) = 69.7 m
69.7 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 121.6 × 0.344 (σ=1.8) = 41.8 m
41.8 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 3 deg/s traverse speed = 60 s.
60 s
Base shells/min
ƒ12 broadside guns x 60 / 32 s base reload = 22.5.
22.5
HE shells
HE Damage5,000
HE Velocity861 m/s
Fire Chance30%
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 / 32 s base reload = 112,500.
112,500
Base fires/min
ƒ12 HE shells x 60 / 32 s reload x 30% fire chance = 6.75.
6.75
AP shells
AP Damage10,500
AP Velocity823 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 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 × 2545 × 680.4^0.69 × 0.356^-1.07 × 823^1.38 = 730.3 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
730.3 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (19.6 km), where the shell has slowed to 489.9 m/s: 1e-7 × 2545 × 680.4^0.69 × 0.356^-1.07 × 489.9^1.38 = 356.9 mm.
356.9 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ10,500 AP damage x 12 broadside guns = 126,000.
126,000
Base AP DPM
ƒ126,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 32 s base reload = 236,250.
236,250
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.
60
AA Defense
AA mount pointsInitial: 12 → 18
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (39×3.5×0.75) + (5×3.5×0.7) + (28×3.5×0.7) + (26×3.5×0.75) = 251. 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.
251
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
4.2 km
40 mm Bofors Mk1 (upgraded hull only)6×2 40mm
20 mm Oerlikon Mk4 (upgraded hull only)8×1 20mm
20 mm Oerlikon Mk20 (upgraded hull only)2×2 20mm
12.7 mm BrowningInitial: 8×1 → 2×1 13mm
76.2 mm Mk22 mod. 2 (stock hull only)4×1 76mm
127 mm Mk27 (DP)8×1 127mm
Far aura
DPS
ƒIncludes 26 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
26
Range4.2 km
Medium aura
DPS39
Range3.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 26 + Medium 39 = 65
65
Outer Near aura
DPS28
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 26 + Medium 39 + Outer Near 28 = 93
93
Inner Near aura
DPSInitial: 24 → 5
Range1.2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 26 + Medium 39 + Outer Near 28 + Inner Near 5 = 98
98
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts18
Firing range4.0 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
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 @ 4 km
ƒ4 km × 57 + 30 = 258 m.
258 m
127 mm Mk5 (×10)
Caliber127 mm
Reload time8 s
HE Damage1,800
Muzzle Velocity960 m/s
Fire Chance6%
Armor Pen21 mm
Min Ricochet91°
Max Ricochet60°
Show 1 more gun family
127 mm Mk27 (×8)
Caliber127 mm
Reload time4.5 s
HE Damage1,800
Muzzle Velocity657 m/s
Fire Chance9%
Armor Pen21 mm
Min Ricochet91°
Max Ricochet60°
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 31,000 hp
Engine power31,000 hp
Maximum speed21 kt
Turning circle radius670 m
Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt
Traverse-to-turn ratio3.2× drags
Concealment
Detectability by sea14.18 km
Detectability by air11.34 km
Smoke firing penalty12.28 km
Detect after firing main guns14.18 km
Detect Fire Sea16.18 km
Detect Fire Air14.34 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 80 s reload · 20 s active
Repair Party3 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 0.5% heal per second · 14% of max HP total heal
Choose one
Catapult Fighter3 charges · 60 s reload · 55 s active · 5.56 km patrol radius · 1 squadron size
Observation Seaplane3 charges · 200 s reload · 30 s active · 1 squadron size · +10% main-battery range bonus
Secondary Battery Booster3 charges · 160 s reload · 30 s active · +100% damage boost · +50% reload boost
Module options (2)

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

HullUpgrade
  • Hit points48,600 → 52,600
  • Rudder shift27.4 → 19 s
  • AA mounts12 → 18
  • Close-range AA DPS34 → 72
  • Turret traverse3 → 9 °/s
Fire controlUpgrade
  • Main battery range14,261 → 15687.1 m

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)1.8
Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
Max Horiz Disp202.6 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (14261/30·(12−2)/1000 + 2)·30 = 202.6 m
Max Vert Disp121.6 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 202.6 × 0.6 = 121.6 m
Med Horiz Disp69.7 m
50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 202.6 × 0.344 (σ=1.8) = 69.7 m
Med Vert Disp41.8 m
50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 121.6 × 0.344 (σ=1.8) = 41.8 m
Dispersion familyUS/UK BB Disp.
2.5% overall improvement compared to EU BB Disp.
AP Pen Close730.3 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 × 2545 × 680.4^0.69 × 0.356^-1.07 × 823^1.38 = 730.3 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far356.9 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (19.6 km), where the shell has slowed to 489.9 m/s: 1e-7 × 2545 × 680.4^0.69 × 0.356^-1.07 × 489.9^1.38 = 356.9 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 Radius60
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 time60 s
180 degrees / 3 deg/s traverse speed = 60 s.
HE full-salvo alpha60,000
5,000 HE damage x 12 broadside guns = 60,000.
AP full-salvo alpha126,000
10,500 AP damage x 12 broadside guns = 126,000.
Base HE DPM112,500
60,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 32 s base reload = 112,500.
Base AP DPM236,250
126,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 32 s base reload = 236,250.
Base shells/min22.5
12 broadside guns x 60 / 32 s base reload = 22.5.
Base fires/min6.75
12 HE shells x 60 / 32 s reload x 30% fire chance = 6.75.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS251
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (39×3.5×0.75) + (5×3.5×0.7) + (28×3.5×0.7) + (26×3.5×0.75) = 251. 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 range4.2 km
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
AA threat index797
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 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 @ 4 km258 m
4 km × 57 + 30 = 258 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)163,500
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: 10×1 127 mm (5/side) × 60/8 × 1800 = 67,500 + 8×1 127 mm (4/side) × 60/4.5 × 1800 = 96,000. 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 chance9%
Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 9% 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 48,60052,600 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
Bow25 mm primary (range 25–40 mm)2,300 (4% of HP)
Overmatched by 380mm+ (Bayern, Gneisenau)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)16 mm primary (range 16–343 mm)39,500 (75% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Moltke, Graf Spee)Angle bounces 203mm16 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern25 mm primary (range 25–203 mm)1,500 (3% of HP)
Overmatched by 380mm+ (Bayern, Gneisenau)Angle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel343 mm primary (range 19–343 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).
Superstructure25 mm primary (range 25–406 mm)2,300 (4% 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 HP26,300 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 (40 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.
Engine (module, research)engine coefficient (unconfirmed)-0.126 research estimateLargest on BB/BC; zero on destroyersEngine durability isn't a per-ship HP field in the binary. This small negative coefficient is non-zero only on battleships, battlecruisers, and the heaviest cruisers, and is exactly zero on every destroyer, so it scales with hull displacement rather than any commander skill. Most likely an engine drag or power term in the same family as the decoded deceleration fields; exact meaning unconfirmed in the current decoder.
Rudder (module)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP15,800 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 Tennessee. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Nerf ×1Main Battery ×1
2025-06-26

Ministry of Balance: Declaration of Changes

  • Main battery reload time increased from 30 to 32 seconds.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Tennessee 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.