World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Worcester

Also called: 伍斯特 Beta
U.S.A. · Tier ★ · CL Cruiser · Premium
HE fire-spam cruiserHE DPM plus Radar: farm fires while lighting caps for the team.
Playstyle
  • Hold cover beside a contested cap, close enough that an island can break sightline when focus shifts
  • Avoid: Using radar like a destroyer hunter rather than a position tool
Key characteristics
Radar (9 km)High HE / fire outputStrong AADefensive AAThick end platesShort gun range
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Community Data

Worcester Community Stats

Across 22,000+ Standard battles from 310+ players, Worcester averages a 63% win rate, 92,900 damage and 1.1 kills per battle, and survives 49% of them.

Community Data

Worcester Community Stats

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

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Playstyle

Overview

Worcester is a Legendary American light cruiser whose 152mm guns bring 18.3 fires a minute (1st of 19). Surveillance Radar (9 km) is the cap-control consumable on top, so she sets fights as well as winning them. Both shells run cohort-strong (cohort-strong AP at 488,727 AP DPM and cohort-strong HE at 336,000 HE DPM), making her a dual-threat gunship: keep AP up against broadsides and citadels, and switch to HE against bow-in ships, superstructures, and the thin or angled targets AP over-penetrates or bounces off. AA (689 AA DPS at 6 km, +100% Defensive AA flak burst) ranks 2 of 21 in Legendary CAs: heavy enough to make a careless strike expensive, though not the umbrella that shuts a carrier out of her grid. Standout traits: end-plate armor in Legendary CAs (32 mm, 3rd of 21) and best bow armor in Legendary CAs (32 mm, 3rd of 21). The trade is short gun range in Legendary CAs (15.3 km, 19th of 21).

Positioning

Hold cover beside a contested cap, close enough that an island can break sightline when focus shifts. Radar reaches 9 km, so the drop only pays once you are near enough to use it: push it when the destroyer fight is yours, not to fish for a lone kill, or the next push has no answer to smoke or vision. She is genuinely evasive in both phases of a turn, answering the helm in 8.2 s and carving a 740 m circle, so you can break a salvo and still be where you meant to go.

Potato Avoidance

Using radar like a destroyer hunter rather than a position tool

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. Yours reaches 9 km for 30 s, which is the whole window your team gets to act on what it shows.

Signature Traits

Surveillance Radar

9 km range, 30 s duration. Detects all enemy ships within a fixed radius regardless of line-of-sight. Controls caps and punishes smoke-firing DDs.

ELITE AA ↗
  • Top-tier AA · 689 AA
  • Long-reach AA · 6 km
ELITE MAIN BATTERY ↗
  • HE DPM machine · 336000 HE
  • High fire pressure · 18.33 fires/min
  • AP DPM machine · 488727 AP
ELITE ARMOR ↗
  • Thick end plates · 32 mm
  • Thick bow plate · 32 mm
Short gun range ↗

15.3 km main battery reach, bottom quartile of Legendary CAs. Outranged by peers; close distance or lean on terrain.

Acquisition

How to get Worcester

Worcester is the Legendary ship of the Fire-Starting Light Cruisers branch of the U.S.A. Tech Tree. It is not researched in the tree: it is obtained by completing its Research Bureau project. Acquisition path: Research Bureau.

While you save up, check active promo codes for free doubloons, camouflages, and other rewards.

Official WG availability sources
  • May Update: Things Are Heating Up! Bureau project Start: 2021-05-13
    • Kléber and Worcester in the Bureau
    • Both Projects are similar in structure to previous Legendary entries and we do not plan to deprecate them in the foreseeable future.

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, or browse the Ship Builds guide for proven loadouts across the fleet.

Cohort position

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Where Worcester sits among Legendary CAs (20 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.

BestFires per minute18.33 (1/19) BestAA range6 km (1 of 4 tied) BestEnd plates32 mm (1 of 4 tied / 1 of 4 tied) Top 10%Effective HE DPM (incl. fire)486,255 (2/19) Top 10%AA DPS689 (2/21) Top 10%AA threat3,164 (3/21) Top 25%Smoke fire bloom6.31 km (5/21) Top 25%Rudder shift8.2 s (4/21) Top 25%Turning circle740 m (4/21) Top 25%Main battery reload4.6 s (5/21) Top 25%HE DPM336,000 (3/19) Top 25%AP DPM488,727 (4/21) Top 25%Main dispersion138.8 m (6/21) Top 25%AP arming threshold25 mm (6/21) Bottom 25%Max speed33 kt (18/21) Bottom 25%Main battery caliber152 mm (17/21) Bottom 25%Main battery range15.34 km (19/21) Bottom 25%AP velocity762 m/s (19/21) Bottom 25%Flak damage per salvo (expected)1,944 (17/20) Bottom 25%Max armor127 mm (17/21) WorstNo secondaries (8 of 21 in cohort) WorstNo torpedoes (8 of 21 in cohort) WorstRepair heal rate0.5 %/s (1 of 10 tied)
See 20 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Worcester -- 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 points45,400 HP(16/21) Concealment12.8 km(9/21) Air detection7.68 km(9/21) Sigma2.05(13/21) HE shell damage2,200(15/19) HE fire chance12%(14/19) HE velocity812 m/s(13/19) Time to 90% speed25.8 s(11/21) Acceleration (0-12 kt)9.2 s(13/21) AP fuse timer0.025 s(13/21) Engine power120,000 hp(15/21) Power / turn radius162.2 hp/m(16/21) Displacement18,286 t(7/21) Power-to-weight6.56 hp/t(12/21) AP pen at 10 km143 mm(16/21) Citadel belt127 mm(15/21) NormAP ricochet start45°(14 of 21 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(14 of 21 tied at this value) NormTurn speed retained81%(18 of 21 tied at this value) NormRepair charges2(15 of 21 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit Points45,400
Displacement18,286 t
Hull dimensions
ƒLength x beam at the waterline, plus draft. Length matters when dodging torpedoes; beam and draft shape how hard the ship is to hit.
206.8 x 21.9 m (ship-model figure)
Armor range6–127 mm
Plate armor thicknesses6, 16, 19, 25, 30, 32, 40, 51, 76, 89, 102, 127 mm
Armor material/layer entries63
Fire resistance
ƒtop hull: 1 − 0.6004 fire coefficient = 40%. Lowers how often hits set you on fire. It does not reduce the damage a burning fire does per second; fires burn at the full rate on every ship.
40%
Fire duration30 s
Fire damage
ƒOne unattended fire: 0.003 of max HP per second (0.3%) × 30 s = 0.09 of the pool; 0.09 × 45,400 HP = 4,086 HP on this ship. 4 fire points can burn at once.
0.3% of HP per second
Flood duration40 s
Flood damage
ƒOne unattended flood: 0.0025 of max HP per second (0.25%) × 40 s = 0.1 of the pool; 0.1 × 45,400 HP = 4,540 HP on this ship.
0.25% of HP per second
Torp Reduction
ƒ1 − 0.27 hull torpedo-damage coefficient / 0.333 unprotected baseline = 19%. Reduces torpedo hit damage. It does not affect flooding: floods start as often and tick at the full rate.
19%
Magazine HP
ƒPer-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.
22,700
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.
13,600
Effective HP
ƒBase 45,400 HP plus everything Repair Party can restore: 0.005 of max HP per second (0.5%) × 28 s × 45,400 HP = 6,356 HP per charge, × 2 charges = 12,712 HP. Ceiling, not a prediction: a charge only restores damage actually taken, and only the regeneratable share of it. In practice ships realize about half of this, mostly because half the charges go unspent; a charge that is used returns about 97% of the per-charge figure above.
58,112
Repairable: penetration50%
Repairable: citadel33%
Repairable: steering gear50%
Section HP
Bow section HP
ƒDamage saturation pool for the bow: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 1,400 = 2,800), then further hits on it deal half damage. A penetration deals 0.33 × the shell's max damage; once the section is saturated it deals exactly half of that (0.5 × 0.33 = 0.165 × max damage), so a 3,000-damage shell's pen goes from 990 to 495. Overpens (0.1 × max damage) and citadels (1.0 ×) ignore saturation. Pens on the ship's other, unsaturated sections still deal the normal 0.33 ×. A larger pool keeps that part of the ship taking full damage for longer; a small one saturates fast and protects the ship's HP.
1,400
Casemate section HP
ƒDamage saturation pool for the casemate: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 6,400 = 12,800), then further hits on it deal half damage. A penetration deals 0.33 × the shell's max damage; once the section is saturated it deals exactly half of that (0.5 × 0.33 = 0.165 × max damage), so a 3,000-damage shell's pen goes from 990 to 495. Overpens (0.1 × max damage) and citadels (1.0 ×) ignore saturation. Pens on the ship's other, unsaturated sections still deal the normal 0.33 ×. A larger pool keeps that part of the ship taking full damage for longer; a small one saturates fast and protects the ship's HP.
6,400
Hull section HP
ƒDamage saturation pool for the hull: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 34,100 = 68,200), then further hits on it deal half damage. A penetration deals 0.33 × the shell's max damage; once the section is saturated it deals exactly half of that (0.5 × 0.33 = 0.165 × max damage), so a 3,000-damage shell's pen goes from 990 to 495. Overpens (0.1 × max damage) and citadels (1.0 ×) ignore saturation. Pens on the ship's other, unsaturated sections still deal the normal 0.33 ×. A larger pool keeps that part of the ship taking full damage for longer; a small one saturates fast and protects the ship's HP.
34,100
Superstructure section HP
ƒDamage saturation pool for the superstructure: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 2,200 = 4,400), then further hits on it deal half damage. A penetration deals 0.33 × the shell's max damage; once the section is saturated it deals exactly half of that (0.5 × 0.33 = 0.165 × max damage), so a 3,000-damage shell's pen goes from 990 to 495. Overpens (0.1 × max damage) and citadels (1.0 ×) ignore saturation. Pens on the ship's other, unsaturated sections still deal the normal 0.33 ×. The superstructure is not exempt: it saturates exactly like the bow and stern, so shells aimed at it stop dealing full damage once this pool is used up. A larger pool keeps that part of the ship taking full damage for longer; a small one saturates fast and protects the ship's HP.
2,200
Stern section HP
ƒDamage saturation pool for the stern: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 3,600 = 7,200), then further hits on it deal half damage. A penetration deals 0.33 × the shell's max damage; once the section is saturated it deals exactly half of that (0.5 × 0.33 = 0.165 × max damage), so a 3,000-damage shell's pen goes from 990 to 495. Overpens (0.1 × max damage) and citadels (1.0 ×) ignore saturation. Pens on the ship's other, unsaturated sections still deal the normal 0.33 ×. A larger pool keeps that part of the ship taking full damage for longer; a small one saturates fast and protects the ship's HP.
3,600
Citadel section HP
ƒThis section has no practical saturation cap: every hit here keeps dealing its normal share of damage (on most ships the citadel; on many destroyers the casemate).
No saturation cap
Main Battery
These main guns are dual-purpose: they also fire at aircraft and feed the AA Defense card.
ModuleArtillery: 12×152 mm
Mounts / barrels6 mounts / 12 barrels
Reload time4.6 s
Firing range15.3 km
Turret traverse25 °/s
Turret armor127 mm
Turret traverse arcs
ƒHow far each mount can train, in degrees to either side of the mount's own facing. A rear turret with ±150° leaves a 60° blind wedge over the bow; one-sided arcs are wing mounts that cover a single side. The data does not say which way each mount faces, so the arcs are listed per mount without bow/stern angles.
6x ±146°
Guns to bear
ƒ180° − 146° (the most restricted aft-facing mount's arc) = 34° off bow; 180° − 146° (the most restricted forward-facing mount's arc) = 34° off stern. How far off the bow (or stern) the ship must angle before every main turret can fire: the widest blind wedge among the rear-facing (or forward-facing) mounts, from each mount's trainable arc.
34° off bow / 34° off stern
Shell Grouping (σ)2.05
Dispersion type
ƒIn practice: the baseline curve for a standard cruiser -- at max range (15.3 km) shells land in an ellipse about 139 m wide and 83 m tall. Also on this curve (215): AL Baltimore, AL Chapayev, AL Cheshire, AL Harbin, AL Montpelier, AL Tallinn, AL Zara, Aberdeen, Accord, Agano, Albemarle, Algérie and 203 more.
Standard cruiser
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the dispersion model: σH=(R30·idealRadius−minRadiusidealDistance+minRadius)·30 =(1533930·8−1.11000+1.1)·30=138.8m
138.8 m at 15.3 km
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =138.8·0.6=83.3m
83.3 m at 15.3 km
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·0.6σ =138.8·0.62.05=40.6m
40.6 m at 15.3 km
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·0.6σ =83.3·0.62.05=24.4m
24.4 m at 15.3 km
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 25 deg/s traverse speed = 7.2 s.
7.2 s
Shells/min
ƒZero upgrades: 12 broadside guns x 60 / 4.714 s (4.6 s = 33 ticks) base reload = 152.7. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 12 broadside guns x 60 / 4.143 s (4.1 s = 29 ticks) all-upgrades reload (4.6 s × 0.9 Main Battery Mod. 3 = 4.1 s) = 173.8.
Initial: 152.7 → 173.8
HE shells
HE alpha2,200
HE Velocity812 m/s
Fire Chance12%
HE fire DPM vs T8 BB150232
Effective HE DPM vs T8 BB486232
HE penetration
ƒ30 mm = 152 mm caliber / 5.07 (non-standard HE penetration ratio).
30 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ2,200 HE damage x 12 broadside guns = 26,400.
26,400
HE DPM
ƒZero upgrades: 26,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4.714 s (4.6 s = 33 ticks) base reload = 336,000. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 26,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4.143 s (4.1 s = 29 ticks) all-upgrades reload (4.6 s × 0.9 Main Battery Mod. 3 = 4.1 s) = 382,345.
Initial: 336,000 → 382,345
Fires/min
ƒZero upgrades: 152.7 shells/min × 0.12 (12% fire chance) = 18.33. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 173.8 shells/min × 0.12 (12% fire chance) = 20.86.
Initial: 18.33 → 20.86
AP shells
AP alpha3,200
AP Velocity762 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.025 s
Fuse Threshold25 mm
AP pen max range105 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(152 mm caliber / 14.3) = 10 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
10 mm
AP Pen Close
ƒAP formula evaluated at muzzle velocity: P=10−7·K·m0.69·d−1.07·v01.38 =10−7·2692·590.69·0.152−1.07·7621.38=319.5mm.
319.5 mm point-blank
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (15.3 km), where the shell has slowed to 340 m/s: P=10−7·2692·590.69·0.152−1.07·3401.38=104.9mm.
104.9 mm at 15.3 km
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ3,200 AP damage x 12 broadside guns = 38,400.
38,400
AP DPM
ƒZero upgrades: 38,400 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4.714 s (4.6 s = 33 ticks) base reload = 488,727. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 38,400 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4.143 s (4.1 s = 29 ticks) all-upgrades reload (4.6 s × 0.9 Main Battery Mod. 3 = 4.1 s) = 556,138.
Initial: 488,727 → 556,138
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.
16
AA Defense
AA mount points25
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.
6 km
76.2 mm Mk3311×2 76mm
76.2 mm Mk342×1 76mm
20 mm Oerlikon Mk2012×2 20mm
Far aura
Gunsmain battery (DP)
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective 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 76 from dual-purpose main battery firing as AA in this range band.
76
Range6 km
Medium aura
Guns76.2 mm Mk33 + 76.2 mm Mk34
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 157 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.9 hit probability = 495 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
495
Range5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 76 + Medium 495 = 571
571
Near aura
Guns20 mm Oerlikon Mk20
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 40 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.85 hit probability = 119 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
119
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 76 + Medium 495 + Near 119 = 690
690
Flak
AA explosions
ƒEach ~2 s salvo fires 2 AA explosions in quick succession, each leaving 4 clouds ahead of the attacking squadron, plus 1 stray cloud farther out that appear off-beat between salvos - up to 9 clouds per salvo × 240 damage each. Planes that fly into a cloud take its damage; clouds dissipate before the next salvo lands. Defensive AA Fire, where fitted, multiplies the AA explosions within each salvo, and commander skills that raise the Number of AA explosions add to it.
2 per salvo, 4 clouds each + 1 outer cloud
Cloud damage
ƒDamage a plane takes for flying into one flak cloud, before any reductions.
240
Cloud spawn chance
ƒEach cloud in the pattern rolls this chance to spawn, so salvos 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%
Salvo interval
ƒA new flak salvo (the AA explosions above) fires roughly every 2 s.
every ~2 s
Fired by
ƒFlak keeps firing while at least one main battery mount is operational - even losing every dedicated AA mount does not stop it.
Main battery
Flak zone
ƒThe activation band: flak fires while attacking planes are inside it. Clouds are placed ahead of the planes' path, so clouds can land short of 2.5 km or past 6 km - once planes get inside the band, new salvos stop. AA range bonuses push the outer edge out; the 2.5 km inner edge does not move.
2.5-6 km
Maneuverability
Engine power120,000 hp
Maximum speed33.0 kt
Turning circle radius740 m
Rudder shift time8.2 s
Engine power-boost threshold7.0 kt
Engine spool-up time15.3 s
Reverse spool-up time7.7 s
Reverse speed
ƒtop speed / 4 + 4.9 = 33 / 4 + 4.9 = 13.2 kt. Base value; speed modifiers scale it.
13.2 kt
Crash stop
ƒSeconds from top speed to a dead stop after ordering full reverse: reverse power winds in over the reverse spool-up while water drag does most of the braking, using the ship's own reverse-power ratio. The full curve is on the acceleration chart. Full reverse stops about a quarter faster than a plain Stop order from top speed.
29.6 s
Engine boost threshold (reverse)
ƒSpeed below which the engine's built-in power boost applies in reverse.
9.9 kt
Acceleration 0-90%
ƒTime to reach 90% of top speed (29.7 kt of 33.0 kt).
25.8 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (32.7 kt of 33.0 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.
41.5 s
Guns in a full turn
ƒWith the rudder hard over the hull turns 5.5°/s, so a target drifts across the bow at that rate. Turret traverse minus hull turn: 25 − 5.5 = +19.5°/s, so the guns hold the target through the turn. Main Battery Mod. 2 (+20% traverse) and Mod. 3 (−15%) move this line.
hold target (+19.5°/s spare)
Concealment
Detectability by sea
ƒBase value, no camouflage. With a Grade IV permanent camo (or any disposable camo): 12.8 km x 0.955 = 12.22 km. Camouflage does not change detectability by air.
12.8 km
With Grade IV camouflage (sea)
ƒDetectability by sea 12.8 km x 0.955 (Grade IV permanent camo or any disposable camo) = 12.22 km.
12.22 km
Detectability by air7.68 km
Smoke firing penalty6.31 km
Detect when firing (sea)
ƒmax(main battery range, sea detectability 12.8 km) = 15.34 km. Equal to the ship's main battery range (never below base detectability): firing makes you visible to everyone you can reach.
15.34 km
Detect when firing (air)
ƒAir detectability 7.68 km + gun-firing bloom 3.04 km = 10.72 km. The bloom tracks main-battery caliber 152 mm × 0.020 = 3.04 km.
10.72 km
Detect when on fire (sea)
ƒSea detectability 12.8 km + 2.0 km while burning = 14.8 km.
14.8 km
Detect when on fire (air)
ƒAir detectability 7.68 km + 3.0 km while burning = 10.68 km.
10.68 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
✦
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active
Choose one
Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 96 s active · 4.44 km ship detect
ƒDerived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): 148×301000=4.44 km
· 3.12 km torpedo detect
ƒDerived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): 104×301000=3.12 km
Defensive AA Fire3 charges · 140 s reload · 25 s active · ×2 flak burst boost
ƒRepeats the flak burst pattern ×2 within each salvo - more clouds in the air over the salvo, at the same spots.
Choose one
Surveillance Radar2 charges · 120 s reload · 30 s active · 9 km radar range
ƒDerived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): 300×301000=9 km
Catapult Fighter4 charges · 80 s reload · 70 s active · 5 km patrol radius
ƒDerived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): 167×301000=5 km
· 1 squadron size
Repair Party2 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 6,356 HP (14% of max HP) total heal (per charge)
ƒ0.005 of max HP per second (0.5%) × 28 s effective active time = 0.14 of max HP × 45,400 HP = 6,356 HP: up to 14% of max HP restored per charge.
· 12,712 HP (28% of max HP) total heal (all charges)
ƒ0.14 of max HP per charge × 2 charges = 0.28 × 45,400 HP = 12,712 HP: up to 28% of max HP if the whole Repair Party loadout is used.
· 227 HP/s (0.5% of max HP) heal per second
ƒ0.005 (0.5% of max HP) × 45,400 HP = 227 HP/s. WoWS heals a flat percent of MAX HP each second, so this rate holds at any health level.

Under the hood

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

The constants behind the formulas and the long tail: shell and dispersion inputs, fixed-range anchors, salvo math, layered AA. Click the formula chip on any row to see how it is calculated.

Main battery formulas

vs standard cruiserStandard
The standard cruiser dispersion curve.
Shell scatter width @ 5 km67.5 m
(166.7 × (8 − 1.1) / 1000 + 1.1) × 30 = 67.5 m. Horizontal scatter at a fixed 5 km, from the same dispersion model as the rows below - a knife-fight-range anchor comparable across ships.
Shell scatter width @ 10 km102 m
(333.3 × (8 − 1.1) / 1000 + 1.1) × 30 = 102 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 km136.5 m
(500 × (8 − 1.1) / 1000 + 1.1) × 30 = 136.5 m. Horizontal scatter at a fixed 15 km, from the same dispersion model - the long-range anchor. Only shown when the ship's guns reach 15 km.
Shell scatter height @ 5 km26.7 m
How tall the scatter ellipse is at a fixed 5 km, from the same model, comparable from ship to ship. 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·Rmax=0.5·15339=7670 m, and radiusOnMax=0.6 at 15339 m. Below the kink: k=0.2+(0.5−0.2)·50007670=0.3956, so σV=σH·k=67.5·0.3956=26.7m.
Shell scatter height @ 10 km54.1 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·Rmax=0.5·15339=7670 m, and radiusOnMax=0.6 at 15339 m. Above the kink: k=0.5+(0.6−0.5)·10000−767015339−7670=0.5304, so σV=σH·k=102·0.5304=54.1m.
Shell scatter height @ 15 km81.3 m
How tall the scatter ellipse is at a fixed 15 km, from the same model. Only shown when the ship's guns reach 15 km. 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·Rmax=0.5·15339=7670 m, and radiusOnMax=0.6 at 15339 m. Above the kink: k=0.5+(0.6−0.5)·15000−767015339−7670=0.5956, so σV=σH·k=136.5·0.5956=81.3m.
AP pen 5 km211 mm
AP penetration at a fixed 5 km, from the same ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the AP formula P=10−7·K·m0.69·d−1.07·v1.38 =10−7·2692·590.69·0.152−1.07·563.21.38=211mm, where 563.2 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 5 km (from 762 m/s at the muzzle). Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.
AP pen 10 km143 mm
AP penetration at a fixed 10 km, from the same ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the AP formula P=10−7·K·m0.69·d−1.07·v1.38 =10−7·2692·590.69·0.152−1.07·424.81.38=143mm, where 424.8 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 10 km (from 762 m/s at the muzzle). Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.
AP pen 15 km107 mm
AP penetration at a fixed 15 km, from the same ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the AP formula P=10−7·K·m0.69·d−1.07·v1.38 =10−7·2692·590.69·0.152−1.07·344.11.38=107mm, where 344.1 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 15 km (from 762 m/s at the muzzle). Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.
AP flight time @ 10 km6.53 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, adrag=kρv2, where ρ is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and k bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass: k=πCdd28m=π·0.3225·0.15228·59=4.96×10−5. That runs from a 762 m/s muzzle velocity in 0.02 s steps under gravity 9.8 m/s² until the shell lands, then divides by 2.77 because the game clock runs faster than real time. Lower is better, since a faster shell is harder to dodge and needs less lead.
HE flight time @ 10 km6.44 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, adrag=kρv2, where ρ is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and k bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass: k=πCdd28m=π·0.3·0.15228·47.6=5.72×10−5. 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 because the game clock runs faster than real time. Lower is better, since a faster shell is harder to dodge and needs less lead.
Guns per full salvo (alpha, DPM)12
6 mounts × 2 barrels = 12; all 12 bear on the broadside.

Model inputs

Krupp (AP)2,692
Armor-penetration constant of the AP shell; penetration scales straight with it, so a 10% higher Krupp is 10% more penetration at every range.
AP shell mass59 kg
Enters penetration as mass^0.69 and slows the shell's drag deceleration, so a heavier shell keeps more velocity at range.
AP drag coefficient0.3225
Air drag on the AP shell in flight; lower keeps velocity, and with it penetration, at long range.
AP muzzle velocity762 m/s
Starting speed of the AP shell; penetration scales with velocity^1.38.
HE muzzle velocity812 m/s
Starting speed of the HE shell; sets its flight time and lead.
idealRadius8
Horizontal dispersion growth per idealDistance of range, in 30 m units; the slope of the scatter-width line.
minRadius1.1
Horizontal dispersion at zero range, in 30 m units; the intercept of the scatter-width line.
idealDistance1,000 m
Range step over which horizontal dispersion grows by idealRadius.
taperDist4,000 m
Inside this range the scatter width tapers toward minRadius instead of following the line.
radiusOnZero0.2
Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at zero range.
radiusOnDelim0.5
Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at the delim point.
radiusOnMax0.6
Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at maximum range.
delim0.5
Where the vertical-scatter curve bends, as a share of maximum range.

AA defense

AA DPS at max range76
Only families that reach 6 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 3in50 Twin Mark 33 11x2 -> 418 DPS @ 5 km; 3in50 MK34 Radar 2x1 -> 76 DPS @ 5 km; 20mm Oerlikon MK20 Twin12 12x2 -> 119 DPS @ 2 km; Far AA (?) -> 76 DPS @ 6 km.
AA DPS layered by range76 DPS @ 6 km, 570 DPS @ 5 km, 689 DPS @ 2 km
@ 6 km: 76 from one family; @ 5 km: 418 + 76 + 76 = 570; @ 2 km: 418 + 76 + 119 + 76 = 689. 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-blank689
418 + 76 + 119 + 76 = 689 DPS: the sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (2 km).
AA threat index3164
418 × 5 + 76 × 5 + 119 × 2 + 76 × 6 = 3164. 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
Open in Charting Tool

Ship Charts

Background

Designed as an AA cruiser with dual-purpose 152 mm guns. Though classified as light cruisers, ships of this class had increased displacement and dimensions, compared with the Baltimore-class heavy cruisers. The main twin turrets were equipped with advanced autoloaders, substantially increasing the rate of fire.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 45,400, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds.

Bow & stern32 mm

Overmatched by 7 AP guns here: Incomparable SE 25IncomparableYamato and 4 more. Angling still helps against the rest.

Belt / citadel127 mm

AP can citadel a flat broadside even at range. Stay angled and avoid showing the full side.

Farming16 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
Bow32 mm primary (range 32–40 mm)1,400 (3% of HP)
Overmatched by 460mm+ AP (Aki, Musashi)Angle bounces 410mm32 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)25 mm primary (range 6–102 mm)34,100 (75% of HP)
Overmatched by 380mm+ AP (Alsace, Bourgogne)Angle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern32 mm primary (range 6–102 mm)3,600 (8% of HP)
Overmatched by 460mm+ AP (Aki, Musashi)Angle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel127 mm primary (range 25–127 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.
Superstructure16 mmno 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 HP22,700 magazine HPTurret knocked outPer-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 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 HP13,600 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.

Balance History

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

Buff ×7Main Battery ×6
2023-06-15

Ministry of Balance: Italian Concerto

  • Some ships have received updates to their armor models, but you shouldn’t notice any difference in gameplay: Worcester, Queen Elizabeth, AL Queen Elizabeth, Warspite.
Read the full official post
2022-01-27

February update: fortes fortuna adiuvat

  • Main battery reload time decreased from 6 to 4.6 s.
  • Fire-setting chances for HE shells increased from 10 to 12%.
  • HE shell penetration increased from 25 to 30 mm*.
  • Turning circle radius decreased from 750 to 740 m.
  • Radar reload time decreased from 180 to 120 s.
  • Shell grouping increased by 2.5%.
  • *These represent raw penetration values, which must be greater than the armor you’re hitting by 1 mm to penetrate. This means that Worcester is now able to effectively penetrate 29 mm of armor with her HE shells.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Worcester can equip.

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.