World of Warships: Legends ship guide

AL Chapayev

Beta
U.S.S.R. · Tier VII · CL Cruiser · Premium
Super-heal cruiserA heavy Repair Party means it outlasts trades thin-skinned cruisers cannot.
Playstyle
  • Hold 12-15 km from a contested cap with an island close enough to break sightline when focus shifts
  • Avoid: Using radar like a destroyer hunter rather than a position tool
Key characteristics
Heavy, fast torpedoes16 km gun rangeRadar (11.7 km)High HE DPMImproved HE penEasily spotted

Variant of Chapayev

Al Chapayev is a variant of Chapayev with artillery tweaks.

Show all differences

Artillery

  • main-gun reload9.2 s+1.2 sWorse
  • AP damage3,100-200Worse
  • HE damage2,850+650Better
  • HE fire chance5%-7%Worse
  • HE penetration37 mm+12 mmBetter
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Community Data

AL Chapayev Community Stats

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

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Playstyle

Overview

AL Chapayev is a Tier VII Soviet cruiser built around the super-heal: each Repair Party charge returns dramatically more HP than a standard heal, so her durability comes from sustain rather than armor. Surveillance Radar (11.7 km, 20 s active, every 180 s) is the cap-control consumable on top, so she sets fights as well as winning them. HE pen sits at the 1/4 caliber ratio instead of the standard 1/6, so HE spam is a real damage option here - pens roughly 1.5x more armor than a same-caliber peer's HE round. Standout traits: top-decile AP shell velocity in T7 CAs (950).

Positioning

Hold 12-15 km from a contested cap with an island close enough to break sightline when focus shifts. Push the radar forward only once the destroyer fight is yours; burning the drop to fish for a lone DD kill leaves the next push with no answer to smoke or vision. Your guns lose penetration at range, so aim AP at broadsides you can still citadel and put HE into superstructures and upper-hull sections, rather than the bow-in or belt armor your shells bounce and shatter on.

Potato Avoidance

Using radar like a destroyer hunter rather than a position…

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

Signature Traits

Improved HE penetration

HE pen at the 1/4 caliber ratio instead of the standard 1/6. HE-spam is a real damage option here, not just a fire-starter; pens roughly 1.5x more armor than a same-caliber peer's HE, shared by 8/55 T7 CAs.

Surveillance Radar

11.7 km range, 20 s duration. Detects all enemy ships within a fixed radius regardless of line-of-sight. Controls caps and punishes smoke-firing DDs.

Long-range radar

11.7 km Surveillance Radar range, best of T7 CAs. Lights targets peer radars can't reach.

ELITE MAIN BATTERY
  • Flat AP shells · 950.0 m
  • Flat HE shells · 950.0 m
Low fire chance

5.0% fire chance per HE shell, bottom decile of T7 CAs. AP carries more weight.

Easily spotted

14.31 km surface detect, bottom decile of T7 CAs. Visible before you can react; position early.

Acquisition

How to get AL Chapayev

AL Chapayev is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition path: Containers. 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.

Best listed chance for this ship

Official WG availability sources
Show direct source rows

Builds Beta

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

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Where AL Chapayev sits among Tier VII CAs (55 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.

Top 10%HE DPM247,229 (5/48) Top 10%Torpedo damage≈16,733 (5/40) Top 10%Repair heal rate0.7 %/s (5/54) Top 25%Main battery range15.95 km (9/55) Top 25%AP velocity950 m/s (7/55) Top 25%HE velocity950 m/s (7/48) Top 25%Power-to-weight8.87 hp/t (11/54) Top 25%Torpedo speed65 kt (10/40) Top 25%Torpedo reload74 s (9/40) Bottom 25%AP shell damage3,100 (47/55) Bottom 25%Secondary HE pen17 mm (38/48) Bottom 25%AA DPS306 (44/55) Bottom 10%Stealth profile14.31 km / 8.59 km (53/55 / 53/55) Bottom 10%Fires per minute4.34 (47/48) Bottom 10%Secondary DPM (per side)84,000 (47/48) WorstTorpedo range4.02 km (1 of 2 tied)
See 30 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for AL Chapayev -- 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 points37,000 HP(35/55) Max speed33.5 kt(17/55) Rudder shift8.7 s(23/55) Traverse-to-turn ratio6.49 ×(17/55) Main battery caliber152 mm(39/55) Main battery reload8.3 s(23/55) Sigma2(29/55) HE shell damage2,850(15/48) AP DPM268,916(32/55) Main dispersion133.1 m(15/55) HE alpha1,400(35/48) Secondary fire chance6%(19/48) Acceleration25.3 s(17/54) AP fuse timer0.03 s(31/55) AP arming threshold25 mm(19/55) Engine power124,600 hp(19/54) Turn-speed retention140 hp/m(39/54) Displacement14,040 t(15/55) AA range5 km(29/55) AA threat1,206(37/55) Max armor130 mm(35/55) Citadel belt120 mm(31/52) Bow armor26 mm(17/52) Stern armor26 mm(17/52) Deck armor50 mm(27/50) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(45 of 48 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(39 of 55 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(39 of 55 tied at this value) NormSecondary range5 km(44 of 48 tied at this value) NormRepair charges2(48 of 54 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit Points37,000
Displacement14,040 t
Armor range6–130 mm
Plate armor thicknesses6, 16, 20, 25, 26, 30, 40, 50, 70, 100, 120, 130 mm
Armor material/layer entries52
Fire resistance36.6%
Fire duration30 s
Torp Reduction0%
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 152 mm/57 MK-5 U
Mounts / barrels4 mounts / 12 barrels
Reload time9.2 s
Firing range (base)14.5 km
Firing range (top fire control)16 km
Turret traverse7.2 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)2
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: σH=(R30·idealRadiusminRadiusidealDistance+minRadius)·30 =(1450130·81.11000+1.1)·30=133.1m
133.1 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =133.1·0.6=79.8m
79.8 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =133.1·0.319(σ=2)=42.5m
42.5 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =79.8·0.32(σ=2)=25.5m
25.5 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 7.2 deg/s traverse speed = 25 s.
25 s
Base shells/min
ƒ12 broadside guns x 60 / 9.2 s base reload = 78.3.
78.3
HE shells
HE Damage2,850
HE Velocity950 m/s
Fire Chance5%
HE penetration
ƒ37 mm ≈ 152 mm caliber / 4 (improved HE penetration: German BBs, Yamato-class, and a handful of others).
37 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ2,850 HE damage x 12 broadside guns = 34,200.
34,200
Base HE DPM
ƒ34,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 9.2 s base reload = 223,043.
223,043
Installed HE DPM
ƒ34,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 8.3 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 247,229.
247,229
Base fires/min
ƒ78.3 shells/min x 5% fire chance = 3.91.
3.91
AP shells
AP Damage
patched
  1. baseline3100
    In-game data
  2. 2024-09-0510250
    Ministry of Balance: Season of Change Main battery AP shell damage reduced from 11,000 to 10,250.
10,250
AP Velocity950 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.025 s
Fuse Threshold25 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(152 mm caliber / 14.3) = 10 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
10 mm
AP Pen Close
ƒCanonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v01.38 =107·2216·550.69·0.1521.07·9501.38=339.7mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
339.7 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (19.9 km), where the shell has slowed to 333.8 m/s: P=107·2216·550.69·0.1521.07·333.81.38=80.2mm.
80.2 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ10,250 AP damage x 12 broadside guns = 123,000.
123,000
Base AP DPM
ƒ123,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 9.2 s base reload = 802,174.
802,174
Installed AP DPM
ƒ123,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 8.3 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 889,157.
889,157
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.
15
Torpedoes
ModuleTorpedoes: 533 mm Triple 1-N
Launchers / tubes2 launchers × 3 tubes = 6 tubes
Reload time74 s
Projectile speed65 kt
Range4.02 km
Maximum simulated damage
ƒEstimate 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: Dsim=α·c=50,200·0.333=16,733.
≈ 16,733
Torpedo detectability1.3 km
Flooding chance302%
Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s
Torp Turn
ƒTime to rotate the launchers 180 deg: tturn=180°25°/s=7.2s.
7.2 s
Torp Arming201 m
Per-side salvo damage
ƒOne side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 3 x 16,733 = 50,199.
50,199
AA Defense
AA mount points14
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (68×3.5×0.9) + (29×3.5×0.9) = 306. 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.
306
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
5 km
37 mm V-1114×2 37mm
100 mm/70 SM-5-1s (DP)4×2 100mm
Far aura
DPS
ƒIncludes 29 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
29
Range5 km
Medium aura
DPS68
Range3.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 29 + Medium 68 = 97
97
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts4
Firing range5.0 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
Caliber100 mm
Reload time4 s
HE Damage1,400
Muzzle Velocity1000 m/s
Fire Chance6%
Armor Pen17 mm
Min Ricochet91°
Max Ricochet60°
Secondary dispersion type
ƒMax dispersion = range (km) × 57 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.
Standard
Max secondary dispersion @ 5 km
ƒ5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.
315 m
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 124,600 hp
Engine power124,600 hp
Maximum speed33.5 kt
Turning circle radius890 m
Rudder shift time8.7 s
Engine power-boost threshold7 kt
Engine spool-up time15.3 s
Reverse spool-up time7.7 s
Acceleration 0-90%
ƒTime to reach 90% of top speed (30.2 kt of 33.5 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.
25.3 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (33.2 kt of 33.5 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 s
Traverse-to-turn ratio
ƒHow many degrees the turret can swing for each degree the hull turns. Turn rate ωhull=180π·Vmax(m/s)Rturn=180π·33.5·0.5144890=1.11°/s, so ratio=ωturretωhull=7.21.11=6.5×. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.
6.5× slow
Concealment
Detectability by sea14.31 km
Detectability by air8.59 km
Smoke firing penalty7.55 km
Detect after firing main guns
ƒmax(base sea detectability, gun-firing bloom range). Firing never pulls your detection closer than base concealment.
14.31 km
Detect Fire Sea16.31 km
Detect Fire Air11.59 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 · +100% flak burst boost
Surveillance Radar2 charges · 180 s reload · 20 s active · 11.7 km radar range
ƒDerived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): 390×301000=11.7 km
Repair Party2 charges · 55 s reload · 28 s active · 7,252 HP (19.6% of max HP) total heal (per charge)
ƒHeal per second (0.7%) x effective active time (28 s) = up to 19.6% of max HP restored per charge.
· 14,504 HP (39.2% of max HP) total heal (all charges)
ƒ19.6% per charge x 2 charges = up to 39.2% of max HP if the whole Repair Party loadout is used.
· 259 HP/s (0.7% of max HP) heal per second
ƒ0.7% of max HP (37,000 HP) per second = 259 HP/s. WoWS heals a flat percent of MAX HP each second, so this rate holds at any health level.

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
Max Horiz Disp133.1 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: $\sigma_H = \left(\dfrac{R}{30}\cdot\dfrac{\text{idealRadius}-\text{minRadius}}{\text{idealDistance}} + \text{minRadius}\right)\cdot 30$ $= \left(\dfrac{14501}{30}\cdot\dfrac{8-1.1}{1000} + 1.1\right)\cdot 30 = 133.1\,\text{m}$
Shell scatter width @ 10 km102 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.
Max Vert Disp79.8 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: $\sigma_V = \sigma_H \cdot \text{radiusOnMax}$ $= 133.1 \cdot 0.6 = 79.8\,\text{m}$
Shell scatter height @ 10 km54.9 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.
Med Horiz Disp42.5 m
50%-hit horizontal radius: $\sigma_{H,50} = \sigma_H \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 133.1 \cdot 0.319\;(\sigma = 2) = 42.5\,\text{m}$
Med Vert Disp25.5 m
50%-hit vertical radius: $\sigma_{V,50} = \sigma_V \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 79.8 \cdot 0.32\;(\sigma = 2) = 25.5\,\text{m}$
AP Pen Close339.7 mm
Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{-1.07} \cdot v_0^{1.38}$ $= 10^{-7}\cdot 2216 \cdot 55^{0.69} \cdot 0.152^{-1.07} \cdot 950^{1.38} = 339.7\,\text{mm}$. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far80.2 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (19.9 km), where the shell has slowed to 333.8 m/s: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot 2216 \cdot 55^{0.69} \cdot 0.152^{-1.07} \cdot 333.8^{1.38} = 80.2\,\text{mm}$.
HE penetration37 mm
37 mm ≈ 152 mm caliber / 4 (improved HE penetration: German BBs, Yamato-class, and a handful of others).
Improved HE PenYes
This ship's HE shells use a 1/4 (~0.25) caliber-to-pen ratio instead of the standard 1/6 (~0.167) - 0.243 in this case. Lets HE pen ~38mm armor instead of ~25mm. Hits every German cruiser (150mm CL, 203mm CA) and BB (350mm+), British heavy cruisers / Lion / Nelson, a handful of other premiums.
AP overmatch10 mm
floor(152 mm caliber / 14.3) = 10 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius15
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 time25 s
180 degrees / 7.2 deg/s traverse speed = 25 s.
HE full-salvo alpha34,200
2,850 HE damage x 12 broadside guns = 34,200.
AP full-salvo alpha123,000
10,250 AP damage x 12 broadside guns = 123,000.
Base HE DPM223,043
34,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 9.2 s base reload = 223,043.
Base AP DPM802,174
123,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 9.2 s base reload = 802,174.
Installed HE DPM247,229
34,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 8.3 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 247,229.
Installed AP DPM889,157
123,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 8.3 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 889,157.
Base shells/min78.3
12 broadside guns x 60 / 9.2 s base reload = 78.3.
Installed shells/min86.7
12 broadside guns x 60 / 8.3 s installed Artillery reload = 86.7.
Base fires/min3.91
78.3 shells/min x 5% fire chance = 3.91.
Installed fires/min4.34
86.7 shells/min x 5% fire chance = 4.34.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.3 km
Estimated torpedo reaction time7.7 s
detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Torpedo speed65 kt
Travel time to max range23.8 s
range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Tube count6
2 launchers x 3 tubes.
Per-side salvo3 torpedoes
tube count / 2 (symmetric port/starboard launcher layout; common on cruisers and battleships with deck torpedoes).
Full-salvo damage100,398
All tubes hitting one target: tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 6 x 16,733 = 100,398.
Per-side salvo damage50,199
One side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 3 x 16,733 = 50,199.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS306
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (68×3.5×0.9) + (29×3.5×0.9) = 306. Covers AA-only mounts plus dual-purpose secondaries (Bismarck 105mm, USN 5"/38 cruiser secondaries) and dual-purpose main batteries (Sumner-class 5"/38, Akizuki-line 100mm). Formula validated against in-game captures on California, Sumner, Manfred von Richthofen, Dante Alighieri (exact) and within +/-17% on the remaining verified ships.
Maximum AA range5 km
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
AA threat index1206
SUM over AA auras of (aura DPS x aura range km). A plane crossing the AA bubble is exposed to each aura for a time proportional to that aura's range, so long-reach DPS is worth more than the same DPS in a short bubble. Units: DPS*km; used to rank overall AA threat across the cohort.

Secondary battery dispersion

Secondary dispersion typeStandard
Max dispersion = range (km) × 57 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.
Max secondary dispersion @ 5 km315 m
5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)84,000
Sum across all secondary families of (per-side barrels × 60 / reload_s × alpha), where per-side barrels = mounts × barrels-per-mount / 2 (the guns that bear on one broadside target). Per-family: 4×2 100 mm (4/side) × 60/4 × 1400 = 84,000. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).
Max HE alpha1400
Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1400 from the 100 mm family.
Max HE fire chance6%
Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 6% from the 100 mm family.
Max HE pen17 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: 17 mm from the 100 mm family.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 37,000, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds. HP caps are estimated from the standard WoWs damage-allocation model.

Bow & stern26 mm

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

Belt / citadel100 mm

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

Farming25 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 37%, fires burn 30s. Range-by-range in the ballistics tool →

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow26 mm primary (range 20–40 mm)≈ 1,850 (~5% of HP)
Overmatched by 380mm+ (Gneisenau, Richelieu)Angle bounces 356mm26 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 25–130 mm)≈ 27,750 (~75% of HP)
Overmatched by 380mm+ (Gneisenau, 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.
Stern26 mm primary (range 6–40 mm)≈ 1,850 (~5% of HP)
Overmatched by 380mm+ (Gneisenau, Richelieu)Angle bounces 356mm26 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel100 mm primary (range 16–120 mm)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.
Superstructure26 mm primary (range 26–130 mm)no cap
Any HE ≥16 mm pens at full damage
Any HE ≥16 mm pens at full damage. HE-spam target, and the section saturates fast (often only a few thousand HP).

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.

Approximated side profile.
Open the 3D armor viewer →
3D armor viewer
Open in Charting Tool

Acceleration and Ballistics Chart

Balance History

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

Nerf ×12Buff ×1Commander Skill ×2Main Battery ×4
2024-09-05

Ministry of Balance: Season of Change

  • Main battery reload time increased from 8 to 9.2 seconds.
  • Main battery AP shell damage reduced from 11,000 to 10,250.
  • Main battery AP minimum penetration angle reduced from 55 to 50 degrees.
  • Main battery AP maximum penetration angle reduced from 70 to 65 degrees.
  • Upgraded hull total health reduced from 83,000 to 80,000.
  • Upgraded hull engine HP reduced from 89,900 to 80,000.
  • Upgraded hull bow HP reduced from 3,200 to 3,000.
  • Upgraded hull stern HP reduced from 3,600 to 3,500.
  • Upgraded hull HP reduced from 62,300 to 60,000.
  • Upgraded hull steering gear HP reduced from 24,900 to 24,000.
  • +2 more official change lines in the source post.
Read the full official post
2024-09-05

September Update: Breeze of Inspiration

  • Buffs to Harold B. Farncomb: the "Careful" base trait and "Shell From the Ghost" unique skill have been improved.
  • New row 4 skill for Jerzy Świrski: Fox Flair. Increases the duration of Radar to match that of Smoke Generator while the latter is active, and reduces main battery reload time by up to 10% while Radar is active.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • AL Chapayev default exterior
    DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior
  • Azur Lane
    Azur ChapayevAzur Lane

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.