World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Cambridge

Also called: 剑桥 Beta
U.S.A. · Tier VIII · CB Cruiser · Premium
Super-cruiserHeavy-caliber guns on a cruiser body: bully cruisers with AP, avoid battleship brawls.
Playstyle
  • Use islands, kiting lanes, and crossfires to keep guns active without becoming the easiest target on th…
  • Avoid: Do not drift broadside while tunnel-visioning damage
Key characteristics
305 mm overmatchHeavy AP pen2.1 sigma accuracyWide always-pen zoneSonarSlow AP shells
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Community Data

Cambridge Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Cambridge is best treated as flexible fire support and utility pressure. Use islands, kiting lanes, and crossfires to keep guns active without becoming the easiest target on the map.

Positioning

Use islands, kiting lanes, and crossfires to keep guns active without becoming the easiest target on the map.

Potato Avoidance

Drift broadside while tunnel-visioning damage

Cruiser value comes from staying alive long enough to punish multiple pushes.

Signature Traits

ELITE MAIN BATTERY
  • Wide always-pen zone · 60.0°
  • Tight grouping
  • Late auto-bounce · 67.5°
Super-heal

Repair Party heals 2.0%/s, best of T8 CAs. Restores more HP per active second than peers.

ELITE ARMOR
  • Thick end plates · 27.0 mm
  • Thick bow plate · 27.0 mm
Slow AP shells

762.0 m/s AP muzzle velocity, bottom quartile of T8 CAs. Lobby trajectory, more lead, easier to dodge at range.

Light secondaries

108000.0 secondary DPM (theoretical), bottom quartile of T8 CAs. Less per-minute secondary throughput than peers; brawl trade depends more on the mains.

Acquisition

How to get Cambridge

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

Official chance for this ship

Official WG availability sources

Builds Beta

Start with the standard cruiser priorities: survivability, concealment or positioning control where relevant, and enough reload/accuracy pressure to keep the ship useful all match.

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 Cambridge sits among Tier VIII CAs (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.

BestAP ricochet start60° (1 of 7 tied) BestRepair heal rate2 %/s (1 of 7 tied) BestEnd plates27 mm (1 of 10 tied / 7/33) Top 10%Sigma2.1 (3/33) Top 25%Rudder shift8.7 s (9/33) Top 25%Main battery caliber305 mm (7/33) Top 25%HE shell damage4,300 (6/29) Top 25%HE fire chance27% (6/29) Top 25%AP shell damage8,900 (8/33) Top 25%HE alpha1,800 (7/26) Top 25%AP auto-bounce angle67.5° (5/33) Top 25%Displacement17,070 t (7/33) Top 25%AA threat2,488 (9/33) Bottom 25%Hit points42,700 HP (29/33) Bottom 25%HE velocity808 m/s (27/29) Bottom 25%AP arming threshold51 mm (27/33) Bottom 25%Deck armor38 mm (25/32) WorstSecondary DPM (per side)108,000 (1 of 5 tied) WorstSecondary fire chance5% (1 of 10 tied) WorstAP velocity762 m/s (1 of 6 tied) WorstNo torpedoes (14 of 33 in cohort)
See 23 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Cambridge -- 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.

Max speed33 kt(21/33) Concealment12.43 km(11/33) Air detection7.65 km(16/33) Traverse-to-turn ratio7.71 ×(10/33) Main battery range15.8 km(12/33) Main battery reload11.2 s(17/33) Fires per minute8.68(9/29) HE DPM138,214(17/29) AP DPM286,071(17/33) Main dispersion142 m(22/33) Secondary HE pen21 mm(13/26) Acceleration26.7 s(13/33) Engine power120,000 hp(21/33) Turn-speed retention160 hp/m(17/33) Power-to-weight7.03 hp/t(13/33) AA DPS498(18/33) AA range5 km(23/33) Max armor160 mm(17/33) Citadel belt160 mm(13/33) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(22 of 27 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.03 s(23 of 33 tied at this value) NormSecondary range5 km(21 of 27 tied at this value) NormRepair charges2(31 of 33 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit Points42,700
Displacement17,070 t
Armor range16–160 mm
Plate armor thicknesses16, 27, 30, 38, 40, 57, 64, 76, 127, 140, 152, 160 mm
Armor material/layer entries52
Fire resistance40%
Fire duration45 s
Torp Reduction13%
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 305 mm/50 Mk8
Mounts / barrels3 mounts / 6 barrels
Reload time12.5 s
Firing range15.8 km
Turret traverse10 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)2.1
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: σH=(R30·idealRadiusminRadiusidealDistance+minRadius)·30 =(1580030·81.11000+1.1)·30=142m
142 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =142·0.6=85.2m
85.2 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =142·0.308(σ=2.1)=43.7m
43.7 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =85.2·0.308(σ=2.1)=26.2m
26.2 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 10 deg/s traverse speed = 18 s.
18 s
Base shells/min
ƒ6 broadside guns x 60 / 12.5 s base reload = 28.8.
28.8
HE shells
HE Damage4,300
HE Velocity808 m/s
Fire Chance27%
HE penetration
ƒ51 mm ≈ 305 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
51 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ4,300 HE damage x 6 broadside guns = 25,800.
25,800
Base HE DPM
ƒ25,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 12.5 s base reload = 123,840.
123,840
Installed HE DPM
ƒ25,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 11.2 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 138,214.
138,214
Base fires/min
ƒ28.8 shells/min x 27% fire chance = 7.78.
7.78
AP shells
AP Damage8,900
AP Velocity762 m/s
Min Ricochet60 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet67.5 deg
Fuse Timer0.033 s
Fuse Threshold51 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(305 mm caliber / 14.3) = 21 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
21 mm
AP Pen Close
ƒCanonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v01.38 =107·2470·5170.69·0.3051.07·7621.38=622.2mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
622.2 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (19.8 km), where the shell has slowed to 463.8 m/s: P=107·2470·5170.69·0.3051.07·463.81.38=313.6mm.
313.6 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ8,900 AP damage x 6 broadside guns = 53,400.
53,400
Base AP DPM
ƒ53,400 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 12.5 s base reload = 256,320.
256,320
Installed AP DPM
ƒ53,400 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 11.2 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 286,071.
286,071
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.
80
AA Defense
AA mount points10
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (129×3.5×0.9) + (29×3.5×0.9) = 498. 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.
498
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
5 km
76.2 mm Mk3310×2 76mm
127 mm Mk32 (DP)6×2 127mm
Far + Medium aura
Far DPS
ƒIncludes 29 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
29
Medium DPS129
Range5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 29 + Medium 129 = 158
158
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts6
Firing range5.0 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
Caliber127 mm
Reload time6 s
HE Damage1,800
Muzzle Velocity792 m/s
Fire Chance5%
Armor Pen21 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: 120,000 hp
Engine power120,000 hp
Maximum speed33 kt
Turning circle radius750 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 (29.7 kt of 33 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.
26.7 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (32.7 kt of 33 kt). 99% rather than 100% because true top speed is asymptotic (thrust meets drag), so the last fraction of a knot is never quite gained.
43.7 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·33.0·0.5144750=1.30°/s, so ratio=ωturretωhull=101.30=7.7×. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.
7.7× ok
Concealment
Detectability by sea12.43 km
Detectability by air7.65 km
Smoke firing penalty9.73 km
Detect after firing main guns
ƒmax(base sea detectability, gun-firing bloom range). Firing never pulls your detection closer than base concealment.
12.43 km
Detect Fire Sea14.43 km
Detect Fire Air10.65 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active
Choose one
Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 110 s active · 4.98 km ship detect
ƒDerived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): 166×301000=4.98 km
· 3.48 km torpedo detect
ƒDerived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): 116×301000=3.48 km
Defensive AA Fire3 charges · 140 s reload · 25 s active · +100% flak burst boost
Repair Party2 charges · 60 s reload · 20 s active · 17,080 HP (40% of max HP) total heal (per charge)
ƒHeal per second (2%) x effective active time (20 s) = up to 40% of max HP restored per charge.
· 34,160 HP (80% of max HP) total heal (all charges)
ƒ40% per charge x 2 charges = up to 80% of max HP if the whole Repair Party loadout is used.
· 854 HP/s (2% of max HP) heal per second
ƒ2% of max HP (42,700 HP) per second = 854 HP/s. WoWS heals a flat percent of MAX HP each second, so this rate holds at any health level.

See all derived stats

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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)2.1
Max Horiz Disp142 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: $\sigma_H = \left(\dfrac{R}{30}\cdot\dfrac{\text{idealRadius}-\text{minRadius}}{\text{idealDistance}} + \text{minRadius}\right)\cdot 30$ $= \left(\dfrac{15800}{30}\cdot\dfrac{8-1.1}{1000} + 1.1\right)\cdot 30 = 142\,\text{m}$
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 Disp85.2 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: $\sigma_V = \sigma_H \cdot \text{radiusOnMax}$ $= 142 \cdot 0.6 = 85.2\,\text{m}$
Shell scatter height @ 10 km53.7 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 Disp43.7 m
50%-hit horizontal radius: $\sigma_{H,50} = \sigma_H \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 142 \cdot 0.308\;(\sigma = 2.1) = 43.7\,\text{m}$
Med Vert Disp26.2 m
50%-hit vertical radius: $\sigma_{V,50} = \sigma_V \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 85.2 \cdot 0.308\;(\sigma = 2.1) = 26.2\,\text{m}$
AP Pen Close622.2 mm
Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{-1.07} \cdot v_0^{1.38}$ $= 10^{-7}\cdot 2470 \cdot 517^{0.69} \cdot 0.305^{-1.07} \cdot 762^{1.38} = 622.2\,\text{mm}$. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far313.6 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (19.8 km), where the shell has slowed to 463.8 m/s: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot 2470 \cdot 517^{0.69} \cdot 0.305^{-1.07} \cdot 463.8^{1.38} = 313.6\,\text{mm}$.
HE penetration51 mm
51 mm ≈ 305 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch21 mm
floor(305 mm caliber / 14.3) = 21 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius80
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 alpha6
All 6 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time18 s
180 degrees / 10 deg/s traverse speed = 18 s.
HE full-salvo alpha25,800
4,300 HE damage x 6 broadside guns = 25,800.
AP full-salvo alpha53,400
8,900 AP damage x 6 broadside guns = 53,400.
Base HE DPM123,840
25,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 12.5 s base reload = 123,840.
Base AP DPM256,320
53,400 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 12.5 s base reload = 256,320.
Installed HE DPM138,214
25,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 11.2 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 138,214.
Installed AP DPM286,071
53,400 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 11.2 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 286,071.
Base shells/min28.8
6 broadside guns x 60 / 12.5 s base reload = 28.8.
Installed shells/min32.1
6 broadside guns x 60 / 11.2 s installed Artillery reload = 32.1.
Base fires/min7.78
28.8 shells/min x 27% fire chance = 7.78.
Installed fires/min8.68
32.1 shells/min x 27% fire chance = 8.68.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS498
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (129×3.5×0.9) + (29×3.5×0.9) = 498. 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 index2488
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)108,000
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: 6×2 127 mm (6/side) × 60/6 × 1800 = 108,000. 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 chance5%
Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 5% 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 Beta

Hull HP 42,700, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds. HP caps are the exact in-game values, not estimated.

Bow & stern27 mm

Overmatched by 71+ guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Belt / citadel152 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 45s. Range-by-range in the ballistics tool →

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow27 mm primary (range 27–40 mm)1,400 (3% of HP)
Overmatched by 406mm+ (Hawke, Iowa)Angle bounces 380mm27 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)27 mm primary (range 27–152 mm)32,000 (75% of HP)
Overmatched by 406mm+ (Hawke, Iowa)Angle bounces 380mm27 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern27 mm primary (range 27–152 mm)2,900 (7% of HP)
Overmatched by 406mm+ (Hawke, Iowa)Angle bounces 380mm27 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel152 mm primary (range 27–160 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 mm primary (range 16–38 mm)1,900 (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).
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 (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 HP12,800 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.

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

Acceleration and Ballistics Chart

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

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.