World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Clemson

Also called: 克莱姆森 Beta
Destroyer gunboatWin DD duels and cap fights with gun DPM.
Playstyle
  • Push into capture zones to try and spot the enemy destroyer but don't push completely through: your con…
  • Use your smoke to escape tough scenarios that you can't easily win
  • Avoid: Taking skills that reduce your HP or increase your detectability will negatively impact your ability to…
Key characteristics
Torpedoes (5 km)SmokeEngine BoostHeavy armorLong-reach AASlow acceleration
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Community Data

Clemson Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Clemson is a Tier III American gun-focused destroyer that excels at taking comfortable duels against other destroyers. While her stats may seem average, her hull upgrade provides her strong guns that let her open and control fights against other destroyers. Standout traits: once upgraded, most gun barrels for T3 DDs (8).

Positioning

Push into capture zones to try and spot the enemy destroyer but don't push completely through: your concealment range is high compared to other T3 DDs. Use your smoke to escape tough scenarios that you can't easily win. Be careful turning broadside to get all your guns to bear: it makes you an easy target!

Potato Avoidance

Taking skills that reduce your HP or increase your detectability…

Your torpedoes are numerous, but are best saved for ambushes or last-ditch scenarios.

Signature Traits

Engine Boost

+8% speed, 120 s duration. Engine Boost consumable temporarily raises top speed. Mobility on demand to reposition, chase a kill, or break contact.

ELITE ARMOR
  • Heavy · 21.0 mm
  • Thick deck · 21.0 mm
Lingering smoke

112.0 s smoke cloud linger, best of T3 DDs. Each puff stays up longer after you stop laying it, holding the shield.

Long-reach AA

3.0 km AA reach, top decile of T3 DDs.

Slow acceleration

~17.9 s to 90% of top speed, worst of T3 DDs. Sluggish rebuild after a turn or stop; the engine power-boost fades early, so the mid-range crawls.

Slow reload

7.0 s reload, bottom decile of T3 DDs. Salvos punish more, but cycle is slower than peers.

Acquisition

How to get Clemson

Clemson is available in the Universal Destroyers branch of the U.S. Tech Tree for 85,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 17,000 credits.

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

Clemson sits in the Universal Destroyers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full U.S. tree.

U.S. destroyers are "jacks-of-all-trades" and masters of none. They can perform in nearly any role needed from a destroyer: spotting the enemy, showering them in fire-starting shells, or unleashing torpedoes.
Advantages
Adaptable, Long-duration Smoke Generator
Disadvantages
Lackluster torpedo armament, Low-velocity shells

Builds Beta

Pair with a commander whose unique skill complements her main armament; check the build tool for current recommendations.

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Cohort position

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Where Clemson sits among Tier III DDs (11 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 arming threshold17 mm (1 of 3 tied) BestMax armor21 mm (1/11) BestDeck armor21 mm (1/11) Top 10%Main dispersion77.2 m (2/11) Top 10%HE velocity884 m/s (2/10) Top 25%AP velocity884 m/s (2/9) Top 25%AA range3 km (3/11) Top 25%Torpedo damage≈10,833 (3/11) WorstMain battery caliber102 mm (1 of 3 tied) WorstFires per minute1.03 (10/10) WorstHE DPM25,714 (10/10) WorstAP DPM29,143 (9/9) WorstAcceleration17.9 s (11/11)
See 21 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Clemson -- 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 points10,900 HP(4/11) Max speed35 kt(5/11) Concealment5.92 km(9/11) Air detection2.96 km(9/11) Rudder shift2.8 s(7/11) Traverse-to-turn ratio5.04 ×(7/11) Main battery range9.12 km(8/11) Main battery reload7 s(9/11) HE shell damage1,500(7/10) HE fire chance6%(5/10) Engine power27,500 hp(7/11) Turn-speed retention52.9 hp/m(9/11) Displacement1,700 t(8/11) Power-to-weight16.18 hp/t(9/11) AA DPS20(7/11) AA threat30(9/11) Torpedo range5.49 km(9/11) Torpedo speed56 kt(8/11) Torpedo reload66 s(7/11) Citadel belt13 mm(5/11) NormAP fuse timer0.01 s(8 of 9 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit PointsInitial: 8,800 → 10,900
Displacement1,700 t
Armor range6–21 mm
Plate armor thicknesses6, 10, 13, 21 mm
Armor material/layer entries25
Fire resistanceInitial: 6.7% → 10%
Fire duration30 s
Torp Reduction0%
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 102 mm/50 Mk14
Mounts / barrels4 mounts / 4 barrels
Reload time7 s
Firing range (base)8.3 km
Firing range (top fire control)9.1 km
Turret traverse10 °/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 =(829230·80.51000+0.5)·30=77.2m
77.2 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =77.2·0.6=46.3m
46.3 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =77.2·0.32(σ=2)=24.7m
24.7 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =46.3·0.32(σ=2)=14.8m
14.8 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 10 deg/s traverse speed = 18 s.
18 s
Base shells/min
ƒ2 broadside guns x 60 / 7 s base reload = 17.1.
17.1
HE shells
HE Damage1,500
HE Velocity884 m/s
Fire Chance6%
HE penetration
ƒ17 mm ≈ 102 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
17 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ1,500 HE damage x 2 broadside guns = 3,000.
3,000
Base HE DPM
ƒ3,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 7 s base reload = 25,714.
25,714
Base fires/min
ƒ17.1 shells/min x 6% fire chance = 1.03.
1.03
AP shells
AP Damage1,700
AP Velocity884 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.01 s
Fuse Threshold17 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(102 mm caliber / 14.3) = 7 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
7 mm
AP Pen Close
ƒCanonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v01.38 =107·1451·14.970.69·0.1021.07·8841.38=125.7mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
125.7 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (11.4 km), where the shell has slowed to 280.4 m/s: P=107·1451·14.970.69·0.1021.07·280.41.38=25.8mm.
25.8 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ1,700 AP damage x 2 broadside guns = 3,400.
3,400
Base AP DPM
ƒ3,400 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 7 s base reload = 29,143.
29,143
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.
3
Torpedoes
ModuleTorpedoes: Mark 11
Launchers / tubes4 launchers × 3 tubes = 12 tubes
Reload time66 s
Projectile speed56 kt
Range5.49 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=32,500·0.333=10,833.
≈ 10,833
Torpedo detectability1.1 km
Flooding chance192%
Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s
Torp Turn
ƒTime to rotate the launchers 180 deg: tturn=180°25°/s=7.2s.
7.2 s
Torp Arming173 m
Per-side salvo damage
ƒOne side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 12 x 10,833 = 129,996.
129,996
AA Defense
AA mount pointsInitial: 1 → 3
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (1×3.5×1) + (5×3.5×0.95) = 20. 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.
20
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
3 km
76.2 mm/23 Mk71×1 76mm
12.7 mm Browning M2 mod. 2 (upgraded hull only)2×1 13mm
Far aura
DPS1
Range3 km
Near aura
DPS5
Range1.2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 1 + Near 5 = 6
6
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 27,000 hp
Engine power27,500 hp
Maximum speed35 kt
Turning circle radius520 m
Rudder shift time2.8 s
Engine power-boost threshold7 kt
Engine spool-up time7.7 s
Reverse spool-up time3.8 s
Acceleration 0-90%
ƒTime to reach 90% of top speed (31.5 kt of 35 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.
17.9 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (34.6 kt of 35 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.
30.7 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·35.0·0.5144520=1.98°/s, so ratio=ωturretωhull=101.98=5.0×. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.
5.0× slow
Concealment
Detectability by sea5.92 km
Detectability by air2.96 km
Smoke firing penalty2 km
Detect after firing main guns
ƒmax(base sea detectability, gun-firing bloom range). Firing never pulls your detection closer than base concealment.
5.92 km
Detect Fire Sea7.92 km
Detect Fire Air5.96 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 40 s reload · 5 s active
Smoke Generator2 charges · 240 s reload · 24 s emit / 112 s cloud active
Engine Boost2 charges · 180 s reload · 120 s active · +8% speed bonus
Module options (3)

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

HullUpgrade
  • Hit points8,800 → 10,900
  • Rudder shift5.4 → 3.6 s
  • AA mounts1 → 3
  • Close-range AA DPS1 → 6
Fire controlUpgrade
  • Main battery range8,292 → 9121.2 m
TorpedoesTrade-off
  • Range5.04 → 5.49 km
  • Reload40 → 66 s
  • Alpha damage27,000 → 32,500
  • Display damage9,000 → 10,833

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 Disp77.2 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: $\sigma_H = \left(\dfrac{R}{30}\cdot\dfrac{\text{idealRadius}-\text{minRadius}}{\text{idealDistance}} + \text{minRadius}\right)\cdot 30$ $= \left(\dfrac{8292}{30}\cdot\dfrac{8-0.5}{1000} + 0.5\right)\cdot 30 = 77.2\,\text{m}$
Max Vert Disp46.3 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: $\sigma_V = \sigma_H \cdot \text{radiusOnMax}$ $= 77.2 \cdot 0.6 = 46.3\,\text{m}$
Med Horiz Disp24.7 m
50%-hit horizontal radius: $\sigma_{H,50} = \sigma_H \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 77.2 \cdot 0.32\;(\sigma = 2) = 24.7\,\text{m}$
Med Vert Disp14.8 m
50%-hit vertical radius: $\sigma_{V,50} = \sigma_V \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 46.3 \cdot 0.32\;(\sigma = 2) = 14.8\,\text{m}$
AP Pen Close125.7 mm
Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{-1.07} \cdot v_0^{1.38}$ $= 10^{-7}\cdot 1451 \cdot 14.97^{0.69} \cdot 0.102^{-1.07} \cdot 884^{1.38} = 125.7\,\text{mm}$. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far25.8 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (11.4 km), where the shell has slowed to 280.4 m/s: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot 1451 \cdot 14.97^{0.69} \cdot 0.102^{-1.07} \cdot 280.4^{1.38} = 25.8\,\text{mm}$.
HE penetration17 mm
17 mm ≈ 102 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch7 mm
floor(102 mm caliber / 14.3) = 7 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius3
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 alpha2
Barrels that can bear on one beam (2 of 4); casemate/wing mounts only fire one side.
Turret turn time18 s
180 degrees / 10 deg/s traverse speed = 18 s.
HE full-salvo alpha3,000
1,500 HE damage x 2 broadside guns = 3,000.
AP full-salvo alpha3,400
1,700 AP damage x 2 broadside guns = 3,400.
Base HE DPM25,714
3,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 7 s base reload = 25,714.
Base AP DPM29,143
3,400 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 7 s base reload = 29,143.
Base shells/min17.1
2 broadside guns x 60 / 7 s base reload = 17.1.
Base fires/min1.03
17.1 shells/min x 6% fire chance = 1.03.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.1 km
Estimated torpedo reaction time7.6 s
detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Torpedo speed56 kt
Travel time to max range37.7 s
range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Tube count12
4 launchers x 3 tubes.
Per-side salvo12 torpedoes
12 (centerline launchers train across - full salvo to either side).
Full-salvo damage129,996
All tubes hitting one target: tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 12 x 10,833 = 129,996.
Per-side salvo damage129,996
One side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 12 x 10,833 = 129,996.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS20
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (1×3.5×1) + (5×3.5×0.95) = 20. Covers AA-only mounts plus dual-purpose secondaries (Bismarck 105mm, USN 5"/38 cruiser secondaries) and dual-purpose main batteries (Sumner-class 5"/38, Akizuki-line 100mm). Formula validated against in-game captures on California, Sumner, Manfred von Richthofen, Dante Alighieri (exact) and within +/-17% on the remaining verified ships.
Maximum AA range3 km
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
AA threat index30
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 range1.2 km

Armor Beta

Hull HP 8,80010,900 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.

Bow & stern10 mm

Overmatched by 95+ guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Farming6 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 10%, fires burn 30s. Range-by-range in the ballistics tool →

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow10 mm primary (range 10–21 mm)1,700 (16% of HP)
Overmatched by 150mm+ (Java, Taranto)Angle bounces 127mm10 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Bow-tank fits behind this exterior plate. Saturation is FAST here; the cap is often only a few thousand HP.
Stern10 mm primary (range 10–13 mm)1,000 (9% of HP)
Overmatched by 150mm+ (Java, Taranto)Angle bounces 127mm10 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel13 mm primary (range 10–13 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.
Superstructure6 mm primary (range 6–21 mm)600 (6% 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 HP5,500 magazine HPMagazine detonation1–30% chance · below ~75% HPPer-turret powder-magazine HP. Detonation chance scales from 1% (no mag damage) to 30% (full mag damage); this range is the in-game value. Detonation can't roll while the ship is above ~75% HP (the standard detonation-protection threshold, not a per-ship stat). Smaller magazines saturate to the 30% ceiling faster.
AA mount (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 HP3,300 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 Clemson can equip, from in-game data.

  • Clemson default exterior
    DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior

Primary official WG sources

GamingDiver has indexed official WG mentions for this ship, but none are focused enough to show as a primary source card here. Low-context list, crate, comparison, or passing mentions are intentionally filtered out.

Source status No high-context source card yet Filtered for precision