World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Huanghe

Beta
Pan-Asia · Tier V · CL Cruiser · Premium
Hydro cruiserLean on Sonar to win vision around cover, then farm where the team needs it.
Playstyle
  • Sit 12-15 km from a contested cap where an island shadows you from the opposite battleship line
  • Avoid: Open-water broadside trading
Key characteristics
Strong secondaries (5 km)Smoke + SonarTorp Reload BoosterDefensive AAFlat HE shellsFragile
On this page
Community Data

Huanghe Community Stats

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

Log in & upload to see Community Data

Playstyle

Overview

Huanghe is a Tier V Pan-Asian light cruiser with Sonar as her vision tool. Hydro lets her contest islands and smoke without exposing the hull to vision cycles, which shapes how she pressures caps. Standout traits: best AA reach in T5 CAs (5 km) and top-decile flat HE shells in T5 CAs (950).

Positioning

Sit 12-15 km from a contested cap where an island shadows you from the opposite battleship line. Hydro (4 km on ships, 2.8 km on torpedoes) lights up DDs and incoming torpedoes inside its bubble, so you can push the cap edge from cover without taking the spotting cycle; prefer cover positions over open-water flanks. 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

Open-water broadside trading

Her 152mm shells citadel cruisers on the wrong frame, and her 24,100-HP hull does not recover from a punished salvo. Pick rotations and angles deliberately; the chip-damage role pays better than the trade-blow role on a cruiser of this profile. A second mistake to avoid: these torpedoes ignore the Destroyer class - they pass under DDs and cannot hit them. Aim torpedo drops ONLY at battleships, carriers, and most cruisers; every torp fired at a DD is wasted output.

Signature Traits

Deep-water torpedoes

Torps IGNORE the Destroyer class (deep-water mechanic); they pass under DDs and cannot hit them. Aim ONLY at battleships, carriers, and most cruisers; every torp fired at a DD is wasted, shared by 2/28 T5 CAs.

Long smoke deployment

90.0 s smoke deployment window, best of T5 CAs. Lays a longer rolling smoke trail while moving.

Long-reach AA

5.0 km AA reach, best of T5 CAs.

Flat HE shells

950.0 m/s HE muzzle velocity, top decile of T5 CAs. Flatter trajectory, easier to land at range.

Stealthy torps

0.9 km torpedo detect, top decile of T5 CAs. Harder to dodge.

Fragile HP pool

24100.0 HP, bottom decile of T5 CAs. Trade hits sparingly.

Acquisition

How to get Huanghe

Huanghe is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition paths: Containers, Doubloons, and Early Access. 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

Show all 19 containers (16 more)
  • Spectral Vault 4.0 0.26087% Tier V Premium ship Event containers · Spectral Vault 4.0 · 1 of 23 ships
  • Santa Level 4 0.25% Tier V Premium ship Event containers · Santa Level 4 · 1 of 24 ships
  • Super Santa '23 0.242273% Tier V Premium ship Event containers · Super Santa '23 · 1 of 22 ships
  • Santa Level 3 0.239583% Tier V Premium ship Event containers · Santa Level 3 · 2 paths combined · 1 of 24 ships
    Show 2 paths
    • Santa Level 30.202083%
    • Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 40.0375%
  • Spectral Vault 3.0 0.239565% Tier V Premium ship Event containers · Spectral Vault 3.0 · 2 paths combined · 1 of 23 ships
    Show 2 paths
    • Spectral Vault 3.00.21087%
    • Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.028696%
  • Mystic Lantern 0.2% Tier V Premium ship Event containers · Mystic Lantern · 1 of 25 ships
  • Mega Santa '23 0.143955% Tier V Premium ship Event containers · Mega Santa '23 · 1 of 22 ships
  • Santa Level 2 0.106771% Tier V Premium ship Event containers · Santa Level 2 · 4 paths combined · 1 of 24 ships
    Show 4 paths
    • Santa Level 20.058333%
    • Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 30.030312%
    • Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 40.0125%
    • Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 40.005625%
  • Spectral Vault 2.0 0.090043% Tier V Premium ship Event containers · Spectral Vault 2.0 · 4 paths combined · 1 of 23 ships
    Show 4 paths
    • Spectral Vault 2.00.06087%
    • Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.00.021087%
    • Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.005217%
    • Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.00287%
  • Champion's Box 0.047917% Tier V Premium ship Event containers · Champion's Box · 2 paths combined · 1 of 24 ships
    Show 2 paths
    • Champion's Box → Santa Level 30.040417%
    • Champion's Box → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 40.0075%
  • Santa Level 1 0.03437% Tier V Premium ship Event containers · Santa Level 1 · 6 paths combined · 1 of 24 ships
    Show 6 paths
    • Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 30.010104%
    • Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 20.00875%
    • Santa Level 10.00825%
    • Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 30.004547%
    • Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 40.001875%
    • Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 40.000844%
  • Ultimate Crate 0.024227% Tier V Premium ship Event containers · Ultimate Crate → Super Santa '23 · 1 of 22 ships
  • Spectral Vault 1.0 0.019108% Tier V Premium ship Event containers · Spectral Vault 1.0 · 7 paths combined · 1 of 23 ships
    Show 7 paths
    • Spectral Vault 1.00.008609%
    • Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.00.005478%
    • Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 3.00.002109%
    • Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.00.001898%
    • Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.00047%
    • Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.000287%
    • Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.000258%
  • Mystic Box 0.012% Tier V Premium ship Event containers · Mystic Box · 1 of 25 ships
  • Pan-Asian Cruiser Crate 0.01% V Huanghe Early access containers · Pan-Asian Cruiser Crate
  • Secret Santa '23 0.0009% Tier V Premium ship Event containers · Secret Santa '23 · 1 of 22 ships
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

Hide

Where Huanghe sits among Tier V CAs (28 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.

BestSecondary range5 km (1 of 5 tied) BestAA range5 km (1 of 9 tied) Top 10%Main battery reload7 s (3/28) Top 10%Displacement7,200 t (3/28) Top 25%Rudder shift6.7 s (7/28) Top 25%AP velocity950 m/s (6/28) Top 25%HE velocity950 m/s (5/26) Top 25%AA DPS277 (7/28) Top 25%AA threat1,027 (5/28) Bottom 25%Traverse-to-turn ratio4.1 × (26/28) Bottom 25%Engine power64,000 hp (24/28) Bottom 25%Turn-speed retention112.3 hp/m (24/28) Bottom 10%Hit points24,100 HP (27/28) Bottom 10%Max armor76 mm (27/28)
See 31 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Huanghe -- 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(13/28) Concealment11.86 km(16/28) Air detection7.12 km(16/28) Main battery caliber152 mm(18/28) Main battery range14.32 km(18/28) Sigma2(15/28) HE shell damage2,200(16/26) HE fire chance12%(15/26) Fires per minute6.17(11/26) HE DPM113,143(16/26) AP shell damage3,300(16/28) AP DPM169,714(19/28) Main dispersion131.8 m(21/28) Secondary DPM (per side)84,000(12/25) HE alpha1,400(18/25) Secondary fire chance6%(13/25) Secondary HE pen17 mm(13/25) Acceleration25 s(14/28) AP fuse timer0.03 s(17/28) AP arming threshold25 mm(11/28) Power-to-weight8.89 hp/t(13/28) Torpedo range8.04 km(10/24) Torpedo damage≈14,000(12/24) Torpedo speed60 kt(16/24) Torpedo reload79 s(13/24) Citadel belt76 mm(21/28) Bow armor16 mm(14/28) Stern armor16 mm(14/28) Deck armor70 mm(9/28) NormAP ricochet start45°(25 of 28 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(25 of 28 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit Points24,100
Displacement7,200 t
Armor range9–76 mm
Plate armor thicknesses9, 13, 16, 19, 25, 30, 51, 70, 76 mm
Armor material/layer entries43
Fire resistance23.3%
Fire duration30 s
Torp Reduction7%
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 152 mm/57 Mk4
Mounts / barrels3 mounts / 6 barrels
Reload time7 s
Firing range14.3 km
Turret traverse7 °/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 =(1432330·81.11000+1.1)·30=131.8m
131.8 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =131.8·0.6=79.1m
79.1 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =131.8·0.319(σ=2)=42.1m
42.1 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =79.1·0.32(σ=2)=25.3m
25.3 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 7 deg/s traverse speed = 25.7 s.
25.7 s
Base shells/min
ƒ6 broadside guns x 60 / 7 s base reload = 51.4.
51.4
HE shells
HE Damage2,200
HE Velocity950 m/s
Fire Chance12%
HE penetration
ƒ25 mm ≈ 152 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
25 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ2,200 HE damage x 6 broadside guns = 13,200.
13,200
Base HE DPM
ƒ13,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 7 s base reload = 113,143.
113,143
Base fires/min
ƒ51.4 shells/min x 12% fire chance = 6.17.
6.17
AP shells
AP Damage3,300
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 (17.9 km), where the shell has slowed to 348.6 m/s: P=107·2216·550.69·0.1521.07·348.61.38=85.2mm.
85.2 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ3,300 AP damage x 6 broadside guns = 19,800.
19,800
Base AP DPM
ƒ19,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 7 s base reload = 169,714.
169,714
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
Launchers / tubes2 launchers × 3 tubes = 6 tubes
Reload time79 s
Projectile speed60 kt
Range8.04 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=42,000·0.333=14,000.
≈ 14,000
Torpedo detectability0.9 km
Flooding chance290%
Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s
Torp Turn
ƒTime to rotate the launchers 180 deg: tturn=180°25°/s=7.2s.
7.2 s
Torp Arming185 m
Deep-Water TorpedoesYes
Per-side salvo damage
ƒOne side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 3 x 14,000 = 42,000.
42,000
AA Defense
AA mount points16
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (40×3.5×0.9) + (19×3.5×0.85) + (30×3.5×0.9) = 277. 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.
277
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
5 km
37 mm 61 shì8×2 37mm
20 mm Oerlikon Mk48×1 20mm
100 mm/70 SM-5-1s (DP)4×2 100mm
Far aura
DPS
ƒIncludes 30 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
30
Range5 km
Medium aura
DPS40
Range3.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 30 + Medium 40 = 70
70
Near aura
DPS19
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 30 + Medium 40 + Near 19 = 89
89
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: 64,000 hp
Engine power64,000 hp
Maximum speed33 kt
Turning circle radius570 m
Rudder shift time6.7 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.
25 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.
40.5 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·33.0·0.5144570=1.71°/s, so ratio=ωturretωhull=71.71=4.1×. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.
4.1× drags
Concealment
Detectability by sea11.86 km
Detectability by air7.12 km
Smoke firing penalty5.63 km
Detect after firing main guns
ƒmax(base sea detectability, gun-firing bloom range). Firing never pulls your detection closer than base concealment.
11.86 km
Detect Fire Sea13.86 km
Detect Fire Air10.12 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active
Choose one
Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 92 s active · 3.96 km ship detect
ƒDerived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): 132×301000=3.96 km
· 2.82 km torpedo detect
ƒDerived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): 94×301000=2.82 km
Torpedo Reload Booster2 charges · 360 s reload · 1 s active · 8 s torpedo launchers reload time
ƒWhile active, torpedo tubes reload in this time instead of the full reload, letting you fire a second spread right after the first.
Defensive AA Fire3 charges · 140 s reload · 25 s active · +100% flak burst boost
Smoke Generator2 charges · 240 s reload · 90 s emit / 10 s cloud active

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 Disp131.8 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: $\sigma_H = \left(\dfrac{R}{30}\cdot\dfrac{\text{idealRadius}-\text{minRadius}}{\text{idealDistance}} + \text{minRadius}\right)\cdot 30$ $= \left(\dfrac{14323}{30}\cdot\dfrac{8-1.1}{1000} + 1.1\right)\cdot 30 = 131.8\,\text{m}$
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 Disp79.1 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: $\sigma_V = \sigma_H \cdot \text{radiusOnMax}$ $= 131.8 \cdot 0.6 = 79.1\,\text{m}$
Shell scatter height @ 10 km55 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 Disp42.1 m
50%-hit horizontal radius: $\sigma_{H,50} = \sigma_H \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 131.8 \cdot 0.319\;(\sigma = 2) = 42.1\,\text{m}$
Med Vert Disp25.3 m
50%-hit vertical radius: $\sigma_{V,50} = \sigma_V \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 79.1 \cdot 0.32\;(\sigma = 2) = 25.3\,\text{m}$
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 Far85.2 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (17.9 km), where the shell has slowed to 348.6 m/s: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot 2216 \cdot 55^{0.69} \cdot 0.152^{-1.07} \cdot 348.6^{1.38} = 85.2\,\text{mm}$.
HE penetration25 mm
25 mm ≈ 152 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
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 alpha6
All 6 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time25.7 s
180 degrees / 7 deg/s traverse speed = 25.7 s.
HE full-salvo alpha13,200
2,200 HE damage x 6 broadside guns = 13,200.
AP full-salvo alpha19,800
3,300 AP damage x 6 broadside guns = 19,800.
Base HE DPM113,143
13,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 7 s base reload = 113,143.
Base AP DPM169,714
19,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 7 s base reload = 169,714.
Base shells/min51.4
6 broadside guns x 60 / 7 s base reload = 51.4.
Base fires/min6.17
51.4 shells/min x 12% fire chance = 6.17.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability0.9 km
Estimated torpedo reaction time5.8 s
detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Torpedo speed60 kt
Travel time to max range51.5 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 damage84,000
All tubes hitting one target: tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 6 x 14,000 = 84,000.
Per-side salvo damage42,000
One side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 3 x 14,000 = 42,000.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS277
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (40×3.5×0.9) + (19×3.5×0.85) + (30×3.5×0.9) = 277. 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 index1027
SUM over AA auras of (aura DPS x aura range km). A plane crossing the AA bubble is exposed to each aura for a time proportional to that aura's range, so long-reach DPS is worth more than the same DPS in a short bubble. Units: DPS*km; used to rank overall AA threat across the cohort.
Near aura range2 km

Secondary battery dispersion

Secondary dispersion typeStandard
Max dispersion = range (km) × 57 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.
Max secondary dispersion @ 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 24,100, 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 & stern16 mm

Overmatched by 92+ guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Belt / citadel76 mm

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

Farming9 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 23%, fires burn 30s. Range-by-range in the ballistics tool →

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow16 mm primary (range 16–30 mm)3,700 (15% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Moltke, Graf Spee)Angle bounces 203mm16 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.
Hull (midship)25 mm primary (range 13–51 mm)18,100 (75% of HP)
Overmatched by 380mm+ (Bayern, Gneisenau)Angle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern16 mm primary (range 16–30 mm)1,100 (5% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Moltke, Graf Spee)Angle bounces 203mm16 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel76 mm primary (range 16–76 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.
Superstructure9 mm primary (range 9–70 mm)1,300 (5% 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 HP12,100 magazine HPMagazine detonation1–30% chance · below ~75% HPPer-turret powder-magazine HP. Detonation chance scales from 1% (no mag damage) to 30% (full mag damage); this range is the in-game value. Detonation can't roll while the ship is above ~75% HP (the standard detonation-protection threshold, not a per-ship stat). Smaller magazines saturate to the 30% ceiling faster.
Secondary mount (100 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 (37 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 HP7,200 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 Huanghe can equip, from in-game data.

  • Huanghe default exterior
    DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior
  • Decorative
    Huang He NyDecorative

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.