World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Massachusetts B

Beta
U.S.A. · Tier VII · Battleship · Premium · Massachusetts Variant
All-rounder battleshipNo standout trait, so adapt: anchor mid-range, support a brawl, or snipe as the team needs.
Playstyle
  • Anchor a flank at 14-17 km with bow toward the closest threat
  • Avoid: Leading the push alone
Key characteristics
406 mm overmatchStrong secondaries (7 km)Lobs over islandsSpotter planeLong DCP windowSlow
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Community Data

Massachusetts B Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Massachusetts B is a Tier VII American all-rounder battleship with 406mm guns at 17 km: she has no single dominant kit trait but is competent across the board. The role flexes by team comp - mid-range AP anchor by default, brawl support when the team commits, sniper when the line sits back. Versatility is the value, not specialization. Standout traits: best DCP duration in T7 BBs (20 s) and top-decile torpedo belt percent in T7 BBs (46).

Positioning

Anchor a flank at 14-17 km with bow toward the closest threat. Rotate one or two map cells with the team rather than holding solo; a battleship alone on a flank is a free focus target for the enemy.

Potato Avoidance

Leading the push alone

A battleship caught broadside by two same-tier guns at mid range loses more HP than any single salvo trades back, so rotate with the team or hold your angle instead of charging in first.

Signature Traits

Long DCP window

20.0 s Damage Control duration, best of T7 BBs. Stays fire / flood immune longer per activation.

Strong torpedo belt

46.0% torpedo damage reduction, top decile of T7 BBs.

ELITE ARMOR
  • Heavy · 439.0 mm
  • Thick deck · 102.0 mm
Tight secondaries

Improved secondary dispersion bracket (slope 27.0), top decile of T7 BBs. The bracket determines per-meter-of-range dispersion; lower slope = tighter cone.

Slow AP shells

701.0 m/s AP muzzle velocity, bottom decile of T7 BBs. Lobby trajectory, more lead, easier to dodge at range.

Low fire chance secondaries

5.0% best HE fire chance per secondary shell, bottom quartile of T7 BBs. Lights fewer fires in a brawl than peers.

Acquisition

How to get Massachusetts B

Massachusetts B is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition paths: Containers and Campaign. 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

  • Black Friday 2021 0.5% VII Massachusetts B Event containers · Black Friday 2021
  • Piñata Chest 0.125% Tier V, VI, or VII Premium ship Event containers · Piñata Chest · 1 of 24 ships
  • Champion's Box 0.1% VII Massachusetts B Event containers · Champion's Box → Black Friday 2021
Show all 5 containers (2 more)
  • Black Friday Ultimate Crate 0.0833% VII Massachusetts B Event containers · Black Friday Ultimate Crate → Black Friday 2021
  • Ultimate Crate 0.05% VII Massachusetts B Event containers · Ultimate Crate → Black Friday 2021
Official WG availability sources
  • Big Mamie campaign breakdown Campaign Start: 2020-12-21 · End: 2021-01-31 Official campaign breakdown naming this ship as a campaign/reward-context ship; explicit source windows are used when present, otherwise the end date is inferred from the next indexed campaign breakdown when available.
  • Official WoWS Legends container odds Containers Official container drop rows linked below include direct and nested effective ship odds.
  • Through the Spy Glass: Tulsa Ship feature / release Start: 2023-06-21 · End: open/unknown end Official Through the Spy Glass feature for this ship; useful as a release/availability source, but not a guaranteed current-store listing.
  • Through the Spy Glass: Salem Ship feature / release Start: 2023-06-29 · End: open/unknown end Official Through the Spy Glass feature for this ship; useful as a release/availability source, but not a guaranteed current-store listing.
Show direct source rows

Builds Beta

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Cohort position

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Where Massachusetts B sits among Tier VII BBs (48 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 dispersion bracket27 (1 of 3 tied) Top 10%Max armor439 mm (5/48) Top 10%Deck armor102 mm (5/45) Top 25%AP shell damage13,100 (11/48) Top 25%Acceleration34.8 s (13/48) Top 25%Secondary range7 km (9/48) Top 25%AA DPS592 (12/48) Top 25%AA threat2,018 (12/48) Bottom 25%Max speed27.5 kt (43/48) Bottom 25%Stealth profile15.47 km / 12.38 km (37/48 / 37/48) Bottom 25%Engine power130,000 hp (39/48) Bottom 25%Power-to-weight2.77 hp/t (39/48) Bottom 10%Traverse-to-turn ratio3.5 × (47/48) WorstSecondary fire chance5% (1 of 11 tied) WorstSecondary HE pen21 mm (1 of 11 tied) WorstAP velocity701 m/s (1 of 3 tied) WorstNo torpedoes (32 of 48 in cohort)
See 27 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Massachusetts B -- 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 points66,300 HP(21/48) Rudder shift15.7 s(28/48) Main battery caliber406 mm(17/48) Main battery range17 km(29/48) Main battery reload27 s(31/48) Sigma1.8(29/48) HE shell damage5,700(24/47) HE fire chance36%(21/47) Fires per minute7.2(23/47) HE DPM114,000(17/47) AP DPM262,000(18/48) Main dispersion230 m(34/48) Secondary DPM (per side)180,000(34/48) HE alpha1,800(30/45) HE velocity803 m/s(36/47) AP arming threshold68 mm(33/48) Turn-speed retention183.1 hp/m(25/48) Displacement47,006 t(24/48) AA range5 km(18/48) Repair charges3(23/48) Citadel belt274 mm(35/47) NormAP fuse timer0.03 s(39 of 48 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(46 of 48 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(45 of 48 tied at this value) NormRepair heal rate0.5 %/s(34 of 48 tied at this value) NormBow armor32 mm(36 of 47 tied at this value) NormStern armor32 mm(35 of 47 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit Points66,300
Displacement47,006 t
Armor range6–439 mm
Plate armor thicknesses6, 16, 19, 22, 25, 32, 38, 50, 60, 76, 102, 121, 154, 156, 157, 168, 184, 274, 287, 305, 310, 343, 406, 439 mm
Armor material/layer entries58
Fire resistance36.6%
Fire duration60 s
Torp Reduction46%
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 406 mm Mk6
Mounts / barrels3 mounts / 9 barrels
Reload time30 s
Firing range17 km
Turret traverse4 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)1.8
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: σH=(R30·idealRadiusminRadiusidealDistance+minRadius)·30 =(1700030·1221000+2)·30=230m
230 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =230·0.6=138m
138 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =230·0.344(σ=1.8)=79.1m
79.1 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =138·0.344(σ=1.8)=47.5m
47.5 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 4 deg/s traverse speed = 45 s.
45 s
Base shells/min
ƒ9 broadside guns x 60 / 30 s base reload = 18.
18
HE shells
HE Damage5,700
HE Velocity803 m/s
Fire Chance36%
HE penetration
ƒ68 mm ≈ 406 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
68 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ5,700 HE damage x 9 broadside guns = 51,300.
51,300
Base HE DPM
ƒ51,300 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 102,600.
102,600
Installed HE DPM
ƒ51,300 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 27 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 114,000.
114,000
Base fires/min
ƒ18 shells/min x 36% fire chance = 6.48.
6.48
AP shells
AP Damage13,100
AP Velocity701 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.033 s
Fuse Threshold68 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(406 mm caliber / 14.3) = 28 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
28 mm
AP Pen Close
ƒCanonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v01.38 =107·2598·12250.69·0.4061.07·7011.38=778.8mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
778.8 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (21.2 km), where the shell has slowed to 468.4 m/s: P=107·2598·12250.69·0.4061.07·468.41.38=446.5mm.
446.5 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ13,100 AP damage x 9 broadside guns = 117,900.
117,900
Base AP DPM
ƒ117,900 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 235,800.
235,800
Installed AP DPM
ƒ117,900 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 27 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 262,000.
262,000
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.
150
AA Defense
AA mount points45
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (112×3.5×0.75) + (68×3.5×0.7) + (50×3.5×0.75) = 592. 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.
592
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
5 km
40 mm Bofors Mk215×4 40mm
20 mm Oerlikon Mk425×1 20mm
20 mm Oerlikon Mk205×2 20mm
127 mm Mk32 (DP)10×2 127mm
Far aura
DPS
ƒIncludes 50 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
50
Range5 km
Medium aura
DPS112
Range3.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 50 + Medium 112 = 162
162
Near aura
DPS68
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 50 + Medium 112 + Near 68 = 230
230
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts10
Firing range7.0 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) × 27 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.
Improved (50%, Massachusetts type)
Max secondary dispersion @ 7 km
ƒ7 km × 27 + 30 = 219 m.
219 m
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 130,000 hp
Engine power130,000 hp
Maximum speed27.5 kt
Turning circle radius710 m
Rudder shift time15.7 s
Engine power-boost threshold7 kt
Engine spool-up time23 s
Reverse spool-up time11.5 s
Acceleration 0-90%
ƒTime to reach 90% of top speed (24.8 kt of 27.5 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.
34.8 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (27.2 kt of 27.5 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.
55.8 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·27.5·0.5144710=1.14°/s, so ratio=ωturretωhull=41.14=3.5×. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.
3.5× drags
Concealment
Detectability by sea15.47 km
Detectability by air12.38 km
Smoke firing penalty14.92 km
Detect after firing main guns
ƒmax(base sea detectability, gun-firing bloom range). Firing never pulls your detection closer than base concealment.
15.47 km
Detect Fire Sea17.47 km
Detect Fire Air15.38 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 80 s reload · 20 s active
Repair Party3 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 9,282 HP (14% of max HP) total heal (per charge)
ƒHeal per second (0.5%) x effective active time (28 s) = up to 14% of max HP restored per charge.
· 27,846 HP (42% of max HP) total heal (all charges)
ƒ14% per charge x 3 charges = up to 42% of max HP if the whole Repair Party loadout is used.
· 332 HP/s (0.5% of max HP) heal per second
ƒ0.5% of max HP (66,300 HP) per second = 332 HP/s. WoWS heals a flat percent of MAX HP each second, so this rate holds at any health level.
Choose one
Catapult Fighter4 charges · 80 s reload · 90 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
Observation Seaplane4 charges · 200 s reload · 30 s active · 1 squadron size · Tightens main-battery shell grouping
Secondary Battery Booster3 charges · 160 s reload · 30 s active · +100% grouping · -50% dispersion

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)1.8
Max Horiz Disp230 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: $\sigma_H = \left(\dfrac{R}{30}\cdot\dfrac{\text{idealRadius}-\text{minRadius}}{\text{idealDistance}} + \text{minRadius}\right)\cdot 30$ $= \left(\dfrac{17000}{30}\cdot\dfrac{12-2}{1000} + 2\right)\cdot 30 = 230\,\text{m}$
Shell scatter width @ 10 km160 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 Disp138 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: $\sigma_V = \sigma_H \cdot \text{radiusOnMax}$ $= 230 \cdot 0.6 = 138\,\text{m}$
Shell scatter height @ 10 km82.8 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 Disp79.1 m
50%-hit horizontal radius: $\sigma_{H,50} = \sigma_H \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 230 \cdot 0.344\;(\sigma = 1.8) = 79.1\,\text{m}$
Med Vert Disp47.5 m
50%-hit vertical radius: $\sigma_{V,50} = \sigma_V \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 138 \cdot 0.344\;(\sigma = 1.8) = 47.5\,\text{m}$
AP Pen Close778.8 mm
Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{-1.07} \cdot v_0^{1.38}$ $= 10^{-7}\cdot 2598 \cdot 1225^{0.69} \cdot 0.406^{-1.07} \cdot 701^{1.38} = 778.8\,\text{mm}$. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far446.5 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (21.2 km), where the shell has slowed to 468.4 m/s: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot 2598 \cdot 1225^{0.69} \cdot 0.406^{-1.07} \cdot 468.4^{1.38} = 446.5\,\text{mm}$.
HE penetration68 mm
68 mm ≈ 406 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch28 mm
floor(406 mm caliber / 14.3) = 28 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius150
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 alpha9
All 9 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time45 s
180 degrees / 4 deg/s traverse speed = 45 s.
HE full-salvo alpha51,300
5,700 HE damage x 9 broadside guns = 51,300.
AP full-salvo alpha117,900
13,100 AP damage x 9 broadside guns = 117,900.
Base HE DPM102,600
51,300 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 102,600.
Base AP DPM235,800
117,900 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 235,800.
Installed HE DPM114,000
51,300 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 27 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 114,000.
Installed AP DPM262,000
117,900 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 27 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 262,000.
Base shells/min18
9 broadside guns x 60 / 30 s base reload = 18.
Installed shells/min20
9 broadside guns x 60 / 27 s installed Artillery reload = 20.
Base fires/min6.48
18 shells/min x 36% fire chance = 6.48.
Installed fires/min7.2
20 shells/min x 36% fire chance = 7.2.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS592
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (112×3.5×0.75) + (68×3.5×0.7) + (50×3.5×0.75) = 592. 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 index2018
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 typeImproved (50%, Massachusetts type)
Max dispersion = range (km) × 27 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.
Max secondary dispersion @ 7 km219 m
7 km × 27 + 30 = 219 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)180,000
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: 10×2 127 mm (10/side) × 60/6 × 1800 = 180,000. 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 66,300, 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 & stern32 mm

Overmatched by only MusashiARP Musashi. Angled, everything else bounces.

Belt / citadel310 mm

Citadels come from a flat broadside at close range; held past ~30° of angle, AP shatters or bounces.

Farming19 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 37%, fires burn 60s. Range-by-range in the ballistics tool →

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow32 mm primary (range 32–50 mm)≈ 3,315 (~5% of HP)
Overmatched by 460mm+ (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)32 mm primary (range 6–439 mm)≈ 49,725 (~75% of HP)
Overmatched by 460mm+ (Aki, Musashi)Angle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern32 mm primary (range 32–343 mm)≈ 3,315 (~5% of HP)
Overmatched by 460mm+ (Aki, Musashi)Angle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel310 mm primary (range 38–274 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.
Superstructure19 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).

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
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Acceleration and Ballistics Chart

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Massachusetts B default exterior
    DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior

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.