World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Somme

Beta
U.K. · Tier VIII · Destroyer · Premium
Smoke destroyerThe smoke cycle holds cap edges and trades gunfire from cover.
Playstyle
  • Anchor near a smoke cycle on a contested cap and trade gunfire from inside the cloud
  • The smoke is your sustain tool; rotating mid-smoke wastes the cycle for the next contest
  • Avoid: Rotating mid-smoke
Key characteristics
Long torps (12 km)High HE / fire outputWide always-pen zoneSmoke + SonarTorp Reload BoosterSlow
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Community Data

Somme Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Somme is a Tier VIII British smoke destroyer with 6 smoke charges on a short cooldown: the many smokes are the kit, setting up aggressive and defensive plays that one-smoke DDs cannot. Hold cap edges and trade gunfire from cover, then re-smoke before the next window closes. Standout traits: best AP always-pen window in T8 DDs (60°).

Positioning

Anchor near a smoke cycle on a contested cap and trade gunfire from inside the cloud. The smoke is your sustain tool; rotating mid-smoke wastes the cycle for the next contest. 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

Rotating mid-smoke

The smoke is a static firing position; if you leave it before the cycle ends, you give up the trade you set up and the next contest opens without a smoke to fall back on.

Signature Traits

ELITE MAIN BATTERY
  • Wide always-pen zone · 60.0°
  • Late auto-bounce · 67.5°
  • High fire pressure · 9.0 fires
Extra smoke charges

6.0 Smoke Generator charges, best of T8 DDs.

Long-duration sonar

180.0 s Sonar duration, best of T8 DDs.

Quick acceleration

~6.8 s to 90% of top speed, top decile of T8 DDs. Rebuilds speed quickly after a turn or stop, and sustains acceleration through the mid-range.

WEAK MAIN BATTERY
  • Slow HE shells · 746.0 m
  • Slow AP shells · 746.0 m
Acquisition

How to get Somme

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

Official WG availability sources
  • Born of Battle Campaign Breakdown Campaign Start: 2026-01-19 · End: 2026-02-22 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.
  • Through the Spy Glass: Somme Ship feature / release Start: 2026-01-20 · 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.

Builds Beta

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Cohort position

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Where Somme sits among Tier VIII DDs (27 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.

BestAcceleration6.8 s (1 of 2 tied) BestAP ricochet start60° (1 of 6 tied) Top 10%AP arming threshold19 mm (3/25) Top 25%Fires per minute9 (4/26) Top 25%AP auto-bounce angle67.5° (4/25) Top 25%Torpedo range12 km (6/26) Bottom 25%Main battery caliber114 mm (25/27) Bottom 25%AP shell damage2,100 (21/25) Bottom 25%Main dispersion96.8 m (23/27) Bottom 25%Turn-speed retention82 hp/m (23/27) Bottom 25%Power-to-weight15.2 hp/t (25/27) Bottom 25%Torpedo damage≈10,833 (24/26) WorstMax speed34 kt (1 of 3 tied) WorstAP velocity746 m/s (1 of 2 tied) WorstHE velocity746 m/s (1 of 2 tied) WorstEngine power50,000 hp (1 of 3 tied)
See 23 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Somme -- 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 points20,100 HP(15/27) Concealment6.93 km(13/27) Air detection3.47 km(13/27) Rudder shift4.2 s(8/27) Traverse-to-turn ratio12.17 ×(11/27) Main battery range10.91 km(19/27) Main battery reload3.2 s(9/27) HE shell damage1,700(20/26) HE fire chance8%(11/26) HE DPM191,250(11/26) AP DPM236,250(14/25) AP fuse timer0.01 s(14/25) Displacement3,290 t(9/27) AA DPS200(19/27) AA range5 km(15/27) AA threat798(18/27) Torpedo speed60 kt(20/26) Torpedo reload140 s(20/26) Repair heal rate1 %/s(7/11) Deck armor19 mm(11/21) NormMax armor20 mm(23 of 27 tied at this value) NormCitadel belt20 mm(23 of 27 tied at this value) NormBow armor19 mm(26 of 27 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit Points20,100
Displacement3,290 t
Armor range13–20 mm
Plate armor thicknesses13, 16, 19, 20 mm
Armor material/layer entries21
Fire resistance40%
Fire duration30 s
Torp Reduction0%
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 113 mm/45 Mk IV
Mounts / barrels3 mounts / 6 barrels
Reload time3.6 s
Firing range10.9 km
Turret traverse20 °/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 =(1091330·80.51000+0.5)·30=96.8m
96.8 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =96.8·0.6=58.1m
58.1 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =96.8·0.319(σ=2)=30.9m
30.9 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =58.1·0.32(σ=2)=18.6m
18.6 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 20 deg/s traverse speed = 9 s.
9 s
Base shells/min
ƒ6 broadside guns x 60 / 3.6 s base reload = 100.
100
HE shells
HE Damage1,700
HE Velocity746 m/s
Fire Chance8%
HE penetration
ƒ19 mm ≈ 114 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
19 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ1,700 HE damage x 6 broadside guns = 10,200.
10,200
Base HE DPM
ƒ10,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.6 s base reload = 170,000.
170,000
Installed HE DPM
ƒ10,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.2 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 191,250.
191,250
Base fires/min
ƒ100 shells/min x 8% fire chance = 8.
8
AP shells
AP Damage2,100
AP Velocity746 m/s
Min Ricochet60 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet67.5 deg
Fuse Timer0.01 s
Fuse Threshold19 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(114 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 =107·1600·250.69·0.1131.07·7461.38=140.1mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
140.1 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (13.6 km), where the shell has slowed to 291.1 m/s: P=107·1600·250.69·0.1131.07·291.11.38=38.2mm.
38.2 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ2,100 AP damage x 6 broadside guns = 12,600.
12,600
Base AP DPM
ƒ12,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.6 s base reload = 210,000.
210,000
Installed AP DPM
ƒ12,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.2 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 236,250.
236,250
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.
9
Torpedoes
ModuleTorpedoes: 533 mm PR Mk II
Launchers / tubes2 launchers × 5 tubes = 10 tubes
Reload time140 s
Projectile speed60 kt
Range12 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 detectability1.2 km
Flooding chance280%
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
Per-side salvo damage
ƒOne side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 10 x 10,833 = 108,330.
108,330
AA Defense
AA mount points5
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (38×3.5×1) + (19×3.5×1) = 200. 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.
200
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
5 km
40 mm Bofors Boffin3×1 40mm
40 mm Bofors Mk V1×2 40mm
40 mm STAAG1×2 40mm
Far aura
DPS
ƒIncludes 19 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose main battery firing as AA in this range band.
19
Range5 km
Medium aura
DPS38
Range3.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 19 + Medium 38 = 57
57
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 50,000 hp
Engine power50,000 hp
Maximum speed34 kt
Turning circle radius610 m
Rudder shift time4.2 s
Engine power-boost threshold31.6 kt
Engine spool-up time7.7 s
Reverse spool-up time3.8 s
Acceleration 0-90%
ƒTime to reach 90% of top speed (30.6 kt of 34 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.
6.8 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (33.7 kt of 34 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.
18 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·34.0·0.5144610=1.64°/s, so ratio=ωturretωhull=201.64=12.2×. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.
12.2× snappy
Concealment
Detectability by sea6.93 km
Detectability by air3.47 km
Smoke firing penalty2.37 km
Detect after firing main guns
ƒmax(base sea detectability, gun-firing bloom range). Firing never pulls your detection closer than base concealment.
6.93 km
Detect Fire Sea8.93 km
Detect Fire Air6.47 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 40 s reload · 5 s active
Smoke Generator6 charges · 60 s reload · 10 s emit / 40 s cloud active
Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 180 s active · 3.21 km ship detect
ƒDerived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): 107×301000=3.21 km
· 2.79 km torpedo detect
ƒDerived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): 93×301000=2.79 km
Choose one
Torpedo Reload Booster∞ charges · 140 s reload · 1 s active · 10 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.
Repair Party2 charges · 80 s reload · 10 s active · 2,010 HP (10% of max HP) total heal (per charge)
ƒHeal per second (1%) x effective active time (10 s) = up to 10% of max HP restored per charge.
· 4,020 HP (20% of max HP) total heal (all charges)
ƒ10% per charge x 2 charges = up to 20% of max HP if the whole Repair Party loadout is used.
· 201 HP/s (1% of max HP) heal per second
ƒ1% of max HP (20,100 HP) per second = 201 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 Disp96.8 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: $\sigma_H = \left(\dfrac{R}{30}\cdot\dfrac{\text{idealRadius}-\text{minRadius}}{\text{idealDistance}} + \text{minRadius}\right)\cdot 30$ $= \left(\dfrac{10913}{30}\cdot\dfrac{8-0.5}{1000} + 0.5\right)\cdot 30 = 96.8\,\text{m}$
Shell scatter width @ 10 km90 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 Disp58.1 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: $\sigma_V = \sigma_H \cdot \text{radiusOnMax}$ $= 96.8 \cdot 0.6 = 58.1\,\text{m}$
Shell scatter height @ 10 km52.5 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 Disp30.9 m
50%-hit horizontal radius: $\sigma_{H,50} = \sigma_H \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 96.8 \cdot 0.319\;(\sigma = 2) = 30.9\,\text{m}$
Med Vert Disp18.6 m
50%-hit vertical radius: $\sigma_{V,50} = \sigma_V \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 58.1 \cdot 0.32\;(\sigma = 2) = 18.6\,\text{m}$
AP Pen Close140.1 mm
Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{-1.07} \cdot v_0^{1.38}$ $= 10^{-7}\cdot 1600 \cdot 25^{0.69} \cdot 0.113^{-1.07} \cdot 746^{1.38} = 140.1\,\text{mm}$. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far38.2 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (13.6 km), where the shell has slowed to 291.1 m/s: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot 1600 \cdot 25^{0.69} \cdot 0.113^{-1.07} \cdot 291.1^{1.38} = 38.2\,\text{mm}$.
HE penetration19 mm
19 mm ≈ 114 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch7 mm
floor(114 mm caliber / 14.3) = 7 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius9
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 time9 s
180 degrees / 20 deg/s traverse speed = 9 s.
HE full-salvo alpha10,200
1,700 HE damage x 6 broadside guns = 10,200.
AP full-salvo alpha12,600
2,100 AP damage x 6 broadside guns = 12,600.
Base HE DPM170,000
10,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.6 s base reload = 170,000.
Base AP DPM210,000
12,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.6 s base reload = 210,000.
Installed HE DPM191,250
10,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.2 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 191,250.
Installed AP DPM236,250
12,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.2 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 236,250.
Base shells/min100
6 broadside guns x 60 / 3.6 s base reload = 100.
Installed shells/min112.5
6 broadside guns x 60 / 3.2 s installed Artillery reload = 112.5.
Base fires/min8
100 shells/min x 8% fire chance = 8.
Installed fires/min9
112.5 shells/min x 8% fire chance = 9.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.2 km
Estimated torpedo reaction time7.7 s
detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Torpedo speed60 kt
Travel time to max range76.9 s
range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Tube count10
2 launchers x 5 tubes.
Per-side salvo10 torpedoes
10 (centerline launchers train across - full salvo to either side).
Full-salvo damage108,330
All tubes hitting one target: tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 10 x 10,833 = 108,330.
Per-side salvo damage108,330
One side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 10 x 10,833 = 108,330.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS200
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (38×3.5×1) + (19×3.5×1) = 200. 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 index798
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.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 20,100, 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 & stern19 mm

Overmatched by 129+ guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Farming13 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 40%, fires burn 30s. Range-by-range in the ballistics tool →

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow19 mm primary (range 19–20 mm)3,300 (16% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Scharnhorst '43, Schill)Angle bounces 203mm19 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)19 mm primary (range 16–19 mm)15,100 (75% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Scharnhorst '43, Schill)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern19 mm primary (range 16–20 mm)1,400 (7% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Scharnhorst '43, Schill)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel20 mm primary (range 19–20 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.
Superstructure13 mm primary (range 13–19 mm)1,300 (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 HP10,100 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.
AA mount (40 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 HP6,000 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

Balance History

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

Buff ×4Main Battery ×1Torpedo ×3
2026-06-25

Ministry of Balance: Skillful Adjustments

  • Main battery reload time reduced from 4 to 3.6 s.
  • Torpedo damage increased from 10,800 to 11,833.
  • Torpedo AoE damage increased from 800 to 1,000.
  • Torpedo flooding chance increased by ~8%.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Somme 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.