The armor of different types of combat vessels has a different structure and may consist of several layers that differ in their thickness and arrangement.
To inflict guaranteed damage, the correct ammunition selection is required to maximize damage depending on the characteristics of the target and its position on the battlefield.
We also advise you to familiarize yourself with a helpful article: ARP Ships in World of Warships: What It is and How to Get Them
It is the right choice of ammunition that will allow you to inflict damage to enemy ships, rather than shooting them through or wasting them due to ricochets, and this is what the World of Warships ammunition guide is all about.
What Shell Types are Available in World of Warships
Depending on the principle of action, projectiles in WoWs are divided into:
- Armor Piercing (AP)
- High Explosive (HE)
- Semi-armor-piercing (SAP)
Armor Piercing Shell
Combat ships are equipped with armor consisting of one or more metal plates of varying thickness, which, when contacted by a conventional munition, explode without causing damage to the ship.
Armor-piercing shells are designed to penetrate the protection of the ship’s hull. Armor-piercing shells have a more rigid shell that allows the munitions to reach the ship’s interior.
Ships, unlike land combat vehicles, are characterized by large free spaces inside the hull, so it is not enough to simply penetrate the armor to damage or sink a ship.
To inflict volumetric damage inside a ship, armor-piercing munitions are equipped with a fuse that allows the projectile to detonate with a time delay rather than in contact with the hull.
The principle of action of an armor-piercing projectile is as follows:
- the projectile has a set fuzing force, which depends on the thickness of the armor;
- there is also a preset time delay for the detonation of the charge after detonation.
Armor-piercing shells against battleships or heavy cruisers allow the munition to penetrate the hull and damage critical equipment or modules.
If armor piercing rounds are fired at lightly armored vessels, however, they will be shot through without taking serious damage.
High Explosive Shells
The deck of a warship contains important ship superstructures, including gun turrets and the commander’s deckhouse, which, if damaged, significantly reduce the combat effectiveness of the armament.
High-explosive shells are designed to inflict such damage, as they cannot penetrate armor. Still, when it comes in contact with the hull, it produces a massive explosion with a large dispersion of fragments, destroying thin-walled deck structures and causing numerous fires.
Fragmentation projectiles have different armor penetration depending on the level and type of ship:
| Armor penetration, fraction of caliber, mm | Gun | Ship type | Level | Nation | Name | Exceptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/3 | GC | Destroyer | VIII | Japan | Akizuki | |
| HSF Harekaze | ||||||
| IX | Kitakaze | |||||
| X | Harugumo | |||||
| PKM | Battleship | VIII | Kii | |||
| X | Shikishima | |||||
| Cruiser | IX | Azuma | ||||
| X | Zao | |||||
| Yoshino | ||||||
| Aircraft carrier | X | Hakuryū | ||||
| 1/4 | GC | Battleship | All | Germany | ||
| Destroyer | VI÷X | |||||
| Cruiser | IV÷X | |||||
| Battleship | All | Great Britain | Warspite (level VI)
Hood (level VII) |
|||
| Heavy cruiser | VIII | Cheshire | ||||
| IX | Drake | |||||
| X | Goliath | |||||
| Cruiser | VI | USSR | Admiral Makarov | |||
| PMK | Battleship | All | Germany | Graf Zeppelin | ||
| Cruiser | All | |||||
| Aircraft carrier | VIII | |||||
| 1/5 | GC | Cruiser | VIII-X | All | ||
| 1/6 | GC | All others | ||||
Semi-armor-piercing Shells
The disadvantage of through-hull penetration inherent in armor-piercing ammunition is that it is not present in semi-armor-piercing, which are activated and detonated immediately after penetrating the armor but do not have a high-explosive charge.
Other characteristic parameters of this weapon:
- thickness of penetrated armor – 7% of caliber;
- ricochet angle – from 0 to 15 degrees, with decreasing probability in the range of 11÷15 degrees;
- cannot cause a fire;
- distance and angle of entry into the armor do not matter.
This ammunition is used mainly on Italian ships and some premium ships.
Best Ammunition for Each Type of Ship
Ammunition should be used in proportion to the situation and the type of enemy ship in particular:
- Armor-piercing ammunition should be used against battleships and heavy cruisers that are boarded to reduce the chance of ricochets.
- A fragmentation projectile is justified if:
- the enemy is attacking a destroyer or light cruiser;
- the thickness of the armor cannot be penetrated by armor-piercing ammunition;
- the enemy vessel is bow or stern.
- Semi-piercing ammunition must be used with thin armor to avoid penetration.
How Many Types of Ammunition Can Be Used in One Battle in World of Warships
Two types of ammunition can be used in a battle: armor-piercing (semi-armor-piercing) and fragmentation.
