Welcome to Wargaming.net Wiki!
Variants

Lightning

Jump to: navigation, search
Lightning
Lightning_wows_main.jpg
Destroyer | U.K. | Tier VIII
Tech Tree Position
Jervis
Arrow_down.png
Lightning_icon_small.png
Arrow_down.png
Jutland
stock
 top
General
Research price112000 exp
Purchase price8,900,000 Credits
Hit Points13,000 
Main Battery
120 mm/50 QF Mk.XI on a CP Mk.XX mount3 х 2 pcs.
Rate of Fire13.33 shots/min.
Reload Time4.5 sec.
Rotation Speed20 deg./sec.
180 Degree Turn Timesec.
Firing Range11.1 km.
Maximum Dispersion106 m.
HE Shell120 mm HE 62 lb 
Maximum HE Shell Damage1,700 
Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell%
Initial HE Shell Velocity774 m./s.
HE Shell Weight28.12 kg.
AP Shell120 mm SAP 62 lb 
Maximum AP Shell Damage2,200 
Initial AP Shell Velocity774 m./s.
AP Shell Weight28.12 kg.
Torpedo Tubes
533 mm QR Mk IV2 х 4 pcs.
Rate of Fire0.57 shots/min.
Reload Time106 sec.
Rotation Speed25 deg./sec.
180 Degree Turn Time7.2 sec.
Torpedo533 mm Mk IX 
Maximum Damage15,433 
Torpedo Speed61 knot
Torpedo Range8.01 km.
AA Defense
120 mm/50 QF Mk.XI on a CP Mk.XX mount3 х 2 pcs.
. . . Average Damage per Second14.7 
. . . Firing Range4.5 km.
20 mm Oerlikon Mk.I on a Mk.IIA mount4 х 1 pcs.
. . . Average Damage per Second14.4 
. . . Firing Range2.01 km.
40 mm/39 Vickers QF Mk.VIII on a Mk.VII mount1 х 4 pcs.
. . . Average Damage per Second12.9 
. . . Firing Range2.49 km.
12.7 mm Mk.III2 х 4 pcs.
. . . Average Damage per Second4.2 
. . . Firing Range1.2 km.
Maneuverability
Maximum Speed36 knot
Turning Circle Radius590 m.
Rudder Shift Time5.3 sec.
Concealment
Surface Detectability Range6.81 km.
Air Detectability Range3.06 km.
Battle Levels
12345678910
Wows_anno_flag_uk.png
VIII
Ship_PBSD108_Lightning.png
8,900,000

Lightning — British Tier VIII destroyer.

In comparison with her predecessors, the L-class ships turned out to be almost 200 tons heavier. To compensate for the weight of the new 120 mm guns with a 50-degree laying angle, quadruple torpedo tubes had to be installed. Throughout World War II, the destroyer had served in units with warships like Ark Royal, Valiant, and Warspite. Lightning sank on March 12, 1943, after taking two torpedo hits from German motor torpedo boats (Schnellboot) during an operation to intercept a German convoy.

Modules

Main Battery Guns Rate of Fire
(shots/min)
180° Turn Time
(sec)
Maximum Dispersion
(m)
Maximum HE Shell Damage
(HP)
Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell
(%)
Maximum AP Shell Damage
(HP)
Research price
(exp)
Purchase price
(Credits)
120 mm/50 QF Mk.XI on a CP Mk.XX mount13.391061,70092,200 0650,000
Hull Hit Points
(HP)
Armor
(mm)
Armor
(mm)
Main Turrets
(pcs.)
Secondary Gun Turrets
(pcs.)
AA Mounts
(pcs.)
Torpedo Tubes
(pcs.)
Hangar Capacity
(pcs.)
Research price
(exp)
Purchase price
(Credits)
Lightning (A)13,00062032/4/1/32 0850,000
Lightning (B)15,90062034/62 39,0002,750,000
Torpedoes Rate of Fire
(shots/min)
Torpedo Tubes Reload Time
(sec)
180° Turn Time
(sec)
Maximum Damage
(HP)
Torpedo Speed
(knot)
Torpedo Range
(km)
Research price
(exp)
Purchase price
(Credits)
533 mm Mk IX(*)0.6967.215,866618 0800,000
Fire Control System IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST
(%)
Maximum Firing Range
(km)
Research price
(exp)
Purchase price
(Credits)
Mk VIII mod. 10 0400,000
Mk VIII mod. 20 25,0001,550,000
Engine Maximum Speed
(knot)
Research price
(exp)
Purchase price
(Credits)
Propulsion: 48,000 hp36 0700,000

Compatible Upgrades

 Slot 1 
Main Armaments Modification 1
Auxiliary Armaments Modification 1
Magazine Modification 1
Damage Control Party Modification 1
 Slot 2 
Damage Control System Modification 1
Hydroacoustic Search Modification 1
Engine Room Protection
 Slot 3 
Main Battery Modification 2
AA Guns Modification 1
Aiming Systems Modification 1
Smoke Generator Modification 1
Torpedo Tubes Modification 1
 Slot 4 
Damage Control System Modification 2
Steering Gears Modification 1
Depth Charges Modification 1
 Slot 5 
Torpedo Lookout System
Concealment System Modification 1
Steering Gears Modification 2
Ship Consumables Modification 1

Player Opinion

Performance

Background

The L and M class destroyers were a class of destroyers built and launched between 1938 and 1942. The defining feature of this class was their new QF 4.7-inch Mk XI guns which fired a heavier shell than their predecessors and were placed on fully enclosed weatherproof mounts.

Lightning was laid down on November 15th, 1938 and launched April 22nd, 1940. She would serve in WW2 for the Royal Navy from 1941 until 1943 when she was sunk by German torpedo boats while attempting to intercept a German Convoy.

The Ship

Lightning is the Tier VIII ship in the British Destroyer Line and is a direct upgrade in terms of play style and capabilities over the Jervis. Similar to her predecessors she thrives in a defensive role.

Armament

Lightning uses the 120 mm/50 QF Mk XI gun which has far improved characteristics over the guns that are used on Jervis. The most apparent differences will be the 360 degree traverse on all of her gun mounts and the flatter shell trajectory making them some of the easiest destroyer guns at Tier VIII to use. Her HE shells have an average alpha damage per shell at 1700 but an above average base fire chance at 9 percent. Her AP shells have an alpha damage of 2200 per shell however they are heavier and fly faster than the many of her contemporaries shells giving them an above average shell penetration. The damage per minute for her AP and HE shells are average due to the 4.5 base reload on her guns. Lightning has some of the most effective destroyer guns at the tier when used defensively and in knife fights. The 360 degree turret traverse and good firing arcs allow her to maneuver heavily while keeping all of her gun mounts on target much easier than other ships in the tier. The average damage per minute on the AP and HE shells can be mitigated by her captain using the above average fire chance and AP penetration to increase the effective damage.

The torpedo armament of Lightning is centered entirely around defensive use. Her 2 quadruple torpedo launchers have a base reload of 96 seconds, an alpha damage of 15886, and a speed of 61 knots which are average for the tier. Being a British Destroyer she has the ability to single launch her torpedoes allowing captains to very accurately launch torpedo salvos and launch partial salvos. The ability to single launch her torpedoes comes with the downside of having only 8km range. The short range forces her to come to much closer ranges in order to effectively launch her torpedoes and make them very hard to use if the enemy vessel is sailing away or has Surveillance RadarWhile active, detects all enemy ships within the specified radius, disregarding obstacles such as smoke and terrain..

The utility of Lightning is arguably her strongest trait. She has the standard British Smoke GeneratorWhile active, generates a smoke screen that blocks line-of-sight for both enemies and teammates. consumable that has the shortest emission time and duration in the game in exchange for having the highest number of charges and shortest recharge rate in the game. It discourages sitting and firing from smoke but allows her captain to be much more liberal when using it to disengage. She has the British Destroyer short range Hydroacoustic SearchWhile active, detects all enemy ships and torpedoes within the specified radius, without regard of obstacles such as smoke and terrain. consumable which trades ship detection range for much longer action time. Her concealment is superb with 7.02 km base concealment allowing her to achieve a 5.5 km concealment when combined with Concealment System Modification 1: -10% to detectability radius. / +5% to the dispersion of enemy shells fired at your ship. and Concealment Expert. While she does not have access to an Engine Boost consumable and has a low top speed of 36 knots, she has improved acceleration by default and can get up to speed faster than any other nation's destroyers.

Anti-Aircraft

Lightning is the first British Destroyer in the tech tree to have access to long range AA however her AA defenses overall are below average for Tier VIII. Her continuous damage of 100 is on the lower side of her tier. Her damage from flak bursts is standard at 1260 however only fires 1 flak burst per salvo without modification. She does not have access to a Defensive AA Fire consumable making any investment in AA modules or captain skills yield little return in usefulness.

Battle Performance

Similar to the rest of the line Lightning excels as a defensive destroyer especially when being used to contest cap points. She can be one of the most formidable destroyers to attempt to push given her incredibly low concealment, ability to aggressively knife fight, and single launch torpedoes.

Captains of Lightning should opt to play on a flank that the enemy is pushing or very likely to push which might mean waiting and seeing how the enemy team behaves before committing to an area. Lightning is best used as a buffer between an approaching enemy force using her excellent concealment and acceleration to engage enemy destroyers and using single launch torpedoes to dissuade an enemy push. Lightning will out spot most enemy destroyers that she faces allowing her to place herself in a better position to engage or disengage if the fight is unfavorable. She is more forgiving to mistakes than other destroyers due to her British Smoke GeneratorWhile active, generates a smoke screen that blocks line-of-sight for both enemies and teammates. and improved acceleration allowing her to disengage from unfavorable scenarios more easily and more often than others.

Pros:

  • 360 degree traverse on all main battery mounts
  • Single launch ability on her torpedo tubes
  • Ability to reach 5.5 km concealment with appropriate upgrades
  • Improved acceleration standard allowing captains to quickly reach top speed
  • Long Lasting Hydroacoustic SearchWhile active, detects all enemy ships and torpedoes within the specified radius, without regard of obstacles such as smoke and terrain. consumable
  • Shortest recharge on Smoke GeneratorWhile active, generates a smoke screen that blocks line-of-sight for both enemies and teammates. consumable in the game

Cons:

  • Only 8km range on the torpedoes
  • Below average AAA
  • Low top speed at 36 knots base
  • British Smoke GeneratorWhile active, generates a smoke screen that blocks line-of-sight for both enemies and teammates. with the lowest bloom time and uptime in the game
  • British Hydroacoustic SearchWhile active, detects all enemy ships and torpedoes within the specified radius, without regard of obstacles such as smoke and terrain. with low ship detection range

Research

Availability of researchable upgrades for Lightning is as follows:

  • Hull: Upgrade to Hull (B). Research of this module unlocks progression to IX Jutland.
  • Gun Fire Control System: Upgrade to main battery for an additional 10% range.

Optimal Configuration

Lightning should be tailored toward improving her concealment first and her firepower second to enhance her ability to engage and disengage when desired. Her torpedoes have more limited uses and should hold less priority than her guns.

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades for Lightning are as follows:


The Hydroacoustic Search Modification 1 Increases the action time of the Hydroacoustic Search and Short-Range Hydroacoustic Search consumables.: +20% action time. special upgrade for Slot 2 provides a 20% (36 second) action time boost to Hydro.

Commander Skills

Lightning uses a playstyle that is almost the same as the remainder of the destroyers in the British Tech Tree and will use a very similar build. Below is a recommended build for Lightning and the British Tech Tree destroyers.

Consumables

Lightning can equip the following consumables:

Signals

Lightning captains benefit from signal flags that enhance her main battery armament and torpedo armament, such as Victor Lima (+1% chance of causing a fire for bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm / +0.5% chance of causing a fire for bombs and shells with a caliber below 160mm. / +4% chance of causing flooding.), India X-Ray (+1% chance of causing a fire for bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm. / +0.5% chance of causing a fire for bombs and shells with a caliber below 160mm. / +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating.), and Juliet Whiskey Unaone (+15% chance of causing flooding. / +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating.). Sierra Mike (+5% to the ship's maximum speed.) is useful for increasing maneuverability.


Note: Use of the Juliet Charlie signal makes detonation impossible.

Gallery

Historical Info

Historical Gallery

References



Ship Change Log

See here for links to Update notes.

Testing Changes

  • June 24, 2018:
    • Preliminary characteristics.
  • July 10, 2018:
    • The Engine Boost consumable was removed.
    • A bug that incorrectly displayed the reload as 6 seconds was corrected to 5 seconds.
  • August 15, 2018:
    • The wide spread aim option for the ship's torpedoes was replaced with a narrow spread.
    • Main battery firing angles were improved.
    • Main battery reload was decreased from 5 to 4.5 s.
    • The Smoker Generator consumable was adjusted:
      • Action time was reduced from 15 to 10 s.
      • Duration of the screen was reduced to 40 s.
      • Cooldown was reduced from 240 (160 s) to 80 s (60 s).
      • Number of charges was increased from 2 (3) to 5 (6).
  • August 21, 2018:
    • The Royal Navy permanent camouflage was added for the ship.
  • September 13, 2018:
    • The Hydroacoustic Search consumable was added.
  • October 1, 2018:
    • The difference in cooldown times of the premium and standard Smoke Generator consumable was changed from a flat 20 s (70 vs 90) to a 50% difference. The standard cooldown was raised from 90 to 105 s. The premium version remained untouched.
  • Available for testing by supertesters in the game starting from Update 0.7.7.
  • Can be obtained after completing a combat mission in Update 0.7.9.
  • Introduced into the game as a researchable ship in Update 0.7.10.
  • Update 0.8.2:
    • Minor fixes to geometry and textures.
  • Update 0.8.5:
    • The silhouette of the destroyed ship was fixed.
  • Update 0.9.4:
    • Minor fixes for textures and ship model.
  • Update 12.0:
    • The Royal Navy permanent camouflage was removed for purchase in the Exterior tab.
  • Update 12.9:
    • Reversed erroneous changes to characteristics for the HE shells.
  • Update 12.11:
    • The Polar Ice Caps permanent camouflage was added.

Ships of U.K.
Destroyers  II Medea • III Valkyrie • III CampbeltownDoubloons • IV Wakeful • V Acasta • VI Icarus • VI GallantDoubloons • VII Jervis • VII Jupiter '42Doubloons • VIII Lightning • VIII CossackDoubloons • VIII Cossack BDoubloons • IX Jutland • IX SommeDoubloons • X Daring • X DruidDoubloons 
Cruisers  I Black Swan • II Weymouth • III Caledon • IV Danae • V Emerald • V Hawkins • V ExeterDoubloons • VI Leander • VI Devonshire • VI LondonDoubloons • VI DidoDoubloons • VII Fiji • VII Surrey • VII BelfastDoubloons • VIII Edinburgh • VIII Albemarle • VIII CheshireDoubloons • VIII Tiger '59Doubloons • VIII Belfast '43Doubloons • VIII HampshireDoubloons • VIII NottinghamDoubloons • VIII AL CheshireDoubloons • VIII STAR EdinburghDoubloons • IX Neptune • IX Drake • X Monmouth • X Minotaur • X Goliath • X PlymouthDoubloons • X GibraltarDoubloons • X Defence •  Edgar 
Battleships  III Bellerophon • III Indefatigable • III DreadnoughtDoubloons • IV Orion • IV Queen Mary • V Iron Duke • V Tiger • V AgincourtDoubloons • VI WarspiteDoubloons • VI Queen Elizabeth • VI Renown • VI RepulseDoubloons • VI Repulse BDoubloons • VII King George V • VII Rooke • VII HoodDoubloons • VII NelsonDoubloons • VII Duke of YorkDoubloons • VII CollingwoodDoubloons • VII Renown '44Doubloons • VIII Monarch • VIII Hawke • VIII VanguardDoubloons • IX Lion • IX Duncan • IX MarlboroughDoubloons • IX Scarlet ThunderDoubloons • X Conqueror • X St. Vincent • X ThundererDoubloons • X IncomparableDoubloons •  Devastation 
Aircraft Carriers  IV Hermes • VI Furious • VI Ark RoyalDoubloons • VIII Implacable • VIII IndomitableDoubloons • VIII ColossusDoubloons • X Audacious • X MaltaDoubloons •  Eagle
Destroyers
Japan  II TachibanaDoubloons • II Umikaze • II Tachibana LimaDoubloons • III Wakatake • IV Isokaze • V Minekaze • V FūjinDoubloons • V KamikazeDoubloons • V Kamikaze RDoubloons • V Mutsuki • VI Fubuki • VI Hatsuharu • VI Shinonome BDoubloons • VI ShinonomeDoubloons • VII Akatsuki • VII Shiratsuyu • VII YūdachiDoubloons • VIII Akizuki • VIII Kagerō • VIII AsashioDoubloons • VIII HSF Harekaze IIDoubloons • VIII Asashio BDoubloons • VIII HSF HarekazeDoubloons • VIII AL YukikazeDoubloons • IX Yūgumo • IX Kitakaze • IX MinegumoDoubloons • IX STAR KitakazeDoubloons • X Shimakaze • X Harugumo • X HayateDoubloons •  Yamagiri 
U.K.  II Medea • III Valkyrie • III CampbeltownDoubloons • IV Wakeful • V Acasta • VI Icarus • VI GallantDoubloons • VII Jervis • VII Jupiter '42Doubloons • VIII Lightning • VIII CossackDoubloons • VIII Cossack BDoubloons • IX Jutland • IX SommeDoubloons • X Daring • X DruidDoubloons 
France  II Enseigne Gabolde • III Fusilier • IV Bourrasque • V Jaguar • V SirocoDoubloons • VI Guépard • VI AigleDoubloons • VII Vauquelin • VIII Le Fantasque • VIII Le TerribleDoubloons • IX Mogador • X Kléber • X MarceauDoubloons • X Kléber CLR 
U.S.S.R.  II Storozhevoi • III Derzki • IV Izyaslav • V GremyashchyDoubloons • V Podvoisky • V OkhotnikDoubloons • VI Gnevny • VII Minsk • VII LeningradDoubloons • VII Tashkent '39Doubloons • VIII Ognevoi • VIII Kiev • IX Udaloi • IX Tashkent • IX NeustrashimyDoubloons • X KhabarovskDoubloons • X Grozovoi • X Delny •  Zorkiy 
U.S.A.  II Sampson • II SmithDoubloons • III Wickes • IV Clemson • V Nicholas • V HillDoubloons • VI Farragut • VI MonaghanDoubloons • VII Mahan • VII SimsDoubloons • VII Sims BDoubloons • VIII Benson • VIII KiddDoubloons • IX Fletcher • IX BenhamDoubloons • IX HalfordDoubloons • IX Black BDoubloons • IX BlackDoubloons • X Gearing • X SomersDoubloons • X Forrest ShermanDoubloons •  Joshua Humphreys 
Germany  II V-25 • III G-101 • IV V-170 • V T-22 • VI Ernst Gaede • VI T-61Doubloons • VI Karl von SchönbergDoubloons • VII Leberecht Maass • VII Z-31 • VII Z-39Doubloons • VIII Z-23 • VIII Gustav-Julius Maerker • VIII Z-35Doubloons • IX Z-46 • IX Felix Schultz • IX Z-44Doubloons • IX ZF-6Doubloons • X Z-52 • X Elbing • X Z-42Doubloons 
Pan-Asia  II Longjiang • III Phra Ruang • IV Shenyang • V Jianwei • VI Fushun • VI AnshanDoubloons • VII Gadjah Mada • VIII Hsienyang • VIII SiliwangiDoubloons • VIII LoyangDoubloons • VIII FenyangDoubloons • VIII Loyang BDoubloons • VIII Ship SmashaDoubloons • IX Chung Mu • X Yueyang • X Lüshun •  Kunming 
Spain  X Álvaro de BazánDoubloons 
Europe  II Tátra • III Romulus • IV Klas Horn • V Visby • V Muavenet • VI Västerås • VI Stord • VII Skåne • VII Grom • VII BłyskawicaDoubloons • VII Stord '43Doubloons • VIII Öland • VIII Split • VIII OrkanDoubloons • IX Östergötland • IX Lambros Katsonis • IX VelosDoubloons • IX FrieslandDoubloons • IX JägerDoubloons • X Halland • X Gdańsk • X SmålandDoubloons • X RagnarDoubloons •  Dalarna 
Netherlands  IX GroningenDoubloons • X TrompDoubloons 
Italy  II Curtatone • III Nazario Sauro • IV Turbine • V Maestrale • VI Aviere • VI LeoneDoubloons • VII Luca Tarigo • VII FR25Doubloons • VIII Vittorio Cuniberti • IX Adriatico • IX Paolo EmilioDoubloons • X Attilio Regolo 
Commonwealth  III VampireDoubloons • VII HaidaDoubloons • VII HuronDoubloons • X Vampire IIDoubloons 
Pan-America  VI JuruáDoubloons