Hampshire

13.9

Cruiser | U.K. | Tier VIII

Tech Tree Position

Battle Levels

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VIII

Special

Hampshire — British special premium Tier VIII cruiser.

The Japanese constructing cruisers with ten 8-inch guns made the British Admiralty think about improving the combat characteristics of future ships. In May 1927, an order was given to develop cruisers with five main battery turrets and one additional turret. Following long discussions, it was decided to discard the idea of the additional turret in favor of armor. This would later spur the emergence of the Surrey-class cruisers.

Hampshire was first released for sale on 26 August 2022 as 1 of 35 random bundles for Navigator Tokens, or in an Admiral bundle in the premium shop. She was then made available in the Armory and Premium Shop on 03 January 2023.

Modules

	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 ()
203 mm/50 Mk VIII on a Mk.I* mount	6	22.5	148			4,350		0	0

	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 ()
Hampshire	37,600	16	152	5	6	4/18/4/4/6	2			0	0

	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 ()
533 mm Mk IXM	0.6	96	7.2	15,533	62	10		0	0

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Mk VIII mod. 1		0		0	0

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 80,000 hp	30		0	0

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4
Slot 5

Player Opinion

Performance

Warning: The data presented in the AA Defense sidebar section may be incorrect.
Refer to the in-game Port screens for more useful data.

Premium tier VIII Hampshire sits between the light and heavy British cruiser lines. Although she carries 203mm guns like many other heavy cruisers, she shares many characteristics with the British light cruisers, including an AP-only main battery with improved penetration angles and shorter fuse times.

Armament

Hampshire carries ten 203mm guns in five twin turrets, three forward of the superstructure and two behind. Like the tech tree light cruisers, Hampshire only fires AP shells. Her shells have the same significantly improved penetration angles and short fuse time, and despite their larger caliber they share the same 12mm arming threshold. The short fuse time and low threshold mean she rarely overpenetrates her target, and make her particularly lethal against destroyers and thinly armored cruisers. However, she will struggle against ships with turtleback or spaced armor schemes, and can only citadel cruisers with exposed citadels. Like the British light cruisers, she rarely gets high damage salvos but will deal consistent damage to broadside targets. As she lacks HE shells, she will struggle against sharply angled targets and must rely on hitting superstructure or selecting a more favorable target.

Her turret traverse is fast for a heavy cruiser, allowing her to quickly switch between targets. Her third turret faces backwards like those found on many Japanese cruisers, and her second is able to rotate a full 360 degrees. Although it limits the guns she can bring to bear when pushing, she can keep most of her guns pointing toward the enemy when kiting.

Her 16.8km main battery range is average for the tier, but good enough for her damage farming role and can be increased with her Spotting Aircraft consumable. Her reload is also average, although one of the fastest among her heavy cruiser counterparts. Combined with her large salvo, she has the potential to deal significant damage with her AP. She also has improved ballistics and lower flight times than her light and heavy British counterparts.

In addition to her main guns, Hampshire carries one quadruple torpedo launcher on each side. Her torpedoes are identical to those found on Tier VIII heavy cruiser Albemarle, with average stats across the board. Like other British ships, Hampshire can choose between single fire or narrow spread. Although her launchers can rotate almost completely to the stern, her actual firing angles are rather limited and often require exposing her side to use. When fully built for concealment, Hampshire has a 0.3km stealth torpedo window.

Hampshire's secondary armament is fairly useless. Identical to those on Edinburgh and Belfast '43, Hampshire's consists of three twin 102mm mounts on each side. Although they only penetrate 17mm, they have a high rate of fire and can reliably set fires. Getting close enough to use secondaries is highly discouraged, but ambushing enemies may be in for an unexpected fiery welcome.

Consumables

Hampshire's consumable suite is relatively unsurprising for a Tier VIII cruiser. In addition to the cruiser Damage Control Party, she carries a standard Hydroacoustic Search, Defensive AA Fire, and a choice of Catapult Fighter or Spotting Aircraft. Unlike most cruisers, her Hydroacoustic Search and Defensive AA Fire are in separate slots.

In contrast to most Tier VIII British cruisers, Hampshire does not have access to a Repair Party. Although she strongly resembles a larger gunned light cruiser, she also lacks the Smoke Generator or Surveillance Radar found on Edinburgh and the premium light cruisers.

Maneuverability

One of Hampshire's most noticeable shortcomings is her lack of speed. At only 30 knots, she is the slowest cruiser in her tier (just behind Tiger '59), and one of the slowest in her entire matchmaking range. Even with the Sierra Mike signal, Hampshire can’t reach 32 knots. She’ll often be one of the last ships to reach the battle, and will trail behind her fleet if forced to run away. Although she lacks speed, Hampshire does retain the typical “British” improved acceleration. Like the tech tree cruisers and destroyers, she accelerates significantly faster from 0 to 6 knots but can’t mount the Propulsion Modification 1 upgrade.

The rest of Hampshire's agility is similarly underwhelming. Her rudder shift is average, and her turning circle is only slightly better than average. She also lacks the improved energy retention of the light cruisers and destroyers, losing more speed in turns

Survivability

Overall, Hampshire lacks survivability. Her health is below average for a Tier VIII cruiser, and is the lowest among heavy cruisers. She also lacks the Repair Party of many other British cruisers, so any damage she takes is permanent.

Like the other British cruisers, Hampshire can’t rely on her armor to stay alive either. As a heavy cruiser, she has a 25mm bow and stern compared to Edinburgh’s 16mm. Although it protects against small caliber HE and can bounce cruiser caliber AP, battleship AP and cruiser HE pose a much bigger threat. Her “bow” section is also huge, with the 25mm plating extending all the way to her superstructure, making it an easy target to hit. Her 27mm upper belt and 30mm deck offer a bit more protection, but are still vulnerable to most cruiser HE and most battleship caliber AP. Although she struggles against larger ships, she is well protected against most destroyers. Her superstructure is rather small, and any shells that miss will shatter harmlessly on her deck.

Her citadel is small for a cruiser, and protected behind a small 152mm plate. It extends above the waterline, but its small size makes it more difficult to hit, saving her from a potentially deadly broadside hit. However, that small size can also be a negative. As the only part of her armor able to reliably bounce battleship AP, being a small target limits the times it will bounce AP or shatter HE. And surrounded by 27mm plating, anything that doesn’t hit that small belt will likely penetrate.

Hampshire's concealment is average for her tier, although she is still stealthier than many cruisers in her matchmaking range. With Concealment Expert and the Concealment System Modification 1 upgrade, she can get her surface detection down to 9.7km.

Hampshire has relatively weak torpedo protection. Her 7% reduction is slightly better than those of the light cruisers, but still offers little protection against severe damage from torpedoes. Her turrets are also rather vulnerable. The entire turret and barbette is covered in 25mm plating, and can easily become incapacitated or destroyed under sustained cruiser or battleship fire.

Anti-aircraft

Hampshire struggles to protect herself against aircraft. Her long range defenses are noticeably weak, with low continuous damage and only a couple low-damage flak clouds. Almost all of her damage comes from her short and mid range mounts, with most in her short range aura. Although her mid range damage is high for a heavy cruiser, she shares Belfast '43’s lowest-in-tier 2.5km range. By the time most of her AA is firing, planes will be well into their attack run.

Hampshire carries the Defensive AA Fire consumable by default, which increases her flak and continuous damage. But with most of her damage coming from short range defenses, it offers less improvement in practice. She also has the option to swap her Spotting Aircraft for a Catapult Fighter, if she wants a bit more protection.

Battle performance

Hampshire is all about farming damage, much like Atago, Admiral Hipper, and Albemarle. When she gets an ideal position with lots of broadside targets, she’ll have a great game, and her improved penetration angles keep her guns effective for longer. But as soon as they angle enough, her potential drops significantly. She’s good at farming cruisers and slapping destroyers that get too close, but less suited for fighting bigger targets.

In many ways, she’s a light cruiser with bigger guns and a bit more protection. She ideally wants to be at mid range on a flank, or in another spot where she can shoot broadsides without too much return fire. Distance is her friend when it comes to survival. If she has to get closer, island cover or concealing herself inside a friendly smokescreen will help keep her alive while using her decent range and good ballistics to hit favorable targets.

Pros:

Small citadel
Improved AP pen angles
Short AP fuse time
Torpedoes, with single fire or narrow spread options
Strong short range AA defenses
“British” improved acceleration from 0 knots
Carries the DFAA and Hydroacoustic Search consumables in separate slots

Cons:

Poor health and weak armor
Very low torpedo damage reduction
Does not have access to HE shells
Weak overall AA defenses
Slow
No Repair Party or Surveillance Radar consumable

Research

As a premium ship, Hampshire has no module upgrades to research.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

Hampshire is all about dealing damage. As such, players should select skills and upgrades that increase her damage potential wherever possible. Like the British light cruisers and destroyers, Hampshire cannot mount the Slot 4 Propulsion Modification 1 upgrade.
The recommended upgrades are:

Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1 *
Slot 2: Engine Room Protection or Hydroacoustic Search Modification 1 or Damage Control System Modification 1 
Slot 3: Aiming Systems Modification 1
Slot 4: Steering Gears Modification 1
Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1

In Slot 1, the coal Spotting Aircraft Modification 1 upgrade is also available, to further increase the action time of her Spotting Aircraft.

Commander Skills

Unique Commander Andrew Cunningham can be a good fit for Hampshire. Although more difficult to activate, Hampshire would benefit from his Lightning Fast talent that increases her speed if she causes two floodings.

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Attack				Defense
1	Grease the Gears +15% main battery traverse speed. ★★	Swift Fish +5% torpedo speed.	Consumables Specialist −7.5% cooldown time of all Consumables except: Damage Control Party  Repair Party . ★	Gun Feeder -40% time to switch shell type.	Incoming Fire Alert Receive a warning of a salvo fired at your ship from more than 4.5km. ★★★	Last Stand The ship remains able to move and maneuver - slowly - while the engine or steering gears are incapacitated. ★★
2	Demolition Expert +1% chance of main and secondary HE shells causing a fire. +15% to the fragmentation damage area of HE ordnance fired at submarines.	Fill the Tubes -10% torpedo tubes reload time.	Consumables Enhancements +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search, Surveillance Radar, Smoke Generator, & Engine Boost. ★	Eye in the Sky Spotting Aircraft: • +2 charges • -50% cooldown time.	Priority Target The detection indicator will show the number of enemies targeting you with main battery. ★★★	Focus Fire Training In an active priority AA sector: • +1.5% (to 5%) immediate damage. • +25% continuous damage. • +1 flak burst per salvo. −10% aircraft preparation time. −15% reload time of Airstrike armament..
3	Heavy HE and SAP Shells +10% HE and SAP shell damage. +15% ship detectability guns 149mm and up.	Pack a Punch +15% torpedo damage. +20% secondary battery range..	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% reload time of all armaments per 1% HP lost +0.2% AA continuous damage per 1% HP lost. ★★★	Heavy AP Shells +5% damage for AP shells 190mm and larger. ★★	Superintendent +1 charge to all consumables. ★	Survivability Expert +450 HP per ship tier. ★★★
4	Top Grade Gunner -10% reload time of secondary batteries If enemy ship is spotted within detectability range, -8% reload time of main battery. ★★	Outnumbered If there are fewer allies than visible enemies within the ship's base main caliber firing range: +8% ship speed -10% main battery dispersion.	Radio Location Shows the direction to the nearest enemy ship. The enemy is alerted that a bearing has been taken.. ★	Inertial Fuse for HE Shells +25% armor penetration of HE shells Base fire chance reduced by half.	Concealment Expert -10% detectability range of the ship. ★★★	AAA & ASW Expert +25% continuous AA and flak damage. +15% damage inflicted by depth charges. While AAA is active: −50% ship consumables reload time..
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful ★★ - Frequently Useful ★ - Occasionally Useful No stars - Not Useful

Consumables

Hampshire equips the following consumables:

Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
Slot 2: Hydroacoustic Search  – 3 charges
Slot 3: Defensive AA Fire  – 3 charges
Slot 4: Spotting Aircraft  – 4 charges or Catapult Fighter  – 3 charges

Camouflage

As a premium ship, Hampshire comes with Default permanent camouflage and a set of permanent combat bonuses.

Signals

Recommended Signal Flags
Combat
Juliet Charlie -100% to the risk of magazine detonation. ★★★	Juliet Yankee Bissotwo -20% to flooding duration. ★	India Yankee -20% to fire duration. ★	Hotel Yankee -20% to damage received when ramming the enemy. +50% to damage dealt when ramming the enemy.	Victor Lima +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +4% chance of torpedoes causing flooding.	India X-Ray +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating.
Juliet Whiskey Unaone +15% chance of causing flooding. +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating. ★	Mike Yankee Soxisix +5% to secondary battery maximum firing range. -5% to maximum dispersion of secondary battery shells. -5% to secondary battery loading time.	November Echo Setteseven +5% continuous AA damage at all ranges. +5% damage from flak bursts. ★★	Sierra Mike +5% to the ship's maximum speed. ★★★	November Foxtrot -5% reload time on all consumables. ★★	India Delta +20% to the amount of HP recovered when Repair Party  is used.
X-Ray Papa Unaone +10% action time of a Smoke Generator .	Sierra Bravo +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search  -10% reload time of Defensive AA Fire . ★

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

Gallery

References

Ships of U.K.

Destroyers	II Medea • III Valkyrie • III Campbeltown • IV Wakeful • V Acasta • VI Icarus • VI Gallant • VII Jervis • VII Jupiter '42 • VIII Lightning • VIII Cossack • VIII Cossack B • IX Jutland • IX Somme • X Daring • X Druid
Cruisers	I Black Swan • II Weymouth • III Caledon • IV Danae • V Emerald • V Hawkins • V Exeter • VI Leander • VI Devonshire • VI London • VI Dido • VI Orion '44 • VII Fiji • VII Surrey • VII Belfast • VIII Edinburgh • VIII Albemarle • VIII Cheshire • VIII Tiger '59 • VIII Belfast '43 • VIII Hampshire • VIII Nottingham • VIII AL Cheshire • VIII STAR Edinburgh • IX Neptune • IX Drake • X Monmouth • X Minotaur • X Goliath • X Plymouth • X Gibraltar • X Defence • ★ Edgar
Battleships	III Bellerophon • III Indefatigable • III Dreadnought • IV Orion • IV Queen Mary • V Iron Duke • V Tiger • V Agincourt • VI Warspite • VI Queen Elizabeth • VI Renown • VI Repulse • VI Repulse B • VII King George V • VII Rooke • VII Hood • VII Nelson • VII Duke of York • VII Collingwood • VII Renown '44 • VII Rodney • VIII Monarch • VIII Hawke • VIII Vanguard • IX Lion • IX Duncan • IX Marlborough • IX Scarlet Thunder • X Conqueror • X St. Vincent • X Thunderer • X Incomparable • X Cumberland • X [[Ship:[Conqueror]\|[Conqueror]]] • ★ Devastation
Aircraft Carriers	IV Hermes • VI Furious • VI Ark Royal • VIII Implacable • VIII Indomitable • VIII Colossus • VIII Theseus • X Audacious • X Malta • X [[Ship:[Audacious]\|[Audacious]]] • ★ Eagle

Cruisers

Netherlands	I Van Kinsbergen • II Gelderland • III Java • IV De Ruyter • V Celebes • VI Kijkduin • VII Eendracht • VIII Haarlem • VIII De Zeven Provinciën • VIII Admiraal • VIII Statenland • IX Johan de Witt • IX Van Speijk • X Gouden Leeuw • X Prins van Oranje • X Vrijheid
U.S.A.	I Erie • II Chester • II Albany • III St. Louis • III Charleston • IV Phoenix • V Omaha • V Marblehead • V Marblehead Lima • V Rattlehead • VI [[Ship:Cleveland (< 31.05.2018)\|Cleveland (< 31.05.2018)]] • VI Pensacola • VI Dallas • VII Atlanta • VII [[Ship:Pensacola (< 31.05.2018)\|Pensacola (< 31.05.2018)]] • VII New Orleans • VII Helena • VII Indianapolis • VII Atlanta B • VII Boise • VII Flint • VIII [[Ship:New Orleans (< 31.05.2018)\|New Orleans (< 31.05.2018)]] • VIII Baltimore • VIII Cleveland • VIII Wichita • VIII Anchorage • VIII Congress • VIII Rochester • VIII San Diego • VIII AL Montpelier • IX [[Ship:Baltimore (< 31.05.2018)\|Baltimore (< 31.05.2018)]] • IX Buffalo • IX Seattle • IX Vallejo • IX Alaska • IX Tulsa • IX Alaska B • X Des Moines • X Worcester • X Puerto Rico • X Salem • X Austin • ★ Jacksonville • ★ Annapolis
Europe	I Gryf • VI Elli • X Svea
Germany	I Hermelin • II Dresden • II Emden • III Kolberg • IV Karlsruhe • V Königsberg • VI Nürnberg • VI Admiral Graf Spee • VI Leipzig • VI HSF Admiral Graf Spee • VII Yorck • VII München • VII Weimar • VIII Admiral Hipper • VIII Prinz Eugen • VIII Mainz • VIII Schill • VIII Mainz B • VIII Cross of Dorn • VIII Wiesbaden • IX Roon • IX Siegfried • IX Ägir • IX Admiral Schröder • IX Roon CLR • IX AL Ägir • X Hindenburg • X Hildebrand • X [[Ship:[Hindenburg]\|[Hindenburg]]] • ★ Clausewitz
U.S.S.R.	I Orlan • II Diana • II Diana Lima • II Novik • III Aurora • III Bogatyr • III Oleg • III Varyag • III AL Avrora • IV Svietlana • V Murmansk • V [[Ship:Kirov (< 10.06.2020)\|Kirov (< 10.06.2020)]] • V Kotovsky • V Krasny Krym • V Mikoyan • V Kirov • VI Budyonny • VI Molotov • VI Admiral Makarov • VII Shchors • VII Lazo • VII Lazo B • VIII Chapayev • VIII Tallinn • VIII Mikhail Kutuzov • VIII Ochakov • VIII Pyotr Bagration • VIII Bagration • VIII Dmitry Pozharsky • IX Dmitri Donskoi • IX Riga • IX Kronshtadt • IX Kozma Minin • X Moskva • X Alexander Nevsky • X Petropavlovsk • X Stalingrad • X Smolensk B • X Smolensk • X Sevastopol • X Komissar • X [[Ship:[Moskva]\|[Moskva]]] • X Vladimir Monomakh • X Petrozavodsk • ★ Novosibirsk
Italy	I Eritrea • II Nino Bixio • III Taranto • IV Alberto di Giussano • V Raimondo Montecuccoli • V Genova • VI Trento • VI Duca d'Aosta • VII Zara • VII Duca degli Abruzzi • VII Francesco Ferruccio • VII Gorizia • VIII Amalfi • IX Brindisi • IX Michelangelo • X Venezia • X Napoli • X Napoli B • X Ravenna • ★ Piemonte
Pan-America	I Hércules • II Almirante Barroso • II Almirante Abreu • III Vicente Guerrero • IV Córdoba • V La Argentina • VI Almirante Cochrane • VII Coronel Bolognesi • VII Nueve de Julio • VIII Ignacio Allende • VIII Almirante Grau • IX Santander • X San Martín
Japan	I Hashidate • II Chikuma • III Tenryū • III Katori • IV Yūbari • IV Kuma • IV Iwaki Alpha • V Furutaka • V Agano • V Yahagi • VI Aoba • VI Gokase • VII Myōkō • VII Omono • VII Tokachi • VII Maya • VII ARP Myōkō • VII ARP Ashigara • VII ARP Haguro • VII Southern Dragon • VII Eastern Dragon • VII ARP Nachi • VIII Mogami • VIII Tone • VIII Atago • VIII Shimanto • VIII Atago B • VIII ARP Takao • VIII ARP Maya • VIII Tone 2 • VIII Tone 3 • IX Ibuki • IX Takahashi • IX Azuma • IX AL Azuma • IX Chikuma II • IX Chikuma II Golden • IX BA Takahashi • X Zaō • X Yodo • X Yoshino • X Yoshino B • X Kitakami • X Zaō CLR • X [[Ship:[Zaō]\|[Zaō]]]
U.K.	I Black Swan • II Weymouth • III Caledon • IV Danae • V Emerald • V Hawkins • V Exeter • VI Leander • VI Devonshire • VI London • VI Dido • VI Orion '44 • VII Fiji • VII Surrey • VII Belfast • VIII Edinburgh • VIII Albemarle • VIII Cheshire • VIII Tiger '59 • VIII Belfast '43 • VIII Hampshire • VIII Nottingham • VIII AL Cheshire • VIII STAR Edinburgh • IX Neptune • IX Drake • X Monmouth • X Minotaur • X Goliath • X Plymouth • X Gibraltar • X Defence • ★ Edgar
France	I Bougainville • II Jurien de la Gravière • III Friant • IV Duguay-Trouin • V Émile Bertin • VI La Galissonnière • VI De Grasse • VI Dupleix • VI Montcalm • VI [[Ship:[La Galissonnière]\|[La Galissonnière]]] • VII Algérie • VII Toulon • VIII Charles Martel • VIII Cherbourg • VIII Bayard • IX Saint-Louis • IX Brest • IX Carnot • X Henri IV • X Marseille • X Colbert • X Brennus • ★ Condé
Pan-Asia	I Chengan • III Ning Hai • V Chungking • VI Rahmat • VI Huanghe • VII Chumphon • VIII Harbin • VIII Irian • VIII Wukong • IX Sejong • IX Dalian • IX Mengchong • IX Tianjin • X Jinan • X Incheon
Spain	I Júpiter • II Méndez Núñez • III Navarra • IV Almirante Cervera • V Galicia • VI Baleares • VI Canarias • VII Asturias • VIII Cataluña • VIII Numancia • IX Andalucía • IX Almirante Oquendo • X Castilla
Commonwealth	I Sutlej • II Port Jackson • III Caradoc • IV Dunedin • V Delhi • VI Hobart • VI Perth • VI Mysore • VII Uganda • VIII Auckland • IX Encounter • IX Hector • X Cerberus • X Brisbane

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Hampshire

Modules

Compatible Upgrades