Ark Royal

13.9

Ark Royal

Aircraft Carrier | U.K. | Tier VI

Tech Tree Position

General

Purchase priceSpecial

Hit Points44,500

Secondary Armament #1

113 mm/45 QF Mk.I on a Mk.III UD mount8 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range4 km.

Rate of Fire12 shots/min.

Reload Time5 sec.

HE Shell113 mm HE Mk XVI

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,600

Initial HE Shell Velocity746 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell7 %

AA Defense

113 mm/45 QF Mk.I on a Mk.III UD mount8 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second71.2

. . . Firing Range5.01 km.

12.7 mm Mk.III8 х 4 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second16.8

. . . Firing Range1.2 km.

40 mm/39 Vickers QF Mk.VIII on a Mk.VI mount6 х 8 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second118.8

. . . Firing Range2.49 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed31 knot

Turning Circle Radius990 m.

Rudder Shift Time12.8 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range13.97 km.

Air Detectability Range11.79 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

13.9

Ark Royal

Aircraft Carrier | U.K. | Tier VI

Tech Tree Position

General

Purchase priceSpecial

Hit Points44,500

Secondary Armament #1

113 mm/45 QF Mk.I on a Mk.III UD mount8 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range4 km.

Rate of Fire12 shots/min.

Reload Time5 sec.

HE Shell113 mm HE Mk XVI

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,600

Initial HE Shell Velocity746 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell7 %

AA Defense

113 mm/45 QF Mk.I on a Mk.III UD mount8 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second71.2

. . . Firing Range5.01 km.

12.7 mm Mk.III8 х 4 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second16.8

. . . Firing Range1.2 km.

40 mm/39 Vickers QF Mk.VIII on a Mk.VI mount6 х 8 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second118.8

. . . Firing Range2.49 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed31 knot

Turning Circle Radius990 m.

Rudder Shift Time12.8 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range13.97 km.

Air Detectability Range11.79 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

VI

Special

Ark Royal — British special premium Tier VI aircraft сarrier.

The new aircraft carrier was to combine all the innovations: a double-level hangar, steam catapults built into the deck, heavy armor, and multipurpose guns. The armor of the hangar and the flight deck had to be sacrificed to stay within the displacement limits. In May 1941, a torpedo bomber from Ark Royal managed to hit Bismarck, which played its role in the sinking of the battleship. On November 13, Ark Royal was hit by a torpedo. After a long struggle for survivability, it was ordered to abandon the ship, and the aircraft carrier capsized and disappeared underwater.

Modules

	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 ()
Ark Royal	44,500	10	114		8	8/6/8				0	0

	Speed (knot)	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SQUADRON_MED_DAMAGE (HP/min)	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SQUADRON_AMMO_AMOUNT	Hit Points (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Skua	121			1,820		0	0

	Maximum Torpedo Damage (HP)	Speed (knot)	Hit Points (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Swordfish	5,200	98	1,500		0	0

	Maximum Bomb Damage (HP)	Speed (knot)	Hit Points (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Swordfish		98	1,550		0	0

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 102,000 hp	31		0	0

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4

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.

A Tier VI aircraft carrier with the unique feature of carrying large numbers of lower tier aircraft with a fast regeneration time, Ark Royal provides a rather forgiving experience for players new to aircraft carriers while also maintaining a high skill ceiling for more experienced players.

Attack Aircraft:

Perhaps the most unremarkable of Ark Royal's squadrons. They are the same attack aircraft as the stock attack planes found on Furious but with one more aircraft per drop to fire a barrage of 12 rockets. While the aircraft themselves have relatively high hp pools, they are rather slow, with the rockets themselves doing relatively low damage while firing in a fairly wide spread. Only consider using them in the beginning of the match to spare your other two squadrons or for quick damage when the other squadrons need to replenish their numbers.

Torpedo Bombers:

The torpedo bombers should be considered the primary weapon of the Ark Royal against battleships and cruisers. While they are glacially slow with a top speed of only 133 knots, being only Tier IV planes, they are capable of dropping 3 torpedoes per drop, the most of any tier 6 carrier and thus giving her the highest torpedo alpha damage among her contemporaries. They also feature a very short arming distance, giving foes little time to react to a well timed drop. More practiced players of Ark Royal may take advantage of this short arming time by conducting attacks against potentially distracted destroyers, with even one hit being able to cause significant damage. Their short regeneration time of 59 seconds per aircraft also allows some degree of risk to be taken when it comes to where they can be sent.

Carpet Bombers:

Ark Royal's bomber aircraft, like those of other British aircraft carriers, utilize carpet bombing rather than dive bombing, requiring more lead on moving targets due to the higher altitude of the drop. Ark Royal, though, takes this bombing method to an entirely different level. With 8 bombs per aircraft and 3 aircraft per drop, Ark Royal's carpet bombers are capable of completely saturating its drop zone with 24 high explosive bombs. It should be noted, however, that these bombs are rather small and thus do little damage individually with poor penetration. The low penetration of only 19mm of armor in particular greatly precludes its usefulness against all but the most lightly armored battleships and cruisers. However, the sheer quantity they drop makes them excellent firestarters and their low penetration and damage is hardly a problem against lightly armored ships with low hp pools such as destroyers. As such, Ark Royal's carpet bombers should be used to seek out and hunt enemy destroyers or used to light fires against targets that may have prematurely used their damage control party.

Tips:

The torpedo bombers have a very forgiving reticle bloom in that it still continues to tighten even when engaging in a hard turn during an attack. This can be leveraged to make very significant adjustments during an attack run to dodge flak with little consequence or even used to "fake out" a target by flying almost parallel to their path in an attack run to feign an attack on another ship before turning hard towards them to catch them by surprise.

The sluggishness of her squadrons may make it difficult to dodge flak at times. To counter this, fly over islands with steeper topography to confuse flak direction. You can also begin attacks early in order to use the preparation animation to dodge a wall of flak.

Pros:

• Torpedo bombers drop three torpedoes per attack run, aim quickly, and have a converging drop pattern
• Carpet bombers drop a large number of bombs per attack run, good at starting fires and crippling destroyers
• Quick plane restoration time
• Carpet and torpedo bombers have very forgiving aiming reticles, which will never widen when engaging in turns

Cons:

• The torpedo and dive bombers have very poor speed and durability
• All plane types lack agility and have a very large turn radius
• Bombs have very poor penetration
• Fairly ineffective rockets with poor damage
• Very poor ship concealment

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades for Ark Royal are as follows:

• Slot 1: Air Groups Modification 1
• Slot 2: Aircraft Engines Modification 1
• Slot 3: Aerial Torpedoes Modification 1
• Slot 4: Torpedo Bombers Modification 2

Commander Skills

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Attack			Defense		Support
1	Last Gasp Completely restores engine boost for the last attack squadron.	Improved Engine Boost +10% Aircraft engine boost time. ★★	Engine Techie -20% Engine Cooling cooldown time.	Air Supremacy -5% aircraft restoration time. ★★	Direction Center for Fighters +1 fighter to CAP squadrons.	Search and Destroy +10% to action radius of Patrol Fighter and Interceptor squadrons.
2	Torpedo Bomber -10% torpedo arming distance.	Swift Fish +5% to torpedo speed.	Improved Engines +2.5% aircraft squadron speed. ★★	Repair Specialist +1 In-flight Repair consumable +10% its action time.	Secondary Armament Expert +10% flak and continuous damage -10% secondary battery reload time.	Patrol Group Leader +1 fighter to Patrol Fighter or Interceptor squadrons.
3	Sight Stabilization +7.5% aiming speed.	Enhanced Armor-Piercing Ammunition +3% damage from AP bombs and rockets.	Pyrotechnician +1% chance of HE rockets causing a fire. +5% chance of HE bombs causing a fire. ★★	Aircraft Armor -10% continuous AA damage while in an aura. ★★	Survivability Expert +25 aircraft HP per ship tier. ★★	Interceptor Interceptors replace Patrol Fighters:  +10% action radius.  Invulnerable to fighters.  Cannot attack fighters.  Cannot spot ships.
4	Bomber Flight Control +5% speed all bomber types. ★★	Proximity Fuze -10% (absolute) to target's torpedo protection.	Close Quarters Expert Secondary batteries: +20% range -30% dispersion.	Enhanced Aircraft Armor -25% damage from flak. ★★	Hidden Menace -15% ship detectability range. -20% Damage Control Party cooldown. +50% aircraft return time.	Enhanced Reactions -80% time before activated Patrol Fighters or Interceptors attack. +25% action time. +50% cooldown time.
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful      ★★ - Frequently Useful      ★ - Occasionally Useful     No stars - Not Useful

Camouflage

As a premium ship, Ark Royal 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

Historical Info

Ark Royal, 1938

Construction

Builder: Cammell Laird, Birkenhead, United Kingdom

Laid down: 16 September 1935

Launched: 13 April 1937

Commissioned: 16 December 1938

---

Specifications

22,000 tons displacement, standard

240m length

28.895m beam

8.717m draft

---

Machinery

3 × shafts; 3 × geared steam turbines

---

Performance

31 knots at 103,012 shaft horsepower

7,600 nm at 20 knots

---

Armor

Belt: 11.4 cm

Deck: 8.9 cm over boiler rooms and magazine

---

Armament

Secondary

8 × twin 4.5 in (110 mm) DP guns

Anti-aircraft

4 × quadruple 2-pdr (40 mm (1.57 in)) AA guns

8 × quadruple .50 in (12.7 mm) AA MGs

---

Aircraft

Total

50–60

Fighters

24 × Blackburn Skuas

Bombers

26 × Fairey Swordfish

HMS Ark Royal underway date unknown

History

HMS Ark Royal (pennant number 91) was an aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy that served during the Second World War.

Designed in 1934 to fit the restrictions of the Washington Naval Treaty, Ark Royal was built by Cammell Laird at Birkenhead, England, and completed in November 1938. Her design differed from previous aircraft carriers. Ark Royal was the first ship on which the hangars and flight deck were an integral part of the hull, instead of an add-on or part of the superstructure. Designed to carry a large number of aircraft, she had two hangar deck levels. She served during a period that first saw the extensive use of naval airpower; several carrier tactics were developed and refined aboard Ark Royal.

Ark Royal served in some of the most active naval theatres of the Second World War. She was involved in the first aerial and U-boat kills of the war, operations off Norway, the search for the German battleship Bismarck, and the Malta Convoys. Ark Royal survived several near misses and gained a reputation as a 'lucky ship'. She was torpedoed on 13 November 1941 by the German submarine U-81 and sank the following day; one of her 1,488 crew members was killed. Her sinking was the subject of several inquiries; investigators were keen to know how the carrier was lost, in spite of efforts to save the ship and tow her to the naval base at Gibraltar. They found that several design flaws contributed to the loss, which was rectified in new British carriers.

The wreck was discovered in December 2002 by an American underwater survey company using sonar mounted on an autonomous underwater vehicle, under contract from the BBC for the filming of a documentary about the ship, at a depth of about 1,000 meters (3,300 ft) and approximately 30 nautical miles (56 km; 35 mi) from Gibraltar.

Design

In 1923, the Admiralty prepared a 10-year building program which included an aircraft carrier and 300 aircraft for the Fleet Air Arm. The economic downturn following the First World War caused it to be postponed. In 1930, the Director of Naval Construction, Sir Arthur Johns, began to update the plans for the carrier by incorporating recently developed technology. His aim was to increase the number of aircraft carried by shortening the landing and take-off distances of aircraft using arrestor gear and compressed steam catapults respectively, which would make more deck space available for storage and aircraft preparation. Along with the inclusion of two hangar decks, this allowed Ark Royal to carry up to 72 aircraft, although the development of larger and heavier aircraft during the carrier's construction meant that the actual number carried was between 50 and 60. Ark Royal featured an enclosed hangar design where the flight deck was the 'strength deck' and was strongly built with .75in (19mm) thick Ducol steel plating. The two hangar decks were thus enclosed within the hull girder, which also gave splinter protection to the hangars. The machinery spaces were protected by 4.5-inch (11.4 cm) belt armor. Three lifts moved aircraft between the hangars and the flight deck. Another feature was the length and height of the flight deck. At 800 feet (240 m), the flight deck was 118 feet (36 m) longer than the keel; the latter dictated by the length of Royal Navy drydocks in Gibraltar and Malta. Due to the twin hangar decks, the flight deck rose to 66 feet (20 m) above the waterline. The Washington and London Naval treaties had restricted warship tonnage for a number of nations after the end of the great war and were both to expire by the end of 1936. With a potential naval arms race developing between Britain, Japan and Italy, the British government sought a second treaty, which included limiting the maximum displacement of an aircraft carrier to 22,000 long tons (22,000 t). Ark Royal would have to fit this anticipated limit; to conserve weight, armor plating was limited to the belt, engine rooms, and magazines, while welding instead of riveting 65% of the hull saved 500 long tons (510 t). Installation of an armored flight deck was not possible, as the weight would have placed Ark Royal above the proposed limit while reducing her endurance and stability. The ship was designed with a three-layer side protection system based upon a void-liquid-void scheme very similar to that used on the King George V-class battleships and was designed to protect against torpedoes with up to a 750-pound (340 kg) warhead.

The ship was fitted with six boilers, which powered three Parsons geared turbines. The turbines were connected via three driveshafts to three propellers 16 feet (4.9 m) in diameter, to produce a maximum theoretical speed of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph). Speed was important, as, with catapults and arrestor gear, Ark Royal would have to turn into the wind to launch and recover aircraft. To avoid endangering other ships with the frequent course changes associated with flight operations, Ark Royal would have to break away from accompanying ships and catch up on completion. Additionally, as the carrier was not armed for ship-to-ship combat, speed was her main protection against enemy warships.

Historical Gallery

Video

References

1. HMS Ark Royal (91) - Wikipedia
2. Armada: Ark Royal (Armada in 90 Seconds: Ark Royal) - News - World of Warships
3. Armada in 90 Seconds: Ark Royal - World of Warships Official Channel - YouTube

Ship Change Log

See here for links to Update notes.

• Available for testing by supertesters in the game starting from Update 0.8.5.

Testing Changes

• May 23, 2019:
  • Preliminary characteristics.
• June 21, 2019:
  • Fairey Albacore torpedo bombers replaced with Fairey Swordfish (because history!).
    • Aircraft hitpoints decreased from 1,110 to 1,070.
    • Aircraft cruise speed increased from 97 to 98 knots.
• July 19, 2019:
  • Torpedo bombers squadron size increased from 6 to 9 planes.
  • Number of torpedo bombers on deck increased from 9 to 14.
  • Torpedo bombers restoration time decreased from 81 to 59 s.
  • Armor penetration of HE bombs increased from 18 to 19 mm.
  • Number of bombs carried per plane decreased from 12 to 8.

• Available for purchase in the Premium Shop or for completing a combat mission from the Unsinkable Sam container in Update 0.8.8.
• Update 0.9.2:
  • The minimum time between attacks by bomber squadrons was increased from 5 to 7 s.
• Update 0.9.7:
  • The rocket reticule was rotated 90 degrees, and now extends horizontally.
• Update 0.9.8:
  • Minor fixes to textures and geometry of the ship.
• Update 0.10.0:
  • The speed of the patrol fighters was increased to 221 knots.
• Update 0.11.1:
  • Minor corrections to geometry and textures of the ship.

Ships of U.K.

Aircraft Carriers