Karl XIV Johan

14.3

Battleship | Europe | Tier IX

Tech Tree Position

Battle Levels

12345678910

IX

Special

Karl XIV Johan — European special premium Tier IX battleship.

Under the Treaty of Versailles, the German Navy was limited to ships with a displacement of no more than 10,000 tons; however, these restrictions did not extend to the construction of ships intended for other nations. After World War I, Germany was left with several hundred unfinished ships. Some of them were completed and sold abroad. Sweden, driven by its aim to bolster its naval forces, could explore the possibility of acquiring and completing a German battleship.

Karl XIV Johan was first released for sale on 13 September 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 ()
305 mm/56 SK C/39 in a turret	2.4	30	250	4,350	28	8,400		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 ()
Karl XIV Johan	72,900	19	360	4	6/14	16/6	4			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 ()
Mk14	0.7	86	7.2	10,700	86	13.5		0	0

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
SUO Mk 9 Mod. 1		0		0	0

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 152,000 hp	30.5		0	0

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4
Slot 5
Slot 6

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.

Tier IX Karl XIV Johan is the second Pan-European premium battleship in the game. She combines a high amount of rapid-firing guns, great concealment, and torpedoes into a well-rounded package.

Hull

Karl XIV Johan boasts a decent armor scheme. She has a well-protected mid-section, with a 275 mm main belt and 50 mm turtleback protecting her citadel, which additionally sits underwater. Above and below her main belt are 220 mm and 330 mm armor strips respectively. The former, combined with another 150 mm castemate strip, gives her solid tanking ability when angled. Her plating is standard for Tier IX battleships, at 32 mm for her bow and stern, with her bow additionally having a 35 mm icebreaker.

Karl XIV Johan is vulnerable to most HE shells, however, due to the 32 mm deck and large superstructure. Her HP pool is also on the lower side, at 72,100. Her torpedo protection is also among the worst of her peers, at 22%. Finally, her castemate strip mounting her 140 mm secondaries can serve as a way to arm shells that would otherwise bounce while angled, potentially leading to significant damage. While Karl XIV Johan can shrug off some damage, her overall survivability does not hold up to sustained fire.

Karl XIV Johan's maneuverability sits in the middle-of-the-pack compared to Tier IX battleships. She has a decent speed of 30.5 knots, and an acceptable 890 m turning circle, though her rudder shift is average at 16.4 s. Where she stands out is her exceptional concealment, reaching 10.6 km when fully built for. This gives her freedom to maneuver in battle and dictate her fights.

Armament

Karl XIV Johan main armament comprises 12 305 mm guns, in a typical AB-XY configuration. With such a low caliber for her tier, she has low individual shell damage and penetration. They additionally have limited overmatch capabilities, being able to only overmatch up to 21 mm plating. Thus, captains will only be able to overmatch the bows and sterns of light cruisers such as Neptune and Sejong. This is compensated by a quick reload, reaching 22 s with Main Battery Modification 3 . Combined with the above-average gun count, she can frequently pump out damage at enemy ships. With her AP shells having low penetration, captains should make frequent use of HE shells, primarily against angled targets. Her guns also have great ballistics, giving captains an easier time landing their shots. Her accuracy is decidedly average, with 1.8 sigma and standard battleships dispersion, which can lead to occasionally frustrating salvos. Her gun handling is good, with great turret traverse speed and decent firing angles. Her major limiting factor is her range, sitting at 19.1 km. Combined with the lack of Spotting Aircraft , Karl XIV Johan is forced to engage the enemy at closer ranges compared to her peers.

Karl XIV Johan also carries a heavy secondary battery. She has 14 150 mm guns in single castemate mounts, and six dual 120 mm mounts. While they can fire a decent amount of shells, they lack improved range or accuracy. As such, a secondary build is not advised.

Karl XIV Johan also sports decent torpedo armament, mounting four quadruple racks, with two racks per side. Her torpedoes have similar characteristics to Östergötland, with a good range of 13.5 km, and a fast reload of 86 s. This comes at the cost of low damage and flooding chance. Given her large torpedo quantity and their good firing angles, Karl XIV Johan can use them to slow down a push, frequently firing them to dissuade enemy ships from closing the distance. In close quarters, however, they may not be able to finish off an opponent due to their low damage.

Karl XIV Johan's AA defenses are solid. Her AA is far reaching at 6 km. While her long-range DPS is middle of the road, her mid-range DPS is strong. However, she lacks short-range mounts to provide additional damage against aircraft. Despite this, she is able to assist allies in thwarting enemy aviation.

Karl XIV Johan carries standard Depth Charge Airstrikes for a Tier IX battleship. She has two charges with a 10 km range and 30 second reload. Each charge has one aircraft armed with two bombs that deal up to 4,200 damage each. Captains should make active use of this armament whenever there are signs of a submarine's presence nearby, such as fuel spills and sonar pings.

Consumables

Karl XIV Johan has access to the standard Damage Control Party  and Repair Party  found on most battleships. However, she also has Hydroacoustic Search  in a separate slot, giving her an extra layer of defense against torpedoes.

Gameplay

Karl XIV Johan is a mid-range battleship. Using her superb concealment, captains should take up advantageous positions in battle. Her decent armor scheme allows her to tank for some time, before disengaging to take a better position. Her rapid firing torpedoes allow her to constantly harass a flank pushing into her. Her small caliber guns and average accuracy means she cannot perform high-alpha strikes as often as most other battleships, but their fast reload means she can do a surprising amount of damage in the long run. Her Hydroacoustic Search  gives her advance warning of torpedoes and potential destroyers looking to close the distance on her.

With her wide variety of tools at her disposal, Karl XIV Johan stands out as a rather unique battleship. She is a versatile ship that can excel both on the offensive and defensive, providing her captains with an enjoyable experience overall.

Pros:

Well-protected citadel
Fast reloading guns with good ballistics
Large amount of torpedoes with a quick reload, fast speed and wide firing arcs
Good AA defenses
Excellent concealment for a battleship
Access to Hydroacoustic Search

Cons:

HP pool is on the smaller end of Tier IX battleships
Large superstructure and poor deck armor
Poor torpedo belt protection
Small caliber main battery guns with low shell damage and penetration, and a short firing range
Torpedoes have low damage and flooding chance

Research

As a premium ship, Karl XIV Johan has no module upgrades to research.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades are:

Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
Slot 2: Damage Control System Modification 1  or Hydroacoustic Search Modification 1
Slot 3: Aiming Systems Modification 1
Slot 4: Propulsion Modification 1
Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1 
Slot 6: Main Battery Modification 3

Commander Skills

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Attack			Defense
1	Gun Feeder -40% time to switch shell type. ★★★	Demolition Expert +1% chance of main and secondary HE shells causing a fire +15% to the fragmentation damage area of HE ordnance when firing at submarines.	Consumables Specialist −7.5% cooldown time of all Consumables except: Damage Control Party , Repair Party .	Emergency Repair Specialist -3% cooldown time of Damage Control Party  and Repair Party . ★★	Incoming Fire Alert Receive a warning about a salvo fired at your ship from more than 4.5 km.	Preventive Maintenance −30% chance of main armament, engines, steering becoming incapacitated +15% to HP of secondary and AA guns. ★
2	Grease the Gears +20% main turret traverse speed. ★	Inertial Fuse for HE Shells +25% armor penetration of HE shells. Base fire chance reduced by half.	Brisk So long as the ship remains undetected: +10% ship speed. ★★★	Vigilance +25% detection range of enemy torpedoes +7% damage reduction of Torpedo Protection System. .	Priority Target The detection indicator will show the number of enemies targeting you with main battery.	AAA & ASW Expert +15% continuous AAA and flak damage . +10% damage inflicted by depth charges. While AAA is active: −40% ship consumables reload time..
3	Super-Heavy AP Shells +7.5% AP shell damage −10% fire and flood damage received +25% fire and flood duration.	Long-Range Secondary Battery Shells +20% secondary battery firing range.	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% reload time of all armaments per 1% HP lost +0.2% AA continuous damage per 1% HP lost. ★★★	Basics of Survivability -15% repair, fire, and flooding duration.	Improved Repair Party Readiness −0.8% reload time of Repair Party each time your ship receives potential damage equal to 100% of the ship's base HP. After receiving 2M HP potential damage: +1 charge of Repair Party .. ★★	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..
4	Furious 1st fire / flood −10% Main battery reload time 2nd etc. (up to 5), each −5% Main battery reload time ★★	Manual Secondary Battery Aiming −10% secondary battery reload time. −10% secondary battery dispersion. When firing at a manually selected target: dispersion gradually improves from -25% to -50%.	Close Quarters Combat -10% reload time of main battery if an enemy ship is spotted within secondary range.	Emergency Repair Expert Damage Control Party  and Repair Party : +1 charge (each). +10% action time . ★★★	Concealment Expert -10% detectability range of the ship. ★★★	Fire Prevention Expert -10% risk of fire. Three fires maximum. ★★★
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful ★★ - Frequently Useful ★ - Occasionally Useful No stars - Not Useful

Consumables

Karl XIV Johan equips the following consumables:

Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
Slot 2: Repair Party  – 4 charges
Slot 3: Hydroacoustic Search  – 3 charges

Camouflage

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

Signals

Recommended Signal Flags
Combat
Charlie Kilo +5% ship HP; +2.5% squadron HP.	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.
Juliet Whiskey Unaone +15% chance of causing flooding.	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 . ★★

Gallery

References

Ships of Europe

Destroyers	II Tátra • III Romulus • IV Klas Horn • V Visby • V Muavenet • V Kalmar • VI Västerås • VI Stord • VII Skåne • VII Grom • VII Błyskawica • VII Stord '43 • VIII Öland • VIII Split • VIII Orkan • IX Östergötland • IX Lambros Katsonis • IX Velos • IX Friesland • IX Jäger • X Halland • X Gdańsk • X Småland • X Ragnar • X Södermanland • ★ Dalarna
Cruisers	I Gryf • VI Elli • X Svea
Battleships	V Viribus Unitis • VII Lugdunum • IX Karl XIV Johan • IX Niord
Aircraft Carriers

Battleships

Netherlands
U.S.A.	III South Carolina • IV Wyoming • IV Arkansas Beta • V New York • V Oklahoma • V Texas • VI New Mexico • VI Arizona • VI W. Virginia '41 • VII Colorado • VII Florida • VII West Virginia '44 • VII California • VII Colorado 2 • VIII North Carolina • VIII Kansas • VIII Nebraska • VIII Alabama • VIII Massachusetts • VIII Alabama VL • VIII Constellation • VIII Massachusetts B • VIII Alabama ST • VIII Tennessee • VIII North Carolina CLR • VIII Volunteer State • VIII North Carolina 2 • IX Iowa • IX Minnesota • IX Delaware • IX Missouri • IX Kearsarge • IX Illinois • IX Kearsarge B • IX Georgia • IX Iowa 2 • X Montana • X Vermont • X Louisiana • X Ohio • X Rhode Island • X Wisconsin • X BA Montana • X [[Ship:[Montana]\|[Montana]]] • X Montana 2 • X Utah • ★ Maine
Europe	V Viribus Unitis • VII Lugdunum • IX Karl XIV Johan • IX Niord
Germany	III Nassau • III Von der Tann • III König Albert • IV Kaiser • IV Moltke • V König • V Derfflinger • VI Bayern • VI Mackensen • VI Prinz Eitel Friedrich • VII Gneisenau • VII Prinz Heinrich • VII Scharnhorst • VII AL Prinz Heinrich • VII Scharnhorst B • VII Scharnhorst '43 • VIII Tirpitz • VIII Bismarck • VIII Zieten • VIII Odin • VIII Brandenburg • VIII Anhalt • VIII Brandenburg B • VIII Tirpitz B • VIII BA Tirpitz • IX Friedrich der Grosse • IX Prinz Rupprecht • IX Pommern • IX Pommern B • IX Prinz Sigismund • X Grosser Kurfürst • X Schlieffen • X Preussen • X Mecklenburg • X [[Ship:[Grosser Kurfürst]\|[Grosser Kurfürst]]] • ★ Hannover
U.S.S.R.	III Knyaz Suvorov • IV Imperator Nikolai I • IV Gangut • V Pyotr Velikiy • V Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya • VI Izmail • VI Novorossiysk • VII Sinop • VII Poltava • VIII Vladivostok • VIII Lenin • VIII Borodino • VIII V. I. Lenin • IX Sovetsky Soyuz • IX Navarin • IX AL Sov. Rossiya • X Kremlin • X Slava • ★ Admiral Ushakov
Italy	IV Dante Alighieri • V Conte di Cavour • V Giulio Cesare • VI Andrea Doria • VII Francesco Caracciolo • VIII Vittorio Veneto • VIII Roma • VIII AL Littorio • IX Lepanto • IX Marco Polo • IX Giuseppe Verdi • X Cristoforo Colombo • X Ruggiero di Lauria • X Sicilia • X Amerigo Vespucci
Pan-America	V Rio de Janeiro • VIII Ipiranga • VIII Atlântico • IX Los Andes • X Libertad • X Comodoro
Japan	II Mikasa • III Kawachi • IV Myōgi • IV Ishizuchi • V Kongō • V ARP Kongō • V ARP Kirishima • V ARP Haruna • V ARP Hiei • V HSF Hiei • VI Fusō • VI Mutsu • VI Ise • VI Ise 2 • VI Ise 3 • VII Nagato • VII Ashitaka • VII Hyūga • VIII Amagi • VIII Yumihari • VIII Kii • VIII Ignis Purgatio • VIII Ragnarok • IX Izumo • IX Adatara • IX Musashi • IX Hizen • IX Iwami • IX Daisen • IX Tsurugi • IX Iwami B • X Yamato • X Bungo • X Shikishima • X ARP Yamato • X [[Ship:[Yamato]\|[Yamato]]] • ★ Satsuma
U.K.	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
France	III Turenne • IV Courbet • V Bretagne • VI Normandie • VI Dunkerque • VI Dunkerque B • VII Lyon • VII Strasbourg • VIII Richelieu • VIII Gascogne • VIII Champagne • VIII Flandre • VIII Picardie • VIII [[Ship:[Richelieu]\|[Richelieu]]] • IX Alsace • IX Jean Bart • IX Jean Bart B • X République • X Bourgogne • ★ Patrie
Pan-Asia	VII Teng She • IX Bajie • IX Wujing • IX Sun Yat-Sen • IX Louchuan • IX Xuan Wu
Spain	IX Victoria
Commonwealth	VII Yukon

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Karl XIV Johan

Modules

Compatible Upgrades