Black Prince
Black Prince
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[Client Values; Actual values in
1,400,000  Cost |
| 1450290 HP Hit Points |
| 50.65/5121.91/53 t Weight Limit |
- Commander
- Driver
- Radio Operator
- Gunner
- Loader
| 350600 hp Engine Power |
| 20/12 km/h Speed Limit |
| 1820 deg/s Traverse |
| 6.9127.38 hp/t Power/Wt Ratio |
| NoNo Pivot |
| // mm Hull Armor |
| 240/95.2/101.6240/95.2/101.6 mm Turret Armor |
AP/APCR/HE
AP/APCR/HE Shells |
150/2800/75
175/3200/75 Shell Cost |
| 140/140/190150/150/190 HP Damage |
| 148/208/38171/239/38 mm Penetration |
|
14.29 r/m ▲
12 r/m Standard Gun ▲ Rate of Fire Standard Gun |
|
2000.6 ▲
Standard Gun
▼
Standard Gun
▲
1800 Standard Gun ▲
Standard Gun
▼
Standard Gun
▲ Damage Per Minute Standard Gun |
|
0.34 m ▲
0.34 m With 50% Crew: 0.421 m ▲ Accuracy With 50% Crew: 0.421 m |
| 2.3 s 2.3 s Aim time |
| 3030 deg/s Turret Traverse |
| 360° Gun Arc |
| -8°/+20°-8°/+20° Elevation Arc |
| 14084 rounds Ammo Capacity |
| 2020 % Chance of Fire |
| 370 m 370 m View Range |
| 450 m 700 m Signal Range |
VII
1400000
The Black Prince is a British tier 7 heavy tank.
Developed from 1943 through 1945 on the basis of the Churchill tank. It featured a wider and elongated hull to carry the upgraded turret with a 17-pounder gun. A total of six Black Prince prototypes were produced from 1944 through 1945. A few vehicles underwent trials but never saw action.
The last of the "Infantry tanks", the Black Prince is an overhauled Churchill equipped with serious guns. Unfortunately, nothing was done to upgrade its mobility and it remains as slow as ever. Still, even being the slowest of all tier 7 tanks, its a worthy opponent thanks to its quick rate of fire, excellent accuracy, and impressive firepower.
When first acquired, the lumbering mobility will be absolutely inadequate for its tier, and only after researching the superb Meteor engine does it gain its ability to perform a stalwart role in battle. Like the Mark VII, it boasts an excellent front and side armor, but under no circumstance should it be driven into the open as its an easy artillery target.
The Black Prince leads to the Caernarvon.
Modules / Available Equipment and Consumables
Modules
Guns
| Tier | Gun | Penetration (mm) |
Damage (HP) |
Rate of fire (rounds/minute) |
Dispersion (m/100m) |
Aiming time (s) |
Weight (kg) |
Price (  )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VII | OQF 17-pdr Gun Mk. VII | 171/239/38 | 150/150/190 | 12 | 0.34 | 2.3 | 826 | 70000 | |
| VII | OQF 77 mm Gun Mk. II | 148/208/38 | 140/140/190 | 14.29 | 0.34 | 2.3 | 681 | 63000 |
Engines
| Tier | Engine | Engine Power (hp) |
Chance of Fire on Impact (%) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | Rolls-Royce Meteor | 600 | 20 | 744 | 14000 | |
| IV | Bedford Twin-Six | 350 | 20 | 1531 | 11000 |
Suspensions
| Tier | Suspension | Load Limit (т) |
Traverse Speed (gr/sec) |
Rmin | Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VI | Black Prince | 51 | 18 | B/2 | 10000 | 13000 | |
| VII | Black Prince Mk. II | 53 | 20 | B/2 | 10000 | 18000 |
Radios
| Tier | Radio | Signal Range (m) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VII | WS No. 19 Mk. II | 450 | 40 | 21000 | |
| VIII | WS No. 22 | 700 | 40 | 25000 | |
| VIII | WS No. 19 Mk. III | 550 | 40 | 22000 |
Compatible Equipment
Compatible Consumables
Player Opinion
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Front turret armour can bounce most tier 7-8 guns with ease
- Tracks absorb a lot of damage
- Thick hull armour
- High ROF gun
Cons:
- Super soft rear hull armour
- Easy target for arty
- Comparatively low pen and damage for it's tier
- Low top speed
Performance
Once you're set in a direction, it will be rather difficult to backtrack your path as your top speed won't get you there in time; instead, you should consider where your allies are going and where you can be of most use.
Take note that when cornering or making tight turns your sides will be exposed long before your turret and gun, allowing enemies to potentially cause extensive damage to your exposed hull. Instead of making tight turns, you should take corners from far off the edge and angle yourself diagonally. This makes it harder for enemies hiding around the corner to penetrate you due to the shallow angle of your sides, and will leave your gun clear to fire at the enemy. This tactic is valid on all Churchill Tank Models.
Early Research
The tank doesn't have many research options, and those don't make any big differences, including the unrequired suspension. The choices will depend if you favour fire-power over mobility, but once again, no change will have outlandish results.
Suggested Equipment
Gallery
Historical Info
Development
As a development from the Churchill, the Black Prince was a continuation of the line of Infantry tanks, that is slower, heavier tanks intended to operate in close support of infantry. The parallel development in British tank design were the Cruiser tanks, which were intended for more mobile operations. A43 was the General Staff Specification number issued in 1943, for an interim tank that would eventually be superseded by a "Universal tank" that would replace both Infantry and Cruiser tanks.
The cruiser line led to the Cromwell tank (and the 17 pounder armed Challenger variant) and then the Comet tank, (which had a variant of the 17 pounder gun) entering service during the war. While not as heavily protected as the Churchill, the Comet showed the way tank development was going. This led to the last of the cruiser line and the first of the Universal tanks, the very successful Centurion tank.
A larger gun than a conventional Churchill required a larger turret on a wider turret ring and consequently a widening of the tank hull to carry this. The Black Prince weighed around ten tons more than the Churchill so the suspension was modified and the tracks widened by 10 inches to carry the extra load. However, the Churchill's 350-horsepower (260 kW) engine was retained, leading to the tank being underpowered and slow, with maximum speeds of 10.5 mph (16.9 km/h) on roads and 7.5 mph (12.1 km/h) cross country. This was so slow that the tank's tactical usefulness would have been limited. Consideration was given to the use of the Rolls-Royce Meteor engine; this would have increased the available power to 600 hp (450 kW), but the idea never left the drawing–board. Likewise, plans to fit the Black Prince with the turret from the Centurion were never carried out.
By the time the Black Prince prototypes had appeared in May 1945, the Sherman Firefly had acquired a proven combat record, the Comet tank was in service and the introduction of Centurion was imminent. All these tanks carried the QF 17-pounder or a derivative; all had better mobility than the Black Prince and the Centurion had frontal armour of comparable effectiveness. The Black Prince had become redundant and the project was abandoned.
The Black Prince marked the end of the development of the Churchill tank, and the end of the Infantry tank concept in British tank design.
Survivors
The only surviving Black Prince tank is held by the Bovington Tank Museum in Bovington, UK; it is the fourth of the six prototypes that were built. It has recently been restored to running condition.
Historical Gallery
