Caernarvon
Caernarvon
Mouse over "
[Client Values; Actual values in
2,520,000 Cost |
1500400 HP Hit Points |
59.18/6026.46/64 t Weight Limit |
- Commander
- Driver
- Gunner
- Loader (Radio Operator)
650810 hp Engine Power |
34.3/12 km/h Speed Limit |
2224 deg/s Traverse |
10.9830.61 hp/t Power/Wt Ratio |
YesYes Pivot |
// mm Hull Armor |
152.4/88.9/88.9254/88.9/88.9 mm Turret Armor |
AP/APCR/HE
AP/APCR/HE Shells |
175/3200/75
660/4400/260 Shell Cost |
150/150/190280/280/370 HP Damage |
171/239/38220/252/47 mm Penetration |
r/m ▲
13.33 r/m Standard Gun ▲
9.23 Rate of Fire Standard Gun |
▲
Standard Gun
▼
Standard Gun
▲
1999.5 Standard Gun ▲
Standard Gun
▼
Standard Gun
▲
2584.4 Damage Per Minute Standard Gun |
m ▲
0.34 m With 50% Crew: 0.421 m ▲
0.34 Accuracy With 50% Crew: 0.421 m |
s 2.3 s 2.3 Aim time |
2630 deg/s Turret Traverse |
360° Gun Arc |
-10°/+18°-10°/+18° Elevation Arc |
7050 rounds Ammo Capacity |
2020 % Chance of Fire |
m 370 m 400 View Range |
m 550 m 750 Signal Range |
Additional Statistics
(Top Configuration)
Camouflage
- Stationary: 5.4%
- When Moving: 2.9%
- When Firing: 1.4%
Terrain Resistance
- On Hard Ground: 1.06
- On Medium Ground: 1.25
- On Soft Ground: 2.21
Dispersion Change Values
- Turret Contribution
- Rotation: 0.13
- Shot Recoil: 3.36
- Suspension Contribution
- Acceleration: 0.13
- Turning: 0.13
With 100% Crew
VIII
2520000
The Caernarvon is a British tier 8 heavy tank.
Development of this infantry support tank started in 1944. The first prototype was ready for trials in 1952. A total of 21 tanks were manufactured but never entered service. Some of the vehicles were later converted into Conqueror heavy tanks.
A big change in the British heavy tank line, the Caernarvon marks the beginning of the "Universal Tank" era of the tree. Therefore, its mobility is much better than that of the Black Prince. However the armor is not as thick despite being sloped which is something previous tanks lacked. The top gun is an improvement of the one from its predecessor in terms of aim time, accuracy and rate of fire and has an ideal role for hulldown tactics as its large gun mantlet can eat shots with no consequence. This playstyle has been i,proved with patch 9.20.1 which upgraded the top gun from a twenty pounder to the 32 pounder
Unfortunately, it takes quite a while to realize this tank's potential if one has not previously unlocked modules on the British Medium tree, and even with the top gun, the low alpha damage can be a problem at that tier, and the grind can be slow and even frustrating that can kill the enthusiasm of many for British tanks. Still, despite its flaws, this can be a fearsome tank to have to face down from over the hills or far away.
The Caernarvon leads to the Conqueror.
Modules / Available Equipment and Consumables
Modules
Tier | Suspension | Load Limit (т) |
Traverse Speed (gr/sec) |
Rmin | Weight (kg) |
Price ()
| |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
VII | FV221 | 60 | 22 | 0 | 12000 | 20200 | |
VIII | FV221A | 64 | 24 | 0 | 12000 | 30500 |
Tier | Radio | Signal Range (m) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ()
| |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
VIII | WS No. 22 | 700 | 40 | 25000 | |
VIII | WS No. 19 Mk. III | 550 | 40 | 22000 | |
X | SR C42 | 750 | 40 | 54000 |
Compatible Equipment
Compatible Consumables
Player Opinion
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Gun has good RoF combined with reasonable penetration and accurate firing on the move, can fire and advance
- Good gun depression combined with strong armor on second turret
- Best DPM of all T8 heavies (near 2700 stock, 3300 max)
- Improved speed over lower tier British heavies and good view range
- Upper frontal armor is well angled and can bounce several shells from same tier tanks
Cons:
- Lower plate is easily hit and penetrated, especially on flat ground
- Low traverse speed
- Ammo rack is weak and can be damaged frontally.
- High ammo cost for average alpha rounds
- Poor alpha damage for a heavy tank
Performance
The Caernarvon is a huge departure from the Black Prince in terms of playstyle; this tank is a FULLY dedicated support unit, and requires a different set of tactics. No longer are you able to act as a battering ram, zig-zagging your way up the front with your forward armor more or less exposed. While this tank might be played successfully with something approaching the same maneuvers as the Black Prince, it is let down by its inferior hull, which is this tank's foremost weakness. Experienced players will recognize the strengths of the Centurion turret, however the hull does not hold anywhere near the same standards; poorly armored, fragile, and with a large silhouette which attracts plenty of artillery fire. The Caernarvon also sports a terrible traverse speed and lackluster acceleration, often making it a pain to position correctly. This tank should be driven with a great deal of care and attention to detail. Use your slightly tall turret seat to peek over hills and the rear of other tanks' hulls, make plentiful use of cover, and always move a step or two behind the main front. Your DPM is very good and your accuracy excellent; a gunner with the Deadeye perk can make a great deal of difference to the fight if you pick your shots. Note that while a Wet Ammo Rack can help, it is certainly not required if you are careful about exposing your lower plate. Skilled players will find Coated Optics to improve on your excellent view range or vents to maximize your DPM a bigger benefit.
Early Research
- The WS No. 22 radio carry over from the Black Prince and can be installed immediately.
- FV221A suspension must be researched/mounted before upgrading the turret, unless you use your Class 3 Enhanced Mounting Springs. (Taking into account that you want a gun rammer, stabilizer and vents on it.)
- Start by researching the upgraded turret. The extra meters of view range, additional 100 hit points and strong armor can make a difference.
- Researching the OQF 32-pdr next will really boost firepower.
- Researching Rolls-Royce Meteor Mk. IVC engine, than can choose between Rolls-Royce Meteor M120 engine to improve speed or FV221A suspension to improve agility.
- NOTE: If you already played through the British medium line, you should have Rolls-Royce Meteor Mk. IVC already unlocked. In that case, it is a viable option to completely skip the last engine (M120) because it will not be needed on Conqueror - you will already have the even more powerful Rolls-Royce Griffon engine unlocked for it, and doing so will shorten the grind to Conqueror by 27000 exp. You can still research it later, either on Caernarvon if you wish to elite/keep it, or the Conqueror to elite it once you have all the other modules.
- The SR C42 radio to improve range.
Suggested Equipment
Gallery
Historical Info
Development history
The chassis was from the A45 Infantry Support Tank, started in 1944 shortly after that of the A41 Centurion. After the war the project was relocated to that of the "Universal Tank" design of the FV 200 series. The 200 series was to have used a common hull for all uses (self-propelled artillery, armoured personnel carrier, three varieties of tank, etc.). One tank type was to be the heavy FV 201 of 55 tonnes, armed with an 83.4 mm gun.
In 1949 it was decided to bring the armament up to 120 mm. As this delayed the project, in 1952 the FV 201 hull was combined with a 17 pounder-armed Centurion Mk 2 turret to give the FV 221 Caernarvon Mark I. Twenty-one were built with the Mk III 20 pounder turret as the Caernavon Mk II. The FV 221 may originally have been intended to be the "Main Battle Tank" member of the FV 201 series, but with the success of the A41 Centurion such a vehicle was no longer required. In either event, the Caernarvon was only used for chassis development work serving in troop trials. In 1955 the first Conqueror was produced. Twenty Mark 1 and 165 Mark 2 Conquerors were built including conversions of Caernavon MkIIs. Production continued until 1959. It had lost much enthusiasm once the Centurion was upgraded to an L7 105 mm gun.
The gun design was American, the same as used on the US M103 heavy tank; with separate charge and projectile, as would also be the case in the Chieftain that followed. The charge was not bagged but in a brass cartridge, which offered some safety advantages, but reduced shell capacity to 35.The armour was very heavy for the time, especially in the front, where it was seven inches (178 mm) in the horizontal plane. Unfortunately, this, along with the weight of the huge turret required to house the large gun and the very large hull volume, made the vehicle very heavy, giving it a relatively low top speed and making it mechanically unreliable. Also, few bridges could support its weight. However, rather like the Second World War Churchill tank, the Conqueror had exceptional terrain handling characteristics and proved to be as capable cross country as the lighter (and on paper slightly faster) Centurion tank.
One feature of particular note was the rotating commander's cupola, which was at the heart of the Conqueror's fire control system, advanced for its time. The commander could align the cupola on a target independently of the turret, measure the range with a Coincidence rangefinder, and then direct the gunner on to the new lay mechanically indicated to him by the cupola. In theory, when the gunner traversed to the new lay he would find the target already under his sights, ready to be engaged. Meanwhile, the commander was free to search for the next target. (The Soviet bloc also used similar devices, such as the TPKU-2 and TKN-3, on all of their post–World War II tanks though theirs did not use a rangefinder.) The system may have been inspired by a similar device, without range finder, installed in WWII German Panzers which was apparently highly successful, but was not repeated in subsequent tanks until an updated electronic version of the same idea appeared in the American M60A2 variant of the Patton series.
Historical Gallery
Historical Accuracy Errata
The Caernarvon's upgraded turret configuration is fictitious.