GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Ark Royal
World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Ark Royal

Also called: 皇家方舟 Beta
U.K. · Tier V · Aircraft Carrier · Premium
Carpet bomber carrierSaturate decks with mass HE drops; trade volume for precision.
Playstyle
  • Stay a full map cell behind the brawl line, far enough back that a rotated DD or radar cruiser cannot threaten the hull
  • Launch from positions where the recall path stays inside your team's AA umbrella
  • Avoid: Trading a full squadron for one high-value kill
Key characteristics
Big squadronsTough planesStrong torpedo beltLong-reach AAThick deck armorEasily spotted
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Community Data

Ark Royal Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Ark Royal is the Tier V British carrier built on volume: squadrons of up to 18 planes saturate targets with HE bombs, trading per-bomb penetration for area coverage that stacks fires and chips groups of ships. The kit wins through attrition and waves rather than single-target alpha.

Positioning

Stay a full map cell behind the brawl line, far enough back that a rotated DD or radar cruiser cannot threaten the hull. Launch from positions where the recall path stays inside your team's AA umbrella, not over open water where intercepting fighters can finish off limping squadrons. Longer trip back, fewer waves per match. You are spotted at 13.1 km and run at 31 kn, so that distance plus your speed is the whole margin for noticing a DD has slipped past and getting out. With 12.8 s on the rudder she starts turning late, so the angle has to be set before you are shot at.

Potato Avoidance

Trading a full squadron for one high-value kill

Match impact comes from cycling waves across multiple targets, not committing a dive into layered AA for one battleship. When a target's AA is heavy, route around and find a softer pick rather than burning planes through the wall. Reserves refill in 32 s per aircraft at best, the quickest in the cohort, so you can spend planes others cannot - but your thinnest-skinned squadron flies at 1,900 HP and decides how much of each wave comes home.

Signature Traits

ELITE ARMOR ↗
  • Strong torpedo belt · 25%
  • Thick deck · 89 mm
  • Heavy armor deck
  • Torpedo belt specialist
Long-reach AA ↗

5 km AA reach, best of T5 CVs.

Fast squadron restore ↗

32 s to restore one plane, top quartile of T5 CVs. Reserves refill faster between sorties.

Easily spotted ↗

13.1 km surface detect, worst of T5 CVs. Visible before you can react; position early.

Light bombs ↗

3700 damage per bomb, bottom quartile of T5 CVs. Drops chip rather than punish.

Acquisition

How to get Ark Royal

Ark Royal is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition path: Containers. Container chances are shown as the listed odds of receiving this exact ship, dividing grouped ship-pool odds across the resolved ships and including nested container paths when a crate can drop another crate.

Best listed chance for this ship

  • Halloween '22 0.5% V Ark Royal Event · Halloween '22
  • Champion's Box 0.1% V Ark Royal Archived · Champion's Box → Halloween '22
  • Ultimate Crate 0.05% V Ark Royal Archived · Ultimate Crate → Halloween '22
Official WG availability sources
  • Official WoWS Legends container odds Containers Official container drop rows linked below include direct and nested effective ship odds.
  • Through the Spy Glass: Ark Royal Ship feature / release Start: 2022-10-17 · End: open/unknown end Official Through the Spy Glass feature for this ship; useful as a release/availability source, but not a guaranteed current-store listing.
  • Through the Spy Glass: HMS Cossack '38 Ship feature / release Start: 2022-10-31 · End: open/unknown end Official Through the Spy Glass feature for this ship; useful as a release/availability source, but not a guaranteed current-store listing.
Show direct source rows

Want the full picture? Each container page charts the odds as you open more crates - including pity guaranteed-reward timers and, for GD Supporters, pack math personalized to your port.

Builds

Pair with a commander whose unique skill complements her main armament; check the build tool for current recommendations.

Denis Boyd

WG official
InspirationsErnest King · Reinhard Scheer

WG official build from Through the Spy Glass: Ark Royal.

Source: Through the Spy Glass: Ark Royal

Open in Build Tool →

Have a build you swear by? Open it in the Build Tool and hit Save build to share it here.

Cohort position

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Where Ark Royal sits among Tier V CVs (7 ships). Notable standouts are shown first; the rest of the cohort-ranked stats are in the expand below. Acquisition variants (Black Friday, Founders Edition) are counted once with their base ship, not as separate peers.

BestAA range5 km (1 of 4 tied) BestDeck armor89 mm (1/8) BestAir torpedo stealth1.1 km (1 of 3 tied) BestSquadron restore time32 s (1 of 2 tied) Top 25%Hit points44,500 HP (2/8) Top 25%Secondary DPM (per side)153,600 (2/7) Top 25%Engine power102,000 hp (3/8) Top 25%Max armor114 mm (3/8) Top 25%Citadel belt114 mm (3/8) Top 25%Deck HP22,300 HP (2/8) Top 25%Plane HP1,900 HP (3/8) Bottom 25%Rudder shift12.8 s (7/8) Bottom 25%Air torpedo damage3,700 (7/8) Bottom 25%Air torpedo range3 km (7/8) WorstStealth profile13.06 km / 9.14 km (8/8 / 8/8) WorstDisplacement28,160 t (8/8) WorstBomb damage3,700 (8/8) WorstBomb fire chance22% (7/7) WorstBomb penetration19.1 mm (7/7) WorstAir torpedo speed35 kn (1 of 2 tied)
See 16 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Ark Royal -- here's where she sits on every other ranked stat in the cohort. Stats tagged NORM are tied across more than half the cohort, so the value is the cohort default rather than a standout.

Max speed31 kt(5/8) Turning circle990 m(6/8) Secondary HE alpha1,600(4/7) Secondary fire chance7%(4/7) Secondary HE pen19 mm(5/7) Acceleration35.2 s(6/8) Turn-speed retention103 hp/m(4/8) Power-to-weight3.62 hp/t(6/8) AA DPS370(5/8) AA threat1,122(6/8) Flak per wave (expected)900(4/6) Bow armor19 mm(4/8) Stern armor19 mm(4/8) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(4 of 7 tied at this value) NormSecondary range4.5 km(4 of 7 tied at this value) NormSquadron size18(5 of 8 tied at this value)

Stats & specs

Customize in the Build Tool →
Survivability
Hit Points44,500
Displacement28,160 t
Hull dimensions
ƒLength x beam at the waterline, with the hull's draft where the client carries one. Ships whose client entry holds only the 260 x 20 m placeholder use a curated real-world figure instead, and any ship we have no trustworthy size for omits this row rather than print the placeholder. Length matters when dodging torpedoes; beam and draft shape how hard the ship is to hit.
245.5 x 37.01 m, draft 7.4 m
Armor range10–114 mm
Plate armor thicknesses10, 16, 19, 21, 25, 30, 37, 64, 89, 114 mm
Armor material/layer entries54
Fire resistance
ƒDoes not reduce the damage a burning fire does per second: replay-measured burn ticks run at the full rate on every ship. By elimination it lowers how often hits set you on fire; ignition-rate replay data is consistent with that but too confounded by attacker mix to measure the reduction directly.
23.3%
Fire duration60 s
Fire damage
ƒEach fire ticks 0.4% of max HP per second for the full 60 s, so one unattended fire burns 24% of the pool (10,680 HP on this ship). 4 fire points can burn at once. Verified against measured burn ticks in replay data.
0.4% of HP per second
Flood duration30 s
Flood damage
ƒA flood ticks 0.25% of max HP per second for the 30 s duration, so one unattended flood costs 7.5% of the pool (3,338 HP on this ship). Verified against measured flood ticks in replay data.
0.25% of HP per second
Torp Reduction
ƒReduces torpedo hit damage. Replay data shows no effect on floods: flood ticks run at the full rate and flood frequency does not decline with protection.
25%
Steering gear HP
ƒDurability of the steering gears. As this pool drops, hits are likelier to jam the rudder; unlike most modules the steering can be knocked out and repaired but is never permanently destroyed.
13,400
Repairable: penetration50%
Repairable: citadel10%
Repairable: steering gear50%
✈
Squadrons
Total plane capacity40
Flight deck HP22,300
Hangar HP22,300
Dive bomber
Plane HP1,900
Cruising speed140 kt
OrdnanceHE bomb, 3,700 dmg
Fire chance22%
Bomb penetration19.1 mm
Hangar max18
Hangar restore+1 every 32 s, start 18
Recovery time32 s
Torpedo bomber
Plane HP1,900
Cruising speed132 kt
Ordnancetorpedo, 3,700 dmg
Flooding chance45%
Torpedo arming time3.5 s
Torpedo arming distance63 m
Hangar max18
Hangar restore+1 every 33 s, start 14
Recovery time33 s
Squadron consumables
Patrol Fighters
Charges3
Duration60 s
Reload10 s
Evasive Maneuver
Charges2
Duration10 s
Reload150 s
Damage reduction-50%
Return to Carrier
EffectAll aircraft return to carrier.
AA Defense
AA mount points14
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 2.5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.
5 km
40 mm Vickers 2-pdr. Mk VIII6×8 40mm
12.7 mm Mk III8×4 13mm
113 mm/45 Mk III UD (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.
8×2 113mm
Far aura
Guns113 mm/45 Mk III UD (DP)
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS in in-game units (raw aura damage × 3.5 × hit probability, summed per contributing aura) - matches the Close-range AA DPS headline's currency. Includes 98 from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
98
Range5 km
Medium aura
Guns40 mm Vickers 2-pdr. Mk VIII
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 67 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 1 hit probability = 234 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
234
Range2.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 98 + Medium 234 = 332
332
Near aura
Guns12.7 mm Mk III
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 11 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.95 hit probability = 37 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
37
Range1.2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 98 + Medium 234 + Near 37 = 369
369
Flak bursts
Bursts
ƒEach ~2 s wave fires 2 quick salvos of 2 clouds ahead of the attacking squadron, plus 1 stray cloud farther out that appear off-beat between waves - up to 5 clouds per wave × 180 damage each. Planes that fly into a cloud take its damage; clouds dissipate before the next wave lands. Defensive AA Fire, where fitted, multiplies the salvo repeats within each wave.
2 salvos × 2 clouds + 1 outer
Cloud damage
ƒDamage a plane takes for flying into one flak cloud, before any reductions.
180
Cloud spawn chance
ƒEvery potential cloud spawns - the full pattern, every wave. Often called flak 'hit chance', but spawned clouds always damage planes that fly into them - the roll is on spawning.
100%
Wave rate
ƒA flak wave spawns roughly every 2 s - timed frame-by-frame from gameplay footage and consistent across ships.
every ~2 s
Fired by
ƒFlak keeps firing while at least one secondary battery mount is operational - even losing every other AA mount does not stop it.
Secondary battery
Flak zone
ƒThe activation band: flak fires while attacking planes are inside it. Clouds are placed ahead of the planes' path, so bursts can land short of 2.5 km or past 5 km - once planes get inside the band, new waves stop. AA range bonuses push the outer edge out; the 2.5 km inner edge does not move.
2.5-5 km
See the AA layers diagram ↓
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts8
Firing range4.5 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
113 mm/45 Mk III UD (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: the same mounts also fire at aircraft, so they appear on the AA Defense card too - shared guns, not extra hardware.
8×2 113mm
Caliber113 mm
Reload time5 s
HE Damage1,600
Muzzle Velocity746 m/s
Fire Chance7%
Armor Pen19 mm
Secondary dispersion type
ƒMax dispersion = range (km) × 57 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.
Standard
Max secondary dispersion @ 4.5 km
ƒ4.5 km × 57 + 30 = 286.5 m.
286.5 m
Maneuverability
Engine power102,000 hp
Maximum speed31 kt
Turning circle radius990 m
Rudder shift time12.8 s
Engine power-boost threshold7 kt
Engine spool-up time23 s
Reverse spool-up time11.5 s
Reverse speed
ƒtop speed / 4 + 4.9 = 31 / 4 + 4.9 = 12.7 kt. The community reverse-speed model from the WoWs ShipBuilder project, the same source as the acceleration model on this card. Base value; speed modifiers scale it. Not shown on the in-game card.
12.7 kt
Crash stop
ƒSeconds from top speed to a dead stop after ordering full reverse: reverse power winds in over the reverse spool-up while water drag does most of the braking. Same community-model simulation as the acceleration times, using the ship's own reverse-power ratio from in-game data. The full curve is on the acceleration chart.
41.6 s
Engine boost threshold (reverse)
ƒSpeed below which the engine's built-in power boost applies in reverse. Matches the in-game maneuverability card's reverse threshold (Vampire II reads 10.5 here and the card shows 11; the card rounds half up).
11 kt
Acceleration 0-90%
ƒTime to reach 90% of top speed (27.9 kt of 31 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.
35.2 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (30.7 kt of 31 kt). 99% rather than 100% because true top speed is asymptotic (thrust meets drag), so the last fraction of a knot is never quite gained.
56.4 s
See the full acceleration curve ↓
Concealment
Detectability by sea13.06 km
Detectability by air9.14 km
Detect when firing (air)
ƒAir detectability plus the gun-firing bloom (0 km, which tracks main-battery caliber x 0.020). Matches the in-game 'Detect Firing Air' value on every captured ship.
9.14 km
Detect when on fire (sea)
ƒBase sea detectability + 2.0 km while burning; matches the in-game 'Detect Fire Sea' value on every captured ship.
15.06 km
Detect when on fire (air)
ƒBase air detectability + 3.0 km while burning; matches the in-game 'Detect Fire Air' value on every captured ship.
12.14 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
✦
Consumables
Automatic Damage Control Party∞ charges · 90 s reload · 60 s active
Automatic Fighter4 charges · 40 s reload · 150 s active · 5 km patrol radius
ƒDerived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): 167×301000=5 km
· 4 squadron size

See all derived stats

Show ▾

All values are ship base stats with modifications and upgrade changes denoted inline.

Numbers the spec table cannot show directly: alpha-strike math, DPM, dispersion, AP penetration. Click the formula chip on any row to reveal how it is calculated.

AA defense

AA DPS at max range98
Only families that reach 5 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 2 pdr MkVIII 8barrel 6x8 -> 235 DPS @ 2.5 km; 12mm62 HI 8x4 -> 37 DPS @ 1.2 km; 4 5in45 Mark III UD 8x2 -> 98 DPS @ 5 km.
Maximum AA range5 km
Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 2.5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.
AA DPS layered by range98 DPS @ 5 km, 333 DPS @ 2.5 km, 370 DPS @ 1.2 km
Cumulative AA DPS at each family range threshold. Inner ranges stack the outer families, so a target closing the distance hits stronger AA bubbles as it crosses each band.
AA DPS at point-blank370
Sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (1.2 km).
AA threat index1122
SUM over AA auras of (aura DPS x aura range km). A plane crossing the AA bubble is exposed to each aura for a time proportional to that aura's range, so long-reach DPS is worth more than the same DPS in a short bubble. Units: DPS*km; used to rank overall AA threat across the cohort.
Near aura range1.2 km

Secondary battery dispersion

Secondary dispersion typeStandard
Max dispersion = range (km) × 57 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.
Max secondary dispersion @ 4.5 km286.5 m
4.5 km × 57 + 30 = 286.5 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)153,600
Sum across all secondary families of (per-side barrels × 60 / reload_s × alpha), where per-side barrels = mounts × barrels-per-mount / 2 (the guns that bear on one broadside target). Per-family: 8×2 113 mm (8/side) × 60/5 × 1600 = 153,600. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).
Max HE alpha1600
Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1600 from the 113 mm family.
Max HE fire chance7%
Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 7% from the 113 mm family.
Max HE pen19 mm
Maximum HE armor penetration across secondary HE families (caliber × 1/6 for most nations; 1/4 for German/UK BBs). Shells whose pen falls under a plate's armor thickness shatter for 0 hull damage though fire chance still applies. Best on this ship: 19 mm from the 113 mm family.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 44,500, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds. HP caps are the exact in-game values, not estimated.

Bow & stern19 mm

Overmatched by 90+ AP guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Belt / citadel114 mm

Thin belt: battleship AP citadels straight through it broadside. Rely on angle, speed and concealment, never sit flat.

Farming10 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 23%, fires burn 60s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow19 mm primary (range 19–30 mm)1,400 (3% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Moltke, Graf Spee)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Bow-tank fits behind this exterior plate. Saturation is FAST here; the cap is often only a few thousand HP.
Hull (midship)19 mm primary (range 16–64 mm)33,400 (75% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Moltke, Graf Spee)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern19 mm primary (range 19–64 mm)1,500 (3% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Moltke, Graf Spee)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel114 mm primary (range 19–114 mm)≈ 165,500 (effectively no cap)
Citadel pen: full damageOver-pen: ×0.10 damage
Effectively no cap; citadel pool sits at ~165k HP on every ship. An AP citadel penetration deals the shell's full damage, the biggest single hit available; only over-penetrations are damped, to ×0.10.
Superstructure10 mm primary (range 10–89 mm)200 (0% of HP)
Any HE ≥16 mm pens at full damage
Any HE ≥16 mm pens at full damage. HE-spam target, and the section saturates fast (often only a few thousand HP).
Secondary mount (113 mm mount)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP800 per-mount HPDestroyed at 0 HPPer-mount HP for the heaviest secondary on this ship. A mount destroyed at 0 HP is out for the rest of the battle; DCP does not repair destroyed mounts. Smaller (lighter-caliber) secondaries typically share the same HP value.
AA mount (40 mm mount)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP200 per-mount HPDestroyed at 0 HPPer-mount HP for the heaviest AA on this ship. An AA mount destroyed at 0 HP stops shooting down planes for the rest of the battle; DCP does not repair destroyed mounts. HE shells specifically target AA mounts since the small-caliber HP pool falls fast.
Rudder (module)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP13,400 module HPIncapacitated at 0 HPWhen module HP reaches 0 the rudder locks at its current angle until DCP repairs it. Repair via Damage Control Party.

Saturation cap = HP a section can absorb before further damage to it is reduced (the "bow-tank" effect). Citadel pool is ~165k on every ship (effectively no cap); damage is gated by pen/over-pen multipliers instead. Superstructure saturates fast but HE always pens regardless of the plate thickness. Rudder (and other module HPs) are a separate pool from ship HP: damaging a module doesn't drain ship HP. Incapacitated modules like the rudder and engine are restored by DCP, but secondary and AA mounts destroyed at 0 HP stay out for the rest of the battle.

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Ship Charts

Balance History

Balance updates affecting Ark Royal. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Nerf ×8Buff ×8Rework ×1Airstrike ×1Torpedo ×6
2025-05-15

Ministry of Balance: New Horizons, Greater Heights

  • The Feeble Aircraft ship trait has been replaced with Tough Aircraft. This doesn't affect the ship's performance.
Read the full official post
2024-06-27

Ministry of Balance: Aerial Adjustments

  • Torpedo.
  • Torpedo bomber restoration time increased from 20 to 33 s.
  • Dive bomber restoration time increased from 28 to 32 s.
  • Dive bomber base speed increased from 132 to 140 kts.
  • Bomb damage increased from 3,200 to 3,700.
Read the full official post
2024-05-24

Ministry of Balance: Carriers 2.0 – First Wave

  • Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 2,000 to 1,900 (squadron HP reduced from 18,000 to 17,100).
  • Base speed increased from 120 to 132 knots.
  • Maximum flight range set to 29 kilometers.
  • Bomb damage increased from 3,000 to 3,200.
  • Bomb fire-setting chances increased from 20 to 22%.
  • Starting hangar aircraft reduced from 18 to 14.
  • Aircraft restoration time reduced from 67 to 28 seconds.
  • Torpedo Bombers:
  • Maximum flight range set to 27 kilometers.
  • Torpedo damage increased from 3,800 to 4,300.
  • +1 more official change line in the source post.
Read the full official post
2023-07-20

Anniversary Update: Summer Waves

  • This ship has been infamous for her ability to deal damage to everything at her tier. Now, it’s time to change things.
  • HE Bomb penetration reduced from 32.7 to 19.1 mm.
  • HE Bomb damage reduced from 3,750 to 3,000.
  • HE Bomb fire chance reduced from 25% to 20% reduced.
  • Torpedo Bombers.
  • Torpedo damage reduced from 5,300 to 3,800 reduced.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Ark Royal can equip, from in-game data.

Primary official WG sources

Filtered to official World of Warships: Legends pages where this ship is a focus, reward, line member, or high-context variant mention.

2022-10-17 · Through the Spy Glass Through the Spy Glass: Ark Royal Ship feature 2022-09-29 · Patch notes Halloween Update: New Friends, Old Foes Patch notes 2023-07-20 · Patch notes Anniversary Update: Summer Waves Patch notes