GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Karl XIV Johan

World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Karl XIV Johan

Also called: 卡尔十四世·约翰 Beta

Pan-Europe · Tier VIII · Battleship · Premium

Torpedo battleshipDeck torpedoes back the main guns; the torps are a brawl-range trap.

Playstyle

Anchor a flank at 14-17 km where flanking ships have to cross your torpedo arcs to push
The torpedoes are a deterrent that closes off whole lanes (under 10 km threat)
Avoid: Drifting broadside to set up a torpedo launch

Key characteristics

Long, fast torpedoes (10 km)SonarBurny secondariesLong-reach AAHardened superstructureLight citadel belt

On this page

Community stats
Playstyle
How to get Karl XIV Johan
Builds
Cohort position
Stats and specs
Armor
Charts
Balance history
Exteriors

Community Data

Karl XIV Johan Community Stats

Log in to GamingDiver and upload your data to see Community Data for Karl XIV Johan: community win rate, damage, survival, spotting, and your own comparison.

Playstyle

Overview

Karl XIV Johan is a Tier VIII European torpedo-equipped battleship: she carries deck torpedoes reaching 10 km on a hull most BBs lack. The torps are a brawl-range threat that forces approaching ships to peel off or eat a wave; the main battery is the primary damage source, the torps are the trap. Standout traits: best burny secondaries in T8 BBs (13) and best torpedo speed in T8 BBs (86 kt).

Positioning

Anchor a flank at 14-17 km where flanking ships have to cross your torpedo arcs to push. The torpedoes are a deterrent that closes off whole lanes (under 10 km threat); use that pressure to force enemies into your main battery, then dump torps as a finisher when they commit. Bow on between salvos to keep the citadel angled.

Potato Avoidance

Drifting broadside to set up a torpedo launch

The torpedoes are a trap that closes a lane, not a primary weapon; turn out of a launch if the angle exposes the citadel, and use the threat alone to force lane choices. A dead torpedo BB never drops a torp.

Signature Traits

Burny secondaries ↗

13% best HE fire chance per secondary shell (before target resistance), best of T8 BBs. Stacks fires faster than peers in a brawl.

Fast torpedoes ↗

86 kt torpedo speed, best of the 7 T8 BBs with torpedoes. Shorter run to the target and less lead to hold; how much warning they get depends on torpedo detectability too.

Long-reach AA ↗

5.2 km AA reach, best of T8 BBs.

ELITE ARMOR ↗

Hardened superstructure · 30 mm
Saturates bow fast · 1800 HP

ELITE MAIN BATTERY ↗

Fast turret traverse · 6°
Sensitive AP fuse · 51 mm

Light citadel belt ↗

255 mm citadel belt, bottom decile of T8 BBs. Citadels through angle are possible.

Acquisition

How to get Karl XIV Johan

Karl XIV Johan is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition paths: Containers and Campaign. 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.

ContainersAppears in official container odds below; availability depends on the container being sold or awarded.
CampaignEarnable in the Sveriges Sällhet campaign; campaign ships can later return through other limited methods.

Best listed chance for this ship

Super VIII crate 5% One of the Tier VIII Premium ships Event · Super VIII crate · 1 of 20 ships
Spectral Vault 5.0 0.657895% Tier VIII Premium ship Archived · Spectral Vault 5.0 · 1 of 19 ships
Spectral Vault 4.0 0.256579% Tier VIII Premium ship Archived · Spectral Vault 4.0 · 2 paths combined · 1 of 19 ships
Show 2 paths
- Spectral Vault 4.00.157895%
- Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.098684%

Show all 7 containers (4 more)

Spectral Vault 3.0 0.053224% Tier VIII Premium ship Archived · Spectral Vault 3.0 · 4 paths combined · 1 of 19 ships
Show 4 paths
- Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.019737%
- Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.017368%
- Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.010855%
- Spectral Vault 3.00.005263%
Mystic Lantern 0.045455% Tier VIII Premium ship Event · Mystic Lantern · 1 of 22 ships
Spectral Vault 2.0 0.010454% Tier VIII Premium ship Archived · Spectral Vault 2.0 · 6 paths combined · 1 of 19 ships
Show 6 paths
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.003158%
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.001974%
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.001974%
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.001737%
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.001086%
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.00.000526%
Spectral Vault 1.0 0.001295% Tier VIII Premium ship Archived · Spectral Vault 1.0 · 9 paths combined · 1 of 19 ships
Show 9 paths
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.000284%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.000197%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.000178%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.000174%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.000156%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.000109%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.000098%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 3.00.000053%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.00.000047%

Official WG availability sources

"Sveriges Sällhet" Campaign Breakdown Campaign Start: 2024-03-25 · End: 2024-04-28 Official campaign breakdown naming this ship as a campaign/reward-context ship; explicit source windows are used when present, otherwise the end date is inferred from the next indexed campaign breakdown when available.
Official WoWS Legends container odds Containers Official container drop rows linked below include direct and nested effective ship odds.

Show direct source rows

Mystic Lantern 0.045455% · Tier VIII Premium ship
Spectral Vault 3.0 0.005263% · Tier VIII Premium ship
Spectral Vault 4.0 0.157895% · Tier VIII Premium ship
Spectral Vault 5.0 0.657895% · Tier VIII Premium ship
Super VIII crate 5% · One of the Tier VIII Premium ships

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.

Janko Vukovich

WG official

InspirationsFranz von Hipper · Angelo Iachino

WG official build from Through the Spy Glass: Karl Johan XIV.

Source: Through the Spy Glass: Karl Johan XIV

Open in Build Tool →

Commanders frequently paired with this ship Janko Vukovich

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

Cohort position

Hide ▾

Where Karl XIV Johan sits among Tier VIII BBs (31 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.

BestSecondary fire chance13% (1/30) BestAP arming threshold51 mm (1/32) BestAA range5.2 km (1 of 11 tied) BestTorpedo speed86 kt (1 of 2 tied) BestTorpedo reaction time6.9 s (1/7) Top 10%Smoke fire bloom12.03 km (4/32) Top 10%Traverse-to-turn ratio5.94 × (4/32) Top 10%AP velocity865 m/s (4/32) Top 10%Flak per wave (expected)1,875 (3/32) Top 25%Stealth profile15.43 km / 12.34 km (9/32 / 7/32) Top 25%Main battery reload22.5 s (5/32) Top 25%Secondary DPM (per side)327,200 (5/32) Top 25%HE velocity865 m/s (6/30) Top 25%Effective HE DPM (incl. fire)212,647 (6/30) Top 25%Secondary range6.5 km (8/32) Top 25%AA threat2,404 (6/32) Top 25%Torpedo reload86 s (2/7) Bottom 25%HE fire chance28% (27/30) Bottom 25%Max armor350 mm (28/32) Bottom 25%Deck armor30 mm (25/29) Bottom 10%Citadel belt255 mm (28/30) WorstMain battery caliber305 mm (32/32) WorstHE shell damage4,350 (30/30) WorstAP shell damage8,400 (32/32) WorstAP pen at 10 km420 mm (32/32) WorstTorpedo damage≈9,800 (1 of 2 tied)

See 28 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Karl XIV Johan -- 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.

Hit points72,900 HP(22/32) Max speed30.5 kt(15/32) Rudder shift16.4 s(13/32) Turning circle890 m(16/32) Main battery range17.08 km(24/32) Sigma1.8(19/32) Fires per minute8.96(9/30) HE DPM139,200(9/30) AP DPM268,800(14/32) Main dispersion230.8 m(17/32) Secondary HE alpha2,200(9/30) Secondary HE pen25 mm(16/30) Acceleration37 s(22/32) Engine power152,000 hp(19/32) Turn-speed retention170.8 hp/m(21/32) Displacement52,500 t(12/32) Power-to-weight2.9 hp/t(17/32) AA DPS627(11/32) Torpedo range9.99 km(4/7) Repair charges3(13/32) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(25 of 32 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.03 s(29 of 32 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(28 of 32 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(28 of 32 tied at this value) NormTurn speed retained81%(31 of 32 tied at this value) NormRepair heal rate0.5 %/s(23 of 32 tied at this value) NormBow armor32 mm(28 of 30 tied at this value) NormStern armor32 mm(28 of 30 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Compare Tier VIII Battleships

Show all 31 peers

Stats & specs

Customize in the Build Tool →

Survivability

Hit Points72,900

Displacement52,500 t

Hull dimensions

Length 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.

258.2 x 33.2 m

Armor range19–350 mm

Plate armor thicknesses19, 20, 30, 32, 35, 50, 75, 95, 100, 150, 200, 220, 250, 255, 275, 300, 330, 340, 350 mm

Armor material/layer entries72

Fire resistance

Does 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.

40%

Fire duration60 s

Fire damage

Each fire ticks 0.3% of max HP per second for the full 60 s, so one unattended fire burns 18% of the pool (13,122 HP on this ship). 4 fire points can burn at once. Verified against measured burn ticks in replay data.

0.3% of HP per second

Flood duration40 s

Flood damage

A flood ticks 0.5% of max HP per second for the 40 s duration, so one unattended flood costs 20% of the pool (14,580 HP on this ship). Verified against measured flood ticks in replay data.

0.5% of HP per second

Torp Reduction

Reduces 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.

20%

Magazine HP

Per-turret powder-magazine HP, a separate pool from the ship's. Penetrating hits wear it down and the turret is likelier to be knocked out as it falls, so a larger pool keeps the guns firing through punishment that silences a peer's.

36,500

Steering gear HP

Durability 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.

21,900

Effective HP

Base 72,900 HP plus everything Repair Party can restore: 0.5%/s x 28 s = 10,206 HP per charge, x3 charges = 30,618 HP. Ceiling, not a prediction: a charge only restores damage actually taken, and only the regeneratable share of it. Across 1,826 players in our replay corpus the median ship realized about half of this, mostly because half the charges go unspent — when Repair Party IS pressed it returns ~97% of the per-charge figure above.

103,518

Repairable: penetration50%

Repairable: citadel10%

Repairable: steering gear50%

Main Battery

ModuleArtillery: 305 mm/56 SK C/39

Mounts / barrels4 mounts / 12 barrels

Reload time25 s

Firing range17.1 km

Turret traverse6 °/s

Turret armor360 mm

Turret traverse arcs

How far each mount can train, in degrees to either side of the mount's own facing, read from in-game data. A rear turret with ±150° leaves a 60° blind wedge over the bow; one-sided arcs are wing mounts that cover a single side. The data does not say which way each mount faces, so the arcs are listed per mount without bow/stern angles.

±150°, 3x ±145°

Guns to bear

How far off the bow (or stern) the ship must angle before every main turret can fire: the widest blind wedge among the rear-facing (or forward-facing) mounts, from each mount's trainable arc. Mount facing is inferred from turret stations and verified against known layouts, including Izumo's aft-facing forward turret.

35° off bow / 35° off stern

See the firing-arcs diagram ↓

AP pen max range326 mm

HE fire DPM vs T8 BB66102

Effective HE DPM vs T8 BB191382

Shell Grouping (σ)1.8

Max Horiz Disp

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model:

σ_{H} = (\frac{R}{30} \cdot \frac{idealRadius - minRadius}{idealDistance} + minRadius) \cdot 30

= (\frac{17080}{30} \cdot \frac{12 - 2}{1000} + 2) \cdot 30 = 230.8 m

230.8 m at 17.1 km

Max Vert Disp

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range:

σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot radiusOnMax

= 230.8 \cdot 0.6 = 138.5 m

138.5 m at 17.1 km

Med Horiz Disp

50%-hit horizontal radius:

σ_{H, 50} = σ_{H} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 230.8 \cdot \frac{0.6}{1.8} = 76.9 m

76.9 m at 17.1 km

Med Vert Disp

50%-hit vertical radius:

σ_{V, 50} = σ_{V} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 138.5 \cdot \frac{0.6}{1.8} = 46.2 m

46.2 m at 17.1 km

Turret turn time

180 degrees / 6 deg/s traverse speed = 30 s.

30 s

Shells/min

Zero upgrades: 12 broadside guns x 60 / 25 s base reload = 28.8. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 12 broadside guns x 60 / 22.5 s all-upgrades reload = 32.

Initial: 28.8 → 32

HE shells

HE Damage4,350

HE Velocity865 m/s

Fire Chance28%

HE penetration

51 mm ≈ 305 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

51 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

4,350 HE damage x 12 broadside guns = 52,200.

52,200

HE DPM

Zero upgrades: 52,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 25 s base reload = 125,280. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 52,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 22.5 s all-upgrades reload = 139,200.

Initial: 125,280 → 139,200

Fires/min

Zero upgrades: 28.8 shells/min x 28% fire chance = 8.06. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 32 shells/min x 28% fire chance = 8.96.

Initial: 8.06 → 8.96

AP shells

AP Damage8,400

AP Velocity865 m/s

Min Ricochet45 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg

Fuse Timer0.033 s

Fuse Threshold51 mm

AP overmatch

floor(305 mm caliber / 14.3) = 21 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

21 mm

AP Pen Close

Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity:

P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v_{0}^{1.38}

= 10^{- 7} \cdot 2450 \cdot 415^{0.69} \cdot {0.305}^{- 1.07} \cdot 865^{1.38} = 631.7 mm

. Matches the in-game spec card.

631.7 mm point-blank

AP Pen Far

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (17.1 km), where the shell has slowed to 534.9 m/s:

P = 10^{- 7} \cdot 2450 \cdot 415^{0.69} \cdot {0.305}^{- 1.07} \cdot {534.9}^{1.38} = 325.4 mm

325.4 mm at 17.1 km

AP full-salvo alpha

8,400 AP damage x 12 broadside guns = 100,800.

100,800

AP DPM

Zero upgrades: 100,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 25 s base reload = 241,920. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 100,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 22.5 s all-upgrades reload = 268,800.

Initial: 241,920 → 268,800

AP AOE Radius

AP shell over-penetration splash radius; scales with shell mass. Wickes 102mm = 3, standard 152mm CL ~ 20, Iowa 406mm ~ 270, Yamato 460mm = 400, Incomparable 650mm = 550 (max). Larger value = bigger splash damage area when AP over-pens.

150

Torpedoes

ModuleTorpedoes: 533 mm Quadruple

Launchers / tubes4 launchers × 4 tubes = 16 tubes

Reload time86 s

Projectile speed86 kt

Range9.99 km

Maximum simulated damage

Estimate of WG's in-game value; matches the in-game port screen within ±5%. Saturation: most targets only intersect one hull section, so the sim transfers ~1/3 of the warhead alpha (2/3 when the warhead blast >= 5000 and the burst reaches a second section). For this ship:

D_{sim} = α \cdot c = 29, 400 \cdot 0.333 = 9, 800

≈ 9,800

Maximum damage (ammunition)

The ammunition card's 'Maximum Damage' stat, exact: warhead alpha / 3 plus the blast addend. This is the per-torpedo number most references quote; the 'Maximum simulated damage' row above is WG's separate geometry-sim stat from the launcher spec panel.

10,700

Torpedo detectability1.6 km

Reaction time

How long a target has to dodge after your torpedo is spotted at its detectability range (lower means less warning):

t_{react} = \frac{1.6 km}{86 kt \times 2.6855} = 6.9 s

. The 2.6855 m/s-per-knot game-speed factor is calibrated from in-game measurement; the community's traditional 2.6 reads about 3% slower. Base value; commander torpedo-concealment skills lower it further. Community torpedo-reaction calculator by u/LorenDovah and u/The_ColorOutofSpace.

6.9 s

Flooding chance

Read straight from the game's own data: this torpedo carries a flooding-chance value of 1.73 per hit, shown as

1.73 \times 100 = 173 %

. Torpedo flood values above 100% are normal: in battle the base chance is scaled down by the target's torpedo protection (the Torp Reduction stat on its Survivability card) and any flood-resistance modifiers, so a value above 100% keeps flooding likely even through partial protection. Not shown on the in-game port screen.

173%

Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s

Launch arcs141°, 140° per side

Torp Turn

Time to rotate the launchers 180 deg:

t_{turn} = \frac{180 °}{25 ° / s} = 7.2 s

7.2 s

Torp Arming261 m

Per-side salvo damage

One side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 8 x 9,800 = 78,400.

78,400

AA Defense

AA mount points16

Maximum AA range

Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3.5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.

5.2 km

40 mm/70 Bofors M194816×1 40mm

120 mm/50 Model 1942 (DP)

Dual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.

6×2 120mm

Guns120 mm/50 Model 1942 (DP)

Continuous DPS

Effective 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 123 from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.

123

Range5.2 km

Guns40 mm/70 Bofors M1948

Continuous DPS

Effective DPS: 192 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.75 hit probability = 504 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.

504

Range3.5 km

Total DPS in Aura

Far 123 + Medium 504 = 627

627

Bursts

Each ~2 s wave fires 2 quick salvos of 4 clouds ahead of the attacking squadron, plus 2 stray clouds farther out that appear off-beat between waves - up to 10 clouds per wave × 250 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 × 4 clouds + 2 outer

Cloud damage

Damage a plane takes for flying into one flak cloud, before any reductions.

250

Cloud spawn chance

Each cloud in the pattern rolls this chance to spawn, so waves average fewer clouds than the maximum. Often called flak 'hit chance', but spawned clouds always damage planes that fly into them - the roll is on spawning.

75%

Wave rate

A flak wave spawns roughly every 2 s - timed frame-by-frame from gameplay footage and consistent across ships.

every ~2 s

Fired by

Flak 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

The 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 5.2 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.

2.5-5.2 km

See the AA layers diagram ↓

Secondary Battery

Mounts20

Firing range6.5 km

Shell Grouping (σ)1

Secondary dispersion type

Max 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 @ 6.5 km

6.5 km × 57 + 30 = 400.5 m.

400.5 m

Caliber120 mm

Reload time3 s

HE Damage1,700

Muzzle Velocity850 m/s

Fire Chance7%

Armor Pen20 mm

Show 1 more gun family

Caliber150 mm

Reload time7.5 s

HE Damage2,200

Muzzle Velocity835 m/s

Fire Chance13%

Armor Pen25 mm

Maneuverability

Engine power152,000 hp

Maximum speed30.5 kt

Turning circle radius890 m

Rudder shift time16.4 s

Engine power-boost threshold7 kt

Engine spool-up time23 s

Reverse spool-up time11.5 s

Reverse speed

top speed / 4 + 4.9 = 30.5 / 4 + 4.9 = 12.5 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.

12.5 kt

Crash stop

Seconds 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.

44.8 s

Engine boost threshold (reverse)

Speed 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).

9.5 kt

Acceleration 0-90%

Time to reach 90% of top speed (27.4 kt of 30.5 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.

37 s

Acceleration 0-99%

Time to reach 99% of top speed (30.2 kt of 30.5 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.

59.9 s

Traverse-to-turn ratio

How many degrees the turret can swing for each degree the hull turns. Turn rate

ω_{hull} = \frac{180}{π} \cdot \frac{V_{max} (m/s)}{R_{turn}} = \frac{180}{π} \cdot \frac{30.5 \cdot 0.5144}{890} = 1.01 ° / s

, so

ratio = \frac{ω_{turret}}{ω_{hull}} = \frac{6}{1.01} = 5.9 \times

. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.

5.9× slow

See the full acceleration curve ↓

Concealment

Detectability by sea15.43 km

Detectability by air12.34 km

Smoke firing penalty12.03 km

Detect when firing (sea)

Equal to the ship's main battery range (never below base detectability): firing makes you visible to everyone you can reach. Matches the in-game 'Detect Firing Sea' value on all 8 unmodified captures, and range-modified captures track the modified range.

17.08 km

Detect when firing (air)

Air detectability plus the gun-firing bloom (6.1 km, which tracks main-battery caliber x 0.020). Matches the in-game 'Detect Firing Air' value on every captured ship.

18.44 km

Detect when on fire (sea)

Base sea detectability + 2.0 km while burning; matches the in-game 'Detect Fire Sea' value on every captured ship.

17.43 km

Detect when on fire (air)

Base air detectability + 3.0 km while burning; matches the in-game 'Detect Fire Air' value on every captured ship.

15.34 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

Damage Control Party∞ charges · 80 s reload · 15 s active

Repair Party3 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 10,206 HP (14% of max HP) total heal (per charge)
ƒ
Heal per second (0.5%) x effective active time (28 s) = up to 14% of max HP restored per charge.
· 30,618 HP (42% of max HP) total heal (all charges)
ƒ
14% per charge x 3 charges = up to 42% of max HP if the whole Repair Party loadout is used.
· 364 HP/s (0.5% of max HP) heal per second
ƒ
0.5% of max HP (72,900 HP) per second = 364 HP/s. WoWS heals a flat percent of MAX HP each second, so this rate holds at any health level.

Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 98 s active · 4.68 km ship detect
ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): $\frac{156 \times 30}{1000} = 4.68 km$
· 3.27 km torpedo detect
ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): $\frac{109 \times 30}{1000} = 3.27 km$

Secondary Battery Booster4 charges · 100 s reload · 30 s active · +100% grouping · -50% dispersion

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.

Main battery formulas

Shell Grouping (σ)1.8

Max Horiz Disp230.8 m at 17.1 km

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model:  $σ_{H} = (\frac{R}{30} \cdot \frac{idealRadius - minRadius}{idealDistance} + minRadius) \cdot 30$   $= (\frac{17080}{30} \cdot \frac{12 - 2}{1000} + 2) \cdot 30 = 230.8 m$

Shell scatter width @ 5 km110 m

Horizontal scatter at a fixed 5 km, from the same verified dispersion model as the rows below - a knife-fight-range anchor comparable across ships.

Shell scatter width @ 10 km160 m

How wide your shells scatter at 10 km, from the same dispersion model as the max-range figure above. Picking a fixed range makes this number directly comparable from ship to ship: max-range dispersion makes a longer-range gun look worse even when it's tighter at any common range. The interactive Dispersion tab on the Charts card plots the full curve from 0 to max range.

Shell scatter width @ 15 km210 m

Horizontal scatter at a fixed 15 km, from the same verified dispersion model - the long-range anchor. Only shown when the ship's guns reach 15 km.

Max Vert Disp138.5 m at 17.1 km

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot radiusOnMax$ $= 230.8 \cdot 0.6 = 138.5 m$

Shell scatter height @ 10 km82.7 m

How tall the same scatter ellipse is at 10 km. Comparable from ship to ship for the same reason as the width value above. The height/width ratio is a piecewise-linear curve through three points from the ship's own dispersion data:  $radiusOnZero = 0.2$  at 0 m,  $radiusOnDelim = 0.5$  at  $delim \cdot R_{m a x} = 0.5 \cdot 17080 = 8540$  m, and  $radiusOnMax = 0.6$  at 17080 m. Above the kink:  $k = 0.5 + (0.6 - 0.5) \cdot \frac{10000 - 8540}{17080 - 8540} = 0.5171$ , so  $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot k = 160 \cdot 0.5171 = 82.7 m$ .

Med Horiz Disp76.9 m at 17.1 km

50%-hit horizontal radius: $σ_{H, 50} = σ_{H} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}$ $= 230.8 \cdot \frac{0.6}{1.8} = 76.9 m$

Med Vert Disp46.2 m at 17.1 km

50%-hit vertical radius: $σ_{V, 50} = σ_{V} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}$ $= 138.5 \cdot \frac{0.6}{1.8} = 46.2 m$

AP Pen Close631.7 mm point-blank

Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity:  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v_{0}^{1.38}$   $= 10^{- 7} \cdot 2450 \cdot 415^{0.69} \cdot {0.305}^{- 1.07} \cdot 865^{1.38} = 631.7 mm$ . Matches the in-game spec card.

AP Pen Far325.4 mm at 17.1 km

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (17.1 km), where the shell has slowed to 534.9 m/s:  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot 2450 \cdot 415^{0.69} \cdot {0.305}^{- 1.07} \cdot {534.9}^{1.38} = 325.4 mm$ .

AP pen 5 km513 mm

AP penetration at a fixed 5 km, read off the same PC-validated ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the canonical community AP formula  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$ . Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.

AP pen 10 km420 mm

AP penetration at a fixed 10 km, read off the same PC-validated ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the canonical community AP formula  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$ . Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.

AP pen 15 km349 mm

AP penetration at a fixed 15 km, read off the same PC-validated ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the canonical community AP formula  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$ . Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.

HE flight time @ 10 km4.88 s

How long an HE shell takes to reach a target at a fixed 10 km, from the same numerically integrated trajectory the Charts card plots. The shell slows under quadratic air drag,  $a_{drag} = k ρ v^{2}$ , where  $ρ$  is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and  $k$  bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.2798 \cdot {0.305}^{2}}{8 \cdot 415} = 2.46 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 865 m/s muzzle velocity in 0.02 s steps under gravity 9.8 m/s² until the shell lands, then divides by 2.77: the game clock runs faster than real time, and that factor was measured against stopwatch runs in the Training Room. Lower is better, since a faster shell is harder to dodge and needs less lead.

AP flight time @ 10 km4.88 s

How long an AP shell takes to reach a target at a fixed 10 km, from the same numerically integrated trajectory the Charts card plots. The shell slows under quadratic air drag,  $a_{drag} = k ρ v^{2}$ , where  $ρ$  is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and  $k$  bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.2798 \cdot {0.305}^{2}}{8 \cdot 415} = 2.46 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 865 m/s muzzle velocity in 0.02 s steps under gravity 9.8 m/s² until the shell lands, then divides by 2.77: the game clock runs faster than real time, and that factor was measured against stopwatch runs in the Training Room. Lower is better, since a faster shell is harder to dodge and needs less lead.

HE penetration51 mm

51 mm ≈ 305 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

AP overmatch21 mm

floor(305 mm caliber / 14.3) = 21 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

AP AOE Radius150

AP shell over-penetration splash radius; scales with shell mass. Wickes 102mm = 3, standard 152mm CL ~ 20, Iowa 406mm ~ 270, Yamato 460mm = 400, Incomparable 650mm = 550 (max). Larger value = bigger splash damage area when AP over-pens.

Broadside guns used for alpha12

All 12 barrels bear on the broadside.

Turret turn time30 s

180 degrees / 6 deg/s traverse speed = 30 s.

HE full-salvo alpha52,200

4,350 HE damage x 12 broadside guns = 52,200.

AP full-salvo alpha100,800

8,400 AP damage x 12 broadside guns = 100,800.

HE DPMInitial: 125,280 → 139,200

Zero upgrades: 52,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 25 s base reload = 125,280. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 52,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 22.5 s all-upgrades reload = 139,200.

AP DPMInitial: 241,920 → 268,800

Zero upgrades: 100,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 25 s base reload = 241,920. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 100,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 22.5 s all-upgrades reload = 268,800.

Shells/minInitial: 28.8 → 32

Zero upgrades: 12 broadside guns x 60 / 25 s base reload = 28.8. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 12 broadside guns x 60 / 22.5 s all-upgrades reload = 32.

Fires/minInitial: 8.06 → 8.96

Zero upgrades: 28.8 shells/min x 28% fire chance = 8.06. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 32 shells/min x 28% fire chance = 8.96.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.6 km

Estimated torpedo reaction time6.9 s

detectability / (speed kt x 2.6855 game-speed factor, m/s per knot, calibrated from in-game measurement; the community's traditional 2.6 reads about 3% slower).

Torpedo speed86 kt

Travel time to max range43.3 s

range / (speed kt x 2.6855 game-speed factor, m/s per knot, calibrated from in-game measurement).

Torpedo module damage900

Per-torpedo module/blast damage parameter from in-game data. Most torpedoes carry 500 to 2,000; ships announced by WG as dealing increased module damage carry 9,000 to 12,000, so their hits knock out engines, rudders, and turrets far more often. Comparative figure; the exact module-HP conversion is not published.

Tube count16

4 launchers x 4 tubes.

Per-side salvo8 torpedoes

tube count / 2 (symmetric port/starboard launcher layout; common on cruisers and battleships with deck torpedoes).

Full-salvo damage156,800

All tubes hitting one target: tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 16 x 9,800 = 156,800.

Per-side salvo damage78,400

One side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 8 x 9,800 = 78,400.

AA defense

AA DPS at max range123

Only families that reach 5.2 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: Bofors 40mm70 SP48 16x1 -> 504 DPS @ 3.5 km; 120 50 Bofors M42 SW 6x2 -> 123 DPS @ 5.2 km.

Maximum AA range5.2 km

Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3.5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.

AA DPS layered by range123 DPS @ 5.2 km, 627 DPS @ 3.5 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-blank627

Sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (3.5 km).

AA threat index2404

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.

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 @ 6.5 km400.5 m

6.5 km × 57 + 30 = 400.5 m.

Secondary dispersion @ 5 km315 m

Same per-type line evaluated at a fixed 5 km: 5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)327,200

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: 6×2 120 mm (6/side) × 60/3 × 1700 = 204,000 + 14×1 150 mm (7/side) × 60/7.5 × 2200 = 123,200. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).

Max HE alpha2200

Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 2200 from the 150 mm family.

Max HE fire chance13%

Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 13% from the 150 mm family.

Max HE pen25 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: 25 mm from the 150 mm family.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 72,900, 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 & stern32 mm

Overmatched by 7 AP guns here: Incomparable SE 25IncomparableYamato and 4 more. Angling still helps against the rest.

Belt / citadel330 mm

Citadels come from a flat broadside at close range; held past ~30° of angle, AP shatters or bounces.

Farming30 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 40%, fires burn 60s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →

Section	Plates	HP cap	Threats	Tactic
Bow	32 mm primary (range 32–50 mm)	1,800 (2% of HP)	Overmatched by 460mm+ AP (Aki, Musashi)Angle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+	Bow-tank fits behind this exterior plate. Saturation is FAST here; the cap is often only a few thousand HP.
Hull (midship)	150 mm primary (range 30–350 mm)	54,700 (75% of HP)	No common AP caliber overmatches150 mm: no common HE pens	Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern	32 mm primary (range 32–100 mm)	1,600 (2% of HP)	Overmatched by 460mm+ AP (Aki, Musashi)Angle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	330 mm primary (range 19–255 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.
Superstructure	30 mm primary (range 30–340 mm)	3,000 (4% 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).
Turret (module, per magazine)	separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP	36,500 magazine HP	Turret knocked out	Per-turret powder-magazine HP, a separate pool that does not drain ship HP. As it is worn down the turret is likelier to be knocked out, and a smaller pool gets there faster.
Secondary mount (150 mm mount)	separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP	800 per-mount HP	Destroyed at 0 HP	Per-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 HP	200 per-mount HP	Destroyed at 0 HP	Per-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 HP	21,900 module HP	Incapacitated at 0 HP	When 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.

Open in Charting Tool

Ship Charts

Balance History

Balance updates affecting Karl XIV Johan. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Buff ×1

2026-07-30

Ministry of Balance: Anniversary Tune-Up

credit and XP earnings increased by 11.11%.

Read the full official post

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Karl XIV Johan can equip, from in-game data.

DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior
Karljohan RetroDecorative

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.

2024-03-21 · Patch notes April Update: The Stars Align Patch notes 2025-05-15 · Patch notes May Update: The Cat and the Eagle Patch notes 2026-07-30 · Patch notes Anniversary Update: Tides of Adventure Patch notes

Karl XIV Johan

Karl XIV Johan Community Stats

Karl XIV Johan Community Stats

Playstyle

Overview

Positioning

Potato Avoidance

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How to get Karl XIV Johan

Best listed chance for this ship

Builds

Janko Vukovich

Cohort position

Peers in this cohort

Stats & specs

See all derived stats

Main battery formulas

Torpedoes

AA defense

Secondary battery dispersion

Secondary battery firepower

Armor Beta

Ship Charts

Balance History

Ministry of Balance: Anniversary Tune-Up

Skins & permanent camouflages

Primary official WG sources

Signature Traits