Colossus
Tier VIII · Aircraft Carrier · U.K. · Premium
Rating D (Bottom tier within its tier and class · overall score 9) · Balanced carrier
A British premium tier VIII light carrier whose 7.74 km detectability is very short for a carrier, making the ship easy to hide. Bombing and torpedo potential are around 40% below average, but according to the wiki its bombers launch in two flights of three, good for starting fires, and its torpedo bombers drop 58-knot torpedoes in a tight spread that easily hits destroyers. Its aircraft are fast at 173.75 kn and its good rearm turnaround allows frequent sorties. On the other hand, its 24.46 kn top speed is slow and AA is 32% below average, so it struggles to escape once spotted.
Key stats
- HP: 30,444
- Top speed: 24.46 kn
- Surface detectability: 7.74 km
The Colossus class was envisioned as an intermediate link between the heavy aircraft carriers of the Illustrious class and U.S. escort ships. The hull was built using technology developed for constructing merchant ships, and the propulsion unit was partially borrowed from light cruisers. Colossus took part in the liberation of Hong Kong and Shanghai as the flagship of the 11th Aircraft Carriers Squadron. In 1946, she was handed over to the French Navy and renamed Arromanches. In the ranks of the French Navy, the aircraft carrier participated in combat operations in Indochina and the Suez Crisis.