| This article is about the unit in Age of Empires III. For the similar unit in Age of Empires II, see Caravel (Age of Empires II). |
"Caravel. Good at exploring, fishing or transport."—In-game description
The Caravel is a military naval vessel in Age of Empires III that can be trained at the Dock once the Colonial Age is reached. It can transport land units and gather from fishes and whales.
Caravels are available to European civilizations except the Ottomans (who have Galleys instead), and the Indians.
Overview 
Edit
The Caravel is one of the first military ships available in the game other than the Galleon or Fluyt. Although it is one of the weakest warships in the game, it is relatively inexpensive, costing only 300 wood and 100 coin and can be built in a short amount of time. The Caravel is very useful at exploring uncharted waters because it is not big as other large ships so it can move faster and can store troops inside it and transport them faster. The Caravel is also one of the only warships that can harvest from fish and Whales just like Fishing Boats, with a gather rate of 0.67 and 0.5.
Caravels are one of the easier ships to repair at a Dock due to their low hit points, this means a player can withdraw a damaged vessel and have it back in the fight in a relatively short period of time.
The Spanish may want to use Galleons and Privateers instead, due to the Spanish Galleons and TEAM Inquisition cards.
Most civilizations can ship Privateers during the Colonial Age. Though they lack a Caravel's speed and ability to gather resources, they are tougher and possess greater line of sight than most ships in that Age.
Special ability Edit
- Broadside Attack: Fires a volley of cannon shots at an enemy ship within attack range, with each shot doing 100 siege damage. 60 seconds cooldown.
Civilization differences Edit
- Asian civilizations which can ally with the Portuguese at the Consulate will be able to research the Exploration Fleet technology, which ships one Caravel with three Petards.
Further statistics Edit
| Unit strengths and weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Ships, infantry close to shore |
| Weak vs. | Artillery especially Culverins, defensive structures |
| Improvements | |
| Hit points |  Armor Plating (+50%)
|
| Attack |  Carronade (+25%) Percussion Lock (+50% Broadside Attack damage)
|
| Sight |  Town Watch (+2)
|
| Speed |  Apache Endurance (+5%)
|
| Gather rate |  Gill Nets (+15%) Long Lines (+30%) Excessive Taxation (+50% from whales) Huron Fish Wedding (+20%) Navajo Craftsmanship (+20% from whales)
|
| Train cost |  Mapuche Ad-mapu (-10% coin cost)
|
| Penalties |  Coffee Trade (-10% speed, Dutch only) High Crusade (-5% hit points, Knights of St. John only)
|
Home City Cards Edit
| Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Caravel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Green: TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team All
|
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 Advanced Dock
| Docks get +100% attack and heal ships 100% faster, and ship train time -33% (also +1 Villager for the Indians) |  | 10 |
 Fish Market
| Fishing Boats and Caravels gather 25% faster | | 1 |
 Rendering Plant
| Fishing Boats and Caravels gather 30% faster (also +1 Villager for the Indians) |  | 10 |
 1 Caravel
| Ships 1 Caravel (also +1 Villager for the Indians) | | 1 |
 2 Caravels
| Ships 2 Caravels | | 1 |
 Improved Warships
| Warships get +25% hit points and attack (also +1 Villager for the Indians) | | 10 |
 Admiralty
| Caravel train limit +4; Galleon train limit +2; Frigate and Monitor train limit +1 (also +1 Villager for the Indians) | | 1 |
- Since the Caravel is only available for European civilizations (except the Ottomans) and the Indians, the Advanced Docks and Admiralty cards are only relevant to them.
- The Portuguese has the TEAM Fish Market card instead of Fish Market.
- The 2 Caravels card is available at a level 10 Home City for the Indians.
British Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 Offshore Support
| Warships get +20% attack, +5 LOS, and +5 range | | 40 |
 Naval Gunners
| Warships get +25% attack |  | 25 |
Chinese Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Improved Warships
| Warships get +15% hit points and attack | | 10 |
Indians Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Shivaji's Tactics
| All units get +5% hit points and attack |  | 25 |
 Bombay Marine
| Ship train time -40% and XP train bounty +25% +1 Villager | | 1 |
 3 Caravels
| Ships 3 Caravels +1 Villager | | 25 |
 European Cannons
| Warships get +20% attack, +5 LOS, and +5 range +1 Villager | | 40 |
Portuguese Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 Navigation School
| Warships cost -20% and train time -25% | | 25 |
 TEAM Fish Market
| Fishing Boats, Caravels/Galleys/War Junks/Fune, Canoes, War Canoes, Tlaloc Canoes, and Marathan Catamarans gather 10% faster | | 1 |
Russians Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Cold Water Port
| Warships cost -15% | | 10 |
Spanish Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Inquisition
| All units get +10 LOS | | 10 |
 Armada
| Warships get +30% hit points | | 10 |
Trivia Edit
- The Caravel uses a low-pitch version of the voice clips of the Musketeer (depending on their language).
- The model for the Caravel is actually based on a carrack. The real caravel doesn't have a forecastle, and the caravel's sails are triangular lateen sails.
History Edit
"Caravels were developed by Portuguese shipwrights in the fourteenth century, and were initially used to explore the coast of Africa. They had two masts with square sails and one forward triangular, or lateen, sail. They were relatively small ships and wide for their length, giving them a shallow draft and the ability to sail safely in shallow waters. These two factors made them extremely popular with explorers until the Spanish Galleon took over about 200 years later.
Approximate weight: 80 tons. Length: 50 feet."
Gallery Edit
