Ship:Gascogne

14.8

Gascogne

Battleship | France | Tier VIII

Tech Tree Position

General

Purchase priceSpecial

Hit Points63,200

Main Battery

380 mm/45 Mle 1935 in a turret2 х 4 pcs.

Rate of Fire2.1 shots/min

Reload Time28 sec

Rotation Speed5 deg/sec

180 Degree Turn Time36 sec

Firing Range23.8 km

Maximum Dispersion299 m

HE Shell380 mm HE OEA Mle 1945

Maximum HE Damage5,400

Chance of Fire36 %

Initial HE Velocity830 m/s

HE Shell Weight884 kg

AP Shell380 mm AP OPfK Mle 1943

Maximum AP Shell Damage11,900

Initial AP Shell Velocity830 m/s

AP Shell Weight885 kg

Secondary Armament #1

152 mm/55 Mle 1930 on an Mle 1936 mount3 х 3 pcs.

Firing Range7.6 km

Rate of Fire5 shots/min

Reload Time12 sec

HE Shell152 mm HE OEA Mle 1937

Maximum HE Shell Damage2,200

Initial HE Shell Velocity870 m/s

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell12 %

Secondary Armament #2

100 mm/45 Mle 1933 on an Mle 1937 mount8 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range7.6 km

Rate of Fire15 shots/min

Reload Time4 sec

HE Shell100 mm HE OEA Mle 1928

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,400

Initial HE Shell Velocity780 m/s

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell6 %

AA Defense

25 mm Hotchkiss Mle 1939 on a CAD Mle 1939 mount9 х 2 pcs.

37 mm/70 Mle 1935 on an ACAD Mle 1936 mount8 х 2 pcs.

37 mm/50 CAIL Mle 1933 on a CAD Mle 1933 mount8 х 2 pcs.

100 mm/45 Mle 1933 on an Mle 1937 mount8 х 2 pcs.

152 mm/55 Mle 1930 on an Mle 1936 mount3 х 3 pcs.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed32 knot

Turning Circle Radius850 m

Rudder Shift Time15.3 sec

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range16.2 km

Air Detectability Range10 km

Battle Levels

12345678910

VIII

Special

Gascogne — French special premium Tier VIII battleship.

Against the backdrop of large-scale constructions of new battleships by all naval powers in the late 1930s, France began working on the project for a new battleship. After Dunkerque was tested, the concept of battleships with artillery placed on the bow was questioned. The plan was to build two new battleships that would match the speed and armor of the Richelieu class. Battleship Gascogne was supposed to be constructed according to a design that positioned the main artillery at the aft and forward ends of the ship; however, the ship was not laid down due to the capitulation of France.

Modules

	Rate of Fire (shots/min)	180° Turn Time (sec)	Maximum Dispersion (m)	Maximum HE Shell Damage (HP)	Chances of HE shells causing a fire on target (%)	Maximum AP Shell Damage (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
380 mm/45 Mle 1935 in a turret	2.1	36	299	5,400	36	11,900		0	0

	Hit Points (HP)	Armor (mm)	Armor (mm)	Main Turrets (pcs.)	Secondary Gun Turrets (pcs.)	AA Mounts (pcs.)	Torpedo Tubes (pcs.)	Hangar Capacity (pcs.)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Gascogne	63,200	19	430	2	3/8	9/8/8/8/3				0	0

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
PCA n° 8 Mle 1		0		0	0

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 155,000 hp	32		0	0

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4
Slot 5

Player Opinion

Performance

Warning: The data presented in the AA Defense sidebar section may be incorrect.
Refer to the in-game Port screens for more useful data.

Tier VIII French premium battleship Gascogne has the same two quad-barreled turrets found on her tech tree counterpart Richelieu, but in a more conventional layout where one turret is forward of the superstructure and one behind. The two ships share many similarities aside from the gun placement: they have identical handling, speed, and concealment, while their guns, secondaries, and health are near identical. As a result, playing them similarly will net fairly good results, though Gascogne has her own quirks.

To address the elephant in the room, Gascogne does not have particularly good guns. They suffer from comparatively poor dispersion (although Gascogne has slightly better accuracy - sigma 1.9 vs Richelieus 1.8), meaning it can be an exercise in frustration trying to land shells on target. Richelieu has the same issue, and the solution towards mitigating the floundering accuracy of their main batteries is similar as well: use Gascogne and Richelieu’s superior range, speed and handling to flank enemy positions, aiming for exposed enemy broadsides. They are among the fastest battleships at Tier VIII, with a respective top speed of 32 knots. This can be further boosted using the Sierra Mike () signal, plus the Engine Boost  consumable found on most French battleships at Tier VIII and up. Combined, all these factors create a battleship capable of hitting ludicrous speeds (compared to other battleships).

Further, Gascogne’s 380mm shells are not large enough to overmatch 27mm plating or thicker, which allows some heavy cruisers to resist her AP when their armor is steeply angled. However, her HE shells can work quite well against targets that AP is insufficient for. The same shells used by Gascogne’s big sisters, Jean Bart and Bourgogne, they have reasonable damage and good fire starting and should remain a worthwhile consideration against stubborn targets, especially when facing higher tiers at longer ranges where Gascogne’s AP cannot produce results. Another important note about Gascogne’s main battery is her firing angles; while she must show more of her profile to fire at targets ahead of her she has good angles for firing at targets behind her. This makes her capable of fighting effectively while keeping an advancing enemy at a safe distance.

While Gascogne’s armor meets all of the standards for a conventional Tier VIII battleship it does little to exceed this requirement. Her citadel armor is protected by a modest turtleback scheme that can struggle to prevent penetrations from enemy battleships when exposed, even at long ranges, and her surface is covered in 32mm armor rendering her vulnerable to the HE shells of CAs, most HE rockets and bombs and to the HE of CLs with improved HE penetration. Overall, her armor is relatively weak for her tier, so instead of relying on the armor to mitigate incoming damage, it is better to utilise her other strengths to try and avoid being hit to begin with. Otherwise, a captain may find Gascogne’s somewhat average hit points quickly melt away.

Gascogne does feature both reasonable torpedo protection and also has a reasonably thick anti-bomb deck which protects her citadel with up to 240mm of armor. This protects her citadel against the AP bombs of lower tier carriers and can contend with same tier carriers but is not enough to work consistently against higher tier AP bombs. Sadly, Gascogne’s Anti-Air suite is not very effective, and in efforts to use her speed and range a captain can isolate themselves from their team, making themselves an ideal target for enemy aircraft.

Thankfully, Gascogne’s survivability issues are mitigated somewhat by her unique Repair Party  consumable, which has a faster cooldown than usual at 40 seconds. Care should be taken not to use these repairs too frequently, it can be tempting to repair as soon as the option is available. Taking damage results in saturation and repairing undoes this effect, captains should think twice before denying themselves the damage reducing benefits of saturation.

All things considered, Gascogne is a capable ship, as long as she is used with due caution and consideration towards what weaknesses she does have, she is not suited to rushing into danger or close quarters combat. The ability to move quickly around a map and reach far can prove to be decisive when used correctly, but Gascogne can lose her initiative when faced with targets that she cannot exert enough pressure due to the limitations of her guns.

Pros:

• Fast reload speed of 28 seconds.
• Better sigma (shell distribution inside her dispersion circle) than Richelieu (1.9 vs. 1.8).
• High top speed of 32 knots, able to be increased even further with the Engine Boost  consumable.
• Long range (with access to spotter plane) and fast shells.
• Good penetration for 380mm guns.
• Quadruple-barreled turrets means she always has four guns on target at any given time.
• Quick cooldown on Repair Party  consumable.
• Decent torpedo protection.

Cons:

• Turret arrangement makes it tricky to use all eight guns at once.
• Two turrets can mean that a turret incapacitation or destruction reduces firepower by half.
• Relatively weak broadside for a Tier VIII at only eight 380mm guns.
• Lacking overmatch capabilities for Tier VIII.
• Mediocre anti-aircraft armament.
• Reload speed is still worse than the other Tier VIII battleships armed with 15-inch guns like Bismarck and Monarch.
• Like all French battleships, she is coated primarily in 32mm plating across the entire ship, making her highly vulnerable to HE shells from enemy heavy cruisers and battleships.
• Takes large amounts of damage from battleship AP when caught broadside.

Research

As a premium ship, Gascogne doesn't have any upgrades to research.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades for Gascogne are as follows:

• Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
• Slot 2: Damage Control System Modification 1 
• Slot 3: Aiming Systems Modification 1
• Slot 4: Propulsion Modification 1
• Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1 

Slot 2 should equip the special upgrade Engine Boost Modification 1 if available, which increases the Engine Boost  duration from 180 seconds to 234 seconds, though not at the expense of higher priority ships.

Slot 4 provides players a choice between survivability and maneuverability. To reduce the rudder shift time, players should mount Steering Gears Modification 1 . Players wishing to reduce the amount of time that fires and flooding inflict damage to the ship should mount Damage Control System Modification 2 .

Commander Skills

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Attack			Defense
1	Gun Feeder -40% time to switch shell type. ★	Demolition Expert +1% chance of main and secondary HE shells causing a fire +15% to the fragmentation damage area of HE ordnance when firing at submarines.	Consumable Specialist −7.5% cooldown time of all Consumables except:  Damage Control Party ,  Repair Party .	Emergency Repair Specialist -3% cooldown time of Damage Control Party  and Repair Party . ★	Incoming Fire Alert Receive a warning about a salvo fired at your ship from more than 4.5 km.	Preventive Maintenance −30% chance of main armament, engines, steering becoming incapacitated +15% to HP of secondary and AA guns. ★
2	Grease the Gears +20% main turret traverse speed. ★★	Inertial Fuse for HE Shells +25% armor penetration of HE shells. Base fire chance reduced by half.	Brisk So long as the ship remains undetected: +10% ship speed.	Vigilance +25% detection range of enemy torpedoes +7% damage reduction of Torpedo Protection System. . ★	Priority Target The detection indicator will show the number of enemies targeting you with main battery. ★	AAA & ASW Expert +15% continuous AAA and flak damage . +10% damage inflicted by depth charges. While AAA is active: −40% ship consumables reload time..
3	Super-Heavy AP Shells +7.5% AP shell damage −10% fire and flood damage received +25% fire and flood duration.	Long-Range Secondary Battery Shells +20% secondary battery firing range.	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% reload time of all armaments per 1% HP lost +0.2% AA continuous damage per 1% HP lost. ★★★	Basics of Survivability -15% repair, fire, and flooding duration. ★★	Improved Repair Party Readiness −0.8% reload time of Repair Party each time your ship receives potential damage equal to 100% of the ship's base HP. After receiving 2M HP potential damage: +1 charge of Repair Party ..	Focus Fire Training In an active priority AA sector: •  +1.5% (to 5%) immediate damage. •  +25% continuous damage. •  +1 flak burst per salvo. −10% aircraft preparation time. −15% reload time of Airstrike armament..
4	Furious 1st fire / flood   −10% Main battery reload time 2nd etc. (up to 5), each   −5% Main battery reload time	Manual Secondary Battery Aiming −10% secondary battery reload time. −10% secondary battery dispersion. When firing at a manually selected target: dispersion gradually improves from -25% to -50%.	Close Quarters Combat -10% reload time of main battery if an enemy ship is spotted within secondary range.	Emergency Repair Expert Damage Control Party  and Repair Party : +1 charge (each). +10% action time . ★★	Concealment Expert -10% detectability range of the ship. ★★★	Fire Prevention Expert -10% risk of fire. Three fires maximum. ★★★
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful      ★★ - Frequently Useful      ★ - Occasionally Useful     No stars - Not Useful

Consumables

Gascogne can equip the following consumables:

• Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
• Slot 2: Repair Party  (40 second reload time)
• Slot 3: Engine Boost  (180 second duration)
• Slot 4: Spotting Aircraft  or Catapult Fighter 

Camouflage

As a premium ship, Gascogne comes with Default permanent camouflage and a set of permanent combat bonuses.

Signals

Recommended Signal Flags
Combat
Charlie Kilo +5% ship HP; +2.5% squadron HP.	Juliet Yankee Bissotwo -20% to flooding duration. ★	India Yankee -20% to fire duration. ★★★	Hotel Yankee -20% to damage received when ramming the enemy. +50% to damage dealt when ramming the enemy.	Victor Lima +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +4% chance of torpedoes causing flooding.	India X-Ray +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire.
Juliet Whiskey Unaone +15% chance of causing flooding.	Mike Yankee Soxisix +5% to secondary battery maximum firing range. -5% to maximum dispersion of secondary battery shells. -5% to secondary battery loading time. ★	November Echo Setteseven +5% continuous AA damage at all ranges. +5% damage from flak bursts. ★★	Sierra Mike +5% to the ship's maximum speed. ★★★	November Foxtrot -5% reload time on all consumables. ★★★	India Delta +20% to the amount of HP recovered when Repair Party  is used. ★
X-Ray Papa Unaone +10% action time of a Smoke Generator .	Sierra Bravo +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search  -10% reload time of Defensive AA Fire .

Gallery

• 
• 
• 
  Gascogne fires a broadside.
• 
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  A catapult fighter from Gascogne surveys the damage.
• 

Historical Info

Gascogne, 1940

Construction

Builder: Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire;
   Saint-Nazaire, France

Laid down: ---

Launched: ---

Commissioned: ---

Cancelled: 1940

---

Specifications

35,000 tons displacement, standard

242.0m length

33.0m beam

9.63m draft

---

Machinery

Parsons geared steam turbines, 6 Sural-Indret boilers

---

Performance

30 knots at 150,000 shaft horsepower

---

Armor

Main belt: 320mm

Torpedo bulkhead: 30-50mm

Decks: 140-150mm

Bulkhead: 233-355mm

Barbettes and Turrets: 405mm and 170-430mm respectively

---

Armament

Main

Eight (2x4) 380 mm (15.0 in)/45 Modèle 1935 guns

Secondary

Nine (3x3) 152 mm guns

Anti-aircraft

Eight (8x1) 100 mm CAD Model 1937 turrets

Six (6x1) AA Model 1935 guns

Aircraft

Total

3 Farman/NCAC NC 420 seaplanes

Line drawing of "Battleship B3 ter", the plans for what would have been Gascogne.

History

Design

The most conspicuous change with Gascogne would have been the return to a main artillery arrangement with a quadruple 380 mm (15 in) gun turret aft. This rearrangement also would shift superstructures forward so that these were now mounted almost exactly midships and no longer at a considerable distance aft of the midship position.

Gascogne's secondary artillery would have been three triple turrets of 152 mm (6.0 in) caliber, all on one axial line, two in a superfiring position forward and one between the funnel and the aft 380 mm (15 in) turret, which freed up the sides of the ship for eight anti-aircraft dual mountings of 100 mm (3.9 in) caliber. As the 152 mm (6.0 in) guns' magazines would have been near the main artillery turrets' magazines, which would increase risks, the 152 mm (6.0 in) turrets' armor had to be improved. In July 1938 it was proposed to increase the turret armor thickness to 190 mm (7.5 in) on the faces (instead of 130 mm (5.1 in)), 120 mm (4.7 in) on the roofs, and 100 mm (3.9 in) on the sides (instead of 70 mm (2.8 in)); the barbettes would have remained at 100 mm (3.9 in). In February 1939, a rebalancing was proposed with a thickness of 150 mm (5.9 in) for the barbette, 155 mm (6.1 in) for the turret faces and from 135 mm (5.3 in) to 85 mm (3.3 in) for the turret sides. A thinner upper armored deck had been considered, reducing its thickness to around 145 mm (5.7 in), instead of around 160 mm (6.3 in), but there is no proof that such a decision was actually taken, beyond a Service Technique des Constructions Navales (STCN) recommendation dated 5 March 1938.

In the December 1938 designs, aircraft installations were intended to be fitted at the ship's center, with trainable catapults between the fore tower and the funnel, with a hangar at the aft tower's base. Problems with positioning the 100 mm (3.9 in) AA battery too near the main and secondary batteries resulted, in February 1939, in re-positioning the aircraft installations at the ship's stern. A single axial catapult would have had its pedestal countersunk in the quarterdeck, with an internal hangar in a recess under the first deck and a lift to hoist the seaplanes to the first deck level to avoid the blast effects of the rear 380 mm (15 in) turret firing, which also would have required raising the aft 381 mm (15.0 in) turret up one deck, on the Vittorio Veneto-class battleships. The hull seaplanes would have been of a new twin-motored type, the Farman/NCAC NC 420, with an increased endurance (1,350 km at 240 km/h, versus 1,125 km at 150 km/h for the Loire 130). Its prototype was almost complete in June 1940 but never flew. Two seaplanes would have been stowed in the hangar in line, and a third one would have been parked on rails on the quarterdeck, to the aviation hangar's starboard.

Thus, the eight 100 mm (3.9 in) CAD Model 1937 turrets would have been positioned in four groups of two, amidships, in the four corners of the superstructure. Each group of two turrets would have had a fire control system, with a 5-meter (16 ft) OR; for the forward groups this would be on each side of the fore tower, and for the aft turret groups it would be atop the aft tower. Thus, the backup system for the 152 mm (6.0 in) battery would have been eliminated, and the secondary battery's fire control direction insured by the upper system in the fore tower for anti-ship gunnery and by the 100 mm (3.9 in) battery's systems for anti-aircraft gunnery.

The six 37 mm (1.5 in) AA Model 1935 guns would have been installed with four mountings abeam the forward turret (two on the forecastle and two a little abaft, one deck higher), with their fire control systems amidships between the fore and the aft tower, and the two would have been positioned abeam the aft superstructure with their fire control systems a little forward and one deck higher. The 37 mm (1.5 in) zénithaux quadruple mountings were repositioned amidships between the fore and aft towers, because on the quarterdeck – as on Clemenceau – they would have been excessively exposed to the blast from the aft main turret.

Service

Original plans called for Gascogne to be laid down in August 1939. Material shortages postponed her scheduled start-of-construction until May 1940. The German invasion of France on 10 May 1940 halted all plans and progress on her construction; she was never completed.

Historical Inaccuracies

• Gascogne is depicted in a hypothetical 1941 configuration. However, the Navy Blue disruptive camouflage suggests that Gascogne is in 1943 condition. She should be fitted with quad 40 mm Bofors guns and 20 mm Oerlikon cannons, which became standard on French ships that were refitted in the United States after they sided with the Allies. Gascogne's sister ship Richelieu was not painted in disruptive camouflage until 1943 when she was refitted in New York.
• Actual light AA battery consisted of six 37 mm/50 1933 guns and five quadruple 13.2 mm Hotchkiss machine guns.
• The 37 mm/70 ACAD Mle 1936 gun was not provided in time for the Richelieu-class battleships. As such it is unlikely it would have been completed in time for Gascogne either had she been built. Furthermore, the weapon had numerous development problems, resulting in delays which led to its cancellation in 1940. Only one prototype existed.
• Few, if any of the 25 mm Hotchkiss guns entered service with the French Navy before the 1940 armistice.

Historical Gallery

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  A cross-sectional drawing of a quadruple 380mm turret, such as those found on Richelieu and Gascogne.
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  Artist's rendering of Gascogne.
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  Deck plans of Gascogne.
• 
  Details of Gascogne’s aviation arrangements.
• 
  A detailed look at Gascogne’s intended armor scheme.

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References

1. Armada: Gascogne - 07/22/2019 - News - World of Warships
2. Armada: Gascogne - Mar 2, 2018 - World of Warships Official Channel - YouTube
3. Armada in 90 seconds: Gascogne - Jul 22, 2019 - World of Warships Official Channel - YouTube

Ship Change Log

Testing Changes

• November 26, 2017:
  • Preliminary characteristics.
• December 12, 2017:
  • Engine Boost consumable added with the following characteristics:
    • +8% speed boost.
    • 180 seconds duration.
    • 180 seconds cooldown, 120 seconds cooldown with premium consumable.
    • 2 charges stock, 3 charges stock with premium consumable.
  • Torpedo damage reduction increased from 18.18% to 34.24%.
• December 27, 2017:
  • Secondary battery firing range was increased from 5 to 7 km.
• February 3, 2018:
  • Main battery firing range was decreased from 24.77 to 23.82 km.
  • Sigma was increased from 1.8 to 1.9.
  • The Repair Party consumable's cooldown was reduced from 120 to 60 s, and from 80 to 40 s for the premium version.
• February 14, 2018:
  • Main battery reload time was decreased from 30 to 28 s.

• Available for testing by supertesters in the game starting from Update 0.6.15.
• First appeared on sale in March 2018.
  • Introduced in Update 0.7.3.
• Update 0.7.3:
  • The "Engine Boost Modification 1" upgrade became available to mount.
• Update 0.7.4:
  • Fine textures of the ship were improved.
• Update 0.7.7:
  • Became available in the game client for purchase for doubloons.
  • Made minor fixes to geometry and textures on the ship and camouflage.
• Update 0.7.12:
  • In the Camouflages window in the Appearance tab, the following permanent camouflages are no longer available for purchase with doubloons: "Dazzling", "Maid of Orleans" and "The Republic" (as they were moved to the Arsenal).
• Update 0.9.5:
  • Small changes to geometry and textures.
• Update 0.10.0:
  • The firing range of the secondary battery was increased to 7.6 km.

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