Le Fantasque

13.9

Le Fantasque

Destroyer | France | Tier VIII

Tech Tree Position

stock

 top

General

Research price110000 exp

Purchase price8,900,000

Hit Points15,400

Main Battery

139 mm/50 Mle 1929 on an Mle 1929 mount5 х 1 pcs.

Rate of Fire10 shots/min.

Reload Time6 sec.

Rotation Speed10 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time18 sec.

Firing Range11.86 km.

Maximum Dispersion103 m.

HE Shell139 mm HE OEA Mle 1928

Maximum HE Shell Damage2,000

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell10 %

Initial HE Shell Velocity840 m./s.

HE Shell Weight40.2 kg.

AP Shell139 mm SAP OPFA Mle 1924

Maximum AP Shell Damage2,700

Initial AP Shell Velocity840 m./s.

AP Shell Weight39.9 kg.

Torpedo Tubes

550 mm tube lance-torpilles3 х 3 pcs.

Rate of Fire0.67 shots/min.

Reload Time90 sec.

Rotation Speed25 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time7.2 sec.

Torpedo550 mm 24V Mle 1

Maximum Damage18,400

Torpedo Speed75 knot

Torpedo Range8.01 km.

AA Defense

20 mm Oerlikon on a Mk.4 mount8 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second28.8

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

40 mm Bofors on a Mk.3 mount3 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second22.8

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed42.7 knot

Turning Circle Radius690 m.

Rudder Shift Time6 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range7.93 km.

Air Detectability Range4.12 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

13.9

Le Fantasque

Destroyer | France | Tier VIII

Tech Tree Position

stock

 top

General

Research price110000 exp

Purchase price8,900,000

Hit Points18,500

Main Battery

139 mm/50 Mle 1929 on an Mle 1929 mount5 х 1 pcs.

Rate of Fire10 shots/min.

Reload Time6 sec.

Rotation Speed10 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time18 sec.

Firing Range13.05 km.

Maximum Dispersion103 m.

HE Shell139 mm HE OEA Mle 1928

Maximum HE Shell Damage2,000

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell10 %

Initial HE Shell Velocity840 m./s.

HE Shell Weight40.2 kg.

AP Shell139 mm SAP OPFA Mle 1924

Maximum AP Shell Damage2,700

Initial AP Shell Velocity840 m./s.

AP Shell Weight39.9 kg.

Torpedo Tubes

550 mm tube lance-torpilles3 х 3 pcs.

Rate of Fire0.67 shots/min.

Reload Time90 sec.

Rotation Speed25 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time7.2 sec.

Torpedo550 mm 24V Mle 1

Maximum Damage18,400

Torpedo Speed75 knot

Torpedo Range8.01 km.

AA Defense

20 mm Oerlikon on a Mk.4 mount8 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second28.8

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

40 mm Bofors on a Mk.1 mount2 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second22.6

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

40 mm Bofors on a Mk.2 mount1 х 4 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second15.9

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed42.7 knot

Turning Circle Radius690 m.

Rudder Shift Time4.3 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range7.93 km.

Air Detectability Range4.12 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

VIII

8,900,000

Le Fantasque — French Tier VIII destroyer.

Large and extremely fast ships. They carried a main battery that consisted of new 139 mm guns with improved shell ballistics and an extended firing range.

Modules

	Rate of Fire (shots/min)	180° Turn Time (sec)	Maximum Dispersion (m)	Maximum HE Shell Damage (HP)	Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell (%)	Maximum AP Shell Damage (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
139 mm/50 Mle 1929 on an Mle 1929 mount	10	18	103	2,000	10	2,700		0	650,000

	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 ()
Le Fantasque (A)	15,400	6	20	5		8/3	3			0	850,000
Le Fantasque (B)	18,500	6	20	5		2/1	3			38,000	2,750,000

	Rate of Fire (shots/min)	Torpedo Tubes Reload Time (sec)	180° Turn Time (sec)	Maximum Damage (HP)	Torpedo Speed (knot)	Torpedo Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
550 mm 24V Mle 1	0.7	90	7.2	18,400	75	8		0	800,000

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
PCA n° 8 Mle 1		0		0	400,000
PCA n° 8 Mle 2		0		25,000	1,550,000

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 74,000 hp	42.7		0	700,000

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4
Slot 5

Player Opinion

Performance

Le Fantasque is a step up from the preceding Tier VII destroyer, Vauquelin, featuring higher than average hit points for a Tier VIII destroyer, higher base speed, and the standard Tier VIII access to upgrade Slot 5.

The Slot 5 upgrade allows players to better test out the capabilities of Le Fantasque in ambushing, hunting, or whittling down large targets from afar. They can select between Steering Gears Modification 2 for better evasive maneuvers or Concealment System Modification 1  for ambushing and or hunting enemy destroyers. However, the latter strategy can be countered if the enemy destroyer has Radio Location, putting oneself at a disadvantage in the engagement. Ambushing and hunting destroyers is best when the captain and ship are outfitted with skills and signals that improve the concealment, ship speed, main battery reload, and survivability of the ship.

Le Fantasque’s AP shells are very potent against thick or armored destroyers and light cruisers, with a high potential to citadel most cruisers at under 7km. They are also useful against battleships at range, should the player lack the Inertia Fuse for HE Shells skill. Coupled with the fact that Le Fantasque has access to Main Battery Reload Booster , she is a fearsome threat for most cruisers within her torpedo range. However, due to her large profile, this makes being close to cruisers dangerous for Le Fantasque as well.

Overall, Le Fantasque is a very agile destroyer capable of shredding lightly armored targets and whittling down larger armored targets. Her speed is not to be underestimated, as it may lead to one's demise should they be caught in the open against Le Fantasque.

Pros:

• Very good hit points pool for a Tier VIII destroyer
• Decent main battery reload
• Strong AP shells with a very high penetration
• Hard hitting HE shells with high fire chance
• High burst damage potential with Main Battery Reload Booster 
• Decent torpedo armament
• Decent mid range AA suite
• Very fast, up to 53.8kn when using both the Sierra Mike signal flag and Engine Boost 

Cons:

• Lack of Smoke Generator  makes disengaging difficult
• Poor concealment
• Sluggish main battery turret traverse

Research

Availability of researchable upgrades for Le Fantasque is as follows:

• Hull: Upgrade to Hull (B) for larger health pool, improved anti-air power, and better rudder shift time. Research of this module unlocks progression to Mogador.
• Gun Fire Control System: Upgrade to PCA n° 8 Mle 2 for an extra 10% range on the main battery.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades for Le Fantasque are as follows:

• Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
• Slot 2: Engine Room Protection
• Slot 3: Aiming Systems Modification 1
• Slot 4: Propulsion Modification 1
• Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1  *

Slot 2 may be replaced with Engine Boost Modification 1 if the player prefers the run and gun play style. This is highly recommended as the French engine boost is superior to all other navys' as it has a +20% boost rather than a +8%.

Slot 5 may be replaced with Steering Gears Modification 2 should the player desire better rudder shift time. However, this is not recommended as the base rudder shift time is already decent enough.

Commander Skills

Key skills for Le Fantasque commanders include Preventive Maintenance, Last Stand, Survivability Expert, and Concealment Expert.

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Attack				Defense
1	Grease the Gears +15% main battery traverse speed.	Liquidator +30% chance (multiplicative) of causing flooding.	Consumables Specialist −7.5% cooldown time of all Consumables except:  Damage Control Party ,  Repair Party . ★★	Gun Feeder -40% time to switch shell type.	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	Demolition Expert +1% chance of main and secondary HE shells causing a fire. +15% to the damage-inflicting area of HE shells fired at submarines.	Swift Fish +5% torpedo speed.	Consumables Enhancements +10% action time of: Hydroacoustic Search , Surveillance Radar , Smoke Generator , & Engine Boost .	Extra-Heavy Ammunition +7.5% main battery AP shell damage. +10% damage from depth charges.	Priority Target The detection indicator will show the number of enemies aiming at you with main battery.	Last Stand The ship remains able to move and maneuver - slowly - while the engine or steering gears are incapacitated. ★★
3	Main Battery & AA Specialist -5% main battery reload time. +10% continuous AA damage. ★★	Fill the Tubes -10% torpedo tubes reload time.	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% reload time of all armaments per 1% HP lost +0.2% AA continuous damage per 1% HP lost. ★★	Inertial Fuse for HE Shells +25% armor penetration of HE shells Base fire chance reduced by half.	Superintendent +1 charge to all consumables.	Survivability Expert +350 HP per ship tier. ★★
4	Main Battery & AA Expert +20% main battery range. +15% flak damage.	Swift in Silence So long as the ship remains undetected: +8% ship speed +5% main battery reload time.	Radio Location Shows the direction to the nearest enemy ship. The enemy is alerted that a bearing has been taken..	Fearless Brawler +1 flak burst per salvo. -10% main battery reload when ship is spotted. ★★	Concealment Expert -10% detectability range of the ship. ★★	Dazzle For 15 seconds after you are detected: * +20% dispersion of enemy shells fired at you. * +8% ship speed.
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful      ★★ - Frequently Useful      ★ - Occasionally Useful     No stars - Not Useful

Consumables

Le Fantasque equips the following consumables:

• Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
• Slot 2: Main Battery Reload Booster 
• Slot 3: Engine Boost 

Signals

Recommended Signal Flags
Combat
Juliet Charlie -100% to the risk of magazine detonation. ★★★	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. +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating. ★★★
Juliet Whiskey Unaone +15% chance of causing flooding. +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating. ★	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 .

Note: Use of the Juliet Charlie signal makes detonation impossible.

Gallery

Historical Info

Le Fantasque, 1936

Construction

Builder: Arsenal de Lorient; France

Laid down: 16 November 1931

Launched: 15 March 1934

Commissioned: 15 November 1935

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Specifications

2,570 tons displacement, standard

3,417 tons displacement, full

132.4m length

12m beam

4.5m draft

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Machinery

Four (4) Penhoët boilers

Two (2) Rateau-Bretagne geared steam turbines

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Performance

37 knots at 74,000 shaft horsepower

2,900 nm at 15 knots

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Armament

Main

Five (5x1) 138.6mm/50 Mle 1929

Anti-aircraft

Four (2x2) 37mm/50 Mle 1933

Four (2x2) 13.2mm Hotchkiss MG Mle 1929

Torpedoes

Nine (3x3) 550mm 23DT

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Complement

265 (11 officers and 254 sailors)

File:PICTURE.JPG

CAPTION.

History

Le Fantasque ("The capricious one") was a large destroyer ("contre-torpilleur", "torpedo boat destroyer") of the French Navy which served during the Second World War. Her class is the fastest type of destroyer ever built.

Design

Initially, what would have been the Type 1929 Contre-Torpilleurs would have closely resembled the very successful Vauquelin-class. However, the large number of contre-torpilleurs procured by France – twenty-four laid down up to this point – was not ignored abroad, especially by the Marine Nationale’s rival, the Italian Regia Marina (which the contre-torpilleur was specifically intended to operate against). In order to match this threat, the Italians had begun procuring a new type of ‘large scout’ (grandi esploratori), known as the Giussano-class. Resembling the small cruisers the esploratori had begun as rather than the large destroyer-like vessels they had become in WWI (esploratori leggeri), these ships were designed with the express purpose of hunting down and destroying the French contre-torpilleurs – and they appeared very well equipped to do so. The 5,000-ton ships were fast, with a top speed of 37 knots, and boasted a powerful armament of eight 152mm guns in four twin turrets with director control. These ships represented a major threat to French planning, as these small cruisers would be capable of running down any French ship, and easily had the firepower to put down any of the contre-torpilleurs. While the French admiralty believed that their three-ship divisions could deal with one of these small cruisers (which seems to ignore the fact that Italian cruisers always operated in pairs!), they believed it necessary to make their new Type 1929 destroyers significantly more powerful in response, increasing their chances of victory in the event they did clash with one of these small cruisers. This caused a major displacement increase over prior French ships of the type – standard displacement was now 2,570 tons standard, 3,417 tons fully loaded.

The first element the French addressed was speed – these ships would need to be just as fast as the Italian ships, so a top speed of 37 knots was pegged, and in order to meet this newer and more powerful superheated machinery was adopted (all previous French destroyers using saturated steam systems). The four boilers (27 kg/cm², 325°C) fed two turbine groups which produced a combined 74,000 shp, which in service proved adequate for a top speed of 39 to 40 knots, well exceeding the design figure. The major downside was the unreliability of this machinery, with the turbines adopting the unfortunate tendency to strip themselves after significant use, which would hamper the ships their entire service lives.

The firepower of the main battery was also improved, with the new 138.6mm/50 Mle 1929. The gun was largely the same as the Mle 1927 that came before it, but had a barrel 10 caliber-lengths longer (25% increase) and used a larger propellant charge (BM11, 12.09 kg versus the 8.97 kg BM7), which increased the muzzle velocity of the guns from 700 to 800 meters per second. Maximum elevation of the mounts was increased by two degrees to +30°, which was sufficient for a maximum ballistic range of 20,000 meters. The more reasonable velocity also fixed the dispersion issue that had hampered the performance of the earlier 40-caliber length guns, the /50’s instead producing well-grouped salvos. No.3 gun was moved further aft to improve firing arcs. Although attempts were made to improve ammunition handling, this actually proved to be a regression – the new hoists had an identical delivery rate of 20 rounds per minute, but the new design proved extremely jam-prone, and also had the worrying habit of occasionally dropping shells back down the ammunition hoists. On the whole, the practical rate of fire was reduced to closer to 7 rpm. As if that was not bad enough, the increased recoil force of the guns over their predecessors (57 tons versus 43.5 tons) proved to be too much for the platforms they were placed on, which were defectively produced by private yards and thus could not handle the force of the guns firing, forcing their replacement. On the other hand, fire control proved to be a major improvement over earlier ships, as the ships finally fitted a director, with a 5-meter base length stereoscopic rangefinder. The fire control computer was the same Mle 1929 that equipped the Vauquelin-class, with the same FTP system. Initially, it was attempted to fit an RPC system, but it was far too fragile, and underpowered, to be workable and had to be removed. In 1936 the fire control computer was upgraded with a graph for plotting range, and was re-designated the Mle 1929M36.

Torpedo firepower was also improved, with the Mle 1928D banks being replaced by Mle 1928T’s, thus increasing torpedo tube count from seven to nine (and torpedo broadside from five to six). Torpedo fire control was conducted from a director above the gun director with a modified Mle 1933 computer.

Overall, the performance of the new ships was mixed. They were fairly stable platforms, and had an excellent top speed, surpassing design speed for a top speed of 39 to 40 knots. Their main guns were considerably more powerful than before, had better positioning, and in combination with better fire control raised practical engagement ranges to 14-15 km, competitive with any destroyer (though still short of what cruisers were capable of). Their torpedo firepower was better than any prior contre-torpilleur.

However, they also had significant drawbacks. The hulls were lightly built, and with low-quality steel, resulting in damaging being taken in storms, and serious hull pitting after less than half a decade in service. Machinery, though powerful, was relatively fragile and did not take well to sustained service – in 1943, when re-designated from destroyers to light cruisers, this was not as recognition of their ‘power’ or size as fighting units, but rather the desperate need to get them to a position of higher property for maintenance and repair than other Allied and Co-belligerent destroyers. Although fire control improvements were made, the RPC system could never be made to work, and ammunition replenishment systems remained inadequate, reducing their effective firepower (especially in sustained combat). Anti-aircraft firepower remained poor, the same as older French destroyers (though rather than the 37mm guns being in separate mounts, these were positioned in twin mounts). Maneuvering capability and ASW capabilities also remained sub-par.

The high points of the design would serve members of the Le Fantasque-class very well in the Second World War, but their defects and shortcomings would also greatly hamper them, and in some cases prove to be their undoing.

====Service====

Historical Gallery

References

1. French destroyer Le Fantasque - Wikipedia
2. Le Fantasque-class destroyer - Wikipedia

Ship Change Log

See here for links to Update notes.

• Available for testing by supertesters in the game starting from Update 0.8.3.

Testing Changes

• Mar 26, 2019:
  • Preliminary characteristics.
• May 27, 2019:
  • Main battery reload time increased from 5 to 6 s.
  • Stock main battery firing range increased from 11.6 to 11.9 km.
• June 21, 2019:
  • Torpedo detectability range increased from 1.4 to 1.8 km.
• July 19, 2019:
  • The chance of the engine and steering gears being incapacitated was decreased.

• In Update 0.8.6, it became available for completing a combat mission from the French Destroyers container during the French Destroyers event.
• Introduced in Update 0.8.7.
  • Increased the normalization of AP shells from 8.5 to 10 degrees.
• Update 0.8.8:
  • Updated silhouette of the ship.
• Update 0.9.5:
  • Small changes to geometry and textures.
• Update 0.9.6:
  • The value of the in-game turning circle radius was changed to 690 m to correct prior discrepancy.
• Update 0.10.5:
  • Fixed geometry and textures of the ship.
• Update 12.7:
  • The Adventurer permanent camouflage was added.
• Update 12.9:
  • Fixed textures and models for the ship.

Ships of France

Destroyers