Gascogne

13.3

Gascogne

Battleship | France | Tier VIII

Tech Tree Position

General

Purchase price12,400

Hit Points63,200

Main Battery

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

Rate of Fire2.14 shots/min.

Reload Time28 sec.

Rotation Speed5 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time36 sec.

Firing Range23.82 km.

Maximum Dispersion299 m.

HE Shell380 mm HE OEA Mle 1945

Maximum HE Shell Damage5,400

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell36 %

Initial HE Shell 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

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 %

Secondary Armament #2

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 %

AA Defense

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

. . . Average Damage per Second54.4

. . . Firing Range5.01 km.

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

. . . Average Damage per Second24.9

. . . Firing Range5.01 km.

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

. . . Average Damage per Second96.8

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

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

. . . Average Damage per Second50.4

. . . Firing Range2.49 km.

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

. . . Average Damage per Second18.4

. . . Firing Range3 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed32 knot

Turning Circle Radius850 m.

Rudder Shift Time15.3 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range16.24 km.

Air Detectability Range11.02 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

13.3

Gascogne

Battleship | France | Tier VIII

Tech Tree Position

General

Purchase price12,400

Hit Points63,200

Main Battery

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

Rate of Fire2.14 shots/min.

Reload Time28 sec.

Rotation Speed5 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time36 sec.

Firing Range23.82 km.

Maximum Dispersion299 m.

HE Shell380 mm HE OEA Mle 1945

Maximum HE Shell Damage5,400

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell36 %

Initial HE Shell 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

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 %

Secondary Armament #2

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 %

AA Defense

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

. . . Average Damage per Second54.4

. . . Firing Range5.01 km.

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

. . . Average Damage per Second24.9

. . . Firing Range5.01 km.

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

. . . Average Damage per Second96.8

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

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

. . . Average Damage per Second50.4

. . . Firing Range2.49 km.

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

. . . Average Damage per Second18.4

. . . Firing Range3 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed32 knot

Turning Circle Radius850 m.

Rudder Shift Time15.3 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range16.24 km.

Air Detectability Range11.02 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

VIII

12,400

Gascogne — French premium Tier VIII battleship.

A battleship design developed on the basis of the very successful Richelieu class, which received improved AA capabilities and had the main turrets placed in the ship's aft and forward ends. Like her prototype, the ship boasted a high speed and very good torpedo protection.

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 ()
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	8/3	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

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 and sigma, 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 speed and handling to flank enemy positions, getting those juicy broadside shots on them. They are tied for fastest battleship of 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 all French battleships at Tier VIII and up. Combined, all these factors create a battleship capable of hitting ludicrous speeds (compared to other battleships).

Gascogne, on top of being agile, has fairly good armor. While she does not have Bismarck’s level of protection, it is not bad at all. Her citadel is well protected against shells and bombs alike, and sits just at the waterline. She won't be taking massive, un-healable hits very often; though some care should still be taken in close quarters, since it becomes much easier to send shells into Gascogne’s citadel. However, there is a massive drawback to Gascogne’s armor scheme, as she has 32mm of plate almost everywhere. This makes it exceptionally easy for HE shells to do significant damage to her when given the opportunity, and normal AP penetrations will quickly gouge away her health. While her citadel is indeed well-protected, that simply is not the case for the rest of the ship.

Thankfully, Gascogne’s survivability issues are mitigated somewhat by her unique Repair Party  consumable, which has a faster cooldown than usual at 60 and 40 seconds for normal and premium versions, respectively. This works well in conjunction with her armor, since most the damage Gascogne takes will likely be of the repairable variety.

LittleWhiteMouse's Ship Review: Gascogne from the NA Forums

Pros:

• Higher reload speed of 28s helps offset the different gun layout from Richelieu.
• High top speed of 32 knots, able to be increased even further with the Engine Boost  consumable.
• Good shell velocity helps with long range gunnery.
• Impressive secondary battery with a great 7km base range.
• Quad turrets means she always has 4 guns on target at any given time.
• Quick cooldown on Repair Party  consumable.
• Has given rise to many Gaston parodies based on her name.

Cons:

• Turret arrangement makes it tricky to use all 8 guns at once.
• Relatively weak broadside for a Tier VIII at only eight (8) 380mm guns.
• Mediocre anti-aircraft armament.
• 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: Steering Gears Modification 2
• Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1 

Slot 1 provides two viable options. Generally, Main Armaments Modification 1 is recommended because it increases the survivability of the main battery guns. With only two turrets, the loss of one decreases the ship's primary firepower by 50%. Players wishing to specialize in the secondary armament or in AA duties should mount Auxiliary Armaments Modification 1 to increase the survivability of those armaments.

Slot 3 allows for the specialization in different roles. To reduce the dispersion of the main battery, players should mount Aiming Systems Modification 1. Alternatively, Secondary Battery Modification 1 () will increase the firing range and reduce the dispersion of the secondary armament. To increase the range of the AA armament, mount AA Guns Modification 2 ().

Slot 4 provides players a choice between survivability and maneuverability. To reduce the rudder shift time, players should mount Steering Gears Modification 2. 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

Key skills for Gascogne commanders include Expert Marksman at Level 2, Superintendent at Level 3, and Fire Prevention at Level 4. Basic Firing Training, Advanced Firing Training, and Manual Fire Control for Secondary Armament are recommended for players looking to specialize in the ship’s secondary armament. Basics of Survivability is recommended to reduce repair time. Concealment Expert is also recommended to reduce the ship's detection range, allowing her to close in further while remaining undetected.

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Endurance		Attack		Support		Versatility
1	Priority Target Situational Awareness indicator will show the number of opponents currently aiming at you with main battery guns. ★★	Preventative Maintenance -30% to the risk of incapacitation of main turrets, torpedo tubes, steering gear, engines. ★★	Expert Loader -50% to reload time when shell type is switched. ★★	Air Supremacy -5% aircraft restoration time.	Direction Center for Fighters +1 fighter to carrier fighter squadrons or catapult fighters.	Improved Engine Boost +10% Aircraft engine boost time.	Incoming Fire Alert Indicator of long-range enemy artillery fire.	Last Gasp Completely restores the engine boost for the last attack flight of the carrier's planes.
2	High Alert -10% to reload time of Damage Control Party consumable. ★★	Jack of All Trades -5% to reload time of all consumables. ★★	Expert Marksman +2.5 deg/sec to traverse speed of guns with a caliber up to 139mm. +0.7 deg/sec to traverse speed of guns with a caliber above 139mm. ★★★	Torpedo Acceleration +5 knots to torpedo speed. -20% to torpedo range.	Smoke Screen Expert +20% to the radius of the smoke screen.	Improved Engines +2.5% Squadron speed.	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% to reload times of all types of armament for each 1% of total health lost. +0.2% squadron speed for each 1% of total health lost. ★★	Last Stand The ship remains able to move and maneuver while the engine or steering gears are incapacitated.
3	Basics of Survivability -15% to time of repair, fire extinguishing, and recovery from flooding. ★★★	Survivability Expert +350 ship HP for each ship tier. +15 aircraft HP for each ship tier.	Torpedo Armament Expertise -10% to reload time of torpedo tubes.	Aircraft Armor Reduces continuous damage to aircraft in all AA defense zones. -10% continuous damage.	Basic Firing Training -10% to reload time of main battery guns with a caliber up to and including 139mm and all secondary battery guns. +10% to continuous damage from AA guns. ★★	Superintendent +1 additional charge to all consumables mounted on a ship. ★★★	Demolition Expert +2% chance of HE shells causing a fire on target. +1% chance of rockets causing a fire on target. +5% chance of HE bombs causing a fire on target.	Vigilance +25% to detection range of enemy torpedoes. ★
4	Manual Fire Control for Secondary Armament Tightens dispersion of shells from secondary batteries. -15% for Tier I-VI ships. -60% for Tier VII-X ships. Manually selected target only. ★★	Fire Prevention -10% to the risk of fire. The maximum number of fires on a ship is reduced to three. ★★★	Inertia Fuse for HE Shells +30% to the armor penetration capacity of HE shells. -1% chance of fire on target caused by shells <=139mm. -3% chance of fire on target caused by shells >139mm. ★	Sight Stabilization Speeds up the aiming of a carrier's aircraft. +5% attack aircraft aiming speed. +5% torpedo bomber aiming speed. +10% dive bomber aiming speed.	Advanced Firing Training +20% to firing range of main battery guns with a caliber up to 139mm and all secondary battery guns. +15% damage/sec. within the explosion radius of shells fired from long-range AA defenses. ★★	Massive AA Fire Instantaneous Damage +100%. Priority AA sector cooldown +50%.	Radio Position Finding Shows the direction to the nearest enemy ship. The enemy is alerted that a bearing has been taken.	Concealment Expert -10% to the detection radius of all ships and aircraft. ★★★
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful       ★★ - Frequently Useful       ★ - Occasionally Useful      No stars - Meh     Χ - Not recommended

Consumables

Gascogne can equip the following consumables:

• Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
• Slot 2: Repair Party 
• Slot 3: Engine Boost 
• Slot 4: Spotting Aircraft  or Catapult Fighter 

Because Gascogne is a high-tier premium ship, it is recommended that Captains use the premium versions of the consumables, especially Damage Control Party and Repair Party, to improve her performance in battle. Her repair party is of special note, since both the normal and premium versions have a faster than normal cooldown of 60 and 40 seconds, respectively.

Camouflage

As a premium ship, Gascogne comes included with Type 18 camouflage that lowers her detection radius, reduces the accuracy of incoming shells, reduces her repair costs, and increases the amount of experience she earns.

Signals

As a battleship, the Gascogne has 8 slots for signal flags. Standard flags to take as a battleship are India Delta (), November Foxtrot (), and India Yankee (). These flags help increase the survivability of the Gascogne. In addition, Sierra Mike () will help the Gascogne go slightly faster and Mike Yankee Soxisix () will boost the power of the already strong secondaries.

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

• 
• 
• 

  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 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.

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  Details of Gascogne’s aviation arrangements.

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  A detailed look at Gascogne’s intended armor scheme.

Video

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