World of Warships News

Welcome aboard Gascogne, Captain!

This French battleship was set to become the fourth modern battleship of the Marine Nationale by the mid-1940s—intended as an adequate response to the new Italian Littorio-class battleships. However, the disastrous beginning of World War II for France, and the German occupation of the nation’s shipyards prevented the ship from even being laid down. Nevertheless, the project for this battleship has been brought to life in all of its glory in World of Warships, meaning that you can now assume command of one of the most powerful ships under the French flag.
https://youtu.be/0PN6WKaD-uo

In the second half of the 1930s, the political situation in Europe was quickly deteriorating. Germany and Italy were building modern battleships: Bismarck and Littorio, respectively. In these circumstances, the French Navy was soon to be at a disadvantage, having only two Richelieu-class battleships. They required additional modern ships.

Work on the project for two new battleships began in December 1937, and was planned to be part of the 1938 program—they set out to improve the Richelieu class. Two main variants of the design were developed. In June 1938, a decision was made to lay down one ship according to variant A, and another according to variant B. That second ship was to be named Gascogne.


In the second half of the 1930s, naming three battleships after prominent historical figures contradicted the tradition of the 20th century French Navy. Battleships were typically named after provinces and cities, and cruisers—after famous people. One theory suggests that this battleship was named Gascogne because of that being the home province of François Darlan, the Chief of Staff of the French Navy.

The construction of Gascogne was planned to start in August 1939. However, France didn't have the available shipbuilding capacity to construct a ship of her size. Richelieu was launched in January 1939, and Clemenceau (variant A of the new battleships) was laid down on the vacant stocks the very same day.

Project B had been in development since December 1937. Clemenceau was to be built according to the project as well, but a one-year delay would be required in laying down the first of the new battleships, so as to finish the design documentation. Admiral Darlan ordered several layout variants to be prepared with different arrangements of their primary and secondary armament turrets. Eventually, Project B3 ter was selected, with two quadruple main battery turrets—one on the bow and one on the aft end; and two superfiring turrets with dual-purpose 152 mm guns on the bow, and an additional one aft of the main superstructure. The engineers working on the project had to sacrifice one of the two aircraft catapults, and move the remaining one to the stern as it didn't allow for the installation of anti-aircraft armament amidships.

The Gascogne project was very well received by the Navy's General Staff and in June 1939, the guns and armor for the new ship were ordered. The schedule for her construction was originally as follows: she was to be laid down in summer 1940, launched in spring 1942, and commissioned in June 1944.

However, in June 1940, the French shipyards were occupied by German troops. By that time, only 6% of all construction materials had been prepared. Germans declared them spoils of war, and the question of building Gascogne was never raised again.



In World of Warships, battleship Gascogne is presented the way she might have been built early in the war.

Main Battery: eight 380 mm/45 Modèle 1935 guns in two quadruple turrets. Gascogne's main battery turrets are the same as those on Richelieu, only located differently.

Secondary Battery: nine 152 mm/55 Modèle 1930 dual-purpose guns in three triple mounts; and sixteen 100 mm/45 Modèle 1933 dual-purpose guns in eight twin mounts.

Anti-aircraft armament: sixteen 37 mm Modèle 1933 semi-automatic cannons in eight twin mounts; sixteen 37 mm ACAD Modèle 1935 automatic cannons in eight twin mounts; and eighteen 25 mm Hotchkiss Modèle 1939 cannons. The ACAD Modèle 1935 automatic cannons were supposed to completely replace the outdated Modèle 1933 in the French Navy. However, by the time France capitulated in 1940, the development of this gun hadn’t been completed yet, and only several test units existed. That's why the ship in our game carries same-caliber cannons of different types.

• Priority Target
  
• Adrenaline Rush
  
• Superintendent
  
• Fire Prevention

• Priority Target
  
• Expert Marksman
  
• Adrenaline Rush
  
• Superintendent
  
• Basics of Survivability
  
• Concealment Expert
  
• Fire Prevention

• Main Armaments Modification 1
  
• Damage Control System Modification 1
  
• AA Guns Modification 1
  
• Damage Control System Modification 2
  
• Concealment System Modification 1

Battleship Gascogne carries an impressive array of consumables. In addition to the standard Damage Control Party, you can choose between improving your anti-aircraft defenses by mounting the Fighter consumable, or increasing your firing range by installing the Spotting Aircraft consumable. But the main zest of this ship lies in the Engine Boost consumable that increases her maximum speed by 8% for three minutes, and in the improved version of Repair Party with a shorter cooldown time.



VIII Gascogne can be called a battleship with the makings of a cruiser: she combines powerful armor and a protected citadel with Engine Boost. When used, this consumable provides the French ship good acceleration dynamics and allows her to speed up to 34.7 knots. Gascogne has secondary guns with a long firing range, and enthusiasts of close quarters brawls can further improve this feature with the help of upgrades and Commander skills.

The battleship comes with 380 mm main guns that have a firing range of up to 23.8 km. With armor protection such as hers, Gascogne can boldly counter hostiles and is able to confidently withstand enemy fire. AA defenses, however, are not the strongest point of this ship. When facing airborne threats, you need to be cautious and act in coordination with allies equipped with powerful AA artillery.

• Eight 380 mm guns in two turrets mounted fore and aft. Gascogne's range of fire without Spotting Aircraft is 23.8 km—very impressive for Tier VIII.
  
• The reload time of the Repair Party consumable is half that of the majority of battleships. For Repair Party II, it's only 40 seconds.
  
• Quite reliable armor protection on her sides and a protected citadel compensate for her modest HP pool.
  
• The ability to use the Engine Boost consumable.
  
• Extra credits per battle and 50% more XP provided by the camouflage.

• VIII Gascogne 
   
• 1x Port slot

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Subtitles can be enabled in the video player separately.
https://youtu.be/nagcWQsAfGU
The beginning of the French cycle of updates, the new Crash Zone Alpha map, and the thirteenth season of Ranked Battles!


The upcoming updates are dedicated to France. The French arc presents a branch of French destroyers, a new game event, the updated Port of Marseille, and other innovations.

• The specific distribution of their Hit Points allows them to survive longer under intense enemy fire. After significant damage has been caused to the central part of the hull, it receives only 1/6 damage instead of the typical 1/3.
  
• Lack of the Smoke Generator consumable that’s usually present on destroyers is compensated for by their high speeds and enhanced Engine Boost consumable.
  
• Starting at Tier VI, these ships are equipped with the Main Battery Reload Booster consumable.
  
• Starting at Tier VIII, the destroyers of the French branch can boast comfortable ballistics and AP shells with good armor penetration for this ship type. This enables players to inflict considerable damage to enemy cruisers’ citadels from medium ranges.

Many ships in the carousel will be marked with the Symbol of France. These symbols function in a similar way to "stars," offering a bonus for the first victory of each day. In 0.8.6, a victory in any battle mode, except for Clan or Training Battles, on ships marked with the Symbol of France will reward you with valuable resources:

• For Tier VI or lower ships—Coal
  
• For Tier VII to X ships—Republic Tokens, a new temporary resource

Please note: you can get a bonus for each ship only once during Update 0.8.6.


You can exchange Republic Tokens for thematic bundles in a special tab in the Armory. Once you've acquired the final bundle, special random bundles will become available in exchange for doubloons. These are the new award-receiving mechanics, and they function in a similar way to containers. However, unlike the latter, you can always see the contents and number of bundles available.



The legendary white facade of the cliffs of Dover has looked over the final resting place of many a ship in the annals of history. In Update 0.8.6, a new map called Crash Zone Alpha is set to appear in the game for Tier VIII–X battles in Domination mode. The map has two versions: with three and four key areas, respectively. The map will also be interesting for aficionados of Clan Battles: the “home” key areas of the teams are located quite close to each other, which will force the teams to reconsider their usual combat tactics.


The Greece map has undergone further improvements: at the request of players, sunny weather has been added. Besides this, the islands located rear of the teams have been updated and will now act as more reliable cover.



Update 0.8.6 features a new season of Ranked Battles! Battles will involve only Tier IX ships and will be held in a "6 vs. 6" format. A considerable reward of 5,500 Steel is at stake, and if you reach Rank 1, you'll be awarded the Jolly Roger achievement.


AA defense guns now deal permanent damage several times per second. Previously, the frequency of damage depended on the type of weapon. Taking your requests into consideration and to make the operation of AA defenses more stable, we've standardized damage infliction. The damage value will also be recalculated, in consideration of the increased frequency. This is a merely technical change aimed at preventing some inconsistencies, with the total damage per second remaining nearly the same.

X Henri IV is one of the most powerful Tier X cruisers in the game. This fast-moving ship is capable of inflicting considerable damage with her HE shells, and the Main Battery Reload Booster consumable only makes her more formidable. To balance the strength of the cruiser, the reload speed of her main battery guns has been increased from 12.3 to 13 seconds.

German cruisers IX Roon and X Hindenburg used to be inferior to other ships of the same type in terms of their overall battle efficiency, but now their guns have a faster reload time of 10.5 seconds instead of 11.

German battleships stand out for their secondary armament, but the style of gameplay utilizing this weaponry often cedes to a more survival-oriented way of playing. To make the use of secondary armament more appealing to players, the armor-penetration capability of the 105 mm guns mounted on VIII Bismarck, VIII Tirpitz, VIII Graf Zeppelin, and Tier VIII–X German cruisers has been increased from 17 to 25 mm. This change will enable shells fired by these guns to penetrate the plating of destroyers, cruisers, and Tier VI–VII battleships.

X Yueyang's torpedo armament has been enhanced: the reload time of her torpedo tubes has been reduced from 156 to 146 seconds.

A handsome set of consumables and powerful guns allow X Grozovoi to be one of the most effective destroyers at Tier X. But in order to better balance her, the main battery reload time has been increased from 4 to 4.2 seconds.

The reload time of X Gearing's researchable torpedo tubes has been reduced from 136 to 122 seconds. This will increase the overall damage that she can cause, and draw more players' attention to the potential of her torpedo tubes.

Balancing changes have also affected V Emerald, VIII Z-23, IX Jutland, VIII Kii, and IX Chung Mu. Please see more details in the full article.


Exposing their broadsides to an enemy’s salvo is the worst mistake most ships can make. However, due to their low-lying citadels and long-distance combat tactics, the consequences of such an error for Royal Navy battleships were much less tangible. In the new version, the citadel of battleships VII King George V, IX Lion, VII Duke of York, VIII Monarch, and X Conqueror has been enlarged, and now occupies part of the ships' casemates. On the other hand:

• The amount of damage caused to any part of a ship (except for the citadel) that can be restored by the Repair Party consumable will increase from 60% to 75%.
  
• Duke of York will have an additional Repair Party charge.
  
• Repair Party will recover 0.6% of the maximum HP pool per second instead of 0.5%, for King George V, Duke of York, and Monarch.
  
• Repair Party will reload within 90 seconds instead of 120 for King George V, Monarch, and Duke of York. The consumable will recharge within 120 seconds instead of 180 for Lion and Conqueror.

These changes will enable enemy ships to teach British battleships a good lesson about the results of carelessly exposing their broadsides by causing them some considerable damage. However, if players manage to avoid such mistakes and skillfully use the improved Repair Party consumable, the survivability of these Steel Monsters will only be strengthened.


The water visual processing system has been improved: the annoying ripples at the horizon will no longer distract the attention of Captains. Moreover, the in-game lighting model has been updated. This is an important change that opens the doors for a graphics update for the game in the future.

The automatic collision alert system will divert ships from islands more reliably, with manual control always being a priority.

Aircraft carrier bots have returned to Co-op Battles. Now, a player on an aircraft carrier will face not a battleship, but an aircraft carrier.

The updated Raptor Rescue operation is back: AI opponents have had all their skills, upgrades, and enhanced consumables reset, and the composition of enemy groups has changed.

Learn more about these new features and balance changes on our official website or in the in-game browser!
https://worldofwarships.eu/news/game-updates/update-086-french-destroyers/

• VIII Vladivostok scores a hat trick!
  
• Demonstrations of true strength from IX Iowa and X Conqueror!
  
• Witness the power of X Yamato and X Großer Kurfürst in action!

Would you like to discover what’s behind these stories? Then watch the new WoWS Show episode!
https://youtu.be/HeG1yhyFyVA

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You need to log in to the website https://replayswows.com using your Wargaming account credentials. Then click the "Upload Replay" button and share your in-game stories! Don't forget to write the names of the show and your ship in the "Title" section, to ensure that we don't miss your replay. Example: #WOWSHOW (Tirpitz).


To be approved for our show, a replay should correspond to the following criteria:

• Duration of an episode or a pack of mini episodes shouldn't exceed one minute.
  
• Episodes should be funny, interesting, or just plain epic. The more entertaining; the better!

Any player can send us an unlimited number of replays. Players will receive a reward for every replay chosen for the show!

Captains!

Update 0.8.6 opens up the French arc, which is set to span two updates. Players will enjoy a new game event, gain early access to the French destroyer branch, explore the new Crash Zone Alpha map, and experience many other features.

But how did we select the ships for the new branch and what are its peculiarities? How did we create the new map? How did the last Clan season go?

Watch the fresh episode of Developer Diaries to find answers to these and many other questions!
https://youtu.be/PGhukxeXlaU

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Captains!

A new arc centered around French destroyers is starting very soon. For the occasion, let's refresh ourselves on the combat history of French destroyer Maillé-Brézé, which was unique due to the technical equipment she carried.
https://youtu.be/47Ez71-qVIE


https://youtu.be/UoVJllDh6rg

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