World of Warships

The French destroyer leader, Mogador, was one of the largest and most powerful ships of her type in history.

In terms of her armament and dimensions, she was comparable to a light cruiser, and very few ships in the world could rival her speed. In World of Warships you have an opportunity to see how Mogador performs in battle!

History

Work on a new generation of French destroyer leaders first began in 1931: engineers had been working on an improved version of Le Fantasque, armed with three 138.6 mm coaxial twin mounts, to replace the obsolete destroyer Amiral Sénès. The new ship was to be named Mogador. However, due to ongoing talks between France and Italy regarding a reduction in naval armament, the construction of new ships was put on hold until 1934. At that time, French naval engineers developed a larger ship variant with four twin mounts, but a caliber of 130 mm—universal for destroyers and leaders. In 1933, the role of the ships being designed was changed: now, they were to escort Dunkerque-class battlecruisers in their hunt for German "pocket battleships." The 130 mm caliber was obviously not enough to oppose any Kriegsmarine raiders, which is why the final variant received four 138.6 mm twin mounts at the cost of slightly larger dimensions. Two destroyer leaders—Mogador and Volta—were built according to this project at the Lorient and Nantes shipyards: one for each battlecruiser. They were commissioned in the spring of 1939, becoming the newest ships of this type in the French Navy when World War II began. Neither of the leaders survived the war, as they were scuttled in Toulon in November 1942.

Mogador was laid down according to the 1932 program at the Lorient shipyards on December 28, 1934. She was launched on June 9, 1937, and commissioned on April 6, 1939, as a flagship of the 2nd Light Squadron. With the outbreak of World War II, the ship joined the "Force de Raid" at Brest, and participated in convoy and search operations as part of it. When France capitulated, the destroyer was at Mers-el-Kébir. On July 3, 1940, when the British attacked the French fleet moored at Mers-el-Kébir, Mogador was hit by a 381 mm shell and sustained severe damage. Later, the ship was towed to Toulon, where she remained until November 1942, when she was scuttled by her crew as the German Army was moving in to capture her. The Italians managed to refloat the destroyer, but never restored it.

Modeling the Ship

In our game, the ship is presented in the form of her hypothetical post-war modernization of the 1950s.

Main Battery

Eight 139 mm Modèle 1934 guns in four partially enclosed turrets. The guns were similar to those installed on Le Fantasque-class destroyer leaders and possessed quite good ballistic characteristics. Mogador outmatched all counterparts of her type by the number of her main guns.

Torpedo armament

One Modèle 1928T triple-torpedo launcher and one Modèle 1928D twin launcher on each side of the ship. The launchers used 550 mm Modèle 1923DT torpedoes carrying 308 kg warheads.

Anti-aircraft armament

Eight United States-produced 20 mm Oerlikon automatic cannons in four twin mounts; four Swedish 57 mm/60 (2.25") Model 1951 automatic cannons in two twin mounts.

Commanding Mogador

Commander with 10 skill points

• Priority Target
• Last Stand
• Basic Firing Training
• Concealment Expert

Commander with 19 skill points

• Priority Target
• Last Stand
• Basic Firing Training
• Concealment Expert
• Survivability Expert
• Adrenaline Rush
• Advanced Firing Training

The ship has six slots for upgrades. We consider the following combinations to be the most effective:

• Main Armaments Modification 1
• Engine Boost Modification 1 or Steering Gears Modification 1
• AA Guns Modification 1
• Propulsion Modification 2
• Concealment System Modification 1
• Main Battery Modification 3

Mogador in Battle

Tier IX destroyer Mogador is one of the most powerful ships of her type, and was built for the French Navy before World War II. Thanks to the four twin mounts of her main battery, with 139 mm guns installed in them, Mogador was superior to the majority of her contemporary destroyers in terms of firepower.

Key features:

• Effective main battery artillery: eight 139 mm guns with a firing range of 12.8 km, good ballistics and armor penetration, and a decent base chance of causing fire for her high-explosive shells.
• A consumable that’s unusual for a destroyer—Main Battery Reload Booster. It will help you by increasing your main guns’ rate of fire when the need arises.
• Torpedo tubes arranged in four launchers on her sides allow this destroyer to launch ten torpedoes with a speed of 75 knots and range of 8 km.
• Her very high speed of 43.5 knots can be further increased by using the improved Engine Boost consumable, making her an additional 20% faster.
• The unusual properties of her hull: its HP can be reduced to zero, just like the HP of ships’ ends. The result is that this part of the ship receives just half the typical damage after being hit several times.

Source: https://worldofwarships.eu/en/news/history/armada-mogador/