While the tech trees of minor nations are often overlooked, they contain some real gems—one of which is Arras, a French aviso designed to integrate into merchant convoys, resemble an ordinary merchant ship, and surprise the enemy with its armament and speed. She is known for being a highly survivable and well-armed vessel, capable of taking out small boats with a single shot from her 138.6 mm guns. However, she remains vulnerable to torpedoes and bombers.
Survivability
Arras boasts excellent survivability for her BR, thanks to her enormous size, large crew complement, and well-distributed crew. With the Rudder and Propeller Replacement modifications installed, she also gains surprisingly good mobility and maneuverability, enabling her to outmaneuver smaller vessels and evade torpedoes or bombs—an unexpected feat for a merchant-style ship.
Armament
The primary armament of Arras consists of two single-mount 138.6 mm/55 Model 1910 turrets. These turrets offer wide firing arcs but cannot engage targets directly ahead or astern and have a slow traverse speed. This caliber is common on French vessels, serving as secondary armament on battleships and primary armament on destroyers.
Arras has two types of ammunition available:
- HE shells can overpressure any wooden boat and deal significant damage to submarine chasers or large motor gunboats. Larger vessels may require multiple hits along their length to be destroyed, so avoid hitting the same spot repeatedly when possible.
- SAP shells are most effective against destroyers or heavily angled frigates. Against motor gunboats or parallel submarine chasers, they often overpenetrate. They require at least 6 mm of steel to fuse and will travel nearly 42 meters before exploding unless they hit a component. However, they can detonate enemy magazines, making them capable of one-shotting even much larger vessels if protected by sufficiently thin armor.
The lone 75
A single 75 mm gun on the bow has severely restricted horizontal and vertical firing arcs, making it useful only in desperate situations when the main guns are disabled or unable to engage a target within the 75 mm’s reach.
The HE-TF shells, though an interesting option, are unlikely to hit aircraft due to the gun’s limited +30° elevation and slow fire rate of one round every 4–5 seconds.
Anti-air?
Arras is equipped with three single 8 mm guns, which, unusually, fire ammunition without tracers or visible projectiles. Due to their low caliber, these guns are unlikely to score easy kills, even with AI gunners. However, the biggest issue is the lack of tracers, which not only diminishes their psychological impact but also makes manual aiming far more difficult.
Since neither you nor your enemies can see the gunfire, Arras becomes an easy target for nearby aircraft—likely the only large vessel not filling the sky with visible anti-air fire. And all of this is before even considering their complete lack of stopping power. Even if they land multiple hits, enemy aircraft can often return to base unscathed—after bombing you into oblivion.
As for engaging boats? Utterly pointless.
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Powerful 138.6 mm primary guns capable of one-shotting most vessels at this BR | Lacks effective anti-air defenses, and its large size makes it an easy target for aircraft |
| Spawns with patrol boats rather than destroyers or frigates | Poor mobility before unlocking upgrades or when the bridge is destroyed, making it vulnerable to torpedoes |
| Highly survivable for its class | Gun placement and slow traverse speed make it difficult to engage multiple targets from different directions |
Usage in battles
As one of the largest vessels in the boat spawn, Arras can dominate most boats contesting capture points. Its limited firing arcs, slow turret traverse, and significant heeling during tight turns make aiming challenging. However, its high muzzle velocity and powerful shells can secure multiple kills when used effectively.
Despite its drawbacks, Arras is an excellent vessel. In skilled hands, it can achieve 15+ kills per match. According to StatShark, it consistently ranks among the top five coastal vessels in kills per spawn.
Specific enemies worth noting
Aircraft pose the greatest threat to Arras, as its armament offers no reliable counter.
Destroyers should generally be avoided. SAP rounds are most effective against them, but unless they are already damaged or struggling with accuracy, they can eliminate Arras far faster than it can return fire.
Motor Torpedo Boats are especially dangerous before installing the Rudder Replacement modification or if the bridge or steering gear is damaged, as torpedoes are highly lethal to a less maneuverable Arras. Torpedoes with smaller explosive fillers can sometimes be absorbed by the bow or stern, but any hit near the midsection is almost always fatal.
Confined Spaces can be just as deadly as enemy vessels. Arras is a prime target for torpedoes and bombs, and tight areas severely limit its ability to evade incoming fire. Whenever possible, maintain enough space to execute a full 180° turn.
History
Arras was the lead ship of the French Arras-class sloops (also known as the Amiens class), designed during the First World War, inspired by the success of British Q-ships—disguised merchant vessels used to deceive enemy submarines. Intended to escort French convoys harassed by the Imperial German Navy, she was built at Arsenal de Brest, laid down in 1917, and launched in July 1918. Commissioned just four months before the Armistice on 11 November 1918, her wartime career ended uneventfully.
Following the war, 13 vessels of her class were canceled, while 29 entered service between 1919 and 1924. During the interwar years, Arras was based in Toulon with other ships of her class. With the outbreak of World War II, 19 vessels were retired, while 11 were recommissioned, including Arras. In May 1940, stationed at Dunkirk, she contributed to the port’s anti-air defenses, reportedly damaging two enemy aircraft, and later evacuated British troops to Portsmouth as German forces closed in.
After the fall of France in June 1940, Arras was among the French ships seized by British forces on 3 July during Operation Catapult. Transferred to the Free French Naval Forces, she served in a stationary role as a barrack ship. Disarmed and primarily used for spare parts for her sister ship Amiens, her active service effectively ended. After the war, Arras was returned to France but was never restored to duty. She was officially decommissioned and scrapped on 25 February 1946.
