Difference between revisions of "Jeanne d'Arc"

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== Description ==
 
== Description ==
 
<!-- ''In the first part of the description, cover the history of the ship's creation and military application. In the second part, tell the reader about using this ship in the game. Add a screenshot: if a beginner player has a hard time remembering vehicles by name, a picture will help them identify the ship in question.'' -->
 
<!-- ''In the first part of the description, cover the history of the ship's creation and military application. In the second part, tell the reader about using this ship in the game. Add a screenshot: if a beginner player has a hard time remembering vehicles by name, a picture will help them identify the ship in question.'' -->
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} French light cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "La Royale"]].
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Launched in 1930, '''Jeanne d'Arc''' was ''the'' training vessel of the French navy in the days leading up to World War Two and right after. During World War Two itself, she was modernized by the US engineers of the USS Vulcan repair ship, starting early 1943. This refit focused on upgrading anti-air guns with Bofors 40 mm and Oerlikon 20 mm. Following that, the vessel provided fire support for the Allied troops in amphibious landings on Corsica and Southern France. After the end of the war she returned to her service as a training vessel, conducting 27 post-war cruises all around the world, until being decommissioned in 1965. Throughout her career, she provided invaluable service for the French navies, training countless officers and sailors alike.
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Introduced along with the initial release of the French bluewater naval tech tree in [[Update "La Royale"]], '''{{Specs|name}}''' has an interesting combination of a very high damage output from her four twin [[155 mm/50 model 1920 (155 mm)|155 mm/50]] main guns, very good anti-air guns, and lacklustre survivability, which is made worse by the overall very large silhouette of the vessel. It makes her an attractive, but somewhat tricky, target to enemy aircraft, torpedo boats and warships alike. She's best played as a glass cannon, assisting more resilient vessels from the second or even third line, and focusing on the soft targets, such as destroyers and unarmoured light cruisers.
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
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{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
 
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
 
<!-- ''Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary armaments separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Save tips on preserving survivability for the "Usage in battles" section. If necessary, use a graphical template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armour.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary armaments separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Save tips on preserving survivability for the "Usage in battles" section. If necessary, use a graphical template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armour.'' -->
''Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary armaments separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Save tips on preserving survivability for the "Usage in battles" section. If necessary, use a graphical template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armour.''
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Despite having several good things going for her, the ship is still relatively easy to sink by a higher calibre munitions.
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Compared to the other ships in the BR, she has the highest crew count (in fact, she has a higher crew count than a ships in much higher BRs, such as [[HMS York]] or [[IJN Furutaka]]), a good number of sections, ammunition store relatively deep below the waterline in the armoured boxes and engines that just barely stick above the waterline.
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Where her survivability suffers the most is in three areas: Firstly, manoeuvrability - before unlocking the Rudder modification it's best to spot enemy torpedoes before they enter the torpedo detection distance (base 80 metres, top 100 metres) as even some of the slowest torpedoes will be challenging to avoid. Similarly, incoming fire is best avoided by using hard cover (islands, icebergs, etc.) rather than trying to manoeuvre the cruiser away from the path of the shells. Secondly, her large profile makes for an easy target, in particular for enemy torpedoes, though gun fire will have an easy time connecting as well.
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[[File:Jeanne d'Arc critical crew compartments.jpg|thumb|right|Illustrative location of the 5 key concentrations of the crew - central compartment and two under each turret contain around 60% of the entire crew]]
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Finally, the biggest issue with her survivability is the crew distribution. Quite unusually for a cruiser, the vast majority of her crew is located in basically just 3 locations. Hits below the aft turrets destroying the two compartments there can easily knock down over 160 crew members. Destroying just one of them (e.g. with a SAP shell) will knock down around 80 crew (~10% of the entire crew). The single largest crew compartment is right in the middle of the superstructure - it's not only the largest one in size, but also the largest one in crew count and oftentimes the first one to be destroyed in a broadside battle. Finally there are two compartments below the forward turrets, not as populated nor as large as in the rear but still easy targets.
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This vulnerability makes the ship very often die just by running out of crew, rather than ammo-racking or sinking, giving the impression that she has a much lower crew count than she does in reality.
  
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
 
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}
 
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}
 
<!-- ''Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.'' -->
''Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.''
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Her mobility is comparable to [[RN Etna]], which is towards the lower end of low-BR cruisers. But unlike most of her peers, she has a very large profile making it important to take extra caution when it comes to pre-emptive positioning. Also note that the time for the the rudder to completely deflect before upgrades is 5.28s (compared to 5.1s on Etna, 5.13s on [[IJN Kako]] and 5.39s on [[USS Trenton]]) making it beneficial to invest in Ship Control [[Crew skills#Engine room|crew skill]].
  
 
{{NavalMobility}}
 
{{NavalMobility}}
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=== Modifications and economy ===
 
=== Modifications and economy ===
 
{{Specs-Economy}}
 
{{Specs-Economy}}
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Other than the essential Damage Control Division and Fire Division, the ship highly benefits from 155 mm M1924 SAP, Rudder Replacement and Primary Armament Targeting. In tier IV it could be argued that Engine Maintenance is the most beneficial of the three available modifications, as the ammo racks are relatively difficult to hit on the ship.
  
 
== Armament ==
 
== Armament ==
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{{main|155 mm/50 model 1920 (155 mm)}}
 
{{main|155 mm/50 model 1920 (155 mm)}}
  
''Provide information about the characteristics of the primary armament. Evaluate their efficacy in battle based on their reload speed, ballistics and the capacity of their shells. Add a link to the main article about the weapon: <code><nowiki>{{main|Weapon name (calibre)}}</nowiki></code>. Broadly describe the ammunition available for the primary armament, and provide recommendations on how to use it and which ammunition to choose.''
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The primary armament is very potent when it comes to sustained firepower, especially when using the ready-to-use ammo. Its high calibre can easily deal with enemy destroyers and be a real threat to the cruisers. It's not uncommon to one-shot enemy destroyers with these guns.
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Where she will struggle is when fighting enemy heavy cruisers in up-tiers, such as [[USS Portland]], as the guns simply lack penetration to deal with the armour.
  
 
{{:155 mm/50 model 1920 (155 mm)/Ammunition|155 mm M1924 HE, 155 mm M1924 HE-BF, 155 mm M1924 SAP}}
 
{{:155 mm/50 model 1920 (155 mm)/Ammunition|155 mm M1924 HE, 155 mm M1924 HE-BF, 155 mm M1924 SAP}}
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{{main|75 mm/50 model 1922 (75 mm)}}
 
{{main|75 mm/50 model 1922 (75 mm)}}
  
''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.''
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Four 75 mm guns with two flanking main superstructure and two between the funnels make for a relatively poor long-range anti-air, but occasional lucky shots can still provide some degree of defence.
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Having a low number of guns with a relatively long reload rate makes them unsuitable for defense against coastal vessels - anti-aircraft armament should be used instead.
  
 
{{:75 mm/50 model 1922 (75 mm)/Ammunition|75 mm OEA Mle 1925, 75 mm HE-TF OEA Mle 1925}}
 
{{:75 mm/50 model 1922 (75 mm)/Ammunition|75 mm OEA Mle 1925, 75 mm HE-TF OEA Mle 1925}}
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{{main|Bofors L/60 Mark 3 (40 mm)|20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)}}
 
{{main|Bofors L/60 Mark 3 (40 mm)|20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)}}
  
''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.''
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The armament of ten Bofors 40 mm certainly makes for a highlight on this ship. AI will use these guns to engage targets at a considerable distance, making it easy to scare off enemy bombers and torpedo boats alike. When under manual control the high muzzle velocity, rate of fire and guns being spread all across the ship makes it exceptionally easy to take down enemy targets.
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The complement of no less than twenty 20 mm guns engaging targets from 2 km makes for one of the most threatening targets to the enemy bombers in that BR.
  
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
<!-- ''Describe the technique of using this ship, the characteristics of her use in a team and tips on strategy. Abstain from writing an entire guide – don't try to provide a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought. Talk about the most dangerous opponents for this vehicle and provide recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of playing with this vehicle in various modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
 
<!-- ''Describe the technique of using this ship, the characteristics of her use in a team and tips on strategy. Abstain from writing an entire guide – don't try to provide a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought. Talk about the most dangerous opponents for this vehicle and provide recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of playing with this vehicle in various modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
''Describe the technique of using this ship, the characteristics of her use in a team and tips on strategy. Abstain from writing an entire guide – don't try to provide a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought. Talk about the most dangerous opponents for this vehicle and provide recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of playing with this vehicle in various modes (AB, RB, SB).''
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Jeanne d'Arc would be best summed-up as a glass cannon. It's able to quickly and efficiently deal with any unarmoured or poorly armoured target, while its exceptional anti-air armament (lacking only HE-VT shells) provides a respectable threat to both aircraft and coastal vessels alike.
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Where she struggles the most are an armoured targets - 155 mm SAP shells simply lack penetration to deal with the heavier targets in up-tiers. Furthermore, a more knowledgable enemies can use the unarmoured crew compartments against the ship, leading to a relatively quick sinking if the incoming fire isn't addressed.
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
 
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".''
 
  
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
* Good firepower and rate of file while it has ready ammunition
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* Very high sustained damage, made exceptional when the first stage ammunition is available
* Great anti-air defense, especially for its BR
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* Great anti-air defense for its BR
 
 
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
* Abysmal survivability due to practically non-existent armour and low crew count
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* Crew concentrated in easy to hit locations makes for a poor survivability
* Poor turret traverse speed and gun handling. Rate of fire will be significantly worsened when all ready shells were expended
 
* Does not have an access to AP shell, will struggle against more well-armoured opponents or enemy at long range
 
 
* Mediocre mobility
 
* Mediocre mobility
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* Poor turret traverse speed and low rate of fire once the first stage ammunition is expelled
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* Does not have an access to AP shell, will struggle against more well-armoured opponents
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
 
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the ship and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
 
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the ship and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the ship and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''
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Jeanne d'Arc (named after Joan of Arc) was designed as a replacement of the ageing 1899 armoured cruiser of the same name that served as the training ship for the French navy since 1912. Seeing the ship's age becoming an issue, the Ministry of Navy asked for a replacement, but the order wasn't placed until 1928, thus the French used Edgar Quinet as an interim solution. Finally, on 14 February 1930, Jeanne d'Arc went down the slipway at Saint-Nazaire Penhoët shipyard, becoming the new training ship of the French Navy. She was a one-off ship dedicated training ship serving until 6 July 1964, when the name was taken over by La Résolue, which itself was eventually supplanted by the Léopard-class that serves as training ships to this day.
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Jeanne d'Arc was designed around the guns known from [[Duguay-Trouin]] and large superstructure amidship for accommodation and facilities for the cadets. Machinery was shared with the Pluton minelayer, but also included a small auxiliary boiler on a port side of the ship allowing to maintain heating and other essential functions without firing up the main boilers. The ship also featured an unusually powerful generators: 200 kW turbo-generators and two 120 kW diesel generators were designed to facilitate an unusually large crew complement. In sea trials, she achieved a maximum speed of 27.86 knots (51.6 km/h), but suffered from vibrations specifically at 13.5 knots and 15 knots, making it difficult to use optical rangefinders at these speeds.
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The hull was divided by 16 watertight bulkheads, featuring a double bottom and additional empty spaces around magazines, diesel tanks, between boiler rooms and fuel bunkers. Certain key bulkheads were reinforced and magazines had 20 mm armour to the sides, while the conning tower was protected by double-layered armour, 15 mm each.
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Facilities below the forward superstructure included one unusual facility - a large lecture hall able to accommodate 156 midshipmen and instructors that was used as a theatre, cinema or a dance hall on visits to distant ports in the numerous French overseas territories. The ship also included extensive medical facilities, including consulting room and isolation ward in order to accommodate for the visits in the tropics where a large crew complement of an inexperienced officers could catch tropical diseases.
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The gun turrets were significantly enlarged compared to these on Duguay-Trouin to allow for groups of the officer cadets to observe the loading and firing of the guns. Similarly, the gun control systems were exceptional for the treaty cruisers and regularly updated to keep up with the state-of-the-art equipment. At the core of the fire control system was the Mle 1923 fire control computer stored below decks, after the 1933 refit the fire control computer was replaced by Mle 1930 and all of the main guns could be remotely fired from the director control tower and the conning tower. As a backup measure, turret III could take control of the remaining turrets and using a 5-metre coincidence rangefinder could provide an emergency fire control, sending range and bearing data as well as coordinate firing of all the main guns.
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The ship featured an Mle 1926S torpedo tubes (with the launchers and associated facilities shared with the Duguay-Trouin-class) armed with six [[Model 1923DT (550 mm)|Mle 1923D]] torpedoes (in case of war) or two Mle 1924M exercise torpedoes (in case of training exercises). In 1938, a small depth-charge launcher was installed on the quarterdeck able to launch 35 kg charges (used, among others, on the destroyer Le Triomphant). Torpedo tubes were later dismantled to make space for additional cadets as tensions rose in late 1930s.
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The vessel included aviation facilities for two CAMS 37 seaplanes, specifically an unarmed variant 37-11 designed to carry a pilot, trainee and two passengers. In 1938, the aircraft were replaced by Loire 130. The biggest issue was a lack of catapults, forcing planes to be deployed by crane and making airborne operations impossible in rough waters. The aviation facilities were later dismantled.
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
 
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''
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;Skins
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* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=fr_cruiser_jeanne_darc Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
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* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''other literature.'' -->
 
* ''other literature.'' -->
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
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* [[wikipedia:French cruiser Jeanne d'Arc (1930)|[Wikipedia<nowiki>]</nowiki> French cruiser Jeanne d'Arc (1930)]]
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
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* Jordan John and Jean Moulin. 2013. French Cruisers 1922-1956. Annapolis Maryland: Naval Institute Press.
* ''other literature.''
 
  
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{{ShipManufacturer Ateliers et Chantiers de Penhoët}}
 
{{France light cruisers}}
 
{{France light cruisers}}

Latest revision as of 09:41, 25 October 2024

Rank VI USA | Premium | Golden Eagles
A-10A Thunderbolt (Early)
Jeanne d'Arc
fr_cruiser_jeanne_darc.png
GarageImage Jeanne d'Arc.jpg
Jeanne d'Arc
AB RB SB
4.7 4.7 4.7
Research:36 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:115 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

Launched in 1930, Jeanne d'Arc was the training vessel of the French navy in the days leading up to World War Two and right after. During World War Two itself, she was modernized by the US engineers of the USS Vulcan repair ship, starting early 1943. This refit focused on upgrading anti-air guns with Bofors 40 mm and Oerlikon 20 mm. Following that, the vessel provided fire support for the Allied troops in amphibious landings on Corsica and Southern France. After the end of the war she returned to her service as a training vessel, conducting 27 post-war cruises all around the world, until being decommissioned in 1965. Throughout her career, she provided invaluable service for the French navies, training countless officers and sailors alike.

Introduced along with the initial release of the French bluewater naval tech tree in Update "La Royale", Jeanne d'Arc-class, Jeanne d'Arc, 1944 has an interesting combination of a very high damage output from her four twin 155 mm/50 main guns, very good anti-air guns, and lacklustre survivability, which is made worse by the overall very large silhouette of the vessel. It makes her an attractive, but somewhat tricky, target to enemy aircraft, torpedo boats and warships alike. She's best played as a glass cannon, assisting more resilient vessels from the second or even third line, and focusing on the soft targets, such as destroyers and unarmoured light cruisers.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back
Citadel20 / 20 / 20 mm
Hull16 mm (steel)
Superstructure8 mm (steel)
Number of section8
Displacement8 950 t
Crew686 people

Despite having several good things going for her, the ship is still relatively easy to sink by a higher calibre munitions.

Compared to the other ships in the BR, she has the highest crew count (in fact, she has a higher crew count than a ships in much higher BRs, such as HMS York or IJN Furutaka), a good number of sections, ammunition store relatively deep below the waterline in the armoured boxes and engines that just barely stick above the waterline.

Where her survivability suffers the most is in three areas: Firstly, manoeuvrability - before unlocking the Rudder modification it's best to spot enemy torpedoes before they enter the torpedo detection distance (base 80 metres, top 100 metres) as even some of the slowest torpedoes will be challenging to avoid. Similarly, incoming fire is best avoided by using hard cover (islands, icebergs, etc.) rather than trying to manoeuvre the cruiser away from the path of the shells. Secondly, her large profile makes for an easy target, in particular for enemy torpedoes, though gun fire will have an easy time connecting as well.

Illustrative location of the 5 key concentrations of the crew - central compartment and two under each turret contain around 60% of the entire crew

Finally, the biggest issue with her survivability is the crew distribution. Quite unusually for a cruiser, the vast majority of her crew is located in basically just 3 locations. Hits below the aft turrets destroying the two compartments there can easily knock down over 160 crew members. Destroying just one of them (e.g. with a SAP shell) will knock down around 80 crew (~10% of the entire crew). The single largest crew compartment is right in the middle of the superstructure - it's not only the largest one in size, but also the largest one in crew count and oftentimes the first one to be destroyed in a broadside battle. Finally there are two compartments below the forward turrets, not as populated nor as large as in the rear but still easy targets.

This vulnerability makes the ship very often die just by running out of crew, rather than ammo-racking or sinking, giving the impression that she has a much lower crew count than she does in reality.

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB60 / 34 km/h
RB51 / 29 km/h

Her mobility is comparable to RN Etna, which is towards the lower end of low-BR cruisers. But unlike most of her peers, she has a very large profile making it important to take extra caution when it comes to pre-emptive positioning. Also note that the time for the the rudder to completely deflect before upgrades is 5.28s (compared to 5.1s on Etna, 5.13s on IJN Kako and 5.39s on USS Trenton) making it beneficial to invest in Ship Control crew skill.

Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode Upgrade Status Maximum Speed (km/h) Turn Time (s) Turn Radius (m)
Forward Reverse
AB Stock ___ ___
Upgraded 60 34
RB/SB Stock ___ ___
Upgraded 51 29

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB4 667 → 6 053 Sl icon.png
RB5 288 → 6 858 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications35 700 Rp icon.png
77 500 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost1 200 Ge icon.png
Crew training33 000 Sl icon.png
Experts115 000 Sl icon.png
Aces590 Ge icon.png
Research Aces360 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
340 / 600 / 100 % Sl icon.png
148 / 148 / 148 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Seakeeping Unsinkability Firepower
Mods new ship hull.png
Dry-Docking
Research:
1 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 000 Sl icon.png
130 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship rudder.png
Rudder Replacement
Research:
1 600 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 500 Sl icon.png
150 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship screw.png
Propeller Replacement
Research:
1 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 900 Sl icon.png
165 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship engine.png
Engine Maintenance
Research:
3 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 500 Sl icon.png
360 Ge icon.png
Mods ship damage control crew.png
Damage Control Division
Research:
1 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 000 Sl icon.png
130 Ge icon.png
Mods ship fire control crew.png
Fire Division
Research:
1 600 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 500 Sl icon.png
150 Ge icon.png
Mods engine smoke screen system.png
Smokescreen
Research:
1 600 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 500 Sl icon.png
150 Ge icon.png
Mods ship anti fragmentation protection.png
Shrapnel Protection
Research:
1 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 900 Sl icon.png
165 Ge icon.png
Mods ship venting.png
Ventilation
Research:
1 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 900 Sl icon.png
165 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship pumps.png
New Pumps
Research:
3 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 500 Sl icon.png
360 Ge icon.png
Mods ship ammo wetting.png
Ammo Wetting
Research:
3 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 500 Sl icon.png
360 Ge icon.png
Mods new aa caliber turrets.png
Anti-Air Armament Targeting
Research:
1 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 000 Sl icon.png
130 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
155 mm M1924 HE-TF
Research:
1 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 000 Sl icon.png
130 Ge icon.png
Mods he frag dist fuse ship.png
75mm_oea_mle1925_navy_he_time_fuse_ammo_pack
Research:
1 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 000 Sl icon.png
130 Ge icon.png
Mods new aux caliber turrets.png
Auxiliary Armament Targeting
Research:
1 600 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 500 Sl icon.png
150 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
155 mm M1924 SAP
Research:
1 600 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 500 Sl icon.png
150 Ge icon.png
Mods new main caliber turrets.png
Primary Armament Targeting
Research:
1 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 900 Sl icon.png
165 Ge icon.png
Mods ship rangefinder.png
Improved Rangefinder
Research:
1 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 900 Sl icon.png
165 Ge icon.png

Other than the essential Damage Control Division and Fire Division, the ship highly benefits from 155 mm M1924 SAP, Rudder Replacement and Primary Armament Targeting. In tier IV it could be argued that Engine Maintenance is the most beneficial of the three available modifications, as the ammo racks are relatively difficult to hit on the ship.

Armament

Primary armament

4 х Turret2 x 155 mm/50 model 1920 gun
Ammunition300 rounds
Vertical guidance-5° / 40°

The primary armament is very potent when it comes to sustained firepower, especially when using the ready-to-use ammo. Its high calibre can easily deal with enemy destroyers and be a real threat to the cruisers. It's not uncommon to one-shot enemy destroyers with these guns.

Where she will struggle is when fighting enemy heavy cruisers in up-tiers, such as USS Portland, as the guns simply lack penetration to deal with the armour.

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
1,000 m 2,500 m 5,000 m 7,500 m 10,000 m 15,000 m
M1924 HE HE 51 51 51 51 51 51
M1924 HE-BF HE 87 78 64 53 45 34
M1924 SAP SAPBC 142 126 104 87 73 55
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(s)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (kg)
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
M1924 HE HE 864 59 0 0.1 6.16 79° 80° 81°
M1924 HE-BF HE 870 56.5 0.015 7 2.9 79° 80° 81°
M1924 SAP SAPBC 870 56.5 0.01 7 3.67 48° 63° 71°

Secondary armament

4 х Turret75 mm/50 model 1922 gun
Ammunition100 rounds

Four 75 mm guns with two flanking main superstructure and two between the funnels make for a relatively poor long-range anti-air, but occasional lucky shots can still provide some degree of defence.

Having a low number of guns with a relatively long reload rate makes them unsuitable for defense against coastal vessels - anti-aircraft armament should be used instead.

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
100 m 1,000 m 2,000 m 3,000 m 4,000 m 5,000 m
OEA Mle 1925 HE 8 8 8 8 8 8
HE-TF OEA Mle 1925 HE-TF 8 8 8 8 8 8
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(m)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
OEA Mle 1925 HE 850 5.93 0 0.1 450 79° 80° 81°
HE-TF OEA Mle 1925 HE-TF 850 5.93 0 0.1 450 79° 80° 81°

Anti-aircraft armament

10 х Turret40 mm Bofors L/60 Mark 3 gun
Ammunition2000 rounds
Belt capacity4 rounds
Fire rate160 shots/min
18 х Turret20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II autocannon
Ammunition1800 rounds
Belt capacity60 rounds
Fire rate450 shots/min

The armament of ten Bofors 40 mm certainly makes for a highlight on this ship. AI will use these guns to engage targets at a considerable distance, making it easy to scare off enemy bombers and torpedo boats alike. When under manual control the high muzzle velocity, rate of fire and guns being spread all across the ship makes it exceptionally easy to take down enemy targets.

The complement of no less than twenty 20 mm guns engaging targets from 2 km makes for one of the most threatening targets to the enemy bombers in that BR.

Usage in battles

Jeanne d'Arc would be best summed-up as a glass cannon. It's able to quickly and efficiently deal with any unarmoured or poorly armoured target, while its exceptional anti-air armament (lacking only HE-VT shells) provides a respectable threat to both aircraft and coastal vessels alike.

Where she struggles the most are an armoured targets - 155 mm SAP shells simply lack penetration to deal with the heavier targets in up-tiers. Furthermore, a more knowledgable enemies can use the unarmoured crew compartments against the ship, leading to a relatively quick sinking if the incoming fire isn't addressed.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Very high sustained damage, made exceptional when the first stage ammunition is available
  • Great anti-air defense for its BR

Cons:

  • Crew concentrated in easy to hit locations makes for a poor survivability
  • Mediocre mobility
  • Poor turret traverse speed and low rate of fire once the first stage ammunition is expelled
  • Does not have an access to AP shell, will struggle against more well-armoured opponents

History

Jeanne d'Arc (named after Joan of Arc) was designed as a replacement of the ageing 1899 armoured cruiser of the same name that served as the training ship for the French navy since 1912. Seeing the ship's age becoming an issue, the Ministry of Navy asked for a replacement, but the order wasn't placed until 1928, thus the French used Edgar Quinet as an interim solution. Finally, on 14 February 1930, Jeanne d'Arc went down the slipway at Saint-Nazaire Penhoët shipyard, becoming the new training ship of the French Navy. She was a one-off ship dedicated training ship serving until 6 July 1964, when the name was taken over by La Résolue, which itself was eventually supplanted by the Léopard-class that serves as training ships to this day.

Jeanne d'Arc was designed around the guns known from Duguay-Trouin and large superstructure amidship for accommodation and facilities for the cadets. Machinery was shared with the Pluton minelayer, but also included a small auxiliary boiler on a port side of the ship allowing to maintain heating and other essential functions without firing up the main boilers. The ship also featured an unusually powerful generators: 200 kW turbo-generators and two 120 kW diesel generators were designed to facilitate an unusually large crew complement. In sea trials, she achieved a maximum speed of 27.86 knots (51.6 km/h), but suffered from vibrations specifically at 13.5 knots and 15 knots, making it difficult to use optical rangefinders at these speeds.

The hull was divided by 16 watertight bulkheads, featuring a double bottom and additional empty spaces around magazines, diesel tanks, between boiler rooms and fuel bunkers. Certain key bulkheads were reinforced and magazines had 20 mm armour to the sides, while the conning tower was protected by double-layered armour, 15 mm each.

Facilities below the forward superstructure included one unusual facility - a large lecture hall able to accommodate 156 midshipmen and instructors that was used as a theatre, cinema or a dance hall on visits to distant ports in the numerous French overseas territories. The ship also included extensive medical facilities, including consulting room and isolation ward in order to accommodate for the visits in the tropics where a large crew complement of an inexperienced officers could catch tropical diseases.

The gun turrets were significantly enlarged compared to these on Duguay-Trouin to allow for groups of the officer cadets to observe the loading and firing of the guns. Similarly, the gun control systems were exceptional for the treaty cruisers and regularly updated to keep up with the state-of-the-art equipment. At the core of the fire control system was the Mle 1923 fire control computer stored below decks, after the 1933 refit the fire control computer was replaced by Mle 1930 and all of the main guns could be remotely fired from the director control tower and the conning tower. As a backup measure, turret III could take control of the remaining turrets and using a 5-metre coincidence rangefinder could provide an emergency fire control, sending range and bearing data as well as coordinate firing of all the main guns.

The ship featured an Mle 1926S torpedo tubes (with the launchers and associated facilities shared with the Duguay-Trouin-class) armed with six Mle 1923D torpedoes (in case of war) or two Mle 1924M exercise torpedoes (in case of training exercises). In 1938, a small depth-charge launcher was installed on the quarterdeck able to launch 35 kg charges (used, among others, on the destroyer Le Triomphant). Torpedo tubes were later dismantled to make space for additional cadets as tensions rose in late 1930s.

The vessel included aviation facilities for two CAMS 37 seaplanes, specifically an unarmed variant 37-11 designed to carry a pilot, trainee and two passengers. In 1938, the aircraft were replaced by Loire 130. The biggest issue was a lack of catapults, forcing planes to be deployed by crane and making airborne operations impossible in rough waters. The aviation facilities were later dismantled.

Media

Skins

See also

Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

  • reference to the series of the ship;
  • links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links


Ateliers et Chantiers de Penhoët
Destroyers 
Jaguar-class  Chacal
Light Cruisers 
Unique Ships  Jeanne d'Arc · Emile Bertin

France light cruisers
Duguay-Trouin-class  Duguay-Trouin · Primauguet
  Jeanne d'Arc*
  Emile Bertin*
  * Unique ship