Mogador
Contents
Description
The Mogador was the peak of the French contre-torpilleur destroyer design before the Second World War, featuring an exceptional combination of speed and armament. Launched in June 1937, she reached a record top speed of 43.45 knots during sea trials. In October 1939, Mogador took part in Atlantic operations as part of the Force de Raid, safeguarding against German convoy raiders. On 3 July 1940, while stationed at Mers-el-Kébir, she became a victim during Operation Catapult. After the French refused the ultimatum, the British opened fire and hit Mogador with a 15-inch shell, obliterating her stern. Vichy France undertook extensive repairs and a significant refit, but progress was slowed down by material shortages. Ultimately, to prevent her capture by German forces, Mogador was scuttled at Toulon on 27 November 1942. After eventual refloating, she was scrapped in 1949.
Introduced in Update "Dance of Dragons", Mogador-class, Mogador, 1940 features excellent mobility, main armament and torpedoes, but has very poor anti-air and anti-boat defences for her BR, making her a relatively easy and attractive target for a number of typically unexpected enemies.
General info
Survivability and armour
While Mogador is one of the heaviest WWII-era destroyers, she does not possess any more armour than her contemporaries. The hull lacks dedicated armour plates and is only protected by 16 mm of structural steel, while the 136.8 mm main gun turrets are only protected by 10 mm of rolled homogenous armour.
That being said, the Mogador's survivability benefits from the below-waterline main armament ammunition magazines, which decreases the risk of catastrophic ammunition detonation. While the magazines are relatively well-placed, they still remain vulnerable against heavy enemy fire.
Overall, Mogador's survivability is not great, but average among destroyers.
Mobility
Mogador is one of the fastest destroyers in the game, reaching top speeds of 99 km/h in Arcade Battles and 80 km/h in Realistic and Simulator Battles when upgraded. This excellent speed allows Mogador to quickly reposition and provide fire support across the map, as well as immediately taking advantageous positions as soon as the match starts; only a scant few destroyers have comparable speed to her. Moreover, Mogador has excellent acceleration and deceleration, allowing a range of tactical movement including rapidly accelerating and decelerating at range to dodge enemy fire, and popping in and out of cover.
| Mobility Characteristics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Game Mode | Upgrade Status | Maximum Speed (km/h) | |
| Forward | Reverse | ||
| AB | |||
| Upgraded | 99 | 34 | |
| RB/SB | |||
| Upgraded | 80 | 28 | |
Modifications and economy
| Seakeeping | Unsinkability | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armament
Primary armament
Mogador's main battery consists of eight 138.6 mm/50 model 1934 R1938 guns in four twin turrets. These guns provide excellent firepower for a destroyer, with a calibre greater than the typical 127 mm (5 inch) or smaller guns more common on destroyers. The 138.6 mm guns are comparable to Soviet 130 mm guns, though the Mogador has eight guns and the most heavily armed WWII-era Soviet destroyer only has six 130 mm cannons. This results in a superb salvo weight and outstanding burst damage for a destroyer.
The main drawback is the 6.7 second reload time, which is notably slower than many contemporary destroyers. While Mogador has many guns, her total shells-per-minute is significantly lower than any 5"/38-armed destroyer. This requires the player to carefully time and aim their salvos to maximise the ship's firepower, rather than being able to spray enemy ships with sheer volume of fire over time.
Mogador has access to two shell types: OEA Mle 1932 HE, and OPFA Mle 1924 SAPBC. Both shells have a high shell velocity of 800 m/s, which allows for ease of aiming, particularly at range.
- The HE has a good explosive filler of 3.41 kg of TNT equivalency, which, among destroyers, is only outshined by the Soviet 130 mm HE. The HE works supremely well against hull-break-able coastal vessels and can easily punch through destroyer hulls, though the lack of penetration lessens the power of this HE against cruisers or large vessels.
- The SAPBC similarly has an excellent explosive filler of 2.53 kg of TNT equivalency, but a mediocre penetration of 77 mm. This SAP is very effective against destroyers and unarmoured light cruisers, since it can penetrate hulls and detonate inside a target, damaging internal components like machinery, crew compartments, and ammunition magazines much more easily than the HE. It's recommended to generally rely on SAPBC once available due to this.
The turrets also have good firing angles. Notably, the superfiring aft turret has full 360° rotation, allowing even steep angles to have three out of four turrets on target. Moreover, the 360° rotation allows Mogador to switch sides when firing with only a very small delay. The guns and turrets have good handling as well, with adequate, if not outstanding elevation and traverse rates. The elevation angles of the guns are similarly decent. The main guns cannot elevate high enough for anti-aircraft duty, but this is understandable since there is no anti-aircraft shell available for the 138.6 mm guns.
Secondary armament
Mogador has a twin 37 mm manually loaded secondary gun. The 37 mm gun can elevate to 80°, though it lacks variable time fuze ammunition; the only ammunition avaliable is an HE shell with 50 grams of TNT. This secondary armament can only discourage torpedo boat attacks, and even if a boat decides to assault Mogador, the 37 mm will take several shots to kill even the smallest boat.
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
| OEA Mle 1925 | HE | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 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 | 810 | 0.73 | 0 | 0.1 | 50 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
Anti-aircraft armament
Mogador's anti-aircraft armament only consists of two twin 13.2 mm Hotchkiss machine guns. Located in front of the bridge, the 13.2 mm Hotchkiss guns deal very poorly with aircraft since they are so few. Moreover, the bridge masks the 13.2 mms when the target is to the rear of Mogador, and can only protect around 270° in front of Mogador.
Additional armament
The Mogador is equipped with 10 x 550 mm model 1923DT torpedoes, split between a triple launcher and a twin launcher on each side of the ship. This provides good firing arcs and the ability to fire a salvo of five torpedoes, then switch broadsides to fire off the other five while reloading the initial side. The torpedoes have a maximum speed of 46 knots and a range of 8 km, as well as a respectable explosive filler of 308 kg of TNT. While not the most powerful torpedoes at this battle rating, they can still inflict significant damage on enemy ships when used effectively.
Usage in battles
Mogador's combination of speed, firepower, and flexible turret arrangements make it a potent long-range support destroyer. Her heavy 136.8 mm salvo on the main guns allows her to deal significant damage to unarmored targets.
Mogador's poor armor and lack of effective anti-air defenses mean she is vulnerable to enemy cruisers and aircraft. Therefore, she is best employed in a skirmishing and fire support role, taking advantage of her speed to reposition quickly and ambush targets from unexpected angles. Engaging at longer ranges where the ship's heavier shells and favorable ballistics can overmatch opponents is recommended. Moreover, the superb mobility also allows Mogador to dodge incoming fire at range, as well as capitalize on cover by popping in and out of fire to minimize the amount of incoming fire.
In close-quarters brawls, Mogador may struggle to compete with the rapid-fire gun armaments of some other destroyers. Her large size and vulnerable crew also make her a relatively easy target. While her heavy burst damage can easily ammo rack destroyers, players should carefully pick their engagements and avoid getting caught in slugging matches with similar-tier destroyers.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Excellent top speed, allowing quick redeployment and flanking manoeuvres
- Powerful main battery with fantastic burst damage
- Good torpedo armament with flexible launchers
- Excellent firing arc on the superfiring rear turret
Cons:
- Poor armour protection
- Slow reload on the main guns compared to other destroyers
- Weak anti-aircraft armament, leaving the ship exposed to air attacks
- Large size makes the Mogador an easy target
- Difficulty reliably penetrating the armour of some cruisers with the SAP shells
History
The Mogador was the lead ship of the French Mogador-class contre-torpilleurs, representing the pinnacle of the French "super-destroyer" concept of the late 1930s. Built under the 1932 and 1934 naval programmes, she was designed to outgun and outrun any potential adversary, boasting an unprecedented combination of speed and firepower unmatched by foreign contemporaries. Laid down on 28 October 1935 and launched on 9 June 1937, Mogador was commissioned into the Marine Nationale in 1939. On trials, she achieved a remarkable speed of nearly 44 knots, making her one of the fastest destroyers of her time.
Early in the Second World War, Mogador served with the French Force de Raid, a fast squadron tasked with hunting German commerce raiders and protecting vital Atlantic convoys. Between 21 and 30 October 1939, she participated in operations covering convoy KJ.4 against a possible attack by the German pocket battleship Deutschland. During this mission, the force successfully captured the German blockade-runner Santa Fé on 25 October, showcasing the effectiveness of the French naval forces during this period.
On 3 July 1940, Mogador was stationed at Mers-el-Kébir in Algeria when the British Royal Navy launched Operation Catapult, aiming to neutralise the French fleet to prevent it from falling into German hands. During the surprise attack by Force H, Mogador attempted to sortie but was struck by a 15-inch shell from HMS Hood. The shell hit her stern, detonating her depth charges and blowing off the aft section of the ship. Despite losing her stern and suffering 42 casualties, the crew managed to prevent her from sinking by running her aground.
Following the attack, Mogador was towed to Toulon for repairs. During the 1940 refit, her destroyed fourth turret was removed, and the third turret was relocated to its position. The vacant space left by the third turret was utilised to enhance her anti-aircraft capabilities with the installation of two twin 37 mm anti-aircraft guns. These modifications reflected the increasing importance of anti-aircraft defence during the war. However, Mogador's service was cut short when she was scuttled at Toulon on 27 November 1942, along with much of the French fleet, to prevent her capture by German forces. She was later refloated by Italians on 5 April 1943, damaged by an Allied bomb on 29 April, then again on 4 May 1944. She was ordered to be beached at Brégaillon and remained there until 1949, when she was refloated for breaking up.
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
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
- [Wikipedia] French destroyer Mogador
- [Wikipedia] Mogador-class destroyer
- [uboat.net] FR Mogador - Large destroyer of the Mogador class
- [NAVYPEDIA] MOGADOR destroyers (1938 - 1939)
- John Jordan and Jean Moulin. French Destroyers - Torpilleurs d'Escadres and Contre-Torpilleurs, 1922-1956. Seaforth Publishing, 2015.
| Arsenal de Lorient | |
|---|---|
| Destroyers | |
| Jaguar-class | Panthere |
| Aigle-class | Milan |
| Mogador-class | Mogador |
| Battleships | |
| Courbet-class | Courbet |
| France destroyers | |
|---|---|
| Bourrasque-class | Bourrasque · Tornade |
| Chacal-class | Chacal · Leopard · Panthere |
| Aigle-class | Aigle · Vautour · Milan |
| Vauquelin-class | Vauquelin |
| Le Fantasque-class | Le Malin · Le Triomphant |
| Mogador-class | Mogador |
| Hunt-class | La Combattante |
| Trophies | Germany |
| Desaix-class¹ | Kleber |
| Type 1936 | Marceau |
| Italy | |
| Chateaurenault-class² | Guichen |
| Modified: ¹Type 1934A-class destroyers · ²Capitani Romani-class cruisers | |
