french battleship pre dreadnought battleship french_navy built early 1900s lead ship class sister ship ship built laid december launched september commissioned fleet december time revolutionary british battleship hms dreadnought armed main battery guns dreadnought time entered service served mediterranean_fleet duration career accidentally torpedoed moored near battleship exploded accidentally damaged flying debris outbreak world war august covered troop convoys algeria france participated sinking austro hungarian cruiser later month spent majority war mouth adriatic_sea austro hungarian fleet adriatic eventually stricken broken scrap design laid arsenal brest december launched september completed december time revolutionary british battleship hms dreadnought rendered pre dreadnoughts like outdated ship meters long perpendiculars beam load draft displaced metric tons long tons short tons load crew officers enlisted men powered vertical triple expansion engines boilers rated indicated horsepower provided speed knots mph coal storage amounted long tons short tons main battery consisted canon modèle guns mounted twin gun turrets forward aft secondary battery consisted eighteen canon modèle guns mounted twin turrets casemates hull carried pounder guns ship armed torpedo tubes submerged hull ship main belt thick main battery protected armor conning tower thick sides service history commissioning december conducted sea trials speed trials reached speed knots mph knot faster contract speed knots mph joining fleet took place annual gunnery competition assigned 1st sister divisional flagship february exercises torpedo accidentally launched sister ship torpedo struck damaging hull september battleship moored near toulon accidental explosion result spontaneous occurred aboard destroyed debris air hit metric ton long ton short ton piece armor plate starboard quarter directly main battery turret outbreak world war august assigned 1st division 2nd squadron mediterranean flagship main battle fleet french_navy french fleet initially cover movement french troops corps algeria metropolitan france result fleet far position catch german battlecruiser majority war french main fleet austro hungarian fleet adriatic_sea participated battle line caught austro hungarian cruiser surprise sank french battleships bombarded austrian fortifications attempt draw austro hungarian fleet refused bait french operations area hampered lack suitable base close mouth adriatic british given french free access malta hundreds miles away austrians possessed submarines torpedoed dreadnought december threat underwater weapons greatly limited french naval activities adriatic war progressed french eventually settled primary naval base area pre dreadnought ship covered allied evacuation gallipoli january later surviving class battleships supported allied operations detached landing parties support allied attempt force greek operations athens december spent rest war athens war pounder guns converted anti aircraft guns new high angle mounts end war placed reserve disarmed following year subsequently stricken naval register broken scrap
French battleship République