french battleship class pre dreadnought battleship built french_navy spent career assigned ship accidentally rammed french warships early career seriously damaged ship world war began escorted troop convoys french north_africa france month half ordered dardanelles november guard sortie mediterranean german battlecruiser joined british ships bombarding turkish fortifications badly damaged bombardment march beach avoid sinking refloated sent toulon permanent repairs returned dardanelles covered allied evacuation january december route dardanelles refit france torpedoed sunk german submarine design description metres long overall beam metres deep load draught metres forward metres aft displaced metric tons long tons normally metric tons long tons deep load ship cylinder vertical triple expansion steam engines engine shaft produced ihp ship sea trials steam generated belleville water tube boilers reached speed knots mph trials carried maximum tonnes long tons coal allowed steam nautical miles speed knots mph carried main armament calibre canon modèle guns twin gun turrets fore aft ship secondary armament consisted calibre modèle guns mounted individual casemates remaining pair shielded mounts forecastle deck amidships carried calibre canon modèle guns shielded mounts superstructure ship anti torpedo boat defences consisted calibre canon modèle hotchkiss guns fitted platforms masts superstructure casemates hull mounted millimetre torpedo tubes broadside submerged angled ship axis waterline provided modèle torpedoes common ships generation built shaped ram class ships carried total tonnes long tons harvey armour complete waterline armour belt metres high tapered maximum thickness thickness lower edge armoured deck thick flat reinforced additional plate angled downwards meet armoured belt main turrets protected armour roofs thick barbettes thick outer walls casemates millimetre guns thick protected transverse bulkheads thick conning tower walls thick roof consisted armour plates communications tube protected armour plates thick construction career named tribes inhabited france roman times ordered january sister ship built intended ship construction delayed launched laid january launched october year commissioned october completing sea trials ship assigned 1st arrived toulon january stormy weather voyage caused captain complain forward turret casemates flooded head sea following month exercising harbour accidentally rammed destroyer metre hole smaller ship reached toulon repaired battleship barely damaged july combined manoeuvres ship participated naval review conducted president france following year participated international naval review president toulon ships spain italy russia october 1st command rear admiral ordered proceed port island owned ottoman_empire landing companies marines occupied major ports island november agreed enforce contracts french companies repay loans french banks 1st early december returned toulon ship flagship vice admiral vice led small delegation celebrate unveiling statue washington president received aboard ship port visits new_york_city boston heading france port visit lisbon arriving toulon june exercises accidentally rammed battleship january ship seriously damaged accident april ships escorted president state visit italy later year ship port visits athens rest wireless telegraph installed aboard december battleships ship aided survivors april eruption mount naples rest decade participated exercises number port visits france briefly transferred august participated large naval review president september ship reassigned october participated naval review president june june navy planned assign october cancelled outbreak war august world war older french pre dreadnoughts ship mission war escort troop convoys north_africa france later september main turrets required repairs forward turret having difficulty traversing following repairs ordered far turkey november guard sortie german battlecruiser relieved battleship needed refit toulon flagship arrival november transferred flag returned january bombardment february supported ship bombarded turkish forts covering mouth dardanelles late day bombarded fort subsequent bombardment february ship anchored metres shore engaged forts return fire heavy force anchor suppress guns later day closed metres forts engaged secondary armament day action ship hit twice little damage march french squadron bombarded targets base days later french squadron attempted suppress turkish guns british battleships bombarded fortifications hit shell attack caused little damage failed detonate admiral squadron returned march bombarded turkish fortifications returned assist major attack fortifications planned march british ships initial entry dardanelles french ships passed engage forts closer range hit twice bombardment shell struck quarterdeck caused little damage deck second shell hit waterline starboard bow little obvious damage reality pushed armour plates waterline opened hole metres centimetres water flooded little staunch captain decided head north beach ship temporary repairs ordered non essential crewmen ship case route managed reach islands escorted refloated march departed toulon malta days later escorted encountered storm march ship began taking water repairs began leak pressure storm assistance later night armoured cruiser torpedo boats arrived hours later ship arrived following morning repairs arrived incident toulon april entered drydock following day navy took opportunity increase stability masts removing armour superstructure conning tower guns addition ship fitted anti torpedo stretched bridge aft superstructure increase beam stability repairs completed early june departed dardanelles june reached june relieved sister july ship anchored metres shore august bombarded turkish artillery battery splinters return fire detonated shell started small fire trouble voyage home ran aground harbour entrance ammunition refloated august pre dreadnought ship covered allied evacuation gallipoli january badly need refit sailed brest august captain argued range main armament needed increased metres considered fit thought given converting barracks ship ship ordered november fate december reached southern coast greece torpedoed submarine despite escort destroyer armed explosion single torpedo hit slightly mainmast killed crewmen pair drowned attempted abandon ship ship capsized minutes hit sank minutes later
French battleship Gaulois