french battleship pre dreadnought battleship class built french_navy sister ships justice laid april launched completed june year revolutionary british battleship ships like obsolete armed main battery guns compared guns caliber mounted dreadnought took french president goodwill trip russia visited america september september damaged explosion destroyed sister toulon outbreak world war august covered troop convoys north_africa france rest spent rest war based later seeing action location end war stricken naval register broken scrap design laid shipyard april launched completed june year radically innovative british battleship hms dreadnought rendered pre dreadnoughts like outdated completed ship meters long perpendiculars beam load draft displaced metric tons long tons short tons load ship crew officers enlisted men powered vertical triple expansion engines belleville 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 canon modèle guns mounted single turrets casemates hull carried thirteen pounder guns pounders additionally ship armed torpedo tubes submerged hull ship main belt thick main battery protected armor conning tower thick sides service history major assignment received late july month joined french fleet carried president russia arriving july visited russian inspected joined justice visit united_states september ships representing france celebrations commanded admiral foreign ships arrive ships departed brest reached new_york seven days later having run average knots mph performance ships propulsion systems regarded satisfactory contemporary naval experts including early french_navy conducted experiments wireless justice tests wireless pick messages far miles away september destroyed accidental explosion toulon result spontaneous ammunition magazines debris explosion damaged nearby battleships including outbreak world war august assigned 1st division 2nd squadron mediterranean french fleet initially cover movement french troops corps algeria metropolitan france result fleet far position catch german battlecruiser contrary french expectations steamed constantinople attempt interfere troop transports 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 later war sent sister ships end war stricken naval register subsequently broken scrap
French battleship Vérité