class battleship class battleships super dreadnoughts built french_navy world war class comprised vessels lead ship improvement previous class mounted guns instead guns fourth ordered work suspended outbreak war completed ships named french provinces ships saw limited service world war primarily occupied containing austro hungarian navy adriatic_sea war conducted training cruises mediterranean participated non intervention patrols spain spanish civil war outbreak world war ships tasked convoy duties anti commerce patrols fall france june sunk british_royal_navy attack following month later raised towed toulon scuttled november disarmed british alexandria recommissioned serve provided gunfire support operation invasion southern france shelled german fortresses northern france survived gunnery training ship floating barracks early 1950s broken scrap scrapped respectively design france lay single dreadnought battleship britain completed dreadnoughts battlecruisers types respectively construction germany built dreadnoughts battlecruiser united_states built building late year french_navy laid class ships remedy french fleet government passed naval march authorizing force battleships service ships laid class replacements battleships developed class built hulls primary reason decision use hull design class limitations french shipyards class ships largest possible ships fit existing basins french naval high command ordered construction department prepare designs metric ton long ton short ton ship armed guns twin gun turrets additional weight turrets compared class ships imposed problems designers incorporate turrets arrangement earlier vessels centerline superfiring pairs wing turrets amidships required additional metric tons long tons displacement significant increase length hull proposals chose design twin turrets mounted centerline achieve broadside guns despite reduction number guns width armored belt reduced compensate increased weight main battery ship class laid arsenal laid arsenal brest shipyard brest july followed shipyard months later november outbreak world war summer french industrial capacity army work slowed ships ordered battleship named design work began june ceased outbreak war august resumed contract dispute settled general characteristics ships meters long waterline long overall beam draft designed load ships displaced metric tons long tons combat load increased metric tons long tons crew included officers petty officers enlisted men total crew vessels carried number smaller boats including patrol boats long boat ships propulsion systems consisted parsons steam turbines equipped boilers number belleville boilers equipped eighteen temple boilers ships coal fired turbines drove single screw rated total shaft horsepower provided speed knots mph ships carry long tons short tons coal additional spaces coal storage long tons short tons maximum speed ships steam nautical miles mph range increased significantly nmi reduction speed mph increased range nmi ships modified times interwar period equipped heavy mast given masts early 1920s boilers converted oil firing half boilers rear boiler room similarly converted subsequently new oil fired boilers replace rest old coal fired boilers direct drive turbines replaced parsons geared turbines similarly modified propulsion system improved similar pattern center main battery turret replaced aircraft catapult hangar aircraft initially replaced flying boat march aircraft installation removed armament ship primary battery consisted modèle guns twin gun turrets turrets mounted centerline superfiring pair forward conning tower amidships funnels superfiring aft rear superstructure guns maximum elevation degrees range result belief decisive battle range fleets engage ranges longer modified increase elevation guns degrees increased range similarly modified end war gun supplied rounds ammunition stored shell rooms located beneath magazines guns controlled centrally turret equipped independent rangefinder located turret roofs armored hood canon modèle guns mounted casemates length ship hull expected attack upper works enemy battleships defend torpedo boat attacks secondary battery fire control consisted central directors located abreast superfiring turrets fore aft ships carried seven hotchkiss quick firing guns placed conning tower placed main battery turret world war pair guns added ships armament rounded torpedo tubes tubes submerged ships hulls interwar period ships armament rearranged guns removed guns place guns installed forward superstructure hotchkiss machine guns installed forecastle deck guns removed refit guns replaced anti aircraft guns sixteen hotchkiss machine guns quadruple mounts added forward guns removed equipped similarly received guns quadruple mounts guns fitted followed similar pattern center main battery turret removed aircraft catapult fitted place time guns added quadruple mounts guns removed arm new battleship guns replaced march fourteen guns single mounts added quadruple guns removed fire control provided metre turret metre rangefinder armoured hood rear turret wars fire control directors added main secondary anti aircraft armament rangefinder forward superfiring turret replaced metre instrument armor ships main armored belt thick amidships reduced end ship belt secondary battery casemates armored thick steel plate horizontal protection consisted armored decks main deck thick upper lower decks thick sloped armor thick connected main deck armored belt main battery barbettes housed lower turret assemblies armored thick steel forward rear turrets thick sides superfiring turrets protected thick sides amidships turret heavily armored thick sides conning tower protected thick armor plating total weight armor long tons short tons construction service history ships class entered service french_navy assigned 1st division 1st battle squadron served fleet flagship entirety world war deployed guard southern end adriatic_sea based block possible sortie austro hungarian fleet ships largely remained port repeatedly government greece favored germany war january end war sent guard austro hungarian fleet joined sisters toulon june later year ships formed financial problems forced french_navy reduce battleship force active vessels reduced reserve status went drydock major overhaul returned service remained service conducted training cruises mediterranean coast north_africa 1920s 1930s assigned 2nd squadron based france atlantic coast joined non intervention patrols spain spanish civil war outbreak world war september based toulon 2nd squadron assigned undergoing refit early months war conducted anti patrols based overhauled early war march escorted convoy halifax returned convoy loaded aircraft ordered join force based alexandria operate concert weeks later instead ordered steam high speed join force raid ships remained fall france june prevent ships french_navy falling hands occupying germans british prime minister winston_churchill ordered french warships deliver ultimatum ships based july british squadron arrived outside harbor demanded ships sail britain sunk british french negotiated hours culminated british opening fire french fleet span minutes sunk badly damaged hit shells resolution exploded killing vast majority crew set fire sank harbor subsequently raised transferred toulon later scuttled prevent seized germans salvaged ship starting july main guns coastal batteries outside toulon disarmed alexandria december joined served training ship major refit end year prepare participate operation invasion southern france provided gunfire support landings steaming britain minor refit remained britain march bombarded german held fortresses northern france end war served gunnery training ship toulon barracks ship february stricken naval register sold scrapping end year broken scrap outside toulon following year remained raised scrapping broken raised april scrapped list ships second world war list ship classes second world war
Bretagne-class battleship