french battleship lead ship class battleships built french_navy 1930s class included ships capital ships built french_navy world war planned classes cancelled outbreak war budgetary problems prevented french building new battleships decade war laid december launched october completed armed main battery modèle guns arranged quadruple gun turrets speed knots mph formed french_navy 1st prior second world war ships searched german commerce raiders early months war participated convoy escort duties ship badly damaged british attack armistice ended phase france participation world war refloated partially repaired return toulon comprehensive repairs scuttled november prevent capture germans subsequently seized partially scrapped italians later germans wreck remained toulon stricken scrapped years later development french_navy design staff spent decade following washington naval treaty attempting produce satisfactory design fill tons allowed treaty initially french sought reply italian class cruisers proposals rejected ton cruiser handled inadequate old italian battleships ton battlecruiser concepts expensive naval limitation talks attempts followed intermediate design ton protected cruiser armed guns armoured guns speed mph visually bore profile similar final german class cruisers new focus french naval architects design respect london naval treaty limited french ton ships drawing previous work french developed ton design armed guns armoured german cruisers guns speed mph final main artillery concentrated entirely forward design rejected french parliament july sent revision final revision grew tons guns replaced modèle guns armour slightly improved speed slightly decreased parliamentary approval granted early ordered october characteristics displaced long tons built long tons fully loaded overall length beam maximum draft powered parsons geared steam turbines oil fired boilers developed total shaft horsepower yielded maximum speed mph crew numbered officers men ship carried pair aircraft aircraft facilities consisted steam catapult crane handle initially later armed modèle guns arranged quadruple gun turrets placed superfiring pair forward superstructure secondary armament consisted sixteen dual purpose guns mounted quadruple twin turrets quadruple turrets placed stern twin turrets located amidships close range defense provided battery guns twin mounts thirty guns quadruple mounts ship belt armor thick amidships main battery turrets protected armor plate faces main armored deck thick conning tower thick sides modifications modified times relatively short career funnel cap added guns modèle variant removed replaced following year new guns guns rearranged slightly mounts located abreast second main battery turret moved aft rangefinder installed fore tower service history laid december dock number hull completed forward section dock long launched october towed dock number bow fitted sea trials carried starting april superstructure complete trials lasted late april represented france marking coronation king later month took review french mediterranean atlantic squadrons assembled following combined exercises hosted navy minister new chief staff french_navy vice admiral january departed tour french colonial possessions atlantic ports included antilles returned france march placed active duty september joined flagship vice squadron vice admiral ship went drydock drydock brest periodic maintenance november repairs lasted february emerging drydock assigned force raid fast task force created response germany joined force raid march class battleships formed 1st ships received division stripes funnels division leader time force raid consisted light cruisers large destroyers squadron based brest german class cruisers operating spain time tensions began rise early force raid sent cover return cruiser arc april crisis ultimately resolved munich agreement september led temporary tensions europe official visit lisbon portugal commemorating discovery brazil battleships ships force raid visited britain including stops liverpool scapa_flow returned brest june september day germany invaded poland force raid sortied brest class cruisers reported operating atlantic days sea squadron returned brest october assigned force cruisers squadron based brest ships tasked hunting cruiser admiral november vice admiral ordered french british battlecruiser hms hood intercept german battleships sunk armed merchant cruiser hms north november german battleships attempted break atlantic suffered bow damages huge north_atlantic docked repairs december december cruiser carried shipment gold reserve canada ships arrived december covered troop convoy return voyage returning brest january underwent period maintenance lasted february ship conducted sea trials training maneuvers march faced increasingly hostile italy spring force raid dispatched april mediterranean squadron quickly ordered return brest days later response german landings norway april force raid transferred subsequently april arriving april reports axis vessels area prompted sortie remained mediterranean italians declared war france britain june days later sortied intercept reported german italian ships incorrectly reported area june france surrendered germany following truce negotiations french_navy proposed warships toulon test battle came attack july commanded admiral centered battleships revenge arrived french battleship squadron join british cause ships french_navy refused demand violated armistice signed germany ensure ships fall axis hands british warships opened fire tied alongside mole stern facing sea return fire crew chains started ship underway british opened fire ship engaged hit inch shells quick succession upper turret roof killed men right half turret left half remained operational second shell damaged aircraft installations passed armored belt designed resist inch shells shell penetrated handling room starboard twin turret penetrated forward turbine room putting action fourth shell belt reached central boiler room causing severe damage damage forced crew beach ship crew sent ashore british fire ceased minutes limited damage inflicted admiral admiral french navy north_africa reported french admiralty ship suffered moderate damage boasted press soon able return toulon steam learning status british admiralty ordered return permanently action beached village admiral preferred attack torpedo bombers avoid causing damages civilians second attack took place july torpedoes hit small patrol ship carried load depth charges moored alongside explosion fourteen depth charges equivalent tnt ripped enormous hole battleship hull killed seamen sank shallow water torpedo struck ship tore hole compartments ship probably escaped total loss flooding gun magazines ordered soon torpedo bombers appeared total number killed attacks july july reached temporary repairs began immediately limited drydock space port repairs hull effected september refloated september propulsion system returned operational status major fire broke december slowed repair effort repair work lasted entirety january fire broke temporary repairs completed february permitted ship depart heavy escort bound toulon arrived following day entered large drydock comprehensive repairs toulon repair work proceeded slowly owing shortage material labor occupied zone retaliation successful allied landings north_africa germans attempted seize french warships remaining control november prevent seizing ships crews scuttled fleet toulon including lay incomplete drydock demolition charges placed ship set fire commanding officer captain initially refused sink ship written orders finally convinced nearby light cruiser italians took control wreck found total loss began process ship deliberately damaged prevent french able repair recaptured italians cut main battery guns render partially scrapped hulk turn seized germans italy surrendered allies september germans removed ship bow float drydock free dock continue scrapping process axis possession bombed times allied aircraft hulk condemned september renamed remains amounted tonnes long tons short tons sold final demolition september
French battleship Dunkerque