french battleship lead ship class dreadnoughts built french_navy completed world war named honour admiral spent war mediterranean helping sink austro hungarian protected cruiser august spent rest war providing cover barrage blockaded adriatic_sea upgraded times world war deemed class battleship spent interwar period gunnery training ship german invasion france beginning hastily rearmed supported allied troops defence june later month taking refuge england seized portsmouth british forces july turned week later patrol vessel depot ship anti aircraft ship march disarmed engines boilers removed prepare use normandy landings june scrapped lay war description metres long overall beam metres load draft metres bow displaced tonnes long tons standard load tonnes long tons load proved wet service bow heavy superimposed turrets forward propeller shafts powered parsons direct drive steam turbines rated shaft horsepower boilers provided steam turbines boilers coal burning auxiliary oil designed speed knots mph reached knots mph trials carried long tons coal long tons oil steam nautical miles speed knots mph main armament consisted millimetre calibre guns mounted twin gun turrets turrets superimposed fore aft flank ship anti torpedo boat defence carried millimetre guns mounted casemates millimetre modèle hotchkiss guns fitted beam armed millimetre submerged torpedo tubes torpedoes waterline armoured belt extended waterline french concerned protection underwater hits main armour thinner british german counterparts covered area thick fore aft turrets tapered bow stern extended normal waterline main belt belt thick covered sides secondary armament forecastle deck deep fore aft turrets conning tower armour thick main gun turrets armour faces sides roofs thick barbettes armour anti torpedo bulkhead longitudinal bulkhead abreast machinery spaces coal bunker left void career built keel laid september launched september completed november finished trials world war began following year world war joined toulon commissioning flagship vice commander 1st squadron beginning war april decided immediately sweep adriatic surprise austrian vessels enforcing blockade montenegro anglo french force included sister ship succeeded cutting sinking austro hungarian protected cruiser engagement august accompanying destroyer managed escape spent rest providing gunfire support hit december torpedo forced battleships fall malta cover barrage french occupied neutral greek island moved forward activities limited crew man anti submarine ships end war fitted seven millimetre anti aircraft guns single mounts guns adaptations famous french field gun interwar years served vice flagship june october following year gunnery training ship toulon suffered boiler fire june required repairs given upgrades july april sur included replacing set boilers oil fired boilers forward funnels increasing maximum elevation main armament removal bow armour installation fire control director metres rangefinder atop new foremast installation experimental metres rangefinder conning tower boiler fire august remained repair rest year resumed duties gunnery training ship return dockyard refitted january january extensive earlier refit set boilers converted oil firing high medium pressure direct drive turbines replaced geared turbines fire control systems upgraded large cruiser type fire control director added atop foremast coincidence rangefinder metre stereo rangefinder rangefinder conning tower replaced unit carrying rangefinder added armoured hood main mast directors secondary guns added navigation bridge metre coincidence rangefinder metres rangefinder added roof turret second bow guns exchanged guns provided metre unit conning tower turret aft superstructure guns maximum depression maximum elevation fired kilogram shell muzzle velocity rate fire rounds minute maximum effective ceiling metres transferred gunnery school navigation school final refit april september removed torpedo tubes overhauled boilers reverted role gunnery training ship ordered brest sister paris outbreak world war world war sister paris formed beginning war transferred atlantic continue training duties interference ships ordered restored operational status given hotchkiss millimetre twin machine gun mounts single machine guns ordered provide gunfire support defenders advancing covered evacuation town allies lack spotting aircraft meant particularly effective role sailed portsmouth june seized british forces july week later turned depot anti aircraft ship portsmouth march disarmed april deployed target ship scotland initially target vessel trials smaller version raid remained use depot target ship use towed june british engines boilers removed earlier replaced concrete scuttled june hit manned torpedoes nights august scrapped place war
French battleship Courbet (1911)