class battleship class battleships dreadnoughts built french_navy world war class comprised ships france paris ships deployed mediterranean_sea entirety world war spending time escorting french troop convoys north_africa covering barrage anglo french fleet led succeeded sinking austro hungarian protected cruiser torpedoed bow december able steam malta repairs france sank striking rock wars surviving ships times rebuilt thoroughly prevent obsolete comparison modern german italian battleships relegated training duties 1930s paris escaped portsmouth depot accommodation ships french armistice renamed school hulk toulon captured november scuttled experiments large shaped charge germans sunk allies later broken place scuttled june harbour design concerned underwater hits class french designers decided extend waterline armour belt waterline compared contemporaries main armour thinner british german counterparts covered area secondary armament smaller size guns germans british inch guns french placed premium rate fire size order stop torpedo boats got torpedo range general characteristics longer predecessors overall ships beam load draft bow ships significantly heavier previous class class ships displaced tonnes long tons standard load tonnes long tons load tonnes long tons earlier ships ships proved wet service bow heavy superimposed turrets forward propulsion class ships parsons direct drive steam turbines rated shp ship belleville water tube boilers small sixteen large large boilers forward boiler rooms small boilers rear boiler room boiler room housed boilers boilers coal burning auxiliary oil speed knots mph faster trials ships carried long tons coal long tons oil steam nautical miles speed knots mph armament french rejected standard configuration main armament class calibre guns mounted twin gun turrets turrets superimposed fore aft flank ship guns maximum elevation fired kilogram armour piercing projectiles muzzle velocity rate rounds minute maximum elevation provided maximum range guns provided shells ships secondary armament consisted guns mounted casemates guns fired kilogram semi armour piercing shells muzzle velocity guns elevated provided maximum range metres rate fire rounds minute gun provided rounds guns low washed kind sea ships carried modèle hotchkiss guns beam class ships armed submerged torpedo tubes carried torpedoes fire control arrangements primitive provided rangefinder conning tower turret rangefinder armoured hood rear turret armour class ships waterline armoured belt deep thick fore aft turrets tapered bow stern extended normal waterline main belt belt thick covered sides secondary armament forecastle deck deep fore aft turrets vertical armour backed wood ship decks armoured built layers plates sides lowest armoured deck curved meet lower edge waterline belt armour increased thickness 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 construction career early service class ships completed year start world war known activities time france escorted carried president state visit saint_petersburg russia july returning russia world war began france encountering german ships world war france british agreed french fleet concentrate mediterranean contain austro hungarian fleet class ships sailed war began flagship admiral commander decided immediately sweep adriatic surprise austrian vessels enforcing blockade montenegro anglo french force included succeeded cutting sinking austro hungarian protected cruiser bar august accompanying destroyer managed escape spent rest providing gunfire support hit december torpedo wine store forward magazine able steam malta repairs required half months forced battleships fall malta french occupied neutral greek island moved forward activities limited crews man anti submarine ships post war post war assessment listed weaknesses director control guns elevation main guns insufficient protection torpedoes weak horizontal protection fire weak anti aircraft defense coal fired organisation crew lighting method orders old fashioned survivors refitted times interwar period remedy issues comprehensive planned included installation director control mounted new replacement larger units addition alteration main gun turrets allow elevation partial replacement coal fired boilers oil fired units replacement direct drive turbines geared turbines removal bow armour reduce weight forward addition modern anti aircraft guns inter war careers april helping defend advancing crews france collapsed vice admiral agreed meet main demand ships home crewmen france sentenced prison terms return bargain prime minister parties left france wrecked striking rock low tide deaths crew received stage october january underwent second stage august september condition poor earlier training ship toulon renamed release new class battleship flagship vice june october following year gunnery training ship toulon suffered boiler fire june caused repaired given upgrades july april sur boiler fire august remained repair rest year resumed duties gunnery training ship return dockyard refitted january january transferred gunnery school navigation school final refit april september reverted role gunnery training ship ordered brest sister paris outbreak world war paris sent december supervise surrendered austro hungarian fleet remained march provided cover greek troops returning toulon june received upgrades brest october november supported amphibious landing spanish troops summer attacked french morocco war destroyed coast defense batteries despite taking light damage hits remained october flagship french forces received second upgrades august january toulon resumed role flagship 2nd division 1st squadron october training ship world war paris formed beginning war transferred atlantic continue training duties interference ships ordered restored operational status light anti aircraft outfits augmented ordered provide gunfire support defenders advancing covered evacuation town allies paris supported defenders lack spotting aircraft meant ship particularly effective role paris damaged german bomb june sailed emergency repairs night later transferred brest june evacuated men sailed plymouth june speed knots mph seized july royal_navy winston_churchill plan prevent french_navy falling german hands depot ship rest war temporarily barracks ship returned french control july towed brest august continued serve depot ship stricken breaking december scrapped following year sailed portsmouth june seized july turned week later depot anti aircraft ship portsmouth march disarmed remained use depot ship target scuttled july harbour scrapped place war school hulk toulon remained world war captured november scuttled experiments large shaped charge germans sunk allies broken place beginning december list ships second world war list ship classes second world war
Courbet-class battleship