french battleship class semi dreadnought battleships built french_navy late 1900s world war began august unsuccessfully searched german battlecruiser light cruiser escorted convoys later month ship participated adriatic_sea helped sink austro hungarian protected cruiser spent rest war blockading dardanelles prevent german austro hungarian turkish warships breaking mediterranean briefly participated occupation constantinople end war deployed black_sea early allied intervention russian civil war ship crew members killed protest intervention suppressed returned france later placed reserve brief deployment condemned target ship ship sold scrap years later design description class battleships significant improvement preceding class advent dreadnought completed combined poor traits including great weight coal carry unsuccessful ships numerous rapid firing guns use mediterranean meters long overall beam meters load draft meters displaced metric tons long tons deep load crew officers enlisted men ship powered parsons steam turbines steam generated boilers turbines rated shaft horsepower provided speed knots mph reached speed knots mph sea trials carried maximum tonnes long tons coal allowed steam nautical miles speed knots mph main battery consisted modèle guns mounted twin gun turrets forward aft secondary battery consisted modèle guns twin turrets ship number smaller guns carried defense torpedo boats included sixteen guns hotchkiss guns ship armed submerged torpedo tubes ship waterline armor belt thick main battery protected armor conning tower thick sides wartime modifications war anti aircraft guns installed roofs ship forward gun turrets mainmast shortened allow ship fly captive balloon elevation guns increased extended range meters career begun december ship laid november launched april completed december cost ship assigned division squadron mediterranean_fleet commissioned ship participated combined fleet maneuvers tunisia june subsequent naval review conducted president france june joined squadron tour october december participated grand fleet exercise mediterranean world war beginning war ship sister dreadnought unsuccessfully searched german battlecruiser light cruiser later escorted troop convoys north_africa france joined sisters malta august combined admiral including sweep adriatic_sea allied ships encountered austro hungarian cruiser escorted destroyer blockading coast montenegro ships escape remained allow away sunk gunfire battle coast bar montenegro ships bombarded september blockaded rest year august based malta february sailed toulon transferred march resumed duties blockading bases rest war ship transferred men sister participated allied attempt ensure greek allied operations macedonia athens december lieutenant charge landing party killed men incident given short refit toulon november january returned transferred prevent breaking mediterranean boiler burst september killing men wounding armistice signed october allies ottoman_empire ship participated early stage occupation constantinople returned toulon december short refit postwar career early ships stationed allied soviet forces city russian civil war despite allied support city white russian forces seemingly hopeless position april french naval high command ordered ships evacuate rejecting commander vice admiral vice attempted forces intervene fighting mutiny ships war weary sailors demanded return home ensuing culminated mass shooting sailor people wounded died sailor battleship crew far remained neutral conflict quickly joined ranks radical red banners support forces day stalemate ended victory sailors ships withdrew black_sea returned france ship departed april merchant ship constantinople based august monitor turkish activities coasts palestine lebanon syria arrived toulon september placed special reserve october ship later found poor shape decommissioned june condemned october disarmed guns handed coastal defence installed existing target ship evaluate effects poison gases bombs listed disposal sold breaking november price monument french erected soviets square sailor killed
French battleship Vergniaud