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After the Dunkerque
class of capital ships had been authorised, there was considerable
resistance to further naval spending by the French government. However,
once it was known that the Italians were planning two new 35,000 ton
battleships and that Germany was continuing to build beyond their three
pocket battleships, France had no choice but to build new battleships or
cede control of the Mediterranean to Italy. Normally, years of development
and study work preceded capital ship design, refining and optimising the
outline to give a sound basis for preliminary design to begin from,
simplifying detailed design and increasing the likelihood of the final
as-built ship matching the desired characteristics. In this case, France
had largely neglected to undertake any preparatory work for a new large
battleship and so the study period and preliminary design work had to be
cut to the minimum in order to make sure that the ships were completed at
the same time as the Italian ships.
Initially, it was hoped to
arm the ships with 406 mm (16 in) guns in three triple turrets, however it
was found that it would not be possible to fit this within the required
35,000 ton hull. Consideration was given to providing six 406 mm guns,
however this was rejected in favour of eight 380 mm (15 in) gums in
quadruple turrets as a modern quadruple turret design already existed (in
the Dunkerque class) and the lead time for triple turrets was
unacceptable. The turrets were both placed forward of the accommodation as
experience with the Dunkerque class had shown that significant
weight savings could be achieved by this arrangement, and it had the added
advantage of allowing the full weight of fire to be directed forward.
Following the practice in the Dunkerque class, the potential
vulnerability of this arrangement was reduced by having an armoured
bulkhead between the two turret halves, and by having separate magazines
for each turret half. To address the potential weakness to attacks from
astern the superstructure was designed to maximise the arc of fire
available to the guns.
Again following the
experience in the Dunkerque class, the secondary armament was
chosen to be dual-purpose HA/LA (high-angle / low angle), allowing the
engagement of surface and air targets. These 152 mm (6 in) guns were
installed in three triple turrets at the stern of the ship, although
loading problems limited the maximum angle to 75 degrees. Originally, five
sets of 152 mm turrets were planned, but problems with their design for
anti-aircraft use meant that two were deleted during construction in
favour of 100 mm (3.9 in) guns in six double mounts. Close-in protection
was provided by ten 37 mm cannon in five double mounts, along with 0.5 in
(13 mm) machineguns.
Considerable attention was given to armour, and they had a theoretical
immunity zone of 18,800 to 29,800 m (20,560 to 32,590 yds) against a 380
mm (15 in) gun, meaning that at ranges below 18,800 m a 380 mm shell could
be expected to penetrate the side armour, and above 29,800 m a 380 mm
shell could be expected to penetrate the deck armour. It must be stressed
that this is a theoretical calculation, as in practice several factors
(particularly the sea state) affect the actual resistance to shells at the
instant they hit, and the immunity zone is constantly changing as the ship
heaves, rolls and pitches. The deck armour was intended to give protection
against a 500 kg (1,340 lb) armour-piercing bomb dropped from 4,700 m
(15,420 ft).
High speed was seen to be a
vital requirement, and she was designed for 29.5 kts at normal power of
150,000 hp (110,322 kW). On her trials she achieved 32.6 knots at overload
power of 178,000 hp (130,915 kW), and 31.9 kts at 157,000 hp (115,470 kW),
giving her a slight speed advantage over the new Italian ships.
Aircraft were included in
the initial design, with hangar space provided for two aircraft, two
catapults aft and one crane. The aircraft was to be the Loire 130
floatplane, but none were ever embarked.
Despite the short
development period these ships were a good match for their Italian
counterparts, being better protected and faster, but mounting one fewer
main gun. Nevertheless, their speed of design showed in topweight problems
and difficulties with the secondary armament, and the final two ships of
the class were heavily redesigned to take account of the lessons learned
during the construction of the first two ships. The German invasion of
France prevented these ships from being completed as designed, but there
is no doubt that had France held out they would have significantly altered
the balance of power in the Mediterranean.
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Richelieu |
Builder |
Laid
Down |
Launched |
Completed |
Left
Service |
| Navy
Yard (Brest) |
22
October 1935 |
17
January 1939 |
(15
June 1940)
September 1943 |
December
1967 |
|
The Richelieu
was being completed as the Second World War started, and was still
being worked on when Germany invaded France. Although some trials
had been run, the main guns were still not capable of being fired.
On 18 June she left port for Dakar, arriving on 23 June, where it
was intended to complete the necessary work.
After the French
armistice with Germany, British demands to move to a British port or
be disabled were rejected, and on 7 July 1940 a British launch
slipped in to harbour and dropped six depth charges near the Richelieu,
retiring without being spotted. These did not detonate. Early on 8
July she was attacked by British torpedo bombers, with one torpedo
detonating under the stern of the ship and possibly causing the
depth charges to also detonate. This severely damaged her, although
her main guns remained capable of being completed.
On 23 September 1940
free French forces attempted to persuade the authorities in Dakar to
abandon their allegiance to the Vichy government, without success,
and the Richelieu was then fired on by British battleships.
She returned fire with her only operating turret, but the first
salvo disabled the turret due to a faulty shell. She was hit once,
sustaining minor damage. Her other turret was readied for action,
and on 25 September she fired on British battleships approaching the
port, scoring one hit on the Barham. The British withdrew.
She did not oppose the Operation Torch invasions of Africa in late
1942, and after agreeing to join the Allied forces she steamed to
New York for repairs, arriving on 16 February 1943.
After considerable
work to repair and modernise her, she left port for Mers el Kébir
in October 1943, then joined the British Home Fleet in Scapa Flow in
November. She was given further anti-aircraft armament, and operated
with the Home Fleet until March 1944, when she left to join the
British Eastern Fleet. She conducted a shore bombardment of Sabang
on 19 April 1944, and continued to provide fire support in Eastern
waters until September, when she left for France. After about a week
in Toulon, she sailed for Casablanca, where she arrived on 10
October 1944. She was refitted in Gibraltar in January 1945, and
rejoined the Eastern Fleet in March 1945. She was involved in the
search for the Japanese cruiser Haguro in May, moved to South
Africa in July, and was back with the Eastern Fleet for the Japanese
surrender in August.
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| Jean
Bart |
Builder |
Laid
Down |
Launched |
Completed |
Left
Service |
| Penhoët
and Loire (St. Nazaire) |
12
December 1936 |
6
March 1940 |
(18
June 1940)
16 January 1949 |
January
1970 |
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The Jean Bart
was under construction when the Second World War began. Shortly
after her launch, and whilst she was still fitting out, France was
invaded by Germany and a desperate race against time began to get
the ship in a seaworthy condition to escape capture. After heroic
efforts the tricolour was raised on 18 June 1940 and she left port
the following day under her own power, with the advancing armies
less than 40 miles away. Only four of her eight guns could be
brought with her (the others were scheduled to be carried by a cargo
ship, but only two could be loaded and the ship was sunk by the
Germans), and she had a temporary battery of anti-aircraft guns in
place of her secondary armament, but after an epic voyage she
reached Casablanca on 22 June. She was completed there as far as was
possible, although equipment was minimal, and the main guns were
tested on 19 May 1942.
She shot down a
British reconnaissance aircraft on 31 July 1942, and on 8 November
(whilst still moored in the port) she was in action against American
ships preparing for the Operation Torch invasions of Africa. She was
hit by one bomb dropped by an aircraft and by five shells fired by
the Massachusetts, but she was able to fire on ships two days later
before being bombed and disabled. After her capture it was decided
that immediate repair was not practical, and she was eventually
repaired and completed post-war.
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Richelieu
[Note 1] |
Jean
Bart [Note 1] |
| Vessel Particulars |
|
|
| Displacement |
|
|
| - Standard |
40,270
tons |
40,270
tons |
| - Full Load |
44,708
tons |
44,708
tons |
| Length (OA) |
247.85
m (813 ft 2 in) |
247.85
m (813 ft 2 in) |
| Length (WL) |
242.00
m (794 ft) |
242.00
m (794 ft) |
| Beam |
35.54
m (116 ft 7 in) (maximum) |
35.54
m (116 ft 7 in) (maximum) |
| Draft (Standard) |
9.18
m (30 ft 1 in) |
9.18
m (30 ft 1 in) |
| Draft (Full Load) |
10.00
m (32 ft 10 in) (approximate) |
10.00
m (32 ft 10 in) (approximate) |
| Block Coefficient |
0.54 |
0.54 |
| Propulsion |
179,000
hp (131,651 kW) |
147,950
hp (108,814 kW) (design) |
| Speed |
32.6
kts |
31.5
kts (design) |
| Weapons |
|
|
| Main Guns |
8 x 380 mm
(15 in) guns (2 x 4) |
4 x 380 mm
(15 in) guns (1 x 4) [Note 2] |
| Other Guns |
9 x 152 mm (6
in) guns (3 x 3)
12 x 100 mm (3.9 in) guns (6 x 2)
10 x 37 mm (1.5 in) cannon (5 x 2)
24 x 0.5 in (13 mm) machineguns (6 x 4) |
10 x 90 mm
(3.5 in) guns (5 x 2) [Note 2]
5 x 37 mm (1.5 in) cannon (1 x 1, 2 x 2) [Note 2]
22 x 0.5 in (13 mm) machineguns [Note 2] |
| Magazine [Note
3] |
669 rounds of
380 mm (design: 832)
1,400 rounds of 152 mm (design: 2,800)
1,770 rounds of 100 mm (design: 6,500)
2,030 rounds of 37 mm (design: unknown) |
Unknown |
| Armour |
|
|
|
Side Belt |
330
- 170 mm (13.0 - 6.7 in) tapering |
330
- 170 mm (13.0 - 6.7 in) tapering |
|
End Bulkheads |
355
- 233 mm (14.0 - 9.2 in) forward
233 - 145 mm (9.2 - 5.7 in) aft |
355
- 233 mm (14.0 - 9.2 in) forward
233 - 145 mm (9.2 - 5.7 in) aft |
|
Magazine |
170
mm (6.9 in) upper
40 - 50 mm (1.6 - 2.0 in) lower |
170
mm (6.9 in) upper
40 - 50 mm (1.6 - 2.0 in) lower |
|
Barbette |
405
mm (15.9 in) |
405
mm (15.9 in) |
|
Turret |
430
mm (16.9 in) face
170 mm (6.9 in) roof
250 mm (9.8 in) rear
300 mm (11.8 in) sides |
430
mm (16.9 in) face
170 mm (6.9 in) roof
250 mm (9.8 in) rear
300 mm (11.8 in) sides |
|
Deck |
150
mm (5.9 in) upper
40 - 50 mm (1.6 - 2.0 in) lower |
150
mm (5.9 in) upper
40 - 50 mm (1.6 - 2.0 in) lower |
|
Miscellaneous |
|
|
|
Aircraft |
Up to 3 x Loire 130
seaplanes (never fitted) |
Up to 3 x Loire 130
seaplanes (never fitted) |
|
Compliment |
1,500
(approximate, design) |
1,500
(approximate, design) |
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