Normandie class battleship
Encyclopedia
The Normandie-class dreadnought
battleship
s were ordered for the French Navy
before the First World War. They were named after provinces of France. These ships were never completed as battleships because the war stopped their construction. After the war, a number of proposals for reconstruction were considered, but they were eventually scrapped under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty
. Only one, Bearn
, was completed, as an aircraft carrier
.
, was authorised on 3 December 1913, to make sure a four-ship squadron would always be available for action.
The most notable feature of the design was the adoption of quadruple turrets at a time when double turrets were most common and triple turrets still rare. Concentrating guns in fewer turrets meant weight could be saved. The main armament of twelve 340 mm compared well with the British Iron Duke class
which had been launched just as the Normandies were ordered, but would have been outclassed by the 15-inch guns coming into use on the newer models in both the British and German navies.
The armour of the class, 300 mm (11.8 in) at its thickest, was broadly comparable to other ships of the same generation. The first four ships of the class were designed with a mixed propulsion of steam turbines for speed and triple-expansion steam engines for cruising. This arrangement gave greater fuel economy at low speed; nevertheless, the design for Béarn proposed a switch to all-turbine propulsion. As it happened, Béarn was eventually fitted with the mixed engine-set intended for Normandie. The design speed under both turbines and reciprocating engines was 21.5 knots, roughly equal to the preceding Provence class
with which they were intended to operate.
, as all resources were needed for the Army. The first four ships were completed to the point of being launched, but only so the slipways could be used for other purposes. Some of the boilers intended for the ships were fitted to torpedo boat
s. Some of the heavy guns were used as land artillery
(including a few which were captured by the Germans and then used against French troops); some were also used to replace worn gun barrels on the Provence-class
ships.
At the end of the war, there were suggestions to complete the ships to an improved design. It was considered that 24-knot speed, improved fire control, updated armour protection, and an improved gun would make the ships useful modern vessels. It was also suggested that Béarn should be given a new turbine propulsion system for 25 knots and perhaps entirely new 16-inch guns. These proposals would have been very expensive. With the German navy scuttled and the Italians willing to give up their newest Caracciolo class
, it was an easy decision to sign the Washington Naval Treaty
and spare the expense of completing the ships. Bearn
was retained initially for experiments with aircraft and then as an aircraft carrier. Hampered by slow speed of the class, she was not a success, but was retained into the Second World War; after joining the Free French, she played a role in the Allied war effort by acting as a transport for aircraft.
Dreadnought
The dreadnought was the predominant type of 20th-century battleship. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her were referred to as "dreadnoughts", and earlier battleships became known as pre-dreadnoughts...
battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s were ordered for the French Navy
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
before the First World War. They were named after provinces of France. These ships were never completed as battleships because the war stopped their construction. After the war, a number of proposals for reconstruction were considered, but they were eventually scrapped under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty
Washington Naval Treaty
The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was an attempt to cap and limit, and "prevent 'further' costly escalation" of the naval arms race that had begun after World War I between various International powers, each of which had significant naval fleets. The treaty was...
. Only one, Bearn
French aircraft carrier Béarn
Béarn was a unique aircraft carrier which served with the Marine nationale in World War II and beyond.Béarn was commissioned in 1927 and was the only aircraft carrier produced by France until after World War II. She was to be an experimental ship and should have been replaced in the 1930s by two...
, was completed, as an aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
.
Design
The Normandie class was authorised under the French Naval Law of 30 March 1912, and orders for four ships were placed in 1912-3. The fifth ship, BéarnFrench aircraft carrier Béarn
Béarn was a unique aircraft carrier which served with the Marine nationale in World War II and beyond.Béarn was commissioned in 1927 and was the only aircraft carrier produced by France until after World War II. She was to be an experimental ship and should have been replaced in the 1930s by two...
, was authorised on 3 December 1913, to make sure a four-ship squadron would always be available for action.
The most notable feature of the design was the adoption of quadruple turrets at a time when double turrets were most common and triple turrets still rare. Concentrating guns in fewer turrets meant weight could be saved. The main armament of twelve 340 mm compared well with the British Iron Duke class
Iron Duke class battleship
The Iron Duke-class was a group of four dreadnought battleships built for the British Royal Navy before the First World War. The class comprised four ships: , , , and...
which had been launched just as the Normandies were ordered, but would have been outclassed by the 15-inch guns coming into use on the newer models in both the British and German navies.
The armour of the class, 300 mm (11.8 in) at its thickest, was broadly comparable to other ships of the same generation. The first four ships of the class were designed with a mixed propulsion of steam turbines for speed and triple-expansion steam engines for cruising. This arrangement gave greater fuel economy at low speed; nevertheless, the design for Béarn proposed a switch to all-turbine propulsion. As it happened, Béarn was eventually fitted with the mixed engine-set intended for Normandie. The design speed under both turbines and reciprocating engines was 21.5 knots, roughly equal to the preceding Provence class
Bretagne class battleship
The Bretagne class battleships were the first "super-dreadnoughts" built for the French Navy during the First World War. The class comprised three vessels: Bretagne, the lead ship, Provence, and Lorraine. They were an improvement of the previous , and mounted ten guns instead of twelve guns as on...
with which they were intended to operate.
Fate
Work on the class was suspended at the outbreak of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, as all resources were needed for the Army. The first four ships were completed to the point of being launched, but only so the slipways could be used for other purposes. Some of the boilers intended for the ships were fitted to torpedo boat
Torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...
s. Some of the heavy guns were used as land artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
(including a few which were captured by the Germans and then used against French troops); some were also used to replace worn gun barrels on the Provence-class
Bretagne class battleship
The Bretagne class battleships were the first "super-dreadnoughts" built for the French Navy during the First World War. The class comprised three vessels: Bretagne, the lead ship, Provence, and Lorraine. They were an improvement of the previous , and mounted ten guns instead of twelve guns as on...
ships.
At the end of the war, there were suggestions to complete the ships to an improved design. It was considered that 24-knot speed, improved fire control, updated armour protection, and an improved gun would make the ships useful modern vessels. It was also suggested that Béarn should be given a new turbine propulsion system for 25 knots and perhaps entirely new 16-inch guns. These proposals would have been very expensive. With the German navy scuttled and the Italians willing to give up their newest Caracciolo class
Caracciolo class battleship
The Caracciolo class battleships were designed for the Italian Regia Marina in 1912-1913, and ordered in 1914, but never completed. The four ships of the class were intended to be the equivalent of the British and the answer to the Austro-Hungarian ....
, it was an easy decision to sign the Washington Naval Treaty
Washington Naval Treaty
The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was an attempt to cap and limit, and "prevent 'further' costly escalation" of the naval arms race that had begun after World War I between various International powers, each of which had significant naval fleets. The treaty was...
and spare the expense of completing the ships. Bearn
French aircraft carrier Béarn
Béarn was a unique aircraft carrier which served with the Marine nationale in World War II and beyond.Béarn was commissioned in 1927 and was the only aircraft carrier produced by France until after World War II. She was to be an experimental ship and should have been replaced in the 1930s by two...
was retained initially for experiments with aircraft and then as an aircraft carrier. Hampered by slow speed of the class, she was not a success, but was retained into the Second World War; after joining the Free French, she played a role in the Allied war effort by acting as a transport for aircraft.
Ships
- Bearn - built by Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la MéditerranéeSociété Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la MéditerranéeThe Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée was a French shipbuilding company. The 'Société des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée' was founded in 1853 by Philip Taylor, while a new company, the 'Nouvelle' société, was founded in 1856. It had shipyards in La Seyne-sur-Mer,...
, La Seyne - laid down 10 January 1914, launched April 1920, converted into an aircraft carrier and completed in 1927, laid up in the early 1950s and scrapped in 1967 - Normandie - built by A & CH St Nazaire - laid down 18 April 1913, launched 19 October 1914, broken up 1924
- Flandre - built by Arsenal de Brest - laid down 1 October 1913, launched 20 October 1914, broken up 1924
- Gascogne - built by Arsenal de Lorient - laid down 1 October 1913, launched 20 September 1914, broken up 1924
- Languedoc - built by FC de la Gironde Bordeaux - laid down 18 April 1913, launched 1 May 1916, broken up 1929