NORMANDIE CLASS (BATTLESHIPS)

 

 

NAME BUILDER LAID DOWN LAUNCHED COMPLETED
BEARN F C de la Mediterrannee la seyne 10/01/14 ??/04/20 see history
FLANDRE Arsenal de Brest 01/10/13 20/10/14 Broken up 1924
GASCOIGNE Arsenal de Lorient 01/10/13 20/09/14 Broken up 1923/24
LANGUEDOC F C de la Gironde bordeaux 18/04/13 01/05/16 Broken up 1929
NORMANDIE A C de la Loire 18/04/13 19/10/14 Broken up 1924-25

 

Specifications  
Displacement  25,230 tons full load
Dimensions  
Length 577ft 8.5 in  (176.4 m )
Beam 88 ft 5 in  (27 m )
Draught  28 ft 6 in (8.7 m)
Machinery 4 - shaft TE and turbines or turbines only 21 small tube boilers (Flandre and Languedoc) 28 small tube boilers in Bearn giving 32,000 shp
Speed    21 kts
Armour

(Provisional)    Belt 300mm (11.8 in) Amidships 120 mm - 180 mm (4.7 in - 7.1 in ) at the ends

upper belt  240mm (9.4 in) amidships and 160mm (6.3 in) at the ends. Upper deck 50 mm ( 2 in ), lower deck

50 mm ( 2 in) slopes 70 mm Barbettes 284 mm (11.2 inch), Turrets 250 mm-340 mm 9.8 in - 13.4 in) Case mates

160 mm -180 mm (6.3in - 7.1 inch) Conning Tower 300 mm (11.8 in )

(Although designed with this Specification in mind this class was intended to have a slightly thinner upper deck

and case mates and stronger submerged sections.

 
Armament 12 13.4 in (340 mm )/45 MOD 12 in 3 quad turrets, 24 5.5 in (138.6 mm) /55 MOD 10 ,6 47 mm  AA,  6  17.7 in (450 mm) Torpedo tubes Submerged.
Complement    1200 officers and men.

 

To allow for the standard French battle division of the time 5 ships were ordered ( 1 to accompany the 3 Bretagnes) in 1913. They were  to be fitted with a new Quadruple turret  which were lighter than the preceding classes (Bretagnes ) 5 double turrets and also allowed for another 2 guns to be shipped. The original design called for the 5.5 in guns to be fitted in double casemate mountings but this was changed back to single mountings in the finale design.

The mixed machinery of this class was not considered to be very satisfactory even though the plant gave a lower fuel consumption than in the turbine driven Bretagne class. The reciprocating engines were to be used for cruising and the  turbines for steaming ahead only. The last of the class retained the turbine drive (4 Parsons Turbines only. ) (Bearn).

When war broke out in 1914 these vessels were left unfinished on the slip ways as many of the ship workers had joined up and the vessels were left incomplete for years .Material meant for there construction was distributed to other vessels ,such as the boilers and the completed guns were put at the disposal of the army. After the war the vessels 340 mm guns were placed in the Bretagnes class to replace worn out Barrels.

Before these ships were stricken and the orders cancelled, it was considered to complete these vessels allowing for World War 1 experience. Considered necessary was the need to increase the speed to 25 kts which would have involved the increase in power to 80,000 shp and also lengthening the hull , also thought ness Cary was the fitting of torpedo bulges and increasing the range of the main guns addition of a tripod mast with a new gunnery control position as well as improvement of the internal Armour protection.

 Naval Specialists were  of the opinion that these ships should not be converted and due to the shortage of funds caused by the war,  the building was stopped. This however put France on a par with Italy when it came to Battleships and also the resultant drop in prestige.

However this is not the end of the story as the Bearn was completed as the Battleships Nemesis an aircraft carrier in 1927 .Equipped to carry 40 aircraft her main Achilles heel was her lack of speed. In 1940 she escaped to Fort De France were she decommissioned. However in 1940  she decommissioned in the Free French forces and was rearmed and overhauled in New Orleans. Her career carried on into the 1950s ,being used as a aircraft transport and troop carrier  during the conflict in Indo China. She then became an accommodations ship and served in this role until 1967 when she was scrapped.

 

 

 
 

 

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