Normandie class battleship

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

France
Artist's impression of a Normandie class battleship
Preceding class:	Bretagne class battleship
Following class:	Planned: Lyon class battleship Built: Dunkerque class battleship
Ships in Class
General Characteristics
Class type:	battleship
Displacement:	25,230 tons
Length:	170.6 metres
Beam:	27 metres
Draught:	8.65 metres
Propulsion and power:	4 shaft Triple expansion (cruising) and Turbines (speed), (Bearn Turbine only) 21 or 28 coal fired boilers 32,000 hp
Speed:	21 knots
Range:	6500 nm at 12 knots
Complement:	1200
Armament:	12 - 340 mm guns (3 quadruple turrets) 24 - 138.6 mm guns 6 - 47 mm guns 6 - 450 mm torpedo tubes
Armour:	300 mm belt, 284 mm barbettes, 50 mm upper deck, 50 mm lower deck, 250mm-350 mm turrets, 160-180 mm casemates

The Normandie class battleships 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 and they became obsolete after the armistice. Numerous plans for modernisation were considered but not progressed. Only one, Bearn, was completed, as an aircraft carrier.

[edit] Ships

Bearn - built by Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée, La Seyne - laid down 10 January 1914, Launched April 1920, converted into an aircraft carrier and completed in 1927. Laid up in the early 1950's 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