WWII Tech Pubs Briefing
Richelieu Class Battleship
Written by
James Davies
June 23, 1940. Richelieu in glorious
weather against the African coast. On June 18, she hurriedly left port
for Dakar, French West Africa, where construction would be completed,
and arrived June 23.
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Country of Origin:
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France
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Manufacturers:
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Arsenal de Brest (Brest); Ateliers
et Chantiers de St. Nazaire-Penhoët (St. Nazaire) and Ateliers et
Chantiers de la Loire (St. Nazaire) (joint venture)
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Major Variants:
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none
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Role:
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Ship of the line, shore bombardment
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Operated by:
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French Navy
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First Laid Down:
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Oct. 22, 1935
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Last Completed:
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Jan. 16, 1949
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Units:
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Richelieu, Jean Bart, Clemenceau (not completed), Gascogne
(cancelled)
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Overview
After authorising the
Dunkerque class of capital ships, the French government strongly
resisted further naval spending. However, once France realised that the
Italians were planning two new 35,000-long-ton (35,560-tonne) battleships
and that Germany was continuing to build beyond her three pocket battleships,
she had no choice but to build new battleships herself 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 foundation, making detailed design simpler, and increasing
the likelihood of the final product matching the desired characteristics.
In this case, however, France cut the study period and preliminary design
work to a minimum, largely neglecting any such preparatory work, to make
sure that her ships would be completed at the same time as the Italian
ships.
Initially, designers
hoped to arm the ships with 406-mm (16.0-in) guns in three triple turrets
but discovered they could not possibly fit these within the required 35,000-long-ton
hull. Consideration was given to providing six 406-mm guns, but this was
rejected in favour of eight 380-mm (15.0-in) guns in quadruple turrets
as a modern quadruple turret design already existed (in the Dunkerque
class) and the lead time to develop new triple turrets was unacceptable.
Both turrets were placed forward of the accommodation; experience with
the Dunkerque class had shown that significant weight could be
saved with 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 placing an armoured bulkhead between the two halves of
each turret, 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 the dual-purpose HA/LA (high angle/low angle) guns that could be
trained on both surface and air targets. These 152-mm (6.0-in) guns were
installed in three triple turrets at the stern of the ship. Loading problems
limited their maximum elevation to 75 degrees. The original plans called
for five turrets with 152-mm guns but their shortcomings in the anti-aircraft
role led to the deletion of two during construction in favour of six double
mounts containing 100-mm (3.9-in) guns. Close-in protection was provided
by ten 37-mm (1.46-in) cannon in five double mounts and 13-mm (0.51-in)
machine guns.
Considerable attention
was paid to armour, and these ships had a theoretical immunity zone of
18,800 to 29,800 m (20,600 to 32,600 yd) against a 380-mm (15.0-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 that size 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 withstand a 500-kg
(1,102-lb) armour-piercing bomb dropped from 4,700 m (15,400 ft).
High speed
was considered vital, and the first ship, Richelieu, was designed
to reach 29.5 kt (55 km/h) at normal power of 150,000 PS (110,320 kW).
On her trials, she achieved 32.6 kt (60.4 km/h) at overload power of 178,000
PS (130,920 kW), and 31.9 kt (59.1 km/h) at 157,000 PS (115,470 kW), giving
her a slight speed advantage over the new Italian ships.
The class provided
hangar space for two aircraft, two catapults aft, and one crane. The aircraft
were to be Loire 130 floatplanes, but none was ever embarked.
Despite the
short development period, these ships matched up well against their Italian
counterparts, with better protection and higher speed but mounting one
fewer main gun. Nevertheless, the hasty design process did produce topweight
problems and difficulties with the secondary armament, and the final two
ships of the class were heavily redesigned in light 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, the completed warships would have
significantly altered the balance of power in the Mediterranean.
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Units
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Richelieu
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Builder
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Laid
Down
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Launched
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Completed
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Left
Service
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Arsenal
de Brest
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Oct.
22, 1935
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Jan.
17, 1939
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Commissioned
June 15, 1940; completed September 1943
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December
1967
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The Richelieu
was being completed as World War II started, and was still being
worked on when Germany invaded France. Although some trials had
been run by then, the main guns could not yet be fired. On June
18, she left port for Dakar, French West Africa, where the necessary
work would be completed, and arrived June 23.
After the armistice with Germany,
the French rejected British demands that the Richelieu move
to a British port or be disabled. On July 7, 1940, a British launch
slipped into Dakar harbour, dropped six depth charges near the Richelieu,
and retired without being spotted. The charges did not detonate.
Early on July 8, British torpedo-bombers attacked the ship, resulting
in one torpedo detonating under the stern of the ship and possibly
also setting off the depth charges. The explosion severely damaged
Richelieu, although her main guns remained capable of completion.
On Sept. 23,
1940, after Free French forces attempted without success to persuade
the authorities in Dakar to abandon their allegiance to the Vichy
government, the Richelieu was fired on by British battleships.
She returned fire with her only operating turret, but a faulty shell
in the first salvo she fired disabled the turret. She was hit once
and sustained minor damage. Her other turret was hurriedly readied
for action and on Sept. 25, she fired on British battleships approaching
the port, scoring one hit on the Barham. The British withdrew.
Richelieu did not oppose the Operation Torch invasions of
North Africa in late 1942, and after agreeing to join the Allied
forces, she steamed to New York for repairs, arriving on Feb. 16,
1943.
After considerable
work to repair and modernise her, Richelieu left New York
for Mers el Kebir, French Algeria 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, Indonesia on Apr. 19, 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, French Morocco, arriving Oct. 10, 1944. She was refitted
in Gibraltar in January 1945 and rejoined the Eastern Fleet in March.
Richelieu took part 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
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Builders
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Laid Down
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Launched
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Completed
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Left Service
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Ateliers
et Chantiers de St. Nazaire-Penhoët and Ateliers et Chantiers de
la Loire
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Dec.
12, 1936
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Mar.
6, 1940
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Commissioned
June 18, 1940; completed Jan. 16, 1949
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January
1970
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The Jean
Bart was still under construction at the start of World War
II. Shortly after her launch, while she was still fitting out, France
was invaded by Germany. Workers raced desperately to get the ship
in seaworthy condition before she could be captured by the invaders.
After heroic efforts, the Tricouleur (Tricolour; the French
flag) was raised on June 18, 1940. The Jean Bart left port
the following day under her own power, with the advancing armies
fewer than 64 km (40 mi) away. Only four of her eight guns were
onboard (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).
A temporary battery of anti-aircraft guns replaced her assigned
secondary armament. On June 22, after an epic voyage, Jean Bart
reached Casablanca, where she was completed as much as was possible.
Although equipment was minimal, she tested her main guns on May
19, 1942.
The Jean Bart
shot down a British reconnaissance aircraft on July 31, 1942, and
on Nov. 8, while still moored in port, she fought American ships
preparing for Operation Torch. She was hit by one bomb dropped by
an aircraft and by five shells from the Massachusetts, but
she was able to fire on ships two days later until being bombed
and disabled. After her capture, it was decided that immediate repair
was not practical. She was eventually repaired and completed after
the war.
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Specifications
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Richelieu
Note 1
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Jean Bart
Note 1
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Displacement
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Design
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Full Load
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40,920 tonnes (40,270 long tons)
45,430 tonnes (44,710 long tons)
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40,920 tonnes (40,270 long tons)
45,430 tonnes (44,710 long tons)
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Length (OA)
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247.85 m (813.16 ft)
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247.85 m (813.16 ft)
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Length (WL)
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242.00 m (793.96 ft)
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242.00 m (793.96 ft)
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Beam
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35.54 m (116.60 ft) maximum
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35.54 m (116.60 ft) maximum
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Draft (Design)
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9.18 m (30.12 ft)
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9.18 m (30.12 ft)
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Draft (Full Load)
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10.0 m (32.8 ft) approximate
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10.0 m (32.8 ft) approximate
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Block Coefficient
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0.54
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0.54
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Propulsion
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179,000 PS (131,650 kW)
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147,950 PS (108,820 kW) (per design)
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Speed
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32.6 kt (60.4 km/h)
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31.5 kt (58.3 km/h) (per design)
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Weapons
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Main Guns
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Eight 380-mm (15.0-in) guns in two
quadruple mounts
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Four 380-mm (15.0-in) guns in one
quadruple mount Note 2
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Other Guns
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Nine 152 mm (6.0-in) guns in three
triples
12 100-mm (3.9-in) guns in six dual
mounts
Ten 37 mm (1.5 in) cannon, five dual
mounts
24 13-mm (0.51-in) machine guns in
six quads
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Ten 90-mm (3.5-in) guns in five dual
mounts Note 2
Five 37-mm (1.46-in) cannon in two
dual mounts and a single mount Note 2
22 13-mm (0.51-in) machine guns Note
2
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Magazine Note
3
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669 380-mm rounds (design: 832)
1,400 152-mm rounds (design: 2,800)
1,770 100-mm rounds (design: 6,500)
2,030 37-mm rounds (design: unknown)
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Unknown
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Armour
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Side Belt
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170-330 mm (6.7-13.0 in) tapering
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170-330 mm (6.7-13.0 in) tapering
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End Bulkheads
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233-355 mm (9.2-14.0 in) forward
145-233 mm (5.7-9.2 in) aft
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233-355 mm (9.2-14.0 in) forward
145-233 mm (5.7-9.2 in) aft
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Magazine (primary only)
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170 mm (6.7 in) upper
40-50 mm (1.6-2.0 in) lower
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170 mm (6.7 in) upper
40-50 mm (1.6-2.0 in) lower
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Barbette
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405 mm (15.9 in)
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405 mm (15.9 in)
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Turret
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430 mm (16.9 in) face
170 mm (6.7 in) roof
250 mm (9.8 in) rear
300 mm (11.8 in) sides
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430 mm (16.9 in) face
170 mm (6.7 in) roof
250 mm (9.8 in) rear
300 mm (11.8 in) sides
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Deck
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150 mm (5.9 in) upper
40-50 mm (1.6-2.0 in) lower
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150 mm (5.9 in) upper
40-50 mm (1.6-2.0 in) lower
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Miscellaneous
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Aircraft
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Up to three Loire 130 seaplanes (never
fitted)
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Up to three Loire 130 seaplanes (never
fitted)
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Complement
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1,500 (approximate, per design)
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1,500 (approximate, per design)
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1: Data represents
the original configuration. Significant changes were made during modernisation..
2: Armament is that
installed when she was in Casablanca during World War II, not the design
armament.
3: This represents
the ammunition that the ships loaded on departure from France in 1940.
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