Dunkerque-class battleship
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Dunkerque |
| Preceded by | list error: <br /> list (help) Lyon-class (planned) Bretagne-class (actual) |
| Succeeded by | Richelieu-class |
| Completed | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Battleship |
| Displacement | 36,380 (Strasbourg approx. 780 more) tonnes |
| Length | 215.1 m (706 ft) |
| Beam | 31.1 m (102 ft) |
| Draught | 8.7 m (29 ft) |
| Propulsion | list error: <br /> list (help) 6 Indret boilers 4 Rateau geared turbines |
| Speed | 31 knots (57 km/h) (30.4 knots (56 km/h) Strasbourg) |
| Complement | 1,381 |
| Armament | list error: <br /> list (help) 8 330mm/50 Modèle 1931 guns in quadruple turrets 3 quadruple and 2 double 130 mm AA turrets |
| Armour | list error: <br /> list (help) 225 (283 Strasbourg) mm (side belt) 30 mm (anti-torpedo bulkheads) |
| Aircraft carried | 4 floatplanes, 1 catapult |
| Notes | Ships in class include: Dunkerque — Strasbourg |
The Dunkerque class was a new type of warship of the French Navy, labelled as "fast battleship". Not as large as other contemporary battleships, they were designed to counter the threat of the German pocket battleships of the Deutschland class.
Design
The design was very innovative, notably the whole of the main armament mounted forwards. This had been the case for the Royal Navy's Nelson class battleships but they had three turrets carrying nine guns and the angles of fire for the rearmost were limited by the turret in front. The Dunkerque used two quadruple turrets which gave unrestricted forwards fire. In the context of the Washington Naval Treaty which limited the upper displacement of ships, the quadruple arrangement had the advantage of saving weight on turret armouring, compared to four double turrets, while retaining the same firepower. The drawback was that a single lucky shot immobilising one of the turrets would effectively put half the main artillery out of action. On the other hand, the entirety of the main artillery was able to fire forwards, as the ship closed in to her enemy, in an angle where she made the smallest possible target.
The mounting of all the armament in quadruple turrets was a feature unique to the late design French battleships, and was also found on the subsequent Richelieu and Jean Bart.
The armour protection of the class was also very modern, as it used the "all or nothing" armour scheme, unlike contemporary German warships. The Strasbourg was an updated design, with heavier armour. The belt armour was designed to withstand the 280 mm German naval guns.
Service
Their only test in battle came from the Royal Navy in the attack on Mers-el-Kébir in 1940. Fired upon by the 15-inch (381 mm) shells of the British guns, Dunkerque was damaged by gunfire and had to be run aground to save her from sinking. She then needed repairs and refloating before she could return to France.
Both ships, the Dunkerque and the Strasbourg, were kept by Vichy France and sunk in the scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon.
See also
Media related to Dunkerque class battleships at Wikimedia Commons
Notes
External links
- "History of the Dunkerque Class". www.bobhenneman.info. Retrieved 2008-02-21.