French battleship Richelieu

For other ships of the same name, see French ship Richelieu.

Richelieu in September 1943, after refit. Aircraft equipment has been removed from the aft deck and replaced with anti-aircraft artillery.
Career (France)
Namesake:	Richelieu
Builder:	Brest Navy Yard
Laid down:	22 October 1935
Launched:	17 January 1939
Commissioned:	June 1940 / October 1943
Decommissioned:	1967
Struck:	1968
Fate:	scrapped
General characteristics
Class and type:	Richelieu class battleship
Displacement:	35,000 tons (standard) 47,548 tons (full load)
Length:	247.9 m (813 ft)
Beam:	35 m (115 ft)
Draught:	9.7 m (32 ft)
Propulsion:	four Parsons geared turbines, 150,000 hp
Speed:	30 knots (56 km/h)
Range:	8,500 nautical miles (15,740 km)
Complement:	70 officers, 1,550 men
Sensors and processing systems:	metre wavelength RADAR from February 1941
Armament:	8 x 380mm (15 inch)/45 Modèle 1935 guns in quadruple mounts at bow 9 x 152 mm (6 inch) secondary (3x3 mounted aft) 12 x 100 mm (3.9 inch) Anti-Aircraft guns (6x2) Before 1943 refit 37 mm AA gun 13.2 mm Hotchkiss machine guns After 1943 refit 56 40 mm Bofors Anti-Aircraft (14x4) 48 20 mm Oerlikon AA cannons
Armour:	Belt: 343 mm Decks: 50 to 170 mm Turrets: 445 mm
Aircraft carried:	Three flying boats (Loire 130)
Aviation facilities:	two catapults, crane, four-aircraft hangar (before refit)

The Richelieu was a battleship of the French Navy, lead ship of her class.

She was the first French 35,000 tW battleship, designed to counter the Italian Littorio class battleships, first modern battleships built since the 1922 Treaty of Washington. Ordered in 1935, she was a scaled-up version of the Dunkerque class battleships, featuring a main armament of eight 380 mm guns in two quadruple turrets in forward superfiring positions. Her armour and underwater protection were at the best level, equal to her contemporaries, except the Japanese Yamato class battleships. Her 32 knots speed was surpassed only by the fastest U.S. Navy battleships.

Leaving Brest (France) for Dakar in June 1940 in a nearly completed state, she served during World War II, first on the Vichy Regime side, notably fending off a 1940 Allied attempt on Dakar. She supported a weak anti-aircraft artillery suite, and traditional only optical fire control means, until she joined the Allies in 1943. Refitted in 1943, in New York Navy Yard, she operated then with the Royal Navy forces in the Indian Ocean in 1944 and 1945.

She took part in the return of French forces to Indochina in 1945, and served into the 1960s.

Background and genesis

The first modern battleship of the French Navy, Dunkerque, was ordered in 1932. Dunkerque was designed to outclass the German "pocket battleship" Deutschland, which had been laid down in 1929. The German Reichsmarine had ordered two similar units to Deutschland in 1931-32, Admiral Scheer and Admiral Graf Spee, which outgunned all existing heavy cruisers. Only HMS Hood, and the two Renown class battlecruisers could catch Deutschland and her sister-ships.

Dunkerque had a displacement of 26,500 tons, and was armed with eight 330 mm guns. She had a speed of 29.5 knots, and protection able to resist the Deutschland's 280 mm shells. These specifications were well below the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty limits of 35,000 tons and 406 mm (16 in), making Dunkerque much weaker than battleships built around 1920. The French Government stayed within these limits not wishing to jeopardize the efforts of the United Kingdom to obtain more drastic naval armament limitations in the disarmament negotiations conducted by the League of Nations, from 1926 to 1932.

Germany then ordered two units in February 1934, first announced as part of the Deutschland class. These were laid down in May–June 1935, just after Adolf Hitler has announced German rearmament in violation of the Versailles Treaty, and just before the Anglo-German Naval Agreement. Scharnhorst and Gneisenau emerged as fast battleships, heavier (31,800 tons) than Dunkerque and much better armored, armed with nine improved guns, still of 280 mm caliber. Italy believed that the Dunkerque class broke the balance between the battleship fleets in Western Mediterranean, and so in May, 1934 announced the building of two 35,000 tons battleships, armed with nine 381 mm guns. The French reaction was to order, on July 16, 1934, a second Dunkerque class ship, Strasbourg, and to plan the first French 35,000 ton battleship.

Eight days later, on July 24, 1934, the Conseil Superieur de la Marine, French equivalent of the Board of Admiralty, defined the characteristics of the new French battleships as follows :

• displacement: 35,000 tons standard
• main armament:eight/nine guns of 380/406 mm calibre
• secondary armament: to be capable of fire against surface targets and long -range anti-aircraft fire
• speed: 29.5-30 knots
• protection; belt 360 mm; upper armored deck 160 mm; lower armored deck 40 mm; underwater protection as Dunkerque

Thirteen months later, the Service Technique des Constructions navales, (S.T.C.N.) (French equivalent of the Royal Navy's Department of the Director of Naval Construction) established a definitive project. It was submitted to the Minister 14 August, adopted 31 August, and became Richelieu - laid down 22 October 1935. France in turn abrogated naval limitation Treaties, in that 88,000 tons of new battleships had been ordered between 1922 and December 31, 1936, against a limit of 70,000 tons allowed by the 1922 Treaty of Washington and the 1930 Treaty of London. However, on June 18, 1935, the Anglo-German Naval Agreement had been signed by the United Kingdom unilaterally, and the Third Reich. This cancelled de facto the limitations of the Treaty of Versailles regarding displacement of various types of warships, and granted Germany a total tonnage for the Kriegsmarine equal to 35% of the total tonnage of the Royal Navy. France had become unable to counter both German and Italian Navies, as the Versailles and Washington Treaties allowed. France believed the Dunkerque battleship class was the answer to the Scharnhorst battleship class, and the Richelieu class battleships the answer to the Italian battleships Littorio and Vittorio Veneto .

Design and characteristics

Characteristics of the class

Planned standard displacement: 35,000 tons

Hull dimensions

Length: 245 metres (804 ft)

Beam: 33 metres (108 ft)

Draft: 9.6 metres (31 ft)

Vice admiral Durand-Viel, Chief of Navy General Staff, was very concerned about the continuity between the Richelieu battleship class and the preceding Dunkerque battleship class, whose leadship had been ordered only three years before.

Armament

Main artillery

The French Navy Board had indicated, in July 1934, a minimum calibre, 380 mm, which was dictated by the choice of the Regia Marina, and the maximum, 406 mm, was still the limit fixed by the Washington Treaty. For the number of guns, eight was the minimum determined by the practice for spotting efficient salvos, and it was one of the reasons for which the Regia Marina had not been satisfied by the 23,300 tons battleship project of 1931, with six 381 mm guns only. The maximum of nine guns corresponded to a battery of three triple turrets, as on the new Italian battleships.

The quadruple turret arrangement was saving more than 25% weight on turret armoring, compared to four double turrets, while retaining the same firepower, but it appeared quickly that the 380 mm caliber was the largest feasible for a quadruple turret. With a 32 m beam, and 406 mm (16-inch) caliber guns, the Nelson class battleships had accommodated only triple turrets. But on the Dunkerque, with 31 m beam and 330 mm (13-inch) guns, the four barrels of each turret were not yet mounted independently in individual mounts because this would have meant an unduly large barbette diameter. For that reason the right and left hand pair of barrels where placed in a common mount each. It will not have been the case on the fore and aft 14-inches quadruple turrets of the British King George V class battleships, which had 34 m beam and 356 mm caliber, 3-meter more beam and only 1-inch more calibre than on Dunkerque.

The drawback of the quadruple turret was the risk of receiving a single unlucky shot which would destroy one turret, and would cripple one half of the main battery: the quadruple turrets of Dunkerque class battleships had been divided internally, with a 25 to 40 mm bulkhead to localise damage. This device will be noted as effective at Mers-el-Kebir, when the first British 381 mm shell, striking Dunkerque, rebounced on the 330 mm turret II, killing all servants in the right half turret, as the left one remained operational.

But the «all forward» arrangement of two quadruple turrets, and more broadly the proximity between the magazines of the main artillery turrets, induces the greatest risk, crippling the totality of the main battery, or even provoking the loss of the ship. On Dunkerque, to avoid this risk, the forward turrets had been positioned 27 m apart from one another, more than on the Nelson class battleships. Nevertheless, the French Navy studied various other solutions with three turrets (one quadruple and two double, two triple and one double, or three triple). In every case, with three turrets, there would has been an excess of weight, in comparison with two quadruple turrets, and, in counterpart, a propulsion plant power reduced to 100,000 hsp, and a speed loss of 2.5  knots, for a little benefit of distributing the main armament on a greater length. So following the proposal of the head of STCN, the Chief of Navy General Staff choose as early as November 1934 the «all forward» arrangement with two quadruple turrets.

The main artillery turrets of Richlieu, with the 20mm AA Oerlikon guns fitted on the forecastle during the 1943 US refit

The solutions used on Dunkerque class battleships were retained on Richelieu, in a scaled up version: «all forward» disposition, in two 2476 tons quadruple turrets Model 1936, built by Saint-Chamond, weighing 3,096 tons with the weight of the barbette. It was nearly 1,000 tons more than the about 1,500 tons quadruple turrets of Dunkerque or triple turrets of Littorio. The world heaviest turrets will have been the three-460 mm gun turrets on Yamato, with 2,774 tons, the U.S. Navy heaviest built turrets, the 1704 tons turrets of Iowa class battleships, the heaviest Royal Navy turrets ever built, the three-406 mm gun turrets of Nelson class battleships weighing 1568 tons, and the four-356 mm gun turrets of King George V, weighing 1550 tons.

Each Richelieu turret was divided in two half turrets, by a 25 to 45  mm bulkead. The guns, in the half turrets, were in pairs, and although each gun was in a separate cradle, the relative movement of the guns of each pair was limited. The guns were so close (1.95 m, only 0.30 m more than on Dunkerque) that a wake effect between shells fired simultaneously by a half turret lead to an excessive dispersal, which has not been corrected before 1948 on Richelieu. The turrets were positioned 33 m apart from one another, 6 meters more than on Dunkerque.

The weight of one barrel was 110 tons, less than the 181 tons barrel on Yamato, or 130 tons barrel on Nelson, nearly the same weight as the 112 tons barrel on Nagato, the 109 tons barrel on Bismarck, the 107 tons barrel on Iowa, 102 tons barrel on Littorio, or the 97 tons barrel on Queen Elizabeth, and more than the 80 tons King George V barrel.

The maximum angle of elevation of the Model 1936 turret guns was 35°.With a 830 m/s muzzle velocity, the maximum range was theoretically 41,500 m, practically 37,800 m. The rate of fire was from 1.3 rounds per minute to 2 rpm. The maximum training speed was 5°/s, and the maximum elevating speed 5.5°/s. The 380 mm shell was an Armor Piercing Capped (APC) shell, registered in the French Navy as Obus de Perforation (OPf).The OPf Model 1935 was an extrapolation of the 330 mm OPf Model 1935, in use on the Dunkerque, except for its moulded base forming a «boat tail» which assisted in keeping the shell stable in flight. The 380 mm shell was 1,905 m long and weighed 884 kg, less than the 406 mm Massachussets shell (1224 kg), which hardly struck Jean Bart, at the battle of Casablanca (1942), and some kilos more than the weight of the 381 mm shells of HMS Barham or HMS Resolution (875 kg), which near missed Richelieu at the battle of Dakar (1940).

The OPfK Model 1935 incorporated a dye bag and fuze (dispositif K) to colour ( yellow for Richelieu and orange for Jean Bart) not only splashes but hits, thereby facilitating spotting for ships operating in formation while in combat. No Highly Explosive (HE) variant of the 380 mm shell was originally provided. A total of 832 APC shells are intended to be provided, slightly fewer than in the Dunkerque class battleships (896 rounds).

Remote Power Control (RPC) was to be fitted for both training and elevation; however the failure of the Sautter-Harlé-Blondel system fitted on the Dunkerque class battleships resulted in a loss of confidence in the application of this technology to heavy armored turrets, and it was never fitted.

Secondary artillery

Richelieu off New York 1943. Numerous 20 mm and 40 mm AA light guns were fitted amidships and abeam the secondary turrets

The French Navy had been precursor in fitting dual-purpose battery on battleships, in the early 1930s, and seven years later, with the shortcomings of the 130 mm and 152 mm DP turrets and of the 37 mm twin automatic AA mountings, the solution of having a low-angle secondary battery and a high-angle tertiary battery was a feature of the new battleships in construction, as in the German and Italian navies.

For the secondary artillery, all early projects were keeping the 130mm caliber Dual-Purpose, in five quadruple turrets, at the same position as on the Dunkerque class battleships, but with two quadruple turrets amidships, instead of double turrets. A tertiary anti-aircraft «75mm zénithaux» battery was considered, to complement the 130 mm DP battery of the early design sketch.

As torpedo surface attacks were considered more dangerous than aircraft bombing at the time, a heavier calibre was required for the anti-ship battery. Since the Nelson class battleships, the Royal Navy has adopted a six 152 mm double turrets battery as secondary artillery on battleships. The Kriegsmarine had chosen 150 mm guns on Scharnhorst, and the Regia Marina was fitting the 35,000 tons battleships with 152 mm calibre guns. It was decided to adopt triple 152 mm turrets, as fitted on the most recent light cruisers, Émile Bertin and La Galissonnière class cruisers which were then being built. The S.T.C.N. proposed two solutions, five 152 mm turrets, and six 75 mm single mountings, or four 152 mm turrets, without the fifth turret (central axial), or with two center line aft turrets in superfiring position, and eight 75 mm single mountings, but it was difficult to install this AA battery, keeping it out of the blast effects of the main and secondary batteries.

The French Navy Board, in April 1935, resolved to fit Richelieu with five 152 mm turrets in the same disposition as the 130 mm battery on Dunkerque. It was decided that these 152 mm turrets had to be dual-purpose, and that the tertiary 75 mm AA battery had to be abandoned, as the sustitution of 152 mm DP turrets, weighing 306 tons to the 130 mm turrets, weighing 200 tons, was inducing an excess of weight of about 500 tons. It was also decided to install a new weight-saving propulsion plant, developing the same power, 150,000 hsp, but using Sural (suralimenté) boilers, instead of the more conventional boilers fitted on Dunkerque. It was thence possible to reduce the number of boilers rooms from three to two, which allowed to reduce the length of the «citadel» on nearly five meters, and consequently the weight of the armored belt. As other weight-reduction measures, the thickness of the armored belt was reduced, from 360 mm previewed, to 330 mm, and its inclination increased from 11°30' to 15°24' to compensate the thickness reduction. The thickness of the longitudinal bulkheads, of the conning tower, and of the turrets and barbettes of the 152 mm guns were reduced too.

The triple 152 mm Model 1936 Dual Purpose turret, was an extrapolation of the 152 mm Model 1931 Low-Angle turret. The guns, mounted on separate cradles, were 1,85 m apart. The training speed was 12°/second, and the elevation speed 8°/s. The gun maximum elevation was 90°, with theoretically loading at every elevation. The muzzle velocity was 870 m/s. The shells used, against sea targets, were Semi Armored Piercing (SAP) shells, registered in the French Navy as OPfK Model 1931, with dye bag, weighing 56 kg, or 57,1 kg (OPfK Model 1937). Against aircraft, the 152 mm/55 Model 1930 guns were firing High Explosive (HE) shells, registered OEA (Obus Explosif en Acier) Model 1936, weighing 54,7 kg, or 49,3 kg (OEA Model 1937). Starshells, registered as OEcl (Obus Eclairant) Model 1936, weighing 47 kg, were to be provided for the amidships turrets. The rate of fire was 6.5 rounds per minute, against sea targets, and 5 rpm against aircraft. The maximum range against sea targets, with a 45° elevation, was 24,500 m. Full RPC was fitted. On Richelieu, the planned ammunition outfit was two thousands SAP shells, nearly one thousand HE shells and 650 illunminating shells, for three triple turrets fitted.

The 152 mm Model 1931 Low-Angle turret proved to be highly satisfactory, at least comparable to the German 150 mm guns turrets, or the Italian triple 152 mm turrets Model 1934 or 1936. But for anti-aircraft purpose, the 152 mm Model 1936 turret was considered as complex and fragile, with a too slow rate of fire against rapid-moving aerial targets, with a deficient RPC, and prone to jamming in loading at angles superior to 45°. The reason of this failure had to be looked for in the too great weight, 227 tons without the barbette, of the 152 mm DP Model 1936 turret, nearly 55 tons heavier than the 172 tons for the 152 mm Model 1931. It must be noted that there will not have been other examples of 152 mm guns used as anti-aircraft battery, but, post war, two U.S. Navy cruisers of the Roanoke class and three Royal Navy cruisers of Tiger class, with much more performing RPC and control fire direction devices than the French ones used just before WWII.

As, at the very beginning of the war, on November 1939, it became evident that the projected 37 mm ACAD Model 1935, automatic anti aircraft twin mountings, would not be provided in time for the completion of Richelieu, a drastic revision of the AA battery was needed. The amidships 152 mm turrets had to be landed, and twelve 100 mm/45 Model 1930 guns in six twin 100 mm mountings, CAD Model 1931, were intended to be fitted, as they had been on the last 10,000 tons Treaty cruiser Algérie, and were intended on the planned De Grasse class cruisers. To respect the priority of completing Richelieu, four mountings had to be removed from the reconstructed battleship Lorraine, and two from a battery near Marseilles. The 152 mm amidships turrets were not even mounted on Jean Bart, neither barbettes installed. The 100 mm mountings were fitted on Richelieu, in Avril-May 1940.

The 100 mm CAD Model 1930 turrets were dual-purpose. SAP shells (100 mm OPf Model 1928) weighing 15  kg, were fired on sea targets, with a muzzle velocity of 765 m/s and a 15,800  m maximum range, but it seems that 10 rounds per gun only were embarked, as it was considered that the anti-ship fire would be mainly insured by the stronger 152  mm guns. HE shells (100 mm OEA Model 1928) weighing 13,5 kg, were fired on aerial targets, with a muzzle velocity of 780  m/s and a 10,000 m ceiling (at 80° maximum elevation). The rate of fire was 10rpm. Illuminating shells (100  mm OEcl Model 1928) were provided, in replacement of the 152  mm OEcl Model 1936, which seemed, if they had been provided, to have been landed with the 152 mm amidships turrets, as they were not mentionned in the war time ammunition inventories.

The 100 mm guns proved to be the most reliable arms of Richelieu in her early war carrier, till 1942.

Anti aircraft light artillery

For short range anti-aircraft defence, the French Navy had planned to develop, for the Dunkerque class battleships, an automatic twin version 37 mm ACAD Model 1935 of the semi-automatic twin mountings CAD Model 1933, which had a 30 to 40 rpm rate ot fire theoretically. Hand loaded, using six-round box magazines, the rate of fire was practically 15 to 20 rpm, compared to the British Pom Pom gun, or the Swedish designed Bofors 40 mm/L60 gun with a 120 to 200 rpm rate of fire. Thence the 37 mm ACAD Model 1935 was expected to have such a rapid rate of fire. But in 1940, only a a prototype ACAD mounting designated Model 1936 was trialled aboard the old patrol sloop Amiens and apparently successfully used during the Dunkirk evacuation.

Six ACAD Model 1935 mountings would have had to be fitted, four abeam the after funnel superstucture, and two abeam turret II. Four fire control directors equipped with a two-meter range finder and linked to the mountings by a RPC system driven by Sautter-Hallé electric servo-motors where intended to be installed, two, for the forward mountings, abaft turret II, one deck higher, and two for the after mountings, abeam the mountings, one deck higher. This 37 mm battery would have been complemented by six or eight 13.2  mm Hotchkiss quadruple MG mountings, CAQ Model 1929, on the upper platforms of the forward and after tower.

Fire control direction, range finders, and optical watch

The most conspicuous difference in the Richelieu profile with the Dunkerque, was the mounting of the fire control director system aft, not on a separate tower located behind the funnel, but on a kind of mack, so that the funnel opening was taken out obliquely aft underneath the control position tower.

Otherwise, the fire control director system was closely modeled as on Dunkerque. Three fire control directors were mounted one over the other atop the fore tower, with, bottom up, the director A, for the main artillery, with a 14-meter triple stereoscopic OPL (Optique de Précision de Levallois-Perret) range finder, and for the 152 mm artillery, two fire control directors, with, in the director 2, in central position, for anti-ship gunnery, a 8-meter double stereoscopic OPL range finder, and in the director 1, in upper position, for anti-aircraft gunnery, a 6-meter double stereoscopic OPL range finder. The same noteworthy weight accumulation in the hights of the fore tower, as on Dunkerque, proved to be a shortcoming, when the Richelieu was torpedoed at Dakar, as a whipslash effect provoked more serious avaries on the directors of the fore tower, than on the after tower, which was however nearer of the torpedo explosion.

On the after tower, there was only the auxiliary director for the 152 mm artillery (director 3) with a 6-meter double stereoscopic OPL range finder. The auxiliary director for the main artillery, (director B), was between the funnel and the axial aft 152 mm turret, with an 8-meter double stereoscopic OPL rangefinder. All the directors were gastight and were fitted with light steel plating against the MG attacks of strafing aircraft.

Each main artillery turret was fitted with a 14-meter double stereoscopic OPL range finder, as each 152 mm turret, with a 8-meter double stereoscopic OPL range finder. Two directors with a 3-meter OPL range finder provided for the flag staff, were installed on the wings of the admiral’s bridge. When the 100 mm AA battery was fitted, they were replaced by directors fitted with a 4-meter OPL range finder for the fire control of this battery. Two directors also fitted with 4-meter range finder were then mounted on the navigation bridge, one deck lower. There was also a 3-meter SOM (Société d'Optique et de Mécanique de haute précision) stereoscopic «tactical» range finder atop the bridge.

As on the Dunkerque class battleships, the directors provided raw target data to the transmitting station located beneath the armored decks, with continuous transmission to the director and the guns.

Look out and target designation facilities were similar in principle to those of Dunkerque. The lower lookout station (veille basse) for close-range contacts was on platform 3 of the fore tower. The middle level (veille éloignée) for both surface and aerial contacts was on plateform 6, and the upper look out station (veille haute) was primarily for spotting torpedoes and mines on platform 9.

For night firing, there were five 1.20 m searchlight projectors, one atop the admiral's bridge, and two on either side of the funnel structure.

Aircraft installations

As on Dunkerque, aircraft installations (aircraft hangar, crane and two catapults, for four seaplanes) were fitted on Richelieu's stern. The materials were the same, 22 m trainable catapults operated with compressed air, which could launch a 3.5 tons aircraft at 103 km/h, a recovery crane with a capacity of 4.5 tons. The aircraft were hull seaplanes Loire 130 type, single-engined (720 hp Hispano-Suiza 12-cylinder liquid cooled) with a 3,500 kg weight, a 210 km/h maximum speed, a 165 km/h cruise speed at 1,500 m, two 75 mm MG and two 75 kg bombs.

The differences in aircraft facilities with Dunkerque resulted of the disposition of the Sural boilers, three side by side on the boilers rooms, instead of two, so there was only one boiler room under the funnel, instead of two. Consequently, the aft 152 mm turret on center line,(turret VII), was on frame 68.85, on Richelieu, versus on frame 44.30, on Dunkerque, as the aft lateral secondary turrets were respectively on frame 54,45, versus 53.30 · . Incidentally, the turret VII was abaft turrets V and VI, on Dunkerque, which corresponded to the French traditional mode of turret numerotation, from bow to stern, as the turrets V and VI were abaft the turret VII on Richelieu. With 36,50 m on the quarterdeck between the aviation hanger and the stern, on Richelieu, instead 30 m on Dunkerque, this enabled a second catapult to be worked in, the catapults being offset to port and starboard en echelon with an elevator between them . The planes were moved on rails from the hangar to the elevator where they were placed on both catapults.

Two planes were to be stowed in the 25 m long hangar, on the same level, wings folded, in line, instead to be placed on the two platforms of a two-tiers hangar lift, and two on the catapults, wings deployed.

Protection

Ship	Protection (tons)	Protection (%)	Displacement (tons)	With fuel (tons)	Fuel load
Richelieu	16,045 16,045	39.2 42.4	(normal) 40,927 (standard) 37,832	2,905 -	1/2 -
Dunkerque	11,040	35.9	(normal) 30,750	2,860	3/4
Strasbourg	11,785	37.3	(normal) 31,570	2,860	3/4
Iowa	18,700	41.6	(standard) 45,000
Bismarck	17,258 17,540	43.92 41.28	(light) 39,931 (standard) 41,781
King George V	12,500	34.8	(standard) 35,000
Littorio	13,600	36.03	(standard) 37,750

On Richelieu, the weight of protection was 16,045 tons, and corresponded to 39.2 % in the weight distribution, for a 40,927 tons «normal» displacement, with 2,905 tons of fuel (half of full load). This figure may be compared to those given for Dunkerque, 35.9 %, or Strasbourg, 37.3 %, but with a 30,750/31,570 tons «normal» displacement, with 2,860 tons of fuel (¾ of full load). The comparison with foreign battleships is more difficult to set up. The figures given for the Iowa class battleships are 18,700 tons for the protection weight and 41.6 % of 45,000 tons «standard» displacement, which corresponds to 42.19 % for Richelieu at «standard» displacement. For Bismarck, the figures are 17,258 tons or 17,540 tons for the protection weight, and from 43.92 % to 41.28 %, as the percentage is calculated with 39,931 tons «light» displacement or 41,781 tons «standard» displacement. As all these figures are very near one another, it is clear that they are all superior to those given for the King George V class battleships, 12,500 tons and 34.80 %, or for the Littorio class battleships with 13,600 tons weight of protection for 37,750 tons standard displacement, and 36 %.

Armor

The armored belt, with an inclination of 15°24’, was 327 mm thick, between frame 51.50 and frame 182.95, from 3.38 m above the waterline to 2.50 m under the water line. The forward bulkhead, at frame 182.95, and the after bulkhead, at frame 51.50, extended from the main deck to the 30 mm floor of the munitions magazines, and were 233 mm thick. The forward bulkhead thickness was increasing to 355 mm between the first and the second platform decks.

The upper armored deck at main deck level was 150 mm thick above the machinery plant and was increasing to 170 mm above the main artillery magazines. The lower armored deck was 40 mm thick, and extended to frame 233, improving the protection of the forward part of the ship, left unprotected on Dunkerque. Abaft the after transverse bulkhead, there was, at first platform deck level, a 100 mm armored deck with angled sides in form of a carapace above the shafts, increasing to 150 mm above the steering gear.

On the conning tower, the armor was 340 mm thick on face and sides, 280&nbsp ;mm on rear, and 170 mm on the roof.

The main turrets were protected with a 405 mm thick armor on the barbette, above the upper armored deck, 430 mm on the faces, inclined to 30°, from 170 mm to 195 mm on the roof, 270 mm on turret I rear wall and 260 mm on turret II rear wall. This thickness on the rear walls, lesser than on Dunkerque or Strasbourg, with about 340–350 mm, was explained by the use of a cemented steel on Richelieu.

The 152 mm guns turrets were less armored than the Dunkerque quadruple 130 mm turrets, with a 100 mm thickness on barbettes, 130 mm on the faces angled at 45°, 70 mm on sides and roof, and 60 mm on the rear.

The British King George V class battleships and HMS Vanguard will have had a thicker armored belt than Richelieu (356 mm), but their turrets will have been less protected (330 mm). Their horizontal armor (152 mm) will have been equivalent but their command spaces will have been only protected against splinters.

The U.S. Navy battleships will have had an equivalent armored belt (330/340 mm) asRichelieu, on the North Carolina and South Dakota classes, and a little less thick (310 mm) on the Iowa class. The main artillery turret protection was less thick (406 mm) on the North Carolina class, equivalent (430 mm) on the Iowa class, and thicker (457 mm) on theSouth Dakota class. The horizontal armor was a little less thick (104 mm) on the North Carolina class, equivalent (127/165 mm) on the South Dakota and Iowa classes. The conning tower was better protected, with 406 mm on the North Carolina and South Dakota classes, and with 445 mm on the Iowa class.

The Italian Littorio had a thicker armored belt (350 mm) than Richelieu, but otherwise, they were less protected, with 350 mm on the main artillery turrets, 260 mm on the conning tower, 50 mm on the upper armored deck et 100 mm on the main deck. The German Bismarck class battleships had a less thick armor than Richelieu on the main artillery turrets (356 mm), thicker on the conning tower(356 mm), equivalent for the armored belt (320 mm), and for the horizontal armor(80 mm + 115 mm)

Underwater protection

As on Dunkerque, the underwater protection consisted in a «sandwich» of void spaces, light bulkheads, liquid loading compartments or compartments filled with rubber-based water-excluding compound (ébonite-mousse), and a heavy internal holding bulkhead to absorb the explosion of a torpedo head. The compartment outboard of the inclined armor belt had a maximum depth of 1.5 m, and had a filling of ébonite mousse. Inboard this compartement, there was a 18 mm bulkhead, inclosing a void compartment 0.9 m deep, then an oil fuel bunker 3.4 m deep (0.5 m less than on Dunkerque), then a 10 mm bulkhead, containing a void compartement 0.67 m deep, backed by a 30 mm torpedo bulkhead of special steel. The maximum depth was around 7 meters. The reduction of 0.5 m comparing with Dunkerque was necessary to accommodate three boilers side by side in the boiler rooms. But this figure of 7 m width was impressive, compared with the 4.10 m on King George V, 5 m on Scharnhorst, or 6 m on Bismarck. The Italian Littorio class battleships had a peculiar underwater protection system, designed by the Italian chief designer,Generale Ispettore del Genio Navale Pugliese. During the British aircraft attack of the Italian battleship fleet in Taranto, it did not succeed to avoid the sinking of Littorio in shallow water. But the Achilles' heel of battleships facing torpedo attacks was their vitals which could not be protected, as Bismarck's rudder in May 1941, or Richelieu's shaft, at Dakar, in 1940, or HMS Prince of Wales's shaft off Kuantan, in December 1941.

Propulsion

The French designers of Richelieu had various constraints: a 33.5 m beam to accommodate the barbettes of four 380 mm gun turrets, a 245 m long hull, limited by the length of the Navy shipbuilding infrastructures, thus a ratio length/beam of 7.3. All this induced a machinery developing 150,000 shp, to reach the 29.5/30 knots, requested by the Admiralty. It was then the greatest machinery power installed on a battleship. It will have been surpassed only on U.S. Navy Iowa class battleships in 1943-1944. An equivalent speed had been reached, with less power (144,000 hsp), on HMS Hood, but with a 262 m hull, a 42,000 tons displacement, and a ratio length/beam of 8, but without shipbuilding restraint nor any displacement Treaty limit. All British or U.S. battleships, built in the late 1930s, having to respect the 35,000 tons displacement limit had a speed of 29 knots (King George V class), or 28 knots (North Carolina or South Dakota classes), they were 225 m or 215 m long, with a propulsion plant developing respectively 110,000, 120,000, or 130,000 shp · . The Italian Littorio class battleships reached 30knots, with a 230 m hull and 140,000shp. The German battleship Bismarck had a 29 knots speed with 138,000 shp, and reached 31 knots with 150,000 shp forcing, but her ratio length/beam, was only 6.9 as she had, for the same hull length as Richelieu, a wider beam (36 m).

The propulsion was assured by six Indret boilers, and four Parsons turbines. The boilers were of a new type, so-called «suralimenté», which meant pressure-fired, thence the abbreviation of Sural boilers. These boilers were operated at a pressure of 27 kg/cm² (350°C), as on Dunkerque, but forced circulation and pressure firing resulted in steam production per m³ well in excess of conventional boilers (14.4 kg/m³). They were 6;30 m long versus 5;33 min on Dunkerque, 4.65 m heigh versus 5.34 m, and moreover 4;50 m wide versus 6.50 m. Thence, due to the 2-meter greater beam of Richelieu, it was possible to install three boilers side by side, in two boiler rooms, instead of three rooms, as on Dunkerque. Boiler Room 1 was underneath the fore tower, with, from starboard to port, boilers n°10, n°11, and n°12, followed by the forward Engine Room housing the geared turbines for the wing shafts. Boiler Room 2 directly underneath the funnel, with boilers n°20, n°21, and n°22, produced the steam for the turbines of the center shafts, in aft Engine Room. A 18 mm bulkhead separated the forward Engine Room from the Boiler Room 2, dividing the machinery plant in two independent units. In each Engine Room, there were two sets of turbines, each driving a four-bladed propeller with a diameter of 4,88 m. Each set comprised a single High Pressure (27 kg/cm²) turbine, a Medium Pressure (10 kg/cm²) turbine, and Low Pressure forward and reverse turbines (1.25 kg/cm²and 4 kg/cm²). Four turbo generators, each of 1500 kW, were distributed, for two of them, in the forward engine room, and, for the after pair, in a separate compartment directly abaft the main machinery spaces, adjacent of the magazines for the after 152 mm turrets.

The maximum fuel load for peace-time cruising was 5,866 tons, but in wartime, this figure was reduced to 4,700 tons, to maximise the effectiveness of the underwater protection system, as filling the liquid loading compartments to the brim create additional pressure on bulkheads, instead of absorbing the pressure of explosion. The radius was 9,850 nmi at 16 knots, 8250 nmi at 20 knots, and 3,450 nmi at 30 knots.

During speed trials, in April 1940, developing 123,000 shp, 30 knots were sustained, with near 42,000 tons displacement, and in June, 32 knots were sustained during 3h30, with 43,800 tons displacement and 155,000 shp, and 32.68 knots were reached with 179,000 shp forcing.

Service

Laid down in October 1935, Richelieu was floated out the Salou n°4 graving dock, on January 17, 1939 to be fitted out in the Laninon n°9 dock in the Brest Navy Yards. The 43 m bow section and the 8 m stern section, built separately, had to be assembled there, as the Salou building dock was only 200 m long. Thirty-nine months between laying down and launching was not an impressive performance, as two years only had been necessary for Strasbourg, or King George V and Prince of Wales which were laid down on January 1, 1937 and launched respectively in February and May 1939, or Vittorio Veneto and Littorio laid down on October 28, 1934, and launched on July 25 and August 22, 1937. This long delay was the consequence of the difficult social climate in France, in 1936, but also of the British Government representations, which urged a slowing down of construction, as following the 1922 Treaty of Washington and 1930 Treaty of London, France would have had to expect January 1, 1937, to outpass the 70,000 tons global tonnage limit for new battleships, including the Dunkerque class.

One year later, in January 1940, the last 380 mm barrel had been installed, as, in April 1940, the first three 100 mm turrets, and the starboard catapult. In April 1940, first speed trials were carried out, and during one hour 30 knots were maintained developing 123,000 shp. In late April and early May, the three last 100 mm turrets were embarked, the fire control directors for the main and secondary batteries fitted atop the towers,and the 152 mm guns installed in the after turrets.

On June 13, during the full power speed trials, 32 knots were maintained during three and half hours developing 155,000 shp, and 32.6 knots reached developing 175,000 shp. The day after, the gunnery trials were carried out, six shots being fired for each 380 mm and 100 mm guns, «without major damage», but the main battery replenishment system gave concern, as a quarter of an hour was necessary to hoist one shell and its powder charges from the magazine to the barrel.

On June 15, the French Admiralty placed Richelieu under Admiral de Laborde, Amiral Ouest, C. in-C. French Navy at Brest, with order to prepare to send the battleship to the Clyde. On July 18, in the early morning, new orders were received to provide a colonial withdrawal. Due to the advance of German troops, the battleship left Brest bound for Dakar on June 18, at 16.00, escorted by destroyers Fougueux and Frondeur. Richelieu had on board, for her main artillery, 250 shells but powder charges for only 48 rounds, and no munition of 152 mm · On June 20, the escort was replaced off Cape St. Vincent (Portugal), by the destroyer Fleuret and Richelieu reached Dakar on June 23 · .

At Dakar, under Vichy's orders

Richelieu at Dakar, in 1941, as there were three fire control directors atop the fore tower, and neutrality tricolor bands on turret II

In these late days of June 1940, at Dakar, the authorities, Léon Cayla, Gouverneur Général de l'A.O.F., highest administrative authority in French West Africa, Rear Admiral Plançon, Flag Officer, French Navy West Africa, or the town authorities, were prone to continue to fight against Germany, together with the British: the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes was moored in the inner harbour. Captain Marzin, aware of the signature of the Franco-German Armistice, and having received instructions from Admiral Darlan that his ship remained under the French flag, otherwise he had to scuttle her or to flee to the U.S.A., determined to escape what he considered as a British «mouse trap». Thence, against the advice of Gouverneur Général Cayla, who considered this departure as a «desertion», he decided to return to Casablanca, on June 25, escorted by the destroyer Fleuret, which was accompanying Richelieu since five days, and Rear Amiral Plançon warned the Amiral Afrique, Flag Officer at Casablanca, that « Richelieu and Fleuret have left Dakar, steering «probably» towards you ».

Knowing this, the British Admiralty, fearing Richelieu returned to France, ordered HMS Hood and HMS Ark Royal to leave Gibraltar to intercept her off the Canaries Islands, and the French Admiralty, fearing the battleship joined the British, summoned Captain Marzin to return to Dakar, which he did obediently, arriving on June 27, shadowed by HMS Dorsetshire, as HMS Hermes has left. Richelieu moored in the roadstead, in order not to be blocked in the harbour, and this was a correct decision as the gun attack on Mers-el-Kébir showed it. Moreover, some cargo ships under British flag having been being seized, Captain Marzin obtained they were moored on either sides of Richelieu, but primarily on port, to protect the battleship from a aircraft torpedo attack, coming from North-East.

British attack on July 8, 1940

HMS Hermes whose aircraft torpedoed Richelieu, at Dakar, on July 7, 1940, and in the background, HMS Dorsetshire

On July 7, the day after the air attack against Dunkerque at Mers-el-Kebir, the sloop HMS Milford transmitted by W/T an ultimatum from Captain Onslow, Commanding Officer of HMS Hermes, provisionnally ranked Rear Admiral, in identical terms as the one of Mers-el-Kébir. There was no answer from the French authorities, but, knowing since Mers-el-Kébir that such a British ultimatum was not a bluff, Captain Marzin decided to leave in the early morning to try to gun HMS Hermes or her escort cruisers. During the night, a commando of Royal Marines, under Lieutenant-Commander Bristowe, succeeded to drop furtively, from a fast motor boat, four depth grenades under the stern of Richelieu, but the grenades did not explode. Nevertheless, Lieutenant-Commander Bristowe received the DSO.

At about 05.00 British Summer Times (GMT+1), six torpedo bombers Fairey Swordfish, from the HMS Hermes 814th Squadron FAA, under Lieutenant-Commander Luard, attacked Richelieu on port, under the fire of AA MG of the battleship and of the colonial sloop Bougainville. Richelieu was stricken, surprisingly, on starboard aft, either because a torpedo with a magnetic warhead has passed under the kell before exploding, or because one of the aircraft has attacked on starboard, contrarily to what the British asserted. As the explosion was extremely violent, it was conjectured that the impact on the ship was magnified by the shallow water in which she was moored, with less than five metres of water under the keel, and that a torpedo, hitting the depth charges laid earlier in the night, made them explode. The main fire control directors atop the fore tower were lifted out of their tracks, damaging them, because of the whiplash effect on the mast around which they were placed. The main rudder servo-motors were completely unserviceable, the tubo-dynamos were severely shaken. The starbord shafts were badly damaged, the outer one being distorted, and the inner one blocked. A breach 9.3 metres long and 8.5 metres high was opened in the hull, and there was a rapid flooding of the compartments abaft the after armored bulkward, and even in the armored citadel, through the cable tunnels which were no more waterthight. On July 9, Captain Onslow radioed to Admiral Plançon that he sincerely expressed the hope that the operation he had undertaken with much grief, the day before, did not caused any killed nor wounded among the officers and crews. This was fortunately the case.

The battleship was quickly entered in the inner harbour, and pumping out began immediately with some difficulties, as pumps powerful enough for this operation were not easily available, and no graving dock was able to accommodate Richelieu, at Dakar.

Despatched by Vichy authorities, Admiral de Laborde arrived for inspection on July 14, 1940. In three days, the Governor General and the Naval Commander, suspected of pro-British sympathies were removed from their posts, Governor General Cayla was sent to Madagascar, Rear Admiral Plançon was replaced temporarily by Rear Admiral Platon, and on August 17 by Rear Admiral Landriau. Pierre Boisson, Gouverneur Général de l'A.E.F. (French Equatorial Africa), who had been formerly Gouverneur Général de l'A.O.F. (1938–1939) arrived at Dakar in late July, in charge of both French West and French Equatorial Africa.

HMS Resolution which took part to Operation Catapult in July 1940,and Operation Menace, against Dakar, in September

Battle of Dakar (September 23–25, 1940)

During July and August, sommary repair of Richelieu began. The objectives were to control the flooding, and thus repair the hull, and insure that the main and second batteries of Richelieu were able to fire with efficiency as soon as possible. Thence, to patch the breach in the hull, a mattress 11.5 meters square reinforced with steel strands was fabricated to be put in place in early September, and the Dakar D.C.N. (Direction des Constructions Navales) dockyard began the construction of a steel cofferdam, to be placed in October as the remaining water could then be pumped out. For the artillery, the servants of the turret I (380 mm) were sent to man the two 240 mm guns of the coast defence battery of Cape Manuel, the most southern promontory of Cap-Vert peninsula. Turrets II (380 mm) and VII (152 mm axial) only could be manned, and this last one for anti-ship fire only, as N°1 fire control director, for 152 mm turrets in anti-aircraft purpose was never put in service. As only less than two hundreds SD21 powder charges had been embarked in Brest, the eight hundreds powder charges with SD19 propellant for Strasbourg 330 mm guns left stored at Dakar the previous year, were reconditionned in 600 powder charges for 380 mm guns.

In late July, the Free French forces took control of three (Middle Congo, Oubangui-Chari, and Chad) of the four colonies of French Equatorial Africa, and Sir Winston Churchill and General de Gaulle decided to organize an operation (Operation Menace) to control similarly the French West Africa. The Force M (for Menace), British cruisers, and troopships shipping 8,000 men, escorted by small sloops carrying the Free French enseign, left Liverpool on August 26, 1940, and joined a cover force of two battleships and HMS Ark Royal aircraft carrier, off Gibraltar, all steering then to Freetown (Sierra-Leone). In the mean time, the Vichy authorities obtained the authorization from the German Armistice Commission to send, on September 9, from Toulon towards Libreville (Gabon) three 7,600-ton type light cruisers, and three large destroyers, Force Y, under Rear Admiral Bourragué. Intercepted in the Gulf of Guinea, by British cruisers which were intended to force him to turn back to Casablanca, he found finally refuge at Dakar with two cruisers, Georges Leygues, flagship, and Montcalm. On September 21, Vice Admiral Lacroix, formerly Flag Officer of the Force de Raid 1st Light Squadron, who was on the destroyer Mogador when she was damaged at Mers-el-Kébir, was flown to Dakar to replace him.

On September 23, 1940, the Anglo-Free French force arrived off Dakar, and was greeted with gun shots. The Free French forces attempted vainly to land near Rufisque, 25 km south-east of Dakar. During the two following days, Richelieu, in position of floating battery in the inner harbour of Dakar, was near missed by some 250 British 381 mm shells fired by HMS Barham and HMS Resolution, and bombs from HMS Ark Royal aircraft, luckily receiving only light damages. When Richelieu, on September 24, opened fire against British battleships with 380 mm guns, she suffered severe damage to three barrels of her turret II, due to premature explosion of the shells. This was first traced to the use of the propellant (SD19 powder) from Strasbourg powder charges reconditionned at Dakar. However, during 1941, an inquiry commission, whose chairman was Admiral de Penfentenyo de Kervéréguen concluded to a misconception of the shell base · . On September 25, Captain Marzin having resolved to rearm the 380 mm turret I, Richelieu fired twenty 380 mm gun rounds, against HMS Barham, without result, but without incident. Then, the oceanic submarine Bévéziers having succeeded to damage HMS Resolution, the British force withdrew.

In October, repair of the hull resumed, but the mattress failed to be effective, and the cofferdam, fitted with a kind of ballast tank, was not put in place before mid-December. The breach was sealed only on February 28. The damaged barrels were not yet repaired, because of the reluctance of the German Armistice Commission, and the Dakar dockyard capacities were only able to remove the starboard central propeller with a floating crane, but not repair the blocked shaft. The anti-aircraft battery was reinforced, by some 13.2 mm Browning MG mountings and four twin 37 mm CAD Model 1933 mountings, some being removed from the damaged destroyer L'Audacieux, but the 152 mm turrets were not able yet to fire on aerial aims.

On February 24, 1941, Captain Deramond has replaced Captain Marzin as Commanding Officer of Richelieu. On April 24, 1941, Richelieu could sail at 14 knots (26 km/h), on three engines.

In April 1941, Richelieu was the first French battleship fo be fitted with French early radar, designated as "electro-magnetic detector", Détecteur Electro-Magnétique ( D.E.M.), which had been shipped from France, in November 1940, by the large destroyer Le Terrible. Operated on a 2-meter wavelength, the two emission antennæ fitted on the fore tower yards, and the two reception antennæ on the aft tower, its range was of 80 km against aircraft flying over 1,500 m, 50 km at 1,000 m, and 10 to 20 km on ships. In July 1941, three Loire 130 seaplanes from Brest E4 squadron were shipped. They were registered as HDR (Hydravions Du Richelieu) 1, 2, and 3, so the catapults could be tested in October.

In November 1942, Allied forces successfully landed near Casablanca, Oran and Algiers, and the French forces in Morocco and Algeria, and those which succeeded to escape to the German forces having landed in Tunisia, joined the Allies. In December, Governor General Boisson, who had a good relationship with the Consulate of the U.S.A. in Dakar, agreed that the French forces in West Africa joined the Allies, under the authority of Admiral Darlan in Algiers.

The decision was soon taken to refit Richelieu with the help of the United States. The two aircraft catapults, the 37 mm AA mountings and the 13.2 mm MG, intended to be replaced during the refit, were removed. Richelieu left Dakar, on January 30, 1943, together with the cruiser Montcalm and reached New York on February 11, to refit at the New York Navy Yard. But the battleship staff had a sharp memory of the 1940 fights, as, during the demonstrations for the battleship arrival in New York, Captain Deramont left the grand stand when General de Gaulle's representative, Adrien Tixier, reminded that the Free French had not stopped fighting the enemy since three years.

On the Allies' side

Richelieu arrives in New York with her damaged turret. The uppermost fire control director on the ore tower had to be dismantled for her to pass under Brooklyn Bridge

Refit in New-York

In April 1943, Captain Lambert replaced Captain Deramont as Commanding Officer.

After two and a half years in tropical waters without docking, the hull was scraped and repaired, the starboard outer shaft was straightened, and the inner shaft was replaced - ordered from Bethlehem Steel, delivered and fitted in June.

The three ruined barrels of Richelieu's upper main battery turret were replaced by barrels previously fitted on Jean Bart(the second ship of the Richelieu class, which was staying at Casablanca.) The fourth barrel from Jean Bart was used for trials at the Dahlgren firing range. But there was still serious concern about the main battery munitions, as Richelieu was provided in March 1943 with 407 APC shells, a little less than half her designed provision (832 APC shells), with no replenishment of shells possible from occupied France, nor from the U.S. Navy (which had no battleship armed with 380 mm guns). An initial order for 930 rounds was placed on May 1943 with Crucible Steel, on the basis of OPf Model 1936 plans traced at Dakar. The OPfK Model 1943, with a simpler base plug, was 1.882  m long, and weighed 884 kg. Internally, it resembled contemporary U.S. Navy 356 mm shells. But during firing practice,the U.S. manufactured MC420 powder charges gave some concern, as they frequently snagged, spilling powder in the firing chamber, thus putting the turret out of service to sweep it.

The152 mm battery was completely overhauled, and shells used on the Brooklyn and similar «light» cruiser classes were a fit because they were armed with 152 mm/47 calibres Mark 16 guns. The U.S. Navy 152 mm SAP shell weighed 58.8 kg, and 48 kg for the HE shell, registered in the French Navy as 152 mm OEA Mle 1943, for anti-aircraft fire.

The short range anti-aircraft artillery, was massively reinforced, with fourteen quad Bofors 40 mm mountings, and forty eight Oerlikon 20 mm cannon guns in single mounts replacing the 37 mm semi-automatic guns and the 13.2 mm Hotchkiss machine guns. The quad Bofors 40 mm mountings were installed in three groups of four on the quarterdeck, and around the fore and aft towers, and two mountings abeam turret II. Two groups of nine Oerlikon 20 mm single mountings were installed. The first was the former aviation hangar (nicknamed «the cemetery») abaft the wavebreaker on the fore castle. The remainder of the 20 mm battery was installed abeam the superstructures, on the towers, and atop the turrets II and VII. Adoption of US-pattern anti-aircraft short ranged batteries made providing ammunition easier.

Richelieu remained with only two fire control directors on the fore tower - the upper director for anti-aircraft gunnery was suppressed - and the rear mast was shortened. She was fitted with air and surface warning radars, designed for small warships - one SF type for sea watch, on the mast of the aft tower, and one SA-2 type for air watch, with its radome atop the fire control directors on the fore tower · ,. The U.S. Navy was opposed to providing radar for gunnery fire control purposes.

All these modifications increased displacement by 3,000 tons. After sea trials (with a maximum speed of 30.2 knots), in the Chesapeake Bay, the refit was declared complete on 10 October 1943.

Richelieu sailed for Mers el-Kebir and Algiers on 14 October, to join the British Mediterranean Fleet. As the modern Italian battleships were then interned in the Great Bitter Lake, after the armistice between Italy and the Allies, a modern battleship was no longer needed in the Mediterranean. Thence Richelieu steered to Scapa Flow, arriving on 20 November. She joined the British Home Fleet, which was monitoring the large German warships remaining in Norway. Because of her lack of gunnery radar, she might not have joined the battle during which the German battleship Scharnhorst was sunk, on December 26, 1943. She received, in the beginning of 1944, a British built 284 P4 type gunnery radar . She participated in an operation off the northern coast of Norway, covering the Home Fleet aircraft carriers sent to attack the maritime German traffic (Operation Posthorn, February 10–12, 1944). As three King George V class battleships were then facing only one German battleship, Tirpitz, Richelieu was redirected to participate, as HMS Nelson, in the battleship force supporting the Normandy landing. Due to her lack of HE shells for attacks against land, she was finally designated to join the British Eastern Fleet, in the Indian Ocean, to cover for British battleships undergoing refit.

With the British Eastern Fleet, in the Indian Ocean

Richelieu, in the Indian Ocean, on May 18, 1944, from USS Saratoga, which was leaving the Eastern Fleet to return in the Pacific Ocean

She arrived at Trincomalee, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) on 10 April 1944, in time to join the attack by Task Force 65 on Sabang on 19 April (Operation Cockpit, April 16–20), and Surabaya (Operation Transom, May 6–27 mai). During a call at Colombo, she was visited by Vice-Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander of the Southeast Asia Theatre · . Then, she took part to the battleship force covering an aerial bombing of Port-Blair, in the Adaman Islands (Operation Pedal, June 19–29). On 22 July, she sailed to attack Sabang and Sumatra (Operation Crimson, July 22–29). During this operation, Captain Merveilleux du Vignaux, new Commanding Officer since the beginning of May, decided, due to the shortcomings of the U.S. manufactured powder charges, to use for combat actions the remaining French SD21 powder charges with standard AP shells. It also appeared that the APC shells were effective in bombing concrete positions, but did not exploded and tended to bury themselves when they hit the ground. Thence it was resolved to order to British manufacturers specially designed 380 mm HE shells, which will be registered, in the French post war ammunition inventories, as 380 mm OEA Model 1945.

Relieved by HMS Howe, Richelieu returned to Europe. From Algiers to Toulon, where she arrived on October 1, 1944, fifty two months after having left France, she hosted Amiral Lemonnier, Chief of the Navy General Staff. Due to the ruined state of the French dockyards, she sailed for Casablanca, where she arrived on October 10, 1944, for careening. New British built radars were set up, one Type 281 B for air warning, on the fore tower mast, one Type 285 P fire control radar on the secondary directors together with two auto barrage units (ABU). A new American SG-1 radar for surface surveillance was installed too on the fore tower mast, as the small SF Type radar, which had been installed at New york was relocated to the roof of the conning tower. Then, the battleship was fitted with an FV1 jammer, to counter the German Fritz X and Henschel Hs 293 glide bombs, which had sunk the Italian battleship Roma and heavily damaged HMS Warspite, in September 1943.

She was refitted in Gibraltar in January 1945, and rejoined the Eastern Indies Fleet till the end of the war against Japan, arriving back at Trincomalee on 20 March 1945. Now with Task Force 63 of the East Indies Fleet, she joined in more bombardments of Sabang in April, and covering diversionary aerial attacks on Padang, in the southern coast of Sumatra, in reality covering aerial reconnaissance of the south Malayan coast as a preparatory step to landings scheduled for the autumn (Operation Sunfish, April 9-20, 1945). As the airfields in Japanese hands of Car-Nicobar and of the Adaman Islands represented a threat on the western flank of the Allied operations in Burma, they were bombed in late April to early May (Operation Bishop, April 27-May 7, 1945 ). The next operation (Operation Dukedom), in mid-May, to intercept the Haguro, was concluded by the sinking of the heavy cruiser by the 26th Division destroyers, before Richelieu and HMS Cumberland could intervene.

Richelieu refitted at Durban from July 18 to August 10, and arrived via Diego Suarez at Trincomalee on 18 August, learning of the Japanese surrender on 15 August. She left Trincomalee on 5 September to participate in the liberation of Singapore, Operation Tiderace. While she was passing down the Straits of Malacca on 9 September, at 07:44 a magnetic mine detonated 17 metres (19 yd) to starboard. She eventually limped into Singapore at noon on 11 September.

Post-war

Penfeld river in Brest. Moored at the bottom of the crane, the minesweeper Lyre (M648). On the right in the parking lot, one of the two remaining 380mm guns of Richelieu

After V-J Day, during the last four months of 1945, Richelieu took part in the return of French forces to Indochina, particularly at Nha Trang, with her Fusiliers Marins landing party, and delivering gun support. When Richelieu left for France, the crew received congratulations from General Leclerc, the French Commanding General in Indochina. On 29 December, she sailed for France, and arrived in Toulon on 11 February 1946.

After 1946, she had the classic existence of a warship during peacetime. She alternated between training times, transporting the President of the French Republic for a visit in French West Africa colonies in 1947, and maneuvering with the aircraft carrier Arromanches (formerly HMS Colossus), when she joined the French Navy, and officially visiting Britain or Portugal. During a careening in Toulon, in 1951, she was fitted with French-built radar, and received one new-built 380 mm gun and three 380 mm guns which had been intended for Jean Bart, These guns had been seized by the Germans during the war; two were installed in shore batteries in Norway and in Normandy, the third was used for trials at the Krupp proving ground in Meppen, Germany.

On 30 January 1956, for the only time in her career, she maneuvered with Jean Bart for a few hours. Soon after, she was based in Brest as gunnery training school. From 25 May 1956, she was used as an accommodation ship in Brest, and was placed in reserve in 1958. Richelieu was condemned on 16 January 1968 and renamed Q432. She was scrapped by Cantieri Navali Santa Maria of Genoa in September 1968. One of her guns is on display in the harbor of Brest.

See also

• Richelieu (1873)

Bibliography

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• Breyer, Siegfried (1980). Battleships of the World 1905-1970. London: Conway Maritime PressLtd. ISBN 0-85177-181-5. 
• Sarnet, René; Le Vaillant, Eric (1997) (in fr). Richelieu. Nantes: Marines édition. ISBN 2909675327. 
• Dumas, Robert (2001) (in fr). Les cuirassés Dunkerque et Strasbourg. Nantes: Marine Éditions. ISBN 2-9096-7575-0. 
• Dumas, Robert (2001) (in fr). Le cuirassé Richelieu 1935-1968. Nantes: Marines édition. 
• Dumas, Robert (2001) (in fr). Le cuirassé Jean Bart 1939-1970. Nantes: Marine Éditions. ISBN 2-9096-7575-0. 
• John, Jordan; Robert, Dumas. French battleships 1922-1956. Seaforth Punblishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-034-5. 

External links

• (French) Génération Cuirassé (in French). Notably, a number of significant photographs.
• Extensive description of Richelieu's combat service
• warship.get.net.pl a number of photographs
• (French) Richelieu on Alabordache.com
• Maritimequest Richelieu Photo Gallery
• Model of the battleship Clemenceau