:French battlecruiser proposals

In the Naval Law of 30 March 1912, the French Navy called for a total force of 20 capital ships to be built by 1920. The Technical Branch subsequently issued a set of somewhat vague requirements for battlecruiser designs. The requirements stipulated a displacement of {{convert|28000|MT|sp=us}}, a speed of {{convert|27|kn|lk=in}}, an armament of eight {{convert|340|mm|1|abbr=on}} guns, and a crew of not more than 1,200 officers and enlisted men. These figures were very similar to the British {{sclass|Lion|battlecruiser|1}}s then under construction. Numerous proposals were submitted to the Technical Branch, but only two were evaluated further. The first was prepared by P. Gille, a naval engineer overseeing the construction of the {{sclass|Normandie|battleship|2}} {{ship|French battleship|Flandre||2}}, and the second by then-Lieutenant Durand-Viel, a student at the Naval College. As the proposals were only design studies, none were authorized and no ships were built; the outbreak of World War I ensured that even more advanced projects, like the Normandie and {{sclass|Lyon|battleship|1}}s were canceled as resources were redirected toward more pressing needs.{{sfn|Gardiner & Gray|p=200}}{{sfn|Le Masson|p=150}}{{sfn|Jordan & Caresse|pp=207–208}}

In 1911, Gille went to Britain to observe the construction of the new {{sclass|Orion|battleship|2}}s and the Lion-class battlecruisers. The latter ships prompted Gille to decide the French Navy ought to build battlecruisers as well, since Britain and Germany had already begun acquiring them, and they would prove useful as a fast division of the French fleet. Gille decided that his proposed ship would need a top speed of {{convert|28|to|29|kn|abbr=on}} to retain an advantage over foreign battleships, the latest of which had estimated speeds of {{convert|22|to|23|kn|abbr=on}}. They would also need enough armor and a main battery powerful enough to fight in the line of battle. The limitations that weight imposed on the design, however, restricted the amount of armor possible, and so the traditional French practice of armoring the entire side of the ship would be impossible.{{sfn|Le Masson|pp=150–151}}

File:Normandie class battleship.svg

Gille's battlecruiser design called for a displacement of {{convert|28247|MT|abbr=on}} on a hull that was {{convert|205|m|sp=us}} long between perpendiculars, with a beam of {{convert|27|m|ftin|abbr=on}} at the waterline and an average draft of {{convert|9.03|m|ftin|abbr=on}}. The freeboard forward was {{convert|7.15|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, and aft was {{convert|4.65|m|abbr=on}}. The hull lines of the ships proved to be highly efficient in tank tests during the design process. Due to the extreme weight of the main battery turrets at the bow and stern, the hull had to be strengthened to handle the strain. Very strong longitudinal bracing was incorporated, and the inner and outer skins of the hull was thickened to reinforce the bracings. The ships' expected metacentric height was {{convert|1.03|m|abbr=on}}, comparable to the British Lion class. Each ship would be crewed by 41 officers and 1,258 enlisted men.{{sfn|Le Masson|p=152}}

The ships would have been equipped with four sets of steam turbines rated at {{convert|80000|shp|lk=in}} powered by fifty-two coal-fired Belleville boilers. Each propeller shaft was connected to a high-pressure turbine, a medium-pressure geared turbine, and a low-pressure turbine for forward steaming, and a direct drive turbine for steaming in reverse. The ships' top speed was to have been 28 knots. The ships would have been supplied with {{convert|2833|MT|abbr=on}} of coal and {{convert|630|MT|abbr=on}} of fuel oil for supplementary oil firing. At maximum speed, the ships could have cruised for {{convert|1660|nmi|lk=in}}; at {{convert|20.3|kn|abbr=on}}, the range increased to {{convert|4240|nmi|abbr=on}}, an at a more economical {{convert|15|kn|abbr=on}}, the range grew to {{convert|6300|nmi|abbr=on}}.{{sfn|Gardiner & Gray|p=200}}{{sfn|Le Masson|p=152}}

The ships' main armament was composed of twelve 340mm/45 Modèle 1912 guns in three quadruple turrets, the same as in the contemporary French battleships of the Normandie class. One turret was placed forward, and the other two were placed in a superfiring pair, all on the centerline.{{sfn|Gardiner & Gray|p=200}}{{sfn|Le Masson|p=152}} The guns had a range of {{convert|16000|m|abbr=on|yd}} and had a rate of fire of two rounds per minute. The shells were {{convert|540|kg|adj=on}} armor-piercing rounds and were fired with a muzzle velocity of {{convert|800|m/s|sp=us}}.{{sfn|Friedman|p=207}} A secondary battery of twenty-four 138.6 mm /55 Modèle 1910 guns mounted in casemates was planned for defense against torpedo boats.{{sfn|Gardiner & Gray|p=200}}{{sfn|Le Masson|p=152}} These guns fired a {{convert|36.5|kg|abbr=on}} shell at a muzzle velocity of {{convert|830|m/s|abbr=on}}.{{sfn|Friedman|p=225}} The armament was rounded out by six torpedo tubes of undetermined diameter, all submerged in the ships' hulls.{{sfn|Gardiner & Gray|p=200}}{{sfn|Le Masson|p=152}}

The armor protecting both the main armored belt amidships and the main battery turrets was {{convert|270|mm|abbr=on|1}} thick. The lower armored deck was {{convert|20|mm|abbr=on}} thick, with {{convert|50|mm|abbr=on}} of armor plating on the sloped sides. The casemate guns were protected with {{convert|180|mm|abbr=on|1}} of steel armor. The ships were also equipped with a 20 mm thick torpedo bulkhead.{{sfn|Gardiner & Gray|p=200}}{{sfn|Le Masson|p=152}}

In 1913, the Naval College had several of its students submit design studies for a fast capital ship. The class was given a displacement of {{convert|27500|MT|abbr=on}} as a limit on size; all of the officers opted to design either fast or slow battleships, with the exception of Lieutenant Durand-Viel, who chose instead to create a design for a battlecruiser. Durand-Viel drew up a pair of designs, which were evaluated by the General Staff in June 1914. He saw his ships forming a fast division of the battle fleet capable of encircling an enemy squadron; as with Gille's design, this required heavy armament and armor to permit the ships to engage battleships.{{sfn|Le Masson|pp=152, 155}}

Durand-Viel's first battlecruiser design, "A", was built on a displacement of {{convert|27500|MT|abbr=on}}. The hull was {{convert|210|m|sp=us}} long at the waterline, with a beam of {{convert|27|m|abbr=on}} at the waterline and an average draft of {{convert|8.7|m|abbr=on}}. The ships would have been equipped with four sets of direct drive turbines rated at {{convert|74000|shp}} powered by twenty-four double-ended Belleville boilers that burned both coal and oil. The ships' top speed was to have been {{convert|27|kn}}. The ships would have been supplied with {{convert|1810|MT|abbr=on}} of coal and {{convert|1050|MT|abbr=on}} of fuel oil . The ships could have cruised for {{convert|3500|nmi}} at {{convert|16|kn|abbr=on}}, with enough fuel for an additional six hours for combat speeds.{{sfn|Gardiner & Gray|p=200}}{{sfn|Le Masson|p=154}}

The ships' main armament was composed of eight 340mm/45 Modèle 1912 guns in two quadruple turrets, the same as in the contemporary French battleships of the Normandie class. Both turrets were placed on the centerline, on either end of the ship. A secondary battery of twenty-four 138.6 mm Modèle 1910 guns mounted in casemates was planned for defense against torpedo boats. Four {{convert|47|mm|abbr=on}} saluting guns were also to be equipped. The armament was rounded out by four {{convert|450|mm|abbr=on}} torpedo tubes, all submerged in the ships' hulls. The main armored belt amidships was {{convert|280|mm|abbr=on}} thick, slightly thinner than the belt on the Normandie-class battleships. The rest of the ship's armor was very similar to that of the Normandie class.{{sfn|Gardiner & Gray|p=200}}{{sfn|Le Masson|pp=152, –155}}

Durand-Viel's second battlecruiser design, "B", was built on the same displacement as the first design. The heavier weight of the increased main battery was offset by a reduction in the armor protection for the secondary guns and improved performance of the ship's propulsion system. The hull was {{convert|208|m|sp=us}} long at the waterline, with a beam of 27 m at the waterline and an average draft of 8.7 m. Two engine systems were considered: four direct drive turbines rated at {{convert|63000|shp|abbr=on}} or four geared turbines rated at {{convert|80000|shp|abbr=on}}. Steam was provided by eighteen Belleville boilers, ten of which that burned both coal and oil, and eight that were oil-fired only. The ships' top speed was to have been {{convert|26|kn}} for the first variant and 27 knots for the second. The ships would have been supplied with the same fuel allotment as the "A" design, with the same radius of action as well.{{sfn|Gardiner & Gray|p=200}}{{sfn|Le Masson|pp=154–155}}

The ships' main armament was composed of eight {{convert|370|mm|abbr=on}} guns in two quadruple turrets. Both turrets were placed on the centerline, on either end of the ship. The gun fired a {{convert|880|kg|adj=on}} shell that was capable of penetrating {{convert|300|mm|abbr=on}} of armor plate at a range of {{convert|12700|m|abbr=on}}. A secondary battery for defense against torpedo boats consisted of twenty-eight 138.6 mm guns, of a new semi-automatic design, mounted in casemates. Four 47 mm saluting guns were also to be installed. The should would also to have carried four 450 mm torpedo tubes, all submerged in the ships' hulls. The ships' armor system was identical to the "A" design.{{sfn|Gardiner & Gray|p=200}}{{sfn|Le Masson|pp=154–155}}

{{reflist|20em}}

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| last = Friedman

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| year = 2011

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• {{cite book

|last1=Jordan

|first1=John

|last2=Caresse

|first2=Philippe

|title=French Battleships of World War One

|date=2017

|publisher=Seaforth Publishing

|location=Barnsley

|isbn=978-1-59114-639-1

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• {{cite journal

| last = Le Masson

| first = Henri

| year = 1985

| title = Some French Fast Battleships That Might Have Been

| journal = Warship International

| volume = XXII

| pages = 149–156

| publisher = International Naval Research Organization

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}}

{{Battlecruisers of the world}}

Category:Proposed ships

Category:Battlecruiser classes