French battlecruiser proposals
| General characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Displacement: | Full load: 28,247 t (27,801 long tons) |
| Length: | Length overall: 205 m (672 ft 7 in) |
| Beam: | 27 m (88 ft 7 in) |
| Draft: | 9.03 m (29 ft 8 in) |
| Installed power: | 80,000 shp (60,000 kW) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph) |
| Range: | 6,300 nmi (11,700 km; 7,200 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Crew: |
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| Armament: |
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| Armor: |
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| General characteristics "A" | |
|---|---|
| Displacement: | Full load: 27,500 t (27,100 long tons) |
| Length: | 210 m (689 ft 0 in) |
| Beam: | 27 m (88 ft 7 in) |
| Draft: | 8.7 m (28 ft 7 in) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 27 kn (50 km/h; 31 mph) |
| Range: | 3,500 nmi (6,500 km; 4,000 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Armament: |
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| Armor: | Belt: 270 mm |
| General characteristics "B" | |
|---|---|
| Displacement: | Full load: 27,500 t (27,100 long tons) |
| Length: | 208 m (682 ft 5 in) |
| Beam: | 27 m (88 ft 7 in) |
| Draft: | 8.7 m (28 ft 7 in) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 26 to 27 kn (48 to 50 km/h; 30 to 31 mph) |
| Range: | 3,500 nmi (6,500 km; 4,000 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Armament: |
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In the years before the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the French Navy considered several proposals for battlecruisers. The Navy issued specifications for a battlecruiser design to complete part of the 28 capital ships to be built by 1920. Three designs, one by P. Gille and two by Lieutenant Durand-Viel, were completed in 1913. All three designs were similar to contemporary battleship designs, specifically the Normandie class, which introduced a quadruple gun turret for the main battery, which was adopted for all three proposals. The first two called for the same 340 mm (13 in) gun used on all French dreadnoughts, though the third proposed a much more powerful 370 mm (15 in) gun. Though the design studies were complete, the French Navy did not authorize or begin construction of any battlecruisers before the start of the war.
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 28,000 metric tons (28,000 long tons; 31,000 short tons), a speed of 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph), an armament of eight 340 mm (13 in) guns, and a crew of not more than 1,200 officers and enlisted men. 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 Normandie-class battleship Flandre, 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.
In 1911, Gille went to Britain to observe the construction of the new Orion-class battleships and 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 28 to 29 kn (52 to 54 km/h; 32 to 33 mph) to retain an advantage over foreign battleships, the latest of which had estimated speeds of 22 to 23 kn (41 to 43 km/h; 25 to 26 mph). 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.
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