Alsace class battleship
Encyclopedia
The Alsace class battleships were planned to succeed and enlarge the Richelieu class. The design planned for an improved Richelieu design with three triple or quadruple 380 mm
turrets (two fore, one aft).
Six names were proposed, and two had to be chosen from this list: Alsace, Normandie, Flandre, Bourgogne; two more units were not given names. The laying down of the lead ship of the class, Alsace, was planned for 1941; with the Fall of France in 1940, none of the ships were built.
failure is marking the end of the international naval armament limitation policy. Japan had withdrawn from the conference on January 15. Italy also declined to sign the treaty. A so-called "escalator clause" was included at the urging of American negotiators, allowing the signatory countries of the Second London Treaty—France, the United Kingdom and the United States—to raise the battleship main artillery caliber limit from 14 inches (356 mm) to 16 inches (406mm), and the battleship Washington
tonnage limit from 35,000 tons to 45,000 tons, if Japan or Italy still refused to sign after . So, the U.S.A. adopted the 16-inches guns for their new fast battleship classes, the United Kingdom choose to respect the Second London Naval Treaty
limitations for the King George V
class battleships, Germany was not concerned as she had not been invited to the second London naval disarmament conference, but officially, the battleships Bismarck
and Tirpitz
did have 380 mm guns and 35,000 tons. So France decided to respect the limitation of 35,000 tons and 380 mm, as long as no continental European power has overtaken them. It was with these considerations in mind that the new Chef d'Etat-major Général de la Marine, admiral Darlan
, ordered, in late 1937, to study new designs for two more battleships, as Dunkerque
trials were allowing to confirm some critical regards on her design, especially her all forward quadruple turret main artillery, and her dual purpose (anti-aircraft and anti-ship) secondary artillery of relatively light caliber
Three projects have been studied, the first (project A) with the same quadruple arrangement forward than Richelieu
, but different secondary artillery dispositions, the second (project B) with one quadruple turret forward and one quadruple turret aft, the third (project C) with two fore triple turrets and one triple turret aft, in every case with a 380 mm caliber. The project C was leading to an excess of nearly 2500 tons in regard of the limit of 35,000 tons, so it was not proposed to the Chef d'Etat-major Général de la Marine.
In June 1938, Admiral Darlan
choose the project A variant 2, for the first battleship to be laid down of the second pair of Richelieu
class battleships. She received the name of "Clemenceau", and he choose the project B variant 3ter, for the second ship in which design he has got very much involved, and gave her the name of "Gascogne", the French province where he was born.
The French Admiralty choice was tightly linked with the necessity of a maximum use of shipyards where big ships might be built. The Salou graving dock, in Brest Navy Yards, was planned to be ready for a new battleship building in late 1938 - early 1939, after the Richelieu will have been launched, more exactly will have been floated up. It was not possible to let the dock empty during at least six months, waiting for building a Project B design battleship , as it would have necessitated at least one year to put up definitive drawings, after it had been ordered. So, the Project A design had to be chosen necessarily for the first battleship to be laid down in the Salou graving dock, as the "Caquot dock" in Saint-Nazaire, where was being built Jean Bart expected to leave it for October 1940, could be used for the second battleship to be laid down. Richelieu was floated up on January 17, 1939, and Clemenceau was laid down. Eighteen months later, Jean Bart left her berth nearly in sight of German vanguards, on June 19, 1940, so Gascogne was never laid down.
During the summer 1939, the French intelligence services have warned the French Admiralty that the keels of two German battleships, supposed to have 40,000 tons and 406 mm guns, actually Plan Z
H-39 class battleships, had been laid down. It was considered then that it was time to outpass the limits of 35,000 tons and 380 mm. On basis of the 1938 studies on Project C, new battleship designs emerged, which led to the so-called "Province " or Alsace class battleships.
They differed on two points :
First, the main artillery consists in triple 380 mm
turrets, for type n°1, in 406 mm triple turrets, for type n°2, in 380 mm
quadruple turrets, for type n°3.
Second, the anti aircraft artillery, consisting in every case of dual mountings of 100 mm caliber (so-called pseudo turrets), had eight mountings, on types n° 1 and 2, twelve mountings on type n° 3, nearly like Jean Bart as completed post war .
The armour is nearly the same (belt : 330 mm on type n°1 and n°2, 350 mm on type n°3; upper armoured deck :170–180 mm; lower armoured deck : 40 mm) and the propulsion assuring the same speed (31.5 knots) as Richelieu
, so the length of the hull, the power of propulsion machinery, and the Washington
tonnage are varying from 252 m, 170000 hp and 40,000 tons for the type n°1, 256 m, 190000 hp and 42,500 tons for the type n°2, to 265 m, 220000 hp and 45,000 tons for the type n°3.
As seen above, the type n°1 would have been similar to Vittorio Veneto class battleships, for the main artillery, in arrangement and in caliber, and an anti-ship secondary artillery which would have counted one triple turret less, but with a disposition on an axial line, the broadside would have been 50% more powerful, and the anti-aircraft artillery, with a slightly bigger caliber (100 mm instead of 90 mm) would have counted the same number of barrels. It also may be described as something between HMS Vanguard
, with one more 381 mm gun , and the HMS Lion
battleship class, with a main artillery of only 380 mm caliber.
The type n°2 would have been similar to HMS Lion
class, or USS North Carolina
class and USS South Dakota
class battleships, regarding the main armament, in caliber and in arrangement. The top speed would have been 2 knots (3.9 km/h) higher, 30 kn instead of 28 kn for the U.S. Navy battleships concerned, with consequently a longer hull, more horsepower and an enlarged displacement. The choice of a dual-caliber secondary artillery instead of a dual-purpose one is characteristic of the Continental European navies at the beginning of the Second World War; the lack of a robust light anti-aircraft battery is also consistent with contemporary practice that was soon outstripped by events.
The type n°3 would have retained a distinguishing feature of French capital ships: the quadruple turret. The French Navy advocated such a battery arrangmenet consistently, incorporating it into the designs of the proposed Normandie
and Lyon
classes of battleship in the First World War, and then bringing it into practice on the Dunkerque-, Richelieu-, and Gascogne-classes. The secondary artillery would have been near of which will have been fitted on Jean Bart as completed post war (9 x 152 mm and 24 x 100 mm), except the lack of fourteen AA 57 mm dual mountings and twenty 20 mm single mountings.
The French Admiralty is reported to have chosen the type n°1, the nearest of Richelieu design, and discarded the type n°2, because of the delays to perfect the 406 mm guns, a new device for the French Navy, and considered the type n°3 dimensions excessive, being nearly those of Iowa
class battleships (270 m, 212000 hp, 45,000 tons).
The first unit was intended to be laid down on 1941, in the
Penhoët shipyards, where had been built the Normandie
transatlantic liner, and later the Strasbourg
battleship, and where was being built the Joffre
aircraft carrier, the second unit to be laid down on 1942 in a new dock which was intended to be built in the Brest Navy Yards. No work was ever begun on these ships, and even no material stored.
The name of French Provinces, which has been used for Bretagne
class battleships and Normandie
class battleships, had also been considered a moment for Rubis
class nuclear attack submarines, and is currently in use for Aquitaine class
second generation stealth frigates.
380mm/45 Modèle 1935 gun
The 380mm/45 Modèle 1935 gun was a heavy naval gun of the French Navy. It was the largest calibre naval gun ever fielded in French service.The built-up guns were used on the two battleships of the Richelieu class, Richelieu and Jean Bart...
turrets (two fore, one aft).
Six names were proposed, and two had to be chosen from this list: Alsace, Normandie, Flandre, Bourgogne; two more units were not given names. The laying down of the lead ship of the class, Alsace, was planned for 1941; with the Fall of France in 1940, none of the ships were built.
Background
In 1936, the second London naval disarmament conferenceSecond London Naval Treaty
The Second London Naval Disarmament Conference opened in London, the United Kingdom, on 9 December 1935. It resulted in the Second London Naval Treaty which was signed on 25 March 1936.- Description :...
failure is marking the end of the international naval armament limitation policy. Japan had withdrawn from the conference on January 15. Italy also declined to sign the treaty. A so-called "escalator clause" was included at the urging of American negotiators, allowing the signatory countries of the Second London Treaty—France, the United Kingdom and the United States—to raise the battleship main artillery caliber limit from 14 inches (356 mm) to 16 inches (406mm), and the battleship Washington
Washington Naval Treaty
The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was an attempt to cap and limit, and "prevent 'further' costly escalation" of the naval arms race that had begun after World War I between various International powers, each of which had significant naval fleets. The treaty was...
tonnage limit from 35,000 tons to 45,000 tons, if Japan or Italy still refused to sign after . So, the U.S.A. adopted the 16-inches guns for their new fast battleship classes, the United Kingdom choose to respect the Second London Naval Treaty
Second London Naval Treaty
The Second London Naval Disarmament Conference opened in London, the United Kingdom, on 9 December 1935. It resulted in the Second London Naval Treaty which was signed on 25 March 1936.- Description :...
limitations for the King George V
King George V class battleship
Two classes of battleship of the Royal Navy are known as the King George V class:* King George V class of four battleships that served in World War I...
class battleships, Germany was not concerned as she had not been invited to the second London naval disarmament conference, but officially, the battleships Bismarck
German battleship Bismarck
Bismarck was the first of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the primary force behind the German unification in 1871, the ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1936 and launched nearly three years later...
and Tirpitz
German battleship Tirpitz
Tirpitz was the second of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the architect of the Imperial Navy, the ship was laid down at the Kriegsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven in November 1936 and launched two and a half years later in April...
did have 380 mm guns and 35,000 tons. So France decided to respect the limitation of 35,000 tons and 380 mm, as long as no continental European power has overtaken them. It was with these considerations in mind that the new Chef d'Etat-major Général de la Marine, admiral Darlan
François Darlan
Jean Louis Xavier François Darlan was a French naval officer. His great-grandfather was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar...
, ordered, in late 1937, to study new designs for two more battleships, as Dunkerque
Dunkerque class battleship
The Dunkerque class was a new type of warship of the French Navy built during the 1930s, labeled as 'fast battleships'. Not as large as other contemporary battleships, they were designed to counter the threat of the German pocket battleships of the Deutschland class. They had a specific main...
trials were allowing to confirm some critical regards on her design, especially her all forward quadruple turret main artillery, and her dual purpose (anti-aircraft and anti-ship) secondary artillery of relatively light caliber
Three projects have been studied, the first (project A) with the same quadruple arrangement forward than Richelieu
Richelieu class battleship
The Richelieu class battleships were the last and largest battleships of the French Navy, staying in service into the 1960s. They still remain to this day the largest warships ever built by France...
, but different secondary artillery dispositions, the second (project B) with one quadruple turret forward and one quadruple turret aft, the third (project C) with two fore triple turrets and one triple turret aft, in every case with a 380 mm caliber. The project C was leading to an excess of nearly 2500 tons in regard of the limit of 35,000 tons, so it was not proposed to the Chef d'Etat-major Général de la Marine.
In June 1938, Admiral Darlan
François Darlan
Jean Louis Xavier François Darlan was a French naval officer. His great-grandfather was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar...
choose the project A variant 2, for the first battleship to be laid down of the second pair of Richelieu
Richelieu class battleship
The Richelieu class battleships were the last and largest battleships of the French Navy, staying in service into the 1960s. They still remain to this day the largest warships ever built by France...
class battleships. She received the name of "Clemenceau", and he choose the project B variant 3ter, for the second ship in which design he has got very much involved, and gave her the name of "Gascogne", the French province where he was born.
The French Admiralty choice was tightly linked with the necessity of a maximum use of shipyards where big ships might be built. The Salou graving dock, in Brest Navy Yards, was planned to be ready for a new battleship building in late 1938 - early 1939, after the Richelieu will have been launched, more exactly will have been floated up. It was not possible to let the dock empty during at least six months, waiting for building a Project B design battleship , as it would have necessitated at least one year to put up definitive drawings, after it had been ordered. So, the Project A design had to be chosen necessarily for the first battleship to be laid down in the Salou graving dock, as the "Caquot dock" in Saint-Nazaire, where was being built Jean Bart expected to leave it for October 1940, could be used for the second battleship to be laid down. Richelieu was floated up on January 17, 1939, and Clemenceau was laid down. Eighteen months later, Jean Bart left her berth nearly in sight of German vanguards, on June 19, 1940, so Gascogne was never laid down.
During the summer 1939, the French intelligence services have warned the French Admiralty that the keels of two German battleships, supposed to have 40,000 tons and 406 mm guns, actually Plan Z
Plan Z
Plan Z was the name given to the planned re-equipment and expansion of the Nazi German Navy ordered by Adolf Hitler on January 27, 1939...
H-39 class battleships, had been laid down. It was considered then that it was time to outpass the limits of 35,000 tons and 380 mm. On basis of the 1938 studies on Project C, new battleship designs emerged, which led to the so-called "Province " or Alsace class battleships.
Design
Three types of battleships were studied, all with the same main artillery arrangement, two turrets forward, one turret aft, and the same secondary artillery arrangement (152 mm caliber), all on center line, one triple turret forward, two triple turrets in superfiring position aft, between the funnel and the aft main artillery turret, as on the C3 version of projects for 1938 bis program.They differed on two points :
First, the main artillery consists in triple 380 mm
380mm/45 Modèle 1935 gun
The 380mm/45 Modèle 1935 gun was a heavy naval gun of the French Navy. It was the largest calibre naval gun ever fielded in French service.The built-up guns were used on the two battleships of the Richelieu class, Richelieu and Jean Bart...
turrets, for type n°1, in 406 mm triple turrets, for type n°2, in 380 mm
380mm/45 Modèle 1935 gun
The 380mm/45 Modèle 1935 gun was a heavy naval gun of the French Navy. It was the largest calibre naval gun ever fielded in French service.The built-up guns were used on the two battleships of the Richelieu class, Richelieu and Jean Bart...
quadruple turrets, for type n°3.
Second, the anti aircraft artillery, consisting in every case of dual mountings of 100 mm caliber (so-called pseudo turrets), had eight mountings, on types n° 1 and 2, twelve mountings on type n° 3, nearly like Jean Bart as completed post war .
The armour is nearly the same (belt : 330 mm on type n°1 and n°2, 350 mm on type n°3; upper armoured deck :170–180 mm; lower armoured deck : 40 mm) and the propulsion assuring the same speed (31.5 knots) as Richelieu
Richelieu class battleship
The Richelieu class battleships were the last and largest battleships of the French Navy, staying in service into the 1960s. They still remain to this day the largest warships ever built by France...
, so the length of the hull, the power of propulsion machinery, and the Washington
Washington Treaty
The Treaty of Washington may refer to:* Treaty of Washington , between the U.S. and the Creek National Council * Treaty of Washington , two Indian nation treaties, between the U.S. and the Sac and Meskwaki , and the Iowa * Treaty of Washington , between the U.S...
tonnage are varying from 252 m, 170000 hp and 40,000 tons for the type n°1, 256 m, 190000 hp and 42,500 tons for the type n°2, to 265 m, 220000 hp and 45,000 tons for the type n°3.
As seen above, the type n°1 would have been similar to Vittorio Veneto class battleships, for the main artillery, in arrangement and in caliber, and an anti-ship secondary artillery which would have counted one triple turret less, but with a disposition on an axial line, the broadside would have been 50% more powerful, and the anti-aircraft artillery, with a slightly bigger caliber (100 mm instead of 90 mm) would have counted the same number of barrels. It also may be described as something between HMS Vanguard
HMS Vanguard (23)
HMS Vanguard was a British fast battleship built during World War II and commissioned after the end of the war. She was the only ship of her class and was the biggest, fastest and last of the Royal Navy's dreadnoughts, and the final battleship to be launched in the world...
, with one more 381 mm gun , and the HMS Lion
Lion class battleship
The Lion class battleships were a class of six fast battleships designed for the Royal Navy in the late 1930s. They were a larger, improved version of the King George V class with guns. Only two ships were laid down before World War II began in September 1939 and a third was ordered during the...
battleship class, with a main artillery of only 380 mm caliber.
The type n°2 would have been similar to HMS Lion
Lion class battleship
The Lion class battleships were a class of six fast battleships designed for the Royal Navy in the late 1930s. They were a larger, improved version of the King George V class with guns. Only two ships were laid down before World War II began in September 1939 and a third was ordered during the...
class, or USS North Carolina
North Carolina class battleship
The North Carolina class was a group of two fast battleships, North Carolina and Washington, built for the United States Navy in the late 1930s and early 1940s...
class and USS South Dakota
South Dakota class battleship
South Dakota class battleship may refer to either of two battleship classes of the United States Navy:*South Dakota class battleship , a class of six ships authorized but never completed...
class battleships, regarding the main armament, in caliber and in arrangement. The top speed would have been 2 knots (3.9 km/h) higher, 30 kn instead of 28 kn for the U.S. Navy battleships concerned, with consequently a longer hull, more horsepower and an enlarged displacement. The choice of a dual-caliber secondary artillery instead of a dual-purpose one is characteristic of the Continental European navies at the beginning of the Second World War; the lack of a robust light anti-aircraft battery is also consistent with contemporary practice that was soon outstripped by events.
The type n°3 would have retained a distinguishing feature of French capital ships: the quadruple turret. The French Navy advocated such a battery arrangmenet consistently, incorporating it into the designs of the proposed Normandie
Normandie class battleship
The Normandie-class dreadnought battleships were ordered for the French Navy before the First World War. They were named after provinces of France. These ships were never completed as battleships because the war stopped their construction...
and Lyon
Lyon class battleship
The Lyon was a class of battleship which was planned for the French Navy, beginning in 1914. However, construction was halted and then cancelled due to the outbreak of World War I. No ship of the Lyon type was laid down.-Design:...
classes of battleship in the First World War, and then bringing it into practice on the Dunkerque-, Richelieu-, and Gascogne-classes. The secondary artillery would have been near of which will have been fitted on Jean Bart as completed post war (9 x 152 mm and 24 x 100 mm), except the lack of fourteen AA 57 mm dual mountings and twenty 20 mm single mountings.
The French Admiralty is reported to have chosen the type n°1, the nearest of Richelieu design, and discarded the type n°2, because of the delays to perfect the 406 mm guns, a new device for the French Navy, and considered the type n°3 dimensions excessive, being nearly those of Iowa
Iowa class battleship
The Iowa-class battleships were a class of fast battleships ordered by the United States Navy in 1939 and 1940 to escort the Fast Carrier Task Forces which would operate in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Six were ordered during the course of World War II, but only four were completed in...
class battleships (270 m, 212000 hp, 45,000 tons).
The first unit was intended to be laid down on 1941, in the
Penhoët shipyards, where had been built the Normandie
SS Normandie
SS Normandie was an ocean liner built in Saint-Nazaire, France for the French Line Compagnie Générale Transatlantique. She entered service in 1935 as the largest and fastest passenger ship afloat; she is still the most powerful steam turbo-electric-propelled passenger ship ever built.Her novel...
transatlantic liner, and later the Strasbourg
French battleship Strasbourg
The Strasbourg was a more heavily armoured Dunkerque-class battleship of the French Navy, labeled as a "fast battleship". Faster than full battleships, but not as heavily armed or armoured as them, they were designed to counter the threat of the German "pocket battleships" - the Deutschland-class...
battleship, and where was being built the Joffre
Joffre class aircraft carrier
The Joffre class was a class of two aircraft carriers planned by France prior to World War II. Only one of the two vessels was begun, and neither was launched before the project was cancelled in 1940.- History :...
aircraft carrier, the second unit to be laid down on 1942 in a new dock which was intended to be built in the Brest Navy Yards. No work was ever begun on these ships, and even no material stored.
The name of French Provinces, which has been used for Bretagne
Bretagne class battleship
The Bretagne class battleships were the first "super-dreadnoughts" built for the French Navy during the First World War. The class comprised three vessels: Bretagne, the lead ship, Provence, and Lorraine. They were an improvement of the previous , and mounted ten guns instead of twelve guns as on...
class battleships and Normandie
Normandie class battleship
The Normandie-class dreadnought battleships were ordered for the French Navy before the First World War. They were named after provinces of France. These ships were never completed as battleships because the war stopped their construction...
class battleships, had also been considered a moment for Rubis
Rubis class submarine
The Rubis type is a class of first-generation nuclear attack submarines of the French Navy. They are the most compact nuclear attack submarines to date.All submarines of the class are named after gemstones.-History:...
class nuclear attack submarines, and is currently in use for Aquitaine class
FREMM multipurpose frigate
The FREMM Multipurpose Frigate is a ship designed by DCNS/Armaris and Fincantieri to operate in anti-air, anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare, and be capable of carrying out deep strikes against land targets.The French Navy plans to operate eleven FREMM frigates, and the Marina...
second generation stealth frigates.