RICHELIEU (Jan. 17, 1939)
JEAN BART (March 6, 1940)
Displacement: 35,000 tons (48,500 tons full load).
(Actual standard displacement probably approaches 40,000 tons).
Complement: 1,946
Length: 794 feet.
Beam: 108 feet 7 inches
Draught: 26,5 feet (mean)
Guns: (as rearmed)
8-15 inch.
9-6 inch.
12-3,9 inch AA.
69-40 mm. AA. (Bofors).
37-20 mm. AA. (Oerlikon).
Armour:
9"-16" Belt
8" Dect (Upper and lower combined).
13"-17" Main Turrets.
5" Secondary Turrets.
13" Conning Tower.
(Total weight of armour, 14,000 tons; of machinery, over 3,000 tons.)
Machinery: Parsons geared trbines. 4 shafts. S.H.P.: 150,000=30 kst. (In service she has reached 32 kts. With 180,000 S.H.P.) Boilers: 6 Indret. Oil fuel: 6,000 tons. Radius of action: 6,000 miles at 15 kts.

Name

Builder

Machinery

Laid down

Completed

Richelieu

Brest

Loire

22/10/35

July 1940

Jean Bart

Penhoët, Loire

Penhoët

1/1/37

1948
General Notes.- Percentage of displacement devoted to armour is higher than in any previous ships. Jean Bart built in Loire yard, but construction shared by Penhoët concern. Both ships were built in dry docks, their cost exceeding 2,000,000 francs each. Uncompleted hull of a third ship, Clemenceau, was sunk by Allied heavy bombers during siege of Brest. A fourth ship, the Gascogne, was projected, but never begun. Jean Bart, now being completed, will be given a new type of bridge and improved AA. armament. Her missing 15 inch guns will be replaced by pieces originally intended for Clemenceau and Gascogne.

RICHELIEU

JEAN BART


JEAN BART
Damaged by Allied operation Torch Nov.8, 1942