French battleship Bretagne

Bretagne in Toulon during World War I
History
France
Name: Bretagne
Namesake: Brittany
Laid down: 22 July 1912
Launched: 21 April 1913
Completed: 29 November 1915
Commissioned: 10 February 1916
Fate: Sunk by gunfire from HMS Hood, Valiant and Resolution, 3 July 1940
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type: Bretagne-class battleship
Displacement:
  • 23,936 t (23,558 long tons) (normal)
  • 26,000 t (26,000 long tons) (deep load)
Length: 166 m (544 ft 7 in) (o/a)
Beam: 27 m (88 ft 7 in)
Draft: 9.1 m (29 ft 10 in) (mean)
Installed power:
Propulsion: 4 shafts; 2 steam turbine sets
Speed: 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Range: 4,700 nmi (8,700 km; 5,400 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Crew: 1,193 (1,250 as flagship)
Armament:
Armor:

Bretagne was the lead ship of her class of three battleships built in the 1910s for the French Navy; she had two sister ships, Provence and Lorraine. The ship was entered service in February 1916, after the start of World War I. Bretagne spent the bulk of her career in the Mediterranean Squadron. During the war, she was stationed at Corfu to prevent the Austro-Hungarian fleet from leaving the Adriatic Sea, but she saw no action.

Bretagne was significantly modernized in the 1920s and 1930s, and conducted normal peace-time cruises and training maneuvers in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean. The ship escorted troop convoys after the outbreak of World War II in September 1939 and she was briefly deployed to the Atlantic in search of German blockade runners and commerce raiders. Bretagne was stationed in Mers-el-Kébir, French Algeria, when France surrendered on 22 June 1940. Fearful that the Germans would seize the French Navy, the British attacked the ships at Mers-el-Kébir; Bretagne was hit four times and exploded, killing the majority of her crew. Her wreck was salvaged in 1952 and broken up for scrap.

Design

Bretagne-class design as depicted by Brassey's Naval Annual 1915

The Bretagne class was designed as an improved version of the preceding Courbet class with a more powerful armament, but the limited size of French drydocks forced the turrets to be closer to the ends of the ships, adversely affecting their seakeeping abilities.[1] The ships were 166 meters (544 ft 7 in) long overall[2] and had a beam of 27 m (88 ft 7 in) and a mean draft of 9.1 m (29 ft 10 in). They displaced 23,936 metric tons (23,558 long tons; 26,385 short tons) at normal load and 26,600 metric tons (26,200 long tons; 29,300 short tons) at deep load. Their crew numbered 34 officers and 1,159 men as a private ship and increased to 42 officers and 1,208 crewmen when serving as a flagship. The ships were powered by two license-built Parsons steam turbine sets, each driving two propeller shafts.[3] Each of the Bretagne-class ships had a different type of boiler providing steam to the turbines; Bretagne herself had twenty-four Niclausse boilers.[2] The turbines were rated at a total of 28,000 metric horsepower (21,000 kW) and were designed for a top speed of 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph), but none of the ships exceeded 20.6 knots (38.2 km/h; 23.7 mph) during their sea trials.[3] They carried enough coal and fuel oil to give them a range of 4,700 nautical miles (8,700 km; 5,400 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).[4]

Bretagne's aft turrets, 1919

The Bretagne class's main battery consisted of ten Canon de 34 cm (13.4 in) modèle 1912 guns mounted in five twin gun turrets, numbered one to five from front to rear. Two were in a superfiring pair forward, one amidships, and the last two in a superfiring pair aft. The secondary armament consisted of twenty-two Canon de 138 mm (5.4 in) modèle 1910 guns in casemates along the length of the hull. She also carried a pair of Canon de 47 mm (1.9 in) modèle 1902 guns mounted in the forward superstructure. Five older 47 mm weapons were placed on each turret roof for sub-caliber training before they entered service. The Bretagnes were also armed with four submerged 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes and could stow 20–28 mines below decks. The ships' waterline belt ranged in thickness from 140 to 250 mm (5.5 to 9.8 in) and was thickest amidships. The gun turret faces and sides were protected by 300 mm (11.8 in) of armor. The plates protecting the casemates were 160 mm (6.3 in) thick. The curved armored deck was 40 mm (1.6 in) thick on the flat and 70 mm (2.8 in) on the outer slopes. The conning tower had 266 mm (10.5 in) thick face and sides.[5]

Construction and career

Bretagne in Toulon harbor, 23 October 1916

Named in honour of the province of Brittany,[6] Bretagne was laid down on 22 July 1912 at the Arsenal de Brest, launched on 21 April 1913, and completed on 29 November 1915. The ship was commissioned into the fleet on 10 February 1916.[7] After entering service in 1916, she was assigned to the 1st Division (1ère Division) of the 1st Battle Squadron (1ère Escadre de ligne) and became flagship of Vice Admiral (Vice-amiral) Dominique-Marie Gauchet, commander of the squadron on 10 May.[8] They spent the majority of their time at Corfu to prevent the Austro-Hungarian fleet from attempting to break out of the Adriatic.[9] The fleet's presence was also intended to intimidate Greece, which had become increasingly hostile to the Triple Entente. Later in the war, men were drawn from her crew for anti-submarine warfare vessels. As the Austro-Hungarians largely remained in port for the duration of the war, Bretagne saw no action during the conflict. Indeed, she did not leave port at all for the entirety of 1917,[10] due to a severe shortage of coal at Corfu. The 47 mm modèle 1902 guns were replaced by a pair of Canon de 75 mm (3.0 in) modèle 1897 guns on anti-aircraft mounts in 1918.[11] Bretagne returned to Toulon after the war's end in November.[12]

The ship received a lengthy refit there from 12 June 1919 to 18 October 1920. This included modifications to her gun turrets that increased the elevation of her main armament from 12° to 18° and thus their maximum range to 21,000 meters (23,000 yd). The four forward 138 mm guns were removed because Bretagne was so wet forward that they could only be worked in good weather and their casemates were plated over. Both 75 mm anti-aircraft (AA) guns were replaced by four 75 mm modèle 1918 AA guns mounted amidships. The ship's foremast was replaced by a tripod mast and her mainmast was shortened to allow the ship to fly a captive kite balloon. A Vickers fire-control director that was equipped with a 3.66-meter (12 ft 0 in) rangefinder was installed atop the tripod mast and a pair of additional 2-meter (6 ft 7 in) rangefinders were added, one on each side of the superstructure for the 138 mm guns. Flying-off platforms were fitted to the roofs of Turrets 2 and 4, but these were unsuccessful.[13]

Bretagne became flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet[14] on 6 June 1921 when Vice Admiral Henri Salaun hoisted his flag aboard.[15] The ship accompanied her sister Provence to Le Havre for a naval review that month, and they were back in Toulon in September.[12] Bretagne and the battleship France hosted the British battleship Queen Elizabeth and the light cruiser Coventry during a port visit to Villefranche from 18 February to 1 March 1922. The two French battleships had a gunnery exercise on 28 June using the Austro-Hungarian battleship Prinz Eugen as a target and sank her. On 18 July, Bretagne, France and the battleship Paris began a cruise visiting French ports in the Bay of Biscay and English Channel. On the evening of 25/26 August, France struck an uncharted rock while entering Quiberon and sank several hours later. Bretagne and Paris were able to rescue all but three of her crew. During a training exercise, Bretagne briefly ran aground in the Bizerte canal in Tunisia, but was not damaged.[16] Her sister Provence relieved Bretagne as the fleet flagship[14] on 1 September 1923.[15]

She received a major refit at Toulon from 1 May 1924 to 28 September 1925, during which the elevation of her main armament was increased to 23°, giving her guns a maximum range of 23,700 meters (25,900 yd), and two 1.5-meter (4 ft 11 in) high-angle rangefinders were added for the AA guns. In addition, part of her forward hull armour was removed to make her less wet forward, one group of boilers was converted to oil-firing and the flying-off platforms were removed. The ship resumed her position as flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet[14] when her refit was completed. Bretagne transported the Navy Minister, Georges Leygues, to Malta for an official visit 27 April – 1 May 1926.[17] Provence reassumed the role of fleet flagship[14] on 1 October 1927 when Bretagne prepared to begin a refit to overhaul her boilers that began on 15 November and lasted until 12 May 1928. The navy took the opportunity to upgrade her fire-control systems, replacing her Vickers model with a French Saint Chamond-Granat system in a director-control tower (DCT), and replaced all of her original rangefinders with the exception of the 2-meter (6 ft 7 in) rangefinders in each turret. A pair of 4.57-meter (15 ft 0 in) rangefinders were added on the conning tower roof, another one in the DCT at the top of the foremast and another at the base of the mainmast. A 3-meter (9 ft 10 in) rangefinder was added to the DCT to measure the distance between the target and shell splashes and a traversable 8.2-meter (26 ft 11 in) rangefinder was fitted to the roof of No. 2 turret. Directors with 2-meter rangefinders were also added to control the secondary guns.[18]

On 3 July 1928, Bretagne, Provence and Lorraine participated in a fleet review by the President of France, Gaston Doumergue, at Le Havre and they spent the following year in the Mediterranean. Bretagne, Provence and Paris participated in another fleet review by Doumergue on 10 May 1930 that commemorated the centennial of the conquest of Algeria. On 1 October, Bretagne was decommissioned in anticipation of a modernization that began on 1 July 1932. Her original coal-fired boilers were replaced by new oil-burning ones, No. 2 boiler room was converted into an oil tank, which increased her fuel capacity to 2,500 metric tons (2,500 long tons). Geared Parsons cruise turbines were fitted to the inboard propeller shafts and the outer high-pressure turbines were replaced. The four aft 138 mm guns were removed and their casemates plated over. The four 75 mm mle 1918 AA guns were replaced by eight Canon de 75 mm modèle 1922 AA guns and the torpedo tubes were removed. A new DCT was installed as were a pair of anti-aircraft directors fitted with 2-meter rangefinders.[19]

Provence after her 1934 modernization

After the modernization was completed on 12 November 1934, Bretagne was working up until she left Toulon on 11 May 1935 to join her sisters in the 2nd Division (2e Division) of the 2nd Battle Squadron (2e Escadre de ligne) for maneuvers off the Azores. The ships also port visits in the islands and French Morocco before sailing to Brest where they arrived on 16 June. Later that month Bretagne participated in exercises with the combined fleet. She was briefly refitted from 29 October to 3 December. Together with Provence, Bretagne had gunnery practice off Groix, Brittany, on 7–11 July. On 15 August, the 2nd Squadron was renamed the Atlantic Squadron (Escadre de l'Atlantique). Beginning in 1936, all three sisters had their 4.57-meter rangefinders replaced by 5-meter (16 ft 5 in) ones. The 2nd Battle Division visited ports in the Azores, Madeira, Portuguese Cape Verde, and French Morocco, returning to Brest on 26 February 1937. Later that year Navy Minister Alphonse Gasnier-Duparc reviewed the combined Atlantic and Mediterranean Squadrons on 27 May after that year's fleet maneuvers. Beginning in 1938, the sisters had the rangefinder in the DCT replaced by a 8-meter (26 ft 3 in) model. Bretagne finished a refit on 1 October 1938 and was then working up until May 1939. The 2nd Battle Division was transferred to the Mediterranean Squadron on 10 June 1939.[20]

World War II

At the start of World War II in September, the division was based in Toulon. At the time, Italy was neutral, so there was no immediate threat in the Mediterranean.[12] Nonetheless, the sisters escorted troop convoys between France and French North Africa from 1 September to 5 October.[21] On 4 December, Bretagne and Provence, along with the cruisers Colbert, Dupleix, and Primauguet and several destroyers and submarines operated out of Dakar, French West Africa in search of German commerce raiders and blockade runners without success. Around the middle of the month, the task force began to return to the Mediterranean.[22] After returning to Toulon, Bretagne underwent an extensive overhaul, which lasted until 3 March 1940,[12] during which her 8-meter rangefinder was replaced by a 12-meter (39 ft 4 in) rangefinder.[23] On 11 March, she left France carrying 1,820 boxes of gold bars from the French treasury together with the cruiser Algérie, which carried another 1,179 boxes. They arrived in Halifax on 10 April. On the return voyage, they escorted two American merchant ships carrying 82 aircraft bought by France and arrived at Toulon on 10 April. Five days later, Bretagne sailed to Oran, French Algeria, together with Lorraine, arriving on the 18th where they joined Provence. On 27 April, the 2nd Battle Division was transferred to Algiers and then to Alexandria, Egypt, where they were assigned to Force X. Bretagne and Provence returned to Mers El Kébir on 20 May where they rendezvoused with the Force de Raid, France's most modern ships, in an effort to deter Italy from joining the war.[14][24]

Loss

Bretagne, partially obscured by the shell splash, is on fire and sinking by the stern

Following the French surrender on 22 June, the French fleet was to be disarmed under German and Italian supervision. The British high command, however, was concerned that the French ships would be seized by the Axis powers and placed in service. The Axis navies would then outnumber the Royal Navy. Prime Minister Winston Churchill therefore ordered Vice Admiral James Somerville, the commander of Force H, to neutralise the French fleet at Mers-el-Kébir. He was instructed to order the French vessels to join the British with the Free French, surrender for internment, to scuttle themselves, or be sunk. On 3 July, Somerville arrived and delivered the ultimatum; the French rejected it, and so the British ships opened fire.[25]

Bretagne was hit by four 15-inch (381 mm) projectiles from HMS Hood, HMS Resolution, and HMS Valiant (no ship is individually credited). The two first shells struck simultaneously at 16:59[Note 1] in the third salvo. The first hit the ship near turret No. 4, causing a large explosion that sent a column of flame as high as the masthead and blew a hole in the side of the hull. The resulting flooding limited the explosion's effect on the ship. The second shell struck above the waterline, and detonated in the center engine room, killing all but one of the sailors inside. It knocked out all power and damaged the internal communication system of the ship. Seven minutes later, two other large shells struck Bretagne. One detonated near Turret No. 3 and ignited some ready-use projectiles which were stored in lockers next to the anti-aircraft mounts. At 17:09 a large explosion occurred in the ship and she rolled over and capsized with the loss of 36 officers, 151 petty officers and 825 seamen. The first attempt at salvage was begun in late 1942, but it was called off after a diver was seriously injured by an explosion when attempting to cut through the hull with an oxy-acetylene torch. Bretagne's wreck was salvaged beginning in 1952 and was completed on 21 December 1954.[26]

Notes

  1. ↑ The times given here are French local time, British times are one hour later.

Citations

  1. ↑ Jordan & Caresse, pp. 176–177
  2. 1 2 Gardiner & Gray, p. 198
  3. 1 2 Jordan & Caresse, p. 163
  4. ↑ Dumas & Guiglini, p. 85
  5. ↑ Jordan & Caresse, pp. 163, 168, 172–175
  6. ↑ Silverstone, p. 92
  7. ↑ Dumas & Guiglini, p. 83
  8. ↑ Jordan & Caresse, pp. 244–245
  9. ↑ Halpern, p. 19
  10. ↑ Whitley, pp. 42–43
  11. ↑ Jordan & Caresse, pp. 168, 277
  12. 1 2 3 4 Whitley, p. 43
  13. ↑ Jordan & Caresse, p. 304
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 Meirat, p. 26
  15. 1 2 Jordan & Caresse, p. 247
  16. ↑ Jordan & Caresse, pp. 289–290
  17. ↑ Jordan & Caresse, p. 290
  18. ↑ Jordan & Caresse, pp. 306–307
  19. ↑ Jordan & Caresse, pp. 291, 307–308
  20. ↑ Jordan & Caresse, pp. 294–295, 310
  21. ↑ Jordan & Caresse, p. 311
  22. ↑ Rohwer, p. 10
  23. ↑ Jordan & Caresse, p. 310
  24. ↑ Jordan & Caresse, p. 312; Rohwer, pp. 16, 21
  25. ↑ Jordan & Caresse, pp. 312–313
  26. ↑ Jordan & Caresse, pp. 314–315

References

  • Dumas, Robert & Guiglini, Jean (1980). Les cuirassés français de 23,500 tonnes (in French). Grenoble, France: Editions de 4 Seigneurs. OCLC 7836734.
  • Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships: 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-907-8.
  • Halpern, Paul G. (2004). The Battle of the Otranto Straits. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-34379-6.
  • Jordan, John & Caresse, Phillippe (2017). French Battleships of World War One. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-59114-639-1.
  • Meirat, Jean (1978). "French Battleships Lorraine, Bretagne and Provence". F. P. D. S. Newsletter. Akron, Ohio: F. P. D. S. VI (4): 26–27.
  • Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939-1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
  • Silverstone, Paul H. (1984). Directory of the World's Capital Ships. New York: Hippocrene Books. ISBN 0-88254-979-0.
  • Whitley, M. J. (1998). Battleships of World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-55750-184-4.

Further reading

  • Dumas, Robert (1986). "The French Dreadnoughts: The 23,500 ton Bretagne Class". In Lambert, Andrew D. Warship. X. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 74–85, 158–165. ISBN 978-0-85177-449-7.
  • Hore, Peter (2006). Battleships of World War I. London: Southwater Books. ISBN 978-1-84476-377-1.
  • O'Hara, Vincent P.; Dickson, W. David & Worth, Richard (2010). On Seas Contested: The Seven Great Navies of the Second World War. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-646-9.

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