Brittany (ship, 1913)

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Brittany
Brittany (1916) - raster.jpg
Ship data
flag FranceFrance (national flag of the sea) France
Ship type Battleship
class Brittany- class
Shipyard Arsenal de Brest
Keel laying July 1, 1912
Launch April 21, 1913
Commissioning September 1915
Whereabouts Sunk on July 3, 1940
Ship dimensions and crew
length
166 m ( Lüa )
164.9 m ( KWL )
width 27 m
Draft Max. 9.8 m
displacement Construction: 22,200 t
Maximum: 25,000 t
 
crew 1133 men
Machine system
machine 24 × Niclaussee steam boilers
from 1932-34 conversion:
6 × Indret steam boilers
2 × Parsons turbines
Machine
performance 		29,000 PS (21,329 kW)
Top
speed 		21.5 kn (40 km / h)
propeller 4th
Armament
  • 10 × Sk 34.0 cm L / 45
  • 22 × SK 13.86 cm L / 55
Armor
  • Belt: 160-270 mm
  • Citadel: 80–180 mm
  • Upper deck: 30-40 mm
  • upper armored deck: 40 mm
  • lower armored deck: 40 mm, slopes 70 mm
  • Longitudinal tank bulkhead: 8 mm
  • Barbettes: 248-270 mm
  • Towers: 72–400 mm
  • Casemate: 180 mm
  • Command tower: 314 mm

Commissioned in September 1915, Brittany was a battleship of the French Navy and the lead ship of its class . It was sunk in Mers-el-Kébir on July 3, 1940 during World War II by artillery fire from Hood , Valiant and Resolution . 977 French seamen were killed in the attack on the former ally.

construction

The keel was laid on July 1, 1912, the launch on April 21, 1913. It entered service in September 1915 and carried 10 of the new 340 mm L45 Modèle 1912 guns.

The steam boiler in Brittany was partially converted to oil firing between 1921 and 1925; further modifications took place between 1932 and 1934. The 14,000 hp more powerful drive (the original design had 29,000 hp) only increased speed to 21.5 koten.

The Brittany had two sister ships:

Stakes and history

The Brittany was used in both world wars in the Mediterranean. In 1940, after the Compiègne armistice , the ship was in Mers-el-Kébir .

Because of British fears that the French fleet lying there could come under German command, Operation Catapult was undertaken. Part of the overall operation was the destruction of the ships lying in the port of Mers-el-Kébir if they did not join the Royal Navy. After the expiry of a corresponding ultimatum , the British ships lying in front of the port opened fire. During the bombardment, Brittany received four hits from 38.1 cm shells, which triggered explosions on board and caused the ship to capsize and sink. 977 French seamen were killed in the sinking or suffered fatal injuries from burning puddles of oil.

The Brittany wreck was lifted and scrapped in 1952.

literature

  • Siegfried Breyer: Battleships and battle cruisers 1905–1970 . JF Lehmanns Verlag, Munich 1970, ISBN 3-88199-474-2 .
  • Anthony Preston: An Illustrated History of the Navies of World War II . Bison Books Ltd., London 1976; ISBN 0-600-36569-7 .

Web links

Footnotes

  1. ^ Siegfried Breyer: Battleships and battle cruisers 1905-1970 . JF Lehmanns Verlag, Munich, 1970, p. 446