Courbet class
 The Courbet (photo probably from 1925), the type ship of the class.
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The Courbet- class was a class of four battleships of the French Navy , which were completed shortly before the outbreak of the First World War . At the same time, these four units were also the first battleships of the so-called dreadnought type that France put into service. The namesake of the class itself or the type ship was the French admiral Amédée-Anatole Courbet . The three sister ships were named after the French privateer Jean Bart as well as France itself and the French capital ( Paris ). There were no war losses in both world wars for the class, but one of the ships, the France , was lost in 1922 as a result of being stranded . The remaining three units were partially modernized, but either already in the interwar period or during the course of the Second World War reclassified as school or stationary depot ships and scrapped after the war. The type ship Courbet was sunk as a breakwater itself in 1944 as part of the Allied landing in Normandy .
In April 1940 it was decided to replace the Courbet and the Paris with new battleships of the Alsace class . However, due to the war, this did not happen.
Technical details and modifications
With a maximum length of 168.02 m and a width of 27.89 m, the ships of the Courbet class were the largest warships that had been built in France up to that point when they were commissioned. The dimensions of the Courbet class were limited by the size of the dry docks that existed at the time. At the same time, it was also the first real dreadnought-type ships that the French Navy put into service. The previously built Danton- class ships of the line were not only around 5,000 ts smaller, but also had more or less an interim solution between the so-called standard ship of the line and the dreadnoughts or the concept of the all big gun one caliber battleship , which was not least reflected in the The introduction of a semi-heavy caliber (24 cm) between the main and middle artillery in the latter class had reflected.
In the course of their service time, some ships were slightly redesigned, for example the two front chimneys behind the bridge structure were combined into one large one, from the mid-1920s a tripod mast partly integrated into the bridge structure came on board instead of the previous (and further aft) main mast .
Armament
The Courbet- class large-line ships had a main artillery of twelve 30.5 cm L / 45 cannons model 1910 . These guns (the exact name was Canon de 305 mm / 45 Modèle 1910 ) had been introduced into the French Navy from 1906 (originally as the Modèle 1906). The cannons of the 1910 model were virtually identical to those of the 1906 model, but were a little lighter and had turrets that allowed the tubes to be set at a slightly higher angle (up to 23 degrees for the 1910 model). The twelve Courbet- class guns were housed in six twin towers, each weighing around 560 tons, with two towers each standing in an elevated position in front of and aft of the main superstructure. Two more towers were located on both sides of the ship, roughly level between chimneys 2 and 3, with which ten guns could be brought to bear on one broadside . These cannons, the ammunition doping was 100 rounds per barrel, could fire an armor-piercing grenade weighing 432 kilograms over a maximum distance of up to 26,300 m. The rate of fire was around 1.5 rounds per minute.
The middle artillery consisted of 22 13.86 cm L / 55 model 1910 cannons ( Canon de 138 mm / 55 Modèle 1910 ), which were housed in eleven casemates on both sides of the ship. Although this caliber was slightly lighter than comparable German (15 cm) or British (15.2 cm) medium artillery guns, the French designers preferred this model because the bullet weight (39.5 kilograms) was lower and you would get a better one Handling of the ammunition by the operating crews and a higher rate of fire, especially when defending against torpedo vehicles, promised. In reality, however, there were hardly any advantages, since the rate of fire of the French gun was virtually identical to that of its German or British counterparts (depending on the experience of the crews, about 5 to 7 rounds per minute). The range of the 13.86 cm cannons, with a maximum tube elevation of 25 degrees, was around 16,100 m. The doping was 275 shells per tube. At the beginning of the service, all four ships also had four individually mounted 4.7 cm Hotchkiss guns , which were originally designed to defend against torpedo boats . When the war broke out in 1914, however, these cannons were largely obsolete as the increasing size of the torpedo boats and destroyers minimized the effectiveness of the 4.7 cm caliber. At the same time , the British Navy had already begun to expand their 7.62 cm guns , which were originally also introduced for torpedo boat defense, due to their growing ineffectiveness.
Furthermore, the vessels were on board Courbet class four 45-cm torpedo tubes of the model 1909. This was below the waterline permanently installed and could torpedo the type M12D (145 kg warhead) use up; a total of twelve reserve torpedoes were on board. These torpedoes had a maximum speed of 28 knots up to 3,000 meters and a maximum range of around 8,000 m at a lower speed.
Modifications
While the France has probably hardly seen any changes due to its early loss, the 45 cm torpedo tubes on the three other ships were removed around 1937/38. In addition, eight of the 13.86 cm guns of the medium artillery gradually disembarked from around 1925. In return, the remaining units were given a total of six modern ones between 1927 and 1937 after seven outdated 7.5 cm L / 62.5 cannons of the 1908 model (which, however, had no air targeting capability) on board around 1921/22 and individually mounted 7.5 cm Flak L / 50 of the 1922 model, which replaced all older 7.5 cm cannons.
On board the Courbet , the aft main mast was shortened to the level of the first platform in 1918 (roughly level with the chimneys). This now free platform was used as a launch site for a tethered balloon that was used for artillery observation. Although the system is said to have failed, the balloon remained on the ship until at least 1925. The Courbet was the only ship of the class that was equipped with such a system.
From 1939 at least Paris and Courbet also carried 14 heavy 13.2 mm AA machine guns each in six double and two single mounts and (presumably as a test) four semi-automatic 3.7 cm Flak L / 50 of the 1933 model in two twin mounts .
Machine system
At the beginning of their service life, the ships of the Courbet class each had either 24 coal-fired Belleville boilers (in the two ships Courbet and Jean Bart laid down in 1910 ) or the same number of steam boilers of the Niclausse type in the units started in 1911 ( France and Paris ), to which four Parsons-type steam turbines are connected. The boilers consisted of eight smaller and 16 large steam boilers and were housed in three separate rooms. According to the building specifications, the ships should have reached at least 20 kn (about 37 km / h) with an engine power of 28,000 WPS on four propeller shafts . During test drives, however, these values were slightly exceeded by all units: The Jean Bart , the fastest ship in its class, achieved a top speed of 22.6 kn (almost 42 km / h) with an output of 30,000 WPS. These values have also been included in the adjacent information block. With a coal supply of a maximum of 2,670 ts, the ships had a range of up to 8,370 nautical miles (at 10 kn cruising speed), at maximum speed (20 kn) just under 2,200 nautical miles.
Between 1927 and 1931, the boilers on all three remaining units were converted to oil firing (the fuel supply was around 2,500 tons of oil from this point on), and the number of chimneys was reduced from three to two (the two in front, located directly behind the bridge structure , were combined into a large chimney); As part of this conversion, Courbet also received new types of geared turbines instead of the steam turbines .
Armor protection
The Courbet class had a 99 m long and 4.75 m high main belt armor - of which were 2.35 m above and 2.40 m below the waterline - which was 270 mm thick amidships and 180 mm towards the ends rejuvenated. The transverse bulkheads at both ends of the belt were 70 mm thick. The armored deck measured an average of 40 mm, but was up to 70 mm thick over the vital parts (machine areas, ammunition rooms). Below the main deck there were three more decks , which were also armored (30 mm thick). There was no torpedo bulkhead on board.
The turrets of the main artillery had 320 mm thick front armor and 250 mm thick side armor. The ceilings of the towers were 100 mm thick. The armor protection of the 13.86 cm casemate guns was 180 mm; This involved additional protection, partly on the actual belt armor, which, continuously tapering to a thickness of only 30 mm, extended to the bow of the ships. This armor protection in the bow area was removed from 1929 on the remaining ships up to the forward artillery tower, as the units had proven to be slightly bow-heavy, which in turn resulted in a rather "wet" forecastle .
Courbet- class units
| ship | Shipyard | Keel laying | Commissioning | Notes and whereabouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courbet | Arsenal de Lorient , Lorient , France | September 1, 1910 | November 19, 1913 | Used in the Mediterranean during the First World War , sinking the Austro-Hungarian cruiser Zenta (together with the sister ships) off Antivari . From 1920 training ship, there was a fire in the boiler room in 1923. Docked and modernized several times between 1924 and 1931. Reclassification for artillery training ship in 1937. In World War II bombardment of Cherbourg and after the defeat of France delivery of the ship to the free French Navy (FNFL) (July 1940) by the British. 1940 to April 1943 stationary anti-aircraft ship and depot in Portsmouth . Used from April to December 1943 as a target ship for experiments with the roll bomb "Highball". June 1944: After decommissioning, self-sinking as a breakwater off Normandy as part of Operation Overlord . Scrapped on site after the end of the war. |
| Jean Bart | Brest Naval Base , Brest , France | November 15, 1910 | June 5, 1913 | Used in the Mediterranean during the First World War (see Courbet ), torpedoed by the Austro-Hungarian submarine U-12 on December 21, 1914 , repair until April 1915. In the eastern Mediterranean until 1918, taking part in the occupation of Corfu in 1916 . 1919 brief mutiny on board (due to the intention of the Entente Powers to intervene in the Russian civil war ). Conversions and modernizations between 1923 and 1925 and between 1929 and 1931. Decommissioned and disarmed in 1936 due to poor general condition, used as the Hulk in Toulon under the new name Océan . November 1942: Capture by the Wehrmacht . Hulk was temporarily used by the Germans to attempt blasting and scrapped on site after the end of the war or from December 1945. |
| Paris | Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée , La Seyne-sur-Mer , France | November 10, 1911 | August 1, 1914 | Used in the Mediterranean during the First World War (see Courbet ). 1916 Participation in the occupation of Corfu. Support of the Greek army in the conquest of Smyrna in 1919 ( Greco-Turkish War ). First conversion from 1922 to 1925. In the summer of 1925, the Rifkabylen positions near Al Hoceïma were bombarded as part of the Second Moroccan War , slightly damaged by coastal guns (six hits from artillery). Several docking times until 1938. Bombardment of Cherbourg during World War II (1940), again slightly damaged by German bombs on June 11, 1940. Escape to Great Britain, delivery of the ship to the Free French Navy (FNFL) in July 1940. Lying in Plymouth until 1944 as a stationary anti-aircraft ship and as a depot for the Polish Navy in exile . After decommissioning and after the end of the war in 1945, towed to Brest and used there as a warehouse in a disarmed state until 1955, demolition of the old Hulk from June 1956. |
| France | Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire , Saint-Nazaire , France | November 30, 1911 | July 15, 1914 | Also used in the Mediterranean during the First World War (see Courbet ). 1916 Participation in the occupation of Corfu. 1919 brief mutiny on board (see Jean Bart ). Accumulated on August 26, 1922 in Quiberon Bay on an underwater rock not shown on the nautical charts and sank after just under four hours (three fatalities). The wreck, which is only about 15 m deep, was gradually dismantled and scrapped on site between 1935 and 1958. |
literature
- Breyer, Siegfried: Battleships and battle cruisers 1905-1970 . JF Lehmanns publishing house, Munich 1970.
- Dumas, Robert: The French Dreadnoughts: The 23,500 ton Courbet Class . Naval Institute Press, Annapolis 1985.
- Gardiner, Robert / Gray, Randal: Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships: 1906–1922 . Naval Institute Press, Annapolis 1985.
Web links
- Side elevation of Courbet with some data. (French)
- Pictures and data about the class at battleships-cruisers.co.uk. (English)
Footnotes
- ↑ Note: Only the two units laid down in 1910 had Belleville boilers, the Paris and France units laid down in 1911 had those of the Niclausse type.
- ↑ David and Hugh Lyon; Siegfried Greiner: Warships from 1900 to today, technology and use . Buch und Zeit Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Cologne 1979, p. 80 .
- ^ Breyer, Siegfried: Battleships and battle cruisers 1905 to 1970 . Verlag JF Lehmanns, Munich 1970, p. 445.
- ↑ Stephen Dent: The Battleship Courbet and Operation 'Substance'. In: John Jordan, Stephan Dent (eds.): Warship 2016 . Conway, London 2016, ISBN 978-1-8448-6326-6 , pp. 152-160.