List of battleships of France

This is a list of French battleships of the period 1859–1970. Note that the dates given are the ships' launch date.

The French Navy pursued three main lines of development with these ships:
 * Large sea-going battleships. The first generation were broadside ironclads; the next generation were central battery ships with some guns in barbettes to give all round fire.  The French then abandoned the central battery in favour of a narrow armoured belt and a main armament in barbettes.  Two French battleships FRENCH IRONCLAD Brennus and FRENCH IRONCLAD Charles Martel were abandoned in the 1880s, in part because it was believed that more money should be spent on high-technology weapons such as torpedo boats.  The French adopted the lozenge layout in the 1880s and 1890s, and only adopted the 'pre-dreadnought' layout in the late 1890s. Like other powers the French laid down 'dreadnoughts' before the First World War, but their dreadnought programmes were cut short by the war.  During the 1930s, the French laid down new fast battleships; the s were designed to counter the s and were rivals of the German, the s were designed to counter the Italian  and were rivals of the German .  The last French battleship was scrapped in 1970.


 * Stationnaire battleships. These were smaller versions of the large battleships, and were often used on foreign stations where they did the job of a battleship.  Development of this type was abandoned in the 1880s in favour of armoured cruisers.


 * Coastal service ships. The first of these was the steam-powered ironclad 'floating batteries' used to attack Russian fortifications in the Crimean War.  More were built in the early 1860s; then they built a series of low freeboard turret and barbette ships, some of which were arguably sea-going battleships.

Broadside ironclads

 *  5,603 tons.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Gloire (1859) – world's first ocean-going ironclad, stricken 1879.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Invincible (1861) – stricken 1872.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Normandie (1860) – stricken 1871.


 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Couronne (1861) 5,983 tons – hulked 1910.


 *  6,715 tons.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Magenta (1861) – sank after internal explosion 1875.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Solférino (1861) – stricken 1882.


 *  5,700 – 6,122 tons.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Provence (1863) – stricken 1884.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Savoie (1863) – stricken 1888.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Héroïne (1863) – hulked 1894.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Flandre (1864) – stricken 1886.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Magnanime (1864) – stricken 1882.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Surveillante (1864) – stricken 1890.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Valeureuse (1864) – stricken 1886.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Gauloise (1865) – stricken 1883.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Guyenne (1865) – stricken 1882.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Revanche (1865) – BU (broken up) 1893.

Stationnaire broadside ironclads

 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Belliqueuse (1865) 3,717 tons – expended as a target 1886.

Central battery ships with barbettes

 *  7,580/7,775 tons.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Océan (1868) – stricken 1894.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Marengo (1869) – sold 1896.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Suffren (1870) – stricken 1897.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Friedland (1873) 8,850 tons – stricken 1902.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Richelieu (1873) 8,984 tons – sold 1901, sank in the Bay of Biscay after sale.
 *  8,750 tons.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Colbert (1875) – stricken 1900.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Trident (1876) – hulked 1904.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Redoutable (1876) 9,224 tons, first warship in the world to use steel as the principal building material – stricken 1910.
 *  10,450 tons.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Dévastation (1879) – BU 1922.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Courbet (1882) ex-FRENCH IRONCLAD Foudroyant – stricken 1910.

Stationnaire central battery ships with barbettes

 *  3,513–3,828 tons.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Alma (1867) – hulked 1886.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Armide (1867) – stricken 1887.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Atalante (1868) – stricken 1887.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Jeanne d'Arc (1867) – stricken 1883.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Montcalm (1868) ex-FRENCH IRONCLAD Indienne – stricken 1891.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Reine Blanche (1868) – stricken 1886.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Thétis (1867) – stricken 1895.
 *  4,585–4,645 tons.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD La Galissonnière (1872) – stricken 1894.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Triomphante (1877) – sold 1903.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Victorieuse (1875) – hulked 1900.

Barbette ships

 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Amiral Duperré (1879) 11,030 tons. Though this ship was designed for sail as well as steam power, her sails were removed before completion. – stricken 1909.
 *  11,720 tons, the first French sea-going battleships without any sail power.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Amiral Baudin (1883) – hulked 1909.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Formidable (1885) – stricken 1911.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Hoche (1886) 10,820 tons, turrets & barbettes – target 1913.
 *  10,558–10,810 tons.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Marceau (1887) – BU 1922.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Magenta (1890) – stricken 1910.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Neptune (1887) – stricken 1913.
 *  10,600–10,650 tons, slightly enlarged Marceaus.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Charles Martel (-) laid down 1883, construction suspended 1886.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Brennus (-) laid down 1884, construction suspended 1886.

Stationnaire barbette ships

 *  5,915–6,260 tons. Smaller versions of Amiral Dupperré, with full sail power.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Bayard (1880) – hulked 1899.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Turenne (1879) – stricken 1901.
 *  6,112 tons. Improved Bayards.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Duguesclin (1883) – stricken 1904.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Vauban (1882) – stricken 1905.

Turret ships



 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Brennus (1891) 11,190 tons, the first large ship with Belleville boilers, – BU 1922.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Charles Martel 11,693 tons – stricken 1922.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Carnot (1894) 11,954 tons – stricken 1922.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Jauréguiberry (1893) 11,637 tons – BU 1934.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Masséna (1895) 11,735 tons – hulked, then scuttled as a breakwater at Cape Helles 1915.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Bouvet (1896) 12,007 tons – mined 1915.
 *  11,100 tons.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Charlemagne (1895) – stricken 1920.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Saint Louis (1896) – BU 1933.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Gaulois (1896) – torpedoed 1916.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Iéna (1898) 11,860 tons – sank after explosion 1907.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Suffren (1899) 12,527 tons – torpedoed 1916.
 *  14,605–14,900 tons.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP République (1902) – stricken 1921.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Patrie (1903) – stricken 1928.
 *  14,489–14,860 tons.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Liberté (1905) – sank after explosion 1911.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Justice (1904) – stricken 1922.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Vérité (1907) – stricken 1922.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Démocratie – stricken 1921.
 *  ("semi-Dreadnoughts") 18,318 tons normal, 19,763 tons full load.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Danton (1909) – torpedoed 1917 in Tyrrhenian Sea.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Voltaire (1909) – condemned 1935, BU 1939.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Diderot (1909) – condemned 1936, BU 1937.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Condorcet (1909) – deleted 1931, scuttled 1942, refloated 1944, sold for BU 1945.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Mirabeau (1909) – target 1921–22, BU 1928.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Vergniaud (1910) – deleted 1921, used as target for experiments until 1926, BU 1928.

Experimental turret ships

 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Henri IV (1899) 8,807 tons – stricken 1921.

Dreadnoughts



 *  22,189 tons normal, 25,000–26,000 tons full load.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Jean Bart (1911) – renamed FRENCH BATTLESHIP Océan 1936, disarmed for use as a training ship 1938, used for explosives trials by the Germans and sank 1944, sold for BU 1945, broken up (BU) 1946–47.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Courbet (1911) – training ship 1939, taken over by Royal Navy 3 July 1940, transferred to Free French and used as AA guardship, scuttled on 9 June 1944 as part of a Mulberry harbour during the Normandy landings.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Paris (1912) – training ship 1939, taken over by Royal Navy 3 July 1940, transferred to Free French and used as accommodation ship, towed to Brest August 1944, used as a pontoon from 1950, sold for BU December 1955, BU 1956
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP France (1912) – wrecked 1922.
 *  25,000 full load.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Provence (1913) – sunk at Mers-el-Kébir 3 July 1940, refloated, and repaired at Toulon, scuttled November 1942, refloated 1943, scuttled 1944, refloated and BU 1949.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Bretagne (1913) – sunk at Mers-el-Kébir 3 July 1940, salvaged 1952 and BU.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Lorraine (1913) – interned by the British at Alexandria June 1940 – May 1943, then used by Free French, used as training ship 1945–1953, stricken February 1953, BU 1954.
 *  25,230 full load (all except Béarn were cancelled and scrapped after launching).
 * Gascogne (1914) – BU 1923–24.
 * Normandie (1914) – BU 1924–25.
 * Flandre (1914) – BU 1924.
 * Languedoc (1916) – BU 1929.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Béarn (1920) converted to aircraft carrier 1923–27 – BU 1967.
 *  29,000 tons full load, planned under 1912 programme, it was intended to place orders with builders in January–April 1915.
 * Duquesne (-) not started.
 * Lille (-) not started.
 * Lyon (-) not started.
 * Tourville (-) not started.

Fast battleships

 *  26,500 tons standard, 30,750–31,400 tons normal, 35,500 tons deep load.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Dunkerque (1935) – damaged at Mers-el-Kébir 1940, underwent temporary repairs enabling her to returned to Toulon in February 1942, scuttled November 1942, refloated 1945, sold for BU 1958.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Strasbourg (1936) – scuttled November 1942, refloated 1943, sunk 1944, refloated 1945, used as experimental hulk, sold for BU 1955.
 *  35,000 tons standard, 43,293–46,500 tons standard, 47,548–49,850 tons deep load.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Richelieu (1939) – BU 1964.
 * FRENCH BATTLESHIP Jean Bart (1940) – last battleship commissioned in the world BU 1970.
 * Clemenceau (1943) – launched incomplete 1943, hull sunk by bombing 27 August 1944.
 * Gascogne never laid down – cancelled.
 *  (two planned but not ordered)

Broadside ironclad floating batteries for coastal service

 *  built for the Crimean War 1,600 tons.
 * FRENCH SHIP Congrève – stricken 1867
 * FRENCH SHIP Dévastation (1855) – stricken 1871.
 * FRENCH SHIP Foudroyante (1855) – stricken 1871.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Lave (1855) – stricken 1871.
 * FRENCH SHIP Tonnante (1855) – stricken 1871.
 *  1,508–1,539 tons.
 * FRENCH SHIP Paixhans (1862) – stricken 1871.
 * FRENCH SHIP Palestro (1862) – stricken 1871.
 * FRENCH SHIP Peiho (1862) – stricken 1871.
 * FRENCH SHIP Saïgon (1862) – stricken 1871.
 *  1,412-1.490 tons.
 * FRENCH SHIP Arrogante (1864) – stricken 1881.
 * FRENCH SHIP Implacable (1864) – stricken 1884.
 * FRENCH SHIP Opiniâtre (1864) – stricken 1885.
 *  1,426–1,589 tons.
 * FRENCH SHIP Embuscade (1865) – stricken 1885.
 * FRENCH SHIP Imprenable (1867) – stricken 1882.
 * FRENCH SHIP Protectrice (1866) – stricken 1889.
 * FRENCH SHIP Refuge (1866) – stricken 1884.
 * FRENCH IRONCLAD Rochambeau (1865) ex-USS Dunderberg 7,800 tons, purchased 1867 – stricken 1872.

Armoured Rams

 * FRENCH SHIP Taureau (1865) barbette ship ram 2,433 tons – stricken 1890.
 * FRENCH SHIP Onondaga (1863) ex-USS Onondaga (1863) 2,551 tons, purchased 1867 – stricken 1904.
 *  3,532 tons.
 * FRENCH SHIP Bélier (1870) – stricken 1896.
 * FRENCH SHIP Bouledogue (1872) – stricken 1897.
 * FRENCH SHIP Cerbère (1868) – stricken 1887.
 * FRENCH SHIP Tigre (1871) – stricken 1892.

Breastwork Monitors

 *  5,765–5,871 tons.
 * FRENCH SHIP Tonnerre (1875) – stricken 1905.
 * FRENCH SHIP Fulminant (1877) – stricken 1908.
 *  4.635-4,793 tons.
 * FRENCH SHIP Tempête (1876) – stricken 1907.
 * FRENCH SHIP Vengeur (1878) – stricken 1905.

Barbette Ships

 * FRENCH SHIP Tonnant (1880) barbette ship 5,010 tons. Originally intended to be similar to Tempête, but redesigned as a small battleship with increased freeboard and a gun at each end in barbettes. – stricken 1903.
 * FRENCH SHIP Furieux (1883) barbette ship 5,925 tons. Similar to Tonnant for the same reasons. – stricken 1913.
 *  7,530 tons. Small battleships based on the Amiral Baudin, and intended for operating in the Baltic in case of war with Germany. The British sometimes considered these to be sea-going battleships, and sometimes coastal service warships.
 * FRENCH SHIP Caïman (1885) – BU 1927.
 * FRENCH SHIP Indomptable (1883) – BU 1927.
 * FRENCH SHIP Requin (1885) – stricken 1920.
 * FRENCH SHIP Terrible (1887) – stricken 1911.

Later Coast Defence Ships

 *  6,476 tons.
 * FRENCH TURRET SHIP Jemmapes (1892) – hulked 1911.
 * FRENCH TURRET SHIP Valmy (1892) – stricken 1911.
 *  6,681 tons.
 * FRENCH COAST DEFENSE SHIP Amiral-Tréhouart (1893) – stricken 1922.
 * FRENCH COAST DEFENSE SHIP Bouvines (1892) – stricken 1920.