NEW FRENCH DREADNOUGHTS

Nelson Evening Mail, 26 September 1916, Page 7

NEW FRENCH DREADNOUGHTS

Three of the five French Dreadnoughts, completed during: the war, which form "a powerful and homogeneous squadron." are said to 'be tit© TJretagne, the Lorraine,, and the Provence, all of -which were completed in 1915. These three are 23/950-ton ships, have a speed of 20 knots, and carry 10 13.4-ihch guns, hesides lighter armament. One of the other two may come from the five Normandie class Ibattleships, the Bearne, Flandre, Gascogne, Tja.'iirued'oc, and Nomiaridie, eaoh just under 35,000 tons, capable of 21 knots, and with an armament of no less than 12 13.4-inch guns, in three turrets, as well as 24 5.5-inch gams and four "3-pounders-. Neither the Flandre nor the Gascogne have been, completed yet, so far as- is known, but the Normandie was launched in. 1914, and the Bearne and Languedoc in IBIS, so tihat •the Normandie, at any rate, --may perhaps ■be on service now. Assuming this to have Ibeen the fourth vessel, the fifth ■may be a .battleship of the Lorraine class, .whiitfi was laid' aowri at the St. Nazaire shipyard in June,' 1914, to "be built for Greece. These five Dtreadnoughts do not represent the latest- ideas of the French naval authorities. Four other battleships are .being built, which embody still' newer development. 'None of- these four —the Tourville, Lille, Lyon, and Duquesne—can be finfehedL yet;. they were to have .been laid down in OctcA>er at last year. The most interesting of the new developments about these is their armament. They are to carry no fewer than 16 13.4-inch guns, in four turrets. This armament may be compared! with the eigiht 16-inch guns of the Queen Elizabeth, of the Royal Sovereign class, or with the eight 13.5-inch guns of the Lion or Tigei*.