french battleship france world of warships

However, after the French defeat during the Battle of France, a proposal was made to move the Richelieu, Jean Bart and other warships to Oran to be demobilized. A cargo vessel carried her second and still incomplete turret, which French authorities had planned to install at a later date – however, the cargo ship was sunk by a German submarine.Īfter arriving in Casablanca, the anti-aircraft guns on Jean Bart were removed to strengthen the defenses of the port. She had managed to escape and reach Casablanca on June 22.Īt the time, only one of the battleship’s turrets out of a planned two was operational. Nazaire, and was just beginning to fit out when France fell to the Germans in June 1940. Named for the 17th-century French naval commander and privateer, Jean Bart was the second of four planned Richelieu -class battleships. The American forces had hoped that Vichy French defenders would surrender and even defect to the Free French.Īmong the Vichy defenses was the immobile Richelieu-class battleship Jean Bart. Navy’s South Dakota-class “fast battleship” USS Massachusetts (BB-59), the aircraft carriers USS Ranger (CV-4) and USS Suwannee (CVE-27), and three heavy cruisers, led the invasion fleet that landed near Casablanca. One of those was off the coast of Morocco on November 8, 1942, during the Operation Torch landings in French North Africa.Īn American covering force, which included the U.S. The Second World War saw the end of the battleship as a dominant force in the world’s navies, but despite that fact, there were still a few times when battleships engaged battleships.

French battleship france world of warships