The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia: Richelieu, French
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The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia | |
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U.S. Navy. Via Wikipedia Commons
| Tonnage | 37,832 tons standard displacement |
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| Dimensions | 813'4" by 108'3" by 30'1"247.90m by 32.99m by 9.17m |
| Maximum speed | 31.5 knots |
| Complement | 1670 |
| Aircraft | 2 catapults3 seaplanes |
| Armament | 2x4 15"/45 guns3x3 6"/55 guns12 3.9"/45 AA guns12 40mm Bofors AA guns16 machine guns |
| Protection | 15960 tons:12.9" (330mm) belt tapering to 6.7" (170mm) and inclined 15 degrees14" (355mm) forward bulkhead9,2" (233mm) aft bulkhead5.9" (150mm) main deck2" (50mm) splinter deck6"/6"/4" (150mm/150mm/100mm) steering roof/aft bulkhead/slopes16.9"/11.8"/10.6"/6.7" (430mm/300mm/270mm/170mm) main turret front/side/rear/roof15.9" (405mm) barbettes5.1"/5.1"/5.1"/2.4" (130mm/130mm/130mm/60mm) secondary turret front/sides/rear/roof13.4" (340mm) conning tower22'9" (9m) deep underwater protection with 1.2" (30mm) holding bulkhead |
| Machinery | 4-shaft Parsons geared turbine (150,000 shp)6 Indret boilers |
| Bunkerage | 6796 tons fuel oil |
| Range | 8250 nautical miles (15,300 km) at 15 knots |
| Sensors | SG surface search radar Type 281 air search radar SA air search radar |
Richelieu was designed in response to Mussolini's declaration in 1934 that Italy would construct two battleships with 15" guns. The design was sound, with two quadruple turrets to reduce the length of the armored citadeland allow good protection (particulary horizontal protection) within the treaty displacement. The 6" guns in the original design proved useless as antiaircraft weapons and the number was reduced to allow for a 3.9" antiaircraft battery.
Richelieu was 95% complete when metropolitan France fell to the Germans. She fled to Dakar in West Africa, where she exchanged fire with a Britishtask force that attempted unsuccessfully to bring Dakar over to the Free French. With the invasion of North Africa by the Allies,Richelieuwent over to the Allied side and sailed to New York for extensive modifications, including regunning to allow her to use Americanammunition. She then fought with the British Far East Fleetagainst Japan(from April 1944.)
Four ships of the class were authorized, but aside from Richelieu, only Jean Bart could be launched before the fall of France. She was moved to Casablanca, where there were no facilities for her completion, and where she was badly damaged when she put up resistance to Operation TORCH. She was completed postwar, in 1955.
References
Gogin (2010; accessed 2012-3-29)
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