FS Richelieu

History

In 1935, the keel was laid for the newest and largest battleship ever built in France. The class was named "Richelieu" after a 17th-century French priest, nobleman, and statesman. Richelieu became the lead ship of the class, followed by Jean Bart.

The other two - although never completed - will be called Clemenceau and Gascogne. By 1932, the French authorities knew they had to grapple with the main threat to operations in the Mediterraneanthe Italian navy, now under the power of the powerful dictator Benito Mussolini.

The Richelieu-class battleships formed part of the French response to the threat and acted more or less as a symbolic "shot" for the Italian navy in the region.

For more than two centuries, French ship designers and builders have maintained a respected tradition of producing top-of-the-line warships. The Richelieu was a speed-oriented design with good armor protection and solid technology to improve Italian Navy ships and even catch the attention of the Germans. However, as a signatory to the Washington Naval Treaty after World War I, France was obliged to build new ships within certain established and agreed boundaries.

Thus, the battleship was within the tonnage limit, although her main gun of choice was a 15-in (380 mm) caliberthe largest and heaviest available when the ship was designed in 1932. The only design feature that could be considered "problematic" was "at the time, all 15" guns were housed in two large movable turrets, each accommodating four guns.

This design decision was made to reduce the need for only two large The total armor tonnage of the turret instead of the typical three or four turret design layout. To reduce potential damage to the four turret assembly from a single direct hit, an armored bulkhead was installed between the left and right guns. The four guns Instead of working individually like other contemporary ships, they work in pairs, so if they are hit and incapacitated, only half of the 15" gun armament will be fixed to either turret.

The French Navy believes that Richelieu will be close to the enemy The ship fires all 15" guns with the smallest possible profile, allowing Richelieu to take advantage of all the powerful weapons available. Secondary weapons come in the form of standard 6" guns.

All nine turrets are supported by 3x3 movable turrets Installed at the end of the structure.

The concept of battle planning for the new French battleships runs counter to the classic "Crossing the T" naval strategy, in which ships are difficult to position to fire on oncoming enemy ships. Technically, only all forward-facing artillery within range can be called to fire when you're approaching an enemy.

For a typical warship of the day, this meant that only half of the available heavy weapons could be deployed. However, it also showed its fair share of "running" battles in which capital ships had to fire a lot of weapons in pursuit of enemy ships.

As such, Richelieu's design would essentially have the disadvantage of a "cannon" - only able to match its 6-inch spread with the enemy's own large-caliber artillery.

Like other contemporary capital ships of the time, Richelieu's aircraft deck had a full aircraft hangar structure. This made it possible to carry multiple seaplanes for reconnaissance and artillery reconnaissance.

The planes were launched via two catapults, and up to four seaplanes could be launched from Richelieu's stern.

Richelieu remained out of service, but was deemed suitable for further testing in mid-April 1940. World War II was underway, with several German conquests in Poland, the Netherlands and Belgium paving the way, the Germans officially invaded neighboring France on May 10, 1940 - a concerted effort to push troops to French shores to confront The French Navy's response. Richelieu was at sea for shooting practice and speed trials as he returned to the western port city of Brest from May to mid-June for necessary repairs, planned crew changes and more sailing supplies. With the advance of the German army, the French government became very worried that their precious warships might be hijacked at the port, so on the 18th they were ready to go to the port of Dakar province in West Africa, France.

Richelieu had to leave behind most of her expected supplies, some of which were still standing on the waiting dock. She also only carried 250 x 15" shells, and to make matters worse, her 15" main gun was only loaded with 48 powder bags; in short, she wasn't ready for battle.

Richelieu arrived in Dakar on June 23, the day after the French surrender. French authorities were forced to sign a surrender agreement with Germany, and despite the painful armistice that ended in the decades before World War I, Adolf Hitler demanded the use of the same passenger car the Germans used to sign surrender to the Triple Entente.

Richelieu and her two destroyers screen found that Dakar's policy was unfavorable due to the uncertainty of the surrender of the French government, and on the 25th they dragged the screen off, heading for Casablanca. The captain of the Richelieu was also concerned that his ship might also run out of bottles in port, or - perhaps worse for the French - be caught by a British naval squadron tracking their movements.

In any event, Richelieu's departure was short-lived, as she returned to Dakar on the 28th.

The armistice signed by France and Germany forced Britain to conclude that the French navy would be taken over by Germany, and it was even rumored that it would fight for the Axis powers - making it a clear and serious threat. Allies at the time included British and Commonwealth troops, as well as "Free French" troops - the United States had not yet entered the war.

So on July 2, the British launched Operation Catapult to seize French ships anywhere in British waters, and ordered the sinking or detention of French capital ships at Mers el-Kebir and Alexandria in Africa.

On the night of 7/8 July, HMS Hermes dispatched a special force to lay mines under the command of Richelieu. However, when triggered, the mines did not explode.

The British then launched Swordfish torpedo biplane bombers from the deck of HMS Hermes, before continuing to fire torpedoes Richelieu below her waterline and armored deck. It is estimated that one of the torpedoes hit the unexploded mine, creating a 40-foot cut below the waterline and causing the starboard propeller shaft to fail. Flooding then caused her stern to sink to the bottom of the bay.

The half-sunk battleship was drawn out a few days later and made seaworthy again in case she was required to flee or defend the port of Dakar from further attacks. While in port on July 15, 1940, she was commissioned by the French government agency Vichy, the puppet regime established by Nazi Germany to manage its properties in France.

The Allies decided to occupy the port of Dakar, first attempting negotiations led by General Charles de Gaulle, leader of the Free French Army in England. If this fails, the ship will be taken by force. Several Free French aircraft were launched from HMS Ark Royal and landed at Dakar Airport.

However, these pilots were captured and their planes confiscated. Negotiations were unsuccessful, and the French Vichy collaborators continued to fight for the Nazis against Free France and the Alliesa bloodstain on the honor France still had. The three-day Dakar campaign began on September 23.

The Allies consisted of 2 battleships - HMS Resolution and HMS Barham, 1 aircraft carrier - HMS Ark Royal, 5 cruisers, 10 destroyers and 8,000 invasion troops. The French army of the Vichy Axis consisted of 1 battleship - Richelieu, 2 cruisers, 4 destroyers, 3 submarines and coastal batteries.

The Allied fleet bombed the coastal defenses first, while the Vichy forces opened fire on the Allied fleet. Richelieu was hit by two 15" shells from the battleship HMS Barham, causing one of her 15" guns to fail. At Richelieu, it was her first day of heavy fire, which was aimed at British ships.

It turned out to be a disappointment when both guns 7 and 8 of turret 2 fired their first rounds. The cause turned out to be the use of an incorrect propellant charge, which caused the 380mm grenade to get stuck in the barrel and the resulting gas to be "blown back" into the turret, damaging the breech mechanism.

It was then decided to use a smaller amount of propellant, but this only significantly reduced the range and accuracy of the 15" shells - not a good start for the pride of the French fleet.

In two days, Richelieu fired a total of only 24 rounds, missing the Allied ships. All their riflemen did not take part in the operation, but were connected to the battery on the shore, where the French managed to hit the Allied ships. The ongoing battle forced the Allies to retreat and lose their capture of the port.

There is a huge fear that the French are killing the French. The damaged Richelieu is undergoing repairs at the port of Dakar, and anti-aircraft mounts for the damaged French destroyer Odacieu and other ships have been added.

At this point, she remained only partially seaworthy, and due to damage suffered during the operation at Mers el-Kebir, she could only sail at 14 knots, where she lost her fourth propeller. In April 1941, she patrolled the coast of Africa and received her first radar installation and three Loire seaplanes. She remained in African waters until the official Allied invasion of North Africa in November 1942. Allied success in the campaign led some of the remaining Vichy troops to join the Allied cause along with their Free French brethren during the war.

Richelieu eventually fell into the hands of the Allies.

Richelieu was formally inspected by Allied naval engineers and found unfit for service. The decision was to convert her at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York, USA. Her tallest antenna had to be removed before she could sail under the Brooklyn Bridge. Knowing that the 15-inch barrels needed to be replaced, the Free French removed four barrels from her sister ship, the Jean Bart. While in dry dock, her fourth propeller and shaft were replaced, bringing her to 30.2 knots.

Aircraft hangars and cranes have been removed to make room for additional anti-aircraft batteries. The 13.2mm heavy machine gun and 37mm anti-aircraft gun mounts were also removed. They were replaced by single-seat 48 x 20mm anti-aircraft guns.

Their fairly basic radars have been replaced by the latest air and ground radars. Her mizzen mast was shortened to allow her to sail under the Brooklyn Bridge, and two new and improved rangefinders were fitted to her foremast.

Additional guns and structural changes increased her surface displacement by 3,000 tons, but by this time the limitations of the Washington Naval Treaty were a thing of the past. Richelieu has performed so poorly as an artillery platform that her new shells and energy charges are now being shipped from the United States.

On October 14, 1943, Richelieu sailed from the Brooklyn Navy Yard to the British naval base at Scapa Flow. She remained in the British Home Fleet until March 1944, supporting operations off the Norwegian coast. She was soon transferred to the British Eastern Fleet and used as a backup while other battleships were repaired in dry dock.

She then took part in a series of operations against the Japanese Empire with the British fleet in the Far East. In April 1944, she was dispatched to Ceylon, where she joined Task Force 65 in Operation Cockpit - on April 19, two Allied navies attacked Japanese ports and oil on the island of Sabang near Sumatra The facility was bombed.

In May 1944, the task force (including Richelieu) conducted "Operation Beam" - a planned bombing of Japanese naval and air targets in and around Surabaya, Java by American and British aircraft on May 17, 1944. Targets in the region were struck in June, and Sabang and Sumatra were attacked in mid-July 1944 in Operation Crimson.

In September, Richelieu was sent to Casablanca for a six-month overhaul. Now supplied and armed, she was assigned to the British East Indies Fleet at the Allied base at Trincomalee, where she arrived on 20 March 1945.

In April, she was assigned to Task Force 63, just in time for the bombing of the Sabang and Nicobar Islands in early May. With her shells and gunpowder nearly depleted, she needs another major overhaul, this time in Durban by August. On the way back to Trincomalee base, the Japanese formally surrendered to the Allied forces, officially ending the combat operations of World War II.

In September 1945, Richelieu was still under British command and supported the reoccupation of British Malaya. On the way back, she encounters a magnetite that needs minor repairs.

However, during the "force show" and the official signing of the surrender, she was able to represent France in the Japanese surrender at the port of Tokyo.