FAN Loire (BB-1938)
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The original French 13" drawing I did was a simple transfer of two quad 13"
for three triple 13", on the original Dunquerke hull. Now I want to explore a
couple of twelve 13" versions in 4x3 and 3x4 configurations. These would fit
better into an AU timeline against the 12" gunned battlecruisers I build for the
Germanic States. A battleship with 12x13" would be far superior to a
battlecruiser armed with 8x12". The French 13" gun has a good reputation and is
superior to the previous 13.4" weapons in the French armoury.
The real life 'Nelson' look with three quad turrets of 13" all forward. Two more
to go. One with three quads two forward, one aft, the other with four triple
turrets.
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The quad turret versions are interesting and suit the time period I am aiming
for. I did have a look at doing a 9x15" version but the triple 15" turrets are
quite huge compared to the 13". I would need an 800 foot hull or even bigger to
fit those big boys aboard. Which is what the French required for their Alsace
class.
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The four triple 13" version looks very good. I like its well balanced fore and
aft look. They would make very good replacements for the real life Dunkerque and
Strasbourg. The major difference is the extra 10,000 tons of steel and armour
that can be worked into these designs. Finer hull helps to make the 30 knot
speed requirement.
| Displacement |
36,500 tons std 43,800 tons full load |
| Length |
750 ft |
| Breadth |
104 ft |
| Draught |
30 ft |
| Machinery |
4 shaft steam turbines, 130,000shp |
| Speed |
30 knots |
| Range |
9000 miles at 15 knots (2,000 nm at 28 knots) |
| Armour |
13" side, 6.1" deck, 11" turrets |
| Armament |
Loire
12 x 13" (3x4)
20 x 5.1 (5x4)
56 x 40mm (14x4)
14 x 25mm (4x2, 6x1) |
Lyonnais
12 x 13" (3x4)
20 x 5.1 (5x4)
56 x 40mm (14x4)
22 x 25mm (8x2, 6x1) |
Languedoc
12 x 13" (4x3)
20 x 5.1 (5x4)
56 x 40mm (14x4)
16 x 25mm (8x2) |
| Aircraft |
4 (Loire 130) |
|
|
| Torpedoes |
nil |
| Complement |
1650 |
| Notes |
FAN Loire (1938)
FAN Lyonnais (1938)
FAN Languedoc (1938) |
Forward 13" quad turrets, showing how they are in pairs in the turrets.
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