The Danton class battleship was one of a series of six armored vessels in service with the French Navy during World War I. They were the first large French warships powered by turbines. By 1911, they were all completed. This pre-dreadnought class consisted of the Condorcet, Danton, Diderot, Mirabeau, Vergniaud, and Voltaire.
With a displacement some 3,000 tons heavier than the previous class, this increase was devoted to improvements in armament rather than speed. Their armament consisted of a main battery of four 305-mm (12-inch) guns set up in two twin turrets, and an intermediate battery of twelve 240-mm (9.4-inch) guns mounted in six twin turrets.
Technical Details
The Danton class battleship was the first French capital ship to be fitted with Parsons turbines. Three of them (Danton, Mirabeau, and Voltaire) were equipped with Niclause boilers, which gave them a maximum speed of 19.4 knots. The rest of vessels of the class had Belleville boilers, giving them a maximum speed of 20.7 knots.
Historical Data
During World War I, four of them were assigned to the Mediterranean area, mainly in the Aegean sea. Meanwhile Vergniaud and Mirabeau were sent to the Black Sea. Danton was torpedoed on March 19, 1917. After forty minutes of being hit, she sank, with most of the crew being able to be rescued. The surviving battleships were refitted in 1918, with Condorcet, Diderot, and Voltaire being modernized beteen 1922 and 1925 to be used as training ships.
Specifications
Type: pre-dreadnought battleship
Completed: 1911
Number in class: 6
Displacement: 18,318 tons
Length: 146.6 m
Beam: 25.8 m
Draft: 9.2 m
Propulsion: 4 shafts, Parson turbines, and 26 boilers, generating 22,500 shp.
Armor: 270-mm-thick on belt; 280-mm on barbettes, and 48-mm on upper deck.
Armament: four 305-mm guns; twelve 240-mm guns; sixteen 75-mm; and ten 47-mm.
Compliment: 681sailors and officers.
