Lyon-class battleship

The Lyon Class Battleships: A Dream Deferred

Imagine a world where the French Navy was on the brink of launching some of the most formidable battleships ever conceived, only to see them vanish into the mists of history due to a single event. The Lyon class battleships were such a dream, planned for construction in 1915 but never realized. What if these ships had seen the light of day?

The Dream Begins

In 1910, the French Navy embarked on an ambitious program to build dreadnought battleships, aiming to have twenty-eight by 1920. This was a grand vision, but as we know, visions can be fleeting. In 1913, three ships of the Bretagne class were ordered, followed by four Normandie-class ships and then, in a twist of fate, four Lyon-class battleships. The design staff worked tirelessly to prepare several proposals for these new vessels.

Designing the Future

The design considered various armament options, including 38 cm guns, but ultimately settled on a fourth quadruple-gun turret mounting sixteen 34 cm guns. This was an improvement over the previous Normandie class, making them more powerful and capable of delivering devastating blows to any enemy ship. The first proposal was rejected in favor of the second, which included a slightly larger ship and a longer shell that weighed more.

The War’s Impact

February 1914 saw the selection of the first option, with ships scheduled for order in January 1915. But then came the unexpected: World War I. The mobilization of reserve forces, redirection of industrial capacity, and ultimately, the cancellation of construction before any of the Lyon-class ships were laid down. In light of such constraints, the navy decided that only those ships that could be completed quickly would be worked upon, such as the Bretagnes.

Technical Specifications

The Lyon class was designed to be 190 m long between perpendiculars and 194.5 m overall. They would have had a beam of 29 m and a draft of 8.65 to 9.2 m, with an estimated displacement of 29,600 metric tons. The propulsion system was still under consideration; it was proposed to use either a mixed steam turbine and triple-expansion engine system or new geared turbines.

Main Battery

The main battery would have consisted of sixteen 34 cm Modèle 1912M guns mounted in four quadruple-gun turrets. The secondary armament would have included twenty-four guns, either the 55-caliber 138.6 mm Modèle 1910 or a new automatic model, each singly-mounted in casemates.

Defensive Measures

The ships would have been equipped with a pair of 47 mm anti-aircraft guns and six submerged torpedo tubes. The protection layout used a modified version of the armor layout from the Normandie class, with the upper strake reduced to protect the secondary armament. The Normandie’s armor was reduced to better protect the hull against ‘diving’ shells, with a waterline armor belt of 300mm between barbettes and 42mm on lower armored deck.

Conclusion

The Lyon class battleships were a testament to the French Navy’s ambition and foresight. They represented a leap forward in naval technology, but their fate was sealed by the outbreak of World War I. What if these ships had seen the light of day? The answer lies in our imagination, where dreams of grandeur and power still linger.