readx; Overall, the design of the 6-pack 4-seat main gun was not optimal, but it was clearly suitable for the French Navy's projected targets. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

Although the firepower of the main gun was somewhat affected by the placement of the gun, the performance of the Model 1935 main gun specially developed by France was quite good (not the 15-inch gun on the Leeuceut class).

The turret elements are as follows:

Diameter: 480mm (19 inches)

Body: 22.512 m (?) inches) - 46.9 times the caliber

Weight: about 100 tons

Rate of fire: 1.2~2.2 rounds per minute (guess)

Projectile weight: (armor-piercing projectile) is estimated at around 1760kg (?) lb)

Room life: 100 rounds

Tube life: 200 rounds

Range: 42000 meters (??) yard) - elevation angle 35 degrees, armor-piercing shells

Weight: close to 4400 tons

High and low shooting angles: -5°/+35°

Horizontal firing angle: -150~156°/+150~156° (depending on turret position)

High and low speed: 5.5° sec

Horizontal speed: 5° sec

Reload High and Low Angles: Any

Although the caliber of the Model 1935 is only 480 mm and the body barrel is only 46.9 times the diameter, it uses a heavy bullet of more than 1000 kg, which is many times heavier than the 1620 kg high-speed light bullet design of the famous Bismarck-class SKC/34A, and measures have been taken to increase the number of propellants. These two points alone make the range, long-range penetration and muzzle velocity of the Napoleon-class guns stronger than those of the Hindenburg class, second only to the 20-inch main guns of the US Navy MK6. In Europe, only the 18-inch 50-caliber cannon of the Italian Caesar the Great and with a strong charge was stronger than it.

Another interesting thing is that it inherits the "elastic reloading" system adopted on the Leeuse class, which does not need to move the barrel to a specific height when loading ammunition, and can be used at any angle. Although some consider this measure to be less reliable, its ability to significantly increase the actual rate of fire is undeniable. In contrast, other warships that pursued a high-speed light missile design did not show the advantage of their fast rate of fire in actual combat.

In terms of anti-aircraft firepower, the Napoleon-class copied the air defense of the Richelieu-class, even before accepting the American modification, which was already good in Europe. In an air attack on the British catamaran Super Athletic on July 8, 1940, the Richelieu used its 100mm high-level dual-purpose secondary guns, A few French 37mm anti-aircraft guns and 13.2mm anti-aircraft machine guns have achieved the results of shooting down many aircraft, and after the modification accepted by the United States in 1943, they were replaced with a large number of famous 40mm Bofors medium-caliber anti-aircraft guns and 20mm Erlikon small-caliber rapid-fire guns, which greatly improved their air defense capabilities, and often served as the last barrier to provide anti-aircraft fire support for aircraft carriers in the aircraft carrier fleet in later missions.

Thanks to the use of the aforementioned turret design, the Napoleon class was able to use a large amount of saved displacement for protection. Napoleon would have a stronger defense of the main armor belt than the Richelieu class, consisting mainly of 2 layers: the first layer of 990mm main armor with a 17-degree inclination, followed by a 54mm anti-spall liner, and the second layer of 150mm of large-angle inclined vault armor. Taking into account the large angle of the dome armor and the influence of the first layer of inclined armor on the trajectory and kinetic energy of the incoming shell, the protection capacity of the inclined armor + dome armor should be greater than that of a piece of armor. Its equivalent vertical armor is about 1230mm-1260mm (990mm is about 1080-1095mm with an inclination of 17 degrees, and the equivalent value of dome armor is inconvenient to estimate, and the weight is added directly).

In the battle between the 2nd class ship USS Leliusse (named after the Leeuuse-class and Alsace-class) while at anchor in Casablanca against the USS South Dakota-class battleships (the USS Leliusse was unfinished at the time, loaded with only 12 barrels, but the hull work was completed), the thick main armor belt successfully defended against a 20-inch heavy shell of the MK6 type that hit it, bouncing it straight away. Despite the fact that the unfinished battleship was heavily damaged by 5 20-inch shells and several bombs, and badly damaged non-critical protected areas, its strong main armor belt and horizontal armor protected it from sinking after this devastating blow.

The horizontal protection of the Napoleon-class battleships was world-class. The horizontal protection still follows some of the design of the Leeuceut class, consisting of three layers of armor: the first layer is deck 76-78mm armor, the second layer is 450mm main horizontal armor, and the third layer is 120mm bookmaker. On the sides of the third layer of armor, horizontal armor extended obliquely downward, forming the dome already introduced earlier, with a thickness of 150mm. A total of 642-678 mm of strong horizontal protection clearly goes beyond the level of defending against battleships and is more concerned with the defense against bombs, a threat from high altitudes. Such a multi-layer armor design can effectively reduce the damage of bombs to battleships. In addition, the armor on the top of the turret is also 575mm, which is very strong compared to other battleships. By raising the level of horizontal protection, the comprehensive protection capability of warships has been significantly improved.

It has to be said that in terms of the development of naval combat methods after the outbreak of World War II, this design that followed the Leeuceut class was very far-sighted.

The Napoleon-class battleships had extremely strong underwater protection capabilities, and the French designers learned the lessons of the mine-sinking of the Bouvet in the Battle of the Dardanelles when they were designed, and vigorously strengthened the underwater protection. First of all, the main armor belt extends 7.5m underwater, with an angle of inclination to minimize threats from underwater. In the lower part of the armor belt, a lightning wall (in fact, a reinforced hull), a lightning protection compartment, a fuel tank for indirect protection, an armored partition wall, a multi-armored partition combined with a watertight compartment, etc., are adopted. Moreover, a thick layer of foam rubber is also filled between the hull and the lightning wall, which can effectively reduce and cushion the impact caused by torpedoes and mine explosions. The design proved to be a success.

On July 8, 1940, the Napoleon, anchored in Dakar, was attacked by a Swordfish torpedo plane that had taken off from the aircraft carrier Athletic. But the 450-mm torpedoes dropped by the Swordfish encountered strong underwater protection and did not cause the expected damage. After a simple damage management, the Richelieu took a direct part in the subsequent combat activities.

High speed was one of the main requirements at the beginning of the design. In the Mediterranean, the high speed is conducive to the attack and encirclement of enemy ships, as well as the escort and dismantling missions, which of course include the design objectives of dealing with German assault ships, battlecruisers and catamaran superships. The Napoleon was planned to use eight steam turbines with a total power of 300,000 horsepower, 8 shafts of propulsion, and a design speed of 33 knots. In fact, the Richelieu's main engine reached a peak power of 310,000 horsepower, and the maximum speed could reach 35 knots, making it the fastest battleship at the time, and could sail at 33 knots for 60 hours.

Despite its high speed, the Napoleon's endurance was so poor that it continued the problems of the Leeucet. The Napoleon could hold 20,400 tons of heavy oil, but it could only sail 15,000 nautical miles continuously at a speed of 18 knots, ranking at the bottom of the new catamaran super-battleships of European countries, and it was also inconvenient for its long-distance movement in the Pacific theater in the future. The reasons are, as everyone agrees, one is the low efficiency of the French steam turbine unit, and the other is the hypertrophy of the waterline in the first half caused by the design of the main gun, which increases the navigation resistance. However, fighting in the Mediterranean Sea does not require high endurance of warships, and the impact on combat effectiveness is not great, so it is also accepted.

And the biggest problem with the Napoleonic class is in its rudder. Due to the problems left by the design of the armor box, the steering of the Richelieu class adopts a single rudder design, which directly leads to a lower turning performance than other ships, a large turning radius, and it is more unfavorable to occupy a T-shaped transverse head and a favorable position in battle, and it is also more dangerous to attack the rear where the protection is relatively weak. Of course, the advantage in speed makes up for this shortcoming, but the problem remains.

For reasons such as the above, the maneuverability of the Napoleon class was somewhat compromised, due to endurance, the turning efficiency of the rudder and the large modification of the defective arrangement of the main guns, but the speed of up to 33 knots still made it one of the models of a fast battleship.

To sum up, the comprehensive protection capability and comprehensive combat capability of the Napoleon-class battleships are very good.

Although this Napoleon-class catamaran super-battleship is very good in terms of performance, because of the historical moment of its existence, this class of battleships has been overshadowed by a strong tragedy.