The Italian Roma
French Dunkerque
An item referred to the French Journal des Débats which discussed the tidings that Italy intended to build 2 battleships.(1) France had Italy informed that the two planned French battleships of the Dunkerque (2) were built to stabilize he balance in the North Sea while Germany built the pocket battleships.(3) This new Italian building program forced France to act while with 2-35.000 ton battleships would Italy control the Mediterranean and being able to cut the connection between France and her North African colonies. The magazine also pointed out that France still was allowed to built battleships with a total tonnage of 105.000 tons namely 70.000 tons under the Washington Naval Treaty (4) and 35.000 tons for the wrecked France.(5).
Notes
1. The Littorio and the Vittorio Veneto. The Littorio-class battleships finally consisted of the Littorio (renamed Italia in 1943), Vittorio Veneto, Roma and Impero (never completed) with a displacement varying between 45.028 and 45.485 tons and a main armament of 3x3-38,1cm/15” L/50 guns.
2. Dunkerque-class fast battleships consisted of the Dunkerque and Strasbourh, preceded by the never realized Lyon-class and Bretagne-class and succeeded by the Richelieu-class. Displacement 26.500 (design)-35.500 (Dunkerque)-36.280 tons (Strasbourg) and a main armament of 2x4-33cm/13” /50 Modèle guns.
3. The German so-called pocket battleships Deutschland (later renamed Lützow), Admiral Scheer and Admiral Graf Spee with a displacement of 12,100 (standard)-16,200 (full load) tons and a main armament of 2x3-28,3cm guns and a speed of 28,5 knots. Sometimes also referred to as heavy cruisers.
4. Washington Naval Conference between November 1921-February 1922 signed by USA, England, Japan, Italy and France to limit the building of battleships, battle cruisers and aircraft carriers and to limit the possession of such capital ships by stopping completion of breaking up already existing. On 20 June 1927 started the Geneva Naval Conference aiming to limit the construction of cruisers, destroyers and submarines. France and Italy were not present at Geneva. This conference failed and was followed by the London Naval Conference resulting in the London Naval Treaty.
5. Laid down at the AC de la Lore, Saint Nazaire, France on 30 November 1911, launched on 7 November 1912, commissioned on 15 July 1914, her crew mutinied briefly while serving in the Black Sea to support the Russian Whites in April 1919 and sunk after she hit a rock in the Quiberon Bay on 26 August 1922. Of the Courbet-class consisting of the Courbet, Jean Bart, Paris and France preceded by the Danton-class and succeeded by the Bretagne-class.
