Liberté class Battleship (1906)

French Navy Pre-Dreadnought Battleships:
FS Liberté, Justice, Vérité, Démocratie (1904-1908)

The Liberté class were four pre-dreadnought battleships built for the French Navy, ordered as part of a naval expansion program launched in 1900 following the German Naval Law of 1898. Six new battleships were called upon, but on a post-Jeune Ecole design. Two were of the République-class but during their construction the Germans and Italians showed a taste for powerful secondary batteries which prompted the French to re-design the last four in class and fit 194 mm (7.6 in) secondary guns, which became the Liberté class. They were otherwise very similar and capable of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph). However this pushed further down the constrcution of modern dreadnought. Their peacetime careers remained largely uneventful.

Three in 1909 (Liberté, Justice, Vérité) visited the US for the Hudson–Fulton Celebration. Liberté was destroyed by an accidental explosion due to unstable propellant charges, in Toulon in 1911 (like Iéna). This prompted changes in handling poweder B and there were more accidents. The three survivors were tasked of troop convoys from North Africa in 1914, and spent the remainder of their career between the Adriatic (Battle of Antivari), Dardanelles, Greece until 1918. Justice and Démocratie were in the Black Sea by 1919, Vérité in Constantinople to oversee the Ottoman surrender. Decommissions went on from 1919 to 1921.

Liberté, colorized by Irootoko Jr.

Development of the Liberté class battleships

Jeune Ecole and shipbuilding limitations

Hoche, symbol of everything wrong with 1880-90s French battleships.

The “hotels” as popularly dubbed in modern social medias and even a popular meme about French battleships prior to WWI is partly grounded in the “new school” theories, and following a logic dictated by elderly and under-funded infrastructures. The main problem of the French shipbuilding industry for almost two decades is that no effort was made to modernize and increase the size of shipyard dry-docks. They were considered a private matter relevant to each yard’s own business, not to be subsidized by the state, and the latter of course to keep their prices low when answering tenders, avoided any investment, which also explained their very long construction time, in addition to frequent design changes.

Still, to resume what the Jeune Ecole (Young or more appropriately “new” School) was about, it is necesary to undestand that its root went back further in time, to the need make with to a limited budget after the defeat of 1870 against Prussia. This war thrown the Marine Nationale, which dwarved the Prussian Navy at the time to the Baltic in order to try blockading Germany, but it failed, having no logistic support far from its bases and Britain still trading with Prussia. This supposed inefficiency coupled with austerity to pay a massive war indemnity to Germany had a simple result, boosting French Army reforms, but also limiting the Navy’s budget in a considerable way. It was to make due with only a small fraction of what was available in the 1860s.

To meet these new conditions in 1880 it was looked after a way to offset the imbalance (notably towards Britain, soon a rising German Navy, then later Italy) by playing technological advantages. This an earlier form of thinking but it had even more distant roots like the Paixhans shells in 1860, as well as steamships of the line (1850) and Gloire, the first sea going ironclad. But this was before 1870 when Napoleon III had a very large conventional battle fleet directed at Britain.

This search for technological advantage just bounced again afterwards, under this time Admiral H.L. Theophile Aube, which was Minister of Marine i 1886-87 and temporary halted construction of battleships. To make it short, a heavy focus on torpedoes, commerce raiding with armoured cruisers, and longer range, quick firing guns. Coastal defence with dedicated battleships and rams, but emphasis was placed in torpedo boats and later submersibles to offset the first torpedo boat destroyers. As for battleships, which was restarted again after a vacancy, it was plagued by the lack of experience and small dockyards which imposed a peculiar arrangement with a typical tumblehome, and single turrets in a lozenge arrangement instead of fore and aft twin main guns. Despite the efforts, French battleships became rapidly obsolete when delivered, top heavy, too slow, compounded by the absence of standards, leading to the famous “prototype navy” which inherited the new Minister of Navy in 1898, Édouard Locroy.

The 1898 naval expansion Program

The previous Patrie.

The Liberté class (sometimes considered with the Liberté class as a single class) were originated in the 1898 programme, and authorized by the 1900 Fleet Law calling for six battleships as a reaction to the German 1898 Naval Law, a significant expansion wanted by the Kaiser and driven by Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz. Germany was still France’s main potential opponent so the versatile French parliament was not hard to convince and authorize a similar program. Louis-Émile Bertin was then Directeur central des constructions navales (DCCN—Central Director of Naval Construction) in 1896. He started to prepare the new design. He had campaigned in the early 1890s for revisions to the previous battleships under construction, still permeated by anti-battleshps rethoric and experiments from the “Jeune Ecole” (Young School), and correctly determined their shallow belt armor made them vulnerable to hits above the belt and critical flooding which would destabilize them in combat, something proven at Tsushima in 1905 as the Russian battleships adopted many of French design quirks.

As the new DCCN, Bertin started to advance his ideas on battleship construction and by November 1897, called for a battleship of 13,600 metric tons (13,400 long tons), which was a significant increase over usual practice. Former battleships due to local construction limitations were contained around 10,000 tonnes. That displacement would allow the incorporation of a more comprehensive armor layout. He wanted to defeat the latest generation of armor-piercing shells. One of the forst order was to have a belt tall enoughg to remain effective whatever the load, covering much of the hull, and topped with a flat armored deck making for a convenient citadel, itself highly subdivided with watertight compartments, some filled with buoyant materials and others by coal, to control flooding.

HMS King Edward VII, a class that also prompted the redesign of four Républiques

Detailed design work went on for two years, with the design staff creating the particulars of these new grounbreaking ship, a clear departure of the usual tumblehome, lozenge arrangement of the 1890s battleships and more in line with the recent Suffren. The staff submitted their revised proposal on 20 April 1898, with a displacement increased to 15,000 t (15,000 long tons) like the contemporary King Edward VII. Since they still needed to cross the Suez Canal to reach French Indochina, the draft was limited to 8.4 m (28 ft). The standard main armament already was now of four 305 mm (12 in) guns, in two twin-gun turrets like Suffren, Iéna, and the three Charlemagne class.

The naval command approved it, but requested alterations like the arrangement of the secondary battery in its layout. However the design team struggled to incorporate these requested changes as they increased topweight, and necessitated reductions in armor thicknesses to avoid the ship being top-heavy. The navy refused these reductions so further rearrangements were considered. On 23 December, the designers evaluated proposals for the secondary gun turrets, proposed by the contacted engineers from Schneider-Creusot.

Liberté underway (pinterest)

The Direction de l’artillerie (Artillery Directorate) also was consulted. Their own proposal were adopted. In a meeting on 28 April 1899, the final characteristics were written down. On 29 May, Bertin was asked to further alter the design, to conform to the new specifications. So final design work went of for two months, Bertin submitting the report on 8 August. Jean Marie Antoine de Lanessan, new Minister of the Navy, approved the design on 10 July 1900. On 9 December 1900, the parliament approved the 1900 Fleet Law for these new six ships.

Republique class, Patrie (Bougault photo)

However during this lengthy design process over a year, new battleships started to be built abroad like the British King Edward VII-class and so, Bertin advocated for a new re-design of the last four, which created essentially a sub-class, the Liberté according to the lead vessel of this serie. Foreign battleships indeed started to follow a new fad of powerful secondary guns. The British for example showed 9.2 in (230 mm) guns. Later was announced the even more radical Lord Nelson class, which sported a mix of ten 9.2 in Mark XI in four twin, two single turrets. At this point the design would be retrospectively called “semi-dreadnought”.

The French wanted secondary batteries increased further, from 164.7 to 194 mm (6.48 to 7.64 in) for the last four ships. Thius further delayed their construction, so they entered service shortly after HMS Dreadnought which completely rewrote the rules. The Libertés nevertheless inspired the next Danton class, which were still not proper dreadnoughts, but among the best semi-dreadnoughts of their time, which was at least six years late… So these design revisions where what motivated the Libertés, making for a class of six ships (like the Following Dantons) that were arguably more capable, of a sound design in contrast to the previous “prototype” fleet inherited from the Jeune Ecole. Thet momvement in the right direction started by Bertin continued under Boué de Lapeyrière, the French Jackie Fisher in 1912, but that plan was caught off-guard by the start of the war. Only half of the dreadnoughts he planned would be completed. The Next Normandie and Lyon class with their quad turrets would have been quite formidable indeed.

Design

Brasseys scheme

Hull and general layout of the Liberté class battleships

The new Liberté class were not longer compared to the previous République, at 131 m (429 ft 9 in) long at the waterline, 133.8 m (439 ft) long between perpendiculars, and 135.25 m (443 ft 9 in) long overall. The beam remained the same as well, at 24.25 m (79 ft 7 in) at the waterline with an average draft of 8.2 m (26 ft 11 in). Displacement was up to 14,900 t (14,700 long tons), fully loaded. Her hull was still modeled on the Gloire-class cruisers that Bertin designed and divided into 15 watertight compartments located below the lower armor deck to contain flooding. To make the ship better gun platforms, bilge keels were fitted to improve stability and they did not showed the usual tumblehome of past designs. But they still had a ram bow, albeit it is not certain it was reinforced enough to be usable in combat.

Their tall forecastle deck extended all the way to the mainmast aft, and the “X” turret was located on the lower deck, with the aft end of the forecastle shaped in a Vee to allow that turret some degree of forward firing. They kept the small fighting mast on foremast like the previous République, but the mainmast was now a lighter pole mast. Lessons had been learned since the 1890s “castles”. The forward superstructure comprised a 4-deck structure which stands around the foremast and conning tower, located further forward. The latter was two decks high to clear the roof of “A” turret. The charthouse as well as the commander’s quarters and bridge were all placed in this structure.

liberté

Later in service however, that arrangement proved a disappointment, as the conning tower appeared too small, the bridge wings obstructed the view aft and so the commander had to leave the armored conning tower to really see all around. That issue was solved by removing the wings entirely by 1912–1913. Since the aft superstructure had the same general design, obstruction was in the rear fire control system. She Liberté class also showed the same silhouette with caracteristic three funnels, two close to the bridge and formast and a single cylindrical ones close to the mainmast aft, far apart. The space in between was occupied by service boats for the crew.

On that matter, the ships carried 32 officers and 710 enlisted men. When used as flagship, this increase to 44 officers and 765 ratings, with accomodations for the admiral’s staff. The eighteen boats, including pinnaces, cutters, dinghies, whalers, and punts, mostly stacked on the amidship deck between funnels. They were not served by the mainmast as it lacked a boom. However two rotating “pole davits” acting as cranes were located abaft the second funnel. As flagship, there was in addition the admiral’s gig, another cutter, and three more whalers.

Up to eighteen boats were suspeded under davits. But as the design was concerned, the ships still possessed an old style military mast forward as completed, with a large fighting top for small guns at the first level, a spotting top at the second, and a light projector platform above, acting as roof. The rigging was classic, with just two main yards and a spanker yard. The mainmast aft was divided into three sections and the wireless radio cables were suspended in between. The radio room was located clse to the base of the aft funel. As customary also, the ship had relatively few porthiles, most openings were squared hatches with smaller portholes in these.

As completed, the ships had in standard peacetime a Mediterranean typical acetoarceniate of copper green hull under the waterline (painted red), black above, buff and white for the superstructure. In 1908 this was changed for the new uniform medium blue-gray and the green hull paint replaced with dark red to both beign usable in the Med. and North Sea or Atlantic. The main deck was left in natural pine wood, and the upper horizontal structure surfaces were painted light blue. The funnel tops were painted black.

Powerplant

The Liberté class were powered by three 4-cylinder vertical triple expansion (VTE) steam engines making for three shafts with 3-bladed bronze fixed pitch propellers. Essentially the same type as for the République, but the brand depended on each yard. Indeed, Démocratie was from Arsenal de Brest (1903-1908), Justice from F C de la Méditerranée, La Seyne (1903-1908), Liberté from A C de la Loire, St-Nazaire (1902-1908) and Verité from C. de la Gironde, Bordeaux (1903-1908).

They were fed by twenty-two Belleville boilers, with the exception of Justice, which had instead twenty-four Niclausse boilers. The latter were divided into four boiler rooms. The forward three were trunked into two funnels. The aft one was ducted into the rear funnel. Theses engines were located amidships, in three separate watertight compartments, located between the forward group of three boiler rooms and aft one. About the screw propellers, the centerline one was for cruising and smaller at 4.85 m (15 ft 11 in) in diameter. The outboard screws were larger at 5 m (16 ft 5 in) in diameter, for agility.

Democratie, Bergevin ed.

This propulsion system was rated for 17,500 metric horsepower (17,260 ihp). Top speed was 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) as designed. In some sources it is decsribed at 19 knots, likely obtained on light load and on sea trials. Coal storage represented some 900 t (890 long tons) on normal, peacetime load, up to 1,800 t (1,800 long tons) at full load in wartime. Witn 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) of economical cruising speed they could cross 8,400 nautical miles (15,600 km; 9,700 mi). When the engines were cold at anchor, the ships to still defend itself could be powered by six electric generators: Two 500-ampere generators for the main battery turrets and their ammunition hoists, four 800-amp generators for the rest all systems on board.

Protection of the Liberté class battleships

Belt armor:

It was made of two strakes of cemented steel, 280 mm (11 in) thick amidships, but reduced to 180 mm (7.1 in) at the bow and stern.
Aft, it was terminated close to the stern, capped with a transverse bulkhead 200 mm (7.9 in) thick, backed with 80 mm (3.1 in) of teak planking, then two layers of 10 mm (0.39 in) plating.
Forward, it extended to the stem and ram, then was tall, 0.5 m (1 ft 8 in) below the waterline, 2.3 m (7 ft 7 in) above the line. Along the upper edge of the belt, it tapered to 240 mm (9.4 in).

There was a third, thinner strake of armor, covering the upper hull, main deck, 1st deck level with 64 mm (2.5 in) plating, on 80 mm teak. It was connecrted to the forward main battery barbette by a 154 mm (6.1 in) bulkhead enclosing the citadel.

Deck Armor:

Horizontal protection (decks) was made of two armored decks, with an upper deck at main deck level, covering almost all the ship from the bow to the aft transverse bulkhead. It was made of three layers, each of 18 mm (0.71 in) thick steel for a combined 54 mm (2.1 in).
Below there was a lower deck, flat over the engine and boiler rooms, also in three layers but decreased to 17 mm (0.67 in) steel, 51 mm (2 in) total. It angled down on either sides to connect to the lower edge of the main belt, also in two layers of 36 mm (1.4 in) steel.
Between the two decks and behind the belt was Bertin’s signature subdivided cofferdam to limit flooding. They were used alongside coal storage bunkers placed behind this cofferdam, to absorb shell splinters or fragments. The cofferdam was normally unused or filled with buouyant materials, however in case of war, it could have been filled with extra coal.

Main-battery turrets

democratie

The main gun turrets had the traditional turret shape of French battleships, box-like but with rouded edges and hemispheric tops. The faces were 360 mm (14 in) thick, the sides and rear plates were 280 mm thick in cemented steel. The plates were even backed by two layers of 20 mm (0.79 in) thick steel and the roofs cumulated three layers of 24 mm (0.94 in) steel.

Main barbettes

The main gun barbettes had walls 246 mm (9.7 in) thick above the main deck. Below they were reduced to just 66 mm (2.6 in). The forward barbette however was improved by having a transitional thickness of 166 mm (6.5 in) where it was covered by the upper belt.

secondary turrets

The secondary gun turrets had half conical shapes, which were plated over by 156 mm (6.1 in) thick on the face and sides. Each was backed by two layers of steel 13 mm (0.51 in) thick for 26 mm total. The turret back was used as counter-balance and thickened to an amazing 282 mm (11.1 in) but in mild steel. Below these barbettes, the ammunition handling rooms had walls 143 mm (5.6 in) thick steel, back by two layers of 12 mm (0.47 in) plating. Justice diverged with 130 mm (5.1 in) cemented armor then two layers of 18.5 mm (0.73 inches) of plating. The trunks below, down to the magazines, were 84 mm (3.3 in) thick in cemented armor above the main deck, 14 mm (0.55 in) below this, all behind the belt.

Secondary casemates:

The casemate guns i the hull had 174 mm (6.9 in) cemented armor plate, backed by two layers of 13 mm of steel for the outer walls, 102 mm (4 in) for the interior walls.

Forward conning tower

The forward conning tower, which was judged too small in service, had walls 266 mm (10.5 in) of cast assembled plate steel, front and side, 216 mm (8.5 in) on the back. These were all backed by two layers of 17 mm plating. Access was to the rear and it was placed in an outer curved bulkhead 174 mm thick to complete protection. Below was an heavily armored tube down to the citadel, which was 200 mm thick and also protected all communication pipes and repeaters to the lower transmitting station, the radiating al the ship. Below the upper deck, this was down to 20 mm, with two layers of 10 mm steel.

Armament

Main Battery

The main battery comprised the same main artillery as the previous Suffren, with two pairs of Canon de 305 mm Modèle 1893/96 in two twin-gun turrets forward and aft.

Specs:
Shell: 350-kilogram (770 lb) AP or HE.
Muzzle velocity: 865 meters per second (2,840 ft/s).
Range at 12°: 12,500 m (13,700 yd).
Rate of fire: One round per minute.
Both the turrets and guns were electrically operated and they were elevated together, but still could be “decoupled” if needed. The big issue for their design is that they needed to be depressed to a fixed loading position of −5 degrees between shots. This clearly impacted their rate of fire. The ready ammunition storage comprised eight rounds per turret. République and Patrie were ther first battleship with standardized APC and SAPC shells, less choice but easier management compared to Suffren and earlier designs. 65 shells, of both types were allocated for each gun or 260 total per ship, inclding 104 APC and 156 SAPC. The latter were Semi-armor-piercing, Capped, combining HE and Armour Piercing qualities, as the French still trusted their explosive rounds idea. Wartime shell supply could be ported up to 780 shells total if needed.

Secondary battery

The secondary battery was previously eighteen “Canon de 164 mm Modèle 1893 guns”, twelve in twin wing turrets, six in casemates, lower battery hull deck. The main difference for the Liberté class opted instead for ten 194 mm (7.6 in) Modèle 1902 guns. Six were placed in single turrets, four were in hull casemates. The six turrets were located in order to maximize respective arc sof fire, two abreast the forward pair of funnels, two amidships, two abreast the rear funnel in order to always bring to bear six guns forward and six aft. The amidhsip turrets were indeed pshed to the wings and the barrel cleared the wall of the forward secondary turrets on their direct axis. This was the same aft. The casemate guns had semi-sponsoned pivots in order to also fire directly forward or astern.

These guns had a firing rate of two shots per minute. Maximum elevation was 15 degrees, for a range of 12,000 m (39,000 ft). Muzzle velocity was 865 m/s (2,840 ft/s). They were electrically trained (with manual backup) but manually elevated, and the casemate guns entirely manually operated. The storage capacity for a quick exchanges with ready rounds for these was twelve rounds, completed with propellant charges. After these, extra ammunition and charges had to be brought up from the magazines. Each gun came out with a total of 200 shells, 150 being SAPC and the 50 being of the APC type. There were also 78 cast iron shells for naval bombardment, and 20 training rounds.

Light Gun Battery

The Liberté class had a relatively similar light anti-torpedo boat gun battery as the République, with twenty-four 47 mm (1.9 in) guns, later revised during construction. The final provision was thirteen 65 mm (2.6 in) Modèle 1902 guns, ten 47 mm (1.9 in) Modèle 1902 guns. The 65 mm guns could fire 15 shots per minute at a range of 8,000 m (26,000 ft), all placed on individual mounts in the hull as casemates and firing ports. The 47 mm guns were placed in contrary on and over the deck, four in the foremast fighting top and the remainder in pairs either side of the forward and aft superstructures. They had the same rate of fire as the 65 mm but for a range down to 6,000 m (20,000 ft) to deal with the “last mile”. They also fired light shells of just 2 kg (4.4 lb), instead of 4.17 kg (9.2 lb) on the 65 mm. Ammunition stowage was 450 of 65 mm rounds and 550 of 47 mm rounds for each gun post.
This was upgraded in wartime: The three remaining ships had in 1916-1917,six 47mm/50 removed and four 47mm/50 Hotchkiss high angle, AA guns installed.

Torpedo Tubes

As customary at the time, the Liberté class were fitted with two 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes, both underwater and abreast the forward 164.7 mm gun turrets, so out of the main protection with a fixed angle 19 degrees forward of the beam. They fired the Modèle 1904 torpedoes capable of 1,000 m (1,100 yd) at 32.5 knots (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph) with a 100 kg (220 lb) TNT warhead.

Mines

To defend their anchorage, before nets were planned (but never installed) they had two steam pinnaces capable of mooring twenty small naval mines around the ship.

Conway’s rendition

Old author’s illustration. As completed they had the standard peacetime 1890s paint scheme, green below the waterline, black above, buff and white for the superstructure. In 1908 they were painted above with the new standard medium blue-gray and underwater by dark red.

Modifications

The navy carried out tests to determine whether the main battery turrets could be modified to increase the elevation, and hence the range, of the guns, which determined that the turrets could not be altered. Instead, the navy found that tanks on either side of the vessel could be flooded to induce a heel of 2 degrees, increasing the maximum range of the guns from 12,500 to 13,500 m (13,700 to 14,800 yd). New motors were installed in the secondary turrets in 1915–1916 to improve their training and elevation rates. Also in 1915, the 47 mm guns located on either side of the bridge were removed and the two on the aft superstructure were moved to the roof of the rear turret. On 8 December 1915, the naval command issued orders that the light battery was to be revised to eight 47 mm guns and ten 65 mm (2.6 in) guns. The light battery was revised again in 1916, with four 47 mm guns being converted with high-angle anti-aircraft mounts. They were placed atop the rear main battery turret and the number 7 and 8 secondary turret roofs.[3]

In 1912–1913, the ship received two 2 m (6 ft 7 in) Barr & Stroud rangefinders; by the end of World War I, the ship had been fitted with two 2.74 m (9 ft) rangefinders in addition to the 2 m rangefinders. One of the latter was moved to the aft superstructure and configured for high-angle fire control.[3]

⚙ specifications
Displacement	14,870 metric tons (14,640 long tons)
Dimensions	135.25 x 24.25 x 8.2 m (443 ft 9 in x 79 ft 7 in x 26 ft 11 in)
Propulsion	3× VTE engines, 24× Niclausse boilers, 17,500 metric horsepower (17,260 ihp)
Speed	18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Range	8,400 nautical miles (15,600 km; 9,700 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Armament	4× 305 M1893/96, 18× 164 mm M1896, 13 × 65 mm M1902, 8 × 47 mm Hotchkiss, 2× 450 mm TTs
Protection	Belt 280, Main turrets 360, Sec. turrets 138, CT 266, upper deck 54, lower deck 51 mm
Crew	32 officer+ 710 enlisted men

Career of the Liberté class

Liberté (1905)

Career 1909-1911

Liberté was laid down at Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire in November 1902, launched on 19 April 1905 and completed on 13 April 1908. Bedfore that on 5 September 1907, she was moved by her own power to the Arsenal de Brest to fit her armament and departed on next year 18 March for the Mediterranean Sea, and an official completion at Toulon on 13 April, but that was already over a year after HMS Dreadnought, making her outdated. Assigned to the 2nd Division, Mediterranean Squadron, with Justice as her divisional flagship and Vérité she took part in annual exercises this summer (June-July) combining both northern and southern Squadrons in annual maneuvers off Bizerte, visiting the city in October.

The squadron also ended in Villefranche by February 1909 and trained off Corsica, gunnery drills (Tempête as target) on 17 March, before going back to Villefranche for the Presidential review for Armand Fallières on 26 April. Witrh the cruiser Ernest Renan they steamed to the Atlantic for training on 2 June and later met at Cádiz, Spain, training with submarines in the Pertuis d’Antioche strait. They trained off La Pallice, testing new wireless telegraphy sets, shooting in Quiberon Bay.

Next 8-15 July she was in Brest, Le Havre, meeting the Northern Squadron for a fleet review on the 17th then assembling at Cherbourg for Czar Nicholas II review. On 12 September, the 2nd Division departed Brest for the United States to represent France for the Hudson–Fulton Celebration, 300th anniversary and were back to Toulon on 27 October. In 1910 the same routine repeated, and for the first time, all six Liberté and two République-class trained off Sardinia and Algeria in May-June. She experienced an outbreak of typhoid by early December quarantined in Golfe-Juan until the 15th. On 16 April 1911, Liberté escorted Vérité hosting the president and Naval Minister Théophile Delcassé, Charles Dumont (Minister of Public Works) to Bizerte for an internaitonal fleet review with also two British battleships, two Italian battleships and a Spanish cruiser on 19 April. She was back to Toulon on the 29th.

By mid-1911, the Mediterranean Squadron was reorganized and Liberté ended in the 1st Battle Squadron with the armored cruisers Ernest Renan and Léon Gambetta. They made a Med cruise in May-June, stopping at Cagliari, Bizerte, Bône, Philippeville, Algiers, and Bougie. On 1 August, the new Danton class took their place in the 1st Squadron. On 4 September, both squadrons had another fleet review off Toulon and they departed on 11 September for maneuvers off Golfe-Juan and Marseille, back on the 16th.

Loss 25 Sept. 1911

An illustration showing the extent of the damage to Liberté; the darker colored forward section was almost entirely destroyed

On the dawn hours of 25 September, smoke was spotted from other ships from Liberté, coming from her forward starboard casemate. Soon, her forward superstructure was ungulfed in flames and it spread rapidly albeit it seemed soon under control. However at 05:53 a colossal explosion ripped apart the battleship. The blast projected her central 194 mm turrets overboard and completly returned her deck like a tin can before it collapsed inwards, a whole section 55 m (180 ft) large disappared and the forward 12-inches turret blasted apart. A 37-metric-ton (36-long-ton) armor plate ended on the battleship République, 210 m (690 ft) away. Splinters sank a steam pinnace, killed 15 men aboard the cruiser Marseillaise, 9 on the battleship Saint Louis, 6 on the armored cruiser Léon Gambetta, 4 on the battleship Suffren, 3 on Démocratie and showered all ships, starting fires in some case and causing damage everywhere. The surviving crew fled the ship, fearing she sank in harbour or a second explosion. In total 286 were killed on board, 188 wounded. 143 were on leave (with the commander) in Toulon.

The navy mounted a commission of investigation the same day, held aboard the well known then sister ship “Justice”, under Rear Admiral Jean Gaschard. One option that immediately came to mind due to possible anarchist’s work or sabotage was ruled out. The investigation took time and eventually concluded this was due to excessive heat in the magazines and urged to review standard procedures for ammunition handling and monitoring. There had a been already such accident in a torpedo boat in February 1907 and most infamously on the battleship Iéna, killing 107 as well on a gunnery training ship in August 1908, on a cruiser in September 1910, an again in the cruiser Gloire two weeks (10 September) before Liberté. It was concluded that Poudre B, nitrocellulose-based propellant widespreads in the fleet, was responsible for Iéna and the others. With excessive heat in summer in Toulon, powder B seemingly degraded too fast and became highly unstable.

After this new high profile disaster, the navy established new rules. They urged the destruction of propellant charges older than four years, at first only on battleship squadrons, but was later extended as production was ramped up. The Navy Minister also asked to return propellant charges that had misfired in magazines and charges already been placed in the guns were either fired or discarded. The commission also called for new magazine flooding arrangements. The wreck remained in Toulon for years. In World War I she was stripped bare, her guns used as spares, but by 1920 she had started to sink into the mud. She was refloated, using divers to build cofferdams and helped on 4 September 1920 by the cruiser Latouche-Tréville fitted with compressed air pumps and used as barracks for workers and floating workshop. On 21 February 1925 she was fully refloated, sent in drydock and broken up. No such explosion happened again.

Justice (1907)

Justice was laid down at Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée (FCM) on 1 April 1903, launched on 27 October 1904 and completed on 15 April 1908. After commissioning she entered the 2nd Division, Mediterranean Squadron in Toulon, as flagship. Her sisters Liberté and Vérité were present. She hosted Rear admiral Jules Le Pord as divisional commander on 16 April. From 10 June and in July she took part in combined training for both Squadrons in annual maneuvers off Bizerte and stayed there in October. On 30 December with the the destroyers Carquois and Fanfare she brought relief aid to Messina after an earthquake. She was in Villefranche by February 1909 and returned for a review on 26 April. In June she headed with the cruiser Galilée in the Atlantic and assembled in Cádiz on 12 June. In 15 July she was in Brest and Le Havre, took part two more fleet reviews (see above). On 12 September she sailed for the United States and the Hudson–Fulton Celebration, back on 27 October. Next she took part in a simulated attack on Nice on 18 February 1910. She trained off Sardinia and Algeria in May-June, and with the second Squadron in June. Justice developed main battery issues and was detached at the shipyard in Toulon on 13-21 July. She also later had a typhoid outbreak in December.

On 16 April 1911 she escorted Vérité with the president and ministers to Bizerte and held a fleet review, back on 29 April. She then went on a cruise in the western Mediterranean in May-June and on 1 August, swapped units with the 1st Squadron (Danton class). In September she trained off Golfe-Juan and Marseille. On 25 September, Liberté was destroyed by a magazine explosion and she hosted the commission of investigation. On 26 October, Justice also caught fire with two 194 mm, one 47 mm magazines flooded, believed to come from a short circuit in the electrical system near the forward magazines. The same happened on the battleship Suffren. She then cruised to Les Salins d’Hyères, Lavandou, Porquerolles until 15 December and took part in the French silent film just called “Justice”.
On 19 January 1912, she sailed with Danton to Malta with the DDs Lansquenet and Carabinier, arriving in Valletta on 22 January for a visit by King George V and Queen Mary coming from India and greeted by an international review and “entente cordiale” celebration since 1904. On 24 April, Justice and République had gunnery training off Hyères, soon joined by Patrie and Vérité and inspected by Admiral Augustin Boué de Lapeyrère in Golfe-Juan on 2-12 July. She trained off Corsica and Algeria.

In early 1913, still leading the 2nd Squadron she trained off Le Lavandou (16 battleships) and off Toulon and Sardinia from 19 May concluded by a fleet review for President Raymond Poincaré and gunnery practice in early July. On 23 August her squadron departed with the armored cruisers Jules Ferry and Edgar Quinet, two destroyer flotillas for training in the Atlantic. En route to Brest, via Tangier, Royan, Le Verdon, La Pallice, Quiberon Bay, Cherbourg. On 20 September they met a Russian squadron. They went back vua Cádiz, Tangier, Mers El Kébir, Algiers, Bizerte and back in Toulon on 1 November. On 3 December she had torpedo training and range-finding drills. A gale at Les Salins anchorage, the night of 19/20 December blew Démocratie into Justice. The latter lose her starboard anchor chain and had armor plates torned off at her bow, later repaired in Toulon. She was back to Les Salins in early 1914 for more torpedo training on 19 January. She made a trip to Bizerte and back on 6 February and on 4 March she joined the 1st Squadron and the 2nd Light Squadron to Porto-Vecchio in Sardinia. On 30 March she sailed to Malta for a Friendly visit the British Mediterranean Fleet until 3 April. After the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and July Crisis, she remained on alert close to port, with short training sorties.

General mobilization was ordered on 1 August. Boué de Lapeyrère ordered the fleet to raise steam in the evening for a sortie early the next day. The immediate threat was Souchon’s German Mediterranean Division, a threat for French troopships from North Africa. The two battleship squadron had to act as heavy escort, a distant deterrent. Justice and the 2nd Squadron was sent to Algiers and soon met seven passenger ships loaded with 7,000 troops (XIX Corps). Justice became the convoy’s flagship for Rear Admiral Tracou, commander, 2nd Division, 2nd Squadron. They were joined by the dreadnoughts Courbet and Jean Bart, Condorcet and Vergniaud. However Goeben and Breslau shelled instead Bône and Philippeville as a diversion and fled east. On 12 August, war was declared also on the Austro-Hungarian Empire. So the 1st and 2nd Squadrons were sent to the southern Adriatic Sea. On 15 August they entered the Strait of Otranto and met the British cruisers HMS Defence and HMS Weymouth north of Othonoi. Admiral Boué de Lapeyrère took the fleet into the Adriatic trying to lure out the Austro-Hungarian fleet out of Pola, but in vain. The next morning, ships were spotted in the distance and after closing the distance the protected cruiser SMS Zenta and TB Ulan trying to blockade Montenegro were caught in what became the Battle of Antivari. Ulan escaped but Zenta was sunk. The allied withdrew. Justice howedver received a hit in her starboard forward 194 mm casemate gun (no killed, just concussion).

The French fleet patrolled the southern Adriatic for three days. At 09:20 on 17 August, Justice and Démocratie collided in heavy fog. She just had her bow dented in and withdrew to Malta for quick repairs, back on the 27th. On 1 September she shelled Austrian fortifications at Cattaro. They also sailed on 18–19 Septembe up to Lissa. Same sweeps happened in October and November, and they eventually protected ships coaling off Montenegro. Soon they woud rotate through Malta or Toulon for maintenance, eventually Corfu was chosen as main naval base. Patrols went on until an Austrian sub. torpedoed Jean Bart, so the French naval command withdrew the main battle fleet, remaining at Navarino Bay. Instead, they patrolled between Kythira and Crete until 7 May and after the Italian entry into the war they handed control to them of the Adriatic. The fleet headed to Bizerte as main fleet base. Justice and Démocratie were detached in January 1916 to join the Dardanelles Division for the evacuations. In June, Justice, her two sisters, two République-class and Suffren ended in the 3rd Squadron. The Dantoin remained in the 2nd, the new dreadnoughts in the 1st. They were used to pressure the Greek government, still neutral, into joining the entente. The 3rd Squadron was sent to Salonika and in June-July, alternated between Salonika and Mudros, then Cephalonia.

In August, a pro-Allied group in the Noemvriana was followed by Allied support with landing parties ashore sent to Athens on 1 December, but they were defeated by the royalist Greek Army. Both the British and French imposed a blockade. In June 1917, Constantine was forced to abdicate, and the 3rd Squadron was disbanded, with Justice returning to the 2nd Squadron including now the Danton-class battleships by July, remaining in Corfu. Shortages of coal forced them inactive until September 1918. By late October armistices started to be discusses and the 2nd Squadron was sent to Constantinople for the surrender of Ottoman forces, Justice and Démocratie entered the Black Sea, supervised the transfer of Russian warships seized by the Germans. On 8 December, they sailed to Odessa to join Mirabeau, observing clashes between the Bolshevik and White Russians. As the Bolsheviks advance into the city, Justice, Mirabeau, Jules Michelet sent landing parties ashore. On 1 January 1919, Justice returned to Constantinople. The 2nd Squadron (Démocratie, Diderot, Vergniaud, dreadnought “France”) now supported the White Russians in Sevastopol, and blockading the coast of Ukraine.

By mid-April, the French withdrew all support as it was estimated the Bolshevik advance was inevitable, but mostly due to crew fatigue as the war had ended and growing discontent in the fleet. However the command decided otherwise on 19 April and mutinies erupted on Justice, France, Jean Bart, worsened by Greek soldiers firing into a crowd of demonstrators ashore, killing one French sailor, injuring five. Justice’s crew wanted to take control of officers and fire on the Greek battleship Kilkis moored nearby. The captain ordered his ship’s guns disabled (breech blocks locked) to prevent this and eventually managed to convince the crew to abandon the mutiny, before the dreadnoughts. This was defused wehn decision was taken to return back to France. Later Justice took under tow Mirabeau that ran aground in February, refloated in April but repairs were stopped as Sevastopol was about to fall. She was underway under tow on 5 May to Constantinople, stayed until 15 May and resumed the trip to France. Both ships stopped for ceremonies for Bouvet in the Dardanelles campaign. Justice resumed the trip to 7 knots for the remaining 1,800-nautical-mile to Toulon on 24 May. Later she towed the Elan-class minesweeping sloop Commandant Rivière to Brest on 17 June. Reduced to a training ship by 1 April 1920, she was in special reserve, towed to Landévennec on 27 April, decommissioned on 1 March 1921, struck on 29 November, sold for BU on 30 December, to Hamburg in 1922.

Vérité (1907)

Vérité was laid down at Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée (FCM) on 1 April 1903, launched on 28 May 1907 and completed and commissioned on 11 September 1908. Before that on 5 July, VADM Augustin Boué de Lapeyrère came aboard to command a flotilla with the cruiser Dupetit-Thouars, DDs Baliste and Arquebuse, TB cruiser Cassini and escort President Armand Fallières for a tour of the Baltic Sea. She sailed to Dunkirk, as Fallières climbed on board Vérité, stopped in Copenhagen, Stockholm, greeting King Gustaf V, then Reval, to meet Czar Nicholas II of Russia, and back to Brest on 6 August. On 15 September, she departed for Toulon, assigned to the 2nd Division, Mediterranean Squadron with Justice as flagship, and Liberté. The same records as the rest of the division are valid here, see above. On 27 July 1909 she was part of a combined naval review (Med and Northern Squadrons) in Le Havre for Fallières and Nicholas II, both came aboard that night. On 12 September she departed Brest for the Hudson–Fulton Celebration. On 25 September 1911 she was present when Liberté blew up, and was showeved with debris but her crew avoided any casualties. On 20 August 1912 however, an alarm was sounded aboard in Toulon when crewmen noticed thick black smoke from the magazines. The captain was close to flood the magazines, but it revealed to be a problem with the ventilation system from the boiler rooms.

By early 1913, Vérité with her Squadron had the same routine exercises with nothing notable for her. However while moored in Cádiz, Vérité broke free from her anchor, nearly collided with the Spanish ironclad Pelayo. Stokers quickly got steam up to at least get power enough to avoid the collision. On 21 May, she hosted the Naval Minister, Armand Gauthier for a cruise to Ajaccio in Corsica and landed him to Bizerte on 24 May, then transferred to the new dreadnought Courbet back to France. The July Crisis prompted her back to Toulon. As World War I started, she was ordered to raise steam and the next day departed to cover troopships from North Africa to metropolitan France, sent to Algiers to escort seven passenger ships. On 12 August France was also at war against the Austro-Hungarian Empire so both Squadrons were sent to the Adriatic Sea, taking positions in the Strait of Otranto. In their first sortie, they caught and sunk SMS Zenta. On 1 September she shelled Cattaro and later made a sortie to the island of Lissa. But On 24 September, she was detached to join the Dardanelles Division under Émile Guépratte at Tenedos for the planned evacuation, after a standby squadron in case of a sortie by Goeben, alongside HMS Indefatigable and Indomitable. Vérité and Suffren were to engage Barbaros Hayreddin and Turgut Reis if they sortied.

Admiral Sackville Carden eventually had enough of waiting and ordered all four to shell Ottoman coastal fortifications, testing the defenses. The French were tasked of the Asian side in a single pass over ten minutes. Suffren led Vérit at 15 knots and close to 12,000-13,000 m (13,000 to 14,000 yd) to bombard Kumkale and Orkanie. Vérité spent twenty-five 194 mm shells butSuffren used her main guns. On the western side, battlecruisers destroyed the fortress at Sedd el Bahr. The French ships caused many casualties in the garrison, estimated from 150 to 600 killed and wounded. Guépratte’s squadron was soon reconstituted with Suffren, Vérité, but also Charlemagne, Saint Louis, and Gaulois as flagship. They returned to the uneventful blockade or patrolling for contraband via Smyrna or Dedeağaç in Bulgaria. Vérité left on 18 December and after the evacuation from Gallipoli in early 1916, she was sent to the Aegean Sea to put pressure on the Greek government. She was based at Salonika and on 5 May with Patrie she fired at a German zeppelin in reconnaissance. In June Vérité joined her sisters, and two République-class plus Suffren as the 3rd Squadron alternating between Salonika and Mudros, then Cephalonia.

Eventually the coup of August, in the Noemvrian prompted a support with landing parties from all the ships present, French and British. Alas, they were repelled by Royalists with heavy losses. Then a blockade started and by June 1917, Vérité was stationed in Piraeus with the cruiser Bruix. Constantine abdicated and the blockade was lifted on 16 June. The 3rd Squadron was disbanded. Vérité returned in the 2nd Squadron in July, but remained in Corfu, stripped of coal. In March 1918, she was transferred to Mudros, relieving République in the Eastern Division. They were soon joined by two British Lord Nelson-class battleships. The Salonika Division was posted as a counter in case Russian warships under German control would leave Sevastopol. In July, Vérité returned to the 2nd Squadron and saw little operations. By late October, she sent to Constantinople for the surrender and returned to Franc, not involved in the Russian Civil War not mutinies of 1919. Placed in reserve from 1 August 1919 she was stricken on 18 May 1921, towed to Savona in Italy and BU.

Démocratie (1904)

Démocratie was laid down at Brest on 1 May 1903, launched on 30 April 1904 and commissioned on 9 January 1908. She left Brest on 20 January to Toulon, entering the 1st Division, 1st Battle Squadron from 10 March, with Patrie and République for an even split between both her’s and the 2nd squadron having the remaining three. She had common annual maneuvers off Bizerte. She later did not sailed to Barcelona, as the French government feared her name would be provocative for King Alfonso XIII. In early 1909 at Villefranche-sur-Mer she was inspected by Albert I, Prince of Monaco on 18-24 February. She had drills off Corsica, a naval review in Villefranche for the President followed by Atlantic training in June, assembly at Cádiz, then La Pallice, and Quiberon Bay and s stay at Brest, then Le Havre. She met the Northern Squadron for another fleet review, then to Cherbourg, for Czar Nicholas II. She took part in the mock Nice attack on 18 February, trained off Sardinia and Algeria, had combined maneuvers and was also hit by typhoid in December. Next she escorted president Fallières and ministers to Bizerte and had a new fleet review, followed y numerous port vsits (see above). Her unit was changed to the 2nd Squadron and she had a new fleet review off Toulon.

Admiral Jauréguiberry she had maneuvers and visits at Golfe-Juan and Marseille, and on 25 September 1911. When Liberté exploded in Toulon, she received debris that kill three men. Next she trained at Les Salins, Le Lavandou, and Porquerolles. She hosted President Delcassé in April 1912, and later took part in training exercises. She was also inspected by Admiral Augustin Boué de Lapeyrère at Golfe-Juan in July, and trained off Corsica and Algeria, then Bizerte, Golfe-Juan, and Le Lavandou by early January 1914 and large scale manoeuvers between Toulon and Sardinia from 19 May plus a fleet review for President Raymond Poincaré, and Gunnery practice. Next, she had exercises in the Atlantic, arriving at Brest on 20 September, to greet a Russian squadron. She returned to Toulon afterwards, and had more drills, torpedo training on 19 January 1914, standoff at Bizerte, back to Toulon on 6 February. On 4 March her unit joined the 1st Squadron battleships and the 2nd Light Squadron off Sardinia. On 30 March she sailed to Malta but in 28 May 1914, she collided with Suffren when the latter vessel lost power. Suffren was lightly damaged, more than Démocratie. But she was recalled with the July crisis.

Her watime career resemble that of her sisters: After the general mobilization on 1 August she was sent to Algiers, to join seven troopships for escort. On 12 August, she was sent to the southern Adriatic Sea to try to lute out a defeat the Austro-Hungarian Navy. She took part in the battle of Antivari, seeing the sinking of SMS Zenta. On 17 August she collided with Justice in heavy fog at 09:20 and lost her rudder and center screw. République took her under tow at 12:40 and brought her to Corfu and then Malta on 20 August. Repairs were completed and she was back in time for another sweep on 18–19 September to Lissa. On their way back theye were fired at by the guns at Cattaro. Démocratie and Patrie opened fire. On 25 September she was sent to Toulon, to complete repairs.

Wile back she took part of the sweep off the coast of Montenegro and later battleships rotated through Malta or Toulon, based in Corfu and later Navarino Bay, then patrols between Kythira and Crete and then Bizerte as main fleet base. In January 1916 she was detached to the Dardanelles Division, in time for the evacuations. Démocratie left on 11 April for more repairs in Toulon but collided with the Russian steamer SS Odessa off Cape Maleas (no damage). In June she ended in the 3rd Squadron taking part in the pressure and blockade to force the Greek government to join the entente. She alternated between Salonika and Mudros, then Corfu. By 27 August, she was sent to Milos, and Keratsini, the off Eleusis outside Athens on 7 October to attack the Greek fleet and herself to target the battleship Kilkis, however the plan was shelved. They would be seized instead on 19 October.

In the pro-Allied group she sent men ashore in Athens on 1 December but her forces were defeated by royalists. She breifly took part in the blockade but eventually her Squadron was disbanded and she remained inactive in Corfu until late September 1918. By late October, she was sent to Constantinople to oversee the surrender. Netx she followed Justice into the Black Sea, to supervise the transfer of Russian warships seized by the Germans back to Russian control and later joined an Allied fleet (HMS Superb, Temeraire, Roma) at Sevastopol. She provided men to man two Russian destroyers and two German U-boats. On 7 January 1919, Mirabeau arrived and relieved Démocratie, back to Constantinople in the 2nd Squadron. She was sent to Smyrna to prevent Italy from occupying the area and returned to the Black Sea and by May off Odessa wirh Ernest Renan. On 25 May she returned to Constantinople, embarking Grand Vizier Damat Ferid Pasha back to France to sign the Treaty of Sèvres. She arrived on 11 June. Placed in reserve on 1 April 1920 she was stricken on 18 May 1921, sold to ship breakers in Savona, Italy in 1922 and BU.