A Free French Bearn as an escort carrier

Could Bearn have served as an escort or anti-submarine carrier if she had joined the Free French in 1940?

Yes. The Royal Navy would probably have adapted and used her in lower-speed carrier, transport, reinforcement, or ASW duties despite her limitations.

Bearn was too slow and awkward for fleet-carrier work, but an operational hull with fighters and strike aircraft would still have been valuable in 1940. She had handled the SBD Dauntless, while the heavier TBF Avenger raised the broader question of whether her older lifts and handling arrangements could accept later aircraft. British engineers could have adapted her for escort, anti-submarine, transport, or reinforcement duties. She might have supported Malta convoys or deployments to the Far East, where another available flight deck could ease pressure on newer ships. Her greatest value would have been releasing modern carriers for more demanding operations.