Normandie illustrates how a larger broadside could still produce an unconvincing battleship. The design packed twelve 13.4-inch guns into three quadruple turrets, including an unusual aft-facing concentration that made the layout visually and tactically awkward. Its broadside invited comparison with Italian battleships carrying thirteen 12-inch guns, though raw gun count could flatter an awkward design. At 21 knots, Normandie was slow beside the fast British designs in the episode, while its armour was compared with French and German battlecruiser protection. Béarn, the only hull that entered service, did so as an aircraft carrier. Even in that poor carrier form, she was probably more useful than the battleship would have been. Since none of the class entered service as a battleship, the design also shows the limits of paper comparison.
Notable Point · 3:02-5:10
Normandie's quadruple-turret compromise
France's Normandie class concentrated twelve 13.4-inch guns in quadruple turrets, but its 21-knot speed and unusual layout raised hard questions about the design's value.