Dunkerque: forward guns for French strategy

The French design combined eight 330 mm guns, a speed of roughly 29.5 knots, and a concentrated forward battery within a lower standard displacement than a full treaty battleship. Compared with a discarded 36,000-ton proposal, the production layout saved roughly 9,500 tons by omitting an aft-gun arrangement and its extra hull. Dunkerque was meant to counter ships such as the Deutschland class, older Italian capital ships, and anticipated German successors while preserving French fleet resources. Fuel, feed water, ballast, and other liquid spaces helped insulate the magazines from the boiler rooms. Heavy weapons forward and aviation facilities aft gave the ship the functional zoning found on later warships.