Bouvines and the French coastal-battleship idea

The French example is tied to the Jeune Ecole atmosphere, where torpedo boats and coastal defence battleships offered an asymmetric answer to a stronger enemy fleet. The doctrine paired commerce raiding with powerful local defence rather than trying to mirror the Royal Navy ship for ship. Bouvines is described with 12-inch guns, a dense light battery, torpedo tubes, and an especially heavy belt. Her 7.5-meter draft was too deep for one suggested river-defence role along the Franco-Belgian border. Her half-sisters of the Jemmapes class sacrificed the more seaworthy forecastle in order to mount 13.4-inch guns. Coastal defence ships could be small by battleship standards while still carrying severe local armor and firepower.