French capital ships needed major interwar reconstruction

How long would completed French Normandie- and Lyon-class capital ships remain competitive?

Without major reconstruction, they would be dated by the mid-1920s and rapidly outclassed by the next generation of capital ships.

Completing the Normandie and Lyon classes would have increased the number of French capital ships, but their conservative designs offered limited room for later improvement. Without major reconstruction, they are judged likely to have become dated by the mid-1920s. Newer ships, including the proposed British G3 and N3 designs, would have outclassed them. Their continued usefulness would therefore depend heavily on substantial rebuilding.