French battleship design sought the best result available from limited infrastructure and funding. Dunkerque also had to fit a strategic relationship with the Royal Navy. France lacked enough ships to defend both its Mediterranean position and its global empire independently. Government funding and treaty allowances restricted the scale of the fleet that could be built, so compatibility with British strategy mattered alongside the qualities of each ship.
Notable Point · 1:54:27-1:55:34
Why French fleet design depended on British strategic support
Dunkerque's design belongs within France's limited resources and its need for Royal Navy support in the Mediterranean and overseas.