Dunkerque and Strasbourg were already available, while Richelieu and Jean Bart had been launched and could potentially be completed in Britain with suitable facilities. That would give the Allies four French fast battleships. Béarn added a flight deck, alongside seven heavy cruisers, light cruisers, destroyers, torpedo boats and an inventory of 83 submarines. Gunboats and merchant vessels broadened the force further. Its trained sailors also mattered, despite restrictions on the funding of naval training. Removing this fleet from Allied service relieved pressure on both Germany and Italy.
Chapter · 24:12-26:45
What was at stake in the 1940 fleet
The fleet included fast battleships, Béarn, cruisers, destroyers, submarines and smaller vessels that the Allies could have used.