Why French warship design worked best when practitioners controlled theory

Were good French warship designs more a matter of luck than judgment?

No; the best designs came when practitioners applied strong theory pragmatically and kept shipyards under effective control.

Successful French warships did not emerge merely by luck. French institutions produced strong theories, but those ideas worked best when practitioners adapted them to engineering and operational constraints. A theoretician applying a favored concept personally could remain committed even when evidence called for compromise. The resulting ships reveal whether yard control and practical judgment disciplined the original theory.