A sixteen-gun Lyon could lose one turret during modernization and still retain twelve guns, creating room for a hull extension, more machinery and anti-aircraft weapons. Replacing the original 13.4-inch battery with Dunkerque's more powerful 13-inch guns could improve penetration and simplify the fleet's gun supply. A further proposal substitutes nine 15-inch guns in triple turrets. That would require turrets fitted to the existing barbettes and extensive changes to shell hoists and other internal equipment. The smaller-gun modernization has a timing advantage: it could be ready before the Second World War, whereas waiting for the later 15-inch weapons might leave the ships in dock. An operational modernized Lyon also introduces the possibility of a ship eventually joining the Free French.
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Modernizing Lyon with Dunkerque guns
Lyon's sixteen-gun layout offered room for major reconstruction, but choosing Dunkerque guns over a 15-inch conversion could determine whether the ship was ready when war began.