An earlier French proposal carried twelve 13-inch guns and a secondary battery of twelve 5.1-inch guns. France's 175,000-ton capital-ship allocation made the number of hulls a serious constraint. Five ships at the individual treaty maximum would use the entire fleet allowance. Their value therefore had to be judged against likely opponents, including the Trento and Deutschland classes, and the option of obtaining more smaller ships.
Notable Point · 1:19:57-1:23:58
France's twelve-gun alternative and its fleet cost
A twelve-gun French capital ship promised firepower at the cost of consuming more of France's limited fleet allowance.