Which planned but unbuilt ship designs should have been completed?
Short answerNormandie, Lyon and a French battlecruiser project are the preferred completions, although Normandie's cancellation is understandable and Lyon offers more room for later upgrades.
NotesCompleting Normandie, Lyon and one of France's proposed battlecruiser designs could have strengthened the interwar fleet against Italy. Their value in this counterfactual is the additional force available to France, without treating them as world-beating designs. An Italian response might have included continuing the Caracciolo programme. Cancellation of Normandie after the First World War is understandable in a comparison that places its firepower, displacement and design concept between Iron Duke and Queen Elizabeth. Lyon's greater size and firepower offered more room for later upgrades.