According to John Jordan's French Battleships of World War One, French 34cm OPf Mle 1912-1921 Shell had a two-part windscreen to facilitate a smooth underwater trajectory.
Some time ago, when I reviewed original plans of Bretagne-class, I found some turret plans dated October 1920, show that AP shells which stowed in the shell room or in the lower hoists are without fore windscreen, while there are several fore windscreen storage racks in the turret working chamber and shells in the upper hoists clearly have fore windscreen.
Then I checked a 1938 battleship Provence documentary, confirmed that 34cm AP shells were indeed stowed without fore windscreen. Link:
I assume that when French Navy adopted new 34cm shells with new windscreen, they didn't modify Bretagnes' lower hoists. The original lower hoists are designed for the shorter old shell, they can't accomandate the longer new shells. But new shells have special two-part windscreen, and shells without fore windscreen have merely the same length of old shells, which can be accomandated by lower hoists, so the French only modified upper hoists and working chambers. Shells are stowed without fore windscreen, they will be brought up to the working chamber, and the fore windscreen will then be fitted manually (German plans of captured French 34cm shells show that the fore windscreen is attached to aft part by screw thread, it might be purposely designed so to be easy handle).
I guess Courbet-class have similar modification since French new 30.5cm AP shells have the same windscreen design of 34cm shells.
Some time ago, when I reviewed original plans of Bretagne-class, I found some turret plans dated October 1920, show that AP shells which stowed in the shell room or in the lower hoists are without fore windscreen, while there are several fore windscreen storage racks in the turret working chamber and shells in the upper hoists clearly have fore windscreen.
Then I checked a 1938 battleship Provence documentary, confirmed that 34cm AP shells were indeed stowed without fore windscreen. Link:
I assume that when French Navy adopted new 34cm shells with new windscreen, they didn't modify Bretagnes' lower hoists. The original lower hoists are designed for the shorter old shell, they can't accomandate the longer new shells. But new shells have special two-part windscreen, and shells without fore windscreen have merely the same length of old shells, which can be accomandated by lower hoists, so the French only modified upper hoists and working chambers. Shells are stowed without fore windscreen, they will be brought up to the working chamber, and the fore windscreen will then be fitted manually (German plans of captured French 34cm shells show that the fore windscreen is attached to aft part by screw thread, it might be purposely designed so to be easy handle).
I guess Courbet-class have similar modification since French new 30.5cm AP shells have the same windscreen design of 34cm shells.
statistics: Posted by Jean_Bart_1955 — 6:14 PM - 3 days ago — Replies 3 — Views 213