French aircraft carrier Béarn
Encyclopedia
Béarn was a unique aircraft carrier
which served with the Marine nationale (French Navy) in World War II
and beyond.
Béarn was commissioned in 1927 and was the only aircraft carrier produced by France
until after World War II. She was to be an experimental ship and should have been replaced in the 1930s by two new ships of the Joffre class
. She was generally comparable to other early carriers developed by the major navies of the world. However, France did not produce a further replacement and as naval aviation
lagged in France, Béarn continued to serve past her time of obsolescence. In 1939, she ended her career as an experimental ship and saw limited service during the war as an aircraft transport. She was named after the historic French province of Béarn
.
Béarn was a conversion of a Normandie-class
battleship
hull, converted during 1923-1927. The design resulted in a big but rather slow vessel. Her role of experimental ship led her to embark experimental planes, with limited efficiency and without group tactics. Unfortunately, with no replacement, Béarn was forced to serve in an operational role for more than 10 years. Obsolescence limited her use during World War II, where she saw service as an aircraft transport moving aircraft from the U.S. to the European Theater.
Béarn was also originally conceived of as part of a plan to also produce an aviation battlecruiser
with eight 300 mm (11.8 in) main gun
s and a small catapult-equipped deck for handling eight aircraft. This plan was dropped in favor of a more conventional warship, leading to the Dunkerque-class
battleship
s. With the approaching obsolescence of the Duquesne-class
heavy cruiser
s, there were plans drafted to convert them into carriers, possibly with retention of a 300 mm (11.8 in) gun turret
as a hybrid design. Like other design work on hybrids, this never went past the planning stage, and the only credible replacement for Béarn was actually begun when the Joffre-class aircraft carrier
was laid down. This project was not completed, however, and Béarn served as France's solitary carrier until delivery of a British escort carrier——in 1945, which served with the Marine nationale as Dixmude.
Béarn had a single island
on the starboard side which incorporated the ship's large funnel.
landed on Béarn, achieving the first aeronaval landing in the history of the Marine nationale.
Shortly after the declaration of World War II in 1939, Béarn was deemed too slow for fleet service, and was relegated to aircraft transportation duty. She was also used for training as Marine nationale pilots flying Vought SB2U Vindicator dive bomber
s practised carrier operations on her deck, though they were based ashore.
During the German
invasion of France
in 1940, Béarn was ordered to Toulon, to load French gold bullion for transfer overseas. On 25 May, Béarn met up with the light cruiser
s and at an Atlantic rendezvous, and the flotilla successfully carried Bank of France bullion reserves to Halifax, Canada. Béarn then went to the U.S. East Coast to load new aircraft which had been ordered from American manufacturers, including Curtiss H-75s, SBC Helldivers but also Brewster Buffaloes intended for the Belgian Air Component. Before these aircraft could reach their destination, the armistice with Germany
was signed, and Béarn instead sought harbor in Martinique
. She was one of a number of French ships that were effectively interned at Martinique—at U.S. insistence—to prevent their use by Germany.
After the German occupation of Vichy France
(Case Anton
), Béarn was one of several French ships that re-joined the Allies
. She was, however, considered outdated and too old to participate in the naval operations of the Marine nationale. Instead, in 1943-1944, she resumed her previous role as an aircraft transport, a valuable role for the Allied war effort.
This role was continued after the war, as part of the French attempt to recover their possessions in Indochina
.
From 1948, she served as a training ship and then as a submarine tender
. Béarn was scrapped in Italy in 1967.
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
which served with the Marine nationale (French Navy) in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and beyond.
Béarn was commissioned in 1927 and was the only aircraft carrier produced by France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
until after World War II. She was to be an experimental ship and should have been replaced in the 1930s by two new ships of the Joffre class
Joffre class aircraft carrier
The Joffre class was a class of two aircraft carriers planned by France prior to World War II. Only one of the two vessels was begun, and neither was launched before the project was cancelled in 1940.- History :...
. She was generally comparable to other early carriers developed by the major navies of the world. However, France did not produce a further replacement and as naval aviation
Naval aviation
Naval aviation is the application of manned military air power by navies, including ships that embark fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters. In contrast, maritime aviation is the operation of aircraft in a maritime role under the command of non-naval forces such as the former RAF Coastal Command or a...
lagged in France, Béarn continued to serve past her time of obsolescence. In 1939, she ended her career as an experimental ship and saw limited service during the war as an aircraft transport. She was named after the historic French province of Béarn
Béarn
Béarn is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Basque provinces of Soule, Lower Navarre, and Labourd, the principality of Bidache, as well as small parts of Gascony, it forms in the...
.
Description
Normandie class battleship
The Normandie-class dreadnought battleships were ordered for the French Navy before the First World War. They were named after provinces of France. These ships were never completed as battleships because the war stopped their construction...
battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
hull, converted during 1923-1927. The design resulted in a big but rather slow vessel. Her role of experimental ship led her to embark experimental planes, with limited efficiency and without group tactics. Unfortunately, with no replacement, Béarn was forced to serve in an operational role for more than 10 years. Obsolescence limited her use during World War II, where she saw service as an aircraft transport moving aircraft from the U.S. to the European Theater.
Béarn was also originally conceived of as part of a plan to also produce an aviation battlecruiser
Battlecruiser
Battlecruisers were large capital ships built in the first half of the 20th century. They were developed in the first decade of the century as the successor to the armoured cruiser, but their evolution was more closely linked to that of the dreadnought battleship...
with eight 300 mm (11.8 in) main gun
Main battery
Generally used only in the terms of naval warfare, the main battery is the primary weapon around which a ship was designed. "Battery" is in itself a common term in the military science of artillery. For example, the United States Navy battleship USS Washington had a main battery of nine guns...
s and a small catapult-equipped deck for handling eight aircraft. This plan was dropped in favor of a more conventional warship, leading to the Dunkerque-class
Dunkerque class battleship
The Dunkerque class was a new type of warship of the French Navy built during the 1930s, labeled as 'fast battleships'. Not as large as other contemporary battleships, they were designed to counter the threat of the German pocket battleships of the Deutschland class. They had a specific main...
battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s. With the approaching obsolescence of the Duquesne-class
Duquesne class cruiser
The Duquesne Class were the first class of post Washington Treaty heavy cruisers built for the French Navy. They have been criticised by naval architects for having very little armour and being lightly built...
heavy cruiser
Heavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range, high speed and an armament of naval guns roughly 203mm calibre . The heavy cruiser can be seen as a lineage of ship design from 1915 until 1945, although the term 'heavy cruiser' only came into formal use in 1930...
s, there were plans drafted to convert them into carriers, possibly with retention of a 300 mm (11.8 in) gun turret
Gun turret
A gun turret is a weapon mount that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions.The turret is also a rotating weapon platform...
as a hybrid design. Like other design work on hybrids, this never went past the planning stage, and the only credible replacement for Béarn was actually begun when the Joffre-class aircraft carrier
Joffre class aircraft carrier
The Joffre class was a class of two aircraft carriers planned by France prior to World War II. Only one of the two vessels was begun, and neither was launched before the project was cancelled in 1940.- History :...
was laid down. This project was not completed, however, and Béarn served as France's solitary carrier until delivery of a British escort carrier——in 1945, which served with the Marine nationale as Dixmude.
Béarn had a single island
Conning tower
A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer can con the vessel; i.e., give directions to the helmsman. It is usually located as high on the ship as practical, to give the conning team good visibility....
on the starboard side which incorporated the ship's large funnel.
Service history
On 20 October 1920, Paul TestePaul Teste
Paul Marcel Teste was a French Navy officer aviator, notable for the first aeronaval landing of the French Navy aboard the Béarn....
landed on Béarn, achieving the first aeronaval landing in the history of the Marine nationale.
Shortly after the declaration of World War II in 1939, Béarn was deemed too slow for fleet service, and was relegated to aircraft transportation duty. She was also used for training as Marine nationale pilots flying Vought SB2U Vindicator dive bomber
Dive bomber
A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target reduces the distance the bomb has to fall, which is the primary factor in determining the accuracy of the drop...
s practised carrier operations on her deck, though they were based ashore.
During the German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
invasion of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
in 1940, Béarn was ordered to Toulon, to load French gold bullion for transfer overseas. On 25 May, Béarn met up with the light cruiser
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
s and at an Atlantic rendezvous, and the flotilla successfully carried Bank of France bullion reserves to Halifax, Canada. Béarn then went to the U.S. East Coast to load new aircraft which had been ordered from American manufacturers, including Curtiss H-75s, SBC Helldivers but also Brewster Buffaloes intended for the Belgian Air Component. Before these aircraft could reach their destination, the armistice with Germany
Armistice with France (Second Compiègne)
The Second Armistice at Compiègne was signed at 18:50 on 22 June 1940 near Compiègne, in the department of Oise, between Nazi Germany and France...
was signed, and Béarn instead sought harbor in Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
. She was one of a number of French ships that were effectively interned at Martinique—at U.S. insistence—to prevent their use by Germany.
After the German occupation of Vichy France
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
(Case Anton
Case Anton
Operation Anton was the codename for the military occupation of Vichy France carried out by Germany and Italy in November 1942.- Background :...
), Béarn was one of several French ships that re-joined the Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
. She was, however, considered outdated and too old to participate in the naval operations of the Marine nationale. Instead, in 1943-1944, she resumed her previous role as an aircraft transport, a valuable role for the Allied war effort.
This role was continued after the war, as part of the French attempt to recover their possessions in Indochina
Indochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
.
From 1948, she served as a training ship and then as a submarine tender
Submarine tender
A submarine tender is a type of ship that supplies and supports submarines.Submarines are small compared to most oceangoing vessels, and generally do not have the ability to carry large amounts of food, fuel, torpedoes, and other supplies, nor to carry a full array of maintenance equipment and...
. Béarn was scrapped in Italy in 1967.