Battleship Provence

Provence

Country	France
Ship Class	Bretagne-class Battleship
Builder	Arsenal de L'Orient, France
Laid Down	1 May 1912
Launched	20 Apr 1913
Commissioned	1 Jun 1915
Sunk	27 Nov 1942
Displacement	23,230 tons standard; 25,000 tons full
Length	381 feet
Beam	88 feet
Draft	32 feet
Machinery	Four shaft Parsons turbines, 18-24 boilers
Bunkerage	2,680 tons coal, 300 tons oil
Power Output	29,000 shaft horsepower
Speed	20 knots
Range	4,700nm at 10 knots
Crew	1,133
Armament	5x2x340mm guns, 22x138.66mm guns, 4x47mm guns, 4x450mm torpedo tubes
Armor	270mm belt, 40mm deck, 170mm casemates, 340mm turrets, 314mm conning tower

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseProvence served in the Mediterranean Sea with her sister ships during WW1. During WW2, she was docked at Mers-el-Kébir after German occupation of France. On 3 Jul 1940, British Force H executed Operation Catapult and attacked the French fleet there. She was intentionally beached to prevent flooding. After the battle, she made her way to Toulon, France, where she received repairs. On 27 Nov 1942, the Germans broke the armistice and invaded Toulon. Along with most of the French fleet, she was scuttled by opening sea valves and then by demolition charges. On 11 Jul 1943, she was refloated by the Germans, who removed her 340-milimeter primary guns for use as shore batteries. Toward the end of the war, she was scuttled again as a blockship. She was raised for the final time in Apr 1949 for scrapping.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia.

Last Major Revision: Sep 2007

Battleship Provence Interactive Map

Photographs

Battleship Provence, photo 1 of 3; published by the Division of Naval Inteligence of the Navy Department of the United States, 9 Nov 1942

Battleship Provence, photo 2 of 3; published by the Division of Naval Inteligence of the Navy Department of the United States, 9 Nov 1942

Battleship Provence, photo 3 of 3; published by the Division of Naval Inteligence of the Navy Department of the United States, 9 Nov 1942

French cruiser Commandant Teste, battleship Bretagne, battleship Strasbourg, battleship Provence, and battleship Dunkerque at Mers-el-Kébir, French Algeria, 1940

See all 5 photographs of Battleship Provence

Provence Operational Timeline

20 Apr 1913	The French battleship Provence was launched at Lorient, France.
1 Jun 1915	Provence was commissioned into service.

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Provence