Originalpläne der NORMANDIE gefunden

[bgire]

The French CAA archives centre recently updated its huge collection of downloadable plans with more than 70 new ships.

Among those sets of plans you can find those for BB Languedoc, a Normandie class battleship of 1915. This was laid down in Bordeaux, but construction stopped with hull completed without equipment but with boilers in place : she was launched to clear the slipway and later broken-up.

We all had seen before sketches of the three quad turrets Normandie class, but its the first time we can have an in depth look at the builder's plans.
Many details not seen before on the widely published sketches.
In addition, there is a large cutaway of the quad turret at the end of the list.

The plans can be found here :

http://www.servicehistorique.sga.defense.gouv.fr/02fonds-collections/banquedocuments/planbato/planbato/fichebato/fichbato.php?id=265

Here is a rare picture of the launching of Languedoc in Bordeaux, on May 1st, 1915 :

[t-geronimo]

Hello Bruno!

Thanks for your kind information.


It is really sad that the french governement makes all these plans public for free and the german doesn't.

In my opinion all warships are owned by the state or the governement and therefore were paid by the people of the state they belong to.
So why pay for something that me or my ancestors have already paid for?
But sadly this is german practise...

By the way, I know "Languedoc", but just from the purpose of wine (as I had been in this area once)...

[bgire]

It is really sad that the french governement makes all these plans public for free and the german doesn't.

In my opinion all warships are owned by the state or the governement and therefore were paid by the people of the state they belong to.

That's just a sequel of France "archaism" (compared to other developed countries) : France still hold on its "Public Service" (with the attached "army" of public servants) which provides high quality service (at the expense of our taxes).
But don't worry : France will soon be at last modernized and all this stuff will be privatized. We'll have to paid for having a look at "our ships" plans.

Just kidding

Languedoc (you know, the wine region) has been built and launched... in Bordeaux (another -rival- wine region)... no relation 

Just kidding again

[Torpedo]

Salut bgire,

j'ecris en anglais pour tout le monde. There have been lots of interesting french ships in the dreadnought and predreadnought era, but I haven't seen a single model of them. Do you know french modeller-clubs oder circles? And if you do, please look also at the neighbour forum: www.marine-archiv.de which concerns only about ships of the imperial era.

I would be glad, if we could find french modellers and their ships for an international meeting!