Jean Bart

13.9

Jean Bart

Battleship | France | Tier IX

Tech Tree Position

General

Purchase priceSpecial

Hit Points69,000

Main Battery

380 mm/45 Mle 1935 in a turret2 х 4 pcs.

Rate of Fire2.31 shots/min.

Reload Time26 sec.

Rotation Speed5 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time36 sec.

Firing Range24.52 km.

Maximum Dispersion306 m.

HE Shell380 mm HE OEA Mle 1945

Maximum HE Shell Damage5,400

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell36 %

Initial HE Shell Velocity830 m./s.

HE Shell Weight884 kg.

AP Shell380 mm AP OPfK Mle 1943

Maximum AP Shell Damage11,900

Initial AP Shell Velocity830 m./s.

AP Shell Weight885 kg.

Secondary Armament #1

100 mm/55 Mle 1945 on a CAD Mle 1945 mount12 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range7.95 km.

Rate of Fire20 shots/min.

Reload Time3 sec.

HE Shell100 mm HE OEA Mle 1945

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,400

Initial HE Shell Velocity855 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell5 %

Secondary Armament #2

152 mm/55 Mle 1930 on an Mle 1936 mount3 х 3 pcs.

Firing Range7.95 km.

Rate of Fire5 shots/min.

Reload Time12 sec.

HE Shell152 mm HE OEA Mle 1937

Maximum HE Shell Damage2,200

Initial HE Shell Velocity870 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell12 %

AA Defense

100 mm/55 Mle 1945 on a CAD Mle 1945 mount12 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second177.6

. . . Firing Range5.01 km.

152 mm/55 Mle 1930 on an Mle 1936 mount3 х 3 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second24.9

. . . Firing Range5.01 km.

57 mm/60 Mle 1951 on an ACAD Mle 1948 mount14 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second357

. . . Firing Range3.81 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed30 knot

Turning Circle Radius850 m.

Rudder Shift Time16 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range15.89 km.

Air Detectability Range11.33 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

13.9

Jean Bart

Battleship | France | Tier IX

Tech Tree Position

General

Purchase priceSpecial

Hit Points69,000

Main Battery

380 mm/45 Mle 1935 in a turret2 х 4 pcs.

Rate of Fire2.31 shots/min.

Reload Time26 sec.

Rotation Speed5 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time36 sec.

Firing Range24.52 km.

Maximum Dispersion306 m.

HE Shell380 mm HE OEA Mle 1945

Maximum HE Shell Damage5,400

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell36 %

Initial HE Shell Velocity830 m./s.

HE Shell Weight884 kg.

AP Shell380 mm AP OPfK Mle 1943

Maximum AP Shell Damage11,900

Initial AP Shell Velocity830 m./s.

AP Shell Weight885 kg.

Secondary Armament #1

100 mm/55 Mle 1945 on a CAD Mle 1945 mount12 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range7.95 km.

Rate of Fire20 shots/min.

Reload Time3 sec.

HE Shell100 mm HE OEA Mle 1945

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,400

Initial HE Shell Velocity855 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell5 %

Secondary Armament #2

152 mm/55 Mle 1930 on an Mle 1936 mount3 х 3 pcs.

Firing Range7.95 km.

Rate of Fire5 shots/min.

Reload Time12 sec.

HE Shell152 mm HE OEA Mle 1937

Maximum HE Shell Damage2,200

Initial HE Shell Velocity870 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell12 %

AA Defense

100 mm/55 Mle 1945 on a CAD Mle 1945 mount12 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second177.6

. . . Firing Range5.01 km.

152 mm/55 Mle 1930 on an Mle 1936 mount3 х 3 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second24.9

. . . Firing Range5.01 km.

57 mm/60 Mle 1951 on an ACAD Mle 1948 mount14 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second357

. . . Firing Range3.81 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed30 knot

Turning Circle Radius850 m.

Rudder Shift Time16 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range15.89 km.

Air Detectability Range11.33 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

IX

Special

Jean Bart — French special premium Tier IX battleship.

A Richelieu-class battleship known for her high speed and powerful anti-torpedo defense. In the process of her completion in the late 1940s, she received the most advanced anti-aircraft artillery systems for that time, which significantly increased the ship's AA defense.

Jean Bart was first released for sale on 27 June 2018. She was removed from both the Armory and Premium shop with the release of Update 0.9.3.

Modules

	Rate of Fire (shots/min)	180° Turn Time (sec)	Maximum Dispersion (m)	Maximum HE Shell Damage (HP)	Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell (%)	Maximum AP Shell Damage (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
380 mm/45 Mle 1935 in a turret	2.3	36	306	5,400	36	11,900		0	0

	Hit Points (HP)	Armor (mm)	Armor (mm)	Main Turrets (pcs.)	Secondary Gun Turrets (pcs.)	AA Mounts (pcs.)	Torpedo Tubes (pcs.)	Hangar Capacity (pcs.)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Jean Bart	69,000	19	430	2	12/3	14/12/3				0	0

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
PCA n° 9 Mle 1		0		0	0

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 150,000 hp	30		0	0

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4
Slot 5
Slot 6

Player Opinion

Performance

Warning: The data presented in the AA Defense sidebar section may be incorrect.
Refer to the in-game Port screens for more useful data.

Jean Bart is generally viewed as better Richelieu, and for the most part, this is true. Sitting a tier higher than her sister ship, it would be unusual if Jean Bart weren't stronger in some form or another; in Jean Bart’s case, this means a general, all-around upgrade with a few unusual quirks to set her out from the crowd.

Jean Bart sits on the low end of health points for Tier IX battleships. While her base health pool is an improvement over Richelieu’s best hull, it still falls somewhat short when compared to her other Tier IX counterparts, which can lead to some issues when compounded with the relative thinness of her armor. Jean Bart can find herself somewhat vulnerable in certain situations, as heavy cruisers and light cruisers using the Inertia Fuse for HE Shells skill can easily deal full damage to almost any part of the ship. Additionally, while Jean Bart’s secondary battery looks good on paper, in practice it's somewhat unwieldy. The mounts themselves are relatively weak and are regularly knocked out the course of a battle, and while there are quite a number of them, they are largely composed of small, 100mm guns — a caliber unable to penetrate the vast majority of targets at Tier IX. All of her secondaries are also capped to a 10.6 km range, unlike Alsace and République.

Aspects of Jean Bart’s hull aren't the ship's major draw, though; that honor instead goes to her main battery guns, which provide a massive increase in offensive firepower when compared to those of Richelieu. They have a 26 second reload, generally better shell groupings, and access to a special Main Battery Reload Booster  consumable which halves main battery reload time for twenty seconds. In addition, she retains the high velocity shells found in other high-tier French battleships. Even though they are only 380mm guns — and thus unable to overmatch a number of high tier cruisers — the penetration of her shells are more than enough to punish broadside ships. Added to the Reload Booster and her excellent ballistics, and Jean Bart can be downright brutal to enemy ships caught making a positioning mistake. She can also make use of her good top speed and maneuverability to exploit enemy positions, utilizing her guns to discourage counter-positioning by the opposing team.

Pros:

• Relatively short reload of 26 seconds on her main battery which can be further enhanced by her Main Battery Reload Booster  and upgrades.
• Relatively fast top speed of 30 knots which can be increased with Engine Boost  to 32.4 knots. Increasing further with the Sierra Mike () signal flag to 34 knots.
• 7.0 km base secondary range (able to reach 10.6km when running a Secondary Build).
• Her 152 mm secondaries fire HE with an impressive 12% fire chance combined with a rapid reload.
• Good concealment allows her to reach 12.3 km surface detection.
• Excellent range of 24.5 km on her main guns.
• Her forward armament placement allows for easy angling of her armor.
• Good rudder shift time and turning circle.
• One of the best AA suites at Tier IX make her a deadly ship against enemy aircraft.

Cons:

• Second lowest health pool among Tier IX battleships
• 32mm plating vulnerable to HE spam.
• Weakest broadside of any Tier IX battleship with little-to-no overmatch ability.
• Most AA power is in mid-range mounts that are vulnerable to high-explosive fire.
• Most secondaries are unable to fire on targets directly ahead of the bow.
• Secondary guns can get easily taken out with HE spam.
• Extremely vulnerable to flanking, and savvy opponents will find it easy to exploit this weakness, making the ship much less effective in competitive gaming.

Research

As a premium ship, Jean Bart doesn't have any upgrades to research.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades for Jean Bart are as follows:

• Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
• Slot 2: Engine Boost Modification 1 or Damage Control System Modification 1 
• Slot 3: Aiming Systems Modification 1
• Slot 4: Damage Control System Modification 2
• Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1 
• Slot 6: Main Battery Modification 3

Commander Skills

Key skills for Jean Bart commanders focused on survivability include Preventative Maintenance, Expert Marksman, Basics of Survivability, and Concealment Expert.

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Attack			Defense
1	Gun Feeder -40% time to switch shell type.	Demolition Expert +1% chance of main and secondary HE shells causing a fire +15% to the fragmentation damage area of HE ordnance when firing at submarines.	Consumables Specialist −7.5% cooldown time of all Consumables except:  Damage Control Party ,  Repair Party . ★★	Emergency Repair Specialist -3% cooldown time of Damage Control Party  and Repair Party .	Incoming Fire Alert Receive a warning about a salvo fired at your ship from more than 4.5 km.	Preventive Maintenance −30% chance of main armament, engines, steering becoming incapacitated +15% to HP of secondary and AA guns. ★★
2	Grease the Gears +20% main turret traverse speed.	Inertial Fuse for HE Shells +25% armor penetration of HE shells. Base fire chance reduced by half.	Brisk So long as the ship remains undetected: +10% ship speed.	Vigilance +25% detection range of enemy torpedoes +7% damage reduction of Torpedo Protection System. .	Priority Target The detection indicator will show the number of enemies targeting you with main battery.	AAA & ASW Expert +15% continuous AAA and flak damage . +10% damage inflicted by depth charges. While AAA is active: −40% ship consumables reload time.. ★★
3	Super-Heavy AP Shells +7.5% AP shell damage −10% fire and flood damage received +25% fire and flood duration.	Long-Range Secondary Battery Shells +20% secondary battery firing range.	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% reload time of all armaments per 1% HP lost +0.2% AA continuous damage per 1% HP lost. ★★	Basics of Survivability -15% repair, fire, and flooding duration. ★★	Improved Repair Party Readiness −0.8% reload time of Repair Party each time your ship receives potential damage equal to 100% of the ship's base HP. After receiving 2M HP potential damage: +1 charge of Repair Party ..	Focus Fire Training In an active priority AA sector: •  +1.5% (to 5%) immediate damage. •  +25% continuous damage. •  +1 flak burst per salvo. −10% aircraft preparation time. −15% reload time of Airstrike armament.. ★★
4	Furious 1st fire / flood   −10% Main battery reload time 2nd etc. (up to 5), each   −5% Main battery reload time	Manual Secondary Battery Aiming −10% secondary battery reload time. −10% secondary battery dispersion. When firing at a manually selected target: dispersion gradually improves from -25% to -50%.	Close Quarters Combat -10% reload time of main battery if an enemy ship is spotted within secondary range.	Emergency Repair Expert Damage Control Party  and Repair Party : +1 charge (each). +10% action time . ★★	Concealment Expert -10% detectability range of the ship.	Fire Prevention Expert -10% risk of fire. Three fires maximum. ★★
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful      ★★ - Frequently Useful      ★ - Occasionally Useful     No stars - Not Useful

Consumables

Jean Bart can equip the following consumables:

• Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
• Slot 2: Repair Party 
• Slot 3: Main Battery Reload Booster 
• Slot 4: Engine Boost 

Camouflage

As a premium ship, Jean Bart comes with Default permanent camouflage and a set of permanent combat bonuses.

Signals

Jean Bart captains should mount standard signal flags to improve the ship's performance in battle. Sierra Mike () flags are highly recommended to increase the ship's top speed. India Delta () and India Yankee () flags should be mounted to improve the ship's survivability. November Foxtrot () flags can also be mounted to decrease consumable cooldown time.

Recommended Signal Flags
Combat
Juliet Charlie -100% to the risk of magazine detonation. ★	Juliet Yankee Bissotwo -20% to flooding duration. ★	India Yankee -20% to fire duration. ★★★	Hotel Yankee -20% to damage received when ramming the enemy. +50% to damage dealt when ramming the enemy. ★	Victor Lima +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +4% chance of torpedoes causing flooding.	India X-Ray +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating.
Juliet Whiskey Unaone +15% chance of causing flooding. +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating.	Mike Yankee Soxisix +5% to secondary battery maximum firing range. -5% to maximum dispersion of secondary battery shells. -5% to secondary battery loading time. ★★	November Echo Setteseven +5% continuous AA damage at all ranges. +5% damage from flak bursts. ★★	Sierra Mike +5% to the ship's maximum speed. ★★	November Foxtrot -5% reload time on all consumables. ★★★	India Delta +20% to the amount of HP recovered when Repair Party  is used. ★★★
X-Ray Papa Unaone +10% action time of a Smoke Generator .	Sierra Bravo +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search  -10% reload time of Defensive AA Fire .

Note: Use of the Juliet Charlie signal makes detonation impossible.

Gallery

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Historical Info

Jean Bart, 1953

Construction

Builder: Chantiers de Penhoët; St. Nazaire, France

Laid down: 12 December 1936

Launched: 6 March 1940

Commissioned: 16 January 1949

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Specifications

37,832 tons displacement, standard

248m length

35m beam

9.2m draft

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Machinery

Six (6) Sural-Indret Boilers and four turbines,
  one for each shaft

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Performance

31.5 knots at 42,000 shaft horsepower

8,000 nm at 14 knots

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Armor

Main belt: 330mm inclined at 15.5°

Torpedo bulkhead: 40-50mm

Decks: 170mm above the magazines,
  150mm above the machinery

Bulkheads: up to 355mm forward,
  up to 233mm towards the stern

Barbettes and Turrets: 405mm barbettes,
   430mm turret face plates, 170mm turret roof

Conning tower: 431mm sides, 283mm roof

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Armament

Main

Eight (4x2) 380mm/45 Model 1935

Secondary

Nine (3x3) 152mm/50 Model 1930

Twenty-four (12x2) 100mm/55 Model 1945

Anti-aircraft

Twenty-eight (14x2) 57mm/60 Model 1951

Jean Bart underway, date and location unknown.

History

Design

Jean Bart was meant to be a largely identical sibling to her sister Richelieu, but because of historical circumstances – namely, the fall of France – this was not quite the case. As laid down, she was to be identical to her sister, a 35,000-ton design meant to counter the Italian Littorio-class, adopting the unique 2x4 main battery layout in order to save weight. However, the defeat of Allied armies in northeastern France forced Jean Bart to be evacuated from France to Casablanca in Morocco before completion, and this would ultimately render her completed in a unique manner.

Her life at Casablanca saw her in a haphazard state, with only a single functional main battery turret, and her anti-aircraft armament made up of leftover 90mm guns and whatever 37mm cannons and machine guns (down to even 8mm) could be found. After Operation Torch, her battle with Massachusetts, and damage from the Ranger’s Dauntless dive bombers, Jean Bart fell into Allied hands, and the idea of an American refit, similar to what Richelieu received, was discussed.

Two ideas predominated French plans. The idea of Jean Bart as a surface combatant had taken a back seat: her 380mm guns were to be replaced by 340mm guns from the old WWI battleship Lorraine, captured by the British in Alexandria during Operation Catapult in 1940. In the first design, in place of her 'B' turret, a mix of 152mm mounts (which were never fitted), 90mm guns, and fifteen USN 5”/38 Mk.32 twin dual purpose mountings were to be fitted. She would also receive sixteen quadruple Bofors 40mm cannon mountings, and fifty Oerlikon 20mm cannon single mounts. Her aviation facilities would be able to launch up to six aircraft, American or British naval bombers or fighters. The second variant focused purely on AA, and featured seventeen 5”/38 mounts, and twenty quad 40mm Bofors mounts.

Despite this, the United States refused to offer any reconstruction to Jean Bart, or divert any resources to put the incomplete and damaged battleship into service. Instead, she was forced to wait until after the war. On 22 February 1945, the CSM (Conseil supérieur de la Marine Nationale) decided to complete Jean Bart, although how was still to be decided, as many in the Marine Nationale — such as Admirals Barjot and Férnard — wanted to complete her as an aircraft carrier. Due to the unimpressive characteristics of the various conversion designs alongside their prohibitive costs, the CSM decided against this, and thus instead began to focus on her completion as a battleship. This ultimately manifested as a ship that would resemble the Richelieu, but with vastly increased anti-aircraft capabilities.

Thanks to the benefits of the experience of operating Richelieu, many of the flaws of the class could be solved in construction rather than manifesting in service. Jean Bart’s main battery received built-in firing delays to combat excessive dispersion, and her improved ammunition handling allowed the guns to complete their firing cycle in 32 seconds, for a maximum rate of fire of 1.9 rpm. She retained three of her aft 152mm triple mounts like Richelieu, along with their anti-air capability. Her main anti-aircraft firepower, however, would come from twelve 100mm/45 CAD Mle 1946 twin mountings, which were fully stabilized and equipped with RPC (Remote Power Control). With an extremely high rate of fire of 20-25 rpm and good ceiling, they were excellent anti-aircraft guns, although their effectiveness was hampered greatly by the poor performance of their ACAE Fire Control Radar. Finally, for closer-range defense came the excellent 57mm/60 Mle 1947, a weapon produced under license from Bofors. Although the gun came from Bofors, all elements of the mounting was developed by the navy’s Services Techniques, and it also had full RPC. Fourteen twin mounts (ACAD Mle 1948) were utilized by the Jean Bart, which paired with the DRBC Radar (which automatically followed targets) made these powerful and rapid-firing guns lethal with no more human involvement that the simple press of a button. In the end, when Jean Bart was finally completed in 1955, she was over 5000 tons heavier than Richelieu was when she had first been ‘completed’ in 1940.

Service

Jean Bart was launched on 6 March 1940, in the middle of the "Phoney War". Although she was supposed to be completed in early 1941, the end of the Phoney War and the Fall of France would totally destroy these plans and force the French to evacuate Jean Bart to North Africa. By May 1940 — as the Allies buckled under the German offensives — French workers focused on making her able to get to sea first and foremost, and this effort consumed almost all the attention of the facility with some 3,050 workers on 12-hour shifts to get her ready. Eventually, through painstaking effort, and despite the fact only half her boilers and half her main battery were installed, Jean Bart was ready to escape. On 19 June at 0330, three tugs pulled her out of the fitting-out dock into a hastily dredged channel that was only 45 meters across... and for which Jean Bart’s hull only had a 30 cm clearance from the bottom. However, the darkness made it difficult to see the buoys marking the channel, and she soon grounded by the bow. By 0445 she had finally been freed, and started her engines up for the first time – not a moment too soon, as just then three He.111’s arrived overhead and bombed the incomplete battleship, inflicting one hit with a 100 kg bomb that dealt insignificant damage. Making 12 knots, she headed for the open ocean, and at 0630 met up with two Le Hardi-class destroyers as escort. A British destroyer and two tugs attempted to bring the French battleship to Britain, but the French declined this, and continued on to Casablanca, eventually reaching 24 knots after refueling. With only one operational engine room, she experienced numerous breakdowns and difficulties on her voyage and finally reached Casablanca on the evening of the 22nd. In the wake of her arrival — and in spite of the protests of her captain — much of her anti-aircraft battery was stripped for the defense of the port, leaving only four 13.2mm machine guns behind.

Following the British attacks in Operation Catapult, steps were taken to prepare the ship for any attacks, such as cementing over empty barbettes, sealing off incomplete compartments, and the addition of more 13.2mm (and one 8mm) machine guns for defense, as well as setting up rudimentary fire-control capabilities. More weaponry would be added piecemeal as time went on, including 37mm cannons and 90mm heavy AA guns.

In November 1942, the Allies initiated Operation Torch, the invasion of Vichy North Africa. Part of this campaign was the naval Battle of Casablanca, which Jean Bart was a part of. Although immobile, Jean Bart fought from her moorings as a French squadron of contre-torpilleurs led by a light cruiser engaged American warships in a surface action. Jean Bart entered the action at 0708, firing a two-gun salvo from her 380mm turret at the battleship USS Massachusetts at a range of 22,000 meters, her shells falling 600 yards of the starboard bow of the American ship. Three more salvos followed until 0719, as the makeshift rangefinders could no longer target the American ships. Massachusetts returned fire with her nine 16” guns, and quickly started hitting. At 0725 a 16” shell punched in aft through Jean Bart’s armor decks, detonating against the aft transverse bulkhead inside an empty 152mm magazine. At 0735 a second shell passed through the bottom of the bow, exploding in the water. A minute later a near miss hit the quay and sent splinters into the side of the ship, and the minute after another shell passed through the funnel, clipped the end of the armor deck, and exited out the side of the hull into the water. A fourth shell passed through the tip of the quay and bounced of the Jean Bart’s main armor belt, failing to explode. For a brief while Jean Bart had some respite, until 0806 when another 16” shell struck the 'A' turret barbette, demolishing a 90mm mount in the process and ricocheting away, jamming the turret, while another shell in the same salvo stuck the 'B' turret barbette, breaking up and failing to penetrate. The last hit was scored at 0810, passing through the armor deck over the steering gear and detonating beneath the steering gears. Jean Bart was battered by the bombardment, but was not out of the fight. Within ten hours her turret had been un-jammed, and two days later she surprised the cruiser Augusta by opening fire on her at a range of 16,000 meters. Her second salvo landed close enough to dye the front of the American ship orange with the splash, and her seventh salvo straddled the heavy cruiser, as did the two following salvos.

The US Navy, no longer willing to deal with the French battleship from the sea, ordered an airstrike, and at 1500 SBD "Dauntless" dive-bombers from the carrier USS Ranger dove on the French warship with 1,000-pound bombs. Two hits were scored, the first obliterating the forecastle deck, and the second hitting starboard abreast the aircraft hangar, blasting open the side of the ship. Both hits caused massive fires, and took the French warship out of the fight.

Repairs started not long after the fall of Casablanca, and the French aimed to send the battleship to America for a refit similar to that of her sister Richelieu. Despite their efforts, the Americans refused to refit a second French battleship, and she remained as she was until after the war.

Jean Bart would not return to France until 1945, arriving at Cherbourg on the 29th. There she remained idle while deliberations about her fate took place, and eventually it was decided to complete her as a battleship; work began on 11 March 1946. Work was largely completed in January 1949, and she conducted machinery and gunnery trials soon after. By April 1950, Jean Bart was considered officially complete, however, this was far from the truth, as she lacked much of her anti-aircraft armament. Installation of such continued through late 1951, and it would not be until May 1955 that she finally became active within the Marine Nationale, with substantially upgraded in anti-aircraft power and overall fire control compared to her sister Richelieu. However, her state was mostly that of training and diplomatic visits until the 1956 Suez Crisis. This caught Jean Bart — not yet fully-manned — off guard, and although substantial effort was put into making her fully operational, only one 380mm and one 152mm were fully manned, and a similar state of operation was available from her AA guns. Jean Bart led a force of two light carriers, a light cruiser, and four destroyers. She embarked troops, which were transferred to the landing force, and then was sent to bombard Port Said. However, she only fired four 380mm shells before the operation was cancelled and Jean Bart returned to France.

Her career wound down from this point; her last training mission was in July 1957, and it would be the last time any of her weapons fired. On 1 August 1957 she was placed into primary reserve and turned into a barracks ship. Before the end of her life, three more projects were proposed to modernize the last French battleship. The first, in 1957, envisioned her twelve 100mm mountings stripped and replaced by 100mm/55 CAS Mle 1953, which was not only slightly more powerful than the Mle 1946, but also had more than twice the rate of fire, able to output 60 rpm. Some 57mm mounts would also be replaced with these 100mm guns. The second, in 1958, envisioned a far more radical change to a missile battleship, with different versions involving missile counts from as low as 25 to as much as 325. A third option would have seen a 152mm turret removed and replaced with a Terrier SAM system, for training purposes only. None were chosen.

In 1961 was placed into secondary reserve, languishing there until February 1970, when she was stricken from the French naval register. On 21 May 1970 she was sold to a French breaking company, and was towed to Brégaillon. Over the next two years, Jean Bart was broken up alongside the light cruiser Montcalm, the two ships providing 30,000 tons of scrap iron and 750 tons of nickel.

Historical Inaccuracies

• Jean Bart was never camouflaged as she was commissioned after World War II.
• Navy Blue disruptive camouflage only existed during WW2. Jean Bart's sister ship Richelieu wore a similar camouflage scheme from 1943 to 1945.
• Her historical paint scheme is actually a medium grey hull with light grey upperworks. This is currently missing.
• Just like her sister ship, Jean Bart’s turrets were split into two internal armored compartments, preventing a single shell hit from disabling the entire turret. In the game, a single hit will always disable the entire turret.

Historical Gallery

• 

  Jean Bart in the harbor of Casablanca, photographed by a plane from USS Ranger. Turret number two was not yet operational.

• 

  Jean Bart incomplete in Casablanca harbor, taken from an airplane of Ranger.

• 

  Jean Bart attacked by planes of Ranger.

• 

  Damaged Jean Bart photographed in Casablanca on 16 November 1942.

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  Jean Bart, still incomplete, underway during transit from Casablanca to Cherbourg, circa 1945.

• 

  Jean Bart docked during a visit to New York City, circa 1955.

• 

  Jean Bart in 1968 in the harbor of Toulon.

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  Jean Bart in 1968.

• 

  Jean Bart underway, date and location unknown.

Video

References

1. French battleship Jean Bart (1940) - Wikipedia
2. Richelieu-class battleship - Wikipedia
3. Dry Dock: Jean Bart - News - World of Warships
4. World of Warships Museum: Jean Bart - News - World of Warships
5. Dry Dock: Jean Bart - World of Warships Official Channel - YouTube

Ship Change Log

See here for links to Update notes.

Testing Changes

• June 22, 2018:
  • Preliminary characteristics.
• July 10, 2018:
  • The ship's tier was changed from VIII to IX.
  • Sigma value was increased from 1.8 to 2.0.
  • Main battery reload speed was decreased from 30 to 26 s.
  • Characteristics of the Repair Party consumable were adjusted:
    • Number of charges increased from 1 (2) to 3 (4).
    • Cooldown was reduced from 120 (80 s) to 60 s (40 s).
• August 15, 2018:
  • The ship's consumables were adjusted:
    • Repair Party cooldown was increased from 60 s (40 s) to 120 s (80 s).
    • Main Battery Reload Booster cooldown was increased from 120 s (60 s) to 180 s (120 s).
    • Number of charges of the Main Battery Reload Booster consumable was increased from 2 (3) to 3 (4).
  • Secondary battery firing range was increased to 7 km.
• September 13, 2018:
  • Sigma value was reduced from 2.0 to 1.9.
• October 16, 2018:
  • The duration of the Main Battery Reload Booster consumable was reduced from 30 to 20 s.

• Available for testing by supertesters in the game starting from Update 0.7.7.
• First released in November 2018.
• Update 0.7.11:
  • Fixed a bug with the armor protection above the magazines of battleship Jean Bart. Now, the armor is 170 mm thick.
• Update 0.9.3:
  • Jean Bart was removed from sale in the Armory and the Premium store.
• Update 0.9.5:
  • Small changes to geometry and textures.
• Update 0.10.0:
  • The firing range of the secondary battery was increased to 7.95 km.
• Update 13.1:
  • Depth Charge Airstrike range increased from 5 to 10 km.

Ships of France

Battleships