The Ships of Battlegroup: France Bearn (CV)
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| Displacement | 22,100 tons | Belt Armor | 3.2 inches |
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| Overall Length | 599 feet | Deck Armor | 4.8 inches (total) |
| Beam | 88 feet | Aircraft Complement | 40 |
| Speed | 21 knots | Main Guns | 8 × 6.1″ |
Laid down on January 10, 1914, work was suspended in August 1914 on the outbreak of World War One and she was not launched until April 1920 and, after conversion to an aircraft carrier, commissioned in May 1927. The ship was built on the converted hull of an uncompleted Normandie class battleship. As battleships, the Normandie class would have been spectacularly armed with twelve 13.4 inch guns in three quadruple centerline turrets but the rest of the class was scrapped before completion. Bearn had her battleship-style main belt armor reduced from 11.8 inches, though she retained the overall thickness of deck armor. The main guns were carried in First World War-style casemates along the side of the ship that were usable only in an anti-surface mode. These and the rest of her French-made antiaircraft guns were removed during a refit in the United States in 1944 and replaced by ubiquitous batteries of American 5 inch/38, 40mm Bofors and 20mm Oerlikons, although, for the game, the ship is presented with its original antiaircraft armament.
The ship is named after a region in southwest France. Bearn’s greatest failing was the lack of a coherent (and funded) naval aviation effort in the French Navy. Bearn spent her time before the fall of France transporting American aircraft to France while her assigned aircraft fought from land bases. By the time modern aircraft were in the pipeline to outfit her, the French Third Republic was falling under the iron tracks of Germany’s panzer divisions. A dream air complement would have seen her carrying five eight-plane squadrons; one of fighters (either locally produced Dewoitines or American-built Grumman "Wildcats", two of navalized Loire-Nieuport LN40 dive bombers, and two of American-export Vought 156F dive bombers (known in American service as the SBC "Vindicator"). Although the dive bombers were theoretically assigned, no fighters were ever assigned and the ship has no combat air patrol ("CAP") capability in the game. She was sent to the French Caribbean colony of Martinique for safe-keeping after the German invasion. By the time the Allies got around to refitting her in New Orleans in 1944, her slow speed confined her to the duties of a second-line aircraft transport. She continued in that role until 1948, serving much time in the French Indo-China Theater. After serving in various static reserve duties, she was finally broken up for scrap in 1967.
For a contemporary British aircraft carrier see: Hermes .
Where did we get all these fascinating historical tidbits and factoids? Let’s face it, Bearn is a pretty obscure ship but we really needed a French flattop for the game. See the Bibliography for the culprits.
