French Battleship Charlemagne Country: France Type: Battleship Service: 1899 - 1933 Ships in class: 3

The Charlemagne class was a class of pre-dreadnought battleships of the French Navy. The Charlemagne type introduced the arrangement of two large guns forwards and two at the aft, in twin mounts, as the British had done for 10 years, breaking with the French trademark of mounting one large gun at each end of the upper deck. At the outbreak of the First World War, these ships were considered to be second-rate battleships, fit for areas of low danger. On 18 March 1915 the Charlemagne and Gaulois, along with the Bouvet and Suffren, took part in the Battle of Gallipoli. The Gaulois was damaged in a minefield but survived the battle. The last of the Charlemagne class battleships was decommissioned in 1933.

Charlemagne class battelships: Charlemagne; Gaulois; Saint Louis.