Picardie
Tier VIII · Battleship · France · Premium
Rating B- (Below average within its tier and class · overall score 44) · Stealthy battleship
Stealthy battleship, suited to fire pressure. It is weak against battleships (HE deals a same-tier battleship's HP in about 10 min on paper). A glass cannon: huge firepower, but low HP means it melts under focus fire. High HE fire potential (2.7 fires/min before hit rate and resistance). Key skills: Rapid Reload II ×2 (main battery reload +43%, 20 s); Engine Accelerator I ×2 (top speed +8%, 25 s). A survival equipment build adds damage reduction +9 pp, fire/flood resistance +10 pp, torpedo damage reduction +16 pp to shore up survivability.
Key stats
- HP: 42,244
- Top speed: 28.36 kn
- Surface detectability: 10.68 km
- Main battery: 305 mm 4X4 · reload 19 s · range 13.8 km
In 1912, France initiated the construction of larger docks at shipyards in Toulon and Brittany. By that time, the major naval powers were laying down ships significantly more advanced than their predecessors in terms of main caliber. France was also contemplating a shift toward a caliber of 370–380 mm; however, naval guns of this caliber were not yet accessible in France. As a solution, engineers opted to increase the number of smaller-caliber guns, with the final design featuring as many as sixteen guns placed in four turrets.