Liberté pre dreadnought class, Justice

Mathll · February 26, 2026, 8:12pm

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Hello everyone and welcome to this new suggestion.

Today I’m presenting a new ship from the Liberté class, the Justice.

The Justice was a French pre-dreadnought laid down in La Seyne-sur-Marne in 1903 and commissioned in 1908. The second ship of the Liberté class, it was unfortunately practically obsolete upon its launch, the British having commissioned HMS Dreadnought two years earlier. Assigned to the 2nd Division of the Mediterranean Squadron based in Toulon, the Justice carried out numerous sea exercises and French naval engagements, notably sailing to the United States with its sister ships for a ceremony.

With the outbreak of war in August 1914, the Justice was involved in the first Allied naval operations. It escorted troop convoys transporting elements of the French army from North Africa to mainland France to confront the German invasion. Subsequently, it was sent to the Adriatic Sea to try to contain the Austro-Hungarian navy, participating in the Battle of Antivari in August 1914, a minor engagement between Allied forces against an enemy cruiser and destroyer. The caution of both fleets and the growing threat of Austro-Hungarian submarines then limited offensive activity, and for much of the war, the Justice carried out monotonous patrols in the area. After Italy entered the war on the side of the Allies, the French ships were partially withdrawn from the front line. In mid-1916, the Justice became involved in events in Greece, notably by stationing itself in Salonika to exert political pressure to bring Greece into the Allied camp, although there was little significant naval action beyond this presence.

At the end of the war, the Justice was sent to the Black Sea to oversee the surrender of German ships stationed there and to participate in the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War, particularly in operations around Odessa and Sevastopol. In April 1919, following mutinies among the crews, demonstrating the sailors’ weariness after years of war, the Justice and other ships saw their crews request to return to France. The ship was used to tow another damaged battleship to France before being converted into a training vessel. The Justice’s activity as a training ship was short-lived: it was placed in reserve in April 1920, decommissioned in March 1921, and then sold for scrap in December 1921.

Characteristics

Length : 133.8 m

Width : 24.3 m

Draft : 8.4 m

Mass : 14,900 tons

The ship is powered by 3 steam engines supplied by 24 boilers, providing a total power of 18,000 hp. Its maximum speed is 19 knots and its range is 8,400 nautical miles at a speed of 10 knots. The crew consists of 742 sailors.

Weapons

The ship has a very similar armament to the first ship of the class but still has some differences, notably through the addition of anti-ship mines.

Guns :

2 x 2 305mm Mle1893/96
10 x 194mm Mle1902
12 x 65mm Mle1902
8 x 47mm Mle1886

Torpedo :

2 x 450mm Torpedo Tube

Other :

10 x Mines Mle1882

Armor

The armor of this ship was designed to withstand shells from ships of its time; however, it quickly became obsolete, unable to withstand the fire of more modern vessels.

Belt: 180-280mm
Turret: 360mm
Conning Tower: 266mm
Deck:
- Upper: 54mm
- Lower: 51mm

In the game, this ship would be particularly interesting, providing a moderately armed combat vessel for France and thus complementing the French high seas naval tree in an interesting way.

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