The Forgotten Fleet Disaster: How a Battleship Sank in a Minute

In 1922, the French battleship "France" sank off the coast of Brittany in less than a minute after colliding with an uncharted rock. The naval tribunal acquitted the commander, as the rock was absent from navigational charts. Three crew members died. Fragments of the ship rest at a depth of 15 meters off the beaches of Quiberon.

The article recounts the little-known disaster of the French battleship "France," which sank off the coast of Brittany in 1922. The 23,500-ton vessel, the last of four Courbet-class dreadnoughts, sank in less than a minute after colliding with a submerged rock not marked on navigational charts. The incident occurred on the night of August 25-26, 1922, when a squadron of ships was returning from artillery exercises. The flagship struck the Basse Nouvelle rock, rising just 8 meters from the water's surface, instantly listed, and capsized. The naval tribunal in Lorient fully acquitted the commander, establishing that the rock was absent from all current charts and instructions. Only three crew members died, explaining the lack of widespread resonance. Attempts to raise or cut up the ship's hull continued until 1958, but the wreckage was not completely removed. Today, fragments of the ship rest at a depth of 15 meters off the popular beaches of Quiberon, and some salvaged artifacts are displayed in a local museum.