Quote:
Originally Posted by Falcon Jun
Germany raises the scuttled French fleet and use it.
|
What kind of timeframe are you looking at? Even if the yards existed that were capable, and they may very well have been, how accessible were they to French ships and how likely are the Germans to get the necessary equipment to effect noticeable repairs? How long would this take?
Here are the dates of return to service for the BBs sunk at Pearl Harbor that were raised.
West Virgina July 1944
Tennessee May 1943
California 31 Jan 1944
Nevada After May 1943
These repairs were made at yards that were not subject to aerial attack. The Germans did not enjoy such luxuries.
There were several German ships that were damaged and not sunk; repairs to them were never made good during the war, the Gneisenau being an example. I don't see the damaged and sunk French fleet being nothing more than a drain on the German war effort by being a frequent target of bombers, as was the case of the Strasbourg.
Jean Bart was captured by the Germans, it was such an old ship the Germans never used her as was the Paris, which was foricibly boarded by the British on 3 July 1940 while in Portsmouth. It was used as an accomodation ship.
I just don't see the French Fleet as being of any assistance to the German war effort.