Béarn

Béarn was laid down as a Normandie-class battleship, but unlike her sister ships, she featured a turbine propulsion unit instead of a mixed one. After the Washington Naval Conference, the ship was rebuilt as an aircraft carrier. In the late 1930s, it was decided to re-equip Béarn as a seaplane base while retaining the possibility of housing wheeled aircraft; however, the outbreak of World War II hindered these plans. During the war, Béarn transported aircraft, gold, troops, and equipment.