 In the Naval Law of 30 March 1912 , the French Navy called for a total force of 20 capital ships to be built by 1920 . The Technical Branch subsequently issued a set of somewhat vague requirements for battlecruiser designs . The requirements stipulated a displacement of 28 @,@ 000 metric tons ( 28 @,@ 000 long tons ; 31 @,@ 000 short tons ) , a speed of 27 knots ( 50 km / h ; 31 mph ) , an armament of eight 340 mm ( 13 in ) guns , and a crew of not more than 1 @,@ 200 officers and enlisted men . Numerous proposals were submitted to the Technical Branch , but only two were evaluated further . The first was prepared by P. Gille , a naval engineer overseeing the construction of the Normandie @-@ class battleship Flandre , and the second by then @-@ Lieutenant Durand @-@ Viel , a student at the Naval College . As the proposals were only design studies , none were authorized and no ships were built . 
