In 1939, the construction of additional Richelieu-class battleships was approved. One of the ships was built according to an improved design and received a new arrangement for her main battery guns—one quadruple-gun turret placed at each of the ships ends. At the same time, larger-caliber guns were in development. If French reconnaissance had received more accurate data on the main battery of the planned German battleships, the shipbuilders would most likely have opted to increase the main battery due to the limited size of the dockyards.