After the signing of the Washington Naval Treaty, the design of ships of a new class began. In the early 1930s, a ship project was ready with eight 330 mm guns in two quadruple-gun turrets and a displacement of 26,500 tons. At the beginning of World War II, Dunkerque participated in patrol and escort operations, and then she was sent to the Mediterranean Sea. As a result of the attack on Mers-el-Kébir, the battlecruiser was heavily damaged and ran aground.