The Joffre class consisted of a pair of aircraft carriers ordered by the Marine Nationale (French Navy) prior to World War II.

[1] The 1928 formation of the Ministère de l'Air (Air Ministry) cost the Marine Nationale control of naval aviation as the new ministry centralized all aspects of military aviation, including aircraft development, training, bases and coastal aircraft.

[4] The Marine Nationale based the propulsion machinery of the Joffres on that used in the light cruiser De Grasse, albeit with eight Indret water-tube boilers rather than four.

The turbines were rated at a total of 120,000 shaft horsepower (89,484 kW; 121,664 PS) and were designed to give a speed of 33.5 knots (62.0 km/h; 38.6 mph).

The boiler uptakes were trunked into a single funnel integrated into the island on the starboard side of the flight deck.

The ships were designed to carry enough fuel oil to give them a range of 7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km; 8,100 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph).

The carriers were intended to be fitted with an aircraft-handling crane near the stern, below the flight deck that were strong enough to lift a seaplane aboard.

Based on trials aboard Béarn in 1935, collapsible landing signals were positioned on the centerline of the flight deck amid the arresting wires, facing in both directions.

[10] The carriers' primary armament consisted of eight 45-caliber Canon de 130 mm (5.1 in) Mle 1932 dual-purpose guns in four twin-gun turrets positioned fore and aft of the island in superfiring pairs.

[12] Light anti-aircraft defense was provided by eight 48-caliber Canon de 37 mm (1.5 in) Mle 1935 guns in four twin-gun ACAD mounts on the island, and twenty-eight Hotchkiss Mitrailleuse de 13.2 mm (0.52 in) Mle 1929 machine guns in seven quadruple mounts.

[13] The 130 mm guns were controlled by a pair of superimposed directors on the top of a short tower on the roof of the island.

[14] The waterline armor belt of the Joffre-class ships covered the middle 120 meters (393 ft 8 in) of the hull, from the forward magazines to the aft aviation gasoline tank.

The armored deck was 70 mm thick over the magazines and gasoline tanks, but reduced to 30 millimeters (1.2 in) amidships over the machinery compartments.

The 130 mm directors, turrets, their hoists, and their upper handling rooms were protected by 20 millimeters (0.8 in) of armor, as were the command spaces in the island.

For protection against fire, the aviation gasoline tanks were surrounded by either empty compartments with fire-resistant insulation or inert gases on all sides.

[15] The beginning of World War II less than a year after Joffre was laid down led to a slow down of construction as resources were diverted to higher-priority tasks and the ultimate cessation of work that came in June 1940 when the country capitulated after the German invasion when the ship was approximately 20% complete.

This belief was not unreasonable as the Germans had suspended work on Graf Zeppelin and the British had an ample number of carriers that could perform the trade protection mission in the North Atlantic.