

The UK ship is Monarch, with 9 15" guns in the normal 2 up 1 back configuration. It is a unique ship, so if you are looking for new experiences this one is nice (Strasburg and Dunkerque have the same configuration but aren't tech tree ships) No secondaries forward is odd, if they are in action you are already in trouble. This ship is built for bow tanking and sniping. Tier 8: Richelieu is an entirely different ship for the French. KGV is a good solid ship, faster than Lyon and a nice 25 second reload time makes up for 14" guns. The turret layout is again weird, you actually can shoot more guns running away than charging. You can splat cruisers hard because with 16 rounds you have a good chance of a citadel. Tier 7: Lyon is my favorite ship in the game for one reason: 16 guns. The Queen Elizabeth is nice, 15" guns have a nice punch but nothing too special (if you have the Bayern it's the same experience but without decent secondaries and a bad citadel).

They take some getting used to because the layout is crappy but it's fast enough to reposition and 12 guns gives you a nice edge, especially against cruisers. Tier 6: Normandie though is a gem, 29 knots and 12 guns. Below Tier 6 they aren't very different (although the Soup Tureen feels particularly ungainly, but it's tier 3 so who cares?). I've got all the French ships in the Tech tree and up to 9 in UK.
