[BenLurkin]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loire_130

[Robert A Cook PE]

The French, after months of the “Phony War”, then weeks of the fast German blitz through the entire northern half of France, STILL sat at anchor in their Africa harbors as the French government surrendered to the Germans. The Brit's attacked after a very short (half-day) warning from the sea from outside the harbor .

The French could not move (moored to their piers), could not sail (not manned, not already at sea, no boiler steam pressure), could not shoot back because their battleships were moored with no auxiliary steam steam pressure and no ammo loading hoists active, tied up with their sterns to the pier, their forward-mounted turrets unable to fire back.

because their forward-mounted turrets (like this battleship) and guns pointed inland!