Admiral François Darlan, Commander-in-Chief of the French Navy, decided that all capital ships should be concentrated in Mers El Kébir, so he instructed them to steam there. Bretagne and Provence arrived there on 27 May, where they rendezvoused with the Force de Raid, France's most modern ships, in an unsuccessful effort to deter Italy from joining the war.
Admiral François Darlan, commander of the French Navy, decided that all capital ships should be gathered in Mers El Kébir. He ordered them to sail there. The Bretagne and Provence arrived at Mers El Kébir on May 27th, where they met with France's newest warships to deter Italy from joining the war.