A post-war assessment listed their weaknesses as:
No director control for the guns
The elevation of the main guns was insufficient
Protection against torpedoes was weak
The horizontal protection against plunging fire was weak
The anti-aircraft defense was negligible
They were coal-fired
The organisation of the crew, the lighting and the method of transmitting orders were old-fashioned.

The survivors were refitted several times during the interwar period to remedy these issues, although no comprehensive modernisation was ever planned.
These included installation of director control mounted in new tripod foremasts, replacement of the rangefinders by larger units, the addition of more rangefinders, the alteration of the main gun turrets to allow elevation up to 23°, partial replacement of the coal-fired boilers by oil-fired units, the replacement of the direct-drive turbines by geared turbines, the removal of the bow armour to reduce the weight forward, and the addition of more modern anti-aircraft guns.
A post-war assessment listed their weaknesses as:
No director control for the guns
The elevation of the main guns was insufficient
Protection against torpedoes was weak
The horizontal protection against plunging fire was weak
The anti-aircraft defense was negligible
They were coal-fired
The organisation of the crew, the lighting and the method of transmitting orders were old-fashioned.
The survivors were refitted several times during the interwar period to remedy these issues, although no comprehensive modernisation was ever planned. These included installation of director control mounted in new tripod foremasts, replacement of the rangefinders by larger units, the addition of more rangefinders, the alteration of the main gun turrets to allow elevation up to 23°, partial replacement of the coal-fired boilers by oil-fired units, the replacement of the direct-drive turbines by geared turbines, the removal of the bow armour to reduce the weight forward, and the addition of more modern anti-aircraft guns.
Courbet-class battleship