French cruiser Suffren
 Suffren in Hampton Roads on 15 October 1931
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
  France | |
| Name | Suffren |
| Namesake | Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez |
| Ordered | 1 November 1925 |
| Builder | Arsenal de Brest |
| Laid down | 17 April 1926 |
| Launched | 3 May 1927 |
| Commissioned | 8 March 1930 |
| Renamed | Océan on 1 January 1963 |
| Stricken | 24 March 1972 |
| Fate | Towed for scrapping 22 February 1976 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Suffren-class cruiser |
| Type |
|
| Displacement | |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 19.26 m (63.19 ft) |
| Draught | 6.51 m (21.36 ft) at normal displacement |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 32 knots (59 km/h) (designed) |
| Range |
|
| Complement | 773 |
| Armament |
|
| Armour |
|
| Aircraft carried | 2 Loire-Nieuport 130 |
| Aviation facilities | 2 catapults |
Suffren was the first vessel of the second group of 8-inch gunned, 10,000 ton Treaty Cruisers built for La Marine Nationale. She spent the interwar period with the two Duquesne-class cruisers until she was sent to French Indochina. Upon her return to the Mediterranean, she rejoined the Duquesnes at Alexandria. She was interned there with the other units of the French Navy. She returned to the War in 1943 spending her time based at Dakar on blockade patrol. Post war she aided in the return of the French to Indochina until placed in reserve in 1947. In reserve she was used as a training hulk and barracks ship at Brest. She was renamed Océan in 1963 and finally stricken in 1972.[3]
She was named in honour of Admiral
Design and description
She was ordered on the 1 November 1925 as a croiseurs legers (light cruiser) from the Arsenal de Brest (Brest Naval Yard). She would be nearly identical to the Duquesne-class cruisers with a few visible changes. Her bridge would be raised above the conning tower and would be accessible by an exposed ladder. She would have two catapults between the aft funnel and the mainmast. Her armament would be identical. Her overall length would be four meters longer due to the redesign of her stern but her hull volume would be the same. She would have a shallow armoured belt over her machinery spaces.[5] She was laid down on 17 April 1926 at Brest with her hull designated as Number 54 and launched on 3 May 1927. She fitted out and was ready for her sea trials on 20 August 1928. Her acceptance trials would follow on 20 December 1928. She was commissioned on 1 May 1929 though she would not be completed until 1 January 1930.[6]
Initially classed as a Light Cruiser, she was reclassified on 1 July 1931 as a croiseur de 1ere classe (First class cruiser). The Marine Nationale did not have a vessel classification of heavy cruiser, instead used croiseur cuirasse (armoured cruiser) and croiseurs legers (light cruiser) prior to the London Naval Treaty and then croiseur de 1ere classe (First class cruiser) and croiseur de 2e classe (Second class cruiser) afterwards[7]
Service history
Pre War Service
She entered service with La Marine Nationale on 5 March 1930 then assigned to the First Light Division. She arrived in
Wartime Service
With the outbreak of war in September, Suffren patrolled the South China seas on the lookout for German merchantmen. In November she went to
On 17 May 1943 the ships of Force X rejoined the Allied cause as part of the Free French.[16] On 3 July 1943 she sailed via the Suez Canal around the Cape of Good Hope to Dakar. On 22 July Suffren rescued two survivors of the British merchantman City of Canton, which was torpedoed five days earlier by German submarine U-178 off Beira, Mozambique.[17] By August she was at Dakar. After a brief upgrading to her AA batteries she was deployed into the anti-raider barrier. Her first patrol started on 18 September 1943 returning on 23 September. She made eleven patrols by 9 March 1944. Suffren arrived in Casablanca on 17 April 1944 and was deactivated. She underwent a modernization refit lasting to 21 April 1945 at which time she sailed for Oran, Algeria then moved on to Toulon for another refit. On 24 June 1944 she sailed for Diego-Suarez with equipment for the battleship Richelieu. Then proceeding to Colombo, Ceylon where she disembarked a light intervention unit before returning to Toulon arriving on 26 August. On 12 September 1945 she departed for French Indochina.[18]
Postwar service
Suffren arrived at Saigon on 19 October with 440 military personnel. After disembarking her passengers she embarked personnel who had been in Indochina since before the war. She departed on 27 October for France. She arrived at Toulon on 21 November. She again departed Toulon on 9 February 1946 for French Indochina arriving at Saigon on 25 February. On 20 March she sailed for
On 1 October 1947, she was placed in reserve. She was moored at Angle Robert and used as a training hulk for the gunnery school. In 1961 she became the training hulk for the sonar school. On 1 January 1963 she was renamed Océan to release her name for a guided missile frigate under construction at Lorient. She was stricken on 24 March 1972 and finally put up for sale on 5 November 1975. She left Toulon for the final time in tow for Valencia, Italy to be scrapped on 22 February 1976.[22]
References
- ^ Whitley, p. 31
- ^ Whitley, p. 32
- ^ Whitley, page 31
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, Chapter 3, Suffren, Name
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, Chapter 3, Building Data and General Characteristics
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, Chapter 9, Building Dates of French Cruisers 1922 - 1937
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, Chapter 9, Cruiser Designations
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, Chapter 9, The Cruisers Based in the Mediterranean
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, Chapter 9, The Cruisers Based in the Mediterranean
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, Chapter 9, Deployment overseas
- ^ Whitley, Suffern Class, p. 33
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, Chapter 10, Deployments 1939 - 1940
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, Chapter 10, Force X in the Mediterranean
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, Chapter 10, Force X in the Mediterranean
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, Chapter 10, The Cruisers at Alexandria
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, Chapter 10, The Forces of North Africa rejoin the Allied Cause
- ^ Uboat.net, Suffren
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, Chapter 11, To Indochina
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, Chapter 12, The Cruisers in Indochina
- ^ Vaïsse, Maurice (2000). L'Armée française dans la guerre d'Indochine (1946–1954) : Adaptation ou inadaptation. p. 276.
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, Chapter 12, The Cruisers in Indochina
- ^ Jordan & Moulin, Chapter 12, The Deactivations
Bibliography
- Jordan, John & Moulin, Jean (2013). French Cruisers 1922–1956. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-133-5.
- McMurtrie, Francis E. (1940). Jane's Fighting Ships 1940. London, UK: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, Ltd.
- Whitley, M.J. (1995). Cruisers of World War Two – An International Encyclopedia. London, UK: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 1-85409-225-1.
External links
