French cruiser Suffren
 The Colbert, sister-ship of the Suffren
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 France | |
| Namesake | Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez |
| Builder | Arsenal de Brest |
| Laid down | 4 April 1926 |
| Launched | 3 May 1927 |
| Commissioned | 1 January 1930 |
| Decommissioned | 1 October 1947 |
| Renamed | Océan on the 1st January 1963 |
| Reclassified | School ship from 1963 |
| Fate | Scrapped in 1972 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Suffren class cruiser |
| Displacement | list error: <br /> list (help) 10,000 tonnes (standard) 12,780 tonnes (full load) |
| Length | 196 metres |
| Beam | 20 metres |
| Draught | 7.3 metres |
| Propulsion | 3-shaft Rateau-Bretagne SR geared turbines, 9 Guyot boilers, 100,000 shp |
| Speed | 32 knots |
| Range | 4500 at 15 knots |
| Complement | 773 |
| Armament | list error: <br /> list (help) 8 203mm/50 Modèle 1924 guns (4 × 2) 8 90 mm (3.5 inch) 55-calibre anti-aircraft guns (8 × 1) 8 37 mm anti-aircraft guns (4 × 2) 12 13.2 mm AA (4 × 3) 6 550 mm (21.7 inch) torpedo tubes (2 × 3); |
| Armour | list error: <br /> list (help) belt 60 millimetres; deck 25 millimetres; turrets and tower, 30 millimetres. |
| Aircraft carried | 2 Loire-Nieuport 130, 2 catapults |
The Suffren was the name ship of her class of French heavy cruisers. She was named for Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez, 18th century French admiral.
In early June 1940, the cruisers Suffren, Duquesne, Tourville, Duguay-Trouin and 3 destroyers operated against the Italian-occupied Dodecanese. Later on in June, Suffren participated in a joint operation with the Royal Navy - the last before the French surrender.
At the French surrender in 1940, Suffren was at Alexandria, Egypt with other French warships. In contrast to the situation at Mers-el-Kébir, British and French admirals, Cunningham and Godfroy, reached a peaceful settlement. She was disarmed and interned by the British on 3 July 1940. She rejoined the Allied cause and was rearmed on 30 May 1943.
On 17 July 1943, Suffren rescued survivors of the torpedoed City of Canton, off Beira, Mozambique.
On November 1946, Suffren bombarded the city of Haiphong, Vietnam which resulted in more than two thousand casualties and contributed to a start of First Indochina War.
She was eventually decommissioned on 1 October 1947, and used as a hulk in Toulon before being broken up in 1974.
External links
- Suffren on uboat.net
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