French cruiser Marseillaise

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Marseillaise

Built By:	AC Loire, Nantes, France
Laid down:	23 October 1933
Launched:	17 July 1935
Commissioned:	10 October 1937
Paid off:
Fate:	Scuttled at Toulon on 27 November 1942. Raised and scrapped in 1946-1947.
Penant:
General Characteristics
Type:	light cruiser
Displacement:	7,600 tons (standard) 9120 tons (full load)
Length:	589 feet (179 metres) (overall)
Beam:	57 feet (17.5 metres)
Draught:	17.5 feet (5.35 metres)
Propulsion:	2-shaft Rateau-Bretagne single reduction geared turbines 4 Indret boilers 84,000 shp
Speed:	31 knots
Range:	7,000 Nm at 12 knots 6,800 at 14 knots 5,500 at 18 knots 1,650 at 34 knots
Complement:	540
Armament:	9x152 mm (6 inch)/ 54.3 calibre (3x3) 8x90 mm (3.5 inch) anti-aircraft (4x2) 24x40 millimetre (6x4) 4x550mm (21.7 inch) torpedo tubes (2x2)
Armour:	main belt: 105 mm end bulkheads: 30 mm sides: 120 mm deck: 38 mm turrets: 100 mm tower: 95 mm
Aircraft:	up to 4 GL-832, later 2 Loire 130 flying boats 1 catapult

The Marseillaise was a French light cruiser of the La Galissonnière class. During the Second World War, she remained with Vichy France.

When commissioned, Marseillaise joined the French Mediterranean Squadron and became the flagship of Contre-Amiral Decoux in 1938. In January 1939 she joined the 3rd Cruiser Division at Casablanca, and she was at Toulon when war was declared, as flagship of the 4th Squadron, part of Force Z.

Marseillaise participated in the transport of gold to Canada in April 1940.

Concerns regarding Italian intentions prompted reorganisation of French naval forces. The 3rd Cruiser Division was sent to Bizerte as part of the Force de Raid, to protect French interests in North Africa, should Italy enter the war.

After the French surrender, on 4 July 1940, she returned to Toulon. As a result of the British attack on Mers-el-Kebir, the Germans suspended the disarming of the French fleet and the Marseillaise became part of the newly-formed High Seas force.

In the Scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon, the ship was sabotaged by her crew and set on fire. The captain of the Marseillaise was anxious that the Germans should not capture the ship. He ordered scuttling charges to be set and the sea valves opened only on one side, ignoring orders to sink his ship on an even keel. German commandos arrived at the gangplank but were refused permission to go aboard. They did not force the issue and stood on the dock and watched the ship slowly capsize. The last officers abandoned ship as explosions ripped the vessel apart and fires took hold. The ship's officers were taken prisoner, and the ship burned for 7 days.

The burnt-out hull of the Marseillaise was scrapped in 1946/47.