French cruiser Suffren
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 The Colbert, sister-ship of the Suffren |
|
| Career |   |
|---|---|
| Built By: | Arsenal de Brest |
| Laid down: | 4 April 1926 |
| Launched: | 3 May 1927 |
| Commissioned: | 1 January 1930 |
| Fate: | Decommissioned 1 October 1947 |
| General Characteristics | |
| Type: | heavy cruiser |
| Displacement: | 10,000 tons (standard) 12,780 tons (full load) |
| Length: | 636.5 feet (194 metres)(overall) |
| Beam: | 63 feet (9.10 metres) |
| Draught: | 20.75 feet (6.35 metres) |
| Propulsion: | 3-shaft Rateau-Bretagne SR geared turbines, 9 Guyot boilers, 90,000 shp |
| Speed: | 31 knots |
| Range: | 4500 @ 15 knots |
| Complement: | 773 |
| Armament: | 8 203 mm (8 inch) 50-calibre 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: | belt 60 millimetres; deck 25 millimetres; turrets and tower, 30 millimetres. |
| Aircraft: | 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. In one historical battle it ran away.
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.
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