La Galissonnière class cruiser

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Class overview
Name: La Galissonnière
Completed: 6
General characteristics
Type: light cruiser
Displacement: 7,600 tons (standard)
9120 tons (full load)
Length: 179 metres (589 feet)
Beam: 17.5 metres (57 feet)
Draught: 5.35 metres (17.5 feet)
Propulsion: 2-shaft geared turbines (Parsons or Rateau-Bretagne)
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 carried: up to 4 GL-832, later 2 Loire 130 flying boats
1 catapult
Notes: Ships in class include: La Galissonnière, Montcalm, Georges Leygues, Jean de Vienne, Marseillaise, Gloire


The La Galissonniere class of light cruisers was a class of 6 ships built for France in the 1930s.

The ships were:

After the Destruction of the French Fleet at Mers-el-Kebir, three of the class (Montcalm, George Leygues and Gloire) passed Gibraltar, without challenge, en route to Dakar and Libreville but re-joined the Allies in 1942. The other three were scuttled at Toulon in November 1942, in response to the attempted German capture of the French Fleet (Operation Lila).

[edit] References

M J Whitley (1995). Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. London: Arms & Armour, 43-47. ISBN 1-85409-225-1.