French cruiser La Galissonnière

*La Galissonnière*
History

France
Namesake:	Roland-Michel Barrin de La Galissonière
Builder:	Arsenal de Brest (Brest, France)
Laid down:	15 December 1931
Launched:	18 November 1933
Commissioned:	1 January 1936
Fate:	Scuttled at Toulon, 27 November 1942, scrapped 1952
General characteristics
Class and type:	La Galissonnière class cruiser
Displacement:	7,600 tons (standard) 9120 tons (full load)
Length:	179 m (587 ft)
Beam:	17.5 m (57 ft)
Draught:	5.35 m (17.6 ft)
Propulsion:	2-shaft Parsons single reduction geared turbines 4 Indret boilers 84,000 shp
Speed:	31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph)
Range:	7,000 nmi (13,000 km; 8,100 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) 6,800 at 14 knots 5,500 at 18 knots 1,650 at 34 knots
Complement:	540
Armament:	9 × 155 mm (6.1 in)/55 guns (3 × 3) 8 × 90 mm (3.5 inch) anti-aircraft (4 × 2) 24 × 40 mm (1.6 in) (6 × 4) 4 × 550mm (21.7 inch) torpedo tubes (2 × 2)
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

La Galissonnière was the name-ship of a class of French light cruisers, named in honour of Roland-Michel Barrin de La Galissonière. During World War II, she served with Vichy France.

La Galissonnière was at first assigned to the 2nd Light Squadron in the Mediterranean until October 1937, when she formed the 3rd Cruiser Division at Toulon, together with her sister ships Jean de Vienne and Marseillaise.

At the outbreak of World War II, La Galissonnière carried out patrol duties off the Tunisian coast until mid-November 1939, when she started a major refit at Brest until the end of February 1940. She then was based at Toulon until the French surrender in June.

From January 1941, she was part of the Vichy "High Seas Force" at Toulon. Two of the three cruisers from the 3rd Cruisers Division – she and Marseillaise – never went to high sea due to lack of fuel, except in November 1940, to cover the return to Toulon of the battleship Provence, severely damaged by British gunfire in July 1940 during Operation Catapult. However La Galissonnière was effectively disarmed and inactive.

When the Germans occupied Vichy France, she was scuttled on 27 November 1942 to prevent her capture by the Germans and Italians. The cruiser shared the drydock with Dunkerque, and her captain moved her forward and opened the sea valves so that she would sink and block the gates.

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