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History
of the Ship
Launched in November 1934
at the Saint-Nazaire shipyards, the battleship Strasbourg was launched
on December 12, 1936. It was designed to fight against German pocket
battleships. These are limited to a maximum tonnage of 10,000 tons
by the Treaty of Versailles. Strasbourg, like its sister ship Dunkirk,
was limited to 35,000 tons by the 1922 Washington Treaty.
The main artillery of Strasbourg
is characterized by two quadruple turrets of 330 mm, on the front
part of the ship. This provision, characteristic of the French line
ships, allows to use all its firepower, offering the least possible
area to the enemy. The secondary armament consists of 16 130mm guns
that can be used for air defense and 18 37mm guns
Strasbourg is equipped
with a floatplane hangar and two catapults "Penhoet"
on the back beach. The ship also has a crane to lift the seaplanes
on board.
On May 1st, 1939, the Strasbourg
enters in service and joins the squadron of the Atlantic, to which
already belongs his sister-ship, Dunkirk. These two ships of line
constitute with the 4th division of cruisers and the 1st light squadron,
the Force of Raid. Accompanied by the British heavy cruiser, HMS
Hood, Strasbourg participated in the search for the German battleships
Sharnhorst and Gneisenau at the end of 1939.
After the armistice of
June 24, 1940, Strasbourg, as well as many other French ships,
joined the base of Mers-El-Kebir, in Algeria, to be disarmed,
according to the clauses of the Armistice. The English attack
on July 3 and 6, the French ships present in the port, to prevent
them from falling into the hands of the Germans. The Strasbourg
manages to break its moorings, and in spite of the mines posed
by the British, leaves the port, and can answer the fire of the
English ships. Joined by torpedo boats and destroyers escaped
from the port, and although pursued by the British battleship
"Hood", he managed to reach the port of Toulon.
But on November 27, 1942,
after the invasion of the free zone by the Germans, Strasbourg is
scuttled in the port of Toulon to escape the capture. It sinks straight,
and will be refloated by the Italians who will return to France
in May 1944. But it will again be sunk in 1944 by the American bombardment
preparing the future landing in Provence., It will be a time used
for tests submarine explosions before being fought in 1955.
Technical
characteristics of the Ship
|
Type
|
Ship of line or Battleship
|
Launching
|
December
12,1936
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|
Length
|
214 m
|
Width
|
30.80 m
|
|
Draught
|
9.17 m
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Range of action
|
7500 miles at 15 knots
3600 miles at 31 knots
|
|
Standard weight
|
26500 Tons
|
Full load weight
|
35500 Tons
|
|
Maximum speed
|
30,9 knots.
|
Crew
|
66 Officers
1365 Men of Crews
(up to 2000 men
in wartime)
|
|
Propulsion
|
4 Parsons
steam turbines driving 4 four-blade propellers and 6 boilers
stamped at 27kg: total power of 130000 HP
|
|
Armoring
|
Belt : 283 mm
Upper deck: 115mm
- Lower deck: 40mm
Main turrets : 360mm
on front side- 310mm on top and 250mm on sides
Secondary turrets
: 135 on front side - 90mm on sides
|
|
Armament
|
2 quadruples turrets
équipées with 330mm gun - Maximum range :
41500 m
16 130mm guns distributed
in 3 quadruple turrets and 2 doubles- Maximum range: 20800
m
18 37mm guns
32 13.2mm Hotchkiss
machine guns distributed on 8 quadruple mounts
|
|
Aviation
|
3 seaplanes
1 catapult of 3.5 tons with movable compressed air on
the rear beach
1 lift for placing
seaplanes on the catapult
1 crane for seaplane
recovery
Hangar able to house two seaplanes
|
Aviation
on board
Emblem
of the HS2 Squadron, which will be found on the Dunkirk and Strasbourg
Battleships, of the Atlantic Wing
Squadron
HS2 :
This unit
was born on October 1, 1938, from the separation of the 7S4 into
two squadrons: The HS2 and the HS4
The HS2 groups the aircraft,
Gourdou-Lesser GL812, then Loire 130, embarked on the ships of
line of the Atlantic Wing, the battleships: "Dunkirk",
"Lorraine" and "Strasbourg"
Squadron
HC2 :
This unit will have
a very short existence ... Created in August 1940, the squadron
receives Loire 210, floatplane floats. They must provide aerial
protection for Escasdre de l'Atlantique airliners. But this
concept is outdated since its creation: the Loire 210 is a aircraft
with any performance, unreliable and with significant structural
defects
From November 1939,
the Loire 210 are disembarked from all the ships of line and
the Escadrille HC2 is dissolved. Staff are transferred to
AB3 Squadron, then in training
|
Aircrafts
assigned to the Ship
|
|
Type
of aircrafts
|
Serial
Number
|
Registration
|
Comments
|
|
Loire
130
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|
Loire
130
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41
|
HS2-4
|
Assigned
to the Strasbourg Battleship. The aircraft landed in September
1939 to be revised. It will be replaced by the loire 130 n °
60 |
|
Loire
130
|
50
|
HS2-5
|
Assigned
to the Strasbourg Battleship |
|
Loire
130
|
60
|
HS2-4
|
Assigned
to the Strasbourg Battleship. In February 1940, the aircraft replaced
the damaged loire 130 No. 61 and resumed its code HS2-4. |
|
Loire
130
|
61
|
HS2-4
|
Assigned
to the Strasbourg Battleship. On September 13, he replaced the
Loire 130 no. 41 and resumed his HS2-4 codification. Damaged February
10, 1940, it will be replaced by the Loire 130 No. 60 |
|
Loire
130
|
|
HS2-6
|
Assigned
to the Strasbourg Battleship |
|
Loire
210
|
|
Loire
210
|
4
|
HC2-8
|
Assigned
to the Strasbourg Battleship. He will be withdrawn from service
at the end of November 1939 |
Aviation
Personnel
|
Pilots
and Personnel Aviation of the Ship
|
|
Name
|
Rank
|
Function
|
Comments
|
Civil
Statut
|
|
Citations
|
|
Chief
of Flight Aviation Service
|
| BONNERU
Maurice |
Lieutenant
|
|
Head
of the Aviation Department of the battleship Strasbourg from April
1939 to July 1940 |
Born August
7th 1906 at Arles (13 - Bouches du Rhône)
Died on July 13th 1994 at Aix en Provence (13 - Bouches du Rhône)
|
|
|
|
Crew
|
| MIRAMONT |
Petty Officer
|
Pilot
|
Pilot
of the Loire 210, the loire 210 is landed from Strasbourg, and
his pilot, the Second-Master MIRAMONT will join the Escadrille
AC-3 |
|
|
|
| PUJADE
Henri Edouard |
Sub-Lieutenant
|
|
|
Born
February 21, 1911 in Antibes (Alpes-Maritimes)
Died on 15 March 1973 at Santa Ponsa (Island of Majorca - Spain) |
|
|
| TROADEC
André Constant |
Petty Officer
1st Class
|
Pilot
|
André
TROADEC was killed in a plane crash on 25 May 1946 in Alzen, Ariège |
Born
on 12 May 1907 at Brest (29 - Finistère)
Killed on 25 May 1946 at Alzen (09 - Ariège) |
|
|
Aviation
Losses
The "Strasbourg"
Battleship had no losses to deplore for its Aviation service during
the Campaign of France.
Sources
- The
dates and places of birth of the Group's personnel are taken mainly
from the site : "Mémoires
des Hommes"
- Hors série AVIONS No1
- "L'Aéronautique Navale Française de Septembre
1940 à Juin 1940" by L. Morareau - Editions LELA Presse
- Aéro-Journal No18
"L'Aéronautique Navale en Guerre 1939-1940": by Christian-Jacques
EHRENGARDT - Editions Aéro-Editions
- ...
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