 |
Site en Français
|
|
Cruiser 2nd Class :
LA-GALISSONNIERE
|
|
|
History
of the Ship
The Galissonière is
the first of six light cruisers of the Class of the same name. Their
construction is close to that of their recent predecessor: Emile
Bertin. The construction of the first of these new cruisers began
only two months after Emile Bertin. However, the new ship show a
clear improvement over Emile Bertin, and they will be, for foreign
navies, a fine example of French excellence. Thus, the square prow,
favorable to the drag and their truncated stern will be found in
foreign naval constructions. The launch of the cruisers La Galissonnière,
Jean de Vienne, La Marseillaise, Glory, Montcalm and Georges Leygues
spread between 1933 and 1936 with launches between 1935 and 1937.
Compared with Emile Bertin, the protection and robustness of these
6 new ships was improved as well as stability. The anti-aircraft
artillery consisted of excellent 90mm guns, completed after 1941
by the addition of 7 pieces of smaller caliber. They had, moreover,
of a consequent aeronautical equipment with the boarding of two
loire 130 in vast hangars in the back of the ship. They were slower,
however, and had reliability problems with their Parsons turbines.
When commissioned, the
cruiser "La Galissonnière" was assigned to the
Second Light Wing of the Mediterranean until October 1937. Then,
when is created in Toulon, the 3rd Division of Cruisers, the "Galissonnière"
joins its twin cruisers , "Marseillaise", Admiral ship
and the "Jean-De-Vienne"
After the declaration of
war, "La Galissonière" monitors the Tunisian
coast before joining, in November 1939, the Arsenal of Brest,
for a deep redesign. The work will finish in February 1940, and
he joined the base of Toulon where he will remain until the Armistice
..
With "La Marseillaise",
it belongs, from January 1941, to the "Force of High Seas"
of Vichy based in Toulon. But the budget restrictions will dramatically
limit the sea trips ... One of the only exits will be made in
July 1940, after the attack of Mers-El-Kebir by the English, to
escort the battleship Brittany, severely touched, en route to
the port of Toulon.
To escape a capture,
the cruiser "La Galissonnière" will be scuttled
in the port of Toulon, on November 27, 1942, after the invasion
of the free zone by the Allemends.
In March 1943, the Italians,
who seized the cruiser, tried to bail it out, but the work was
not completed by the time of the Italian Armistice.
The ship, already damaged
by US bombers on November 24, 1943, was finally sunk on August
18, 1944 in a B-25 Bombardier air raid.
The wreck was scrapped
in 1952.
Technical
characteristics of the Ship
|
Type
|
Light Cruiser
|
Launching
|
November
18,1933
|
|
Length
|
179,50 m
|
Width
|
17.48 m
|
|
Draught
|
5.35 m
|
Range of action
|
7000 miles at 12
knots
5500 miles at
18 knots
1650 miles at
34 knots
|
|
Standard weight
|
7600 Tons
|
Full load weight
|
9120 Tons
|
|
Maximum speed
|
32 knots.
|
Crew
|
540 Men of Crews
and officers
(up 764 men in Wartime)
|
|
Propulsion
|
4 Turbines
with gearing Parsons and 4 Boilers Indre with two propellers:
total power of 84000 CV
|
|
Armoring
|
Belt : 100 mm
Bulkheads 64 mm and Longitudinal bulkheads 20 mm
Principal deck: 37 mm
Mains turrets:100 mm on front side- 50 mm upper part
and rear part
Tower : 50 to 95mm
|
|
Armament
|
3 triple turrets
equipped with 152 mm cannons
4 anti-aircraft double turrets equipped with 90 mm cannons
4 twinning of 37mm Cannon Anti-aircraft
12 13.2mm Hotchkiss Machine Guns Anti-Aircraft
4 tubes 551mm torpedo launcher on two double counters
|
|
Aviation
|
2 Loire 130
1 swingable catapult on the rear turret
1 crane for recovery of seaplanes
Hangar able to house two seaplanes
|
Aviation
on board
|
Aircrafts
assigned to the Ship
|
|
Type
of aircrafts
|
Serial
Number
|
Registration
|
Comments
|
|
Loire
130
|
|
Loire
130
|
24
|
HS3-5
|
Assigned
to the cruiser "La Galissonnière" |
|
Loire
130
|
48
|
HS3-5
|
Assigned
to the cruiser "La Galissonnière" |
|
Loire
130
|
53
|
HS3-6
|
Assigned
to the cruiser "La Galissonnière" |
Aviation
Personnel
|
Pilots
and Personnel Aviation of the Ship
|
|
Name
|
Rank
|
Function
|
Comments
|
Civil
Statut
|
|
Citations
|
|
Chief
of Flight Aviation Service
|
| YOYOTTE-HUSSON
André |
Lieutenant
|
|
Chief
of Aviation Service from October 1938 to March 1941 |
|
|
|
|
Crew
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aviation
Losses
The cruiser
"La Galissonnière" 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
- ...
|
