Le "Montcalm" is
the last 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.
The "Montcalm"
comes into active service in December 1937. He is assigned to 4
Wing Cruisers, based in Brest. With this unit, he performs "an
endurance cruise" that leads him to North Africa, Indochin
or Mauritius. This cruise demonstrates the qualities of the ship.
The 4th squadron, belonging
to the Fleet of Atlantic, is based in Brest when the War is unleashed.
This unit is then assigned to the "Raid Strength". The
cruiser "Montcalm" participates in surveillance of convoys
in the Atlantic, and in pursuit of the German Cruisers Scharnbost
and Gneisenau. He returned then in fairing and sailed in April 1940
to go to support the Allied troops in Norway.
He then reintegrated the
Raid Force and joined the port of Algiers from May 19, 1940. It
is in this port that will surprise the Armistice. After the attack
of Mers-El-Kebir by the British, he leaves for Toulon where he arrives
on July 4th. End of August, the 4th Division of Cruisers is heading
towards the Gulf of Guinea. He will take part in the fighting against
Free French forces and the British on September 23, 24 and 25, 1940.
In 1941, along with cruisers
"Georges Leygues" and "Gloire", both also from
the class "La Galissonnière", "Montcalm"
joined Dakar. He will perform a large refit and then resume patrols
in the Atlantic within Force Y.
After the allied landings
in North Africa, Montcalm went to Philadelphia, in the United States
to modernize its anti-air weapon. In 1943, he left the United States
to join the Mediterranean where he participated in the operations
of liberation of the Corsica. Then, from Dakar, he made missions
in the Atlantic, before joining England to pre-prepare the landing
in Normandy.
It undergoes important works
between 1951 and 1952 in bizerte, and will reignais a campaign in
Indochina in 1955. before returning in fairing in February 1956.
He retired from active service
in May 1957 and was transferred to the School of Underwater Weapons
in 1959 until 1969. He was finally sentenced in December 1969.
