History
of the Ship
Algeria is the last heavy
French cruiser. It was put down at Brest in March 1931 and launched
on May 21, 1932. It will be operational in September 1934, after
having completed its tests during which it will reach 33.2 knots.
Algeria presented a characteristic silhouette with its hull without
recess and its unique chimney. Its bridge tower was of a new design,
which will be found on the Dunkirk and Strasbourg Battleships. Compared
to its predecessors, such as the Suffren, the design of its hull
was optimized to promote speed and its protection was greatly enhanced,
including the upper decks to protect against aerial attacks.
When it was put into service,
it was first attached to the 3rd light cruiser division based in
Toulon in the company of "Tourville", "Colbert",
"Foch" and "Dupleix", before becoming admiral
naval in the 1st Division light cruisers.
It was within this unit,
based in Toulon, that the cruiser entered the Second World War.
In October 1939, Algeria joined Force X responsible for tracking
down the German pocket battleship, the "Graf-Spee".
In March 1940, with the battleship
Brittany, the cruiser will take part in the transport of part of
the Gold of the Banque de France to put it in safety in Halifax
in Canada. The cruiser "Algeria" will load, in its bunkers,
147 tons of gold
On June 12, 1940, after the
declaration of war of Italy, the cruiser "Algeria" participates
in the cannoning of the Italian coast, including fuel depots in
the region of Vado.
After the Armisitice, the
Fleet is reorganized and on September 25, 1940 is created the Force
of High Sea (FHM) which belongs to the 1st division of Light Cruisers
of Algeria. But the low reserves of fuels drastically limit the
exits at sea, and the Cruiser will sail little until 1942. During
this period of little activity, Algeria will enter in great refit
from May to July 1941.
On November 11, 1942, the
Germans invaded the free zone following the landing of the Allied
Forces in North Africa. In order to avoid the capture of the ships
by the occupant, the French Fleet, present in the port of Toulon,
is scuttled. Algeria is placed on the bottom of the port with a
light cottage, and it is ravaged by flames: it will burn until December
20 ...
The Cruiser, deemed irreparable,
will have its superstructures cut on site, but will nevertheless
be bailed out to clear access to the port, and the hull towed. It
was again damaged by American bombing in 1944.
After the war, in 1949, the
hull was however bailed out, but the building was definitively condemned
in July 1955 and was sold to "scrap dealers" in December
1956.
