View source for La Galissonnière-class cruiser

{{Short description|1930s French crusiers}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=LaGalissonniere-1.jpg
|Ship caption=Diagram of a ''La Galissonnière''-class cruiser
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=''La Galissonnière'' class
|Builders=
|Operators={{navy|France}}
|Class before= {{ship|French cruiser|Émile Bertin||2}}
|Class after= {{ship|French cruiser|De Grasse|C610|2}} (planned)
|Subclasses=
|Cost=
|Built range=
|In service range=   
|In commission range=1937–1958  
|Total ships building= 
|Total ships planned=
|Total ships completed=6
|Total ships cancelled=
|Total ships active=
|Total ships laid up=
|Total ships lost=3
|Total ships retired=3
|Total ships preserved=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption= 
|Ship type=[[Light cruiser]]
|Ship displacement=*7,600 tons (standard)
*9,120 tons (full load)
|Ship length={{convert|179|m|ft|abbr=on|1}}
|Ship beam={{convert|17.5|m|ft|abbr=on|1}}
|Ship height=
|Ship draught={{convert|5.35|m|ft|abbr=on|1}}
|Ship power=
|Ship propulsion=*2-shaft geared turbines ([[Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company|Parsons]] or [[:fr:Auguste Rateau|Rateau-Bretagne]])
*4 [[:fr:Fonderie d'Indret|Indret]] boilers
*{{convert|84000|shp|MW|abbr=on|lk=in}}
|Ship speed=* {{convert|31|kn|km/h|lk=in}} (designed)
* {{convert|35|kn|km/h}} (trials)
|Ship range=*{{convert|7000|nmi|km|abbr=on}} at {{convert|12|kn|km/h}}
|Ship endurance=
|Ship complement=540
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*9 × [[Canon de 152 mm Modèle 1930|{{convert|152|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}/55 caliber guns]] (3x3)
*8 × [[Canon de 90 mm Modèle 1926|{{convert|90|mm|in|abbr=on|1}} anti-aircraft]] guns (4x2)
*24 × [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|{{convert|40|mm|abbr=on|1}} guns]] (6x4)
*4 × {{convert|550|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}  [[torpedo tube]]s (2x2)
|Ship armour=* [[Belt armor|Main belt]]: {{convert|105|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}
* [[Bulkhead (partition)|End bulkheads]]: {{convert|30|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}
* Sides: {{convert|120|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}
* [[Deck (ship)|Deck]]: {{convert|38|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}
* [[Gun turret|Turrets]]: {{convert|100|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}
* [[Conning tower]]: {{convert|95|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}
|Ship aircraft= Up to 4 [[GL-832]], later 2 [[Loire 130]] [[flying boat]]s
|Ship aircraft facilities= 1 [[Aircraft catapult#Interwar and World War II|catapult]]
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

The '''''La Galissonnière''-class cruisers''' were [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] by the [[French Navy]] in the 1930s. They were the last French [[cruiser]]s completed after 1935, until the completion of {{ship|French cruiser|De Grasse|C610|2}} in 1956. They are considered fast, reliable and successful [[light cruisers]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Le Masson|1969|pp=19–20}}</ref>  Two cruisers of this class, {{ship|French cruiser|Georges Leygues||2}} and {{ship|French cruiser|Montcalm|1935|2}}, took part in the defence of [[Battle of Dakar|Dakar]] in late September 1940 during [[World War II]]. With the cruiser {{ship|French cruiser|Gloire|1935|2}}, they joined the [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] forces after the successful Allied landings in [[North Africa]] in November 1942. The three other cruisers of the ''La Galissonière'' class, held under [[Vichy France|Vichy]] control at [[Toulon]], were [[Scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon|scuttled]] on 27 November 1942.

After refitting, ''Georges Leygues'', ''Montcalm'' and ''Gloire'' took part in various Allied operations, including the [[Normandy landings]] in 1944. Postwar, several of the class acted as the [[flagship]] of the French Mediterranean Squadron, and carried out operations off [[First Indochina War|Indo-China]] until 1954, and afterwards were deployed during the [[Suez Crisis]] and operations off [[Algerian independence war|Algeria]]. They were [[Ship breaking|scrapped]] between 1958 and 1970.

==Background==

The [[French Navy]] emerged from [[World War I]] with [[light cruiser]]s, in very small numbers, aged and exhausted by war service.<ref>{{Harvnb|Labayle Couhat|1974|pp=64–77}}</ref>  One Austrian ({{SMS|Novara|1913|6}}) and four German light cruisers ({{SMS|Kolberg}}, {{SMS|Stralsund}}, {{SMS|Regensburg}}, {{SMS|Königsberg|1915|6}}), were received as reparations for war losses. They were renamed from [[Alsace-Lorraine]] towns, respectively ''Thionville'', ''Colmar'', ''Mulhouse'', ''Strasbourg'' and ''Metz'', armed with nine {{convert|100|mm|in|abbr=on|1}} guns for ''Thionville'', and six to eight {{convert|150|mm|in|abbr=on|1}} guns for the others, a [[Displacement (ship)|displacement]] of 4,000&nbsp;tons for ''Thionville'', 5,000 to 7,000&nbsp;tons for the other cruisers, with a speed of {{convert|26|-|27|kn|lk=in}}. They were retired from active service by the early 1930s.<ref>{{Harvnb|Moulin|2007|pp=54–62}}</ref>

In 1920 the French Navy made plans to construct 5,200-ton light cruisers, with a main armament of {{convert|5.5|in|mm|abbr=on|1|order=flip}} guns, capable of speeds over {{convert|36|kn|km/h}}. Funds were granted in the 1922 budget for the three {{sclass|Duguay-Trouin|cruiser}}s, known as ''8000&nbsp;tons'' cruisers, which were [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] in 1923–24. They had four [[Gun turret|turrets]] mounting two guns each. The {{convert|155|mm|in|abbr=on|1}} guns, in regular use by the [[French Army]] were chosen to facilitate a streamlined ammunition supply chain. With nearly no armour, they had a speed of {{convert|34|kn}}.<ref>{{Harvnb|Le Masson|1969|pp=6, 9, 89–90}}</ref>

Also remaining in service were [[Armored cruiser#Obsolescence|armoured cruiser]]s, built between 1900 and 1910, that were obsolete when they had been [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]]. With their armament arrangement in two double turrets of {{convert|194|mm|in|abbr=on|1}} guns, and single turrets and [[casemate]]s of generally {{convert|167.4|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}, (only the {{sclass|Edgar Quinet|cruiser|2}}s ''Edgar Quinet'' and ''Waldeck-Rousseau'' cruisers had fourteen {{convert|194|mm|in|abbr=on|1}} guns as their main armament), a speed of {{convert|23|kn}}, an [[Belt armor|armoured belt]] of {{convert|90|to|170|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}, for a displacement of 12,000 to 14,000&nbsp;tons, they were outgunned by their British or German contemporaries.<ref>{{Harvnb|Labayle Couhat|1974|pp=58–63}}</ref>

=== Washington Naval Treaty ===

The 1922 [[Washington Naval Treaty]] forbade the armoured cruiser type, with clauses limiting the cruiser tonnage to 10,000&nbsp;tons, and the size of their guns to {{convert|203|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}.

As war experience had clearly shown the importance of securing trade routes against surface threats, all the signatories of the treaty had built, until 1930, nearly only [[Washington Naval Treaty|Washington]] [[heavy cruiser]]s (fifteen each for the United Kingdom and the United States, twelve for Japan, seven each for France and Italy). These cruisers bore eight 203&nbsp;mm guns in four double turrets, in the British,<ref>{{Harvnb|Lenton|1973|pp=50–71}}</ref> French<ref>{{Harvnb|Le Masson|1969|pp=91–99}}</ref> and Italian navies, but nine to ten guns in the [[United States Navy]],<ref>{{Harvnb|Lenton|1968|pp=51–62}}</ref> or the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]],<ref>{{Harvnb|Watts|1971|pp=84, 93, 99–101}}</ref> with a speed from {{convert|30|to|35|kn|km/h}}, and a very light armour, for the earliest ships built, and a better protection, with a slightly reduced speed, for the next classes. On the first Washington heavy cruisers built, in the French Navy, {{ship|French cruiser|Duquesne|1925|2}}, the weight of armour was 430&nbsp;tons, and the maximum speed on [[Sea trial|trials]] reached {{convert|35.30|kn|km/h}}, with {{convert|126919|shp|lk=in|abbr=on}}, and, for the last one, {{ship|French cruiser|Algérie||2}}, the weight of armour was 2,657&nbsp;tons, and the maximum speed {{convert|33.20|kn|km/h}}, with {{convert|93230|shp|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Harvnb|Le Masson|1969|pp=91, 99}}</ref>

Germany was not subject to the restrictions in warship building resulting from the treaty, and the German [[Reichsmarine]] [[Keel laying|laid down]], between 1926 and 1928, three cruisers of the {{sclass|Königsberg|cruiser (1927)|4}} with a displacement of 6,650&nbsp;tons, armed with three triple turrets of [[15 cm SK C/25|{{convert|150|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}]] guns, and a speed of 30–32&nbsp;knots.<ref>{{Harvnb|Lenton|1966|p=59}}</ref> In 1929, an improved unit, {{ship|German cruiser|Leipzig||2}}, with a more powerful cruising diesel engine installation, and a more extended armoured belt, with nearly the same displacement (6,710&nbsp;tons).<ref>{{Harvnb|Lenton|1966|p=63}}</ref>

The British Navy considered that the Washington cruiser type was too large for its needs, and, in 1927, a slightly smaller {{convert|8|in|mm|abbr=on|1}}-gun cruiser was laid down, [[York-class cruiser|HMS ''York'']], with only six 8-inch guns.<ref>{{Harvnb|Lenton|1973|pp=72–75}}</ref> As the 1930 London Naval Conference had just opened, the United Kingdom announced the cancellation of the next projected 8-inch-gun cruiser design, while the first unit of a new class was to be built, with a displacement of 6,500&nbsp;tons and armed with eight {{convert|6|in|mm|abbr=on|1|order=flip}} guns, able to counter ''Leipzig''. It was [[Leander-class cruiser (1931)|HMS ''Leander'']].<ref>{{Harvnb|Lenton|1973|pp=76–85}}</ref>

=== London Naval Treaty ===

The 1930 [[London Naval Treaty]] introduced a distinction between Type A cruisers (commonly called "heavy cruisers"), with guns over {{convert|6.1|in|mm|abbr=on|1|order=flip}} (the main armament mounted on the ''Duguay-Trouin''-class cruisers) and up to {{convert|8|in|mm|abbr=on|1|order=flip}}, and Type B cruisers (commonly called "light cruisers"), with guns of {{convert|6.1|in|mm|abbr=on|1|order=flip}} or under. It fixed the limit for the number of Type A units of each signatory  to the number of existing cruisers, and authorized their replacement only twenty years after their completion.<ref>{{Harvnb|Lenton|1973|p=5}}</ref>

In 1926, as France had started to produce [[Ship class|classes]] of [[destroyer]]s ({{sclass|Chacal|destroyer|5}}, {{sclass|Guépard|destroyer|5}}, and {{sclass|Aigle|destroyer|4}}es) which were superior in displacement and firepower to the destroyers of that period, in order to counter this, Italy decided to produce a new class of cruiser that would be of intermediate size between the new French destroyer classes and the cruisers built in that period. The four units of the [[Giussano-class cruiser|''Da Giussano'']] class (first sub-class of the {{sclass2|Condottieri|cruiser|5}} cruisers group) were laid down in 1928, and completed in 1931–32, respecting the newly signed London Naval Treaty. On a displacement of about 5,200&nbsp;tons, they were armed with eight 152&nbsp;mm guns in four double turrets, and could attain the remarkably high speed of {{convert|37|kn|km/h}}, but with negligible armour and short radius of action.<ref>{{Harvnb|Lenton|1973|p=77}}</ref>
   
A new French cruiser had been ordered in 1926 and launched in 1930, specially designed as a [[school ship]] for [[Midshipman|midshipmen]]. The cruiser {{ship|French cruiser|Jeanne d'Arc|1930|2}} had the same 6.1-inch guns, in double turrets, as the ''Duguay-Trouin'' class.<ref>{{Harvnb|Le Masson|1969|p=98}}</ref> But when, after the London Naval Treaty, a new cruiser {{ship|French cruiser|Émile Bertin||2}} was designed to operate both as a [[minelayer]] and as a destroyer [[flotilla leader]], she was armed with a completely new armament and turret layout, nine {{convert|6|in|mm|abbr=on|order=flip|1}} guns in three triple turrets, for the first time in the French Navy. She had two double and two single mounts of {{convert|90|mm|in|abbr=on|1}} for secondary [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft]] (AA) artillery. Reaching {{convert|39.66|kn|km/h}} on speed trials, with {{convert|137908|hp|abbr=on}}, she was the fastest of the French cruisers ever built.<ref>{{Harvnb|Le Masson|1969|p=102}}</ref>

The triple turret was unusual in the French Navy, which had preferred the double turret on its [[battleship]]s, and on its previous cruisers, or the quadruple turret. In 1910, the Chief Naval Constructor, French Navy, had designed the {{sclass|Normandie|battleship|2}}s with three quadruple turrets,<ref>{{Harvnb|Labayle Couhat|1974|pp=37–38}}</ref> and the quadruple turret was broadly used, on the {{sclass|Dunkerque|battleship|2}}s, as the mounting for the main armament, and for the dual-purpose secondary battery.<ref>{{Harvnb|Le Masson|1969|pp=69–72}}</ref> Triple turrets have been common in the [[Italian Navy]] battleships (uninterruptedly since the first Italian [[dreadnought]] built, {{ship|Italian battleship|Dante Alighieri||2}})<ref>{{Harvnb|Breyer|1973|pp=373–380}}</ref> as in the Russian,<ref>{{Harvnb|Meister|1972|pp=23–28}}</ref> World War I [[Austro-Hungarian]],<ref>{{Harvnb|Breyer|1973|pp=409–411}}</ref> U.S. Navies (since the {{sclass|Nevada|battleship|5}} to the {{sclass|Tennessee|battleship|5}} battleship classes),<ref>{{Harvnb|Lenton|1968|pp=14–25}}</ref> and even in the British Royal Navy, with the {{sclass|Nelson|battleship|2}}s.<ref>{{Harvnb|Lenton|1972|pp=46–50}}</ref> On cruisers, the triple turret was used in all the U.S. Navy  Washington heavy cruiser classes, on the Reichsmarine light cruisers, and on {{sclass|Deutschland|cruiser|0}} "pocket battleships".<ref>{{Harvnb|Lenton|1966|pp=34–38}}</ref>
 
This was on the basis of ''Émile Bertin''{{'}}s armament, and on {{ship|French cruiser|Algérie||2}}{{'}}s  protection and propulsion that was designed the [[lead ship]] of the ''La Galissonnière'' class, launched in November 1933.<ref>{{Harvnb|Le Masson|1969|pp=20, 102–104}}</ref>

=== Large light cruiser ===

The Imperial Japanese Navy, and its Pacific Ocean rival the U.S. Navy, were both interested in large cruisers, whether they were classed "heavy" or "light". In the 1931 Building Program, Japan ordered the first units of a new light cruiser class, the {{sclass|Mogami|cruiser|4}},<ref>{{Harvnb|Watts|1971|pp=99–101}}</ref> with fifteen {{convert|155|mm|in|abbr=on|1}} guns, in five triple turrets, and a speed of {{convert|37|kn|km/h}}, announcing, falsely, a displacement of 8,500&nbsp;tons. The U.S. Navy answered with the {{sclass|Brooklyn|cruiser|4}},<ref>{{Harvnb|Lenton|1968|p=78}}</ref> with fifteen {{convert|152|mm|in|abbr=on|1}} guns, a speed of {{convert|32.5|kn|km/h}}, but a more exact displacement of 9,700&nbsp;tons. The first units of this class were launched in 1937–38. The Royal Navy had laid down a class of four light cruisers, the {{sclass|Arethusa|cruiser (1934)|4}},<ref>{{Harvnb|Lenton|1973|pp=90–94}}</ref> smaller than the ''Leander'' class with only six {{convert|6|in|mm|abbr=on|1|order=flip}} guns. They were launched between 1934 and 1936. In reaction to the building of the Japanese and U.S. large light cruisers, the United Kingdom canceled some projected units of the ''Leander'' and ''Arethusa'' classes. The two first British large light cruisers, after drawing drafts for a so-called ''Minotaur'' class,  became the {{sclass2|Town|cruiser (1936)|4}}<ref>{{Harvnb|Lenton|1973|pp=95–107}}</ref> which were launched in 1936. They were fitted with twelve 152&nbsp;mm guns, in four triple turrets, and aircraft installations at the center of the ship, had a speed of {{convert|32|kn|km/h}}, and were nearly respecting the 10,000-ton displacement.

Three vessels, ''[[French cruiser De Grasse|De Grasse]]'', ''Guichen'' and ''Chateaurenault'', were authorized shortly before the war as improved ''La Galissonnière'' class, with a displacement of 8,000&nbsp;tons, the same armament and arrangement of three triple 152&nbsp;mm turrets, two fore and one aft, and three twin AA 90&nbsp;mm aft, one axial and two lateral. Aircraft installations, two [[Aircraft catapult#Interwar and World War II|catapult]]s, crane and [[hangar]], accommodating three/four [[seaplane]]s, would have been fitted in the ship's center, aft of a single large [[Funnel (ship)|funnel]]. They were intended to have more powerful propulsion machinery, {{convert|110000|hp|abbr=on}}, to reach {{convert|35|kn|km/h}}. The silhouette, with a massive fore tower, would have been inspired by ''Algerie''{{'}}s. But only the name ship was actually laid down in the [[Lorient]] Navy Yard, and as work was suspended during the war, she was launched in 1946, and completed only in 1956, as an integral anti-aircraft cruiser [[French cruiser De Grasse (C610)|design]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Le Masson|1969|p=106}}</ref>

==Design==

''La Galissonière''-class cruisers were very different, in displacement, armament, and protection from the London Naval Treaty Type B cruisers, such as the British {{sclass|Dido|cruiser|4}},<ref>{{Harvnb|Lenton|1973|p=119}}</ref> American {{sclass|Atlanta|cruiser|4}}<ref>{{Harvnb|Lenton|1968|p=68}}</ref> or Italian ''Da Giussano''-class cruisers, with a displacement of 6,000&nbsp;tons or less, armed with numerous guns sometimes inferior to 152&nbsp;mm, to the large light cruisers ({{ship|Italian cruiser|Luigi di Savoia Duca degli Abruzzi||2}}), the {{sclass|Brooklyn|cruiser|5}} or Town-class cruisers, (about 10,000&nbsp;tons, and from ten to fifteen 152&nbsp;mm guns).
 
With a displacement of 7,500&nbsp;tons, and nine 152&nbsp;mm guns, the ''La Galissonière''-class cruisers belong to a middle category, comparable with the last ''[[Kriegsmarine]]'' light cruiser {{ship|German cruiser|Nürnberg||2}} (an improved version of ''Leipzig''),<ref>{{Harvnb|Lenton|1966|p=65}}</ref> the Italian cruiser {{ship|Italian cruiser|Raimondo Montecuccoli||2}} (from the intermediate version of the Condottieri class), or the nine-gun units of the {{sclass2|Crown Colony|cruiser}}s,<ref>{{Harvnb|Lenton|1973|p=134}}</ref> reduced version of the Town-class cruisers.

The displacement of French cruisers was around 7,000–9,000 tons, yet it was enough to accommodate both heavy armour and heavy armament, while maintaining good maximum speed.

=== Armament ===

The class' main armament, in three triple mountings, concentrated a powerful broadside in a relatively small vessel. Their displacement was of the 7,000-ton class, just like the Italian Condottieri III Group (''Attendolo'' and ''Raimondo Montecuccoli''). While the Condottieris had four turrets with eight 152&nbsp;mm guns, French cruisers had only three turrets with nine guns. The use of triple turrets allowed, as on the U.S. Navy cruisers, the deployment of nine 203&nbsp;mm guns, or even fifteen 152&nbsp;mm guns, on hulls of 10,000&nbsp;tons, or on the German light cruisers, to have nine {{convert|5.9|in|mm|abbr=on|1|order=flip}} guns, with less than 7,000&nbsp;tons displacement.

The armament consisted of the 152&nbsp;mm gun (152&nbsp;mm/55 Model 1930), the only French-built gun of this caliber. The cruiser mount was the Model 1930, that displaced 169.3 tons (172 mt). The rate of fire was one shell every 12 seconds (5 rounds per min).

[[File:French Cruiser Montcalm 19-N-48988.jpg|thumb|''Montcalm'' photographed just after finishing her refit in July 1943, with newly fitted anti-aircraft guns visible]]
The secondary armament consisted of the 90&nbsp;mm/50&nbsp;cal Model 1926. It was a decided improvement over the old 75&nbsp;mm guns, being mounted single or twin. ''La Galissonnière'' cruisers had four twin mounts. These ships were also fitted with two twin [[torpedo tube]]s, on sides, amidship. The torpedoes were the {{convert|550|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}<ref>{{Harvnb|Le Masson|1969|p=103}}</ref> 23 DT model, in service since 1925. Their aircraft installations, with hangar and [[derrick]] on stern, and a catapult fitted on the top of the aft 152&nbsp;mm turret, could accommodate four [[Loire 130]] seaplanes.

Like most French warships completed prewar, they were originally weak in light anti-aircraft artillery, with four twin 37&nbsp;mm guns, and six 13.2&nbsp;mm twin mount machine guns. Four more were added in 1941, with one 37&nbsp;mm and one double 25&nbsp;mm guns, and two Hotchkiss 13.2&nbsp;mm twin mount machine guns. The three ex-Vichy units received a refit, with American help, in 1943. {{ship|French cruiser|Georges Leygues||2}}, {{ship|French cruiser|Montcalm|1935|2}}, and {{ship|French cruiser|Gloire|1935|2}}, had their aircraft installations and all their original anti-aircraft artillery removed, and were fitted with six quadruple [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|Bofors]] 40&nbsp;mm guns, and twenty single [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|Oerlikon]] 20&nbsp;mm guns.

=== Protection ===

The armour was thicker than that of many other cruisers of the time (such as the Italian Condottieri class), heavy enough to withstand opposing cruiser main batteries. The belt and [[Deck (ship)|deck]] armour was substantially thicker than usual. The Condottieri class Group III had only {{convert|60|mm|in|abbr=on|1}} belt and {{convert|30|mm|in|abbr=on|1}} deck armour, while ''La Galissonnière'' had an armoured belt as ranging from {{convert|75|-|105|mm|in|abbr=on|1}} in thickness, and deck armour that ranged from {{convert|37|–|50|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}. This was enough to withstand a 152&nbsp;mm round at combat range (navweaps.com gives 76&nbsp;mm at 11,000 m, when fired from a British gun), while Italian counterparts cannot have done the same with their light armour, sacrificed for the best speed. Only the last group of Condottieri class was superior, with a heavier displacement of 9,100&nbsp;tons (20% more than French cruisers), ten guns, and up to {{convert|130|mm|in|abbr=on|1}} armour (thought to withstand 152&nbsp;mm as well), but they were only two ships. In any event, these powerful ships never fought one another. The ''La Galissonière''-class cruisers 105&nbsp;mm armored belt was also thicker than ''Nürnberg''{{'}}s {{convert|50|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}, the ''Dido'' class's {{convert|76.2|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}, or the Crown Colony class's ({{convert|88|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}) armour, and equivalent to the ''Leander'''s. The turret protection, with {{convert|100|mm|in|abbr=on|1}} on faces, and {{convert|50|mm|in|abbr=on|1}} on sides, back, and roofs was also better than on other cruisers with similar displacement ({{convert|1.25|in|mm|abbr=on|order=flip|1}} on German cruisers, {{convert|1|in|mm|abbr=on|1|order=flip}}, on the British ones, {{convert|2|in|mm|abbr=on|1|order=flip}} on Town or Crown Colony classes, and {{convert|3|to|5|in|mm|abbr=on|order=flip|1}} on the ''Brooklyn'' class.

=== Propulsion ===

The propulsion was provided by four [[:fr:fonderie d'Indret|Indret]] boilers, and four [[Charles Algernon Parsons|Parsons]] turbines on {{ship|French cruiser|La Galissonnière||2}}, ''Georges Leygues'', ''Montcalm'', or [[:fr:Auguste Rateau|Rateau Bretagne]] turbines on the others, and two [[Propeller|shafts]], for a speed of {{convert|31|kn|km/h}}, with {{convert|84000|hp|abbr=on}}. They easily maintained 31/32&nbsp;knots and all exceeded by far the expected trial speed of {{convert|33|kn|km/h}}. Thus, {{ship|French cruiser|Marseillaise|1935|2}} steamed an average of {{convert|34.98|kn|km/h}} during an 8-hour trial and {{convert|35.39|kn|km/h}} during a ninth hour. At the end of the war, they could still easily make {{convert|32|kn|km/h}}, on a full load displacement then increased to 10,850&nbsp;tons.<ref>{{Harvnb|Le Masson|1969|p=20}}</ref> The endurance ({{convert|5500|nmi|km|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|18|kn|km/h}}), was considerably better than Italian equivalents (Condottieris: around {{convert|3800|nmi|km|abbr=on}} at {{convert|18|kn|km/h}}), but similar to the comparable light British or German cruisers, for the speed and radius, except the ''Leander'' and ''Arethusa''-class cruisers, which had an exceptional radius of {{convert|12,000|nmi|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Harvnb|Lenton|1973|pp=83, 93}}</ref>

==Ships==
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Construction data
|-
!scope="col"|Name
!scope="col"|Namesake
!scope="col"|Builder
!scope="col"|[[Laid down]]
!scope="col"|[[Ceremonial ship launching|Launched]]
!scope="col"|[[Ship commissioning|Commissioned]]
!Fate
!Ref
|-
|{{ship|French cruiser|La Galissonnière||2}}
|[[Roland-Michel Barrin de La Galissonière]]
|[[Brest Arsenal|Arsenal de Brest]], [[Brest, France|Brest]]
|15 December 1931
|18 November 1933
|1 January 1936
|[[Scuttling of the French fleet at Toulon|Scuttled]], 27 November 1942
|<ref>{{Harvnb|Moulin|2007|p=26}}</ref>
|-
|{{ship|French cruiser|Montcalm|1935|2}}
|[[Louis-Joseph de Montcalm]]
|[[Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée]], [[La Seyne-sur-Mer]]
|15 November 1933
|26 October 1935
|15 November 1937
|Sold for scrap, December 1969
|<ref>{{Harvnb|Moulin|2007|p=18}}</ref>
|-
|{{ship|French cruiser|Georges Leygues||2}}
|[[Georges Leygues]]
|[[Ateliers et Chantiers de Saint-Nazaire Penhoët]], [[Saint-Nazaire]]
|21 September 1933
|24 March 1936
|15 November 1937
|Sold for scrap, November 1959
|<ref>{{Harvnb|Moulin|2007|p=16}}</ref>
|-
|{{ship|French cruiser|Jean de Vienne||2}}
|[[Jean de Vienne]]
|[[Naval Group|Arsenal de Lorient]], [[Lorient]]
|20 December 1931
|31 July 1935
|10 February 1937
|Scuttled, 27 November 1942
|<ref>{{Harvnb|Moulin|2007|p=24}}</ref>
|-
|{{ship|French cruiser|Marseillaise|1935|2}}
|"[[La Marseillaise]]"
|[[Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire]], [[Nantes]]
|23 October 1933
|17 July 1935
|10 October 1937
|Scuttled, 27 November 1942
|<ref>{{Harvnb|Moulin|2007|p=22}}</ref>
|-
|{{ship|French cruiser|Gloire|1935|2}}
|[[Glory (honor)|Glory]]
|[[Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde]], [[Lormont]]
|13 November 1933
|28 September 1935
|15 November 1937
|Sold for scrap, January 1958
|<ref>{{Harvnb|Moulin|2007|p=20}}</ref>
|}
Upon completion, ''La Galissonnière'', ''Jean de Vienne'', and ''Marseillaise'' were attached to the [[Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean (France)|Mediterranean Squadron]], forming the 3rd Cruiser Division stationed at [[Bizerte]]. ''Georges Leygues'', ''Montcalm'', and ''Gloire'' were assigned to the Atlantic Fleet, stationed at Brest and forming the 4th Cruiser Division. The 4th Cruiser Division carried out an endurance cruise to [[Indochina]], from December 1937 to April 1938, and represented France at the July [[1939 New York World's Fair]].

==Service==

=== Phoney War and under Vichy control ===

During the [[Phoney War]], the 4th Cruiser Division was attached to the ''[[Force de Raid]]'' under Admiral [[Marcel-Bruno Gensoul|Gensoul]], with {{ship|French battleship|Dunkerque||2}} and {{ship|French battleship|Strasbourg||2}}, heavy cruisers and large destroyers, first based in Brest. This squadron took part in screening Atlantic [[convoy]]s, and tried unsuccessfully to give chase to [[German cruiser Admiral Graf Spee|German surface raiders]]. As Italy remained neutral in the Mediterranean, ''Marseillaise'' and ''Jean de Vienne'' took part in the shipping to Canada of a part of the [[Banque de France]]'s gold reserve, in December 1939, and shipped troops in the Mediterranean in March 1940.

In April 1940, ''Émile Bertin'' was damaged by the [[Luftwaffe]] off Norway,<ref>{{Harvnb|Moulin|2007|p=28}}</ref> and ''Montcalm'' replaced her, and took part in the evacuation of [[Namsos campaign|Namsos]]. In response to the increasingly threatening attitude of Italy, in April 1940, the ''Force de Raid'' was sent to the Mediterranean Sea, and the 3rd and 4th Cruiser Divisions were then based in [[Algiers]]. After Italy entered the war in June, they carried out two sorties, unsuccessfully attempting to intercept Italian fleet units.

On 3 July 1940, Admiral [[James Somerville|Sommerville]]'s [[Force H]] was sent to [[Attack on Mers-el-Kébir|Mers-el-Kébir]]. As the French Admiralty signalled in a radio message in clear, that the Algiers cruisers had been ordered to rejoin the battleship squadron off Mers-el-Kébir, the [[British Admiralty]] warned Admiral Somerville and hurried him to put an end to the negotiations with Admiral Gensoul and to open fire. So the six cruisers had only one thing to do, to steer for Toulon, where they arrived the day after.

Two months after, the [[Vichy France|Vichy]] authorities obtained permission from the [[German Armistice Commission]] to send the 4th Cruisers Division (''George Leygues'', ''Montcalm'' and ''Gloire''), and three large destroyers, to [[Libreville]], to counter the [[Free French Forces]] which had taken control of [[French Equatorial Africa]] territories, except Gabon. As the [[Replenishment oiler|oiler]] ''Tarn'', escorted by the French cruiser {{ship|French cruiser|Primauguet|1924|2}} had been intercepted in the [[Bight of Benin]] by British warships, and bound to [[Casablanca]], refueling was no longer possible in Libreville, and the French cruiser squadron had to turn back to [[Dakar]]. Slowed by machinery problems, ''Gloire'' was intercepted by British cruisers, and was only allowed to proceed on to Casablanca, as ''Georges Leygues'' and ''Montcalm'' reached Dakar at full speed, and so took part in its [[battle of Dakar|defence]] against [[Operation Menace]]. Until 1943, they remained there, where ''Gloire'' joined them in March 1941: from 15 to 25 September 1942, she was sent to rescue the victims of the sinking of the British [[troopship]] [[Laconia incident|''Laconia'']], torpedoed by the German submarine {{GS|U-156|1941|2}}.<ref>{{Harvnb|Peillard|1974|pp=293–296}}</ref>

In Toulon, two of the three cruisers from the 3rd Cruisers Division, ''Marseillaise'' and ''La Galissonnière'', the latter being replaced on 15 March 1941 by ''Jean de Vienne'', were incorporated in a so-called High Seas Force, which nearly never went to sea, due to the lack of fuel, but in November 1940, to cover the return to Toulon of the battleship {{ship|French battleship|Provence||2}}, which had been severely damaged by British gunfire in July 1940. In January 1942, ''Jean de Vienne'' was sent to rescue the liner [[:fr:Lamoricière (navire)|''Lamoriciere'']], whose sinking in a winter tempest, off the [[Balearic Islands]], caused more than 300 deaths.

After the successful [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] landings in [[Morocco]] and [[Algeria]], in November 1942, the Germans occupied the [[Zone libre]], and tried to seize the French warships in Toulon, ([[Operation Lila]]). But the three ''La Galissonière''-class cruisers, ''La Galissonnière'', ''Jean de Vienne'', ''Marseillaise'', as most of the ships based at Toulon, were [[Scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon|scuttled]], on 27 November 1942. In 1943, the Italian Navy tried to salvage ''Jean de Vienne'' and ''La Galissonnière'', and registered them as ''FR11'' and ''FR12''.<ref>{{Harvnb|Le Masson|1969|p=104}}</ref> In 1944, after the Italian surrender, the Germans rendered the wrecks to the Vichy authorities, but they were sunk, following Allied bombing attacks on ''Jean de Vienne'' on 24 November 1943 and ''La Galissonnière'', on 18 April 1944. They were both scrapped post war.

=== Allied service ===

Like all the French warships stationed in Africa and the [[French Antilles]], ''Georges Leygues'', ''Montcalm'' and ''Gloire'' joined the Allied Forces. Operating from Dakar, beginning in February 1943, ''Georges Leygues'' carried out  patrols in the Central Atlantic. On 13 April, she intercepted the German blockade runner ''Portland'',<ref>{{Harvnb|Peillard|1974|pp=378–379}}</ref> as the Flag Officer, French Navy West Africa, was Admiral Collinet, formerly commanding officer of the battleship ''Strasbourg'', at Mers-el-Kebir.

In February 1943, ''Montcalm'' was sent to [[Philadelphia]], to be refitted with American help, remaining there until August 1943. ''Gloire'' was sent to [[Brooklyn]], from July to November 1943, and ''Georges Leygues'', to Philadelphia, from July to October 1943. Their aircraft mounts were removed and they were fitted with modernised anti-aircraft weapons. Sent to the Mediterranean Sea, the ''Montcalm'' supported the [[Italian occupation of Corsica#Operation Vesuvius|Liberation of Corsica]] in September 1943, and ''Gloire'' carried out [[Naval gunfire support|bombardment missions]] against land-based targets in the [[Gulf of Gaeta]] in early 1944.

''Georges Leygues'' and ''Montcalm'' supported the Allied [[Normandy landings]], and, together with ''Gloire'', [[Operation Dragoon]]. ''Georges Leygues'' returned to Toulon, on 13 September 1944, bearing the flag of the [[:fr:Chef d'état-major de la marine|Chef d'état-major de la Marine]], Vice Admiral [[:fr:André Lemonnier|Lemonnier]], her commanding officer when she had left Toulon, and at the Battle of Dakar in 1940. Until April 1945, the three cruisers were part of the so-called Flank Force, operating off the Mediterranean coast of the western [[Italian Riviera]].

=== Post war ===

In 1945, they carried out various missions to Indochina, and after 1954, off the Algerian coast. ''Gloire'' was flagship of the French Mediterranean Squadron, in 1951–52, ''Montcalm'' from October 1952 to June 1954, and ''Georges Leygues'' afterwards, and she took part as flagship of the Intervention Force in the operations off Egypt, during the [[Suez Crisis]], carrying out a bombardment mission against [[Rafah]] on 1 November 1956, and supporting the landing at [[Port-Saïd]]. ''Gloire'' and ''Georges Leygues'' were scrapped in 1958 and 1959, and ''Montcalm'' in 1970.

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book| first = Siegfried| last = Breyer| title = Battleships and battle cruisers 1905–1970| publisher = Macdonald and Jane's| location = London |year = 1973| isbn = 0-356-04191-3}}
* {{cite book| first = Jean| last = Labayle Couhat| title = French Warships of World War I| publisher = Ian Allan| location = London| year = 1974| isbn = 0-7110-0445-5}}
* {{cite book|first = Henri| last = Le Masson|  title = Navies of the Second World War The French Navy Volume 1| publisher = Macdonald & Co| year =1969| location = London| isbn = 0-356-02384-2}}
* {{cite book| first = H.T.| last = Lenton| title = Navies of the Second World War German surface vessels 1| publisher = Macdonald & Co Publishers Ltd| location = London| year = 1966}}
* {{cite book| first = H.T.| last = Lenton| title = Navies of the Second World War American battleships, carriers and cruisers| publisher = Macdonald & Co Publishers Ltd| location = London| year = 1968| isbn = 0-356-01511-4}}
* {{cite book| first = H. T.| last = Lenton| title = Navies of the Second World War British battleships and aircraft carriers| publisher = Macdonald & Co Publishers Ltd| location = London| year = 1972| isbn = 0-356-03869-6}}
* {{cite book|first = H. T.|last = Lenton|title = Navies of the Second World War British Cruisers|publisher = Macdonald&Co Publishers Ltd| location = London| year = 1973|isbn = 0-356-04138-7}}
* {{cite book| first = Jürg| last = Meister| title = Navies of the Second World War The Soviet Navy Volume One| publisher = Macdonald & Co Publishers Ltd| location = London| year = 1972| isbn = 0-356-03043-1}}
* {{cite book| language = fr| first =Jean| last = Moulin| title =Les croiseurs français en images| publisher = Marines Editions| year = 2007| location = Rennes| isbn = 978-2-915379-65-5}}
* {{cite book| language = fr| first = Leonce| last = Peillard| title = La Bataille de l'Atlantique (1939–1945)| publisher = Editions Robert Laffont| location = Paris| year = 1974}}
* {{cite book| first = Anthony |last = Watts| title = Japanese Warships of World War II| publisher =Ian Allan Ltd|location = London|year =1971| isbn = 0-7110-0215-0}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book| first = Geoffrey| last = Bennett| title = Naval Battles of the First World War| publisher = Pan Books Ltd| year = 1974| location = London| isbn =0-330-23862-0}}
*{{cite book|last1=Jordan|first1=John|last2=Moulin|first2=Jean|title=French Cruisers 1922–1956 |year=2013|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|location=Barnsley, UK|isbn=978-1-84832-133-5 |name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book| language = fr| first = Antony| last = Preston| title = Histoire des Croiseurs| publisher =Fernand Nathan Editeurs| location = Paris|year = 1981| isbn = 2-09-292027-8}}
* {{cite book| last = Whitley |first=M J |author-link=M J Whitley | title = Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia| publisher = Arms & Armour| year = 1995| location = London| pages = 43–47| isbn = 1-85409-225-1 }}

==External links==
{{Commons category|La Galissonnière class cruisers}}
* [http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNFR_6-55_m1930.htm 152 mm gun]
* [http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNFR_35-50_m1926.htm 90 mm gun]
* [http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WTFR_PreWWII.htm torpedoes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041225140741/http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WTFR_PreWWII.htm |date=2004-12-25 }}

{{La Galissonnière class cruisers}}
{{WWII French ships}}

[[Category:La Galissonnière-class cruisers| ]]
[[Category:Ship classes of the French Navy]]