The French fleet in Toulon was scuttled on 27 November 1942 on the order of the Admiralty of Vichy France to avoid capture by Nazi German forces. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Image File history File links Toulon_1942. ... The Strasbourg was a warship of the French Navy, labeled as fast battleship. Larger and more powerful than a mere battlecruiser, yet not a full battleship, they were designed to counter the threat of the German Pocket battleships. ... The Colbert was a French heavy cruiser of the Suffren class, that saw service in World War II. Colbert was part of the 1st Light Division of the 1st Squadron in the Mediterranean, which also included Algérie and Dupleix. ... The Algérie was a French heavy cruiser that served during the early years of World War II. She was built in response to the Italian Zara class cruisers, incorporating better armour than previous French cruisers. ... The Marseillaise was a French light cruiser of the La Galissonniere class. ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Panorama of Toulon area Satellite view Coat of Arms of Toulon view of Toulon harbour around 1750, by Joseph Vernet. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Motto Travail, famille, patrie French: Unoccupied zone of Vichy France (until November 1942) Capital Vichy Language(s) French Religion Roman Catholic Government Dictatorship Chief of state  - 1940 — 1944 Henri Philippe Pétain President of the Council  - 1940 — 1942 Philippe Pétain  - 1942 — 1944 Pierre Laval Legislature National Assembly Historical era... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany_1933. ... Jean de Laborde (29 November 1878 - 30 July 1977) was a French Vichyst admiral, famous for the scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon. ... André Marquis was a French Vichyst admiral, famous for the scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Combatants Allied Nations Axis Powers The Naval Battle of the Mediterranean was waged during World War II, to attack and keep open the respective supply lines of Allied and Axis armies, and to destroy the opposing sides ability to wage war at sea. ... Combatants United Kingdom France Commanders James Somerville Marcel-Bruno Gensoul Strength 1 aircraft carrier 3 battleships 2 light cruisers 11 destroyers 4 battleships 6 destroyers 1 seaplane tender Casualties 3 Blackburn Skua 3 Fairey Swordfish 2 dead 1 battleship sunk 2 battleships heavily damaged 1 destroyer damaged 1,297 dead... The Battle of Calabria, also known as the Battle of Punta Stilo, was a naval battle between ships of Italian Regia Marina on one side and the British Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy on the other. ... The battle of Cape Spada was a naval battle of World War II fought in the Mediterranean off Cape Spada, the north-western extremity of Crete on 19 July 1940. ... Combatants United Kingdom Italy Commanders Lumley Lyster Inigo Campioni Strength 21 bombers 6 battleships Casualties 2 bombers destroyed 1 battleship sunk 2 battleships damaged 1 cruiser damaged The naval Battle of Taranto took place on the night of 11 November – 12 November 1840 during World War II. The Royal Navy... Combatants United Kingdom Italy Commanders James Somerville Inigo Camponi Strength 1 carrier 1 battleships 1 battlecruiser 1 heavy cruiser 5 light cruisers 1 anti aircraft cruiser 4 destroyers 4 corvettes 4 freighters 2 battleships 6 heavy cruisers 14 destroyers Casualties 1 heavy cruiser damaged 1 destroyer damaged The Battle of... Combatants United Kingdom, Australia Italy Commanders Andrew Cunningham Angelo Iachino Strength 1 carrier 3 battleships 7 light cruisers 17 destroyers 1 battleship 6 heavy cruisers 2 light cruisers 17 destroyers Casualties 1 torpedo plane destroyed 1 battleship damaged 3 cruisers sunk 2 destroyers sunk The Battle of Cape Matapan was... Combatants United Kingdom Italy Commanders Captain P J Mack Captain Pietro de Cristofaro Strength 4 destroyers 3 destroyers Casualties 1 destroyer sunk 41 killed 3 destroyers sunk 5 merchant ships sunk 1800+ men lost The Battle of the Tarigo Convoy (sometimes referred to as the Action off Sfax) was fought... Combatants Greece United Kingdom New Zealand Australia Germany Italy Commanders Bernard Freyberg Kurt Student Strength United Kingdom: 15,000 Greece: 11,000 Australia: 7,100 New Zealand: 6,700 Total: 40,000 (10,000 without fighting capability. ... Combatants United Kingdom Italy Commanders Captain W.G Agnew Captain Ugo Bisciani Strength 2 light cruisers 2 destroyers 2 heavy cruisers 10 destroyers Casualties none? 2 destroyers sunk, 5 merchant ships sunk, ?? lost The Battle of the Duisburg Convoy was fought on the night of 8-9 November 1941 between... The Battle of Cape Bon was a Second World War naval action off Cape Bon, Tunisia. ... Combatants United Kingdom Australia Netherlands Italy Commanders Andrew Cunningham Angelo Iachino Strength 6 light cruisers 10 destroyers 4 battleships 2 heavy cruisers 3 light cruisers 19 destroyers 1 torpedo boat Casualties 1 light cruiser sunk 1 destroyer sunk 2 destroyers damaged 767 killed None ? The First Battle of Sirte was... The Second Battle of Sirte was a naval battle between the Royal Navy and the Regia Marina during the World War II. It took place on 22 March 1942, in the Mediterranean, north to the Gulf of Sirte, west of Malta. ... In World War II, Operation Harpoon was one of two simultaneous Allied convoys sent to supply Malta in the Axis-dominated Mediterranean Sea in mid-June 1942. ... Operation Vigorous was a World War II operation to deliver a supply convoy (MW-11) that sailed from Haifa and Port Said on the 12th June 1942 to Malta. ... The HMS Eagle, sunk by the German submarine U-73 Operation Pedestal was a British operation to get vital supplies to the island of Malta in August 1942, during World War II and the height of the Axis siege of Malta. ... During World War II, Operation Agreement consisted of ground and amphibious attacks by British, Rhodesian and New Zealand forces on German- and Italian-held Tobruk (Operation Daffodil), Benghazi (Operation Snowdrop), Jalo oasis (Operation Tulip) and Barce (Operation Hyacinth) launched on 13 September 1942. ... Combatants United States United Kingdom Free French Forces Vichy France Commanders Dwight Eisenhower Andrew Cunningham François Darlan Strength 73,500 60,000 Casualties 479+ dead 720 wounded 1,346+ dead 1,997 wounded Operation Torch (initially called Operation Gymnast) was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in... Combatants United Kingdom Italy Germany¹ Commanders C. H. J. Harcount Aldo Cocchia Strength 3 light cruisers 2 destroyers 3 destroyers 2 torpedo boats convoy of 4 ships Casualties no ships lost 1 destroyer entire convoy ¹one ship in the convoy was German The Battle of Skerki Bank was a World... Combatants  United States United Kingdom  Canada Free French Nazi Germany Italy Commanders Dwight D. Eisenhower Harold Alexander Bernard Montgomery George S. Patton, Jr. ... Roma was an Italian Vittorio Veneto class battleship that served in the Regia Marina during World War II. She was built in 1940. ... Panorama of Toulon area Satellite view Coat of Arms of Toulon view of Toulon harbour around 1750, by Joseph Vernet. ... Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship, either to dispose of an old vessel or to prevent the vehicle from being captured by an enemy force. ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Motto Travail, famille, patrie French: Unoccupied zone of Vichy France (until November 1942) Capital Vichy Language(s) French Religion Roman Catholic Government Dictatorship Chief of state  - 1940 — 1944 Henri Philippe Pétain President of the Council  - 1940 — 1942 Philippe Pétain  - 1942 — 1944 Pierre Laval Legislature National Assembly Historical era... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ...

Context

After the Fall of France and the Armistice of 1940, France was divided in two zones, one occupied by the Germans, and the other a so-called "Free Zone", administered by the Vichy France regime. The armistice stipulated that the French fleet would be largely disarmed and confined to its harbours, under French control. The Allies were concerned that the fleet, which included some of the most advanced warships of the time, might fall into enemy hands, which led to the destruction of the French Fleet at Mers-el-Kebir by the British (3 July 1940), and the later Battle of Dakar (23 September 1940). In World War II, Battle of France or Case Yellow (Fall Gelb in German) was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, executed 10 May 1940 which ended the Phony War. ... The Second Armistice at Compiègne, France was signed on June 22, 18:50, 1940, between Nazi Germany and France. ... Motto Travail, famille, patrie French: Unoccupied zone of Vichy France (until November 1942) Capital Vichy Language(s) French Religion Roman Catholic Government Dictatorship Chief of state  - 1940 — 1944 Henri Philippe Pétain President of the Council  - 1940 — 1942 Philippe Pétain  - 1942 — 1944 Pierre Laval Legislature National Assembly Historical era... Combatants United Kingdom France Commanders James Somerville Marcel-Bruno Gensoul Strength 3 battleships, 1 carrier, 2 cruisers, 11 destroyers 4 battleships, 6 destroyers, 1 seaplane tender Casualties — 1 battleship sunk 2 battleships damaged 1,297 killed The Destruction of the French Fleet at Mers-el-Kebir, French North Africa (now... Combatants United Kingdom Australia Free France Netherlands Vichy France Commanders Andrew Cunningham Charles De Gaulle Pierre François Boisson Strength 2 battleships, 1 aircraft carrier, 4 cruisers, 10 destroyers 1 battleship, 2 cruisers, destroyers, coastal emplacements Casualties 2 battleships and 2 cruisers damaged >2 destroyers damaged, 2 submarines sunk The...

On 8 November 1942, the Allies invaded North Africa (Operation Torch.) General Dwight Eisenhower, with the support of Roosevelt and Churchill, made a secret agreement with Admiral François Darlan, commander of Vichy forces in North Africa, that Darlan would be given control of the fleet if he joined the Allied side. When Adolf Hitler discovered this plan, he immediately triggered Case Anton, the occupation of Vichy France, and reinforced German forces in Africa. Combatants United States United Kingdom Free French Forces Vichy France Commanders Dwight Eisenhower Andrew Cunningham François Darlan Strength 73,500 60,000 Casualties 479+ dead 720 wounded 1,346+ dead 1,997 wounded Operation Torch (initially called Operation Gymnast) was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in... Dwight David Ike Eisenhower (October 14, 1890–March 28, 1969), American soldier and politician, was the 34th President of the United States (1953–1961) and supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II, with the rank of General of the Army. ... François Darlan (August 7, 1881 – December 24, 1942) was a French naval officer. ... Hitler redirects here. ... Case (or operation) Anton was the code-name for the Nazi-German occupation of Vichy France during World War II. Anton was invoked at Hitlers order after the allied landings in French Morocco (Operation Torch) in November 1942. ... The seal of the Deutsches Afrikakorps. ...

Prelude

Political aspect

From 11 November 1942, negotiations took place between Germany and Vichy France. The settlement was that Toulon should remain a "stronghold" under Vichy control and defended against the Allies and "French enemies of the government of the Marechal". Großadmiral Raeder commander of the Kriegsmarine, believed that French Navy officers would fulfill their armistice duty not to let the ships fall in the hands of any foreign nation, and managed to have the ear of Hitler. Raeder was led to believe that the German aim was to use anti-British sentiment amongst the French sailors to have them side with the Italians, while Hitler was in fact preparing a forcible seizure of the fleet. Hitler's plan was to have German sailors capture the French ships and turn them over to Italy; German officers privy to this plan were critical of it, but, as often with Hitler, their objections were ignored. Orders to implement the plan were given on 19 November. Erich Raeder. ... The Kriegsmarine (or War Navy) was the name of the German Navy between 1935 and 1945, during the Nazi regime, superseding the Reichsmarine. ... Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945, standard German pronunciation in the IPA) was the Führer (leader) of the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi Party) and of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. ...

On the 11th, as German and Italian troops encircled Toulon, the Secretary of the Navy, Admiral Auphan, ordered Laborde and Marquis to Gabriel Paul Auphan (Alès, 4 November 1894 - 16 April 1982) was a French admiral, chief of cabinet of Admiral Darlan under Vichy France and later Secrétaire dÉtat à la marine of Vichy. ... Jean de Laborde (29 November 1878 - 30 July 1977) was a French Vichyst admiral, famous for the scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon. ...

1. Oppose, without spilling of blood, the entry of foreign troops in establishments, airbases and buildings of the Navy;
2. Similarly oppose entry of foreign troops aboard ships of the Fleet; find settlements by means of local negotiation; and
3. If the former proved impossible, to scuttle the ships.

Initial orders were to scuttle the ships by capsizing them, but engineers, thinking of recovering the ships after the war, managed to have the orders changed to sinking on an even keel. A team at the 2005 ISAF Team Racing World Championship narrowly avoids capsizing. ...

On the 15th, Laborde met with Pétain and Auphan. In private, Auphan tried to persuade Laborde to set sail and join with the Allies; Laborde refused to obey anything short of a formal order of the government. Auphan resigned shortly after.

Technical and tactical aspect

On the French side, as a token of goodwill towards the Germans, coastal defences were strengthened to safe-guard Toulon from an attack from the sea by the Allies. These preparations included setups for scuttling the fleet, in case of a successful landing by the Allies. French forces were commanded by Admiral Jean de Laborde (chief of the "High sea fleet", composed of the 38 most modern and powerful warships) and Admiral André Marquis (préfet maritime, commanding a total of 135 ships, either in armistice custody or under repairs). Jean de Laborde (29 November 1878 - 30 July 1977) was a French Vichyst admiral, famous for the scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon. ... André Marquis was a French Vichyst admiral, famous for the scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon. ... From left to right: Capitaine de Vaisseau Xavier Magne (captain of the Charles De Gaulle), vice-amiral descadre Alain Dumontet, commander of the Force dAction Navale, and contre-amiral Edouard Guillaud, Préfet maritime of the English Channel and North Sea. ...

Under armistice provisions, the French ships were supposed to have their fuel tanks almost empty; in fact, through falsification of reports and tampering with gauges, the crews had managed to store enough fuel to reach North Africa. One of the cruisers, Jean de Vienne, was in drydock, helpless. After the remains of the French Army were disbanded on German request, French sailors had to man coastal defence artillery and anti-aircraft guns themselves, which made it impossible to swiftly gather the crews and have the ships quickly underway. The Jean de Vienne was a French light cruiser of the La Galissonniere class. ...

Crews were initially hostile to the Allied invasion but, out of the general anti-German sentiment and as rumours about Darlan's defection circulated, this stance evolved towards backing of De Gaulle. The crews of Strasbourg, Colbert, Foch and Kersaint, notably, started chanting "Vive De Gaulle! Appareillage!" ("Long live De Gaulle! Set sail!"). In the afternoon of the 12th, Admiral Darlan further escalated the tension by calling for the fleet to defect and join the Allies. The Strasbourg was a warship of the French Navy, labeled as fast battleship. Larger and more powerful than a mere battlecruiser, yet not a full battleship, they were designed to counter the threat of the German Pocket battleships. ... The Colbert was a French heavy cruiser of the Suffren class, that saw service in World War II. Colbert was part of the 1st Light Division of the 1st Squadron in the Mediterranean, which also included Algérie and Dupleix. ... The Foch was a French heavy cruiser of the Suffren class, that saw service in World War II. She was the first French warship namd for the French Marshall, Ferdinand Foch. ...

Vichy military authorities lived in fear of a coup de main organised by the British or by the Free French. The population of Toulon was in the main favourable to the Allies; the soldiers and officers were hostile to the Italians, seen as "illegitimate victors" and duplicitous, and defiant of the Germans. The fate of the fleet, in particular, was seen to be doubtful. Between the 11th and the 26th, numerous arrests and expulsions took place. The French admirals, Laborde and Marquis, ordered their subordinates to take a pledge of allegiance to the regime (two of the senior officers, Humbertand and capitaine de vaisseau Pothuau, refused). The crews were first kept aboard their ships, and when they were allowed ashore the Service d'ordre légionnaire monitored all places suspected to be targeted by the Resistance. A Coup de main is a swift attack that relies on speed and surprise to accomplish its objectives in a single blow. ... Jean de Laborde (29 November 1878 - 30 July 1977) was a French Vichyst admiral, famous for the scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon. ... André Marquis was a French Vichyst admiral, famous for the scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon. ... The rank insignia of the French Navy are worn on epaulettes of shirts and white jackets, and on sleeves for navy jackets and mantels. ... The Service dordre légionnaire (SOL) was a collaborationist militia created by Joseph Darnand, a far right veteran from the First World War. ...

Operation Lila

On 19 November, Operation Lila was triggered by the Germans, with the objective of capturing Toulon and the French fleet, with an execution date of 27 November. Panorama of Toulon area Satellite view Coat of Arms of Toulon view of Toulon harbour around 1750, by Joseph Vernet. ...

German forces were to enter Toulon from the east, capturing Fort Lamalgue, headquarters of Admiral Marquis, and Mourillon arsenal; and from the west, capturing the main arsenal and the coastal defences. German naval forces were cruising off the harbour to engage any ships attempting to flee, and naval mines were laid. Polish wz. ...

At 4:30 a.m. on the morning of the 27th, the Germans entered Fort Lamalgue and arrested Marquis, but failed to prevent his chief of staff, contre-amiral Robin, from calling the chief of the arsenal, Contre-Amiral Dornon. The attack came as a complete surprise to the Vichy officers, but Dornon transmitted the order to scuttle the fleet to Admiral Laborde, aboard the flagship Strasbourg. Laborde was taken aback by the German treason, but transmitted orders to prepare for scuttling, and to fire on any unauthorised personnel approaching the ships. The Strasbourg was a warship of the French Navy, labeled as fast battleship. Larger and more powerful than a mere battlecruiser, yet not a full battleship, they were designed to counter the threat of the German Pocket battleships. ...

Twenty minutes later, German troops entered the arsenal and started machine-gunning the French submarines. Some of the submarines set sail to scuttle in deeper water. Casabianca left her moorings, sneaked out of the harbour and dived at 5:40 a.m., escaping to Algiers. The Casabianca (Q.183) was a submarine of the French Navy, named in honour of Luc-Julien-Joseph Casabianca. ... “Alger” redirects here. ...

The German main force got lost in the arsenal and was behind schedule by one hour; when they reached the main gates of the base, the sentries pretended to need paperwork so as to delay the Germans without engaging in open fight. At 5:25 a.m., German tanks finally rolled through, and Strasbourg immediately transmitted the order "Scuttle! Scuttle! Scuttle!" by radio, visual signals and dispatch boat. French crews evacuated, and scuttling parties started preparing demolition charges and opening sea valves on the ships.

At 6:45 a.m. fighting broke out around Strasbourg and Foch, killing a French officer and wounding five sailors. When naval guns started engaging the German tanks, the Germans attempted to negotiate; a German officer demanded that Laborde surrender his ship, to which the admiral answered that the ship was already sunk.

As Strasbourg settled on the bottom, her captain ordered the ignition of the demolition charges, which destroyed the armament and vital machinery, as well as igniting her fuel stores. Strasbourg was a total loss. A few minutes after, the cruiser Colbert exploded. The Colbert was a French heavy cruiser of the Suffren class, that saw service in World War II. Colbert was part of the 1st Light Division of the 1st Squadron in the Mediterranean, which also included Algérie and Dupleix. ...

The German party attempting to board the cruiser Algérie heard the explosions and tried to persuade her crew that scuttling was forbidden under the armistice provisions. However, the demolition charges were detonated, and the ship burned for twenty days. The Algérie was a French heavy cruiser that served during the early years of World War II. She was built in response to the Italian Zara class cruisers, incorporating better armour than previous French cruisers. ...

Meanwhile, the captain of the cruiser Marseillaise ordered his ship capsized and demolition charges lit. German troops requested permission to come aboard; when this was denied, they did not attempt to board. The ship sank and exploded, burning for seven days. The Marseillaise was a French light cruiser of the La Galissonniere class. ... A team at the 2005 ISAF Team Racing World Championship narrowly avoids capsizing. ...

German troops forcibly boarded the cruiser Dupleix, put her crew out of the way, and closed her open sea valves. The ship's captain, capitaine de vaisseau Moreau, ordered the scuttling charges in the main turrets to be lit with shortened fuses and when they exploded and fires took hold, Moreau ordered the final evacuation. French and Germans alike fled the vessel. Explosions, from the ship's torpedo stores, destroyed the vessel, which burned for ten days. The Dupleix was a French heavy cruiser of the Suffren class, that saw service during World War II. She was named for the 18th century Governor-General of French India, Joseph François Dupleix. ... The rank insignia of the French Navy are worn on epaulettes of shirts and white jackets, and on sleeves for navy jackets and mantels. ...

The cruiser Jean de Vienne, in drydock, was boarded by German troops, who disarmed the demolition charges, but the open sea valves filled the ship. She sank, blocking the drydock. In another drydock, the captain of the damaged battleship Dunkerque at first refused orders to scuttle, but was persuaded by his colleague in the nearby cruiser La Galissonnière to follow suit. The holes in the hull caused by earlier British torpedo attacks were used to sink the ship, and demolition charges destroyed her vital machinery. As the Dunkerque exploded, La Galissonnière reproduced the manoeuvre executed by the Jean de Vienne. The Jean de Vienne was a French light cruiser of the La Galissonniere class. ... The Dunkerque was the first of a new type of warship of the French Navy, labeled as fast battleship. Not quite the size of a full battleship, they were designed to counter the threat of the German pocket battleships of the Deutschland class. ... La Galissonnière was the name-ship of a class of French light cruisers, named in honour of Roland-Michel Barrin de La Galissonière. ... La Galissonnière was the name-ship of a class of French light cruisers, named in honour of Roland-Michel Barrin de La Galissonière. ...

Officers of Provence and the Commandant Teste managed to delay German officers with talk until their ships were completely sunk. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Commandant Teste was a large seaplane tender of the French Navy during the 1930s. ...

Similar scenes occurred with the destroyers and submarines. The Germans eventually seized three disarmed destroyers, four badly damaged submarines, three civilian ships, and the remains of two pre-dreadnought battleships of no value.

Aftermath

Operation Lila was a failure. The French destroyed 3 battleships, 7 cruisers, 15 destroyers, 13 torpedo boats, 6 sloops, 12 submarines, 9 patrol boats, 19 auxiliary ships, 1 school ship, 28 tugs and 4 cranes. Thirty-nine small ships were captured, most of them sabotaged and disarmed. Some of the major ships were ablaze for several days, and oil polluted the harbour so badly that it was two years before it was possible to swim there.

Several submarines ignored orders to scuttle themselves and chose to defect to Free France; Casabianca and Marsouin reached Algiers, Le Glorieux reached Oran and Iris reached Barcelona. Vénus eventually scuttled herself in the entrance of Toulon harbour. One surface ship, Leonor Fresnel, managed to escape and reach Algiers. The Free French Forces (Forces Françaises Libres in French) were French fighters who decided to go on fighting against Germany after the Fall of France and German occupation and to fight against Vichy France in World War II. General Charles de Gaulle was a member of the French Cabinet... “Alger” redirects here. ... View of Oran Oran (Arabic: , pronounced Wahran) is a city in northwestern Algeria, situated on the Mediterranean coast. ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Barcelona (Catalan) Spanish name Barcelona Nickname Ciutat Comtal (Catalan) Postal code 08001–08080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 93 (Barcelona) Website http://www. ...

General De Gaulle heavily criticised the Vichy admirals for not ordering the fleet to flee to Algiers.

The Vichy regime lost its last token of power, and its credibility with the Germans, with the fleet.

Most of the cruisers were salvaged by the Italians, either to restore them as fighting ships or for scrap. The Jean de Vienne and La Galissonnière were renamed FR11 and FR12, respectively, but their repair was prevented by allied bombing and their use would have been unlikely, given the Italians' chronic shortage of fuel. It has been suggested that Treasure hunting (marine) be merged into this article or section. ... The Jean de Vienne was a French light cruiser of the La Galissonniere class. ... La Galissonnière was the name-ship of a class of French light cruisers, named in honour of Roland-Michel Barrin de La Galissonière. ...

Ships scuttled

Battleships

• Strasbourg (flagship)
• Dunkerque
• Provence

The Strasbourg was a warship of the French Navy, labeled as fast battleship. Larger and more powerful than a mere battlecruiser, yet not a full battleship, they were designed to counter the threat of the German Pocket battleships. ... The Dunkerque was the first of a new type of warship of the French Navy, labeled as fast battleship. Not quite the size of a full battleship, they were designed to counter the threat of the German pocket battleships of the Deutschland class. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Seaplane tender

• Commandant Teste

The Commandant Teste was a large seaplane tender of the French Navy during the 1930s. ...

Heavy cruisers

• Dupleix
• Foch
• Algérie
• Colbert

The Dupleix was a French heavy cruiser of the Suffren class, that saw service during World War II. She was named for the 18th century Governor-General of French India, Joseph François Dupleix. ... The Foch was a French heavy cruiser of the Suffren class, that saw service in World War II. She was the first French warship namd for the French Marshall, Ferdinand Foch. ... The Algérie was a French heavy cruiser that served during the early years of World War II. She was built in response to the Italian Zara class cruisers, incorporating better armour than previous French cruisers. ... The Colbert was a French heavy cruiser of the Suffren class, that saw service in World War II. Colbert was part of the 1st Light Division of the 1st Squadron in the Mediterranean, which also included Algérie and Dupleix. ...

Light cruisers

• Marseillaise
• Jean de Vienne
• La Galissonnière

The Marseillaise was a French light cruiser of the La Galissonniere class. ... The Jean de Vienne was a French light cruiser of the La Galissonniere class. ... La Galissonnière was the name-ship of a class of French light cruisers, named in honour of Roland-Michel Barrin de La Galissonière. ...

Destroyers

• Cassard
• Aigle
• Gerfaut
• Lion
• Linx
• Indomptable
• Mogador
• Panthère
• Tigre
• Kersaint
• Tartu
• Valmy
• Vauban
• Vauquelin
• Vautour
• Guépard

Torpedo-boats

• Casque
• Bordelais
• Bison
• Bayonnaise
• Froudroyant
• Trombe
• Siroco
• Poursuivante
• Mars
• Hardi
• Palme
• Cyclone
• Mameluk

Submarines

• Redoutable
• Eurydice
• Diamant
• Thétis
• Sirène
• Vénus
• Vengeur
• Naïade
• Pascal
• Espoir
• Achéron
• Fresnel
• Caïman
• Henri Poincaré
• Galatée

Sloops

• Épargne
• Iberville
• Chamois
• Yser
• Impétueuse
• Curieuse
• Granit
• Dédaigneuse

Notes and references

1. ^ Position des bâtiments au matin du 27 novembre 1942, Netmarine.net

External links

• The Scuttle of the French Fleet at Touon, November 27, 1942 (sic)
• (French) Sythèse des Rapports des Préfets de la Zone libre Pour le mois de novembre 1942, by the Ministry of Interior of Vichy France
• battleships-cruisers.co.uk vintage photographs
• (French) Sabordage de la Flotte le 27 novembre 1942 vintage photographs
• photographs by the RAF