French cruiser Tourville (1926)

Tourville was a French Duquesne-class heavy cruiser that served during World War II. At the outbreak of the war, Tourville was part of the Force X, under Vice Admiral Godfroy.

Tourville

Tourville in 1929
History
France
Name:	Tourville
Namesake:	Anne Hilarion de Tourville
Builder:	Lorient Navy Yard
Laid down:	14 April 1925
Launched:	24 August 1926
Commissioned:	1 December 1928
Fate:	Condemned 8 March 1962
General characteristics
Class and type:	Duquesne-class cruiser
Displacement:	10,000 tonnes (standard) 12,200 tons (full load)
Length:	191 m (626 ft 8 in) overall
Beam:	19 m (62 ft 4 in)
Draught:	6.32 m (20 ft 9 in)
Propulsion:	4-shaft Rateau-Bretagne single-reduction geared turbines; 9 Guyot boilers; 120,000 shp (89 MW)
Speed:	33.75 knots (38.84 mph; 62.51 km/h)
Range:	4,500 nautical miles (5,200 mi; 8,300 km) at 15 knots (17 mph; 28 km/h)
Complement:	605
Armament:	8 × 203mm/50 Modèle 1924 guns (4 × 2) 8 × 75 mm (3 in) anti-aircraft guns (8 × 1) 8 × 37 mm (1.5 in) anti-aircraft guns (4 × 2) 12 × 13.2 mm (0.52 in) AA (4 × 3) 6 × 550 mm (22 in) torpedo tubes (2 × 3)
Armour:	Magazine box 30 mm (1.2 in) Deck 30 mm (1.2 in) Turrets and conning tower 30 mm (1.2 in)
Aircraft carried:	2 GL-812 (superseded by GL-832 then Loire-Nieuport 130, 1 catapult)

Design and description

The design of the Duquesne class was derived from an enlarged version of the Duguay-Trouin-class light cruiser armed with 203-millimetre (8 in) guns. The ships had an overall length of 191 meters (626 ft 8 in), a beam of 19 meters (62 ft 4 in), and a draft of 6.45 meters (21 ft 2 in). They displaced 10,160 metric tons (10,000 long tons) at standard load and 12,435 t (12,239 long tons) at deep load. Their crew normally consisted of 605 men and increased by 32 when serving as flagships.[1]

References

1. Jordan & Moulin, p. 44

Bibliography

• Jordan, John & Moulin, Jean (2013). French Cruisers 1922–1956. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-133-5.