Strasbourg file photo [4958]

Strasbourg

CountryFrance
Ship ClassDunkerque-class Battleship
Laid Down1 Nov 1934
Launched12 Dec 1936
Commissioned1 Jan 1939
Sunk27 Nov 1942
Displacement26,500 tons standard
Length706 feet
Beam102 feet
Draft28 feet
MachinerySix Indret boilers, four Rateau geared turbines
Power Output135,585 shaft horsepower
Speed31 knots
Range7,500nm
Crew1,381
Armament2x4x330mm guns, 3x4x130mm AA guns, 2x2x130mm AA guns, 5x2x37mm AA guns
Armor225mm side belt, 30mm bulkheads, 115-125mm deck, 310-330mm turrets
Aircraft4 floatplanes
Catapult1

Contributor:

ww2dbaseThe Dunkerque-class battleships were not as well-armed as contemporary battleships because they were purposefully built to counter the German Deutschland-class pocket battleships, which were in effect extra-heavy cruisers. The design of the class was innovative, having the entire main armament mounted forward in two quadruple turrets, which allowed unrestricted forward fire. During the Phony War, battleship Strasbourg escorted convoys. After the fall of France, she was docked in Mers-el-Kébir, Algeria alongside of sister ship Dunkerque. On 3 Jul 1940, British Force H executed Operation Catapult and attacked the French fleet there. While other French ships were damaged, Strasbourg managed to escape, eventually making her way to Toulon, France, becoming the flagship of the Vichy French Navy. On 27 Nov 1942, the Germans broke the armistice and invaded Toulon. Along with most of the French fleet, she was scuttled by opening sea valves and then by demolition charges, with some of her guns firing at German tanks as she sank; she was hit by a German tank during the 27 Nov 1942 action and suffered 1 officer killed and 6 sailors wounded. On 17 Jul 1943, she was refloated by the Italian Navy in an attempt to either put her into service or to use as scrap, but the Italian surrender prompted German takeover of the ship. On 1 Apr 1944, she returned under Vichy French control. On 18 Aug 1944, she was sunk a second time in Toulon, this time as the result of American aerial bombing. On 1 Oct 1944, she was refloated by the Free French. Re-entering French naval service, she was used as a test bed for underwater explosions until 22 Mar 1955. She was sold for scrapping on 27 May.

ww2dbaseSources:
John Jordan, Warship 2013
Wikipedia

Last Major Revision: Sep 2007

Battleship Strasbourg Interactive Map

Photographs

French cruiser Commandant Teste, battleship Bretagne, battleship Strasbourg, battleship Provence, and battleship Dunkerque at Mers-el-Kébir, French Algeria, 1940French battleship Strasbourg under attack at Mers-el-Kébir, French Algeria, 3 Jul 1940Aerial view of Toulon, France, 28 Nov 1942; note smoke rising from burning shipsFrench ships Strasbourg, Colbert, Algérie, and Marseillaise burning in Toulon harbor, France, 28 Nov 1942; photo taken by a RAF aircraft
See all 5 photographs of Battleship Strasbourg

Strasbourg Operational Timeline

12 Dec 1936 The French battleship Strasbourg was launched at the Saint-Nazaire-Penhoet shipyard at Saint-Nazaire, France.
1 Jan 1939 Strasbourg was commissioned into service.
4 Jul 1940 French battleship Strasbourg and four destroyers arrived at Toulon, France after fleeing from the Battle of Mers-el-Kébir.




Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you.

Share this article with your friends:

 Facebook
 Reddit
 Twitter

Stay updated with WW2DB:

 RSS Feeds




Posting Your Comments on this Topic

Your Name
Your Email
 Your email will not be published
Comment Type
Your Comments
 

Notes:

1. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. Please refrain from using strong language. HTML tags are not allowed. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB.

2. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ.

Search WW2DB
More on Strasbourg
Event(s) Participated:
» British Attacks on the French Fleet
» Scuttling of the French Fleet

Related Books:
» Warship 2013

Battleship Strasbourg Photo Gallery
French cruiser Commandant Teste, battleship Bretagne, battleship Strasbourg, battleship Provence, and battleship Dunkerque at Mers-el-Kébir, French Algeria, 1940
See all 5 photographs of Battleship Strasbourg


Famous WW2 Quote
"You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word. It is victory. Victory at all costs. Victory in spite of all terrors. Victory, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival."

Winston Churchill


Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!