Suffren file photo [27704]

Suffren

CountryFrance
Ship ClassSuffren-class Heavy Cruiser
BuilderArsenal de Brest
Laid Down4 Apr 1926
Launched3 May 1927
Commissioned1 Jan 1930
Decommissioned1 Oct 1947
Displacement10,000 tons standard; 12,780 tons full
Length643 feet
Beam66 feet
Draft24 feet
Machinery3-shaft Rateau-Bretagne SR geared turbines, 9 Guyot boilers
Power Output100,000 shaft horsepower
Speed32 knots
Range4500nm at 15 knots
Crew773
Armament4x2x203mm/50 Modèle 1924 guns, 8x90mm (3.5 in) 55cal AA guns, 4x2x37mm (1.5 in) AA guns, 4x3x13.2mm AA guns, 2x3x550mm torpedo tubes
Armor50mm belt, 25mm deck, 30mm turrets, 30mm conning tower
Aircraft2 Loire-Nieuport 130
Catapults2

Contributor:

ww2dbaseSuffren was launched in 1926 as the lead ship of her class of heavy cruisers. In early Jun 1940, she operated against Italian-occupied Dodecanese Islands in Greece. In mid-Jun, she joined the British Royal Navy warships in several operations aimed at curtailing the Italian fleet in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. When France capitulated later in the same month, she was stationed at the British port of Alexandria, Egypt. The captain of Suffren cooperated with the British peacefully, allowing the British to intern and disarm the ship. She remained out of the war until May 1943 when she was rearmed for service as an Allied warship crewed by French officers and sailors loyal to the London-based Free French. She remained in active service until her decommissioning in 1947. In 1963, she was converted into an anti-submarine warfare training ship and was renamed Océan. She remained as a training ship until 1971. She was broken up for scrap in 1974.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Revision: Jul 2018

Heavy Cruiser Suffren Interactive Map

Photographs

Suffern in Hampton Roads, Virginia, United States, 15 Oct 1931

Suffren Operational Timeline

4 Apr 1926 The keel of Suffren was laid down at the Arsenal de Brest in France.
3 May 1927 Suffren was launched at the Arsenal de Brest in France.
1 Jan 1930 Suffren was commissioned into service.
3 Jul 1940 Suffren was interned by the British at Alexandria, Egypt.
30 May 1943 Suffren was rearmed for military service.
17 Jul 1943 Suffren rescued two survivors of British merchant ship City of Canton, which was sunk by torpedo in the Mozambique Channel.
26 Jul 1943 Suffren disembarked two survivors of British merchant ship City of Canton at Durban, South Africa.
3 May 1947 Suffren was decommissioned from service.
1 Jan 1963 The former cruiser Suffren was renamed to OcĂ©an for her new role as a training ship.




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Suffern in Hampton Roads, Virginia, United States, 15 Oct 1931


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