Lorraine file photo [20175]

Lorraine

CountryFrance
Ship ClassBretagne-class Battleship
BuilderChantiers de Penhoët, Saint-Nazaire, France
Laid Down1 Aug 1912
Launched30 Sep 1913
Commissioned10 Mar 1916
Displacement23,936 tons standard; 26,000 tons full
Length545 feet
Beam88 feet
Draft32 feet
Machinery24 Guyot du Temple boilers, Parsons steam turbines, 4 shafts
Power Output29,000 shaft horsepower
Speed20 knots
Range4,600nm at 10 knots
Crew1,133
Armament8x340mm Modèle 1912 guns, 14x138.6mm Modèle 1910 guns, 8x75mm Modèle 1922 guns
Armor270mm belt, 40mm decks, 314mm conning tower, 250-340mm turrets, 170mm casemates
AircraftThree Loire 130 flying boats

Contributor:

ww2dbaseThe French battleship Lorraine was commissioned during WW1, during which she was stationed at Corfu, Greece to counter the presence of the Austro-Hungarian fleet, and saw no action. During the inter-war years, she went through four rounds of modernization work, converting from coal to oil, adding anti-aircraft weapons, adding seaplane facilities, among others. In 1936, she joined the French Navy Atlantic Squadron, where she would remain until the start of the European War in Sep 1939. On 4 Dec 1939, she sortied out of Casablanca, French Morocco against German naval units. Shortly after, she participated in the mission to ferry French treasury gold to Bermuda. In early 1940, she was drydocked for refitting. Upon completion of the refitting, she was transferred to Alexandria, Egypt to join the British fleet. She bombarded Italian positions at Bardia, Libya over the night of 20 to 21 Jun 1940. After the French surrender, Lorraine remained in Alexandria, disarmed. In Dec 1942, her crew decided to join the Free French, and the process to rearm her began shortly after. She departed Suez, Egypt on 3 Jul 1943 for Dakar, French West Africa, stopping at Cape Town, South Africa along the way. She served at Dakar as a training ship for less than two months, and then set sail for Oran, French Algeria for refitting. In Aug 1944, she supported the Allied invasion of southern France (Operation Dragoon), bombarding German positions near Toulon, Sospel, Castillon, Carqueiranne, and Saint-Tropez. She departed the battle zone off southern France on 17 Sep 1944, and underwent a refitting in Portsmouth, England, United Kingdom. She arrived at Cherbourg in Dec 1944. In Apr 1945, she bombarded German positions in the Gironde estuary in western France between La Rochelle and Bordeaux, particularly the Girond-Nord fortress in Royan. After the war, starting in Feb 1947, she was first used as a stationary gunnery training ship and then a barracks ship at Toulon. She was struck from the French Navy list in Feb 1953 in preparation for her scrapping. She was towed to Brégaillon on the other side of Toulon harbor in Jan 1954 where scrapping would commence shortly after.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Revision: Jan 2014

Photographs

Battleship Lorraine, 1934

Lorraine Operational Timeline

15 Jul 1912 The construction of battleship Lorraine was ordered.
1 Aug 1912 The keel of Lorraine was laid down by Chantiers de Penhoët at Saint-Nazaire, France.
30 Sep 1913 Lorraine was launched at Saint-Nazaire, France.
10 Mar 1916 Lorraine was commissioned into service.
10 Nov 1921 Lorraine began a period of refitting.
4 Dec 1922 Lorraine's year-long refitting was completed.
15 Nov 1924 Lorraine began a period of refitting.
4 Aug 1926 Lorraine's refitting was completed.
17 Sep 1929 Lorraine began a period of refitting.
6 Jun 1931 Lorraine's refitting was completed.
18 Sep 1934 Lorraine began a period of refitting at Brest, France.
20 Sep 1935 Lorraine's refitting was completed at Brest, France.
4 Dec 1939 Lorraine departed Casablanca, French Morocco.
1 Jan 1940 Lorraine was transferred to 2nd Battleship Division of 1st Squadron of the French Navy.
27 Apr 1940 Lorraine departed France for Alexandria, Egypt.
20 Jun 1940 After sundown and into the next date, Lorraine bombarded Italian positions at Bardia, Libya.
3 Jul 1943 Lorraine departed Suez, Egypt.
12 Oct 1943 Lorraine arrived at Dakar, French West Africa.
2 Dec 1943 Lorraine departed Dakar, French West Africa for Oran, French Algeria.
17 Sep 1944 Lorraine departed waters off southern France.
14 Apr 1945 Lorraine began a week-long bombardment of German positions in the Gironde estuary in western France between La Rochelle and Bordeaux.
20 Apr 1945 Lorraine completed a week-long bombardment of German positions in the Gironde estuary in western France between La Rochelle and Bordeaux as the Germans surrendered the Girond-Nord fortress in Royan.
17 Feb 1953 Lorraine was struck from the French Navy list.
18 Dec 1953 Lorraine was sold for scrap.




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Battleship Lorraine, 1934


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