World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseCommissioned in 1935, Émile Bertin served as the flagship of a destroyer flotilla. In early 1939, she was transferred to Toulon in southern France. In late Sep 1939, as Poland fell under the joint Russo-German invasion, she transferred 57 tons of Polish government gold from Syria-Lebanon to Toulon for safekeeping. In early 1940, she sortied to the Canary Islands for a reconnaissance mission. In Apr 1940, she became the flagship of French Navy Group Z, with which group she saw action at Norway; she was forced to return to Brest, France for repairs after being damaged by German aircraft on 19 Apr. In late May 1940, after repair work was completed, she participated in the mission during which French gold was transported to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada for safekeeping. While at Nova Scotia, France surrendered to Germany, and she was redirected to Fort-de-France, Martinique with her cargo of gold; she succeeded in escaping Canada and avoided being impounded by Canadian forces. She remained in French service in Martinique through May 1942, at which time she was placed out of service as pressured by the United States. In Jun 1943, her allegiance switched from Vichy France to the Britain-based Free France. Shortly after, she was modernized at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Pennsylvania, United States. In Aug 1944, she supported the Operation Dragoon landing in Southern France. Later in the year, she bombarded German positions along the coast of Gulf of Genoa just east of the French-Italian border. After the war, she served as the flagship of French naval forces in Indochina until Jul 1946. She served as a gunnery training ship until Oct 1959, after which date she was struck from the list and sold for scrap in 1961.

Light Cruiser Émile Bertin Interactive Map

Photographs

Émile Bertin Operational Timeline