Commandant Teste
Encyclopedia
Commandant Teste was a large seaplane tender
of the French Navy
built before World War II
. She was designed to be as large as possible without counting against the Washington Treaty
limits. During the Spanish Civil War
, she protected neutral merchant shipping and played a limited role during World War II as she spent the early part of the war in North African waters or acting as an aviation transport between France and North Africa. She was slightly damaged during the British bombardment of the French Fleet at Mers-el-Kébir in July 1940. Commandant Teste was scuttled at Toulon when the Germans invaded Vichy France
in November 1942, but was re-floated after the war and considered for conversion to an escort or training carrier. Neither proposal was accepted and she was sold for scrap in 1950.
, the Marine Nationale desired another aviation vessel, but the lack of another hull that could cheaply be converted made another aircraft carrier too expensive. It settled for a seaplane carrier that could act as a mobile aviation base and support seaplanes for a specific attack. The ship was restricted to a maximum size of 10000 t (9,842 LT) at standard displacement, which prevented her from counting against France's 60000 LT (60,963 t) Washington Treaty carrier allotment. This also served to keep her costs relatively low.
of 27 metre and a draught
of 6.7 metre. She displaced 10000 LT (10,160.5 t) at standard load, 11500 t (11,318.3 LT) at normal load and 12134 t (11,942.3 LT) at full load.
Because of the ship's high profile, there were concerns about her stability in bad weather as she had a significant amount of weight mounted high in the ship; notably her catapults, cranes and anti-aircraft guns. To increase her stability, two lateral tanks were fitted with a pressurized butterfly valve
connecting them so that water could flow between the tanks to counter her rolling motion. On trials in 1933 ,the system was judged successful as it deadened the ship's roll by 37-65%. However, maintenance of the system proved to be problematic as the tanks were difficult to access.
s were designed for 23230 shp. Four superheated
Loire-Yarrow small-tube boiler
s powered the turbines at a pressure of 20 kg/cm2 at a temperature of 290 °C (554 °F). These were the first superheated boilers in the Marine National and required some modifications after the ship's trials. The two in the forward boiler room were oil-fired, but the other two could use either fuel oil
or coal
. Commandant Teste had a designed speed of 21 kn (41.2 km/h; 25.6 mph), but she exceeded 22 kn (43.1 km/h; 26.8 mph) on trials on 23 July 1933. 1163 t (1,282 ST) of fuel oil was carried as well as 700 t (771.6 ST) of coal. This provided a range of 2000 nmi (3,704 km; 2,301.6 mi) at 18 kn (35.3 km/h; 21.9 mph) or 2500 nmi (4,630 km; 2,877 mi) at 10 kn (19.6 km/h; 12.2 mph) using only coal. Two 300 kilowatt (kW) turbo generator
s provided electricity at 235 volts. Three 150 kW diesel generator
s were fitted to provide power while in harbor.
s, but this was changed before construction began to a homogeneous main battery of twelve 100 mm (3.9 in) 45-caliber
dual purpose gun
s on powered single mounts. Five guns each were mounted on the fore and aft superstructures and two were mounted between the catapults. Their elevation limits were -10° to +85°. Their rate of fire was 10 rounds per minute. They had a maximum range of about 15000 m (16,404.2 yd) with a 14.95 kg (33 lb) armor-piercing shell
at a muzzle velocity of 755 m/s (2,477 ft/s). 280 rounds were provided for each gun, including 40 starshell rounds and 19 tracer
rounds.
Eight 37 mm (1.5 in)/50 cal semi-automatic AA guns were carried by Commandant Teste. Two each were fitted on the fore and aft superstructures and four on platforms around the single funnel. 4,000 rounds were carried; 500 rounds per gun. The guns could depress 15° and elevate to 80°. They fired 0.725 kg (1.6 lb) shells at a muzzle velocity of 810 m/s (2,657.5 ft/s). Their effective anti-aircraft ceiling was less than 5000 m (16,404.2 ft).
Six twin 13.2 mm (0.519685039370079 in)
machine gun
mounts were also fitted. Two mounts on the bridge wings, two on the upper funnel platform, and two on the stern. The Hotchkiss guns had a cyclic rate of fire of 450 rounds per minute, but the practical rate was between 200 and 250 rounds per minute to allow for reloading its 30-round magazines. They had a theoretical ceiling of 4200 m (13,779.5 ft).
Two fire-control directors were mounted to control the 100 mm guns; one above the bridge and the other atop the rear superstructure. Each director was fitted with a 3 metre stereoscopic rangefinder. An upgrade to 5 metre rangefinders was planned to improve the director's performance against surface targets, but was never carried out. The midships 37 mm anti-aircraft guns were controlled by a single 1 metre rangefinder, but nothing was provided for the fore and aft 37 mm guns.
with a maximum thickness of 5 cm (2 in) abreast the machinery spaces and was 3.76 m (12.3 ft) high. The ship was protected from axial fire at the waterline by partial transverse bulkhead
s 2 cm (0.78740157480315 in) thick. The magazine
s were protected by 5 cm sides and 2 cm ends and roofs. The deck
consisted of two layers of 1.2 cm (0.47244094488189 in) plating which increased to three layers above the boilers. 2.6 cm (1 in) of armor protected the steering gear. The sides of the conning tower
were 8 cm (3.1 in) thick, but its roof was 3 cm (1.2 in) thick.
amidships that was three decks high and measured approximately 80 metre. It was partitioned in two by a bulkhead that incorporated the exhaust uptakes for the funnel and the ventilation trunking for the machinery spaces. It could accommodate ten large torpedo bomber
s with folding wings; two smaller aircraft with folding wings could be stowed in lieu of each torpedo bomber. Two additional large aircraft and four smaller aircraft could be carried dismantled in crates in a hold below the hangar.
The aircraft were moved on a system of wheeled trolleys running on Décauville rails that extended throughout each half-hangar to the quarterdeck at the rear of the ship. The torpedo bombers would be moved to the quarterdeck where their wings would be extended and then they would be lowered into the water by the large crane at the very stern of the ship.
The hangar was surmounted by four Penhöet compressed-air catapult
s, each with a launch capacity of 2.5 t (2.5 LT). The smaller fighter
and reconnaissance seaplane
s were lifted through large 15 metre hatches in the hangar roofs by one of the four cranes mounted at each corner of the hangar and mounted on the catapult. During trials in 1937, it took three hours to embark or disembark a group of 16 aircraft, 17 minutes to embark a single Gourdou-Leseurre GL-812 reconnaissance floatplane
, and seven minutes to launch a section of four floatplanes by catapult.
torpedo bomber, but they were obsolete when she was commissioned in 1932. Biplane
Levasseur PL.14
torpedo bomber floatplanes were only briefly used as they proved to be too fragile for landing at sea. They were replaced by improved Levasseur PL.15
biplanes from July–August 1934. The Latécoère 298
monoplane
replaced the PL.15 in March–May 1939. The scouting squadron was initially equipped with fixed-wing Gourdou-Leseurre GL-810 floatplanes until the folding wing Gourdou-Leseurre GL-811 arrived in October 1933. They were replaced in turn by the improved Gourdou-Leseurre GL-813 in early 1936. The larger Loire 130
flying boat
replaced the GL-813 from April 1938, although the catapults had to be modified to handle their greater weight. No fighter seaplanes were ever embarked on Commandant Teste, although the Loire 210
floatplane was designed for the role. However, it proved to be greatly out-classed by contemporary land-based fighters and only 20 were built in 1939.
s. From September 1937, she was based at Oran
to protect neutral shipping from commerce raiders during the Spanish Civil War. In February 1938, she was refitted in Toulon
to upgrade her catapults and then served as an aviation transport between France and her colonies in North Africa.
In August 1939, she embarked six Loire 130s and eight Latécoère 298s and sailed for Oran, where she was when World War II began the next month. Commandant Teste remained in North African waters until December 1939, when she returned to Toulon and landed her aircraft. She served as an aircraft transport between French North Africa
and Metropolitan France for the first half of 1940. In late June 1940, she was transferred from the over-crowded anchorage at Oran to Mers El Kébir. She was lightly damaged by shell splinters during the British attack on Mers-el-Kébir on 3 July 1940, but suffered no casualties. She arrived at Toulon on 18 October where she was subsequently disarmed. In June 1941, Commandant Teste was reactivated as a gunnery training ship.
She was at Toulon when the Germans invaded Vichy France
and was scuttled there
on 27 November 1942 to avoid capture by the Germans
. Refloated by the Italians on 1 May 1943, Commandant Teste was captured by the Germans in September 1943 and sunk again the following year by Allied bombs on 18–19 August 1944. Raised again in February 1945, she was still thought to be repairable and was considered for conversion as an escort or training carrier. The proposals were eventually dropped and the ship was used as a store ship for U.S.-built equipment until sold for scrap
on 15 May 1950.
Seaplane tender
A seaplane tender is a ship that provides facilities for operating seaplanes. These ships were the first aircraft carriers and appeared just before the First World War.-History:...
of the French Navy
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
built before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She was designed to be as large as possible without counting against the Washington Treaty
Washington Naval Treaty
The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was an attempt to cap and limit, and "prevent 'further' costly escalation" of the naval arms race that had begun after World War I between various International powers, each of which had significant naval fleets. The treaty was...
limits. During the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, she protected neutral merchant shipping and played a limited role during World War II as she spent the early part of the war in North African waters or acting as an aviation transport between France and North Africa. She was slightly damaged during the British bombardment of the French Fleet at Mers-el-Kébir in July 1940. Commandant Teste was scuttled at Toulon when the Germans invaded Vichy France
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
in November 1942, but was re-floated after the war and considered for conversion to an escort or training carrier. Neither proposal was accepted and she was sold for scrap in 1950.
Design
After the completion of aircraft carrierAircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
, the Marine Nationale desired another aviation vessel, but the lack of another hull that could cheaply be converted made another aircraft carrier too expensive. It settled for a seaplane carrier that could act as a mobile aviation base and support seaplanes for a specific attack. The ship was restricted to a maximum size of 10000 t (9,842 LT) at standard displacement, which prevented her from counting against France's 60000 LT (60,963 t) Washington Treaty carrier allotment. This also served to keep her costs relatively low.
Description
Commandant Teste was 167 metre long overall. She had a maximum beamBeam (nautical)
The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...
of 27 metre and a draught
Draft (hull)
The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...
of 6.7 metre. She displaced 10000 LT (10,160.5 t) at standard load, 11500 t (11,318.3 LT) at normal load and 12134 t (11,942.3 LT) at full load.
Because of the ship's high profile, there were concerns about her stability in bad weather as she had a significant amount of weight mounted high in the ship; notably her catapults, cranes and anti-aircraft guns. To increase her stability, two lateral tanks were fitted with a pressurized butterfly valve
Butterfly valve
A butterfly valve is a valve which can be used for isolating or regulating flow. The closing mechanism takes the form of a disk. Operation is similar to that of a ball valve, which allows for quick shut off. Butterfly valves are generally favored because they are lower in cost to other valve...
connecting them so that water could flow between the tanks to counter her rolling motion. On trials in 1933 ,the system was judged successful as it deadened the ship's roll by 37-65%. However, maintenance of the system proved to be problematic as the tanks were difficult to access.
Propulsion
Commandant Teste had a two shaft unit machinery layout with alternating boiler and engine rooms. Her Schneider-Zoelly direct-action geared steam turbineSteam turbine
A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884....
s were designed for 23230 shp. Four superheated
Superheater
A superheater is a device used to convert saturated steam or wet steam into dry steam used for power generation or processes. There are three types of superheaters namely: radiant, convection, and separately fired...
Loire-Yarrow small-tube boiler
Water-tube boiler
A water tube boiler is a type of boiler in which water circulates in tubes heated externally by the fire. Fuel is burned inside the furnace, creating hot gas which heats water in the steam-generating tubes...
s powered the turbines at a pressure of 20 kg/cm2 at a temperature of 290 °C (554 °F). These were the first superheated boilers in the Marine National and required some modifications after the ship's trials. The two in the forward boiler room were oil-fired, but the other two could use either fuel oil
Fuel oil
Fuel oil is a fraction obtained from petroleum distillation, either as a distillate or a residue. Broadly speaking, fuel oil is any liquid petroleum product that is burned in a furnace or boiler for the generation of heat or used in an engine for the generation of power, except oils having a flash...
or coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
. Commandant Teste had a designed speed of 21 kn (41.2 km/h; 25.6 mph), but she exceeded 22 kn (43.1 km/h; 26.8 mph) on trials on 23 July 1933. 1163 t (1,282 ST) of fuel oil was carried as well as 700 t (771.6 ST) of coal. This provided a range of 2000 nmi (3,704 km; 2,301.6 mi) at 18 kn (35.3 km/h; 21.9 mph) or 2500 nmi (4,630 km; 2,877 mi) at 10 kn (19.6 km/h; 12.2 mph) using only coal. Two 300 kilowatt (kW) turbo generator
Turbo generator
A turbo generator is a turbine directly connected to an electric generator for the generation of electric power. Large steam powered turbo generators provide the majority of the world's electricity and are also used by steam powered turbo-electric ships.Smaller turbo-generators with gas turbines...
s provided electricity at 235 volts. Three 150 kW diesel generator
Diesel generator
A diesel generator is the combination of a diesel engine with an electrical generator to generate electrical energy....
s were fitted to provide power while in harbor.
Armament
Commandant Teste was originally going to carry a mixture of 138.6 mm (5.5 in) or 155 mm (6.1 in) anti-surface and 75 mm (3 in) anti-aircraft (AA) gunAnti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
s, but this was changed before construction began to a homogeneous main battery of twelve 100 mm (3.9 in) 45-caliber
Caliber (artillery)
In artillery, caliber or calibredifference in British English and American English spelling is the internal diameter of a gun barrel, or by extension a relative measure of the length....
dual purpose gun
Dual purpose gun
A dual purpose gun is a naval artillery mounting designed to engage both surface and air targets.-Description:Second World War-era capital ships had four classes of artillery: the heavy main battery, intended to engage opposing battleships and cruisers ; a secondary battery for use against enemy...
s on powered single mounts. Five guns each were mounted on the fore and aft superstructures and two were mounted between the catapults. Their elevation limits were -10° to +85°. Their rate of fire was 10 rounds per minute. They had a maximum range of about 15000 m (16,404.2 yd) with a 14.95 kg (33 lb) armor-piercing shell
Armor-piercing shot and shell
An armor-piercing shell is a type of ammunition designed to penetrate armor. From the 1860s to 1950s, a major application of armor-piercing projectiles was to defeat the thick armor carried on many warships. From the 1920s onwards, armor-piercing weapons were required for anti-tank missions...
at a muzzle velocity of 755 m/s (2,477 ft/s). 280 rounds were provided for each gun, including 40 starshell rounds and 19 tracer
Tracer ammunition
Tracer ammunition are bullets that are built with a small pyrotechnic charge in their base. Ignited by the burning powder, the phosphorus tail burns very brightly, making the projectile visible to the naked eye...
rounds.
Eight 37 mm (1.5 in)/50 cal semi-automatic AA guns were carried by Commandant Teste. Two each were fitted on the fore and aft superstructures and four on platforms around the single funnel. 4,000 rounds were carried; 500 rounds per gun. The guns could depress 15° and elevate to 80°. They fired 0.725 kg (1.6 lb) shells at a muzzle velocity of 810 m/s (2,657.5 ft/s). Their effective anti-aircraft ceiling was less than 5000 m (16,404.2 ft).
Six twin 13.2 mm (0.519685039370079 in)
13.2 mm Hotchkiss machine gun
The 13.2 mm Hotchkiss machine gun was a heavy machine gun designed and manufactured by Hotchkiss et Cie from the late 1920s until World War II where it saw service with various nation's forces, including Japan where the gun was built under licence....
machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
mounts were also fitted. Two mounts on the bridge wings, two on the upper funnel platform, and two on the stern. The Hotchkiss guns had a cyclic rate of fire of 450 rounds per minute, but the practical rate was between 200 and 250 rounds per minute to allow for reloading its 30-round magazines. They had a theoretical ceiling of 4200 m (13,779.5 ft).
Two fire-control directors were mounted to control the 100 mm guns; one above the bridge and the other atop the rear superstructure. Each director was fitted with a 3 metre stereoscopic rangefinder. An upgrade to 5 metre rangefinders was planned to improve the director's performance against surface targets, but was never carried out. The midships 37 mm anti-aircraft guns were controlled by a single 1 metre rangefinder, but nothing was provided for the fore and aft 37 mm guns.
Protection
Commandant Teste had a waterline armor beltBelt armor
Belt armor is a layer of heavy metal armor plated on to or within outer hulls of warships, typically on battleships, battlecruisers and cruisers, and on aircraft carriers converted from those types of ships....
with a maximum thickness of 5 cm (2 in) abreast the machinery spaces and was 3.76 m (12.3 ft) high. The ship was protected from axial fire at the waterline by partial transverse bulkhead
Bulkhead (partition)
A bulkhead is an upright wall within the hull of a ship or within the fuselage of an airplane. Other kinds of partition elements within a ship are decks and deckheads.-Etymology:...
s 2 cm (0.78740157480315 in) thick. The magazine
Magazine (artillery)
Magazine is the name for an item or place within which ammunition is stored. It is taken from the Arabic word "makahazin" meaning "warehouse".-Ammunition storage areas:...
s were protected by 5 cm sides and 2 cm ends and roofs. The deck
Deck (ship)
A deck is a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull of a ship. On a boat or ship, the primary deck is the horizontal structure which forms the 'roof' for the hull, which both strengthens the hull and serves as the primary working surface...
consisted of two layers of 1.2 cm (0.47244094488189 in) plating which increased to three layers above the boilers. 2.6 cm (1 in) of armor protected the steering gear. The sides of the conning tower
Conning tower
A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer can con the vessel; i.e., give directions to the helmsman. It is usually located as high on the ship as practical, to give the conning team good visibility....
were 8 cm (3.1 in) thick, but its roof was 3 cm (1.2 in) thick.
Aircraft arrangements
Commandant Teste had a very large hangarHangar
A hangar is a closed structure to hold aircraft or spacecraft in protective storage. Most hangars are built of metal, but other materials such as wood and concrete are also sometimes used...
amidships that was three decks high and measured approximately 80 metre. It was partitioned in two by a bulkhead that incorporated the exhaust uptakes for the funnel and the ventilation trunking for the machinery spaces. It could accommodate ten large torpedo bomber
Torpedo bomber
A torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes which could also carry out conventional bombings. Torpedo bombers existed almost exclusively prior to and during World War II when they were an important element in many famous battles, notably the...
s with folding wings; two smaller aircraft with folding wings could be stowed in lieu of each torpedo bomber. Two additional large aircraft and four smaller aircraft could be carried dismantled in crates in a hold below the hangar.
The aircraft were moved on a system of wheeled trolleys running on Décauville rails that extended throughout each half-hangar to the quarterdeck at the rear of the ship. The torpedo bombers would be moved to the quarterdeck where their wings would be extended and then they would be lowered into the water by the large crane at the very stern of the ship.
The hangar was surmounted by four Penhöet compressed-air catapult
Aircraft catapult
An aircraft catapult is a device used to launch aircraft from ships—in particular aircraft carriers—as a form of assisted take off. It consists of a track built into the flight deck, below which is a large piston or shuttle that is attached through the track to the nose gear of the aircraft, or in...
s, each with a launch capacity of 2.5 t (2.5 LT). The smaller fighter
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
and reconnaissance seaplane
Seaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
s were lifted through large 15 metre hatches in the hangar roofs by one of the four cranes mounted at each corner of the hangar and mounted on the catapult. During trials in 1937, it took three hours to embark or disembark a group of 16 aircraft, 17 minutes to embark a single Gourdou-Leseurre GL-812 reconnaissance floatplane
Floatplane
A floatplane is a type of seaplane, with slender pontoons mounted under the fuselage; only the floats of a floatplane normally come into contact with water, with the fuselage remaining above water...
, and seven minutes to launch a section of four floatplanes by catapult.
Aircraft
Commandant Teste was designed to accommodate the naval version of the Farman F.60 GoliathFarman F.60 Goliath
The Farman F.60 Goliath was an airliner produced by the Farman Aviation Works from 1919. It was instrumental in the creation of early airlines and commercial routes in Europe after World War I.-Design and development:...
torpedo bomber, but they were obsolete when she was commissioned in 1932. Biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
Levasseur PL.14
Levasseur PL.14
-References:*...
torpedo bomber floatplanes were only briefly used as they proved to be too fragile for landing at sea. They were replaced by improved Levasseur PL.15
Levasseur PL.15
-References:*...
biplanes from July–August 1934. The Latécoère 298
Latécoère 298
-References:* Green, William; War planes of the Second World War - Floatplanes - Volume six; MacDonald; ISBN 0-356-01450-9-External links:* http://avia.russian.ee/air/france/latecoere_l-298.php...
monoplane
Monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
replaced the PL.15 in March–May 1939. The scouting squadron was initially equipped with fixed-wing Gourdou-Leseurre GL-810 floatplanes until the folding wing Gourdou-Leseurre GL-811 arrived in October 1933. They were replaced in turn by the improved Gourdou-Leseurre GL-813 in early 1936. The larger Loire 130
Loire 130
-See also:-References:*Green, William . War Planes of the Second World War: Volume Five Flying Boats. Macdonald:London. ISBN 0 356 01449 5.*Morareau, Lucien . Les aéronefs de l'aviation maritime . ARDHAN, ISBN 2-913344-04-6....
flying boat
Flying boat
A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
replaced the GL-813 from April 1938, although the catapults had to be modified to handle their greater weight. No fighter seaplanes were ever embarked on Commandant Teste, although the Loire 210
Loire 210
|-See also:-External links:* Aviafrance....
floatplane was designed for the role. However, it proved to be greatly out-classed by contemporary land-based fighters and only 20 were built in 1939.
Service history
Commandante Teste served with the Mediterranean Squadron upon commissioning in 1932. She was refitted between November 1935 and August 1936 when her 100 mm guns were given gun shieldGun shield
thumb|A [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine]] manning an [[M240 machine gun]] equipped with a gun shieldA gun shield is a flat piece or section of armor designed to be mounted on a crew-served weapon such as a machine gun or artillery piece, or, more rarely, to be used with an assault rifle...
s. From September 1937, she was based at Oran
Oran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
to protect neutral shipping from commerce raiders during the Spanish Civil War. In February 1938, she was refitted in Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
to upgrade her catapults and then served as an aviation transport between France and her colonies in North Africa.
In August 1939, she embarked six Loire 130s and eight Latécoère 298s and sailed for Oran, where she was when World War II began the next month. Commandant Teste remained in North African waters until December 1939, when she returned to Toulon and landed her aircraft. She served as an aircraft transport between French North Africa
Maghreb
The Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara...
and Metropolitan France for the first half of 1940. In late June 1940, she was transferred from the over-crowded anchorage at Oran to Mers El Kébir. She was lightly damaged by shell splinters during the British attack on Mers-el-Kébir on 3 July 1940, but suffered no casualties. She arrived at Toulon on 18 October where she was subsequently disarmed. In June 1941, Commandant Teste was reactivated as a gunnery training ship.
She was at Toulon when the Germans invaded Vichy France
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
and was scuttled there
Scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon
The French fleet in Toulon was scuttled on 27 November 1942 on the order of the Admiralty of Vichy France to avoid capture by Nazi German forces during Operation Lila of the Case Anton takeover of Vichy France.- Context :...
on 27 November 1942 to avoid capture by the Germans
Case Anton
Operation Anton was the codename for the military occupation of Vichy France carried out by Germany and Italy in November 1942.- Background :...
. Refloated by the Italians on 1 May 1943, Commandant Teste was captured by the Germans in September 1943 and sunk again the following year by Allied bombs on 18–19 August 1944. Raised again in February 1945, she was still thought to be repairable and was considered for conversion as an escort or training carrier. The proposals were eventually dropped and the ship was used as a store ship for U.S.-built equipment until sold for scrap
Scrap
Scrap is a term used to describe recyclable and other materials left over from every manner of product consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap has significant monetary value...
on 15 May 1950.