The Duguay-Trouin was the lead ship of a class

Duguay-Trouin class cruiser

The three Duguay-Trouin class light cruisers were built for France in the early 1920s.The fate of these three ships after the French surrender illustrates the dichotomy within the French armed forces at the time: one ship was interned, then joined the Free French, another twice resisted Allied...

 of French light cruisers, launched in the early 1920s. She was named after René Duguay-Trouin

René Duguay-Trouin

René Trouin, Sieur du Gué, usually called René Duguay-Trouin, was a famous French corsair of Saint-Malo. He had a brilliant privateering and naval career and eventually became "Lieutenant-General of the Naval Armies of the King" , and a Commander in the Order of Saint-Louis...

, Sieur du Gué, French privateer, admiral and Commander in the Order of Saint-Louis.

Pre-war

After completion, Duguay-Trouin was assigned to the 2nd Squadron and based at Brest

Brest, France

Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...

. In 1929, she became flagship of the 3rd Light Division in the Mediterranean and, in 1931, she undertook an extended cruise to Indo-China

Indochina

The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...

, then a French colony. Duguay-Trouin returned to the 2nd Squadron at Brest in 1932, this time as flagship, remaining there until 1935. In 1936, she became a gunnery training ship until June 1939, when she joined the 6th Cruiser Division.

World War II

France declared war on 3 September 1939 and the Duguay-Trouin, with other French ships commenced Atlantic patrols to intercept German shipping. On 16 October, Duguay-Trouin intercepted the German merchant ship Halle 200 miles (321.9 km) south-west of Dakar

Dakar

Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...

. The Halle was scuttled to prevent its capture.

In early May, 1940, she was transferred to the eastern Mediterranean, based at Beirut

Beirut

Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...

, for operations in the Adriatic and Dodecanese

Dodecanese

The Dodecanese are a group of 12 larger plus 150 smaller Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, of which 26 are inhabited. Τhis island group generally defines the eastern limit of the Sea of Crete. They belong to the Southern Sporades island group...

.

After the French surrender

Armistice with France (Second Compiègne)

The Second Armistice at Compiègne was signed at 18:50 on 22 June 1940 near Compiègne, in the department of Oise, between Nazi Germany and France...

, she joined Admiral Rene-Emile Godfroy

René-Emile Godfroy

René-Emile Godfroy was a French admiral.Godfroy was born at Paris. In June 1940, he commanded French naval forces at Alexandria, where he negotiated, with British Admiral Andrew Cunningham, the peaceful internment of his ships.The French squadron consisted of the battleship Lorraine, 4 cruisers, 3...

's Force X at Alexandria

Alexandria

Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...

, Egypt where she was, with other French warships, disarmed by agreement and interned by the British from 22 June 1940. Axis forces occupied

Case Anton

Operation Anton was the codename for the military occupation of Vichy France carried out by Germany and Italy in November 1942.- Background :...

 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. The Duguay-Trouin rejoined the Allies on 30 May 1943 and was re-armed in July .

Her first Allied employment was as a troop transport in early 1944. She supported the landings in southern France

Operation Dragoon

Operation Dragoon was the Allied invasion of southern France on August 15, 1944, during World War II. The invasion was initiated via a parachute drop by the 1st Airborne Task Force, followed by an amphibious assault by elements of the U.S. Seventh Army, followed a day later by a force made up...

 in August 1944 and subsequently undertook bombardments along the Italian coast until April 1945.

Post-war

After the war, Duguay-Trouin was sent to Indo-China and supported army operations against the Viet Minh

Viet Minh

Việt Minh was a national independence coalition formed at Pac Bo on May 19, 1941. The Việt Minh initially formed to seek independence for Vietnam from the French Empire. When the Japanese occupation began, the Việt Minh opposed Japan with support from the United States and the Republic of China...

.

She was decommissioned 19 March 1952.

See also

• French ship Duguay-Trouin
  French ship Duguay-Trouin
  Ten vessels of the French Navy have been named Duguay-Trouin in honour of René Duguay-Trouin; among them:* Duguay-Trouin , a 74-gun ship of the line...