French cruiser Colbert (C611)

*Colbert*
	Colbert in the port of Bordeaux in its time as a museum ship (2006)
History
France
Name	Colbert
Namesake	Jean-Baptiste Colbert
Ordered	1953
Builder	Brest Arsenal
Laid down	9 June 1954
Launched	24 March 1956
Commissioned	5 May 1959
Decommissioned	May 1991
Homeport	Brest
Fate	Scrapped 2016
General characteristics (as built)
Type	Cruiser
Displacement	9,084 t (8,941 long tons) standard, 11,587 t (11,404 long tons) full load
Length	180.5 m (592 ft 2 in)
Beam	19.7 m (64 ft 8 in) (waterline)
Draft	6.5 m (21 ft 4 in) (max)
Installed power	4 x Indret boilers
Propulsion	Parsons geared steam turbines, 2 shafts, 86,000 PS (63,253 kW)
Speed	32 knots (37 mph; 59 km/h)
Range	7,100 nmi (13,100 km) at 18 kn (21 mph; 33 km/h)
Complement	977 (as flagship)
Sensors and ; processing systems	Surveillance radar; DRBV 22A; DRBV 20A; DRBI 10B; DRBN 31 navigation radar; Fire control radar; 4 x DRBC 31B; 4 x DRBC 31A; DSBC 1 sonar;
Electronic warfare ; & decoys	ARBA 10B; ARBR 10B; ARBR 20; RRBM1&2; AN/SPR 1;
Armament	8 × twin 127mm/54 modèle 48 AA guns; 10 × twin 57mm/60 modèle 51 AA guns;
Armour	Belt: 50–80 mm (2.0–3.1 in); Deck: 50 mm (2.0 in);
General characteristics (1972)
Type	Guided missile cruiser
Complement	25 officers; 208 petty officers; 329 quartermasters and sailors; 500 men;
Armament	1 × twin-rail Masurca Mark 2 launcher (48 missiles); 4 × MM-38 Exocet launchers (4 missiles); 2 × 100mm/55 modèle 68 AA guns; 6 × twin 57mm/60 modèle 51 AA guns; 2 × 12.7mm AA machine guns;

Colbert (C 611) was an anti-air cruiser, later transformed into a missile cruiser, of the French Navy. She was the sixth ship (and second cruiser) of the French Navy to be named after Jean-Baptiste Colbert (the previous one was scuttled at Toulon in 1942). She served in the Navy from 1956 to 1991, before being converted into a museum ship at Bordeaux from 1993. Colbert was scrapped in 2016.

Colbert was the last French warship designated as a "cruiser". Afterward, the French Navy adopted the term "frigate".^[1]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z Jordan and Moulin, page 227

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[1]

History
Colbert in the port of Bordeaux in its time as a museum ship (2006)
France
Name	Colbert
Namesake	Jean-Baptiste Colbert
Ordered	1953
Builder	Brest Arsenal
Laid down	9 June 1954
Launched	24 March 1956
Commissioned	5 May 1959
Decommissioned	May 1991
Homeport	Brest
Fate	Scrapped 2016
General characteristics (as built)
Type	Cruiser
Displacement	9,084 t (8,941 long tons) standard, 11,587 t (11,404 long tons) full load^[1]
Length	180.5 m (592 ft 2 in)^[1]
Beam	19.7 m (64 ft 8 in) (waterline)^[1]
Draft	6.5 m (21 ft 4 in) (max)^[1]
Installed power	4 x Indret boilers^[1]
Propulsion	Parsons geared steam turbines, 2 shafts, 86,000 PS (63,253 kW)^[1]
Speed	32 knots (37 mph; 59 km/h)^[1]
Range	7,100 nmi (13,100 km) at 18 kn (21 mph; 33 km/h)^[1]
Complement	977 (as flagship)^[1]
Sensors and processing systems	Surveillance radar DRBV 22A^[1] DRBV 20A^[1] DRBI 10B^[1] DRBN 31 navigation radar^[1] Fire control radar 4 x DRBC 31B^[1] 4 x DRBC 31A^[1] DSBC 1 sonar^[1]
Electronic warfare & decoys	ARBA 10B^[1] ARBR 10B^[1] ARBR 20^[1] RRBM1&2^[1] AN/SPR 1^[1]
Armament	8 × twin 127mm/54 modèle 48 AA guns^[1] 10 × twin 57mm/60 modèle 51 AA guns^[1]
Armour	Belt: 50–80 mm (2.0–3.1 in)^[1] Deck: 50 mm (2.0 in)^[1]
General characteristics (1972)
Type	Guided missile cruiser
Complement	25 officers 208 petty officers 329 quartermasters and sailors 500 men
Armament	1 × twin-rail Masurca Mark 2 launcher (48 missiles) 4 × MM-38 Exocet launchers (4 missiles) 2 × 100mm/55 modèle 68 AA guns 6 × twin 57mm/60 modèle 51 AA guns 2 × 12.7mm AA machine guns