French cruiser Suffren

Suffren in Hampton Roads on 15 October 1931
History
France
Name	Suffren
Namesake	Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez
Ordered	1 November 1925
Builder	Arsenal de Brest
Laid down	17 April 1926
Launched	3 May 1927
Commissioned	8 March 1930
Renamed	Océan on 1 January 1963
Stricken	24 March 1972
Fate	Towed for scrapping 22 February 1976
General characteristics
Class and type	Suffren-class cruiser
Type	Treaty Cruiser Marine National designation 1925 Light Cruiser 1931 1st Class Cruiser
Displacement	10,160 t (10,000 long tons) (standard) 11,769 t (11,583 long tons) (Normal) 13,135 t (12,928 long tons) (full load)
Length	194 m (636.48 ft) overall 185 m (606.96 ft) between perpendiculars
Beam	19.26 m (63.19 ft)
Draught	6.51 m (21.36 ft) at normal displacement
Propulsion	6 Guyot du Temple boilers, 20 kg/cm2 (215°) 2 small coal/oil fired cruising boilers 3-shaft Rateau-Bretagne single-reduction geared steam turbines for 88,768.8 shp (66,194.9 kW)
Speed	32 knots (59 km/h) (designed)
Range	1,876 tons oil fuel and 640 tons coal radius 4,600 nautical miles (8,500 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h) 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km) at 11 knots (20 km/h) on cruise boilers 3,700 nautical miles (6,900 km) at 20 knots (37 km/h)
Complement	773
Armament	Initial[1] 8 × 203 mm (8.0 in)/50 guns (4 × 2) 8 × 75 mm (3.0 in)/50 AA guns (8 × 1) 8 × 37 mm (1.5 in) light AA guns (4 × 2) 12 × 13.2 mm (0.52 in) AA machine guns (4 × 3) 6 × 550 mm (22 in) torpedo tubes (2 × 3) 1943 refit[2] 8 × 203 mm (8.0 in)/50 guns (4 × 2) 8 × 75 mm (3.0 in)/50 AA guns (8 × 1) 8 × 40 mm (1.6 in) AA guns (2 × 4) 8 × 37 mm (1.5 in) light AA guns (4 × 2) 20 × 20 mm (0.79 in) light AA guns (20 × 1) 12 × 13.2 mm (0.52 in) AA machine guns (4 × 3)
Armour	Belt: 50 mm (2.0 in) Deck: 25 mm (0.98 in) Turrets and conning tower: 30 mm (1.2 in) Magazine box 50 mm (2.0 in) sides with 20 mm (0.79 in) crowns
Aircraft carried	2 GL-810 then Loire-Nieuport 130
Aviation facilities	2 catapults

Suffren was a cruiser of the French Navy. She the first vessel of the second group of 8-inch gunned, 10,000 ton treaty cruisers built for the French navy, and spent the interwar period with the two Duquesne-class cruisers until she was sent to French Indochina. Upon her return to the Mediterranean, she rejoined the Duquesnes at Alexandria. She was interned there with the other ships of the French Navy. She returned to active service in 1943, spending her time based at Dakar on blockade patrol. Post war she aided in the return of French colonial rule to Indochina until placed in reserve in 1947. In reserve she was used as a training hulk and barracks ship at Brest. She was renamed Océan in 1963 and finally stricken in 1972.^[3]

She was named in honour of Admiral Pierre André de Suffren. Serving under Charles Henri Hector d'Estaing's fleet off North America and the West Indies from 1778 to 1779, his most significant engagements were against the Royal Navy in the Indian Ocean between 1782 and 1783. She was the sixth vessel to bear his name.^[4]