French cruiser Tourville (1926)

Tourville in 1929
History
France
Name	Tourville
Namesake	Anne Hilarion de Tourville
Ordered	1 July 1924
Builder	Arsenal de Lorient
Laid down	4 March 1925
Launched	24 August 1926
Completed	1 December 1928
Commissioned	5 May 1928
In service	12 Mar 1929
Out of service	8 March 1962
Fate	Towed from Brest to Toulon for scrapping, 15 January 1963
General characteristics
Class and type	Duquesne class
Type	Treaty Cruiser Marine National designation[1] 1924 Light Cruiser 1931 1st Class Cruiser
Displacement	10,160 t (10,000 long tons) (standard) 11,404 t (11,224 long tons) (Normal) 12,435 t (12,239 long tons) (full load)
Length	191 m (627 ft) overall 185 m (607 ft) between perpendiculars
Beam	19 m (62 ft)
Draught	6.32 m (20.7 ft)
Propulsion	8 Guyot du Temple boilers, 20 kg/cm2 (215°) 4-shaft Rateau-Bretagne single-reduction geared steam turbines for 118,358.4 shp (88,259.8 kW)
Speed	34 knots (63 km/h) (designed)
Range	1,842 tons oil fuel radius 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h) 1,800 nautical miles (3,300 km) at 29 knots (54 km/h) 700 nautical miles (1,300 km) at 33 knots (61 km/h)
Complement	605
Armament	Initial[2] 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 (12 × 1) 12 × 550 mm (22 in) torpedo tubes (4 × 3) 1943 refit[3] 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) 16 × 20 mm (0.79 in) light AA guns (16 × 1)
Armour	Magazine box 30 mm (1.2 in) sides and 20 mm (0.79 in) crowns Deck 30 mm (1.2 in) Turrets and conning tower 30 mm (1.2 in)
Aircraft carried	2 FBA 17 and CAMS 37A (superseded by GL-810 then Loire-Nieuport 130
Aviation facilities	1 catapult

Tourville was the second ship of the Duquesne class cruisers of the French Navy. During the interwar period she served in the Mediterranean while taking periodic cruises to show the Flag. During the war she was on blockade duty in the mid Atlantic then the Mediterranean. She was interned for three years at Alexandria, rejoining the war effort in 1943. Again assigned to blockade duty in the Mid Atlantic at Dakar. Post war she aided in the restoration of French Colonial rule in French Indochina until placed in reserve in 1947. She remained in reserve until condemned for disposal in 1962.

She was named to honour Anne-Hilarion de Costentien, comte de Tourville (1642 – 1701) who served with distinction under King Louis XIV. He fought against the British and Dutch at the battles of Beachy Head (French: Beveziers) and Barfluer. On 27 June 1693 defeated an English convoy commanded by George Rooke at Cape St Vincent and made Marshall of France.^[4]