French cruiser Colbert (1928)


Colbert was a French heavy cruiser of the that saw service in World War II. She was named for Jean-Baptiste Colbert.

Design and description

The design of the Suffren class was derived from the preceding with more armor exchanged for less speed. The ships had an overall length of, a beam of, and a draft of. They displaced at standard load and at deep load. Their crew normally consisted of 647 men and increased by 84 when serving as flagships.

Service history

Colbert was part of the 2nd Cruiser Division of the 1st Cruiser Squadron in the Mediterranean, which also included and. In September 1939, at the start of World War II, Colbert was part of the 1st Cruiser Squadron, which also included,,, Duquesne and Tourville.
On 14 June 1940, the French navy executed Operation Samoyède. The 3rd French squadron, including cruisers Foch, Algérie, Dupleix and Colbert, bombarded Genoa, supported by the French Naval Air Arm.
Following the French surrender to Germany later that month, Colbert served with the navy of Vichy France. Colbert and much of the French fleet was taken out of action and kept at Toulon. On 27 November 1942, she was successfully scuttled at Toulon by her crew, despite the presence of German officers attempting to take control. She was blown apart when her magazine exploded. The rusted hull of Colbert remained there until 1948, when her remains were scrapped.