Warships controlled by Vichy

[GrossDeutschland]

I know that after the Armistice some of the French navy joined the British or Free French/was interred/or destroyed, but as of September 1942, does anyone know which ships were still under Vichy control, either in France or the colonies?

Thanks

GD

[Juha Hujanen]

Vichy navy sinked to harbour of Toulon 27.11.42
1 battleship
2 battlecruisers
4 heavy cruisers
3 light cruisers
24 destroyers
10 subs
19 other ships

Subs Marsouin,Glorieux and Casabianca escaped to Alger and sub Iris to Carthago.Vichy 2.light fleet lost in battles against allied in north-africa between 7-10.11.42 cruiser Primauguet,8 destroyers and 4 subs.

[Andy H]

Hi GD

The following were in Toulon sometime in 1942.

The Battleship Strasbourg

The Destoyers Le Terrible,Tigre,Volta, Lynx & Kersiant.

During Operation Torch the incomplete Battleship Jean Bart was attacked along with the light Cruiser Primauguet. The French gunboat Surprise was sunk with all hands

Andy from the Shire

[Andy H]

The following were also in Vichy controlled North African ports in November 1942.

The destroyer's Typhon, Tornade,Tramontane, Epervier & Vansittart

The transport ship Reina del Pacifico

Andy from the Shire[/i]

[Andy H]

Me again-sorry should have taken the time to collate all my sources, anyway

Battleship Dunkerque at Toulon in '42, along with Provence

Cruisers La Galissonniere, J.de.Vienne and Marseillaise all scuttled in Toulon.

Destroyers Mogador,Aigle,Gerfaut,Vautour,Cassard,Vauquelin,Tartu all scuttled at Toulon. Milan was heavily damaged in Casablanca in Nov'42.
The Trombe(?)

Submarines,Aurore,Saphir,DiamantRedoutable,Vengeur,Pascal,H.Poincare,Fresnel,Acheron,Requin,Caiman,Dauphin,Espadon,Phoque all scuttled at Toulon with La Tonnant at Cadiz in the same month. Meduse was sunk in Casablanca in Nov'42.

Aviation transport Commandant Teste scuttled at Toulon

Andy from the Shire

[Ebusitanus]

How big were the french losses to the Brits when they decided to pay them some courtesy call at those ports in Africa just after France surrendered?

[Juha Hujanen]

French lost in Mers el Kebir 1297 killed.977 in Battleship Bretagne and 150 in cargo ship when it's depthcharge cargo exploted.

[Andy H]

I have a figure of 1,229 split as follows

977 in Bretagne
210 in Dunkerque
42 in Mogador

Andy from the Shire

[Lord Gort]

BATTLE FLEETS AT THE FALL OF FRANCE- JUNE 27TH, 1940

BRITISH FRENCH GERMAN

11 Battleships 6 Battleships 2 Pocket Battleships
3 Battle Cruisers 2 Battle cruisers 2 Battle Cruisers



HELD BY BRITAIN GERMANIES OPPORTUNITY
IN PORTSMOUTH HARBOR A SHORT CUT TO SEA
POWER
2 French Battle ships 4 French Battleships
2 French Battle Cruisers


From a range of 14,000 yards the British shells crahsed into the French squadron. The French fleet was anchored and so was handicapped in its efforts to return fire. First to be hit was the Bretagne. One shell set fire to the ammunition in her after turret another exploded in the engine room, and two other hits caused a collosal explosion. Within seconds she had capsized.

One immediate consequence of Oran was that the Germans allowed the French to keep her ships in full commision. Tose vessels still in North Africa were recalled to the strongly defended arsenel at Toulon, where they were safer from British guns but closer to German encroachment.
Indeed when on November the 27th 1942 German military units forced their way into the naval base, the French effectivley scuttled their war ships, as they had always planned to do in an emergency.

[Lord Gort]

BATTLE FLEETS AT THE FALL OF FRANCE- JUNE 27TH, 1940

BRITISH

11 Battleships
3 Battle Cruisers

FRENCH

6 Battleships
2 Battle cruisers

GERMAN

2 Pocket Battleships
2 Battle Cruisers



GERMANIES OPPORTUNITY A SHORT CUT TO SEA
POWER
2 French Battle ships 4 French Battleships


HELD BY BRITAININ PORTSMOUTH HARBOR
2 French Battle Cruisers

From a range of 14,000 yards the British shells crahsed into the French squadron. The French fleet was anchored and so was handicapped in its efforts to return fire. First to be hit was the Bretagne. One shell set fire to the ammunition in her after turret another exploded in the engine room, and two other hits caused a collosal explosion. Within seconds she had capsized.

One immediate consequence of Oran was that the Germans allowed the French to keep her ships in full commision. Tose vessels still in North Africa were recalled to the strongly defended arsenel at Toulon, where they were safer from British guns but closer to German encroachment.
Indeed when on November the 27th 1942 German military units forced their way into the naval base, the French effectivley scuttled their war ships, as they had always planned to do in an emergency.

[Lord Gort]

I have made a dog dinner of this havent I....
GERMANIES OPPORTUNITY A SHORT CUT TO SEA
POWER
2 French Battle crusiers 4 French Battleships


HELD BY BRITAIN IN PORTSMOUTH HARBOR
2 French Battle ships

[Ebusitanus]

how did the French take this Brit courtesy call in Oran? How did Degaulle and the FFI take it as a French?

[Lord Gort]

I dont know how they took it but whatever De Gaulle thought about it it still didnt stop him from joining British warships in the attempt to capture Dakar.

[Juha Hujanen]

De Gaulle said:"Despite pain and anger,whitch i and my comrades feel of events in Mers el Kebir,and behaviour of English and the way how they were proud of that,i feel that saving of France has to put above everything else.Even above the faith of French ships.Our duty is keep on fighting".He made speech 8th of July in BBC.