FS Georges Leygues

The Story of FS Georges Leygue

Georges Leygues served in the French Navy before and during World War II (1939-1945) and maintained an active service record in the years following the Great Conflict. Based on tonnage and armament, she was classified as a light cruiser, belonging to the La Galissonniere class of surface ships, six built in the 1930s. The ships are fast, deep-water warships with reasonable firepower, including three main turrets, a set of anti-aircraft guns for local defense, and torpedo tubes, allowing the class to counter threats from water and air as needed.

Georges Leygues was born during the military build-up before World War II, a product of the post-World War I era (1914-1918). After World War I, the French navy was equipped with a range of aging light cruiser types, including several that Germany and Austria-Hungary received as war reparations, as well as a rebuilding of the French navy due to restrictions imposed by naval power on heavy cruiser construction.

Continuing the trend of light cruisers, several classes emerged as a result.

Georges Leygues was laid on 21 September 1933 by the shipyard At & Ch de St Nazaire-Penhoet in Saint-Nazaire, France, launched on 24 March 1936 and officially commissioned on 15 November 1937 use. It shares the same name with the French statesman Georges Leygues (1857-1933) who was minister of the French navy.

The side profile of the Georges Leygues warship is essentially traditional when the cruiser is sailing - there is a pair of central funnels and these protrusions, flanked by the front and rear superstructures. The bridge and communication systems are contained in the forward structure, which itself is located aft of the two forward main turrets. A third main gun unit was mounted far aft and was equipped with a catapult for launching seaplanes. A crane found in the stern allowed all the planes taking off - which landed in nearby waters to be picked up - to be recovered.

Aircraft facilities on board allow the vessel to support up to four Goudou-Leseurre GL-832 HY reconnaissance seaplanes, or later up to two Loire 130 series airships. These aircraft provided much-needed "eye in the sky" quality to the crew and aided in general naval tactics as well as accuracy in long-range fire.

Her full crew of 540 men, including officers and sailors, had armor protection including main belt thickness up to 105 mm, flanks thickness up to 120 mm, main turret thickness up to 100 mm, and turret thickness up to 95 mm.

Georges Leygues displaces 7,600 tonnes under standard load and a whopping 9,120 tonnes under full load. She measures 587 feet in length, 57 feet in beam, and has a draught of up to 17.5 feet. Her machine consisted of four Indret boilers connected to a pair of turbines with reduction gears, providing 84,000 hp to twin shafts under the stern.

Under ideal conditions, the boat can go up to 31 knots and have a range of up to 7,000 nautical miles giving her quite a decent range.

Her main guns consist of 9 x 152 mm (6 in)/54.3 caliber guns spread over three turrets, each with three guns. Two of the main turrets were mounted in the front and one emplacement was located in the rear. The gun has a nominal range of up to 23,000 yards and can be used against surface threats and inland targets. Aircraft defense is provided by 8 x 90 mm (3.5 in)/50 caliber guns mounted in four twin-barreled turrets.

Two of these are located on either side of the central superstructure area for maximum coverage. These can be as high as 13,000 yards. Additional firepower against surface threats comes from 4 x 550 mm (21.7 in) torpedo tubes, a single twin-tube launcher mounted on either side of the midship.

France declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939, following the German invasion of Poland. Her first operation included patrolling the Atlantic in pursuit of German attackers, but during this time the ship accidentally engaged another French warship, the submarine Casablanca. Due to the threat of the powerful Italian fleet in the Mediterranean, it was decided in April 1940 to transfer Georges Leygues and other French naval units to Mers-el-Kebir i (Algeria).

After a month and a half of battle, France was invaded by Germany in June 1940.

In July, the British Navy attempted to destroy the French fleet at Mers-el-Kebir, fearing that these warships would eventually be used against them. The French fleet was largely suppressed during the operation, but Georges Legus survived and was transferred to Toulon in southern France. On September 9, 1940, the warship set off with sister ships Montcalm and Gloire and passed through the Strait of Gibraltar, despite the British presence overlooking the Mediterranean/Atlantic entry/exit. She then anchored in Casablanca (Morocco) to refuel and resupply before arriving in Dakar (Senegal) on 14 September.

On their way to Libreville (Gabon), the three encountered the British Navy, forcing them to return to Dakar. The British, along with Australian and Free French forces, carried out a "threat operation" to capture Dakar. This lasted from September 23 to 25, but the operation failed.

Following the successful Allied landings in North Africa (Operation Torch - November 1942) and the German occupation of Vichy France, French naval forces including Georges Legg, Montcalm and Gloire joined the Allies 's business. The operation proved crucial, as it marked the beginning of the Axis withdrawal from the African continent, while limiting enemy movements in the Mediterranean. With her participation in the operation completed, George Legus was transferred to patrol the Atlantic and managed to shut down and sink the German ship Portland. Following this operation, she was sent to Philadelphia, USA, to perform the necessary overhaul, which lasted from July 1942 to October 1942.

She received improved anti-aircraft weapons and lost the ability to launch and recover aircraft.

George Legg was present during the Allied invasion of Normandy in northern France on D-Day (6 June 1944), their weapons were used in a massive bombardment leading to the official amphibious landing of ground forces. In August, it moved south to support further Allied operations in France, while the Normandy bridgehead continued to expand and troops moved inland. The warship returned to Toulon in September 1944 to bomb Italian positions in and around Genoa. She remained in the area until March 1945, her last significant involvement in World War II.

German leader Adolf Hitler committed suicide in late April and the war in Europe ended in May 1945.

In the postwar years, Georges Leygues was refitted from May 1945 to January 1946 and joined Montcalm in 1954 to support French military operations throughout Indochina. Two years later, during the "Suez Crisis" (October-November 1956), she joined forces supporting the war against Egypt.

This became her last significant combat service as the ship was officially decommissioned on 1 May 1957 and her hull was scrapped in November 1959.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Wing