French cruiser Duguay-Trouin

The Duguay-Trouin was the lead ship of a class of French light cruisers, launched in the early 1920s. She was named after René Duguay-Trouin, Sieur du Gué, French privateer, admiral and Commander in the Order of Saint-Louis.

Pre-war
After completion, Duguay-Trouin was assigned to the 2nd Squadron and based at Brest. In 1929, she became flagship of the 3rd Light Division in the Mediterranean and, in 1931, she undertook an extended cruise to Indo-China, then a French colony. Duguay-Trouin returned to the 2nd Squadron at Brest in 1932, this time as flagship, remaining there until 1935. In 1936, she became a gunnery training ship until June 1939, when she joined the 6th Cruiser Division.

World War II
France declared war on 3 September 1939 and the Duguay-Trouin, with other French ships commenced Atlantic patrols to intercept German shipping. On 16 October, Duguay-Trouin intercepted the German merchant ship Halle 200 mi south-west of Dakar. The Halle was scuttled to prevent its capture.

In early May, 1940, she was transferred to the eastern Mediterranean, based at Beirut, for operations in the Adriatic and Dodecanese.

After the French surrender, she joined Admiral Rene-Emile Godfroy's Force X at Alexandria, Egypt where she was, with other French warships, disarmed by agreement and interned by the British from 22 June 1940. Axis forces occupied Vichy France in November 1942. The Duguay-Trouin rejoined the Allies on 30 May 1943 and was re-armed in July.

Her first Allied employment was as a troop transport in early 1944. She supported the landings in southern France in August 1944 and subsequently undertook bombardments along the Italian coast until April 1945.

Post-war
After the war, Duguay-Trouin was sent to Indo-China and supported army operations against the Viet Minh.

She was decommissioned 19 March 1952.