WORLD WAR 2 IN REVIEW: Émile Bertin: French Cruiser

Émile Bertin was a French fast light cruiser named after Louis-Émile Bertin, a 19th-century naval architect. She was designed to operate both as a minelayer and as a destroyer flotilla leader. The design was the basis for later light and heavy French cruisers, particularly the slightly larger La Galissonnière class of cruisers. This was the first French warship to use triple mountings.

Before World War II, Émile Bertin served as flagship for a flotilla of twelve large destroyers of the Malin and Maillé Brézé classes in the Atlantic. At the start of 1939, she was transferred to Toulon.

In secrecy, she arrived in Lebanon on 23 September 1939, loaded with 57 tons of gold - the Polish state gold reserves - and returned to Toulon. At the start of 1940, after a refit at Toulon, she carried out surveillance around the Canary Islands to ensure that there were no German forces there.

After further dockyard work at Brest, in early April 1940, she became the flagship of Group Z, the French squadron supporting the Allied Norwegian campaign, with Admiral Derrien in command. As well as Émile Bertin, Group Z comprised the 2,400-ton contre-torpilleurs (large destroyers) Tartu, Chevalier Paul, Maillé Brézé, Milan, Bison and Épervier, as well as the 1,500-ton Brestois, Boulonnais and Foudroyant. Off Namsos, she was attacked by the Luftwaffe and damaged by bombs on 19 April. She returned to Brest for repair and remained there until 21 May, and was replaced off Norway, by the cruiser Montcalm.

She made two trips from Brest to Halifax, Nova Scotia, the first with the cruiser Jeanne d’Arc and aircraft carrier Bearn, carrying gold from the Bank of France. The French armistice was signed shortly after Émile Bertin had docked for the second time, and when Captain Battet signaled the French Admiralty for advice, the cruiser was ordered to Fort-de-France, Martinique with the gold. No effort by Royal Navy units present succeeded in preventing this, but the ocean liner Pasteur, which was to follow Émile Bertin, did not succeed in leaving Halifax fast enough. She was seized and used as troopship operated under British colors.

Once at Martinique and the gold safely unloaded, she made ready to defend the island against an expected British attack - which was abandoned through United States pressure. For the next two years or so the ship was inactive at anchor off Fort-de-France, until, on 16 May 1942 she was ordered by the Vichy authorities to be immobilized, after pressure from the United States.

She joined the Allied forces in June 1943, under French colors, and was modernized in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Émile Bertin later operated in the Mediterranean, took part in the Allied invasion of southern France (Operation Dragoon) in 1944 and later bombarded Axis positions along the Italian Riviera.

After various Mediterranean duties, the cruiser entered Toulon for a refit until October 1945. She then deployed as flagship to Indochina until 2 July 1946 when she sailed for home with the cruiser Tourville. Émile Bertin then served as a gunnery training ship until the navy finally scrapped her in October 1959.

French cruiser Émile Bertin.

French cruiser Émile Bertin. Note the middle gun is missing on Turret #2.

Émile Bertin under construction, Saint-Nazaire, France, 1931.

Émile Bertin under construction, Saint-Nazaire, France, circa 1932-1933.

Émile Bertin, 1934.

Émile Bertin in drydock at Brest, France, July 1934.

Émile Bertin at Lorient, France, 1937.

Émile Bertin at Lorient, France, 6 June 1937.

Émile Bertin at Calais, France, 22 July 1938.

Émile Bertin at sea, date unknown.

Émile Bertin, date unknown.

Émile Bertin at Toulon, France, January 1939.

Émile Bertin at Casablanca, Morocco, 5 March 1939.

Émile Bertin underway, 9 August 1939.

Émile Bertin off Norway, April 1940.

Émile Bertin at Fort de France, Martinique, November 1941.

Gun turrets of Émile Bertin, date unknown.

Émile Bertin firing her primary guns, date unknown.

Émile Bertin in drydock at Bizerte, Tunisia, June 1944.

Émile Bertin at Toulon, France, October 1944.

Émile Bertin off French Indochina, 11 October 1945.

Émile Bertin with a junk alongside, French Indochina, 23 March 1946.

Émile Bertin at Toulon, France, 29 July 1946.

Émile Bertin at Toulon, France, 5 October 1949.

Jean Bart, Suffren, and Émile Bertin at port, 27 July 1959.

On 19 April 1940, the ship has finally reached Norway and is attacked by Ju 88s from II/KG30. Two 500 kg bombs are dropped on the cruiser. The first one misses its target but the second one hits the deck but doesn’t explode. This photo shows the hole made in the deck by the unexploded bomb.