Gloire: French cruiser (1935)

French cruiser Gloire.

Gloire was a French light cruiser of the La Galissonnière class.

General Information

Name: Gloire

Namesake: Glory

Builder: Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde

Laid down: 13 November 1933

Launched: 28 September 1935

Commissioned: 15 November 1937

Fate: Scrapped 1958

Design and Description

The La Galissonnière class was designed as an enlarged and improved version of the preceding Emile Bertin. The ships had an overall length of 179.5 meters (588 ft 11 in), a beam of 17.48 meters (57 ft 4 in), and a draft of 5.28 meters (17 ft 4 in). They displaced 7,722 metric tons (7,600 long tons) at standard load and 9,460 t (9,310 long tons) at deep load. Their crew consisted of 557 men in peacetime and 612 in wartime.

Specifications

Class and type: La Galissonnière-class cruiser

Displacement:      

7,600 tons (standard)

9120 tons (full load)

Length: 179 m (587 ft)

Beam: 17.5 m (57 ft)

Draught: 5.35 m (17.6 ft)

Propulsion:

2-shaft Parsons single reduction geared turbines

4 Indret boilers

84,000 shp (63,000 kW)

Speed: 31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph)

Range: 7,000 nmi (13,000 km; 8,100 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)

Complement: 540

Armament: 

Initial

9 × 152 mm (6.0 in)/55 guns (3 × 3)

8 × 90 mm (3.5 in) AA (4 × 2)

8 × 37 mm (1.5 in) light AA (4 × 2)

12 × 13.2 mm (0.52 in) light AA (4 × 3)

4 × 550 mm (22 in) torpedo tubes (2 × 2)

Vichy refit (1941)

9 × 152 mm (6.0 in)/55 guns (3 × 3)

8 × 90 mm (3.5 in) AA (4 × 2)

9 × 37 mm (1.5 in) light AA (4 × 2, 1 × 1)

2 × 25 mm (0.98 in) light AA (1 × 2)

16 × 13.2 mm (0.52 in) light AA (4 × 3, 2 × 2)

4 × 550mm (21.7 inch) torpedo tubes (2 × 2)

Allies refit (1943)

9 × 152 mm (6.0 in)/55 guns (3 × 3)

8 × 90 mm (3.5 in) AA (4 × 2)

24 × 40 mm (1.6 in) AA (4 × 6)

16 × 20 mm (0.79 in) light AA (1 × 16)

4 × 550mm (21.7 inch) torpedo tubes (2 × 2)

Armor:       

Main belt: 105 mm (4 in)

End bulkheads: 30 mm (1.2 in)

Sides: 120 mm (4.7 in)

Deck: 38 mm (1.5 in)

Turrets: 100 mm (4 in)

Conning tower: 95 mm (3.7 in)

Aircraft carried:    

up to 4 GL-832, later 2 Loire 130 flying boats

1 catapult

Construction and Career

After completing trials, Gloire arrived in Brest on 18 November 1937, then left for French Indochina on 1 December, returning to Brest on 16 April 1938. Gloire joined the 4th Cruiser Division in January 1939, with which she visited Britain and the United States. She was refitted between October and December 1939. She then sailed for Canada with the battleship Dunkerque, carrying gold, and subsequently escorted a Canadian troop convoy on her return. Atlantic patrols as part of Vice Admiral Marcel-Bruno Gensoul's Force de Raid followed. At the time of the French surrender in June 1940, Gloire was at Algiers, but returned to Toulon on 4 July, where the 4th Cruiser Division formed part of the French Independent Naval Force.

Gloire initially stayed loyal to the Vichy French government. Free French Forces’ successes in Chad and Cameroon became politically embarrassing, and so the Axis Naval Commission permitted the dispatch of the cruisers Montcalm and Georges Leygues to Dakar as Force Y. After an unchallenged passage past Gibraltar, for which the local British commander was removed, they arrived on 14 September. On 18 September the 4th Cruiser Division sailed for Libreville, French Equatorial Africa. They were intercepted by British forces. Gloire suffered machinery problems and was unable to outrun the British flotilla, so she turned back and she was 'escorted' into Casablanca by the Allied cruisers HMAS Australia and HMS Cumberland and was therefore not present during the subsequent Allied attack on Dakar.

Between April and July, Gloire underwent a refit at Casablanca, and on 12 September 1942 took part in the rescue operations after the passenger liner Laconia had been sunk, arriving on the scene in the evening of 17 September.

After the Allied invasion of north Africa (Operation Torch) and the consequent abrogation by the Germans of the armistice (Case Anton) in November 1942, Gloire rejoined the Allies. Three surviving La Galissonnière-class cruisers, based at Dakar, were refitted in 1943. Unlike her sisters which were refitted at Philadelphia, instead she was refitted at New York. removing aircraft installations and adding light anti-aircraft weapons. Gloire then operated from Dakar together with other French and Italian cruisers, searching for Axis blockade runners in the central and south Atlantic until 16 January 1944, when she moved to the Mediterranean.

In February, she supported the Allied landings at Anzio, bombarding enemy positions in the Bay of Gaeta (firing 604 rounds) and transporting troops to Italy and Corsica. After a refit at Algiers between 27 April and 17 June, she participated in the landing in the south of France (Operation Dragoon) in August, firing nearly 2,000 rounds in shore support between 15 and 28 August. Gloire continued to support Allied forces along the French and Italian Rivieras until the end of the war, except for a special trip to the United States in December.

Postwar, Gloire made three deployments to Indo-China and she was finally placed in reserve on 1 February 1955, being condemned for disposal on 2 January 1958.

Bibliography

Jordan, John & Moulin, Jean (2013). French Cruisers 1922–1956. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing.

Whitley, M. J. (1995). Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. London: Cassell.

 French light cruiser Gloire (1935-58) in dazzle camouflage, fires her six guns during exercises off the North African coast, late 1943 or early 1944. 

French light cruiser Gloire, New York, 1943. This was the US "Adaptor" scheme, which as far as we can tell at this point was a "local" favorite of the supervisor of the Brooklyn Navy Yard and one he kept pushing for. It's literally based on one of the official World War I dazzle schemes but wasn't issued by the camouflage division of the Navy's Bureau of Ships. They were lukewarm on it as the pattern was small enough that at distance a lot of the stripes lost definition and the apparent course deception effect wasn't as effective as it would suggest close up. Camouflage on ships like this was not intended to hide them, it was to make it more difficult to determine a ship's direction and speed and, therefore make it harder to target. 

French Galissonnière class light cruiser, Gloire, in dazzle camouflage. 

French cruiser Gloire in the North River, New York's World Fair, July 10, 1939. 

French light cruiser Gloire. 

Gloire at Anzio in 1944. 

Free French cruiser Gloire, in dazzle camouflage, with ship's company on deck saluting the British King George VI as he passed by in the anchorage at Naples, circa 1944. (Imperial War Museum photo A 24997) 

French light cruiser Gloire. 

Loading an English aircraft carrier and the French cruiser Gloire at Algiers. 

French cruiser Gloire. 

French light cruiser Gloire at New York City in July 1939. The Moran Company tug Richard L. Moran appears alongside in the foreground. (Naval History and Heritage Command photo NH 91634)

American Air Power in World War II Album

P-40N Warhawk 'Little Joe II' at Kunming airfield in Yunnan, China, September 1, 1944.

Curtiss P-40N-40-CU Warhawk (44-47773), USAAF.

Maintenance on a P-40, China, 1943.

The Disney Bomb, a rocket-boosted bunker-buster. Developed by the British but only deployed by the USAAF. Post-war testing showed it could punch through 16 feet of concrete. In 2009 one was recovered from the roof of a German bunker in France, where it had embedded itself in 1945.

B-17 Flying Fortress “Fifty Packin Mama”.

B-17 Flying Fortresses from the 398th Bombardment Group flying a bombing mission to Neumünster, Germany, on 13 April 1945.

There are four 398th B-17 aircraft in this photo. Based on an analysis of aircraft numbers it is believed this photo was taken between the 398th's first mission on 6 May 1944 and 8 January 1945. 

Here are the bounds of the dates:

Aircraft No. 1's demise indicates it must be before 2 March 1945

In a blow-up of Aircraft No. 2, the N7-Q is very visible. If 42-102469 N7-Q, then the date is before 8 January 1945. If 43-39038, then the date was 4 March or after. But Aircraft No. 1, indicates it must be before 2 March. Therefore, this aircraft must be 42-102469 N7-Q and the date before 8 January 1945.

Aircraft No. 3 could be either 42-102568 N7-N or 44-6573 N7-N but because of the range of dates no further information can be discerned as to the date of the photo.

Aircraft No. 4 is was either 42-107138 N7-T or 43-38631 N7-T. Based on a review of the dates, an N7-T aircraft was available the entire period from April 1944 until May 1945 and thus provides no further information as to the date of the photo.

In summary, it is concluded that the date is somewhere between the 398th's first mission on 6 May 1944 and 8 January 1945. It is possible by studying formation charts carefully that the exact date can be determined.

From the viewer's left to right the aircraft are:

Aircraft No. 1
    Aircraft No: 42-97317
    Tail Letter: P
    Fuselage ID: N7-P
    Group/Squadron: 398th, 603rd
    Official Name of Aircraft: Little Max
    Date of Photograph:
    Photo Location:
    Crew at time of Photograph: Unknown
    Final Disposition of A/C: Assigned to the 398th on 28 April 1944. Repaired and transferred out of the 398th 2 March 1945.
    Interpretive Comments: Six bombs can be seen dropping from this aircraft. In 14 Feb chart, not in 15 Feb 1945 formtion chart.

The next 3 aircraft were identified by their tail and fuselage letter:

Aircraft No. 2
    Aircraft No: Two 603rd aircraft had this fuselage number N7-Q: 42-102469 N7-Q and 43-39038 N7-Q
    Tail Letter: Q
    Fuselage ID: N7-Q
    Group/Squadron: 398th, 603rd
    Official Name of Aircraft:
    Date of Photograph:
    Photo Location: Unknown
    Crew at time of Photograph: Unknown
    Final Disposition of A/C:
        42-102469 N7-Q was active with 398th 3 May 1944 and then transferred out 11 Jan 1945 after last mission 8 January 1945
        43-39038 was active with the 398th 4 March through 2 June 1945.
    Interpretive Comments: This aircraft is just to the right of Little Max. Cannot find an N7-Q on 15 Feb chart, but did find 8121-3O-Q on 14 Feb 1945, but not N7-Q on either.

Aircraft No. 3
    Aircraft No: Three 603rd aircraft had this fuselage number N7-N: 42-102568 N7-N, 44-6573 N7-N, and 43-39146 N7-N
    Tail Letter: N
    Fuselage ID: N7-N
    Group/Squadron: 398th, 603rd
    Official Name of Aircraft:
    Date of Photograph:
    Photo Location: Unknown
    Crew at time of Photograph: Unknown
    Final Disposition of A/C:
        42-102568 N7-N was assigned 28 April 1944; assigned out 29 October 1944 after crash landing.
        44-6573 N7-N was assigned 6 Nov 1944 out 13 Jan 1945 following 10 Jan 1945 mission
        43-39146 N7-N was assigned to the 398th 3 Feb 1945; assigned out 26 May 1945
    Interpretive Comments: This aircraft is the 2nd to the right of Little Max. In 14 Feb chart, not in 15 Feb 1945 formation chart.

Aircraft No. 4
    Aircraft No: 42-107138 N7-T or 43-38631 N7-T
    Tail Letter: T
    Fuselage ID: N7-T
    Group/Squadron: 398th, 603rd
    Official Name of Aircraft:
    Date of Photograph:
    Photo Location: Unknown
    Crew at time of Photograph: Unknown
    Final Disposition of A/C:
        42-107138 N7-T was assigned to the 398th 22 April 1944 and was MIA 21 November 1944.
        43-38631 N7-T was assigned to 398th 23 Nov 1944; assigned out 26 May 1945
    Interpretive Comments: This aircraft is the 3rd to the right of Little Max. 

B-17s of the 603rd BS, 398th BG, 8th Air Force navigate through a flak filled sky over Germany, c. 1944/45. B-17 nearest camera is serial number 42-97317, N7-P, "Little Max" 603rd BS, 398th BG, 8th Air Force. Assigned to the 398th on 28 April 1944. Repaired and transferred out of the 398th 2 March 1945. Note the rectangular "smudge" on the vertical tail of this B-17 - wartime censorship or ?

 

Bell P-39 Airacobras at the factory.

 

 

Northrop P-61 Black Widow, "Midnight Mickey", with the 6th Night Fighter Squadron, is readied for a mission at East Field, Saipan, Mariana Islands, September 1944. The SCR-720 radar’s parabolic dish antenna can be seen through the radome.

 

Northrop P-61 Black Widow (42-5536) "Husslin’ Hussy" of the 22nd Night Fighter Squadron, 9th AF.

 

Northrop P-61A Black Widow (42-5531), 1944.

 

Northrop P-61A Black Widow (42-5528) "Jap Batty" of the 6th Night Fighter Squadron, Saipan.

 

Northrop P-61A-1-NO Black Widow (42-5527) "Moonhappy" of the 6th NFS, Saipan, 1944.

 

P-61A Black Widow (42-5526) "Nightie Mission" of the 6th Night Fighter Squadron, Saipan.

 

Northrop P-61A Black Widow (42-5524) "Midnight Mickey" of the 6th Night Fighter Squadron, Saipan, June 1944.

 

P-61A-1-NO Black Widow (42-5508) of the 419th NFS flying near Noemfoor, Schouten Islands, 1944.

 

P-61A-1-NO Black Widow (42-5506) of the 419th NFS taxiing at Carney Airfield, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, shortly after the P-61's arrival in early 1944.

 

Northrop P-61A Black Widow (42-5505) of the 419th Night Fighter Squadron on Guadalcanal is refueled for another mission, June 1944.

 

Northrop P-61A-1-NO Black Widow (42-5502) "Skippy" of the 421st NFS, at Tacloban Airfield, Leyte.

 

P-61A serial number 42-5486 undergoing cold weather testing at Ladd Field, Alaska.

 

 YP-61 Black Widow (41-18882). The antenna of the radar set can be seen in the transparent nose. 1943.

 

Northrop P-61A-1-NO Black Widow (42-5507). Delivered to the United States Army Air Force. Assigned to 419th NFS, XIII Fighter Command, 13th AF. Shot down by AAA 1 1/14 mi se of Jolo Town, Jolo Island in Sulu Archipelago in Philippines, April 10, 1945. Both crew killed. 

 

Douglas XTB2D Skypirate.

 

 

Douglas XTB2D Skypirate.

 

Douglas XTB2D Skypirate.

 

Douglas XTB2D Skypirate.

 

  

Douglas XTB2D-1 Skypirate.

  

Douglas XTB2D-1 Skypirate. 1 February 1944.

 

Lockheed C-60 Lodestars towing Waco CG-4A gliders over Texas.

 

 

The XB-39 "Superfortress" (serial number 41-36954) in flight in 1944. (USAAF photo)

XB-39 "Spirit of Lincoln".

Northrup A-17 Shrikes in formation, 3rd Attack Group, above New York City, 21 September 1937.

Soviet Yak-9 fighters and American B-17 Flying Fortress bombers of the 99th Bomb Group based in Italy, along with Soviet and American crews, at Poltava, Ukraine as part of Operation Frantic, 21 June 1944.

 

 

F4F Wildcats on Guadalcanal.

 

A Goose in the cabbage patch. Batavia NY, September 1945.