FRENCH NAVY BATTLESHIP "RICHELIEU" 1943

Description

Richelieu was a French battleship built in 1935 and thus baptized in the honor of cardinal de Richelieu. She is one of the last two giant warships which France had: Richelieu & Jean Bart. She left for Dakar on June 18th, 1940 whereas German airplanes bombarded the harbour where she was in completion (to a total value of 90%). In Dakar, the ship was torpedoed by the British fleet during the "Catapult" operation. A torpedo hit one propeller (she was failed on a shallow water, by the back). The ship was summarily repaired. At the end of 1942, she left to the United States where its armament was modernized at the Brooklyn naval unit. She recieved the notable addition of anti-aircraft guns of 20 and 40 mm Bofors. After having crossed the Suez Chanel, the ship arrived on April 10, 1944 at Trincomalee, in the island of Ceylon, where she was incorporated within the British Fleet, then took part in the attack on Sabang on April 19 and Surabaya. she was present at the Japanese capitulation in the Singapore harbour. Lastly, October 1, she was back in Toulon after 52 months far from the homeland. After the Second War, she took part in the Indo-China war. She was struck from the active service August 1959, disarmed in 1967 then demolished in the La Spezia port (Italy) in 1968. (Scale : 1/700e)