The story of the take the offensive in North Africa, and served in the Aegean, operating out of Corfu and have been called truly modern warships. The other making no attempt whatever to Mudros, as part of the Allied force of capital ships two, Paris and Courbet, were even older than the battleship Lorraine cross the border into Egypt and kept in the vicinity to deal with the small but three Bretagnes! (Of the other Courbet-class ships, drive toward the important British dangerous force of Austro-Hungarian battleships France was lost in 1922, foundering in Quiberon Bay; railhead of Mersa Matruh. bottled up in the Adriatic. and Ocean (ex-Jean Bart) had been “demilitarized” The task assigned Tovey’s Later, Lorraine and her two sisterships were and was serving as a training ship. ships, in the light of the above, was refitted in 1919-1920. All ships then received tripod Lorraine’s early wartime duties were largely therefore a simple one: Neutralize foremasts and improved gunnery control equipment, pedestrian — chiefly convoy escort and patrol. She what intelligence estimates had allowing for director-controlled gunfire. In the mid- had carried the first shipment of gold to the United pin-pointed as a key forward 1920s, the Bretagne-class ships were again States from France in November 1939 under escort of supply base at Bardia, a port only modernized, this time to run on oil fuel instead of two cruisers — gold being the only currency the six-miles from the Egyptian- coal. In addition, eight guns of the secondary battery United States would accept when the Allies quickly Cyrenaican border and a likely (5.5-in/55-cal) were removed, and the anti-aircraft ran out of United States dollars paying for munitions staging area for Italian operations battery was increased. under the “cash and carry” provisions of the against British forces in Egypt. To Of the three sisterships, Lorraine underwent more Neutrality Act then in force. On the return leg of her accomplish the task, Tovey had extensive modernization. She was taken in hand for a voyage, Lorraine escorted merchantmen that carried been given eight ships — a refit between 1932 and 1935. During that major vitally-needed aircraft to France. battleship, three light cruisers, overhaul, her silhouette was modified significantly. Lorraine eventually sailed for the eastern and four screening destroyers. Her amidships (“Q”) turret was removed and its place Mediterranean from her base at Mers-el-Kebir late in Interestingly, one of those ships taken by a catapult and an aircraft hangar April 1940. Her movement came as part of a “curious — the battleship — was French! accommodating up to four spotting planes. Her initial spectacle” viewed by the British Commander-in-Chief, She was Lorraine, the last French aviation unit at that time was apparently equipped Mediterranean, dreadnought. with the Potez 452 two-seat By June 1940, Lorraine had shipboard observation flying boat. BY ROBERT J. CRESSMAN been in service with the French At the outbreak of World War ALL PHOTOGRAPHS USN AND FRENCH NAVY OFFICIAL fleet for over 20-years. She had II, Lorraine belonged to the main been built as one of a class of three body of the French Fleet. In ight gray ships stood out of Egypt’s Alexandria ships — Bretagne (the class leader), Provence, and the 2nd Division, she was harbor at 1130 on 20 June1940. The flagship of Lorraine, which were themselves refined developments based at the naval port of Ethe group, the British light cruiser HMS Orion, of the preceding class of dreadnought Mers-el-Kebir (Oran), on flew the flag of V/Adm. John C. Tovey — a veteran battleships — France, Jean the northern coast of destroyerman known as a “quick thinker, a proven Bart, Courbet, and Paris. French Algeria, fighter and seaman.” The men-of-war set course Lorraine’s keel was laid on I August 1912; she had together with Provence, eastward along the coast, into the azure blue been launched on 20 September 1913, and was Bretagne, and nine destroyers. Mediterranean, bound for the Italian colonial completed in July 1916. Those three dreadnoughts possession of the Cyrenaica. After her sea trials at Toulon, she had joined the made up over half of the The Italians had been in the war for just ten- 1st Squadron of the French Navy’s Mediterranean French Navy’s effective days, entering opportunistically on 10 June Fleet, and had served as the squadron battleship force, since of while Hitler’s German legions continued their flagship until relieved by Bretagne the the other four battleships drive into France, rolling over the desperate following year. After a in commission on 1 September resistance before them. The balance of power in refit at Toulon, 1939, only the sister fast- the Mediterranean, however, was still in the Lorraine had battleships Poster dramatizing the deaths of hands of the British and French on 20 June. By returned to the 1st Strasbourg and French sailors during British French postcard commemorating that day, the Italians had seemed loathe to Squadron Dunkerque could bombardment at Mers-el-Kebir. Lorraine’s launch. The Lorraine provided valuable fire support during Operation Dragoon. 38 SEA CLASSICS/March 2017 seaclassicsnow.com 39.