Dupleix-class cruiser: Difference between revisions

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The '''''Dupleix''- class cruisers''' were a groupconsisted of three [[armouredarmored cruiser]]s built for the [[French Navy]] ({{lang|fr|Marine Navale}}) at the beginning of the 20th century. Designed for overseas service and armed with four {{convert|164.7|mm|in|adj=on|1|sp=us}} guns, the three ships of the [[sister ship class|class]]s were smaller and less powerfully armed than their predecessors.

''{{ship|French cruiser|Dupleix''|1900|2}} was initially assigned to the Atlantic Division ({{lang|fr|Division de l'Atlantique}}) as its [[flagship]]. Her sisters[[sister ship]]s were initially assigned to the [[Mediterranean Squadron (France)|Mediterranean Squadron]] ({{lang|fr|Escadre de la Méditerranée}}), although ''{{ship|French cruiser|Desaix''||2}} relieved ''Dupleix'' as flagship of the Atlantic Division in 1905. ''Dupleix'' was reduced to [[Reserve fleet|reserve]] from 1906 to 1909 before she was sent to the [[Far East]] in 1910 as the flagship of the ships there. ''Desaix'' and ''{{ship|French cruiser|Kléber''||2}} exchanged assignments in 1907 later, although the former ship returned to the Atlantic in 1908 before being placed in reserve from 1909 to 1914. ''Kléber'' was also placed in reserve in 1909, but she was reactivated two years later to join ''Dupleix'' in the Far East before returning home in 1913 to be placed in reserve again.

As tensions rose shortly before the beginning of [[World War I]] in August 1914, both ''Desaix'' and ''Kléber'' were reactivated. When the war began they were assigned to defend [[Allies of World War I|Allied]] shipping in the [[English Channel]] and intercept German ships attempting to pass through. At that time, ''Dupleix'' was still in the Far East. Before she was transferred to the [[Eastern Mediterranean]] in May 1915, the ship spent most of her time on escort duty in the [[Indian Ocean]] and [[Red Sea]]. Joined by ''Kléber'' that same month, they were two of the ships tasked to blockade the [[Aegean Sea|Aegean]] coast of [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Turkey]]. ''Desaix'' was the first of the sisters to be transferred to the Mediterranean in February 1915 and spent the next year patrolling off the coast of the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] [[Levant]] and in the central Mediterranean.

To help protect Allied shipping from German [[commerce raider]]s, the sisters were transferred to [[French West Africa]] for convoy escort duties in mid-1916 and remained there for the next year. Personnel shortages caused ''Kléber'' to be ordered home in mid-1917, but she struck a [[naval mine]] laid by a German submarine in JulyJune and sank; most of her crew was rescued by ships in the area. ''Dupleix'' followed her home in October and was placed in reserve. ''Desaix'' remained in West Africa for the rest of the war.

''Dupleix'' was [[Ship decommissioning|decommissioned]] in 1919 and ''Desaix'' was transferred to the Far East that same year. After the latter's return in 1921, she was also decommissioned. ''Dupleix'' was sold for [[ship breaking|scrap]] in 1922 and ''Desaix'' followed five years later.

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After the French declaration of war on [[Imperial Germany]] in early August 1914, ''Dupleix'' was assigned to the British [[China Squadron]] and participated in the early stages of the blockade of the German-leased port of [[Tsingtao]]. By late September, the ship was assigned to escort duties in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea. She was transferred to the newly formed Dardanelles Squadron ({{lang|fr|Escadre des Dardanelles}}) in May 1915, which was tasked to blockade the Aegean coast of Turkey. On the 26th, the cruiser was attacked by Ottoman [[coastal artillery]] at [[Bodrum]] while inspecting shipping, losing 27 men killed and 11 wounded.<ref>Corbett, I, pp. 143, 149, 302, 334, 359; Jordan & Caresse, pp. 225, 236</ref>

''Desaix'' and ''Kléber'' were reactivated in July 1914 and were assigned to the 3rd Light Division of the 2nd Light Squadron which was tasked to defend the English Channel in conjunction with the British. The 3rd DL was on station in the western end of the Channel by 4 August, where their mission was to intercept German shipping and provide distant [[Covering force|cover]] for the smaller ships escorting convoys in the Channel. Improved defenses in the Channel and the stabilization of the front in early 1915 allowed the cruisers to be released from their tasks, so ''Desaix'' was assigned to the 3rd Squadron upon her arrival in the [[Eastern Mediterranean]] on 16 February. The squadron was tasked to patrol the area between [[Port Said]], [[Egypt]], and [[Alexandretta]], [[Ottoman Syria]]. The cruiser was detached in May to assist the 1st Naval Army ({{lang|fr|1^re Armée Navale}}) in the Central Mediterranean with searching for German shipping near Italian ports. She rejoined the 3rd Squadron and was tasked to help blockade the Ottoman coast near the Turkish and [[Ottoman Syria|Syrian]] border. In contrast to her sister, ''Kléber'' was transferred to the [[Naval operations in the Dardanelles campaign|Dardanelles to support]] Allied forces in the Gallipoli Campaign in May where she joined the Dardanelles Squadron together with ''Dupleix'' and were assigned to blockade the coast of [[Asia Minor]].<ref>Jordan & Caresse, pp. 223–225, 232–236</ref> ''Kléber'' collided with the [[Royal Australian Navy]] [[troopship]] [[SS Pfalz (1913)|HMT ''Boorara'']] in the [[Aegean Sea]] on 17 July, damaging her bow.<ref>{{cite web |title=Australian troopship A42 HMAT Boorara (ex Pfalz) at Mudros, after being rammed by French cruiser... |url=https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1203566 |website=Australian War Memorial |accessdate=3 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=NETLEY, ENGLAND. 1918-03. TORPEDO DAMAGE TO THE SIDE OF SS BOORARA SHOWN AFTER SHE WAS BEACHED ... |url=https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C244578 |website=Australian War Memorial |accessdate=16 May 2020}}</ref> After the [[Kingdom of Bulgaria]] joined the [[Central Powers]] in mid-October, ''Kléber'' was one of the ship tasked to raid the Aegean coast of Bulgaria on 21 October.<ref>Jordan & Caresse, pp. 237, 242</ref>

The successes of German merchant raiders like {{SMS|Möwe|1914|2}} in 1916 caused the Allies to transfer cruisers to the Atlantic to protect their shipping. The sisters were assigned to a newly-raised 6th Light Division in July 1916 that was based in [[Dakar]], [[French West Africa]], with ''Kléber'' as the division's flagship.<ref>Corbett, III, pp. 36, 172–174; Jordan & Caresse, p. 242</ref> To release manpower for higher-priority [[patrol boat]]s in 1917, the 6th DL was reduced to ''Dupleix'' and ''Desaix'' and renamed the Coast of Africa Division ({{lang|fr|Division navale de la côte d'Afrique}}) on 18 May; {{lang|fr|Contre-amiral}} (Rear Admiral) [[Louis Jaurès]] transferred his flag to ''Dupleix''. En route to [[Brest, France]], ''Kléber'' struck a mine and sank on 27 June that the German [[U-boat]] {{Ship|SM|UC-61||2}} had laid off the [[Iroise Sea|Iroise]] entrance to Brest. Nearby ships were able to rescue all but 38 of her crew.<ref>Jordan & Caresse, pp. 245–246</ref>