Dupleix-class cruiser: Difference between revisions

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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 ({{lang|fr|3^e Division légère}} (DL)) of the 2nd Light Squadron which was tasked to defend the English Channel in conjunction with the British. The division 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 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 |accessdateaccess-date=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 |accessdateaccess-date=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>

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{{Commonscat|Dupleix class armoured cruisers}}

* {{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905|editor1-last=Chesneau |editor1-first=Roger|editor2-last=Kolesnik|editor2-first=Eugene M.|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|___location=Greenwich, UK|year=1979|isbn=0-8317-0302-4|name-list-style=amp|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/conwaysallworlds0000unse_l2e2}}

* {{cite book|last=Corbett|first=Julian|authorlinkauthor-link=Julian Corbett|title=Naval Operations to the Battle of the Falklands|edition=2nd|origyearorig-year=1938|series=History of the Great War: Based on Official Documents|volume=I|publisher=Imperial War Museum in association with the Battery Press|___location=London; Nashville, Tennessee|isbn=0-89839-256-X|year=1997}}

*{{cite book|last=Corbett|first=Julian|title=Naval Operations|edition=2nd|series=History of the Great War: Based on Official Documents|volume=III|orig-year=1940|year=1997|publisher=Imperial War Museum in association with the Battery Press|___location=London; Nashville, Tennessee|isbn=1-870423-50-X}}

*{{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=Naval Weapons of World War One: Guns, Torpedoes, Mines and ASW Weapons of All Nations: An Illustrated Directory|publisher=Seaforth |___location=Barnsley, UK|year=2011|isbn=978-1-84832-100-7|authorlinkauthor-link=Norman Friedman}}

*{{cite book |last1=Jordan |first1=John |last2=Caresse |first2=Philippe |title=French Armoured Cruisers 1887–1932 |date=2019 |publisher=Seaforth Publishing |___location=Barnsley, UK |isbn=978-1-5267-4118-9|name-list-style=amp}}

* {{cite book

| last = Ropp|authorlinkauthor-link=Theodore Ropp

| first = Theodore

| title = The Development of a Modern Navy: French Naval Policy, 1871–1904