Colbert (C 611)

"Colbert" (C 611) was an anti-air cruiser, later transformed into a missile cruiser, of the French Navy. She was the sixth warship to be named after Jean-Baptiste Colbert.

Launched on 24 March 1956 in Brest, France, she was the second of the series of the "De Grasse", and became the flagship of the squadron of the Mediterranean Sea in Toulon. In June 1967, she ferried General De Gaulle to Canada (on the occasion of his famous "Vive le Québec libre speech").

Between 1970 and 1972, she undertook extensive modifications in Brest to become a missile cruiser. Her only war mission was the Gulf War (operation "Salamandre") just before she was decommissioned.

Between 1993 and 2007, she was a museum in Bordeaux. But financial problems and opposition from citizens of Bordeaux forced the museum to close. She was towed in May 2007 to join the mothball fleet in Landevennec. She may be scrapped in 2010.

External links

* [http://www.netmarine.net/bat/croiseur/colbert/index.htm NetMarine.net]
* [http://www.croiseur-colbert.com/ Site of the museum] fr icon