Commandant Teste

The "Commandant Teste" was a large seaplane tender of the French Navy built and operated during the 1930s. She was named in honour of Paul Teste.

Design

Following the completion of the French aircraft carrier "Béarn", the Marine Nationale desired another aviation vessel. A seaplane carrier could be built more quickly and cheaper than a full size aircraft carrier. The vessel would carry seaplane torpedo bombers, fighters and scout planes.

Planes embarked on the ship included:
*Levasseur PL.15
*Latécoère 298
*Gourdou-Leseurre GL-813
*Loire 130
*Loire 210

The ship had five cranes, four catapults and a spacious hangar (84 m x 27 m), she was designed to operate up to 26 seaplanes. Alternatively she could serve as a tender for seaplanes from other naval vessels, or as a seaplane transport.

ervice

The ship served with the Mediterranean fleet, including neutrality patrols during the Spanish Civil War. After the outbreak of World War 2 she landed her seaplanes and served as an aircraft transport between French North Africa and Metropolitan France. She sustained light damage and no casualties during the Attack on Mers-el-Kébir in 1940.

She was in Toulon when the Germans invaded the so-called "Free Zone" on the 27 November 1942. She was scuttled in Toulon to avoid capture by the Germans. Refloated by the Italians, she was sunk again in 1944 during an Allied bombing. Raised again in 1945-50, she was still considered as repairable. The idea was eventually dropped in 1950, the ship was used as a store ship for US-built equipment and was finally sold for scrap in 1963.

References

* F. Dousset, Les porte-avions français des origines (1911) à nos jours, 1978 éditions de la Cité, ISBN 2-85186-015-1
* J. Jordan, The Aircraft transport Commandant Teste, in Warship 2002-2003, Conway's Maritime Press, ISBN 0-85177-926-3

See also

* List of aircraft carriers
* List of World War II ships
* List of ship launches in 1929
* List of ship commissionings in 1932
* List of ship decommissionings in 1942