French cruiser Montcalm

The "Montcalm" was a French light cruiser of the "La Galissonnière" class, named in honour of Louis-Joseph de Montcalm. During World War II, she served with both Vichy France and the Allies.

After commissioning and trials, "Montcalm" was assigned to the 4th Cruiser Division at Brest. Pre-war activities included being stationed in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), French Indochina for two months from January 1938. Once back in France and part of the French Atlantic Fleet, her peacetime routine included a review for King George VI at Calais in July 1938 and she represented France at the New York World's Fair, in 1939.

At the start of the war, now assigned to the "Force de Raid", she did Atlantic patrol and convoy escort duties and swept for the "Scharnhorst" and "Gneisenau" after they had sunk the British Armed Merchant Cruiser "Rawalpindi".

After a major refit in April 1940, "Montcalm" served as flagship of the French Scandinavian Force supporting the Franco-British defence of Norway (replacing the damaged "Émile Bertin") and the evacuation of troops from Namsos, Norway, with HMS "Devonshire", at the end of April 1940.

Recalled to the "Force de Raid" in May, "Montcalm" was based in North Africa until the Destruction of the French Fleet at Mers-el-Kebir, when she was ordered to Toulon. On 9 September 1940, she left Toulon with her sisterships "Gloire" and "George Leygues", and passed Gibraltar without being challenged (for which the local British commander, Admiral Sir Dudley North, was relieved of his command [http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk/db/node.xsp?id=EAD%2FGBR%2F0014%2FNRTH] ). The flotilla refuelled at Casablanca and continued to Dakar, arriving on 14 September.

The three cruisers left Dakar on 18 September, intending to go south to Libreville, but they were intercepted by British forces, including HMAS "Australia". The "Montcalm" and "George Leygues" outran the British ships and returned to Dakar, where they helped to defend the port against the unsuccessful British and Free French attack (Operation Menace) on the 23 to 25 September 1940. The "Gloire", slowed by mechanical troubles and unable to escape, was ordered back to Casablanca.

The next two years were uneventful until the Allied landings in North Africa (Operation Torch) and the German occupation of Vichy France, when she joined the Allies, as did other French warships. "Montcalm" was refitted at Philadelphia, from February until August 1943, removing the aircraft installations and adding light anti-aircraft weapons.

"Montcalm"'s next duty was anti-blockade-runner patrols, based from Dakar. She then supported Allied landings in Normandy in June 1944 and southern France in August. Her war ended with coastal bombardments along the Riviera coastline until March 1945.

She had a refit at Chantiers de la Seyne from May to the end of January 1946.

She made a tour of Indo-China in 1955.

"Montcalm" was decommissioned and placed in reserve, in Tunisia, on 1 May 1957. She was subsequently towed to Toulon in 1959 to serve as an accommodation hulk for the submarine school. Finally condemned on 31 December 1969, she was renamed "Q457" and passed to the dockyard for disposal for scrap.