After the French defeat in 1940, "Algérie" remained with the Vichy fleet based at Toulon. Her only mission for the Vichy navy was to escort the battleship back to Toulon, as the battleship had been summarily repaired after the damages received during the British attack on Mers-el-Kébir in 1940. In 1941, her secondary and anti-aircraft weaponry was strengthened and in 1942, she was fitted with the early French-built radar.