Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-12-08
Rest Of Vessels
Are Available.
Germans

lOulOn mas SHOWN that 20 OF the
IS French ships in the harbor at
the time the Nazis moved in No
vember ~ are afioat, apparently
intact, and must be considered
available to the enemy, Secre-
tary Of the Navy Knox said to-
day.
OF the other IS ships, secretar,
Knox said at his press conference, 81
were sunk, missing or damaged, in.
GLIDING the battleship Dunkerque
Provence and Strasbourg, and foul
escaped.
The vessels classified by the Navy
here as afloat and apparently intact
included two light cruisers, three de-
stroyer leaders, three destroyers
four submarines, two gunboats, one
demilitarized battleship, L'Ocean
the former Jean Bart, and i've tank
ers.
Those which escaped were SUBJ
marines, 1t had already been estab-
ished.
Vichy reports previously had said
the whole fleet there had been scut-
tied by the French. The number was
estimated at more than 80.
Condition of Vessels.
A memorandum issued to report
ers at the Knox conference showed
that the following vessels were in
some condition of damage from
either demolition or other methods
of scuttling:
The Dunquerque, awash in dry
dock; the Strasbourg, aground on
even keel, and the Provence, stern
very low in water.
The Commandant Test, a seaplane
carrier observed to have a severe list
to port.
Two heavy cruisers of the Suffern
class and one light cruiser of the
GaHssonniere class which were
very heavily on fire"
One heavy cruiser, the Algerie,
which was aground and possibly on
fire.
Scuttled Or on Sides.
Described simply as scuttled and
lying either with decks awash or on
their sides were:
Eleven destroyer leaders very
large destroyers) Of the Aigle or
Guepard class; one destroyer leader
Of the Tigre class, one destroyer
leader Of the Volta class, one de-
stroyer leader of the Fantasque
class. - ....,'.- =rs
Six destroyers OF the Lehardie,
class, three destroyers of the Simoun
class and two destroyers of the
Pomone class.
Two gunboats of the Elan class
and the Gladiator. net layer.
One cargo ship. the Colo.
One heavy cruiser of the Suffren
class.
One former battleship which had
been demilitarized, the Condorcet.
One destroyer leader of the Moga-
dor class.
8 Subs Unaccounted.
There were 10 submarines in the
harbor at the time the Germans
moved in, and the Knox memoran-
dunn showed that of those, eight are
now unaccounted for, two which
were in dry dock suffered damage,
four which were under construction
In drydock are apparently intact,
four which tried to escape succeeded
and one which tried to escape hit a
mine and sank.
Of the four subs known to have
escaped, the Iris is now interned at
Barcelona, Spain, and three reached
ports in Allied hands, the Casa
blanca and Marsuin reaching Algiers
and the Glorieu, which was dam
aged, reaching Oran.
In addition to the four submarines
under construction which escaped
damage these other ships were list
ed as having remained af1oat and
apparently intact despite the efforts
Of the French officers and seamen to
scuttle their craft:
Two light cruisers Of the Galisson-
Mere class; the L'Ocean, two de-
stroyer leaders of the Tigre class and
one destroyer leader of either the
Aigle or Guepard class; two destroy
ers Of the Lehardi class and one de-
stroyer of the Simoun class and two
gunboats of the Arras class.
One Merchantmen Sunk.
The memorandum said Of mer-
chant shipping that the only ship
which appeared to have suffered
was a 270-foot vessel which ap-
perently sank.
No fires were seen burning on
lAnd and no destruction to land
installations was apparent, 1t was
reported. and military magazines at
the village of Milhaud, in the vicin-
ity Of the port, and storage tanks at
Mondrier were described as intact.
Mr.. Knox was asked why German
(See KNOX, Page A-6D,
!