French cruiser Émile Bertin The Émile Bertin was a French fast light cruiser named after Louis - Émile Bertin , a 19th century naval architect . She was designed to operate both as a minelayer and as a destroyer flotilla leader . The design was the basis for later light and heavy French cruisers , particularly the slightly larger " La Galissonnière " class of cruisers . This was the first French warship to use triple mountings . Operational career . Before World War II , " Émile Bertin " served as flagship for a flotilla of twelve large destroyers of the " Malin " and " Maillé Brézé " classes in the Atlantic . At the start of 1939 , she was transferred to Toulon . In secrecy , she arrived in Lebanon on 23 September 1939 , loaded with 57 tons of gold - the Polish state gold reserves - and returned to Toulon . At the start of 1940 , after a refit at Toulon , she carried out surveillance around the Canary Islands to ensure that there were no German forces there . After further dockyard work at Brest , in early April 1940 , she became the flagship of Group Z , the French squadron supporting the Allied Norwegian campaign , with Admiral Derrien in command . As well as " Émile Bertin " , Group Z comprised the 2400 - tonne contre - torpilleurs ( large destroyers ) " Tartu " , " Chevalier Paul " , " Maillé Brézé " , " Milan " , " Bison " and " Épervier " , as well as the 1500 - tonne " Brestois " , " Boulonnais " and " Foudroyant " . Off Namsos , she was attacked by the Luftwaffe and damaged by bombs on 19 April . She returned to Brest for repair and remained there until 21 May , and was replaced off Norway , by the cruiser " Montcalm " . She made two trips from Brest to Halifax , Nova Scotia , the first with " Jeanne d ' Arc " and aircraft - carrier " Bearn " , carrying gold from the Bank of France . The French armistice was signed shortly after " Émile Bertin " had docked for the second time , and when Captain Battet signalled the French Admiralty for advice , the cruiser was ordered to Fort - de - France , Martinique with the gold . No effort by Royal Navy units present succeeded to prevent this , but the ocean liner " Pasteur " , which had to follow " Emile Bertin " , did not succeed to leave Halifax , was seized , used as troopship operated under British colours . Once at Martinique and the gold safely unloaded , she made ready to defend the island against an expected British attack - which was abandoned through United States pressure . For the next two years or so the ship was inactive at anchor off Fort de France , until , on 16 May 1942 she was ordered by the Vichy authorities to be immobilised , after pressure from the United States . She joined the Allied Forces in June 1943 , under French colours , and was modernised in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard . " Émile Bertin " later operated in the Mediterranean , took part in the Allied invasion of southern France ( Operation Dragoon ) in 1944 and later bombarded Axis positions along the Italian Riviera . After various Mediterranean duties , she entered Toulon for a refit until October 1945 . She then deployed as flagship to Indochina until 2 July 1946 when she sailed for home with the " Tourville " . " Émile Bertin " then served as a gunnery training ship until the navy finally scrapped her in October 1959 .