French Large Cruiser Vendee (1913)

## * Large Light Cruiser Vendee

20x 138.6mm/55 Modéle 1913

1940

2x4 370mm/45 Modéle 1913

10x 138.6mm/55 Modéle 1913

4x2 90mm/50 Modéle 1926

10x2 37mm/50 CAIL Modéle 1933

8x2 25mm/60 Modéle 1925

Barbettes - up to 100mm

Deck - up to 30mm

Vendeé (also known as Vendee) was proposal for 1913 Battlecruiser project. While utterly lacking any form of protection from heavy caliber gunfire she became accomplished Cruiser hunter in Atlantic and Indian ocean. News of start of hostilities reached her upon her shakedown course in Indian Ocean. She participated in hunt for SMS Emden but she was redirected to Atlantic when results of disastrous battle of Coronel became known.

Ship covered distance of 8203 nm in 15 days (including refuel at Cape Horn) reportedly steaming at 32 knts at times - minor repairs were made upon her arrival to Port Stanley (namely fixing malfunctioned A turret).

Vice-Admiral Sturdee sought to utilise her speed which was far greater than that of german cruisers and thus her orders in Battle of Falkland Islands were to support cruisers Kent, Glasgow and Cornwall, althrough in direct violation of these orders, she fired her guns in anger on Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in early stages of battle. Her main battery was plagued by mechanical breakdowns and as a result she failed to score any recorded hits or achieve designed rate of fire. In addition to this she suffered damage when grenade exploded in the breech of her turret X no. 1 gun (taking no.2 gun out of commision as well). Ferrocious fire of her secondaries badly damaged Nurnberg and inflicted minor damage to Leipzig.

After battle she underwent machinery overhaul and hull strenghtening (adding nearly 200t to her displacement) and received two 3" 20 cwt AA guns returning to European theater in March 1915. She was assigned to support Regia Marina but no surface actions were fought during her stay in Adriatic. After Battle of Jutland she was assigned to Allied blockade of Germany and fought in Second Battle of Heligoland Bight.

During 1920s she participated in several showing the flag cruises but she wasnt modernised as every frank spent on her would be better utilised on other surface units.

In 1924 she was serving as flagship of Martinique Station, when news of Anglo-French War declaration reached her. Martinique Station was reformed into 1er Force de Raid. She proven her worth in early stages of war when she participated in Battle of convoy HX-142, where she led fleet of 6 french destroyers and 2 cruisers against convoy escort which was consisting of cruisers HMS Danae, HMS Caledon and HMS Calcutta. Despite obvious disadvantage, all 3 UK ships laid smoke screen and launched desperate torpedo attacks taking heavy damage in the process - 12 minutes into engagement Vendee found the range of Danae and sank the ship with 3 hits of her 370mm main battery Caledon was sunk by cruisers and Calcutta was reduced to smoking listing wreck by combined fire in short order too. Destroyers launched attack on fleeing convoy and sank no less than 20 merchant ships and 4 tankers. Vendee suffered minor damage from repeated 6" hits, some of which penetrated her strenghtened torpedo bulkhead reducing her speed to 28 knots. This battle and public outcry caused formation of Force Z composed of Aircraft Carrier Courageous, battlecruisers Renown and Tiger, 4 cruisers and 8 destroyers dispatched to strengthen Dakar patrol (where Vendee and her escorts headed to refuel) with orders to contain or destroy of 1er Force de Raid. French inteligence suggested that only Tiger and one Hawkins class CA left Scappa Flow and so the order was given to intercept "smaller English fleet". Shadowed by english cruisers reporting its movement, 1er Force de Raid steamed unengaged through blockade. 2 days after setting sail, lookouts noticed several biplanes and alarm was sounded. Vendee engaged old battlecruiser Tiger but after first salvos was fired, "Hawkins class" was reidentified as Renown class due to size of splashes. French fleet quickly laid smokescreen and started retreat in face of numerically superior enemy force. Vendee was hit by shrapnels of several near misses and 30 minutes into action, her X turret received 15" hit which instantly killed crew inside. Damage was excessive, but ship managed to limp back into Dakar where her casemated guns were removed and used as spares or replacements for other ships with her X turret removed and plated over because no replacements could be found.

Upon end of war, her X turret was finally replaced, but she was considered obsolete and in 1928 she was delegated to be training vessel.

In 1932 she was drydocked and received full modernization including new FCS, replacement of her oil fired boilers for high pressure oil fired boilers, heavy boost of her AA battery and increase of horizontal armor protection to 50mm. After all these changes she could steam at 30 knots. This was viewed as a stop-gap measure to counter german "pocket battleships" before Dunkerque class battleships will be ready to serve.

In 1939 she participated in hunt for Admiral Graf Spee but ultimately arrived too late and could only witness scuttling of opponent she was designed to face.

In 1940 she took part in operation Dynamo providing artillery and Anti Air support to encircled troops. She made 4 trips saving 3200 men but upon return from her 4th trip she was attacked by swarm of 20 Ju 87 dive bombers and suffered extensive damage from 3 hits and 4 near misses loosing electrocity before one of bombs penetrated barbette abreast of turret A detonating its fore magazines. Ship sank 15km from Dunkerque with loss of 600 crewmembers.