Service
She was commissioned in April 1927 and immediately commenced a seven month world cruise, returning in mid December. The pattern of extended cruises was maintained until April 1932, when she was stationed in the Far East until a refit in January 1936. The Far East posting was resumed in November 1937 until she was relieved by the Suffren and returned to France.
The first months of World War II were spent on Atlantic patrols, convoy escort and surveillance of Axis shipping. On 1 April 1940 she sailed for Fort-de-France in the West Indies, to replace the Jeanne d'Arc. She operated in Dutch West Indies waters, intercepting merchant ships. On 6 May 1940, Primauguet under the command of Vessel Captain Pierre Goybet relieved HMS Dundee off Aruba and, at the Dutch surrender, she landed forces to secure the oil installations. Primauguet returned to Dakar on 12 June 1940, after the French surrender.
Primauguet remained with the Vichy French Navy after the French surrender in 1940. She brought a part of the French Gold Reserve of Banque de France in Africa. Primauguet was at Dakar in July 1940 during the Royal Navy's attack on the French fleet at Mers-el-Kebir.
She was sent to escort an oiler in support of three La Galissonniere-class cruisers of the 4th Squadron. They were on an operation to Libreville, in French Equatorial Africa, to counter Free French activity. In the Bight of Benin the French force was intercepted by the British cruisers HMS Cornwall and HMS Delhi. After negotiations, Primauguet was ordered to turn back to Casablanca by Admiral Bourague, aboard Georges Leygues.
On 8 November 1941, she began a refit in Casablanca and was not fully operational when the Naval Battle of Casablanca started. She was shelled by the USS Massachusetts and Wichita, the two largest ships of the opposing American force. Primauguet returned fire despite the odds. Massively outgunned, she was badly damaged and suffered many casualties with 45 crew dead and more than 200 wounded. She burnt out overnight, and was beached on a reef near of the shore; the wreck was destroyed by tides a few days later and became a total loss.
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Read more about this topic: French Cruiser Primauguet (1924)
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)