French Battleship Dunkerque - Service History

Service History

Dunkerque was laid down in the Brest Navy Yard, on 24 December 1932, in the Salou graving dock number 4. The hull was completed except for the forward-most 17 m (56 ft) section, since the dock was only 200 m (660 ft) long. She was launched on 2 October 1935 and towed to Laninon graving dock number 8, where the bow was fitted. Sea trials were carried out, starting on 18 April 1936, before the superstructure was complete. The trials lasted until late-April 1937. Dunkerque represented France at the British Naval Review in May 1937, marking the coronation of King George VI. Later that month on May 27, she took part in another review off Île de Sein, where the French Mediterranean and Atlantic squadrons were assembled following combined exercises; Dunkerque hosted the Navy Minister and the new Chief of Staff of the French Navy, Vice Admiral François Darlan.

On 20 January 1938, Dunkerque departed for a tour of French colonial possessions in the Atlantic; ports of call included Fort-de-France in the Antilles and Dakar, Senegal. She returned to France on 6 March, where she was placed on active duty on 1 September. She joined the Atlantic Squadron and became the flagship of Vice Amiral d'Escadre (Squadron Vice Admiral) Marcel-Bruno Gensoul. The ship then went into drydock for drydock in Brest for periodic maintenance on 29 November; repairs lasted until 27 February 1939. After emerging from drydock, Dunkerque was assigned to the Force de Raid, a fast task force created in response to the Sudetenland Crisis with Germany. Strasbourg joined the Force de Raid in March; the two Dunkerque-class battleships formed the 1ère Division de Ligne (1st Division of the Line). The ships received division stripes on their funnels, one for Dunkerque as division leader, and two for Strasbourg. By that time, the Force de Raid consisted of the two Dunkerques, three light cruisers, and eight large destroyers. The squadron was based in Brest. The German Deutschland-class cruisers were operating off Spain at the time tensions began to rise over the Sudetenland Crisis in early 1938, so the Force de Raid was sent out to cover the return of the cruiser Jeanne d'Arc on 14–16 April. The Sudetenland Crisis ultimately was resolved in the Munich Agreement in September 1938 and led to a temporary slackening of tensions in Europe.

The 1ère Division de Ligne made an official visit on 3–4 May 1939 to Lisbon, Portugal, commemorating the discovery of Brazil by Alvares Cabral. On 23 May, the two battleships and other ships of the Force de Raid visited Britain, including stops in Liverpool, Oban, Staffa, Loch Ewe, Scapa Flow, and Rosyth. They returned to Brest on 21 June. On 2 September 1939, the day after Germany invaded Poland, the Force de Raid sortied from Brest, since the Deutschland-class cruisers were reported to be operating in the Atlantic. After four days at sea, the squadron returned to Brest. In October, Dunkerque was assigned to Force L, along with Béarn and three cruisers; the squadron was based in Brest. The ships were tasked with hunting down the cruiser Admiral Graf Spee.

On 25 November, Vice Admiral Gensoul ordered Dunkerque, the French 4th Cruiser Division, and the British battlecruiser HMS Hood to intercept the German battleship Scharnhost and Gneisenau, which had sunk the Armed Merchant Cruiser HMS Rawalpindi, north of the Faroe Islands on 23 November. While the German battleships attempted to break into the Atlantic, Dunkerque suffered bow damages in a huge North Atlantic tempest and had to be docked for repairs on 3 December. On 11 December, Dunkerque and the cruiser Gloire carried a shipment of part of the Banque de France's gold reserve to Canada. The ships arrived on 17 December and covered a troop convoy on the return voyage. After returning to Brest on 4 January 1940, Dunkerque underwent another period of maintenance, which lasted until 6 February. The ship then conducted sea trials and training maneuvers through March.

Faced with increasingly hostile posturing by Italy during the spring of 1940, the Force de Raid was dispatched, on 2 April to the Mediterranean. The squadron was quickly ordered to return to Brest several days later, in response to the German landings in Norway on 9 April. The Force de Raid was transferred subsequently to Mers-el Kebir on 24 April, arriving on 27 April. Reports of Axis vessels in the area on 9–10 May prompted Dunkerque and Strasbourg to sortie. Dunkerque remained in the Mediterranean when the Italians declared war on France and Britain on 10 June. Two days later, Dunkerque and Strasbourg sortied to intercept reported German and Italian ships that were incorrectly reported to be in the area. On 22 June, however, France surrendered to Germany following the Battle of France; during the truce negotiations, the French Navy proposed demilitarizing Dunkerque and several other warships in Toulon.