La Galissonnière-class cruiser

	Diagram of a La Galissonnière-class cruiser
Class overview
Name	La Galissonnière class
Operators	French Navy
Preceded by	Émile Bertin
Succeeded by	De Grasse (planned)
In commission	1937–1958
Completed	6
Lost	3
Retired	3
General characteristics
Type	Light cruiser
Displacement	7,600 tons (standard); 9,120 tons (full load);
Length	179 m (587.3 ft)
Beam	17.5 m (57.4 ft)
Draught	5.35 m (17.6 ft)
Propulsion	2-shaft geared turbines (Parsons or Rateau-Bretagne); 4 Indret boilers; 84,000 shp (63 MW);
Speed	31 knots (57 km/h) (designed); 35 knots (65 km/h) (trials);
Range	7,000 nmi (13,000 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h)
Complement	540
Armament	9 × 152 mm (6.0 in)/55 caliber guns (3x3); 8 × 90 mm (3.5 in) anti-aircraft guns (4x2); 24 × 40 mm (1.6 in) guns (6x4); 4 × 550 mm (21.7 in) torpedo tubes (2x2);
Armour	Main belt: 105 mm (4.1 in); End bulkheads: 30 mm (1.2 in); Sides: 120 mm (4.7 in); Deck: 38 mm (1.5 in); Turrets: 100 mm (3.9 in); Conning tower: 95 mm (3.7 in);
Aircraft carried	Up to 4 GL-832, later 2 Loire 130 flying boats
Aviation facilities	1 catapult

The La Galissonnière-class cruisers were commissioned by the French Navy in the 1930s. They were the last French cruisers completed after 1935, until the completion of De Grasse in 1956. They are considered fast, reliable and successful light cruisers. Two cruisers of this class, Georges Leygues and Montcalm, took part in the defence of Dakar in late September 1940 during World War II. With the cruiser Gloire, they joined the Allied forces after the successful Allied landings in North Africa in November 1942. The three other cruisers of the La Galissonière class, held under Vichy control at Toulon, were scuttled on 27 November 1942.

After refitting, Georges Leygues, Montcalm and Gloire took part in various Allied operations, including the Normandy landings in 1944. Postwar, several of the class acted as the flagship of the French Mediterranean Squadron, and carried out operations off Indo-China until 1954, and afterwards were deployed during the Suez Crisis and operations off Algeria. They were scrapped between 1958 and 1970.

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