World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseCommissioned into service in Nov 1937, cruiser Montcalm was initially based in Brest, France, then briefly transferred to Saigon, French Indochina, and finally returning to the French Atlantic Fleet in mid-1938. In Jul 1938, she hosted King George VI of the United Kingdom. In 1939, she participated in the World's Fair in New York, New York, United States. When the European War broke out in Sep 1939, she patrolled the Atlantic Ocean and escorted French merchant ships. In Apr 1940, she became the flagship of the French Scandinavian Force, and shortly after assisted in the evacuation of British and French troops from Norway. Between May and Sep 1940, she made port calls at Algiers, French Algeria; Toulon, France; and Dakar, French West Africa. On Sep 18, sailing with two other French cruisers, she departed Dakar for Libreville, but the force was intercepted by Allied warships (mostly British warships, with one Australian cruiser); Montcalm was able to disengage and returned to Dakar to help defend the port. In Apr 1941, she sortied to recapture the French transport ship Fort de France. In Nov 1942, as French forces in North Africa joined the Allies, Montcalm, too, switched sides. She was sent to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States for refitting, which lasted from Feb to Aug 1943, and then performed patrolled out of Dakar. In Jun 1944, she provided naval support to the Allied invasions of Normandie and Côte d'Azur (French Riviera) in France. Her final action in WW2 saw her bombarding German positions along the French southern coast in Mar 1945. After the war, she remained in service with the French Navy and saw at least one tour of duty off French Indochina. She was placed in reserve in 1957. In 1959, she was towed to Toulon to serve as an accommodation hulk for the submarine school. She was scrapped in 1970.

Light Cruiser Montcalm Interactive Map

Photographs

Montcalm Operational Timeline