World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseLight cruiser Primauguet was commissioned into service in 1927. Between May 1927 and Dec 1927, she cruised around the world, setting an annual travel pattern for her until Apr 1932 when she was transferred to French Indochina. In Jan 1936, she departed Asia for France for a scheduled refit. In Nov 1937, she arrived in Asia once again. In 1939, she returned to France. During the early months of WW2, she operated in the Atlantic Ocean. In Apr 1940, she operated out of Fort-de-France, Martinique in the French West Indies. When the Netherlands fell under German control, she landed ground forces at Aruba to secure oil facilities at that island. After the fall of France, she sailed to Dakar, Senegal, French West Africa to join the Vichy French fleet there. In Nov 1941, she began a period of refit in Casablanca, Morocco. Before the completion of the refitting, she was attacked by Allied forces during the Operation Torch landings in Nov 1941. She was shelled by battleship USS Massachusetts and cruisers USS Wichita, USS Tuscaloosa, USS Augusta, and USS Brooklyn, and was subjected to repeated aerial attacks by SBD Dauntless dive bombers from carrier USS Ranger, which caused heavy casualties among the crew and caused serious damage. To save the ship and the surviving men, the commanding officer of Primauguet ordered the cruiser to drop anchor in shallow waters and to prepare to abandon ship. Primauguet burned through the night. Although she remained afloat, the wreck was never repaired. She was sold for scrap in 1951.

Light Cruiser Primauguet Interactive Map

Photographs

Primauguet Operational Timeline