Foch
| Country | France |
| Ship Class | Suffren-class Heavy Cruiser |
| Builder | Arsenal de Brest |
| Laid Down | 21 Jun 1928 |
| Launched | 24 Apr 1929 |
| Commissioned | 15 Aug 1931 |
| Sunk | 27 Nov 1942 |
| Displacement | 10,000 tons standard; 12,780 tons full |
| Length | 643 feet |
| Beam | 66 feet |
| Draft | 24 feet |
| Machinery | 9 Guyot boilers, Rateau-Bretagne SR geared turbines, 3 shafts |
| Power Output | 100,000 shaft horsepower |
| Speed | 32 knots |
| Range | 4,500nm at 15 knots |
| Crew | 773 |
| Armament | 4x2x203mm/50 Modèle 1924 guns, 8x90mm 55cal AA guns, 4x2x37mm AA guns, 4x3x13.2mm AA guns, 2x3x550mm torpedo tubes |
| Armor | 60mm belt, 25mm deck, 30mm turrets, 30mm tower |
| Aircraft | 2 seaplanes |
| Catapults | 2 |
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
ww2dbaseCruiser Foch entered French Naval service in 1931. At the early months of the European War, she was based at Dakar in French West Africa. On 14 Jun 1940, she, along with French 1st Cruiser Division, bombarded Vado, Italy near Genoa. Later transferred to the Mediterranean Sea port of Toulon in southern France, she was scuttled as German troops advanced. She burned for several days and was thought to be a complete loss. In Apr 1943, the Italians raised her wreck with intentions of repair, but the work stopped when Italy surrendered later in the same year. In Nov 1943, she was captured by the Germans, who used her as a stationary gun platform. On 18 Aug 1944, she was sunk as a blockship in an attempt to prevent Allied ships from entering Toulon harbor; two days later, she was hit by two aerial bombs. Captured by the Allies by Sep 1944, she was refloated, but no work was done to put her back into service. She was sold for scrap in 1951.
ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia
Last Major Revision: Mar 2013
Heavy Cruiser Foch Interactive Map
Foch Operational Timeline
| 21 Jun 1928 | The keel of Foch was laid down at Arsenal de Brest, France. |
| 24 Apr 1929 | Foch was launched at Brest, France. |
| 15 Aug 1931 | Foch was commissioned into service. |
| 14 Jun 1940 | Foch bombarded Vado, Italy. |
| 27 Nov 1942 | Foch was scuttled at Toulon, France. |
| 16 Apr 1943 | Italians raised the wreck of Foch at Toulon, France for repair. |
| 17 Nov 1943 | Foch's wreck was captured by the Germans at Toulon, France. |
| 18 Aug 1944 | Foch's wreck was sunk at the mouth of Toulon harbor, France as a blockship. |
| 20 Aug 1944 | Blockship Foch was hit by two aerial bombs at the mouth of the Toulon harbor, France. |
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Winston Churchill
17 Aug 2019 12:19:22 PM
You state the cruiser Foch was scuttled at Toulon a second time as a blockship on 18 Aug 1944. Wiki does not have that, nor any site I can search. Wiki says it was scrapped in 43-44. Can you clarify?
Many thanks, Tom