World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseFrench cruiser Jeanne d'Arc was laid down in Sep 1928 with the intention of being a school ship. She was launched in 1930, and was commissioned into service in Oct 1931. During the 1930s, she made several voyages outside of French waters, visiting ports in South America and along the coast of the Black Sea. When WW2 began in Europe in 1939, she was pressed into front line service. As a member of the West Atlantic Naval Division, she assisted in blockading German merchant ships inside of neutral ports. In late May 1940, she participated in the mission that brought gold from the Bank of France to Canada; upon the completion of that mission, she sailed for Martinique, where she would remain disarmed until Jul 1943 when she would choose to join the Allies. After being refitted and rearmed in the United States, flying the flag of the Free French, she provided naval support for operations in Corsica and in southern France. After the end of the war, Jeanne d'Arc resumed her primary mission as a school ship, making 27 more tours abroad before being decommissioned in 1964.

Light Cruiser Jeanne d'Arc Interactive Map

Jeanne d'Arc Operational Timeline

Photographs

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