HMS Arethusa

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Ship	HMS Arethusa


Operated By Country	Great Britain
Unit Type	Ship
Depicted In Image
Ship Class	HMS Arethusa
Ship Type	Cruiser

Involved In Activity	1940 07 03 0100 Surface Action Battle Of Mers El Kebir, Algeria
as	N
Details	Email Contribution: My grand father Louis Collinet was not the Captain of the Dunkerque in battle of Mers el Kebir (1940 07 03), but Captain of the Strasbourg. The Strasbourg was the only ship, which escaped to Toulon harbor. The grand Mother of Louis Collinet was english and he had british education. When the English naval forces came on the morning of 1940 07 03, he discretly prepared the machine of the ship and gave the order to cut the main anchor chains of Strasbourg and to fix small cable to prepare the escape. When the ship gone away my grand father refused to make fire on the Hood besause he considered that English navy was still 'allies' ! Email Contribution: From: Jean Marie Piquet Subject: French cruiser Strasbourg in the battle of Mers-El Kebir The story told by the grandson of the Strasbourg's commandant was reported to me differently by the then officer in charge of Gun-control of the battleship that day, while she was cruising at full speed towards Toulon, hunted by a force of destroyers and the HOOD.: This officer reported to the commandant that due to sunset, the British ships would be in unfavourable conditions to signt the ship and that an opportunity existed to steer 90 degrees unseen and hit the HOOD by the flank, over the heads of the destroyers. Answer from the commandant was "There has been enough casualties for today!" Years later, after retirements, they both met for a dinner in my father's home and he confessed that he was one of the few French officers to know that British battleships were equipped with the first generation of radars which allowed them to track enemy units even in the dark. He thus could not explain his decision to forge ahead instead of taking a brave but foolish stand.
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Units
	Operated By Country
	Great Britain

Ships
	Built By Shipbuilder	Laid Down YMD	Launch YMD	Commissioned YMD	Final YMD	On Slip	Fitting Out	Total Building	Life Year
	Chatham Dockyard	1933 Jan 25	1934 Mar 06	1935 May 23	1950 Jan 01	405day	443day	848day	14.61yr

Sensors
1) Fitted With Sensor	2) 1: as	3) 2: Fitted	4) 1: Primary Image	5) 1:Radar Type
BR, Radar, Type 286	N	1941 Apr 01		Surface Search
BR, Radar, Type 273	N	1942 Mar 01		Surface Search
BR, Radar, Type 281	N	1942 Mar 01		Air Search
BR, Radar, Type 282	N	1942 Mar 01		AA Fire Control
BR, Radar, Type 284	N	1942 Mar 01		Surface Fire Control
BR, Radar, Type 285	N	1942 Mar 01		AA Fire Control

Assignments
1) Covered By Assignment	2) 1: Assign To Unit	3) 2: Covered By Assignment	4) 3: Assign To Unit	5) 1: Summary
1939_Dec_01 HMS Capetown - - HMS Penelope - RN 3rd Cruiser Squadron	RN 3rd Cruiser Squadron	1939 Dec 01 - RN Mediterranean Fleet	RN Mediterranean Fleet	Or much earlier
1945-Jan-01 HMS Orion - HMS Ajax - - HMS Aurora - HMS Sirius - RN 15th Cruiser Squadron	RN 15th Cruiser Squadron	1945 Jan 01 - RN Mediterranean Fleet	RN Mediterranean Fleet	Or much earlier

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