Heavy cruiser Algérie, state of the art treaty cruiser

Arghail · July 28, 2023, 3:25am

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Heavy Cruiser Algérie

A modern warship with a tragic fate

About Algérie and its interest in War Thunder

As part of an effort to highlight the most original and interesting top tier warships among the French navy, the heavy cruiser Algérie is a must. Being known as one of the best cruisers built under the Washington treaty restrictions, its original and advanced configuration, its great armor, and superior artillery makes it the best contender as the French top tier prize as long as cruisers are concerned. It is also the best contender able to rival ships like the Admiral Hipper which were built specificaly taking into account the threat that represented this new design.

Algérie, the broken dreams of a state of the art warship

During the 1920’s the French navy was trying to find a way to rearm its fleet, severely lacking after the end of WW1. Although the Washington treaty had limited the size of its fleet and the scope of its modernisation, The biggest problem was the speed at which rival fleets were developing. Be it the Italian fleet or the German fleet, they both were modernizing at an alarming rate. While the French navy was building its first heavy cruiser classes, the Regia Marina was creating fast, powerful warships, especially the Zara class which were much more modern, with far better performances compared to the new serie of French heavy cruisers, the Suffren class. Thus, starting 1930, France started working on a new project of cruisers, project C4. The limitations of the Washington treaty affected the design of the cruiser, which used several innovations to keep it as light as possible while having a better armor and a good floatability. The most obvious change is the flush-deck which reduced the weight and allowed for a good speed despite the added armor. The final project was called PN141, and construction finally started. The cruiser was baptized Algérie, to celebrate the centenary of the Algerian expedition.

Algérie’s construction started in 1931. It was launched a year later, and finally, after two years of testings, it was commissioned in october 1934. It sailed in various fleets between 1934 and 1937. At the time, It operated mostly in the Mediterranean sea. When WW2 started, it joined the Force maritime de haute mer (High Sea Task Force). First escorting convoys, it quickly joined the fleet chasing the German commerce raiders, the Deutschland class, until March 1940. He then escorted the convoy transporting the French gold to canada to protect it in march 1940. Back in France in April, the battle of France was starting. Italy declared war soon after. On June 14, Algérie was the flagship of Operation Vado, during which it shelled the port of Genoa. the damages were negligible, although one of the Italian PT boats dispatched to attack the French fleet was damaged. Algérie came back to Toulon, as the war finally ended. Although the ship patrolled the Mediterranean sea and had several overhauls during the next two years, the lack of oil grounded the ship in Toulon. Unable to get out of of the city, it was scuttled along with the rest of the Mediterranean fleet during Operation Anton in 1942, without having ever faced the ships it was built to fight.

General Characteristics :

Tonnage:* 10931 tons (standard)

13644 tons (max overload)|
Length: 186.20 m
Beam: 20 m
Draught: 6.125 m
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Propulsion: * Rateau steam turbines
5 Indret boilers
84 000 HP
Speed: 31 knots (57 km/h) max
Range:* 8000 nautical miles at 15 knots
4000 nautical miles at 27 knots

Crew : 746 men as a leader ship

Armor :

Vertical protection :

Main belt : 110mm

Bulkheads : 70mm

Torpedo bulkhead : 40mm

Horizontal protection :

Main deck : 80mm

upper deck : 20mm

Blockhaus :

Front and sides 95mm

Main turrets :